Must See Movies

CARNIVAL OF SOULS (1962)

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Carnival of Souls cover

Iggy talked me into watching this odd movie and I’m glad I did.

It’s not scary, it’s artsy and peculiar. Won’t give away the plot too much, but here’s the gist: two vehicles are playing chicken on an old wooden bridge. One car goes into the river and only one passenger survives. The woman, an organist, takes a job at a church near an abandoned seaside carnival that seems to draw her to it. And a ghoulish man keeps appearing to her. What does he want? 

Sadly this film was not well received and came close to disappearing. Fortunately, it was rediscovered and redistributed in 1989, this time to more favorable criticism. It has become a cult classic. If you like artsy films, this is a must see. The lighting, music and the carnival set are sublime… dream-like. Filmed at the magical, abandoned Saltair Amusement Park utilizing its massive ballroom, one of the largest ever built. A pity this is the writer/ director’s only film. I’d say it’s comparable to the 1946 French film La Belle et La Bete (Beauty and the Beast) in terms of mood and atmosphere.  

A Room With A View (1985) From the Novel By E. M. Forster

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This is one of those movies that I could watch again and again. 
  1. The cast is perfect–-creating memorable characters that decades later I still chuckle over: 
  • Dame Maggie Smith as Charlotte Barlett the fastidious chaperone (Freddy: “Why is she so…[makes face] Charlotte Barlett?” Lucy: “That’s because she IS Charlotte Bartlett.”   
  • Simon Calow as the Reverend,  Mr. Beebe — can’t see him now without picturing him running naked around the swimming hole “Come! Have a bathe!”
  • Helena Bonham Carter as our heroine, Lucy Honeychurch–young, passionate, willful…resisting the bridle of British social constraints. 
  • Julian Sands as the free spirit George Emerson– I will always picture him up a tree yelling “Faith! Love! Beauty!” and Denholm Elliott’s character, Mr. Emerson explaining, “He’s shouting his creed.”
  • Denholm Elliott —  I can’t remember who said it now, I suspect it may have been Sir John Geilgud — something about there are three actors who will always upstage you: children, dogs, and Denholm Elliott… whoever said it, it’s so true. I adore Denholm Elliott in this movie — he conveys such feeling, such soul–expresses so much emotion through his buggy, teary eyes.
  •  And then there’s Daniel Day Lewis as Cecil Vyse, Lucy’s intended. Hilarious!!
  • Rupert Graves portrays Lucy’s breezy, happy-go-lucky brother… reminds me of my own brother, Iggy.
  • Dame Judi Dench is Eleanor Lavish  

If you like a”costume thang” that is, a period story, this one is a radiant gem. Lucy meets the Emersons while in Florence and is attracted to unpretentious and peculiar George, but back in England, she feels pulled towards a betrothal to Cecil who has firmer social standing.  But she and Cecil don’t have much in common (thank goodness) and he doesn’t appreciate her. He sees her as a beautiful wife, not a person with interests and passion. When George reappears in her life, the lies she tells to others and herself begin to unravel.  Does one follow ones head or ones heart? 

A delightful romp of a romance.  

 

To Have and Have Not (1944) Bogie and Bacall

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No small wonder Humphrey Bogart fell in love with Lauren Bacall while making this movie… she smolders.  Intrigue, spy stuff, action, romance, this film is perfect and glossy. It features one of the most iconic scenes of its era: the “you do know how to whistle, don’t you?”   
I don’t think I’ve ever been that cool in my life… and she was only nineteen!
Cassablanca is a classic Humphrey Bogart picture and also a must-see… but while Cassablanca has the star-crossed lovers-who-must-part ending, To Have and Have Not is the opposite– soul mates who are meant to stay together. And while it’s a war time film, the drama is balanced with romance and a bit of comic relief with Walter Brennan as a sweet, drunk friend.
In 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die, author Stephen Jay Schneider notes that the director wanted a true partnership between the two main characters– Slim is not going to slip into an apron, stay at home and bake pies while Harry goes out to fight the fascists and win the war; they will do it together. She is “as intrepid and daring” as her counterpart. Funny how women’s roles shifted so much between the 40s and the 50s…
Some interesting trivia about the movie can be found at the Internet Movie Database website that follows–for example, the movie notion launched because director Howard Hawks made a bet that he could make a great movie out of the worst Ernest Hemingway story! (I think he won the bet.)  Bogart said he fell in love with her portraying her character, Slim, who…more trivia… was based on Howard Hawks’ wife…see below–
More trivia:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0037382/trivia

Found a public domain photo of the real “Slim” with husband Howard Hawks and their dog:    Slim indeed!!! Is there a size smaller than zero? I think the dog has a bigger waist!