The Criterion Collection

[mja345]

I'm a big fan of "My Own Private Idaho". Brilliant film. And it should be all the more relevant to Ray given his experiences as a male prostitute.

[malakaheso]

I much prefer Drugstore, but Idaho has moments of brilliance.

[Ray Jackson]

Originally Posted by mja345

I'm a big fan of "My Own Private Idaho". Brilliant film. And it should be all the more relevant to Ray given his experiences as a male prostitute.

I have no idea what you're talking about mja.

I'm a man of letters.

I have PhDs in Theoretical Philosophy and Theme Park Management from DeVry University and a Masters in Puppetry from the University of Connecticut.

What you're saying is libelous and subject to potential civil litigation, should you refuse to issue an immediate public retraction.

[Show spoiler]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y6n_7yPPr0A

[jbieste]

I think this is a great film but it isn't one I would normally recommend as a blind buy to someone. Pace is +, the acting is ++, cinematography ++. I may not re-watch it often. My Own Private Idaho puts me in a similar atmosphere as Jim Jarmusch does if that's any help to you.

[SammyJankis]

Blind bought Design with Living and To Be or Not to Be after seeing Trouble in Paradise on 35mm last week (both a first) and absolutely swooning over it. A safe bet, I presume, especially the former.

Also just finished watching Lubitsch's Heaven Can Wait, which was surprisingly poignant with its witty take on aging. Technicolor was made for Giene Tierney.

[thatguamguy]

"To Be Or Not To Be" is the funniest Lubitsch movie, you're safe. I'd also recommend picking up the Lubitsch musicals set -- it's DVD, but it's Criterion-Eclipse, so it seems like a good bet they'll never be on Blu-ray, and there are some great films in there.

[SammyJankis]

Originally Posted by thatguamguy

"To Be Or Not To Be" is the funniest Lubitsch movie, you're safe. I'd also recommend picking up the Lubitsch musicals set -- it's DVD, but it's Criterion-Eclipse, so it seems like a good bet they'll never be on Blu-ray, and there are some great films in there.

It's on the Christmas list. Couldn't find it at any of the B&Ns. Thanks.

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by SammyJankis

Blind bought Design with Living and To Be or Not to Be after seeing Trouble in Paradise on 35mm last week (both a first) and absolutely swooning over it. A safe bet, I presume, especially the former.

Also just finished watching Lubitsch's Heaven Can Wait, which was surprisingly poignant with its witty take on aging. Technicolor was made for Giene Tierney.

Design for Living and To Be or Not to Be are both excellent films.

Here's my review that I wrote a while back after the Blu-ray was released...


Ernst Lubitsch's To Be or Not to Be, a satirical take on the Nazi occupation of Poland featuring a troupe of actors who inadvertently become involved in espionage, went into production in October of 1941, just before America's committed involvement in World War II, and wrapped up in late December, just after the attack on Pearl Harbor.

When the film was released in March of 1942, two months after the tragic death of actress Carole Lombard in a plane crash, the final result was met with a mixed reception, to say the least. Even today, the film's most edgy quotes can still raise some eyebrows. Critics at the time were especially riled by a late scene where a Nazi official comments on a famous lead actor by saying, “What he did to Shakespeare, we are now doing to Poland.” Earlier in the film, when an actor trying to pass as a Nazi colonel comically alludes to concentration camps by saying, “We do the concentrating and the Poles do the camping.”, one cannot help but wonder if To Be or Not to Be would have been written quite differently had it been made after the conclusion of the war, when the full extent of the Holocaust atrocities became known to the American public.

Ultimately, the nervy effectiveness of To Be or Not to Be works in its favor, and the multiple layers of Lubitsch's satire are alternately hilarious and somber. Like Hitchcock and many other directors who earned their stripes in silent cinema early in their careers, Lubitsch brilliantly splices comedy and nail-biting tension to keep viewers entertained across the board. This film is, all at once, an amusing love triangle tale that pushes the boundaries of sexual innuendos in its era, a lively take on the nature of actors to continue acting even during their real-life interactions, a scathingly laughable criticism of the Nazi menace, a tribute to the bravery of the Polish resistance, and a fast-paced wartime spy thriller. A late moment in the film, when one of the actors who has generally been viewed in a funnily dismissive way shows true bravery in an apparent willing sacrifice of his life to save his friends, the true weight of what was at stake in the real-life struggles against Nazism hits home in an unexpectedly profound way amidst the comparably lighthearted adventure scenario.

To Be or Not to Be has earned well-deserved accolades by appearing on several Top 50 Movie Comedy lists, but the adventure aspects of the film hold up just as well. Astute viewers will quickly note how it influenced many key scenes in Quentin Tarantino's 2009 film, Inglourious Basterds. These two movies would make for a fine double feature night.

[thatguamguy]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

one cannot help but wonder if To Be or Not to Be would have been written quite differently had it been made after the conclusion of the war, when the full extent of the Holocaust atrocities became known to the American public.

I think they said that they definitely would have written it differently (or not at all), though I might be conflating Chaplin in there. It would be a shame if history didn't have the running gag of Ehrhardt's nickname (I won't say more, I'll let Sammy discover that for himself).

[koberulz]

To Be or Not to Be is on my wishlist, but wasn't in my order and now I hate you all.

Still waiting on mine, too. Delivery window just started yesterday but it's Asendia so I'm not optimistic...

[Ray Jackson]

For those who've seen both The Philadelphia Story and His Girl Friday, which one do you like more, which do you think is the better film and why?

I'm thinking about blind buying one of them.

[Ray Jackson]

I swear to god in heaven, if there is one 21st century film that was absolutely born to be a Criterion release, it's Adaptation. Arguably the most original picture of the last 20 years...better than Being John Malkovich...utterly brilliant and thought provoking in every way.

And this very well may be the greatest single scene in the history of cinema.

...the greatest one.

[Show spoiler]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JHVqxD8PNq8

[mrjohnnyb]

Originally Posted by Ray Jackson

I swear to god in heaven, if there is one 21st century film that was absolutely born to be a Criterion release, it's Adaptation. Arguably the most original picture of the last 20 years...better than Being John Malkovich...utterly brilliant and thought provoking in every way.

[Show spoiler]Profanity okay Monsieur Moderator?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JHVqxD8PNq8

For me, Adaptation and Being John Malkovich both come under what I refer to as "skewed reality" narratives.

Other films that live in this type of reality include:

Synecdoche, New York
Requiem for a Dream
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Black Swan
Donnie Darko
Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives

My personal favorite of this unique film style is Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.

[belcherman]

Originally Posted by Ray Jackson

For those who've seen both The Philadelphia Story and His Girl Friday, which one do you like more, which do you think is the better film and why?

I'm thinking about blind buying one of them.

I think they’re both great and they’re both essential but, if I had to pick one, I’d pick The Philadelphia Story. Grant, Hepburn and Stewart. That movie is still, for lack of a better word, yar.

[plateoshrimp]

Originally Posted by Ray Jackson

I swear to god in heaven, if there is one 21st century film that was absolutely born to be a Criterion release, it's Adaptation. Arguably the most original picture of the last 20 years...better than Being John Malkovich...utterly brilliant and thought provoking in every way.

I agree. I think Adaptation has far more replay value than most films. It has layers and layers to peel through or it can be watched just for the story without all of the meta-film elements. Brilliant indeed. It cries out for a Criterion release.

[SeanJoyce]

Originally Posted by Ray Jackson

For those who've seen both The Philadelphia Story and His Girl Friday, which one do you like more, which do you think is the better film and why?

I'm thinking about blind buying one of them.

Easily The Philadelphia Story.

I kneel at the altar of Howard Hawks and His Girl Friday boasts his trademark rat-a-tat dialogue along with a bravura, progressive performance from Rosalind Russell (it was the template for Leigh's character in The Hudsucker Proxy) through her constant head-butting with Grant.

But the movie's tone turns rather ugly and unpleasant, for me at least, when it shits its focus to the condemned criminal and his distressed female admirer...morphing from a witty, farcical "battle of the sexes" and journalistic satire to a sobering anti-capital punishment piece. Some people may appreciate this "two movies in one" approach but it's too incongruous for me.

The Philadelphia Story, on the other hand, is textbook, star-powered classic cinema. The rapacious dialogue never lags, the peripheral players all do their thing, and the marquee trio of Grant, Hepburn and Stewart all riffing off each other in their primes makes you miss that era of cinema something fierce. It catapulted Hepburn back to the #1 female starlet spot after being dubbed "box office poison" following a string of flops and it netted Stewart his first and only Oscar (admittedly making up for the Mr. Smith Goes to Washington snub, but it's still well-deserved. His big scene with Hepburn is among my favorite in all of filmdom.)

You need to buy both, but if you're resigned to one then The Philadelphia Story it must be.

[thatguamguy]

The "His Girl Friday" disc includes "The Front Page" as a bonus feature, I think the combination is difficult to beat, even if "Philadelphia Story" is better than either of one of them alone.

[thinredline]

I hope "Bringing Up Baby" is not too far behind!

[Al_The_Strange]

Originally Posted by Ray Jackson

For those who've seen both The Philadelphia Story and His Girl Friday, which one do you like more, which do you think is the better film and why?

I'm thinking about blind buying one of them.

First glimpse I got of His Girl Friday was a clip during a writer's group meeting to talk about how to write dialogue. Indeed, the dialogue in that movie is pretty fast and zesty. Seeing the movie in full, I found the story fairly satisfying, but the characters make it memorable. It's nice that the set includes The Front Page, but I found that version to be rather weak.

I just bought/watched The Philadelphia Story and couldn't really bring myself to care for its story/cast as much. A few amusing moments, and it is well-made, but it's not a story I care to watch over and over again. But, I plan to give it another spin and pay closer attention to see if it sticks more on a second viewing.

[sb5]

I’d give a slight nod to His Girl Friday because of how much I love the back and forth dialogue. It’s more rewatchable to me.

...but you should get both.