Why Classic Movies are AWESOME!

Classic movies interest me because I like how they acted back then. I like their mannerisms, how they dressed, how they talked, and the expressions they used. For example, "Oh, a wise guy, huh?" It made me wonder if they really said that in real life, or did they just use it in the movies. They didn't use a whole lot of special effects, they mostly relied on acting. In The Hunch Back of the Notre Dame (1939), the actor, Charles Laughton, had an excellent speaking voice, but he didn't use it much in the movie. He wanted to be known for his acting and not just for his speaking.

Another good movie that didn't use a whole lot of special effects but was a great film was The Haunting (1963). The movie didn't show ghosts, but you knew they were there. It was obvious there was a haunting because of all the noises, the camera angles, and the acting. There were other versions of The Haunting but they weren't as good as the original. Mostly, because they valued special effects over acting. In the original you imagined and wondered what the ghosts would look like and that's why it did so good. And that's why I love Tuner Classic Movies.

Monday, April 29, 2013

THAT HAGEN GIRL

               
"That Hagan Girl" is a film about a teenage girl who lives in a small town, where the local residence has been gossiping about her behind her back since before she could talk.  When she was a baby, she was adopted by two ordinary towns folk and when she was brought to her new home one of the town’s folk noticed a resemblance between the baby and a local girl from a wealthy family, who had returned home that same evening.

The Hagan girl grows up not knowing about the event that took place the night she arrived, but then things begin to be revealed to her when a man that used to live in the same town, arrives and is claimed to be her father.

This film reminds me of another movie about a small town that also has a residence of gossipers. That film is called “Peyton Place,” in it evolves scandal, hidden secrets among the residence, and even murder.

“That Hagen Girl,” was filmed in 1947, it was based on the novel by Edith Kneipple Roberts. It was directed by Peter Godfrey, and stars American sweetheart Shirley Temple as Mary Hagen, along with future president Ronald Reagan who plays Tom Bates.

Monday, April 15, 2013

LON CHANEY SR. "THE MAN OF A THOUSAND FACES"

                               
Leonidas Frank Chaney a famous silent movie actor who was known as the “Man of a Thousand faces.” He is called this because of the extraordinary makeup he did on himself and his excellent portrayal of characters.  He is best known for his silent horror films; he played the original phantom in “Phantom of the Opera,” and was also the original hunchback from Victor Hugo’s novel The “Hunchback of Notre Dame.”

The first Lon Chaney film I watched was called the Unknown, It was filmed in 1927 and it’s about a man who was born with a double thumb on his left hand, played by Cheney, who poses as an armless knife thrower in a circus. He falls in love with his lovely assistant, who is played by Joan Crawford, who is attracted to the strong man, played by Norman Kerry, but is terrified of his arms. Later on in the film Joan Crawford’s character witnesses a murder, but she doesn’t see his faces she only notices the murder’s left hand and his double thumb. Frightened that he would be discovered and that he would never be loved by the girl if found out that he had arms, Chaney decides to cut his arms off. When Chaney returns he is told that Crawford and the strong man were going to be married. Not only it was heartbreaking to see how Chaney did all of this for nothing, but the emotion Chaney brought to that scene. Tears pouring down his face, it was like witnessing someone getting slapped in the face.

When movies began coming out with sound, they actually added sound to the already filmed “Phantom of the Opera,” but the only one who you didn’t hear say anything was the phantom. Chaney didn’t think it was right for the phantom to speak in it.  Another one of Chaney’s films that was remade with sound was The Unholy Three. It’s about a ventriloquist; a midget, a strong man, and a pickpocket who pretend to be owners of a pet store who later rob the houses of their wealthy customers. Lon Chaney’s character disguises himself as an old woman known as “Grandma O’Grady,” he wanted to do the voice of her himself so he chose the words carefully and spoke slowly.  In the original ending of the film when he was saying goodbye to his girlfriend who was leaving to be with another man, he was doing his act and using his dummy he said to her, “good bye ol’ pal.” He then lays the dummy on him and begins to cry, except with real tears. In the remake they’re at the train station saying good bye to Chaney’s character who was going to jail, but the ironic thing about this scene is that for a goodbye present, Chaney is given a box of cigarettes when in real life Chaney was battling with lung cancer. This was Chaney’s first talking film and the last film he was in. He died two months after the film was released.

Lon Chaney Sr. was born in Colorado Springs, Colorado on April 1, 1883 and died on August 26, 1930. And for some strange reason his crypt was left unnamed. Not only was Lon Chaney a terrifying actor but his son was too, Lon Chaney Jr. who played the original wolf man.
                                                    

Wednesday, April 3, 2013

THE HAUNTING

        
A film about a 90 year old mansion that is known to be evil, along with it its dark history.  In the movie the mansion (Hill House) belongs to an elderly woman who is asked by Dr. Markway, a scientist who is fascinated with ghost, superstition, and anything else that goes bump in the night, to observe the house with a group of handpicked assistants.

Even though Dr. Markway is permitted to do his experiment there is a problem. All of the assistants that he had chosen begin drop out of the experiment, all except for three. Theodora with an extraordinary gift of ESP, and then there’s Eleanor who lived in her sister’s living room in a small apartment. Who also use to be caretaker of their ailing mother. Then finally there’s Luke who is the heir of Hill house and was volunteered by his aunt to join them.

When the group arrives at Hill House strange things begin to happen inside the house. The feeling cold air in some of the rooms, strange faces seen in the walls, and very loud pounding noise coming from the halls. What I love about this movie is that they show no ghost… No projections, no men wearing bed sheets, which are more terrifying because it forces your imagination’s a worst fear take over.

This film was released in 1963 it is inspired by the novel, The Haunting of Hill House, written by Shirley Jackson. In 1999 it was remade but it was clearly not as good as the original. This film was directed by Robert Wise and it stars Richard Johnson, Julie Harris, Claire Bloom, and Russ Tamblyn. If you choose to watch this film I’d suggest that you don’t watch this alone.