Let Me Entertain You
I really am working on another post, one that actually involves writing and/or thinking, but I keep getting distracted so in the meantime I started this little endeavour based on a recent meme on Willow's blog.
The idea of the meme is to list your favorite films, one for each letter of the alphabet. I started to do that and realized that 1. there were too many for me to select just one of each letter, and 2. I wanted to make it a bit more challenging and interesting.
So I decided to list at least one silent film and one film noir per letter, plus another classic film (maybe a screwball comedy) or another film that's not been as widely seen as it deserves. For the most part, I was pretty successful. Taking mental stock like this made me realize that I've seen quite a few good films in my life. And I love to share them.Most of these movies are what I would call "desert island films," meaning that I'd have to have a very large island with a small movie theatre because I wouldn't be able to pick just one or two to watch until my rescue a la Robinson Crusoe.
I hope you enjoy this list, and perhaps are nodding your head in agreement with some of the choices, or are at least checking out the links because this took me so long to do that it's not even funny. A person likes to feel that all of their extra-curricular hard work did not go to waste.
Within this list are the treasures of our cinematic heritage. Joan Crawford when she was beautiful. Carole Lombard at her funny sexiest. Jean Harlow in the gown that made her famous. Barbara Stanwyck in her best drama and her best comedy. Why Harold Lloyd and Buster Keaton should never be forgotten. The reason why people are still infatuated with Louise Brooks, and the only film where Katharine Hepburn is not annoying. There were still so many other films I could have included but then I'm already getting out of control.
And with that, I go back to finish my cuppa and ponder what I really will say next.
Happy Tuesday.
***
The Adventures of Robin Hood, The Awful Truth and The Asphalt Jungle
Barry Lyndon, Baby Face and La Belle et La Bete
Casablanca, The Conversation and Cabin in the Sky
Dr. Strangelove, Dinner at Eight, Diary of a Lost Girl and Double Indemnity
An Eastern Westerner
The Freshman, Freaks, and Fallen Angel
Grand Hotel, Girl Shy, The General and Gun Crazy
Harold and Maude, His Girl Friday, and Holiday
Invasion of the Body Snatchers, It, and I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang
Jane Eyre, La jetée
Kind Hearts and Coronets, The Kid Brother, Key Largo and The Killing
The Lady Eve, The Ladykillers, The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, and Laura
Midnight, My Favorite Wife, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, Modern Times and The Mummy
Nosferatu, Night and the City, and The Narrow Margin
Our Man in Havana, Only Angels Have Wings
Paths of Glory, Pandora's Box and Picadilly, Pickup on South Street
Queen Christina, Queen Kelly
The Royal Tenenbaums, Red Dust and Rififi
Stalag 17, Safety Last! and Sweet Smell of Success
Trouble in Paradise, Twentieth Century, and Thieves Highway
Unfaithfully Yours and The Unknown
The Vikings
Way Out West, White Heat, and Witness for the Prosecution
X (???)
You Were Never Lovelier and Yankee Doodle Dandy
Zorba the Greek
