If you were at TCMFF and we didn't connect, I'm sorry...I hope to meet you at future festivals. If you didn't get a chance to go to TCMFF, I hope you can some day. It's a great 'family reunion' for a lot of classic film friends each year.
Some fun facts from this year's fest:
- I didn't see any films at the Chinese theater
- I didn't see any films intro'd by Ben Mankiewicz
- Total count: 19 films and 1 special presentation (Republic Preserved clips)
Now...on to the films...
Thursday
LOVE CRAZY (1941)
- Dana Delany (who intro'd) wore quite a lovely dress (she also had a great deal of information on the film that she shared with us)
- Great William Powell/Myrna Loy situational comedy, Jack Carson is a nice addition
THE MAN WHO KNEW TOO MUCH (1934)
- Not my first pick (REQUIEM FOR A HEAVYWEIGHT), but TCM staffers kept telling me "just go to this...you won't be disappointed"
- Thursday afternoon it was announced that Martin Scorsese would intro the film...case closed!
- Scorsese (who got a long standing ovation) spoke briefly, but passionately about nitrate film and preservation efforts.
- Change from original schedule
Friday
RAFTER ROMANCE (1933)
- I've seen this before, but hey...Ginger on the big screen in a pre-code was a delight
BEAT THE DEVIL (1953)
- My first time watching
- I probably didn't enjoy it as much as others did
- Nice intro by 'script girl' Angela Allen, interviewed by Cari Beauchamp
- This ended up being one of the TBA films on Sunday
PANIQUE (1946)
- So, so fabulous...would love to see this again
- Good intro by Bruce Goldstein and son of author of the book that the film is based on
- Very intense tale about 'outsiders' (main character is Jewish) and mob mentality
- Would love to see this air on TCM in the future if possible
SO THIS IS PARIS (1926)
- Nice Lubitsch silent situational comedy with live piano accompaniment
RED-HEADED WOMAN (1932)
- Reminded me a lot of pre-code BABY FACE
- Sound was either turned up too loud, or the film was a bit shouty...funny, nonetheless
LAURA (1944)
- The favorite of the three nitrate films that I saw
- I was really impressed by the depth of image because of the nitrate stock
- Kind of a rough 35mm print...reel lead-in and lead-out were (understandably) pretty beat up
ZARDOZ (1977)
- One of the worst films I've seen
- ...but surrounded by friends we laughed ourselves silly throughout most of the film
- Zardoz cookies supplied by Beth and Miguel were a terrific idea
Saturday
ARSENIC AND OLD LACE (1944)
- My first trip to Multiplex house 4!
- Intro by Tiffany Vazquez, who did a great job including a humorous joke where she said "I don't need to explain much about this, so enjoy the film" and fake-walked off.
- Great seeing this in a packed theater.
- This was announced as a TBA even before screening on Saturday
DAVID AND LISA (1962)
- Reminded me a lot of last year's ONE POTATO, TWO POTATO (60s, indie, B&W, low budget, important subject)
- Emotional ending
- Nice interview of Keir Dullea who stayed and watched the film (I always love when stars do this)
THE UNDER-WORLD STORY (1950)
- Noir film intro'd by Eddie Muller who admitted he just created a Twitter account
- I had seen this for the first time a few weeks before the fest (TCM aired it) and wasn't too impressed by it
- Second viewing was better
THEODORA GOES WILD (1936)
- Intro'd by Illeana Douglas (her grandfather Melvyn stars in this.)
- She had the entire Egyptian theater stand up for a "seventh inning stretch"...we sang "Singin' in the Rain"
- Someone took a flash photo of the screen when Irene Dunne appeared in her black costume....grrr (thought this year there was a lot less of this)
THE INCIDENT (1967)
- My favorite screening of the fest
- Great intro by Bruce Goldstein of director Larry Peerce and stars Martin Sheen & Beau Bridges. Also the guy who did music for the film was in the audience.
- Both Sheen and Bridges stayed and watched the entire film, Sheen shaking hands and engaging in chit-chat with film-goers as we filed out.
- I skipped BLACK NARCISSUS (one of my original 'must-sees') to watch this...for me it was the right decision...magnificent film-making.
- Change from original schedule
THE KENTUCKY FRIED MOVIE (1977)
- I was worried this film would offend some with its nudity...what was I thinking?! Zardoz was much worse in this regard.
- Hilarious intro by Jim Abrahams, Zucker brothers and John Landis who discussed how the movie came to be
- Sketch comedy...some sequences are funnier than others...good applause for "Catholic High School Girls in Trouble"...one of the funnier sketches
Sunday
COCK OF THE AIR (1932)
- What amazed me most in this pre-code was the camera movement...lots of 'floating camera' in opening shots and then lots more moving camera throughout the film
LURED (1947)
- Very nice whodunit film with Lucille Ball, Charles Coburn and George Sanders
- Lucy gets to wear a variety of lovely gowns
- Nice twist ending
- I got to sit in VIP seats in house 6 of the multiplex!
REPUBLIC PRESERVED
- Very short clips review of restored Republic film clips
- Cliff-hanger reel at the end (featuring tons of cars going off cliffs, exposions, etc.) was worth the price of admission
- Left before Q&A to grab a few slices of pizza across the street from the Egyptian
WHAT'S UP DOC? (1972)
- Nice interview of Peter Bogdanovich by Dave Karger
- Bogdanovich does really good impressions
- Delightful 'modern' take on the screwball comedy, the film holds up over time
- Madeline Kahn steals the film (but you knew that.) Also great performance by Kenneth Mars
LADY IN THE DARK (1944)
- Interesting way to end the fest, in hindsight I might have chosen another film (probably SPEEDY)
- Bizarre combination of bold Technicolor dream sequences on nitrate & patriarchal mansplaining...there were a lot of out-loud comments along lines of 'what?!'
- First time in the balcony at the Egyptian
