Well I finally got this set, could've gotten it last week but not enough cash, just popped in the first disc and got down to watching the first movie.
Marty was a pretty fun movie that starts out as an underdog beaten down, you really do feel for the poor guy, but I couldn't help but laugh as the latter half things get thrown around in reverse. It was a nice subtle shift from the reversal
sure you know that things are looking up for him when he meets the
but you don't necessarily feel that things looking up for Marty would result in a re-examination of your own position, I'm sure we all have a Marty or even a Marty ourselves at one point and that was nicely handled by the movie. Definitely can't wait to get cracking on the other movies the following days, will just edit this post I guess as I watch more. For those curious, seeing as the screen caps show image quality, regarding sound of this film I'd say its discernable, very few lines are hard to catch (thanks in part to the accent) but doesn't necessarily need subs turned on.
Patterns... this movie is really intense, something akin to 12 Angry Men, it puts a strong message across the corporate structure. Yet, it never feels like a lecture or sermon as it just lets the events speak for themselves as things unfold. What especially impressed me was the final scenes sure the movie does have a skew towards white rather than black, definitely not gray, with regards to ethics but that talk between Ramsey and Staples was handled well that in my opinion it still manages to hear out the opinion of the other side rather than revel on what should be the right side (course we do get something like this earlier in a board room meeting but hey the final scene comes across much nicely, with an added touch of some humor that doesn't feel out of place or lighten the mood but makes you laugh). I'm can't help but love this set, I can't wait to make my way to the other movies. Notably though with Marty and Patterns the writting of the dialogue is great, its concise and to the point but also very natural (in the case of Marty) or quite well reasoned/prepared (as in Patterns) by prepared I mean not that it feels unnatural just that the characters definitely think before they speak.
No Time for Sergeants was less impressive than the previous two. While part of my impression stems from the type of comedy not really being my type of humor, I felt the comedy to be rather aged... The jokes just didn't seem to translate much, also I felt this to be the most "theatre like" of the films so far. Not much to say here for me.
A Wind from the South on the other hand first half wasn't so impressive but the latter half, or say around act II was when the film picked up for me. The details of the first half and the dialogue, which I found too sugary and too obviously "written" that it lacked the more down to earth or more realist tone of the first two movies (well the movie isn't really aiming for realism I guess but I mean that their dialogue especially with regards the dreams and feathers was just too contrived). Yet the latter half when the expectations you think the movie will head into a certain direction is pulled out right under you the intensity of the quiet drama shines. You just don't expect the twist and the ending altogether with the song just leaves you with this bitter sweet feeling. Found this good just wish it wasn't so labored with the dialogue, yeah sure the other films do have that labored quality to it (though I'd argue not Marty) but with this film its far more apparent.
Hope other got this set, or gave it a shot. Well for the next two dramas, both sports, one was great IMO while the other fell flat... Bang the Drum Slowly fell flat for me due to the first person narrative we see on screen, while it does appear to be a rather creative way to make scene transitions and such I felt that it tended to difuse the atmosphere of scenes. In that it tries to impose to the audience, much like the laughter of studio audiences in No Time for Sergeants except even more imposing as the narrator's emotions are literally seen from the teary eyed to the choking voice. It just felt choking with the narration, and I wasn't that impressed with the writting or the cast with this either its far less natural to the earlier dramas. I was just disappointed by Bang the Drum Slowly... On the other hand Requiem For a Heavy Weight just did everything great. I don't think I need to chide it for the praises of this show but its definitely quite good, though I still love Patterns from the Serling screenplays but still this one had that heart felt and gritty realism that I enjoyed with the earlier dramas such as Marty and Patterns. Quite good stuff!
As for The Comedian.... Hm.... kinda ambivalent with this one I mean it definitely did its job well in getting one to be disgusted with the behind the scenes of show biz, hard not to hate the guy. And its interesting to see how that small terrible aging man was like a disease bringing down people... Yet... I think it could've held back a little more that trying to show the dark side, yeah there is some ambivalence with the sudden gestures of Sam but they never really felt genuine in the first place or something that big of a deal that I wasn't sucked in by the so called charm of the guy. By holding back I mean it was just too easy to take so many jabs at the guy, to hate him like I said I wasn't drawn in by his random gestures, or the fact that showbize can really change a person or ruin them. I don't know... still trying to organize thoughts about this one. Hoping someone can chide in with this title. So now I am down to the last one. Overall I'm quite happy with the set.
Yeesh, I'm much more of a fan of the earlier TV plays before they got their extended running time. Days of Wine and Roses was a disappointement for me. It may not have had dialogue that was a "sermon", though there are some here and there but at least the film didn't write every line to be one, but the visuals certainly were a sermon or rather a "holier than thou" or "please save me god". The AA meeting holding place, and that placard that pops up in the transition or the first thing we see came across as that. Doesn't help either that it went rather heavy handed with its approah to portraying alchoholism, to the point that it wasn't so much disturbing than funny akin to something out of a sort of horror movie (kinda reminds me of House Maid but alas lacking the camera movements and shadows that gave it a more fevered pitch). Pretty disappointed with this film... at least the ending wasn't a cop out. So I guess my impressions are I loved half of the films in the set but ended up much colder to the other half. Still its a pleasure to discover some gems thanks to this set.
