- Black Narcissus (Michael Powell & Emeric Pressburger)
- Now, Voyager (Irving Rapper)
- A Lesson in Love (Ingmar Bergman)
- Un Chien Andalou (Luis Buñuel/Salvador Dali)
- The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie (Luis Buñuel)
- Yoyo (Pierre Étaix)
- Smiles of a Summer Night (Ingmar Bergman)
- I Was Born But….. (Yasujiro Ozu)
- As Long As You Have Your Health (Pierre Étaix)
- Baby Face Herrington (Raoul Walsh)
2- In the early 50s it would have been hard to predict that Ingmar Bergman would turn into the profound artist of the later 50s and beyond. So many of his early films are light, slightly risqué comedies of manners. It is interesting to watch an early film like A Lesson In Love and then compare it to Smiles of a Summer Night. Both star the magnificent Eva Dahlbeck and dapper Gunnar Bjornstrand. Both deal winkingly with the notion of sexual attraction and fidelity. The early film is nice but very slight. The latter is light but profound, evidence that Bergman is broadening his scope.
3- Do I change or do films age badly? I used to adore The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie. I even named this blog after it. Rewatching it proved a bit tedious. The shaggy-doggedness of it wore thin way before the film ended. I noticed the same feeling when I rewatched The Exterminating Angel. However, Un Chien Andalou holds up in all its insane and anarchic glory. Could its short length work in its favor? Just how long should a shaggy dog run for?What about it, David Lynch?
4- I am rewatching the films of Pierre Étaix in order to write a Have Your Tried post about him. Stay tuned. What a delight.
5- TCM continues to be a source of cinematic bounty. No one would accuse Baby Face Herrington of being a classic in any sense of the word, but it gives you a great idea of what a solid B-picture comedy was like in the early 30s. It was an adaptation of a Broadway play, so you get a glimpse into that world as well. Plus you get an appearance by the always-delightful Una Merkel. What’s bad about that?
May 4, 2016 at 7:57 PM
I love Un Chien Andalou (Big Bunuel fan here) 🙂 As far as Bunuel’s crowning achievement goes, I would point to The Exterminating Angel, but all of his films are great 🙂 Speaking of Douglas Sirk, have you ever heard of Frank Borzage? Love Bergman’s Smiles of a Summer Night and I love Ozu’s I Was Born But 🙂 Anyway, keep up the great work as always 🙂
May 4, 2016 at 9:49 PM
Thanks for visiting. I am curious why Douglas Sirk makes you think of Frank Borzage. I looked at his list of films and the one that stood out for me was the very odd Strange Cargo. I think I have also seen Seventh Heaven as well…………….
May 5, 2016 at 5:57 PM
Well If you have seen a large number of his films than one could easily label him a director of melodramas or at least that is according to some film historians who have implied that If one wants an introduction to melodrama than start out watching some Frank Borzage. I do not know how accurate that is, but I thought it was interesting to bring up 🙂 Keep up the great work as always 🙂