The TCM Classic Film Festival has officially ended for the year. This year's festival was loosely (as always) themed around "The World Comes to Hollywood." ... Look, I'm kind of struggling to say anything new here, so let's just get to the meat of the blog post, shall we?
Thursday
After a few days of pre-parties and walking tours, the first official event of TCMFF was “Meet TCM,” where Scott McGee, Genevieve McGillicuddy, Charlie Tabbish and other staff members of TCM who help put on the festival discuss their duties and such. Among other things they touched on, they said that yes, mergers suck, but they’re not that worried about TCM in regards to the Paramount deal; the agony of having to choose between a screening of “Out of the Past” or the opening night gala party; the logistics of putting on a film festival (the 1963 “Mutiny on the Bounty” was the last movie whose print arrived for the festival), and “Letty Lynton,” a much-hyped movie whose showing at the festival was the first time it was screened in public for over 90 years due to legal issues, and whether they had other “holy grails” of films they’d like to see at the festival. (“Porgy & Bess” and “Hellzapoppin” were two that were brought up.)
Later, we had a trivia game. Usually, Bruce Goldstein of Film Forum puts on a fiendishly difficult game of trivia called “So You Think You Know Movies;” however, because he was being honored with the Robert Osborne award this year, he took the trivia game off, and we got Ken Jennings with his “Kennections.” The game involved five rounds of questions about movie trivia, where each answer in the round had something in common; for instance, the first round asked among other questions who played the captain in “The Poseidon Adventure,” which nephew of Francis Ford Coppola appeared in “Rumble Fish” and “Peggy Sue Got Married,” and who Martin Landau won an Oscar for playing in “Ed Wood,” with the answers respectively being Leslie Nielsen, Nicolas Cage, and Bela Lugosi, and the common theme was that they all played Dracula. I did reasonably well, but not enough to be one of the five contestants to come onstage for the semifinals. Nonetheless, it was fun, and I wouldn’t mind seeing it come back in future festivals.
A few hours later, it was time for the movies to start, beginning with “Barefoot in the Park.” Jane Fonda was the guest, brought in to pay tribute to Robert Redford. As expected, she was a firecracker, admitting to Ben Mankiewicz that she had a crush on him, asking him if he ever had affairs (he said that if he did, it would be with someone more like a hooker), and saying that she used the scene in the movie where they’re in bed together to cuddle with him. They also discussed how Robert would have wanted to be remembered for the Sundance Film Festival, and how the merging of studios was against what he was trying to do.
Half-formed thoughts: It’s kind of strange to see Robert Redford doing a light comedy. Most of his films are so serious, and even “The Sting” is a comparatively dark story to this.
After that, the last movie of the night was “Man Hunt.” Keith Carradine introduced, discussing how his father John was in the film, how George Sanders was fluent in German, and how the film, being made in the lead-up to America’s entry into World War II, encountered resistance from isolationists.
Half-formed thoughts: I wonder if that guy who shot his gun at the White House Correspondents Dinner will say he was doing a “sporting stalk” of Trump. (Yes, that’s a joke that’s both dark, AND destined to age like milk!)
Friday
First up, “Alice in Wonderland.” Introducing were Mario Cantone and Disney animator Andreas Deja, who discussed how, like a surprising number of Disney classics, this one actually wasn’t very successful on its first release; Andreas working on “Who Framed Roger Rabbit” and “The Little Mermaid,” where he worked on King Triton and his “olive-colored nipples;” and Tim Burton, who Andreas worked with at Disney before Burton left to become a director, and how Tim may not have been happy with his own version of “Alice.”
Half-formed thoughts: No wonder Tim Burton’s version was reportedly not very good. Trying to impose a story on something like this would be like trying to make a fever dream obey a three-act structure.
After that, I thought that since it’d be a while before I could get into a movie, I’d go see the discussion with Carol Burnett. Unfortunately, so did about half the festival attendees. The line was so serpentine that I couldn’t figure out where it ended, so I gave up and went to lunch instead, because you should always take an opportunity for a meal at a film festival.
Next up, “Dangerous Liaisons.” Introducing was Ben Mankiewicz and Glenn Close (for whom this was her second choice of movie to show at the festival after “Albert Nobbs”), who discussed how she tries to take roles that don’t repeat themselves, her work with Robert Redford and how early in his career he would drive to unusual places to draw and eat, until he became too famous to blend in anymore; how they shot several scenes without Close early in production because she was giving birth at the time; and how in this and “Fatal Attraction,” the villain roles aren’t played as villains but instead as true to who the character is without judgment. They also discussed an alternative ending where a character was decapitated at a guillotine during the French Revolution (she could only guess that they didn’t use it because it didn’t test well), and how the ending shot that was used was done in one take, because that’s all they could get at eleven at night.
Half-formed thoughts: I’m ashamed to admit I dozed off during this one. With the constant walking around of a festival, you do get tired, so I’m afraid it was… beyond my control. (I WAS awake for that part.)
After that was “My Brother’s Wedding.” Introducing were Jacqueline Stewart and director Charles Burnett, who discussed how the story came from when he was invited to a wedding around the time a friend of his was killed, and both the funeral and the wedding were scheduled for the same time; how the film was released in a rough cut form after premiering at a film festival early, and how the final cut we saw was actually shorter than the rough cut; and the ups and downs of shooting with family and community members, which they described as part of his process. There was also a funny moment when Jacqueline asked about using a telephoto lens on shots where the main character is walking, and if he did that to make it feel like the character is walking but not getting anywhere, and he merely responded with “Yep.”
Half-formed thoughts: Don’t think this is for me. I think it was really hamstrung by a low budget, and the story is very loose.
The final screening for the day was a world premiere 4K restoration of “Shane.” Introducing was Ben Mankiewicz and George Stevens, Jr., who discussed how the story appealed to Stevens Sr. after his experiences in World War II (where he filmed footage of D-Day and the liberation of Dachau) and how he said that “one bullet is a Holocaust,” how Jr. found the story as part of a summer job with his dad and how he had to tell the story to him standing around his dad’s bed, and how initially Montgomery Clift was going to play Shane and William Holden was to play the father; when that version fell apart, Stevens Sr. went into an executive's office, looked at a list of a cast commitments, and took actors off it that he knew would do the movie. Finally, they described how the 94-year old Stevens Jr. was not only introducing “Shane” at 9:15 at night, but the next day was introducing “A Place in the Sun” at 8:45 in the morning. (And he still stayed to watch the first half of “Shane!”)
Half-formed thoughts: Good, although I was definitely feeling the effects of a full day at the festival by this point; I could tell I was hallucinating at certain points. (Nothing special, just stuff like text-like symbols appearing where they clearly wouldn’t have been. Oh god, am I AI?)
Saturday
First, “Camille.” Introducing were Diane Baker and Tara McNamara, who discussed how in spite of the acclaim for the romance Garbo lost the Oscar to Luise Rainier, how many of the choices made as an artist aren’t made intellectually but instinctively, how Baker and Garbo shared an acting coach, how George Cukor helped Diane open up, how Barbara Stanwyck helped coach Robert Taylor for his role in the film, how this was Irving Thalberg’s final picture, and how Garbo was herself instead of a Hollywood ego.
Half-formed thoughts: It’s sad, but I mainly saw this to understand a joke Woody Allen told about FBI agents using the sad ending in lieu of tear gas. (I know, I know…) Some heavy eyelids throughout, but I feel like I understood it well enough.
Next was “Cobra Woman.” Introducing were Leonard Maltin and Luis Reyes, who discussed how Richard Brooks wrote the screenplay before later writing “In Cold Blood,” how star Maria Montez was friends with Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt during World War II and was a role model for women during that time, how Montez, costar Sabu, and director Robert Siodmak were immigrants, and how Montez was so important financially to Universal International that even after leaving, she was offered a contract with them.
Half-formed thoughts: We all know deus ex machinas, but this is the first movie I’ve seen with a “deus ex monkey-a.” (Yes, this makes no sense to anyone who hasn’t seen the movie. Sue me.)
After that was “The Muppet Movie.” Jacqueline Stewart and Paul Williams introduced, discussing his collaboration with Jim Henson on “Emmet Otter’s Jug Band Christmas” and how it served as an audition for “The Muppet Movie,” how Jim Henson trusted him enough to not hear the songs he’d written for the movie until they got to the studio, an unused song for Gonzo about being a flightless bird that inspired the balloon scene in the movie, and how after he sobered up, Brian Henson was the first person to hire him again for “The Muppet Christmas Carol.”
Half-formed thoughts: At TCMFF, the audience applauds quite a bit. They’ll applaud the recognizable names in the credits, as well as the first appearances of stars in a given movie. So let me tell you, seeing this movie there is probably the most applause I’ve ever heard throughout a movie. First appearances of each Muppet? Check. The cameos? Check. And likely because Paul Williams was interviewed beforehand by Jacqueline Stewart as part of a tribute to him at the festival, most every song got applause at the end, too. Great atmosphere to see a movie in.
Next, “Victor/Victoria.” Introducing were Dave Karger and Lesley Ann Warren, who discussed how she met Blake Edwards and told him she’d do anything for him, how she fleshed out the character beyond the script through lots of improv (including lines like “Wait! Lock the door!”), and how the “Chicago, Illinois” number wasn’t initially in the script. Amazingly, when she saw the movie for the first time, she thought her career would be over, never guessing that she would get an Oscar nomination for the role. (Extra fun fact: She was working on “A Night in Heaven” when she learned of the nomination.) She and Dave also discussed how beloved she is in the LGBTQ+ audience, and how two fans of her “Cinderella” movie are Rob Marshall and Lee Daniels.
Half-formed thoughts: Gotta say, the early scenes with James Garner threatening to kick Lesley Ann Warren in the ass kinda make it difficult to come around on him…
The last movie for the day was “Notorious.” Introducing were Alicia Malone and Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group Co-Chair Michael De Luca, who discussed keeping TCM safe, how the film is tied into “Vertigo” and “Marnie” in being about dubious women and controlling men, and (to thunderous applause) how the film is set in a time when the government went after Nazis instead of electing them.
Half-formed thoughts: Feel like I dozed off during this one, like there was some important info that I missed. Shame.
Sunday
First at bat (sorry), “The Bad News Bears.” Introducing was Ben Mankiewicz, who before the movie discussed how Paul Thomas Anderson chose this as part of his Two for One programming on TCM with “Bugsy Malone” as a salute to a double feature he went to, and how little most of the Bears got paid ($100,000 apiece).
After the movie, several of the then-kids in the movie (Jayme Escobedo, Christopher Banres, Erin Blunt, Gary Cavagnaro, Scott Firestone, Alfred Lutter, Brett Marx, David Pollock and David Stambaugh; Jackie Earle Haley was supposed to be there but got a job that conflicted) discussed how they were saying that they’d see each other for the sequel at the wrap party thanks to their youthful optimism, getting ice cream with Jack Lemmon during the filming and not realizing who he was until much later, how Walter Matthau treated the kids as equals, and how the studio had an alternate happy ending shot where the Bears win their last game.
Half-formed thoughts: Kinda dozed through this one, too. Which makes it startlingly similar to what would happen if I actually went to a baseball game.
Next, I tried for the much-hyped “Letty Lynton” in its repeat showing, but after “Bears,” I was too late to get a decent queue number. (Indeed, I was the last one in line.) So I opted for the Paul Williams conversation in Club TCM. Ben Mankiewicz interviewed him, and they discussed his beginnings, how he started as an actor and was teaching himself guitar on the set of “The Chase” when Robert Duvall noticed him and suggested to the director that an improvised song he had made it into the film; he also discussed how angelic and sweet Karen Carpenter was, getting to do drugs with Robert Mitchum (who claimed his famous arrest for pot was planted because he’d smoked all of his), and how he wanted to meet Edgar Wright after seeing “Shaun of the Dead,” only to have Wright call him out of the blue soon after. (Wright was in the audience for this interview, as well.) He also explained how he got the job on “Ishtar” by telling Warren Beatty no on “Heaven Can Wait;” when asked for a title song, Williams said that it didn’t need one, and Beatty went to three other songwriters before realizing that Paul was correct.
Next up was “Cabin in the Sky.” Donald Bogle introduced, discussing how historically important it was as an early Hollywood movie to feature an all-black cast, how World War II gave more opportunity to black performers in Hollywood, and how smoothly filming went until Ethel Waters had to shoot a scene with Lena Horne; Ethel, being in her 40s and heavier than most stars, hated the young and beautiful up-and-comer so much that even Eddie Mannix couldn’t get her to calm down on set, shutting down production for the day. They eventually finished the scene and the movie, but Ethel and Lena never spoke again.
Half-formed thoughts: If it weren’t for a last-minute cop out, this would have one of the craziest endings I’d ever seen.
Finally, “Lady Windemere’s Fan.” Introducing the film was Jacqueline Stewart, who discussed Ernst Lubitsch (whose daughter was in the audience), his comedies of manners from the silent era, and his commitment to visual storytelling, by omitting the dialogue from the Oscar Wilde play. The film was accompanied by the Mont Alto Motion Picture Orchestra.
Half-formed thoughts: Yet another movie I dozed at, meaning that when I saw the ending, I was mystified by the characters’ relationships. Am I getting too old to do this?
Pics or it didn't happen
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