2 posts tagged “classic movies”
Classic Films Review:
The Seven Year Itch (1955)
Starring Marilyn Monroe and Tom Ewell, this 1950's flick follows the story of a married man alone for the summer and his subsequent temptation with the female renter upstairs. The movie features a number of scenes where Richard Sherman (Ewell) plays out an affair with his beautiful neighbor in his mind, yet he ultimately looses his nerve to consummate his plans and seeks out his wife.
The unnamed temptress (Monroe) is innocent yet knowing that men are just fools for her. She drinks champaign while happily munching on potatoes chips. She casually drops stories of lying in the bathtub, accidentally getting her toe stuck in the spigot, and calling upon a local plumber to save her...which makes perfect sense to her character.
From my perspective: I enjoyed Marilyn in "Some Like It Hot" and "Gentlemen Prefer Blonds" as the bombshell, ditsy dame with a spark of savvy. In this film, the dialog just seems far more contrived than is believable for her character. The male lead really seems lecherous to me, and his over analyzing self-talk becomes quite tiring after the first 30 minutes.
Is it worth seeing: Monroe is larger than life in this film, with her icon "skirt-blowing" scene. I had heard a story that her husband at the time, legend Joe DiMaggio, was quite upset with the filming of this particular scene..makes you wonder if it paved the road to their breakup?
Classic Films Review:
Dance, Fools, Dance (1931)
Starring Joan Crawford & Clark Gable, this 1930's flick follows the story of privileged children of a wealthy man. The opening scene is quite risqué as the siblings lead party revelers on a cruise ship to strip down to their skivvies and take a plunge into the water. With a bit of "Great Gatsby" roaring 20's reckless behavior, Bonnie (Crawford) and her brother Rodney live without a care in the world.
Flash forward to the 1929 Stock market crash, and their wealthy father loses all his money & dies from the shock. After selling off their possessions, brother & sister move into modest digs and go to work with the rest of the world. Some unfortunate business with a bootlegger, Jake Luva (Gable), occurs and mayhem erupts.
From my perspective: I have never been much of a Crawford fan having my first exposure to her career as "Mommy Dearest." I will say that early Joan Crawford roles accentuate her vivacious energy as she lights up the screen. Behind her party-loving risqué behavior, the film exposes a slightly darker..almost lonely side to her persona. It's no surprise that Crawford had an affair with Clark Gable, as you can see their attraction on film.
Is it worth seeing: I would tape it on one of the classic movies channels & forward through the film just to see Crawford & Gable.
