The Criterion Collection

[adamhopelies]

Originally Posted by bwdowiak

anyone else? top 5 Ford titles?

The Searchers
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance
Grapes Of Wrath
Stagecoach
The Quiet Man

[belcherman]

Originally Posted by bwdowiak

Add another film to my list of movies that I saw ages ago and felt nothing for only to revisit them on blu-ray and really enjoy them. Seeing Grapes of Wrath many years ago (probably on VHS,) I thought it was a movie in which nothing happens. Of course, it didn’t help that the audio on VHS tapes was shoddy at best for films of that age. Anyway, I’m preaching to the choir when I say that seeing such a clean print in high definition and having the option to turn on subtitles if so desired is a miracle to modern film lovers.

I haven’t been blown away by any of the Ford films I’ve seen, but I really enjoyed 4 of them. I liked The Searchers, too, but only ‘liked’ it.
I’d rank the Ford that I’ve seen as follows:

My Darling Clementine
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance
Grapes of Wrath
How Green Was My Valley
The Searchers

anyone else? top 5 Ford titles?

There are so many great John Ford movies, and many I haven't seen, that I can't possibly rank them, but I'll add three to the list that I haven't seen mentioned.

The Informer
Stagecoach
The Quiet Man

For all-around entertainment value and re-watchability, The Quiet Man is my favorite and a St. Patrick's Day tradition at my house.

[DaveyJoe]

Originally Posted by *DrStrangelove*

No one wants to discuss John Cassavetes huh? You all would rather talk Criterion covers and Hellraiser?

I'd actually like to hear some opinions on what the best starting point for Cassavetes would be. I've never seen one of his movies, but from what I've read he's not the most accessible director, and his movies can be challenging. I've been very close to watching The Killing of a Chinese Bookie a few times, but never actually went through with it. Would that be a good film to start with?

[jayembee]

Originally Posted by ShellOilJunior

Red River is not in your top 5?

Everyone forgets that one because John Ford used his pseudonym "Howard Hawks" on it.

[adamhopelies]

Originally Posted by DaveyJoe

I'd actually like to hear some opinions on what the best starting point for Cassavetes would be. I've never seen one of his movies, but from what I've read he's not the most accessible director, and his movies can be challenging. I've been very close to watching The Killing of a Chinese Bookie a few times, but never actually went through with it. Would that be a good film to start with?

I'd start with Shadows. I actually think the Criterion set is a really great one to work through chronologically.

[jmclick]

Originally Posted by bwdowiak

anyone else? top 5 Ford titles?

The Grapes of Wrath
The Searchers
The Quiet Man
Stagecoach
The Lost Patrol

There's another Ford film that I would love to see released on blu-ray, a real oddity that has never been released on video as a "stand-alone" title in North America in any format, although it was included in the massive Ford at Fox DVD box set. That film is Tobacco Road, starring Charley Grapewin, Marjorie Rambeau, and (in her third film) Gene Tierney. An uneasy, sometimes unsettling mix of tragedy and comedy surrounding a shiftless Georgia tobacco farmer and his depraved family, it is nonetheless beautifully photographed by Arthur C. Miller and marvelously scored by David Buttolph.

I've always thought it would make for an interesting Criterion release. The Broadway play was a huge hit, and the censorship problems surrounding the film adaptation would make an interesting supplemental feature. (The film's tag line was, "At Last ... It's on the Screen!")

[DaveyJoe]

Originally Posted by adamhopelies

I'd start with Shadows. I actually think the Criterion set is a really great one to work through chronologically.

Shadows, huh? That one wasn't really on my radar. I'm aware of the boxset, but I wasn't comfortable making a blind buy of an expensive set like that. I figured I'd watch a couple of them and go from there. Netflix actually had a few of them available to stream but that doesn't seem to be the case any longer, so maybe I'll just rent them on Amazon.

[ShellOilJunior]

Originally Posted by jayembee

Everyone forgets that one because John Ford used his pseudonym "Howard Hawks" on it.

It's funny because when people thought Ford directed the film he'd go along with it.

[The Great Owl]

Stagecoach is my clear favorite John Ford film, followed by The Searchers, The Quiet Man, Drums Along the Mohawk, The Grapes of Wrath, and Two Rode Together.

I've got a few still-unwatched Ford films that I need to get cracking on, though. The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, My Darling Clementine, How Green Was My Valley, Rio Grande, etc.

[*DrStrangelove*]

Originally Posted by DaveyJoe

I'd actually like to hear some opinions on what the best starting point for Cassavetes would be. I've never seen one of his movies, but from what I've read he's not the most accessible director, and his movies can be challenging. I've been very close to watching The Killing of a Chinese Bookie a few times, but never actually went through with it. Would that be a good film to start with?

I'd actually start from the beginning of the set with Shadows. Kinda give you a feel for his style. And it's not as long as the others, so you won't feel like you've given too much time if you don't like it. Faces is not an easy watch thou. It'll make you feel uncomfortable at times and make you wonder where it's going. Some scenes may feel like they've gone for too long but it all works somehow.

[bwdowiak]

Originally Posted by adamhopelies

I'd say it was pretty challenging, but one which benefits greatly from reading around it. The booklet in the MoC edition is perfect for that! It's quite abstract, moreso than Pierrot I'd say, Weekend is probably the closest comparison from the better known Godard movies (but even then they're barely alike!). Apologies for not being very clear, I'd just give it a spin if I were you, let it wash over you and take it from there.

Both UFM and The Soft Skin deal with themes of fidelity, with it suggested that Godard filmed UFM as his response to Godard's thesis on such matters in Soft Skin.

Delayed reply here… Thanks, Adam! Yeah, I’ll probably just have to give it a spin and consciously decide that I will attempt to wrap my head around it afterwards. There are a handful of titles that I bought, but haven’t had that strong desire to watch yet. Grapes of Wrath was actually one of them, so I’m glad that I knocked it out and that I enjoyed it. I’ll watch the Godard film, too. Something is telling me that I am not going to like Picnic at Hanging Rock too much. That’s another one that has been pushed farther down my ‘watch list.’

[Polaroid]

Originally Posted by bwdowiak

Delayed reply here… Thanks, Adam! Yeah, I’ll probably just have to give it a spin and consciously decide that I will attempt to wrap my head around it afterwards. There are a handful of titles that I bought, but haven’t had that strong desire to watch yet. Grapes of Wrath was actually one of them, so I’m glad that I knocked it out and that I enjoyed it. I’ll watch the Godard film, too. Something is telling me that I am not going to like Picnic at Hanging Rock too much. That’s another one that has been pushed farther down my ‘watch list.’

Picnic is INCREDIBLE, you need to be in the mood though, Criterion did amazing job not his release and the book was an awesome addition!

There is so much to take form this film and to appreciate and it stays with you long after watching

[bwdowiak]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

Stagecoach is my clear favorite John Ford film, followed by The Searchers, The Quiet Man, Drums Along the Mohawk, The Grapes of Wrath, and Two Rode Together.

I've got a few still-unwatched Ford films that I need to get cracking on, though. The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, My Darling Clementine, How Green Was My Valley, Rio Grande, etc.

you've got some really good ones left to watch!

The Quiet Man and Stagecoach are next on my Ford watch list.

[DaveyJoe]

Originally Posted by *DrStrangelove*

I'd actually start from the beginning of the set with Shadows. Kinda give you a feel for his style. And it's not as long as the others, so you won't feel like you've given too much time if you don't like it. Faces is not an easy watch thou. It'll make you feel uncomfortable at times and make you wonder where it's going. Some scenes may feel like they've gone for too long but it all works somehow.

So that's two votes for Shadows. I guess I'll go ahead and start with that one and work my way through the boxset. I've been putting off his films for so long, but I always liked him in Rosemary's Baby.

Speaking of Polanski, I watched Criterion's Macbeth for the first time this weekend and it's really stuck with me. Macbeth was my favorite Shakespeare play in high school, but I haven't read it in years, so quite a few lines went over my head. I know the story well, though, so I had no trouble following along. I thought the performances were pretty good, and this was a pretty interesting take on Lady Macbeth. I loved the scene where Macbeth is having second thoughts about killing Duncan, and Lady Macbeth basically tells him to man up, and without missing a beat, goes right into a dance with Duncan, all smiles and charm.

There was a nice feeling of intensity pulsing throughout the film and in culminated nicely when Macbeth realized what was going down at the end. He has an epic speech while he's being helped into his armor and the final sword fight at the end was really well done. I thought Ross surprisingly complex in this movie, being a shrewd opportunist. He ruthlessly carried out Macbeth's bloody orders until a subtle moment where Macbeth awards another character a Thaneship. The film was pretty haunting and I really can't wait to sit down and watch it again.

[nondiatonic]

Originally Posted by DaveyJoe

I'd actually like to hear some opinions on what the best starting point for Cassavetes would be. I've never seen one of his movies, but from what I've read he's not the most accessible director, and his movies can be challenging. I've been very close to watching The Killing of a Chinese Bookie a few times, but never actually went through with it. Would that be a good film to start with?

I would say his most a accessible movie is Minnie and Moskowitz. It is also an excellent movie. It doesn't feel as intense as many of his movies do, but I thoroughly recommend it.

Note: I have only seen Shadows, The Killing of a Chinese Bookie, Minnie and Moskowitz, A Woman Under The Influence, and Love Streams. My favorite of those would be Love Streams.

[Devildog151]

On to John Cassavetes, I watched A Woman Under the Influence for the first time last weekend.
I have to say, it was amazing. I can see why so many people gush over it.

I ordered Love Streams last night and am excited to view it.

I currently have the 5 films boxset in my Amazon cart and I'm inches from clicking "proceed to checkout". I think $60 is the lowest I've seen the set for on Amazon and If it comes damaged their return policy is the best.

[atlantajoseph]

Originally Posted by DaveyJoe

I'd actually like to hear some opinions on what the best starting point for Cassavetes would be. I've never seen one of his movies, but from what I've read he's not the most accessible director, and his movies can be challenging. I've been very close to watching The Killing of a Chinese Bookie a few times, but never actually went through with it. Would that be a good film to start with?

This may sound backwards (and it is, at least chronologically), but I recommend Love Streams as a fun and accessible intro to Cassavetes' style.

[jmclick]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

Stagecoach is my clear favorite John Ford film, followed by The Searchers, The Quiet Man, Drums Along the Mohawk, The Grapes of Wrath, and Two Rode Together.

I've got a few still-unwatched Ford films that I need to get cracking on, though. The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, My Darling Clementine, How Green Was My Valley, Rio Grande, etc.

Yes, I've been saving a few highly-praised John Ford films that I need to watch for the first time, among them The Prisoner of Shark Island, The Long Voyage Home, and They Were Expendable.

Another Ford film that I would like to see issued by Criterion is The Plough and the Stars with Barbara Stanwyck and Preston Foster ... but only if they could find a print of the original film, before it was taken out of Ford's hands and re-cut with non-Ford footage added.

[blu-bry]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

Stagecoach is my clear favorite John Ford film, followed by The Searchers, The Quiet Man, Drums Along the Mohawk, The Grapes of Wrath, and Two Rode Together.

I've got a few still-unwatched Ford films that I need to get cracking on, though. The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, My Darling Clementine, How Green Was My Valley, Rio Grande, etc.

I have a feeling that your list is going to get shuffled a little after viewing those other Ford films! My Darling Clementine is awfully good.

[Rich Pure Doom]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

Stagecoach is my clear favorite John Ford film, followed by The Searchers, The Quiet Man, Drums Along the Mohawk, The Grapes of Wrath, and Two Rode Together.

I've got a few still-unwatched Ford films that I need to get cracking on, though. The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, My Darling Clementine, How Green Was My Valley, Rio Grande, etc.

Rio Grande is so underrated. It has possibly Ford's best use of music in any film (sequences where characters actually sing) and maybe my favorite Ford sequence of all time where Wayne wanders and ponders alone by the river. Be sure to pick up The Horse Soldiers and
Fort Apache on blu also if you haven't. The Horse Soldiers is a fantastic, underrated picture with a great William Holden performance, and Fort Apache is an all time great with a stunning performance by Henry Fonda.