Another update on classic films. This one’s a bit different in that I had intended to only cover movies pre-1970 but I wanted to catch up on all the versions of A Star Is Born, including the ’70s version. This gave me the opportunity to watch some other 70s and 80s “classics” that I somehow missed. Also, a few of these were rentals since they aren’t on TCM <*gasp*>.
The General – 1926 – Classic Buster Keaton film set during the Civil War where Keaton plays a guy desperate to sign up for the Confederate Army… but isn’t accepted because he’s more useful as a train engineer (his train being The General). What follows are some crazy stunt work around moving trains that they make look effortless but must have been terrifying. Perplexing it made the Confederates the good guys… but I guess that’s the 1920s for ya?
City Lights – 1931 – a Classic Charlie Chapman silent film focusing on the Little Tramp’s attempt to romance a blind flower girl who mistakes him for a rich man (and the Tramp’s desire to keep the truth from her). Also… boxing. I laughed quite a bit at this one and actually found the romance kind of sweet and sad.
Duck Soup – 1933 – The Marx Brothers film where Groucho is (for whatever random reason) made president of a country (and Chico and Harpo are spies). Plot? Nevermind that… it’s time for anarchy… only this time with songs and nonsensical dance scenes. And battle scenes. Groucho is his usual hilarious self and I actually enjoyed some of the wordplay from Chico as well. As usual, Harpo’s clown routine doesn’t work on me though I’m starting to enjoy his manic use of scissors.
Swing Time – 1936 – Fred Astaire / Ginger Rogers song ‘n dance flick. Laughed out loud on occasion but otherwise found it a standard dance flick. By which I mean, great dancing… but an otherwise kind of standard/issue romantic comedy for the time. Allegedly one of the best Astaire/Rogers movies… but I’ve enjoyed others more.
Double Indemnity – 1944 – a pretty great film noire, baby! A noire not featuring a gumshoe or gangsters… but instead set in the dark, gritty world of life insurance salesmen. Door-to-door insurance salesmen falls for the wife of a client… who wants her husband dead in an unfortunate train accident (and, wouldn’t you know, death on a train pays out double… if they can arrange it to fool the insurance inspectors). Really enjoyed this one.
King Solomon’s Mines – 1950 – Pretty slow but slightly interesting African adventure film in a very 1950s kind of way. Lots of wildlife safari scenes and wandering through the African Savannah, through which very little plot-wise seems to happen. Weird in that they didn’t reach King Solomon’s Mines until ten minutes left in the film. Pretty corny at times, sometimes enjoyable… could have ultimately taken or left it.
Tarzan, the Ape Man – 1959 – Coincidentally reused some of the African wildlife/stamped scenes from King Solomon’s Mine. Which was kind of the only thing remotely interesting about this unnecessary reboot of the Tarzan series.
Seven Days in May – 1964 – Pretty good political conspiracy movie written by Rod Serling. Kirk Douglas and Burt Lancaster star in a film about a soldier (Douglas) suspicious of buzz and curious activities among the military that makes him suspect an upcoming coup against a very unpopular president. A little more talky than I expected but overall an interesting story.
Wait Until Dark – 1967 – a pretty cool suspense flick about a blind woman who comes into possession of an item that nefarious criminals want back. Audrey Hepburn plays the blind woman and Alan Arkin, Richard Crenna, and Efrem Zimbalist Jr. play the crooks. Alan Arkin as a young sadistic, shades-wearing killer was a bit of a revelation. Richard Crenna, not talking about Rambo, was also fun. This is a good, fairly modern feeling flick. I liked it… and you can’t go wrong with Audrey Hepburn!
Cleopatra Jones – 1973 – an early ’70s blacksploitation movie… one I enjoyed quite a bit more than films like Shaft and Superfly. Cleopatra Jones is a CIA agent intent on getting the drugs off the street. This sometimes means going to Afghanistan and burning the poppy fields but mainly means working the streets, dealing with the racist cops and the gangs. Shelley Winters (!!) plays the drug kingpin. I think it runs a little long but is generally pretty fun and the gal plays Cleopatra was really cool.
A Star is Born – 1976 – Kris Kristofferson and Barbra Streisand version of the famous and oft-filmed story. If it weren’t for the 1930s one being a little creaky, this is probably the least of the versions. Partly so, to be honest, because I’m not a a Streisand fan and found her easy listening ’70s tunes a little insufferable in that ’70s easy listening way. Also found that it seemed to focus on Kristofferson more than it did the star being born. I enjoyed watching it as a comparison to the 30s and 50s version (and then the 2018 version, which is easily the best version, imo).
Breakin’ – 1984 – I said I was here for the classics, so here’s a classic! I never hard a lot of interest in this film, other than it having a sequel called Electric Boogaloo. Basically, just an excuse to present the new fad of break dancing. Kind of fun listening to the slang and wondering how new and how hip or unhip it was in the context of the times. Good dancing though. Pretty generic story… white girl trying to make it in traditional dance encounters two hip-hop breakdancers who she falls in with. Together, they teach those squares about the rhythm of the streets (or something).
Breakin 2: Electric Boogaloo – 1984 – and then the movie with the subtitle so great it can improve any sequel! Somehow this was released the same year as the last one… all the actors are back. This time they are going with another film cliche… they are literally trying to save the community center from evil urban developers. Didn’t all 80s movie involve saving the community center at one point or another? It’s not bad… pretty much more of the same, only now with dance battles!