Friday, November 16, 2012

Classic Film Gifts - Experiences

I've always loved coming up with unique gifts for people, and with the holidays quickly approaching I have a ton of ideas for the classic film fan! Experiences are always a great thing to give, and if you're in LA or visiting LA there's a lot of "experiences" that you could give to a friend or loved one. 

A membership with The American Cinematheque makes a great gift, and you get some really great perks at both The Aero and The Egyptian for a year! You get discounted tickets to shows, free passes to use during your birthday month, restaurant discounts, and many, many other things depending on the membership level that you choose. One of the best perks are the guest speakers they have at most of the screenings. Most recently, I was able to see a 3D screening of Creature From The Black Lagoon and they had a Q & A with Julie Adams after the film.

Near the corner of Hollywood and Highland in the Max Factor building, The Hollywood Museum displays thousands of props and memorabilia from Hollywood past and present including rare still photographs of lost scenes from The Mummy (1933), costumes from Ben Hur, and their "Dungeon of Doom" featuring Hannibal Lecter's jail cell from The Silence of the Lambs. The ground floor of the museum also features an extensive exhibit of items used by Factor in his many makeovers of movie stars. Some of his most famous undertakings was the creation of Jean Harlow as a platinum blonde and Lucille Ball's red hair. Currently, the museum has an expanded display of Marilyn Monroe pieces on display as a tribute to the 50th anniversary of her death; this is in addition to the extensive collection they normally display. In late November they will be setting up their "Holiday Hollywood Style" display featuring eighteen Christmas trees, each one inspired by a different holiday film, along with props and costumes from those films. Below are a few pictures from the visit I made during the holidays last year.



















If you don't live in Los Angeles, you're not out of luck! If you're a fan of road trips, why not follow old Route 66 and see the places where Easy Rider was filmed? Along the way you could stop at the El Rancho hotel, which served as a getaway for many of old Hollywood's elite.
San Francisco can be seen in many Hollywood films such as Escape From Alcatraz and Vertigo, and places like Alcatraz, the Golden Gate bridge, or Fisherman's Wharf all make great destinations. Depending on where you live, you might have something close to home to visit, like the Jimmy Stewart museum in PA, the Empire State Building in New York or, if you're overseas, there's the Marlene Dietrich museum in Berlin, the Greta Garbo museum in Sweden, and the National Museum of Cinema in Turin, Italy.

Big or small, the possibilities for a great film "experience" are endless! Here are a few other suggestions:

Passes for the TCM Film Festival
Mark Klaus' "Holly"wood Christmas Movieland
New Orleans Movie Tour


More gift guides with various themes will be posted in the coming weeks!


Friday, November 9, 2012

Classic Horror Essentials - Part Two

Part two of my "Classic Horror Essentials" focuses on the films produced by MGM. All of these selections are based on a previous literary source and none of them have a traditional "monster", such as a vampire or werewolf, as their villain. MGM's foray into horror created a number of memorable and unique horror films, the best of which are listed below. Part one of my "Essentials" can be found here.

Freaks
1932 Directed by Tod Browning
Perhaps one of the most notorious films ever made, Freaks was an extremely daring film for the early 1930's. Based on a short story called Spurs by Tod Robbins, Tod Browning used a great deal of his personal experience in the circus in the shaping of this film. One of the biggest controversies for audiences of the time was the use of real circus "freaks", which seemed to be more horrific to them than the fact that the two "normal" characters were the villains plotting murder. Originally 90 min. long, it was eventually cut down to 64 min., but even with the cuts it was banned for decades until it resurfaced in the 60's to become a cult classic.
Mad Love
1935 Directed by Karl Freund
A remake of the Austrian film The Hands of Orlac, Mad Love became Peter Lorre's American film debut. Lorre does an astounding job at playing Doctor Gogol as more than just a creepy, two dimensional character, but rather plays the role with a great range of emotion and pathos. Creepy as he is, there are moments where you actually empathize with his character and his desire for love, however this doesn't last long and you soon feel the same repulsion and unease that the object of his desire feels. Lorre was highly praised by critics and fellow actors for his portrayal and is certainly the highlight of the film. Other than Lorre's performance, the film wasn't a success upon release, but like many other films, has grown to have a greater appreciation over time.
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
1941 Directed by Victor Fleming
One of the most intriguing things to me about this version is the fact that MGM based it very closely on the 1931 version released by Paramount just ten years before. With the amazing cast and director MGM had, it's something that could have easily stood on it's own without worrying about being in the other film's shadow, but truthfully, it could have been bigger than what it was. Although it wasn't a hit when first released it's another film that has gained more appreciation over time, mainly because of the caliber of acting by the stars who have now become legends.
The Picture of Dorian Gray
1945 Directed by Robert Lewin
There are several versions out there, but this is the one worth watching. Hurd Hatfield is perfect in his role as Dorian, going from innocent to debauched after listening to the suggestions on how to live by his friend Lord Henry, played impeccably by George Sanders. Although the film is black and white, there are scenes where the painting is shown in color. The more corrupt Dorian becomes, the more grotesque the colors become. This would not have had the same effect if it were in black and white, and it makes for a startling contrast.
The Mask of Fu Manchu
1932 Directed by Charles Brabin
A great mix of horror, adventure, sci-fi, and is also a fabulous example of what got by in pre-code era films. The amount of overt racism, sexuality, and misogyny displayed throughout the film is something that never would have been accepted once films were white washed by the code just a few years later. Myrna Loy, better known as the good girl, shows she can also easily pull off evil, and Karloff is at his villainous best as the evil doctor creating another frightening "monster" different from the ones he created with Universal.
The Devil Doll
1936 Directed by Tod Browning
The film is based on a 1932 novel by Abraham Merritt, Burn, Witch Burn! , but a number of elements are reminiscent of The Unholy Three, also directed by Tod Browning. The scene where jewels are hidden in a child's toy that normally holds candy, and Lionel Barrymore playing a character masquerading as a kind old lady, just as Lon Chaney did in The Unholy Three, mirror it exactly. The special effects of the shrunken people are well executed for the most part, and although the story may be familiar it's definitely worth a look.

Photos from Dr. Macro