So for some reason, my god-tier Audrey Hepburn movies list got tons of notes, and it was also fun to make, so I’ve made another favorites list. Now, I’m going to cover my favorite movies from the 1940s. I doubt this will get as many notes, but hell, I’m not in this for the notes. I’m in this because I’m bored.
The more I meditate on this movie, the weirder it is. It’s extremely dark for a Disney movie (child threatened with an ax, child threatened with human trafficking, child actually killed by demonic whale, etc.), just drenched in dread and horror. None of the villains are apprehended, the parental figures are mostly useless, and the world, while beautiful, is presented as dangerous. And yet it is a fun, life-affirming tale about what it means to be human. I adore it.
My reaction to this movie is something I have a hard time putting into words. As a creative person, I feel this movie deep down into my very soul. It’s a sensuous movie with a plot beholden to myth and fairy tale that elevates art as something worth dedicating all energies and life to. On the surface, it seems like a standard “woman has to choose between marriage and career” plot, but I feel it’s about something far richer than that, something almost spiritual, the way art and life feed off one another, meeting and mingling to create beauty and meaning. And when you try to segregate art from life and vice versa, as the two men in Vicky’s life try to force her to do, both suffer.
I love the Disney version, but Cocteau’s BATB adaptation remains my favorite. It captures the feel of a fairy tale very well, the indistinct sense of time, the potent sense of enchantment. The romance in this movie is not what you would expect: it’s weird and Beauty’s feelings are ambiguous, but that makes the movie more thought-provoking. And all the CG in the world cannot replicate the tactile, expressive makeup of Jean Marais’ Beast.
The ambition of this movie still strikes me. Imagine the chutzpah it took to basically make an animated music video for the infamous “Rite of Spring” with realistic (for the time) depictions of dinosaurs. Its a mingling of high culture and mainstream appeal that purists might scoff at, but I find it risky and interesting, even if I don’t think every sequence fires on all cylinders. Disney has never attempted anything this adult since (no, not even with the sequel, which is way lighter and more kid-friendly).
Olivia de Havilland and William Wyler are the real stars of this movie. Henry James’ brutal drama is told with elegance and passion without ever descending into histrionic nonsense. There are people who think Old Hollywood movies eschewed psychological realism in these kinds of pretty period pieces-- The Heiress proves them very, very wrong. I’ve seen the movie almost ten times and I still glean new insights about these characters every time I revisit it.
So freaking funny. A perfect blend of comedy and suspense. I love all the characters, especially the motley acting crew. And I’m also shocked with just how much naughty material this movie gets away with-- it feels borderline pre-code! It also features the last and finest Carole Lombard performance.
The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp
The classic Powell and Pressburger movies are like nothing else in cinema. They’re gorgeously shot and feature some of the most memorable, achingly human characters ever, and that is no less true here. This movie is in every sense an epic, covering the life of a British soldier, Col. Candy, from the time of the Boer War at the turn of the century to WWII. However, unlike most epics dealing with war, we never see any heroic feats or much of what Candy is like in the line of duty. Rather, the film focuses on the episodes between these, with Candy chasing after his feminine ideal, trying to stick to his old-fashioned ideals as the harsher realities of the 20th century develop, or struggling to keep close to his German friend Theo as the conflict between their nations threatens to tear their friendship apart. Absolutely worth the three hours to watch it.
As the 1980s remake proved, all the explicit sex and violence in the world can actually destroy what mystique the great classic films had. Cat People thrives off its ambiguity, its mystery-- and despite there being no explicit mentions of sexuality, eros pervades this movie. What could have easily been B-movie schlock turns out to have been one of the great psychological thrillers of the classic era, sadistic, disturbing, and sad. Irena is every bit as sympathetic a movie “monster” as Karloff’s Frankenstein, her performance every bit as poignant.
A cliche choice for a reason. I love the ambiguity of the lead characters, the smoky atmosphere, and the melancholy romance. Also Claude Rains is the best part.
Screwball comedies aren’t really my thing, but I adore this one, a sassy retelling of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Barbara Stanwyck and Gary Cooper are both hilarious.
