692 It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World

[The Narrator Returns]

Hey, I gave up bitching for Lent.

[Harmonov]

But that ten-year stretch is one of the greatest for any individual filmmaker in Hollywood history. What exactly is wrong with THE DEFIANT ONES, ON THE BEACH, INHERIT THE WIND, JUDGEMENT AT NUREMBERG, MAD WORLD, SHIP OF FOOLS and GUESS WHO'S COMING TO DINNER?

Seven decent films in ten years (I'm taking your word for their quality) is hardly an amazing record for a studio director. I'm actually scratching my head trying to come up with a Hollywood director of any particular standing whose filmography doesn't include a ten-year stretch that easily matches (or in most cases completely trounces) that particular package of films.

You seriously think those seven films measures up to these?
- Bringing Up Baby, Only Angels Have Wings, His Girl Friday, Sergeant York, Ball of Fire, To Have and Have Not, The Big Sleep.
- The Roaring Twenties, They Drive by Night, High Sierra, The Strawberry Blonde, Gentleman Jim, Objective, Burma!, Pursued.
- Shockproof, All I Desire, Magnificent Obsession, All That Heaven Allows, There's Always Tomorrow, Written on the Wind, The Tarnished Angels.
- Reign of Terror, Winchester 73, The Tall Target, The Naked Spur, The Man from Laramie, Men in War, Man of the West.
- Sunset Blvd., Ace in the Hole, Stalag 17, Sabrina, The Seven Year Itch, The Spirit of St Louis, Some Like It Hot.
- The Great McGinty, Christmas in July, The Lady Eve, Sullivan's Travels, The Palm Beach Story, The Miracle of Morgan's Creek, Hail the Conquering Hero.

That last bundle was completed in five years. Seriously, I've yet to come up with a major director who couldn't eclipse Kramer's run of "greatness." Even poor old Orson Welles, who didn't even last a decade as a Hollywood player, made five great films in that time. Five and a half, if you include the remnants of It's All True.

What about John Hughes' run from 1983-1987?

- Mr. Mom, Vacation, Nate & Hayes, Sixteen Candles, Breakfast Club, European Vacation, Weird Science, Pretty in Pink, Ferris Bueller' Day Off, Some Kind of Wonderful and Planes, Trains & Automobiles

8 pretty iconic 80s films...

[knives]

Hughes didn't direct Pretty in Pink.

[Jeff]

Hughes didn't direct Pretty in Pink.

Or Vacation, European Vacation, Mr. Mom, Nate and Hayes, or Some Kind of Wonderful. But still.

[knives]

He did Curly Sue though. Where's that's Criterion?

[Harmonov]

Hughes didn't direct Pretty in Pink.

Or Vacation, European Vacation, Mr. Mom, Nate and Hayes, or Some Kind of Wonderful. But still.

He either wrote or directed them. I was just listing his run, which I think is pretty damn good in such a short stretch.

[domino harvey]

Def no mistake that the list ends before She's Having a Baby

[knives]

I actually rather like Uncle Buck in all its B movie glory, but I suppose I could switch it out for Ferris Bueller's Day Off which I strongly dislike.

[domino harvey]

John Candy flipping that giant pancake with a shovel is the kind of things a kid's dreams are built upon

[Moe Dickstein]

I'm only interested in Criterion's Persona Blu if they reinstate all those hilarious Phil SilverS scenes

[domino harvey]

I'm only interested in Criterion's Persona Blu if they reinstate all those hilarious Phil SilverS scenes

Correcting typos, always a popular posting technique

[hearthesilence]

I'm only interested in Criterion's Persona Blu if they reinstate all those hilarious Phil Silver scenes

[hearthesilence]

F-ing hate John Hughes too, and that was well before I stumbled upon the racist shit in Sixteen Candles. If I had to put one of his films in the Criterion Collection, it would be Planes, Trains and Automobiles. At least it had Dede Allen as an editor, and it actually shows in some surprisingly good sequences.

[Moe Dickstein]

I highly doubt that I'm attempting to be popular

[Murdoch]

This thread is just one mad world away from

[The Narrator Returns]

I highly doubt that I'm attempting to be popular

Yeah, you can say that again.

[Dylan]

Honestly, the first thing that popped in my head when I saw that drawing was...

[flyonthewall2983]

If I had to put one of his films in the Criterion Collection, it would be Planes, Trains and Automobiles. At least it had Dede Allen as an editor, and it actually shows in some surprisingly good sequences.

I've waxed nostalgic on this one a few times here. It would be great if CC would do this one and get the one hour of deleted scenes which apparently are lost forever now.

[criterion10]

Little late to the discussion here, but what the hell...

Is It's a Mad (x4) World really that bad? I remember watching it when I was young with my family, probably around 7 or 8 years old, and I enjoyed it then. Granted, I'm 17 now, my tastes have obviously quite changed, and so I may have a different reaction to it.

I'm still not too happy that Criterion is releasing it though, only because it's already got a fine Blu-Ray release. There are countless other films out there that have never even made it to home video or been released in decent quality that I would rather see Criterion put their time and effort into than a film that already has a DVD, Blu-Ray, etc.

[knives]

It's tolerable and if Kramer's name weren't attached the reaction would probably be more of a why then the genuine dislike it is now getting. To phrase it another way it probably isn't amongst the hundred worst films Criterion has released on the mainline, but Kramer is likely the worst director to have gotten a spine and I am including Norman Mailer in that.

[criterion10]

I can't really comment on Kramer as a director. The only other one of his films that I've seen in full is Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, which I found to have aged very poorly. It was alright, I suppose, but not too good. I saw parts of Inherit the Wind on TV a few months ago when it aired on TCM. Seemed interesting, though never got to finish it.

[knives]

Basically if it doesn't have Tracy in it it is villainously awful, with Tracy it is usually has him at least being okay. To give an idea if you dare an uncut version of his first movie is on youtube if you want to see it.

[justeleblanc]

It is absurd how many people have strong opinions about Stanley Kramer. Why I'm almost tempted to start a fight about Gregory LaCava.

[knives]

I like LaCava though. Even his animation work is nifty.

[jsteffe]

So overrated.

Do you mean Persona, or It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World?

It funny, Persona used to be one of my favorite films of all time. Then a few years ago I saw the newly struck, uncensored 35mm print and found that the last half descended into almost laughable pretentiousness, though the cinematography was magnificent throughout. I would definitely watch it again on Blu, though I prefer other Bergman films these days.