Turner Classic Movies

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sherlockjr
Joined: Tue Nov 09, 2004 8:34 pm
Location: Mississippi

#51 Post by sherlockjr » Sat Nov 04, 2006 12:01 am

. . . and his obvious professional respect and personal enjoyment of Hitchcock's films, particulary his earlier works.

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Antoine Doinel
Joined: Sat Mar 04, 2006 1:22 pm
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#52 Post by Antoine Doinel » Fri Nov 10, 2006 10:52 am

Came across this reading a NY Times article regarding the chain and its entertainment branding:

[quote]...later that day she sent over a press release: Starting next month, in conjunction with Turner Classics, the “White Christmasâ€

rwaits
Joined: Tue Dec 21, 2004 12:24 pm

#53 Post by rwaits » Wed Nov 22, 2006 6:12 pm

TCM Imports Montage... if anyone can name off a few of these I'd be grateful:

Has anyone seen this?--they've been showing it for the past several weeks. I always think TCM does a good job of putting different film elements together to create advertisements for their different programs, and I find this one especially intersting. However, I must admit that I am unfamiliar with the majority of these images (besides the obviously iconic ones). There are quite a few beautiful images here, and I'd like to check some of these out...can anyone name some of these films?

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Cold Bishop
Joined: Tue May 30, 2006 9:45 pm
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#54 Post by Cold Bishop » Wed Nov 22, 2006 7:28 pm

I've seen it, but didn't pay much attention to it.... I do recall seeing a quite bit of Tarkovsky's Mirror and Bergman's Persona in the montage.

forweg
Joined: Tue Apr 04, 2006 1:24 am

#55 Post by forweg » Mon Dec 04, 2006 3:14 am

Since it's abundantly clear that he's all at sea when it comes to the international cinema, routinely butchering names, titles and more, can't TCM simply reshoot when he omits or adds a consonant, or throws in an extra syllable? It's not like the people who bother to tune in at 2:00 a.m. aren't going to notice the howlers.
He sounded utterly confused and bewildered, almost like he was in physical pain, while talking about Hiroshi Teshigahara.

It was actually pretty humorous.

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Highway 61
Joined: Mon Nov 08, 2004 4:40 pm

#56 Post by Highway 61 » Wed Dec 06, 2006 6:42 pm

Has anyone checked out TCM's February schedule? It's entirely Oscar themed, with one night devoted to "Best Supporting Actor winners" or "Best Visual Effects." I've only been watching the channel for a few months, so maybe they do this every year near the Oscar telecast, but I thought it was quite bizzare to see movies like "Batman Forever" and "The Patriot" on their schedule. I really hope this is just a fluke, and not indicative of the direction TCM is headed.

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souvenir
Joined: Wed Nov 03, 2004 12:20 pm

#57 Post by souvenir » Wed Dec 06, 2006 6:56 pm

Yep, they've been doing that every year for a decade at least.

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Highway 61
Joined: Mon Nov 08, 2004 4:40 pm

#58 Post by Highway 61 » Wed Dec 06, 2006 7:03 pm

Gotcha. Thanks.

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Ashirg
Joined: Wed Nov 03, 2004 9:10 am
Location: Atlanta

#59 Post by Ashirg » Sat Dec 23, 2006 4:53 pm

I really dig their promos of the month. Here's what I found on youtube -

September 2001
June 2006
September 2006
November 2006
December 2006

Greathinker

#60 Post by Greathinker » Sat Dec 23, 2006 6:41 pm

Yeah, TCM is the only channel where I look forward to watching the commercials. I remember they did a promo for a series of Michael Powell films that was being shown one month, about 2-3 years ago. I believe I wasn't that familiar with his and Pressburger's films then, but I wanted to see them after the promo, which impressed me. I Wish I could find it again but no dice.

Some may call it artificial, but promos like these, and dvd covers/packaging, advertisements in general have a great pull on those that wouldn't necessarily sit down and watch the film just for itself. For that reason I'm beginning to understand and like Criterion's new approach, and TCM's continuing style--If it pulls more people into the wonderful world of film that's good-- and those that see the substance otherwise can just go on appreciating increasingly good presentations of the films themselves, if not the packaging.

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Belmondo
Joined: Thu Feb 08, 2007 9:19 am
Location: Cape Cod

#61 Post by Belmondo » Wed May 02, 2007 10:16 am

Just watched part one of the TCM original documentary BRANDO. Very enjoyable but not so great that you have to pull your hair out if you don't get TCM. Frankly, I think I learned more about Brando's early career from disc two of the recent Special Edition of "Streetcar Named Desire". We do get some insights into his personal life and see that his monumental appetite for (and quick rejection of) women, probably goes back to his childhood and his alcoholic mother. We see his early involvement in the civil rights struggle and Jane Fonda credits him as the inspiration for her own activism. Plenty of other comments from A list talents (Scorsese, Pacino, Duvall and many others), but they all sing his praises in exactly the way you would expect. The overall theme seems to be that Brando slowly lost interest in his craft.....problem is, we already knew that.

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tryavna
Joined: Wed Mar 30, 2005 4:38 pm
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#62 Post by tryavna » Wed May 02, 2007 1:34 pm

I just received my TCM guide for June, and considering the demographics of this board, I thought many of you might be interested to know that TCM is going gay next month.

I presume that this will be organized like the Af-Am month last year, with Richard Barrios serving in much the same capacity as Donald Bogle did.

It will be interesting to see how TCM's core audience responds to this.

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Joe Buck
Joined: Mon Dec 05, 2005 6:59 pm
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#63 Post by Joe Buck » Thu May 03, 2007 9:17 am

I thought the Brando documentary was pretty good. Nothing Earth-shattering, but enjoyable. They didn't visit "Free Money", though, which had a great, over-the-top performance from Marlon.

Forgive me if this has already been covered, but I couldn't find any info with a search....why does TCM show a letterboxed version of "Waterfront". The DVD is full-screen. That is the correct ratio, isn't it?

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Belmondo
Joined: Thu Feb 08, 2007 9:19 am
Location: Cape Cod

#64 Post by Belmondo » Fri May 04, 2007 12:37 am

Since not everyone has access to Turner Classic Movies, here are a few gems from part two of the BRANDO documentary:

Al Pacino claims credit for suggesting to Coppola that Brando be considered for the role of the Godfather. Coppola is not among the commentators but we hear (again) that Brando arrived on the set of APOCALYPSE NOW overweight, unprepared, and not ready to work. Brando would not go near Dennis Hopper who admits to not bathing for weeks to "get into his role".

Martin Scorsese credits Brando directly for the "you talkin' to me?" scene in TAXI DRIVER after seeing Brando preen and talk to the mirror in a scene from REFLECTIONS IN A GOLDEN EYE.

Many have suggested that the set of MUTINY ON THE BOUNTY was chaos and showed Brando at his worst, but close friend George Englund says that Brandos' low point was on the set of THE UGLY AMERICAN.

Bernardo Bertolucci says that Brando was "shocked" by his own performance in LAST TANGO IN PARIS, and in a vintage interview, Brando says that he "never could figure out what the movie was about".

Sorry to emphasize the sensational, the documentary was balanced and generally complementary. Virtually all agree that he was "a free spirit" in his personal life, and his influence is so great that actors can only fall into two categories - before Brando and after Brando.

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Highway 61
Joined: Mon Nov 08, 2004 4:40 pm

#65 Post by Highway 61 » Fri May 25, 2007 8:21 pm

TCM will start showing movies online. From the Hollywood Reporter:
Turner Classic Movies on Tuesday launched an online video destination devoted to classic films.

Dubbed the Media Room, the new video portal lives on the TCM.com site and launched with more than 3,000 pieces of shortform video content in the form of short films, movie clips, trailers and interstitials from TCM programming.

The launch also featured the online premiere of the 1937 romantic comedy "Living on Love" in its entirety. In the future, Media Room will offer features in a widescreen Cinemascope format and without letterboxing, which is designed to duplicate the cinematic experience.

Roger_Thornhill
Joined: Thu Dec 01, 2005 10:35 pm

#66 Post by Roger_Thornhill » Mon May 28, 2007 9:21 pm

It would be a pity if TCM turned into what AMC has become, but AMC never showed films in their proper aspect ration anyways. TCM is easily my favorite channel and I've always wondered how well they do, does anyone know? Is TCM profitable?

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Floyd
Joined: Fri Nov 05, 2004 10:25 pm

#67 Post by Floyd » Tue May 29, 2007 8:15 am

I am unsure why you fear that they could ever become the abomination that is AMC. I don't read anything here about them including commercials and showing films which look to be 5th generation VHS.

I am a bit surprised to read the gay films and The Maltese Falcon there as it seems an obviously gay film. Perhaps this is just widely known to people but I have never read anything about its gay undertones. I saw it when I was around 13 so maybe it just wasn't in my range. If anyone knows any articles I would like to read about that.

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Belmondo
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#68 Post by Belmondo » Tue May 29, 2007 10:09 am

As far as I know, TCM is doing just fine financially. Most cable companies include it as part of a "premium package", and they get their share of the fees.
As far as gay themed movies go; I find this subject to be intriguing and am looking forward to seeing these movies even though I think that sometimes we dig too deep in order to find an undercurrent that may not be there. For example, I have the new special edition of THE GUNS OF NAVARONE and one of the commentators insists that there is a male attraction just beneath the surface involving all the main characters. I just don't see it, and Alistair MacLean, who wrote the straightforward adventure novel, would have been shocked, SHOCKED, to find love going on here.

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Matt
Joined: Tue Nov 02, 2004 12:58 pm

#69 Post by Matt » Tue May 29, 2007 10:12 am

Floyd wrote:I am a bit surprised to read the gay films and The Maltese Falcon there as it seems an obviously gay film. Perhaps this is just widely known to people but I have never read anything about its gay undertones.
The films that they are showing are not necessarily "gay" films; they are more often films that have a "gay" character (however veiled or coded). The Maltese Falcon does not appear because it has gay undertones (or overtones or nexttotones) but because of the character of Joel Cairo, an obvious pansy.

Roger_Thornhill
Joined: Thu Dec 01, 2005 10:35 pm

#70 Post by Roger_Thornhill » Tue May 29, 2007 11:45 am

Floyd wrote:I am unsure why you fear that they could ever become the abomination that is AMC. I don't read anything here about them including commercials and showing films which look to be 5th generation VHS.
It's because I've been raised in a culture of fear, where fearing the imminent demise of TCM is right near the top!:wink:

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tryavna
Joined: Wed Mar 30, 2005 4:38 pm
Location: North Carolina

#71 Post by tryavna » Tue May 29, 2007 12:55 pm

Matt wrote:The films that they are showing are not necessarily "gay" films; they are more often films that have a "gay" character (however veiled or coded). The Maltese Falcon does not appear because it has gay undertones (or overtones or nexttotones) but because of the character of Joel Cairo, an obvious pansy.
Have neither of you ever read the original novel? Cairo, Gutman, and Wilmer are all clearly gay in the book. They had to be "coded" for the film. (Not that I'm disagreeing with Matt's point, but the status of the characters are especially obvious if you know the novel.)

And if you haven't read the book, you should! Huston is remarkably faithful to it, but he still can't quite reproduce Hammett's wonderfully hard-boiled prose.

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Matt
Joined: Tue Nov 02, 2004 12:58 pm

#72 Post by Matt » Tue May 29, 2007 1:09 pm

Sadly, I have not read the original. Hammett is on my long list of authors to get to eventually.

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Polybius
Joined: Wed Nov 03, 2004 10:57 pm
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#73 Post by Polybius » Thu May 31, 2007 2:37 am

tryavna wrote:
Matt wrote:The films that they are showing are not necessarily "gay" films; they are more often films that have a "gay" character (however veiled or coded). The Maltese Falcon does not appear because it has gay undertones (or overtones or nexttotones) but because of the character of Joel Cairo, an obvious pansy.
"Look what you did to my shirt!!"
Have neither of you ever read the original novel? Cairo, Gutman, and Wilmer are all clearly gay in the book. They had to be "coded" for the film. (Not that I'm disagreeing with Matt's point, but the status of the characters are especially obvious if you know the novel.)
We also don't get to see Brigid nude. (She's rather more of a classic fatale in Hammett's hands. I like Mary, but she's a little schoolmarmish for the role.)
And if you haven't read the book, you should! Huston is remarkably faithful to it, but he still can't quite reproduce Hammett's wonderfully hard-boiled prose.
It's a fabulous novel, very nicely brought to life by John's script. An impressive initial effort.

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dx23
Joined: Tue Nov 02, 2004 8:52 pm
Location: Puerto Rico

#74 Post by dx23 » Sat Jul 28, 2007 11:07 pm

Tcm.com has again the voting site to encourage studios to release films that aren't currently on DVD or have gone out of print and are awaiting re-releases. You can vote here.

Robert de la Cheyniest
Joined: Tue Nov 21, 2006 9:06 pm

#75 Post by Robert de la Cheyniest » Sat Aug 11, 2007 9:24 pm

I watched the old TCM VHS copy of Ambersons last night and it has an intro with Robert Osbourne at the beginning where he claims something to the effect of "who knows maybe the cuts were a blessing because the film could scarcely be better than it already is". Perhaps he's changed his intro when it airs on TCM now but that's ridiculous. I mean of course none of us have seen Welles' cut and will never know if it's actually a better film (but I'd wager a good deal of money that it probably was). But to say that the cuts made by RKO "might have been blessing" is pretty damn insane.

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