Criterion Film Club: Suggestions and General Discussion

[Kauno]

But let's face it, we should love each other. Stalag 17.

[therewillbeblus]

You could pretend that “Irma la Douce” is French for “Stalag 17” and then everyone would win

[Kauno]

You could pretend that “Irma la Douce” is French for “Stalag 17” and then everyone would win

This is what I was saying.

[Mr Sausage]

It's a runner-up round. Here are five films that almost made the cut during their respective votes.

[Mr Sausage]

Full disclosure: I voted for A Matter of Life and Death. Meaning, if there continues to be a tie by tomorrow morning, Irma la Douce will be the default winner as I break the tie by changing my vote.

[Mr Sausage]

To coincide with the current Howard Hawks auteur List, here are five random Hawks films to vote between.

[Mr Sausage]

I haven't seen any of these besides The Thing, which I would've last seen in childhood (remember it vividly tho'). I picked The Big Sky because I like a good Western, but I'm open to persuasion if anyone wants to talk up the others.

[knives]

Warning to your reasoning. The Big Sky is not a good western.

[Mr Sausage]

Warning to your reasoning. The Big Sky is not a good western.

That legitimately make me laugh out loud (or snort, anyway). What would you suggest in its place?

[knives]

I voted for Come and Get It which is actually the film to sell me on Hawks (and Wyler), but any of the others could surely make good conversation.

[domino harvey]

These are weird choices, but that’s kind of fun! I still need to see Road to Glory, so I’m going with that

[therewillbeblus]

I voted for The Big Sky, which I think is much better than it's given credit for- though it does lose steam in its second half. I'm hoping to track down the longer cut to compare, as I wonder if that fixes the problems. Even though it's definitely a western, the film strikes me as more of a pure adventure narrative rather than incorporating western genre themes. I also love how it focused more on collaborative bonding through empathic gestures, rather than sourced in the face of external threats. It's also wonderfully strange to see Kurt Douglas pull back his intensity to share the screen without commanding it in ways I've rarely seen from him, if ever, including in other large ensemble pieces!

I'd watch Come and Get It again, as I already planned to, and The Road to Glory is very good, but The Crowd Roars is a dud and The Thing from Another World gets worse every revisit for me.

[swo17]

These are weird choices, but that’s kind of fun!

This is what happens when I put an entire unfiltered filmography through my random title generator. I often limit choices to titles released by Criterion or at least some other boutique label but that wouldn't have worked here

[hearthesilence]

I voted for The Big Sky, which I think is much better than it's given credit for- though it does lose steam in its second half. I'm hoping to track down the longer cut to compare, as I wonder if that fixes the problems. Even though it's definitely a western, the film strikes me as more of a pure adventure narrative rather than incorporating western genre themes. I also love how it focused more on collaborative bonding through empathic gestures, rather than sourced in the face of external threats. It's also wonderfully strange to see Kurt Douglas pull back his intensity to share the screen without commanding it in ways I've rarely seen from him, if ever, including in other large ensemble pieces!

I'd watch Come and Get It again, as I already planned to, and The Road to Glory is very good, but The Crowd Roars is a dud and The Thing from Another World gets worse every revisit for me.

I voted for The Big Sky. It's not merely a good Western - it's a great one, an inspiration on one of my favorite films (Dead Man), and I was glad I caught a rare screening of the restored version at MoMI almost 7 years ago, because that may have been the last time it's screened in any form here in NYC. The restored version (i.e. the longer cut) restores the opening, but I don't recall any footage, or at least any substantial footage, popping up later on in the film. I didn't feel like it lost steam in the second half though - there's something about the way it's structured like an odyssey that makes any dramatic peaks or valleys much less relevant for me. There are certainly plot elements, but its strengths come more from poetic elements than anything driven by a narrative plot.

You're not the first one to mention that about Douglas - I know someone else who isn't a fan of Kirk Douglas's acting but likes how he comes off here (and he quite likes this film as well).

[therewillbeblus]

Great appreciation, I'm definitely excited to give it another shot either way because I think the "losing steam" was more due to how blown away I was on a revisit in the first half. So after the dynamics are more established and they've been on their way wondering out loud about nature of mankind and physical environments so romantically, I was looking for more elevation to maintain what I felt to be profound, yet perhaps (traditionally) cinematically subtle, momentum. The Dead Man comparison is one I wouldn't have thought of myself, but it's perfect in explaining why I loved those conversations so much!

[Rayon Vert]

It's unfortunate the film doesn't even have a dvd release. I wouldn't vote it because of that reason.

[domino harvey]

There’s the French release that comes in a mini-LP box and has English-friendly extras

[Rayon Vert]

I wasn't aware of that, although looking at amazon.fr the dvd's of the fim are listed as currently unavailable. It's also been harder to have access to certain titles from there for international shipping recently.

[swo17]

There was also a UK DVD from Odeon though I guess it's been OOP for a while

[Rayon Vert]

Although of course it's possible to rent on Amazon prime video for 2$.

[therewillbeblus]

Although of course it's possible to rent on Amazon prime video for 2$.

It’s well worth those two bucks, even in a recession!

[domino harvey]

The shorter version, if it’s the same one available to rent on YT

[Godot]

I voted for The Big Sky, because
1. I haven't seen it, but
2. I have 3 copies: TCM 138 min, MP4 download 134 min, and a French release from "Editions Atlas" 120 min (I can't find a link to post, and can't remember if it was from amazon.fr, .uk, or e-bay). None of them have English subtitles, all are about the same VHS-quality image and sound. The TCM is a bit "greener" B&W, and likely not the restored version shown in New York, as I recorded it >14 years ago (when I cut the cable cord). The MP4 has a few sections of 5 or so minutes duration that feature white scratch marks in the center of the frame (top to bottom), and the surgery scenes are very soft and washed out; I think its shorter duration is from 4% PAL speed-up, though I didn't notice a change in audio pitch. If anyone wants either of the longer versions, PM me.
3. It's so rarely shown (not widely released on media) that there isn't as much written about it, so I will cherish reading the forum members' views.

I absolutely love The Thing From Another World and have for years (it's a standard for my kids as well, their first "scary movie" that they learned to thrill to, usually hiding behind the couch, like when the flying monkeys appear in Wizard of Oz).
I have Come and Get It and The Crowd Roars, also in my kevyip, embarrassingly.

[Mr Sausage]

Random films today.

[Mr Sausage]

To coincide with the current 1950s List, here are five random films from that decade.