Via Margutta 51: Classic Movie Reviews

Caption it #7: Paul Newman and the bonfire

noreply@blogger.com (Clara Fercovic) — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 14:06:00 +0000

So, guys, tell me, what's Paul triyng to do here? How would you name this picture? You know, caption it!

Need some inspiration? Check the previous posts of this game.

When I say, you say #13: Pajamas

noreply@blogger.com (Clara Fercovic) — Sun, 10 Mar 2013 18:38:00 +0000

Hi guys, welcome to a new edition of the movie game When I say, you say, in which I say a word and you write your first (1st) classic movie related thought: titles, actors, scenes, names, passages from biographies, etc...

Credits

So, when I say PAJAMAS, you say...

Book review: "The Testament of Judith Barton"

noreply@blogger.com (Clara Fercovic) — Tue, 16 Oct 2012 20:35:00 +0000

WARNING: movie and book spoilers ahead.

The poster of Hitchcock's awesome Vertigo shows two figures falling: first "Scottie" Ferguson, black, bold and defined. The second, a girl, simply outlined. To be honest, I hadn't noticed this second figure before. My eyes just identified the man. Maybe I don't have a good vision and I should see a doctor. Anyway, I think it's a good representation of the movie's emphasis: we are Scottie, we perceive things like him, we solve the case with him.

Kim Novak's character is always a mystery, a lonely woman, an oniric presence. And when the mystery is solved, we are happy with that, "oh, she wasn't the real Madeleine, she wasn't possessed by Carlota Valdés, that supernatural story couldn't be true". And the little background information we have about the girl that played Madeleine is enough to feel sorry for her, wrap up the plot with satisfaction and realize Hitch was a terrific director.

But writers Wendy Powers (the wife) and Robin McLeod (the husband), thought "but WHO is this girl? HOW did she become involved in this intrincated charade? WHY did she expose herslelf to be used this way? WHEN did she realize the game had gone too far?". Well, I wasn't there but I guess that's what they thought. And yes, people at my university you can have my journalism diploma back, I don't care.

So they decided to write a novel about Judy Barton and answer all these questions. Her childhood and adolescence are very important in the book. The attachment to her father and his work as a jewelry/clocks repairer, her love for the theater and the lack of confidence in herself are her main motives, the things that will make her take her important decisions. These motives are illustrated by several, ordinary situations. And because they are ordinary, you feel close to her.

The Testament of Judith Barton is easy to read. Told in past tense, in first person and using dialogues and brief descriptions of actions as the main resource, the chapters go by really quickly. You have a motivation: you want to reach the part in which this new background finally connects with the story you knew. And that happens half way through the book, when Judith meets Gavin Elster. From then is like being behind the scenes. The writers describe something that appeared in the film, but now you know Judy and now you see it from her perspective. Of course, there are new situations that involve Judith and "Scottie", like a dialog in the car when he opens up and she feels awful.

Source

All these aspects were really easy to accept. The writers did a good job with the story, which is ordinary as it should be. My only great problem with the book is how they decided to work with the fact that most readers know Judith is dead from the beginning. The prologue where Judith starts talking about an unpleasant taxi ride with Elster and then introduces you to her childhood makes you think that she was writing her memoirs before she died. This is idea is reinforced by having "The Testament of Judith Barton" as your title.

Until the last pages I convinced myself that Judith also had writing interests and noticing that she was in danger decided to leave all the facts written down for Scottie, her family, friends and the police. But no. The moment when she says that she started writing her story or that she is going out with "Scottie" and then there is just a blank page with the code bar and the editorial information never comes. And you think "uhm, but now who is going to end the story? She's going to be dead soon".

Well, she ends it. And that I can't understand. For me, the last chapter where she talks in present tense about being broken on the ground and about to die was completely unnecessary. We knew how the story ends and this passage just raises questions: is the whole story told by a dying Judith? And if it is, how come her mind was able to recall her whole life in such a clear way and just in a few minutes? And whom is she speaking to? The final words are emotive and sad but in order to have them in the book you risk the reader's suspension of disbelief. And that's always complicated.

Reading The Testament of Judith Barton helped me to appreciate even more Vertigo and its female figure. It offered me a story that feels natural in terms of the events and motivations, but made me feel suspicious about its form at some points. Still, the first two aspects make this book worth reading, especially if you're a fan of this film.

Disclaimer: I was contacted by Wendy Powers in March and she was kind enough to send me a paperback copy of the book. I apologize for the delay in writing this review.

"Arsenic and Old Lace" on the big screen (yep, I'm alive)

noreply@blogger.com (Clara Fercovic) — Sat, 06 Oct 2012 23:58:00 +0000

Hi guys, how have you been? I haven't written in a while, 69 days to be exact, and that's because I haven't seen many old movies lately. My passion for movies declined as the love for my boyfriend/best friend dramatically increased (see chart). Seems I can't split my heart and it chose him.

In other news, I'm cheesy and I don't care.

Well, Diego and I went to see Arsenic and Old Lace (1944). The university where I studied is running an American Comedy film festival and yesterday was the turn of this Frank Capra movie. I had seen it some years ago, but I didn't remember the ending.

It was a great experience. There were like 20 people besides us (which is a good number since it started at four pm) and lots of laughs. Cary Grant marries and the same day he finds out his whole family is crazy: his aunts love helping old, lonely men in a very peculiar way.

The movie is atypical: it's a comedy with very creepy situations, filmed like a play (almost one setting with few exterior shots). Cary exaggerated his acting, choosing the hyperventilation to play his character and looking to the camera occasionally, but I don't mind. I found him hilarious.

All the secondary players are pretty awesome, especially Peter Lorre, with his soft voice and effective self-control. The weakest of the group, in my opinion, was Priscilla Lane, a bit bland and dull.

The script, written by the Epstein brothers and based on a play, contains a lot of great lines which you probably know by heart, like:

Mortimer Brewster: Look I probably should have told you this before but you see... well... insanity runs in my family... It practically gallops.

[Elaine is impatient to leave on the honeymoon]
Elaine Harper: But, darling - Niagara Falls.
Mortimer Brewster: It does? Well, let it.

So it was a great Friday :)

Well, that's all for now. Even when I'm not writing as much as I did before, I've been re-watching I love Lucy, this time with my parents. I'll tell you about it someday, but they used to think it was a boring series and now they can't wait to see a new episode. I created two new fans and that makes me happy.

And I still read your reviews, posts and projects, like Kendra Bean's awesome Vivien Leigh book that is waiting for your support to reach stores next year. I also followed the 2012 CMBAs (congrats to all the nominees/winners).

Keep rocking.

When I say, you say #12: Cigarette

noreply@blogger.com (Clara Fercovic) — Mon, 30 Jul 2012 15:15:00 +0000

Kids, here's a new edition of When I say, you say, the game in which I say a word and you share your first (first) movie related thought. Titles, scenes, characters, passages from actors' biographies, etc, etc...

Credits

So, when I say CIGARETTE, you say...

Apologies for not writing my blogathon post (yet)

noreply@blogger.com (Clara Fercovic) — Sun, 15 Jul 2012 16:48:00 +0000

Dear Dorian, Becky and fellow bloggers:

I want to apologize with all of you for not writing my post on Charade for the Best Hitchcock Films Hitchcock Never Made Blogathon. It was scheduled for the last day of the blogathon but I couldn't find the time to sit, study and write something new about this film.

As I explained to Dorian, I plan to write the post anyway, so it can be linked to the blogathon page for future visitors. I hope that can be soon.

Again, I'm really sorry this happened.

William Wyler Blogathon: A poem about "Roman Holiday"

noreply@blogger.com (Clara Fercovic) — Sun, 24 Jun 2012 17:06:00 +0000

If I tell you that Roman Holiday is one of my favorite movies ever, that would be no news, right?

The name of my blog is Joe Bradley's address in Rome, Via Margutta 51; I made a video tribute; I included it in my list of 8 Classic Movies I can wath over and over; once I "designed" a videogame based on the film; I've made polls about it and asked you what would you do if you were Ann; the other day a friend returned from Europe and brought me this postcard:

THANKS PAMELA :)

Yesterday I watched Roman Holiday for the umpteenth time, trying to find a new angle for this post. I concluded that only a personal approach to this famous movie would be a contribution. So I had the Titanic-sized nerve to write a poem; you know my first language is Spanish, so I hope you can forgive its basic form :)

Ready? Here we go:

ROMAN HOLIDAY

A master craftsman of cinema they called him,
perfect visual stories Wyler would trim;
he went to Italy and shot in black and white,
even when he had Technicolor on his side.

It was about the day in Rome a princess spent,
(no duties, no speeches, no political events)
with a reporter trying to go back to the States
by getting a juicy scoop (he even made a bet!).

Blacklisted and arrested was the talented man,
who wrote the script about the princess Ann;
an Academy Award was announced,
but his name, Dalton Trumbo, was never pronounced.

Finding the main actors was hard:
Cary Grant didn't want the part,
Jean Simmons was unavailable,
Wyler thought she wasn't replaceable!

But a young actress did a screen test;
it shows a smiling girl stylishly dressed,
talking about her background and the war,
this was a presence no one could ignore.

Her name above the title requested Gregory Peck:
and "introducing Audrey Hepburn" it finally said,
her charming interpretation was a success,
it got the golden award and many articles on the press.

And Rome ("by all means, Rome") was beautifully shown,
the Trevi Fountain, the Mouth of Truth, the Pantheon,
the Colosseum, Ponte Sant'Angelo and much more
were captured forever for the public to adore.

The love of the young couple was impossible,
so the way Trumbo and Wyler ended it was responsible:
Joe voluntarily loses his bet and Ann is irremediably gone,
only memories can make them go on.

(Oh, and Ann, Joe was right:
it was Shelley who wrote the quote you cited that night,
the first time you spent alone with a man,
when you were at Via Margutta 51)

Written for the William Wyler Blogathon, hosted by Richard Finch of The Movie Projector. Please, do yourself a favor and check the other participant's entries.

Win a copy of "Journey 2: The Mysterious Island"

noreply@blogger.com (Clara Fercovic) — Fri, 08 Jun 2012 15:23:00 +0000

Hey guys, Warner Bros. wants to give you the adventure movie Journey 2: The Mysterious Island on DVD. The cast includes Michael Caine, The "Rock", Josh Hutcherson and Vanessa Hudgens.

Just leave a comment with your e-mail and I'll contact you if you win the DVD (via random number generator).

In the meantime, you can play with the app below :)

Contest closed

The winner is Pilar, who had no competitors :) Enjoy your DVD!

When I say, you say #11: Flowers

noreply@blogger.com (Clara Fercovic) — Tue, 05 Jun 2012 16:02:00 +0000

Welcome ladies and gentlemen to a new edition of When I say, you say, the game in which I say a word and you share your first (first) classic movie related thought. Film titles, movie scenes, characters, passages from actors' biographies, etc, etc...

Credits

So, when I say FLOWERS, you say...

Horseathon: Audrey, Guipago and "The Unforgiven" (1960)

noreply@blogger.com (Clara Fercovic) — Sun, 27 May 2012 17:20:00 +0000

Sometime ago I wrote a post about the special bond Audrey Hepburn shared with a little deer. Now, for Page's Horseathon, I decided to investigate a bit more about The Unforgiven (1960) and the serious accident Audrey --29 years old at the time-- had while riding a horse for the movie.

This process taught me basically two awesome things:

a) The Unforgiven is a good movie: I always remind it as one of the weakest films from Audrey, but it's a fine (and her only) western. I know even John Huston, the director, named it as his least favorite film, but I completely changed my mind after this second screening. And my parents loved it.

b) Audrey was gracious and brave even in the worst moments in her life: we all know what a kind human being was she, and I love the fact that I've never found anything mean coming from her. On the contrary, all the details in this story are inspiring.

I'm gonna tell the events based on the stories that appeared in different newspapers at the time.

THE MOVIE

Reluctantly directed by John Huston, based on a novel by Alan LeMay, starring Burt Lancaster (who also co-produced), Audrey Hepburn and Lillian Gish, The Unforgiven tells the story of a frontier family, the Zacharys. They have to deal with a suddenly unfolded secret: the adopted girl (Audrey) was a survivor of a Kiowa tribe massacre. It shows how racist people can be and how vulnerable are affections when such matters arise.

The movie was filmed in Durango, Mexico. The place, as described by St. Petersburg Times in 1959:

"The site is ideal, except that occasional winds sometimes carry the sounds from the home radios, miles across the bowl-like valley. These sounds interfere with the film shooting. Producer James Hill therefore purchased a series of time spots on the local station XEDU, guaranteeing two hours of daily silence during which Huston directs Lancaster and Miss Hepburn in the tender love scenes"

And indeed the movie has great sequences in desertic lands, especially one on which Burt Lancaster and one of his brothers are looking for a mysterious man during a sand storm. Even when the portrayal of Native Americans is not very accurate, the confrontation scenes are exciting and memorable. For example, I really like the moment in which, during a tense recess of the fight, the natives start playing their magic music and Burt makes Lillian play their piano. This is more than guns and arrows, this is a cultural clash.

For a stampede scene, Huston requested 2000 head of cattle, coming from different parts of Mexico. The Southeast Missourian informed that the stampede - that occurs over the top of the family's cabin- left no injury to one head of cattle, despite the fact that some of them caved in through the roof of the house.

But the crew didn't have the same luck. Three people were killed in a plane crash and another person almost drown.

Sadly, serious complications were going to keep happening.

THE HORSE

In the film, Audrey owns a beautiful horse, Guipago. Mel Ferrer, Audrey's husband at the time, described the animal this way:

"It's a good horse. It's a beautiful little Arabian stud that got out of Cuba just ahead of Batista"

According to the Schenectady Gazette, the stallion's real name was Diablo, which means devil in Spanish. The horse has three important scenes: at the beginning Audrey Hepburn rides it through the lands, jumping a fence, and meeting a mysterious man that comes from far away to tell the secret. Then, she rides it to meet Burt Lancaster, her ""brother"". Later, the animal is stolen by the mysterious man and ridden to escape from the Zacharys.

While filming the movie, Audrey insisted in riding it herself and that was a brave decision: she had developed a fear at the age of 11 after a horse threw her. Ernest Anderson, spokesman for the film's producer told the Sarasota Journal:

"She had conquered her fear of horses, and she insisted on doing it despite the fact that we had a double to do all the riding scenes for her"

Mel Ferrer later explained that:

"Audrey had an accident on a horse when she was 11. She broke her collarbone. When we were living in Rome making War and Peace I got her to ride again and she got completely over her fear"

But she was going to relive that experience. And this time it would be worse: she was several months pregnant.

THE ACCIDENT

On Wednesday, January 28, 1959, Audrey was galloping the Arabian stallion along a river bank. Because a camera trouble developed, someone yelled "Cut!". The horse stopped abruptly and Audrey pitched over its head onto hard ground. Ernest Anderson, the spokesman, said she seemed to bounce two or three times and landed on her back. She was unconscious for five minutes and doctors wouldn't permit her to be moved for two hours.

The media all over the world started to inform about the accident. There are different versions of the injuries Audrey had, because there were many exams. The first information was that she suffered two fractured vertebrae; then, they informed that she had fractured four bones in her back, and described the injuries as "severe" and "painful". Doctors said she was unable to rest, sleep or eat.

Her personal doctor, Howard Mendelson, was called to check her and was accompanied by Mel Ferrer. A few days later, Audrey flew back to to their Beverly Hills home on an ambulance plane. The Miami News added that Audrey had a special nurse: Sister Luke, the religious woman she portrayed (and met) in The Nun's Story decided to take of her in Los Angeles.

The filming of the movie was postponed a month, until March 6.

JUST BEING AUDREY

There are so many details that show what a great person she was, that I'm dedicating a whole section to this point. Here we go:

The Evening Independent reported that the first thing she said when she recovered consciousness after the fall was "What did I do wrong?".
Her doctor said she seemed to be worried about others members of the cast and technicians (because of the cancellation of the shooting).
She kept saying she was "perfectly all right". But Mel Ferrer noted "She's in pain every minute. She won't say it and won't admit it".
She never blamed the horse or the crew:

"It wasn't the horse's fault. I was riding bareback and had nothing to hang onto except his mane - not even a bridle" she explained. She also said she had "fallen in love with the horse".

She always maintained her high spirits: besides always assuring she was fine and that it only hurt when she laughed ("So don't say anything funny!"), she was kind with the people around and the press. She waved and smiled from her stretcher; vowed that she was going to ride the horse again (but she couldn't because of insurance regulations) and even sent a note to the Casa Blanca Hotel, the Mexican place where she gathered with the other actors:

THE MISCARRIAGE

And just as scheduled, the filming started again in March. Audrey had started taking her first steps two weeks after the accident and was almost recovered.

Sadly, on May 28, shortly after shooting was completed, Mel Ferrer told the press in Switzerland --where they had moved-- that Audrey had suffered a miscarriage and was confined to bed. There had been reports on the subject two weeks before that date and Mel confirmed them:

"I regret it is true. Audrey has been in the hospital and came home last Friday"

The doctors ordered the actress to stay quiet for another two months. The accident she had in Durango was always cited as the cause of the miscarriage. Audrey was devastated and blamed herself.

SEAN

But before 1959 ended, Mel and Audrey were happy to announce they were expecting a child. The couple decided to take all the possible measures so everything went fine. Audrey gave up her film work until after the child's birth on the advice of a physician.

Sean Hepburn Ferrer was born on July 17, 1960.

"I'm sure it's wonderful to have a baby the first year you are married. But when you want a baby so much and wait years...then lose a child....the joy is impossible to describe when one does arrive" Audrey would say years later.

With that happy note, I end this story about Audrey, Guipago and The Unforgiven. Be sure to check the other posts written for this Horseathon over My Love of Old Hollywood.

50 quotes: classic stars talk about moms and motherhood

noreply@blogger.com (Clara Fercovic) — Sun, 13 May 2012 00:50:00 +0000

Celebrating Mother's Day, the next are 50 quotes from classic actors remembering their mothers and explaining what motherhood and parenting was or is for them. Some of the memories are sad, some are happy, some are full of nostalgia, some are funny, some are resentful. There are vivid descriptions and honest words. They are representative of a complicated world that not always is kind, warm and simple, but sometimes it is; and it helps you to appreciate what you've got. These are the stars, some gone, some alive, opening a bit of their private world for you.

(For awesome pictures of stars and their moms and children, check this post).

Julie Andrews and her mom. Source.

DESCRIBING AND REMEMBERING THEIR MOTHERS

My mother was marvellous, far more alive and vivacious than I'll ever be. She always tried to keep my feet on the ground - Julie Andrews

My mother died when I was nine years old...What does she expect me to do? Do it all by myself - James Dean

I have met a lot of people knocking around the world since, but I have never met a more thoroughly refined woman than my mother. If I have amounted to anything, it will be due to her - Charles Chaplin

I was a mistake. My mother didn't want to have me. I guess she never wanted me. I probably got in her way. I know I must have disgraced her. A divorced woman has enough problems getting a man, I guess, but one with an illegitimate baby.... I wish, I still wish, she had wanted me - Marilyn Monroe

My mother was a delicate black-haired beauty, with olive skin, frail and feminine to look upon. What isn't apparent in the photograph is the extent of her strength, and her will to control -- a deep need to receive unreservedly the very affection she sought to control - Cary Grant

A long time later I learned that she [his mother] had experienced a nervous breakdown and been taken to an institution in a nearby quiet country town to recuperate. I was not to see my mother again for more than twenty years, by which time my name was changed and I was a full-grown man living in America, thousands of miles away in California. I was known to most people of the world by sight and by name, yet not to my mother - Cary Grant

My mother campaigned for women's suffrage and birth control. [laughs] Very unpopular topics in the early 1900s - Katharine Hepburn

Mother beat the hell out of us. She'd have wild outbursts - Burt Lancaster

My mother was an exceptional woman. Considered one of the most beautiful women in Ireland, even in all of Europe, she once attended the races at the Chamsp-Elysèes in Paris and found her picture in the papers the following day because she was so stunning and well dressed - Maureen O'Hara

My mother treated us all equally... with contempt - Groucho Marx

To prepare for the part [in Two Women], I opened the sluices of my memory, letting the bombing raids, the nights in the tunnel, the killings, the rapes and starvation and inhumanity wash back over me. I particularly concentrated on my mother as I remembered her during the war, her fears, connivances and sacrifices, and especially the way she fiercely protected us against the scourges of the war - Sophia Loren

My mother on her deathbed said, 'Paul, you have to excuse me, I've been lying all these years, I'm not 83, I'm 87.' And when we took her back to Cleveland, to be buried next to my father, her sister was there. And I said, 'you know, mother said that she had been lying all these years, and that she wasn't 83, that she was 87.' And her sister said, 'Baloney, she was 93.' - Paul Newman

My mother would not talk to me for weeks, would not stay under my roof for as long as I was married to Oleg (Cassini) - Gene Tierney

[My mother] made soap, candle, and ever a deerskin suit. She made all my clothes until I was grown up, and once sewed me a dress in a hour before I went to school in the morning - Jean Arthur

I can remember her shaking her head, saying softly, "Married before I was eighteen, a mother before I was nineteen, and widowed before I was twenty-three". The future must have looked very bleak to her. She had been deeply in love with my father. I know she missed him very much - Lucille Ball

My christening took place alongside my mother's coffin; I was named "Tallulah" in honor of my paternal grandmother, who had been named after "Tallulah Gorge, GA," that happy place where my grandmother Tallulah's newly wedded parents (my great-grandparents) had spent their honeymoon - Tallulah Bankhead

My mother had a marvelous talent for mishandling money - mine - Judy Garland

I think I should ask my Mother first - Lana Turner’s answer to the agent who asked her if she wanted to be in the movies

Hannah Chaplin. Source.

SOME THINGS THEIR MOTHERS GAVE, TOLD or TAUGHT THEM

Timing! My mother gave me that. I was born with it. I don't think you can teach a person to act - Charles Chaplin

My mother made me promise to be an artist. She taught me that imagination can take a person anywhere. Mine took me from Indiana to Broadway to Hollywood…She was right! - James Dean

Without my mother's ambition, her drive, I doubt that on my own I would have pushed myself out of Pozzuoli and into the frightening world that was faraway Rome - Sophia Loren

My mother had gotten a job as a receptionist at a dancing school and had the idea that we should open our own dancing school; we did, and it prospered - Gene Kelly

This [repairing her own clothes] was invaluable to me when I was on the road and my costumes and dressses and pants nearly as well as I could, and I enjoyed doing it. Sometimes I did it for others in the cast. Thank you, Mama - Marlene Dietrich

I know my mother always used to say, 'Good things aren't supposed to just fall in your lap. God is very generous, but he expects you to do your part first.' So you have to make that effort. But at the end of a bad time or a huge effort, I've always had - how shall I say it? - the prize at the end. My whole life shows that - Audrey Hepburn

When I was little, my mother taught me how to use a fork and knife. The trouble is that Mother forget to teach me how to stop using them! - Hattie McDaniel

She was the most confident woman I've ever known, and she was full of pride: proud of herself, proud of her husband, proud of her children. "Always stand up straight. Always be counted," she'd say to me again and again - Maureen O'Hara

My mother told me I was dancing before I was born. She could feel my toes tapping wildly inside her for months - Ginger Rogers

My mother says I didn't open my eyes for eight days after I was born, but when I did, the first thing I saw was an engagement ring. I was hooked - Elizabeth Taylor

I have never owned a beauty box. I get my long eyelashes from my mother - Greta Garbo

My mother used to tell me, No matter what they ask you, always say yes. You can learn later - Natalie Wood

Jean Harlow and her mother.

DESCRIBING THEIR RELATIONSHIP

I would rather be with my mother than with any other living being I know. She offers me the only true understanding and companionship I have ever known - Jean Harlow

I can't say I ever loved my mother, I admired her - Humphrey Bogart

I had to be the monster for both of us - Bette Davis, commenting about her mother, an aspiring actress

I don't say she didn't love me. She may have - in her way. I revolted from time to time bellowing "Every time you come near me you want only want to wash me!" That is the sign of a protective mother, I suppose. My resistance to authority led naturally to incessant scoldings and thrashings - Errol Flynn

She tried in every way to understand me, and she succeeded. It was this deep, loving understanding as long as she lived that more than anything else helped and sustained me on my way to success - Mae West

I have a most satisfactory parent. Her idea on bringing me up was that I should be permitted to have and do the things that would make me happy. So many girls have had to forget their families in order to follow stage or screen careers. But my mother never made it difficult for me - Carole Lombard

In my early days in Hollywood I tried to be economical. I designed my own clothes, much to my mother's distress - Gene Tierney

Is my mother my friend? I would have to say, first of all she is my Mother, with a capital 'M'; she's something sacred to me. I love her dearly...yes, she is also a good friend, someone I can talk openly with if I want to - Sophia Loren

After the ceremony we went out to an all-night diner for coffee. Suddenly I realized that my mother had no idea where I was. The taxi drove us to the telegraph office, and I wrote out a message: "Got Married In Las Vegas. Call You Later. Love, Lana." - Lana Turner

I was an indoors girl when my mother was in the kitchen, and I could join her. I always got as close to my mother as I could without being in her way. That gave me a great sense of security. I liked feeling her skirt brushing me. Sharing the activity with my mother made it especially wonderful to me - Marlene Dietrich

Lauren Bacall and Stephen Bogart. Source.

MOTHERHOOD and PARENTING

I remember my oldest son, Steve, saying to me once, I don't ever remember seeing you with an apron on. And I thought, That's right, honey, you did not. That was his concept of what a mother should be - Lauren Bacall

I don't think I would have been a good mother. Being a parent brings immense responsibility. It's a Herculean task. It would be almost too much for me - Julie Christie

I suppose one of the most important things about real beauty is intelligence, and real womanliness - it's a combination of intelligence and all the instincts of womanhood, motherhood, and the beauty of girlhood. These things all sort of go in together, and they are in so many people who are not reputed beauties - Gary Cooper

I never knew motherhood could be so truly gratifying until I had Natasha - Natalie Wood

If you've never been hated by your child, you've never been a parent - Bette Davis

I've always been rather amused when I'm described as a 'Love Goddess' I've never especially felt like a love goddess. I feel like what I am, an actress and a mother - Rita Hayworth

It would be very sad if children had no memories before those of school. What they need most is the love and attention of their mother - Grace Kelly

I’ve always treated my children as beings in their own right. I respect their feelings and aspirations entirely - Grace Kelly

I was under nineteen when I married, and not quite twenty when my daughter was born. I felt too young to be the mother of a child, and very lacking in the qualities of restfulness and serenity which a mother should have. How many times since then Scarlett O'Hara's lines, speaking of her mother, have sprung to my mind: 'I always wanted to be like her, calm and kind. I certainly have turned out disappointing' - Vivien Leigh

When you are a mother, you are never really alone in your thoughts. You are connected to your child and to all those who touch your lives. A mother always has to think twice: once of herself and once for her child - Sophia Loren

Holding your firstborn, your wife looks at you through different eyes, a traveller from another country. The mothering cues are clearly rooted very deep in the female psyche - Charlton Heston

----

Thoughts?

PS: If you find any mistake, misquote, error, etc, just let me know! Most of the quotes are from the web, the rest are from my books.

Caption it #6: Deborah and the beer

noreply@blogger.com (Clara Fercovic) — Tue, 08 May 2012 18:16:00 +0000

So, guys, tell me...how would you call this pic? What is Deborah thinking? You know, whatever, just caption it!

I know you all are very creative people, but if you need some inspiration, check the previous comments of this game.

Happy Birthday Audrey!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Clara Fercovic) — Fri, 04 May 2012 23:04:00 +0000

Yes, I know you all know, but I just wanted to say happy birthday to one of my favorite actresses ever, a splendid human being, Miss Audrey Hepburn.

Source

I think the best way I can pay a tribute to her is that you leave this entry knowing something you didn't know before about her life and career. So I'll try to introduce you to some of my posts about her:

In Audrey I wrote a personal post about how I became a classic film lover because of her and why I admire her so much; then I chose her as my favorite actress and talked about how perfect she is in The Nun's Story and Two for the road.

For some reason, I haven't written a post about her complete filmography, but I'm very proud of my defense of Paris when it sizzles, a movie even she disliked. I also wrote about the lovely things from "How to steal a million" I had forgotten.

Also about her films, but from a different angle, I participated in a Movie Haiku Contest with a poem about Breakfast at Tiffany's (I ended as runner-up...with another haiku) and also shared a clip from my "Wait Until Dark" failed stop motion project:

After DorianTb asked me about Pippin, Audrey's deer, I did a super investigation and shared it with you. I learned a lot.

Because I always loved her handwriting, I made a digital font and shared it. The response from the fans is still awesome (but, for some reason, it only works on PC).

Books? Not many, but I reviewed the lovely "Just Being Audrey" by Margaret Cardillo. I also shared my special edition of War and Peace, illustrated with stills from the movie.

Finally, Audrey was part of my Gift Guide for classic movie fans with (a lot of) imagination.

Here's looking at you, kid.

When I say, you say #10: Wagon

noreply@blogger.com (Clara Fercovic) — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 12:25:00 +0000

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So when I say WAGON, you say...

Giveaway: win a copy of "New Year's Eve" (2011)

noreply@blogger.com (Clara Fercovic) — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 18:31:00 +0000

Hi guys! Just a quick post to let you know that Warner Bros. wants to give you a Blu-ray copy of New Year's Eve.

If you're interested, just leave a comment and cross your fingers! You can also take a quiz in the application below:

(This app may take a few seconds to load)

Have a great week!

UPDATE: The winner is Sebastián! Thanks for particpating, enjoy your Blu Ray!

The 10 SADDEST old movies (I've watched)

noreply@blogger.com (Clara Fercovic) — Sun, 22 Apr 2012 16:09:00 +0000

Well, you know them. You're watching them and you're thinking:

"Mother of god, life can be awful. Why people have to suffer so much! I'm not gonna cry, I'm not gonna cry. Think of something positive. Or something that makes you angry. Oh no, a tear is coming. I'm gonna cough to try to pass this heavy lump in my throat. Oh, what did she or he have to say that line? That's the saddest thing..."

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Anyway, I sacrificed myself for you, and re-watched some of these films. I included movies in which the predominant feeling is sadness or those whose endings are very dramatic.

So, grab your tissues, here we go (warning: spoilers ahead):

10.- Les parapluies de Cherbourg (1964)
Plot: A girl and a boy fall in love and have a child but can't be together (review).
You can't hold your tears when...they say goodbye at the train station (watch).

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9.- Waterloo Bridge (1940)
Plot: Vivien Leigh thinks her boyfriend Robert Taylor is dead so she finds a socially rejected way to survive (mentioned in 5 movies in which tragedy was caused by chance).
You can't hold your tears when...the camera focus a little special object after some tragic event and then Robert remembers Vivien in the bridge (watch the ending).

8.- The Wedding Night (1935)
Plot: A writer (Gary Cooper) falls in love with a girl (Anna Stern) from a strict Pole family of farmers (review).
You can't hold your tears when...at the end, Gary looks out the window and "sees" the love of his life disappearing (watch a clip from the movie).

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7.- This Land Is Mine (1943)
Plot: Awesome Charles Laughton and Maureen O'Hara respectively play a coward teacher and his love interest in this World War II film (review).
You can't hold your tears when...Charles sees how a teacher he admired and respected is killed. But the worst part is the ending, one of the best fictional uses of the Declaration of Human Rights (watch).

6.- Camille (1936)
Plot: An impossible love between a courtesan (Greta Garbo) and Robert Taylor (listed in Favorite Movies).
You can't hold your tears when...Camille faces Lionel Barrymore and when Robert visits a "very weak" Camille in the last scene (watch the trailer).

5.- A star is born (1937)
Plot: After two actors marry, the success of their careers enter in a inversely proportional relationship (review and haiku).
You can't hold your tears when...the granny takes her granddaughter to the station. And when Fredric March embraces Janet Gaynor knowing it would be the last time and then he says "do you mind if I take just one more look?" (watch the second moment).

4.- Make Way for Tomorrow (1937)
Plot: An old couple (Victor Moore and Beulah Bondi) realize they have the worst children in the history of cinema (mention).
You can't hold your tears when...these people are humiliated and separated, which is practically the whole film (watch an example).

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3.- Three Comrades (1938)
Plot: After World War I, three German friends (Robert Taylor, Franchot Tone, Robert Young) meet Margaret Sullavan and their lives change forever. Adapted by F. Scott Fitzgerald.
You can't hold your tears when...you watch the final scenes. Really. (here are some of them edited).

2.- The small one (1978)
Plot: A poor family have to get rid of their old donkey, a task that is entrusted to the kid (mention).
You can't hold your tears when...the last time I saw this one I cried my eyes out like the whole film, especially when the kid tries to cheer up his little animal and the ending (watch the whole film).

1.- Ever in my heart (1933)
Plot: Barbara Stanwyck marries a German before World War I (review).
You can't hold your tears when...the family faces tragic situations (I mean TRAGIC) and the ending (trailer).

Honorable mentions: Letter from an Unknown Woman (mini review), I Remember Mama (mention), Penny Serenade and Doctor Zhivago.

What do you think?

Caption it #5: Bogie and the diapers

noreply@blogger.com (Clara Fercovic) — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 00:14:00 +0000

So, guys, tell me...what's happening in this picture, what are they saying, what are they thinking or how would you name it?

You know, caption it!

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Need to get inspired? Check the previous posts of this game.

Movie review: A star is born (1937)

noreply@blogger.com (Clara Fercovic) — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 01:33:00 +0000

Last night I re-watched A star is born and remembered I had written a review like two years ago, that was never published. Now I'm sharing this review, with some improvements. It's great to realize that the way I write reviews has changed; I used to tell the whole movie and consider that a review :)

I thought this movie was about a completely frivolous girl that wanted to become a star (obviously) by any means and it would have a lot of musical acts (one of the songs would be "A star is born", where hundreds of dancers would move around the girl, and a chorus would say something like "A star is boooorn, and you are the staaaaar, etc"). BUT -at least the version I watched, the one from 1937- was completely the opposite.

It made me cry. It made me laugh. I loved it.

So what's about? Well it's about a not-frivolous girl, Esther Blodgett (Janet Gaynor), who loves stars and dreams of becoming an actress. The problem is that she lives with an awful aunt, a mocking cousin, and a passive uncle, who don't believe in her at all and "encourage" her to get a husband. But she also has a really cool granny, (May Robson) who gives great speeches (For every dream of yours you make come true, you'll pay the price in heartbreak) and has money saved. Yay.

A story like this could have had a really soppy treatment, but the acting is great that we don't even stop to think about it. You see how the old granny gives her granddaughter all her savings, you see her waving at the train station in a cold dark night...you instantly root for the girl: she *must* go to Hollywood and be a star!

And you suffer when you see that things in Hollywood are not too easy; that are hundreds of people who want the same, that despite the granny's sacrifice, Esther hasn't enough money to pay the rent (that also gives you the opportunity to visualize better how things worked then). And you're glad when she finds a good friend, Danny McGuire (Andy Devine) who tries to help her even when he's equally broke. And you're totally happy when she meets gorgeus famous actor Norman Maine (Fredric March), who helps her to get a contract with head of studio Mr. Oliver Niles (Adolphe Menjou) and become the great star Vicky Lester...

One of my favorite things from the movie is, obviously, Norman + Vicky: Their relationship is delightful and the script puts them in very original situations (like talking about marriage in the middle of a box fight). Both are funny (the scene where Esther is preparing her lines is priceless) and charming, and you see that Norman, a big star at the moment, who loves drinking and has problems with paparazzis is also very sweet and says things like:

"Hey!...Do you mind if I take just one more look?"

"You know, I'm a screen...I'm a... you know...but whatever I do I still respect lovely things and you're lovely"

Another amusing scene is their honeymoon, wich remind me of Mickey's Trailer (1938). Mickey/Vicky are trying to cook in the moving trailer while Goofy/Norman are driving annoyingly indifferent. And then Donald/Norman tries to get a shower, etc.

But the strongest point is that the main drama still feels very real and relevant. It makes you comprehend a little bit more what famous people have to deal with, why is so difficult for them to overcome addictions and pressure. Fredric March could play drunk people in a very natural, believable way, without overacting (see also Merrily we go to hell). He makes the ending of this movie memorable.

A star is born (1937) is an excellent movie, with great actors/characters, moving interpretations, realistic but original situations and emotive scenes.

About Gregory Peck

noreply@blogger.com (Clara Fercovic) — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 12:20:00 +0000

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This post is part of Ruth's celebration of Mr. Peck's birthday, which is on April 5.

I didn't know what to talk about, because Gregory is one of those reliable actors you've always admired, but never really stopped to think about. So, that's exactly what I'm gonna do: I'll try to capture his screen essence through the twelve films I've seen from him. Hope you enjoy this little ride.

Before you throw tomatoes at me, I have to warn you, I haven't seen iconic films like Moby Dick or The Snows of Kilimanjaro. I'm sorry, I know I should.

Well, if you ask me what does Gregory represent for me, that would be confidence. For me, watching Gregory is like finding a secure, normal, down-to-earth refuge (except for Duel in the Sun, which I told in my own words). I'm not only talking about that security that people with great acting abilities project, people that no matter what, you know they're not going to fail or deliver a line in a wrong way.

His presence on screen was clean and magnetic in a subtle way. If you were lucky to enter a room where Marlon Brando, Laurence Olivier and Gregory Peck were, and you didn't know them, I'm sure you would notice the other two first. But Gregory's presence would grab your attention sooner than later. He always seems to be there, without really trying, standing calmed and unharmed from any force the scripts make him face. Even if you see him suffer or fear in the most helpless way.

So you have his acting abilities and then his subtle but magnetic presence. Add to this that he seemed to be a great guy. I don't know much about his private life, but I've read about what he believed in and what he did for others or said about them; he was a noble person, a good, caring guy. With that, his brilliant (in every sense) screen presence is conformed.

Should I tell you about his Joe Bradley, the reporter with the little but profound smile that once fell in love with a princess? Oh, how good Gregory is in Roman Holiday. In the outside, making a very prosaic comparison and almost as a side note I would say he's like a fresh, clean, recently washed sweater. And then, I would say he expresses his character's thoughts and changes through looks and nervous smiles; impatient gestures, pauses and silences.

He's also a good guy in The Big Country, Designing Woman and The Million Pound Note. From the three, of course, I highlight the first. Here this noble guy we know is being pushed to be something else, to prove his strength and fierceness. But his character and Gregory himself were people that loved peace, even when that means violence against yourself, even when that means tough decisions. James McKay ends proving his qualities, but in his own terms, at night, when there's no one else but he and his opponent; no malicious looks, no people laughing at the other's disgraces. Even when he knows he's going to win.

Then you have the films that went a bit far, that showed Gregory the good guy in trouble: films like Spellbound, Beloved Infidel, On the Beach, The Great Sinner. In these movies he either was alcoholic, had a mental problem or carried great issues upon his shoulders. And yet, I don't really relate these characters, he gave each one of them something different, special. His Francis Scott Fitzgeral was an annoying drunk at some points, very different of his Great Sinner or his Cmdr. Dwight Towers.

And then we go even far. His kind screen presence was forced to face terrible menaces, that are more painful to watch because they come from other people. There you have the awesome The Stalking Moon, where he has to escape from a native and save Eva Marie Saint and her mixed-race son; To Kill a Mockingbird, were white men threaten him and his children just because he defends an innocent human being; and Cape Fear, were the previous plots are almost mixed, and he is persecuted by a guy avid of revenge through his family.

In the three, he's just a human whose life becomes darker while trying to do justice. He's not a tough, super courageous man. He sometimes feels lost. He's not completely fearless, because he loves and cares for others. And that's why, when he raises victoriously, or he just raises and tries to move on, we feel identified. And we care about Gregory Peck.

Caption it #4: Cary Grant

noreply@blogger.com (Clara Fercovic) — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 12:34:00 +0000

So, guys, tell me, what is people saying in this picture? or what are they thinking? You know, caption it :)

Cary Grant

You can check the previous pictures of this game, if you want :)

When I say, you say #9: Notepad

noreply@blogger.com (Clara Fercovic) — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 12:35:00 +0000

Welcome to a new edition of When I say, you say, the game in which I say a word and you share your first (1st) classic movie related thought. Film titles, movie scenes, characters, passages from actors' biographies, etc, etc...

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So, when I say NOTEPAD, you say...

7X7 Link Award (x4): thank you girls!

noreply@blogger.com (Clara Fercovic) — Sat, 17 Mar 2012 18:06:00 +0000

Award time again! This time it was given to me by four awesome bloggers:

Sophie from Waitin' on a Sunny Day,
Brandie from True Classics,
Rianna from Frankly, My Dear
and Perfect Number 6

THANK YOU, I'm honored :) And I just created this Sound of Music gif to illustrate my thankfulness:

Well, the rules, as usual, are composed by a very narcissistic part (like Julie said in Julie & Julia: "But what do you think a blog is? It's me, me, me day after day") and the nominations. I hope the first part is brief enough:

Tell everyone something that no one else knows about: I started a very strict diet yesterday. I can't eat ANYTHING that contains sugar and really small portions of the rest.
Link to one of my posts that I personally think best fits the following categories: Most Beautiful Piece, Most Helpful Piece, Most Popular Piece, Most Controversial Piece, Most Surprisingly Successful Piece (this series), Most Underrated Piece, and Most Pride-worthy Piece
Pass this award on to seven other bloggers: well, I don't know if I'm breaking the rules here, but I nominate back the four girls who gave me this award, because I adore their blogs and their posts always put a smile on my face. I also want to pass this award to: Kate from the lovely Scathingly Brilliant (happy 2 year Blogaversary in advance!), Emma from the adorable Emma's Music and Carley from the classy Kitty Packard Pictorial :)

So that's it. The award goes now to the award section in the footer:)

Caption it #3: Ava Gardner & Robert Taylor

noreply@blogger.com (Clara Fercovic) — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 23:54:00 +0000

Hi guys, here's the third edition of Caption It:

Get inspired, check the previous posts:

Thanks and goodbye Robert B. Sherman

noreply@blogger.com (Clara Fercovic) — Sun, 11 Mar 2012 21:10:00 +0000

Robert, Tiger & Richard.

Before I heard the sad news this week, I didn't know who Robert B. Sherman was. That name meant anything to me, I didn't associate it with anything.

But I did know a part of his inner world, the way he and his brother Richard perceived life, the way they captured it.

Because I did know some special songs. These songs were different from others: even when they were meant for kids, they had an unusual component of nostalgia, of sadness and realness. I discovered some of these songs when I was a child and some of them when I was grown up. And it didn't really matter, the feeling was the same. These pieces celebrated being a child and at the same time I heard in them that eagerness to come back in time, which is tinted black because of its impossibility.

Little Black Rain Cloud, tender and sad, makes my mind wander and think of what's irremediably gone, not just for me, but for people in general, no matter the time they were born in, how they look back to their childhood, just like Christopher Robin did in Winnie the Pooh. The songs from Mary Poppins, especially Chim Chim Cher-ee and Walt Disney's favorite, Feed the birds captured this same mixed essence, what's good, kind, noble, sad and fun in the world. Even songs like The Aristocats' Scales and Arpeggios, The Sword in the stone's Higitus Figitus and The Jungle Book's That's What Friends Are For had something different, a darker atmosphere, or a sound that wasn't composed just to maintain kids entertained.

Of course, I also celebrate those incredibly happy songs, like Let's get together, Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious and I Wan'na Be Like You. I celebrate the legendary Sherman brothers, Disney, the magical movies that always put a smile on my face and make me think that It's A Great Big, Beautiful Tomorrow...

Thanks and goodbye Robert B. Sherman.

Guest post over "Lollipops and Roses"

noreply@blogger.com (Clara Fercovic) — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 20:32:00 +0000

Hi guys! Hope you're having an awesome week. I just wanted to let you know that Stephanie from the lovely/beautiful Lollipops and Roses asked me to share an item I love with her readers.

Hope you can go there and find out what I picked. And follow her too, she posts interesting entries about Classic Hollywood :)

PS. Thanks for your birthday greetings!