Montgomery Clift on TCM 6/15
Turner Classic Movies has made their daytime theme on June 15th, the man, the myth, the legend, Montgomery Clift! I am extremely excited because I love Clift as an actor and have been learning more about the man he was too!
Some of these films I have seen, others will be my first watch! Here is the line up for Monty’s films on Monday!
6:30 AM - The Search
An American soldier in post-war Europe rescues a homeless child and becomes attached to him.
Also Starring - Ivan Jandl, Aline MacMahon, Wendell Corey, and Jarmila Novotna
DVR Alert - This film is one of my favorite Monty films because it shows how gentle a leading man can be. He also plays so well with the child actor Ivan Jandl, and the bond on the screen feels organic.
Fun Fact - Clift saved this film. He rewrote a lot of the script and made it better. Unfortunately, he isn’t credited for his contribution so he didn’t get to share in the joy of the film winning Best Writing for A Motion Picture Story at the Oscars.
8:30 AM - The Big Lift
The story of two Air Force sergeants who find love while overseas to fly the Berlin Airlift.
Also Starring - Paul Douglas, Cornell Borchers, Bruni Löbel, and O.E. Hasse
Personal DVR Alert - I have never seen this film and excited to watch it for the first time!
Fun Fact - Monty was able to make this film because he dropped out of Sunset Blvd. Rumor has it, Libby Holman, his older actress lover, thought the film was too close to home and talked him out of doing it.
10:45 AM - I Confess
A priest is accused of murder and the only way to clear his is name is to break the seal of the confessional, which he won’t do.
Also Starring - Anne Baxter, Karl Malden, Brian Aherne, O.E. Hasse, and Dolly Haas
Hitchcock DVR Alert - This is a highly underrated Alfred Hitchcock film. It is so suspenseful because the audience knows the truth and is on edge the whole time.
Fun Fact - The movie doesn’t mirror the original play 100 percent. The reason is because the censors would have had a fit if the film depicted the priest and his lover having an illegitimate child and the priest being hung at the end.
12:30 PM - From Here to Eternity
A private is punished by his captain for not boxing on his team’s unit and at the same time, the captain’s wife and second in command are having an affair.
Also Starring - Burt Lancaster, Deborah Kerr, Donna Reed, Frank Sinatra, Philip Ober, and Ernest Borgnine
A Must Watch DVR Alert - This is probably my favorite Monty film. The ensemble cast is fantastic and the story is just a very interesting one. Clift is also at his best in this film (not just physically, I promise haha). If you aren’t a fan of war films, watch this one. It is more character driven and is technically before the US joined the war.
Fun Fact - Clift was dedicated to his character Prewitt so much that he learned how to play the bugle (he was dubbed though) and took boxing lessons.
2:45 PM - Indiscretion of an American Housewife
A married American woman tries to break off her affair with an Italian-American professor before she leaves Italy’s Stazione Termini - or Terminal Station.
Also Starring - Jennifer Jones, Gino Cervi, and Richard Beymer
Slight DVR Alert - The version being shown is the shorter version. I will explain in the Fun Fact section why there are two versions. I like the longer version better, but feel like both versions are worth a watch.
Fun Fact - Jennifer Jones’s husband, David O Selznick, decided to cut Director Vittorio De Sica’s version of this film for American audiences. Selznick’s version is 72 minutes and De Sica’s version is 89 minutes. The added time fleshes out some plot points and makes the film flow better.
4 PM - Raintree County
A man jilts his childhood love for a Southern Belle, but their relationship is a complicated one due to her past and the on-set of the Civil War.
Also Starring - Elizabeth Taylor, Eva Marie Saint, Nigel Patrick, Lee Marvin, and Rod Taylor
Eh DVR Alert - This film is beautifully filmed, but it is long and not very interesting. It has been a while since I last saw it, so maybe I need to revisit it.
Fun Fact - This was the film that Clift was making when he had his infamous car accident. It is noticeable what was shot pre-accident and what was shot post accident. Clift’s face changed a bit, due to surgeries.
