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marciagirl3
single, no children, two dogs
Reviews
The Paradine Case (1947)
Excellent and wrongly underrated Hitchcock film
I disagree with many respondents who find major flaws in this mini-masterpiece of cinema. "The Paradine Case" concentrates on witty, well-written dialog to create complex characters and to move the action along. Since postmodern audiences, especially those under thirty, have been spawned on action flicks or blockbuster special effects, a classic, intricate, word-oriented drama, forces them to work harder than they're willing. Those who don't appreciate words, will rarely honor great film writing, instead they will base success or failure of a movie on whether it's bloated with computer animated flash.
In "The Paradine Case" the subtle gestures the characters employ like the grasping of Ann Todd's hand by Charles Laughtin as she slyly, calmly, cleverly uses parlor room banter to rebuff his advances, are brilliant. Some of the lines in the film are equally understated, yet profoundly amazing.
Gregory Peck and Todd so gracefully inhabit their characters that they make the acting seem effortless, so effortless that some may overlook the excellence of their performances in this fine film.
One test of a great movie is whether the conflict strongly continues the momentum in every scene and in "The Paradine Case" conflict is present in each deftly crafted moment.
Ethel Barrymore is superb. Her facial gestures, her hand wringing, her breathless fear and trepidation, her pathetic love for the cruel but brilliant attorney, Laughtin, is academy award winning.
Every actor/character in this wonderful film shines.
In this movie, the artful use of shadows and light, the cinematography, the costuming, the script, the directing ALL contribute to the overall creativity of this rare cinematic treat.
"The Paradine Case" can teach modern, would-be film makers a great deal. The 3 million dollar price tag on this movie (an astronomical amount for 1947) was money well spent. Anyone who appreciates classic film-making should see this picture.
Road to Perdition (2002)
Irish Themes and Culture
As in other gangster films, one of the most important motifs of this movie is its relationship to deeper cultural elements. Without its Irishness, this would be just another "mafia" story. The characters names, the Catholic religion, the Irish wakes, the Irish fondness for liquor, the food, the accents all combine to beautifully highlight the powerful Irish heritage and its influence on the 1920s and 30s criminal culture. The film masterfully highlights the so-called shanty Irish crime bosses who controlled Boston and the greater East coast politics in the early 20th century. The murderous pathology of Michael Sullivan and his gang of hoodlums is ironically juxtaposed to the decidedly poetic, religious, lyrical, music-filled Irish family life he and his gang inhabit.
Encore (1951)
Maughm is a Masterful Story Teller
Sumerset Maughm has always been one of my favorite novelists. He has the ability to present human struggles among all classes, especially significant because of the rigid, British class system in the late 19th and early 20th centuries when he lived and wrote. All three of the stories told in "Encore," present completely different types of people facing compelling personal problems. I disagree with some of the other respondents who claim "Encore" is a flawed film. All three of the stories in this movie are equally compelling in that they manage to capture the humanity in even the most unlikely, odd characters. The dialog is witty, the acting superb. The audience grows fond of the characters, as they develop. Maughm weaves humor, tension, romance and irony together in a masterful way to create unique worlds alive with life lessons for us all. If you have the opportunity to watch "Encore," you won't be sorry you did.