movies rented recently
The Bad Seed (1956).
The Seventh Seal (1957).
蜘蛛巣城 (Spiderweb Castle) (Throne of Blood) (1957). Having seen it once before, I watched it only with the commentary track on, and learned some interesting details about Kurosawa’s technique. For example, he liked to shoot with multiple cameras; besides being a relatively cheap way to get more footage to cut together, this prevents the actors from “playing to the camera”.
Nights of Cabiria (1957).
Silk Stockings (1957). I endured the tedious dialogue only long enough to see Cyd Charisse’s first dance.
どん底 Donzoko (The Lower Depths) (1957). When the characters had vented their frustrations at each other for about twenty minutes, I dropped out.
The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957). Damn fine picture. I saw it just once before, in 1976-7, dubbed in French.
I Soliti Ignoti (Big Deal on Madonna Street) (1958) may replace The Lavender Hill Mob as my favorite caper comedy.
the television-wide web
A chart of the crossovers linking many tv series. (cited by Nev Dull)
Tommy Westphall was an austistic child on ST ELSEWHERE who, it was revealed in the closing moments of the final episode of that series, had dreamt the entire run of the show. So if ST ELSEWHERE is part of his mind, so are the 167 other series to which it is connected.
And so is Henry Fonda, who played himself in an episode of Maude. A less drastic hypothesis is that only those episodes involving St Elsewhere characters are dreams. And even that is not necessary, if the revelation did not specify that the characters (as well as the events) were unreal.
type-casting
I wonder whether Tony Robinson got the part of Baldrick, flunky to Prince Edmund the Black Adder, partly because he resembles Gunnar Björnstrand who played Jöns the squire in The Seventh Seal (1957).
movies rented recently
War and Peace (1956). I got bored halfway. Henry Fonda, at 51, played Pierre, traditionally a young idealist.
Bus Stop (1956). Fluff. I was curious about it mainly because my hi-skool put on the play one year. I remember being asked to move from my seat in the right front because Beth Amsbary (Cherie) had to change costume behind the bar.
The Wrong Man (1956), Hitchcock. Fairly good. Henry Fonda, 51, played Manny Balestrero, 38.
Heaven Knows, Mr Allison (1957). Enjoyable fluff.
cheap pun
Has the blind cartoon mouse met his match?
Don’t miss — Zatô-itchy and Scratchy!
watching the talkies, 1956
Funny blunder in Kubrick’s The Killing (1956): when George (Elisha Cook) takes a pistol from its hiding place, he pointlessly works the slide before inserting a magazine: the gun is thus not in firing condition.
Other movies seen this week:
Bob le Flambeur (1956), another caper, not bad but overrated.
The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956), surprisingly straightforward for Hitchcock.
The Searchers (1956), a disturbing piece about obsession and hatred, with a happy ending incongruously tacked on.
Mutant Enemy ate my brain
A few months ago you may remember I had some dreams inspired by Buffy. This morning in dream, I was among the crew of Serenity, apparently taking Book’s place. We happened to be on Wash’s home planet, and I heard his side of a conversation in which he failed to find the words to tell his mother that he was married and a father. Later, Kaylee put on the “Shindig” gown for a formal dinner.