criterionforum.org

HTF: Where taste goes to die

Frau: I'm not saying it will be the most epic, just that there are... elements of this that people might find very interesting even if they are not fans of the movie itself.

If I knew anything more I suppose that once it is released I wouldn't be on a gag order and I could talk lots more about what is going into this thing...

The major extra is the complete collection of Glauber Rocha?

For some reason I am reminded of that Tobias line on the Fantastic Four musical: "What would it take to do this right?"

Maybe the extra is a new cut of the movie that actually turns this into a watchable comedy (although I have no idea how that would be possible given the source material).

I hope the essay for it includes the details of John Cassavetes punching Stanley Kramer at the premiere of A Child is Waiting. That short story is better than that whole film.

It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World is an interesting piece of Hollywood cinema history and the negative to BBS Story's positive. At the tail end of the Hays Code, was losing touch with the youth market and their idea of making a successful film is stuffing as many aging comedians from the previous generation into one feature length film, throwing a tremendous amount of money for the budget, filming it on 70mm and as wide as 'scope can get and projecting it on the biggest damn screen in Hollywood. It's the most bloated, portentous film of the era and nothing says goodbye to the old style of Hollywood filmmaking than this (though the terrible film by a great director, Frank Tashlin's The Private Navy of Sgt. O'Farrell, gives it a run for it's money). For me, this is the film that the represents the end of the post-war, suburban, middle class culture that imploded on itself for a few years and returned (albeit wounded) with Nixon's 70's. It really is the ultimate movie for squares.

I have one nice thing to say about it: the Saul Bass intro is very nice.

I actually like A Child is Waiting even if Kramer's clear fucking with the sound mix hurts things very badly.

The HTF has had a pathological obsession with this movie for decades. If you want to really rile them up over there, you can either bring up "Mad World" or "1776."

Both films (among many others) that need attention and restorations on Blu, not hard to fathom the whys.

They don't need it any more than any other films though and so to favour them over, say, a Lino Brocka film seems arbitrary.

Well, 1776 at least is more important to me as I work for the film's director and it has had a profound impact on the course of my life (being a fan of it got me into film and my friendship with the director has turned into a cornerstone mentorship in my life)

I doubt a forum of people work for him though.

Link to the HTF thread?

Moe Dickstein wrote:Well, 1776 at least is more important to me as I work for the film's director and it has had a profound impact on the course of my life (being a fan of it got me into film and my friendship with the director has turned into a cornerstone mentorship in my life)

Well, that's one copy sold.

Unless you get a comp.

I've never quite understood it, but people who love 1776, REALLY LOVE 1776. Appears it's the same for IAMMMMW.

Matt wrote:I've never quite understood it, but people who love 1776, REALLY LOVE 1776. Appears it's the same for IAMMMMW.

Old people are crazy.

zedz wrote:

Moe Dickstein wrote:Well, 1776 at least is more important to me as I work for the film's director and it has had a profound impact on the course of my life (being a fan of it got me into film and my friendship with the director has turned into a cornerstone mentorship in my life)

Well, that's one copy sold.

Unless you get a comp.

I hope I would, I'm working on bonus features for it lol. If you have the DVD which I doubt, my name is in there too because they used all my posters and lobby cards to photoshop the design together.

I'm sure everyone here has a movie they love that people just give them a blank stare over. If you're interested in the cinematic problem of keeping a story going in a confined space without it being endlessly cutty, there's a lot to learn from 1776 and how the congress scenes are blocked with staging and camera. Sidney Lumet was a big admirer of the film having faced those same issues on 12 Angry Men.

knives wrote:I doubt a forum of people work for him though.

That's why I was careful to say "for me", and not attempt to speak for an entire forum

Moe Dickstein wrote:lol

How many times

Do we have to

Correct this behavior?

I hope you see I've been trying and I'm not the only one who's erred lately...

I thought he was talking to some guy named Lawrence.

Wow, Ron Epstein is especially tightly-wrapped on the subject of this unfunny film, isn't he? Highly entertaining reading -- thanks for pointing it out.