What Is The Last Film You Watched? (Older Films)

[Marian Schedenig 8,195]

14 minutes ago, Darth Wojo said:

Wow, this is true. We didn't learn about this in history class. 

 

Mass deportation was the first plan. The Nazis were going to transport a million people a year using the British merchant fleet, after they spent years convincing Jews to leave freely. But because Britain refused to cooperate and, um, lose to Germany, the Final Solution was implemented. 

 

Interesting that the article says Hitler told Himmler to figure out how to deal with them, and Himmler passed the buck to someone named Heydrich, who again they glossed over in history class. 

 

There's a film (probably more than the one) about that that I recall being quite good, although I barely remember it now:

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0266425/

[bruce marshall 1,315]

Off topic.....

I wonder how young Germans feel when they watch films like COME AND SEE.

Do they divorce themselves as not responsible; feel shame or guilt?

Hate their forebears?

 

Must.be difficult to come to grips with it.

Americans have their own dark history but WWII is another level of horror.

 

[Bilbo 3,709]

1 hour ago, Darth Wojo said:

Wow, this is true. We didn't learn about this in history class. 

 

Mass deportation was the first plan. The Nazis were going to transport a million people a year using the British merchant fleet, after they spent years convincing Jews to leave freely. But because Britain refused to cooperate and, um, lose to Germany, the Final Solution was implemented. 

 

Interesting that the article says Hitler told Himmler to figure out how to deal with them, and Himmler passed the buck to someone named Heydrich, who again they glossed over in history class. 

 

Anthropoid is a decent film about the assassination of Heydrich. 

 

I'm reading a book about the the history of the SS at the moment. The book is interesting but feels like an extended Wiki article. Interesting that there was an Indian unit and a Muslim unit in the SS. The Nazis were a bundle of contradiction. 

[Bespin 8,483]

2 hours ago, bruce marshall said:

Off topic.....

I wonder how young Germans feel when they watch films like COME AND SEE.

Do they divorce themselves as not responsible; feel shame or guilt?

Hate their forebears?

 

Must.be difficult to come to grips with it.

Americans have their own dark history but WWII is another level of horror.

 

 

I do not feel responsible for my ancestors who tried in vain to assimilate the natives, I do not see why the Germans would feel responsible for their grandfathers who gassed Jews! 

[bruce marshall 1,315]

There are still folks alive who participated in the events of 1940s

 

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

Well it wasn't that long ago.

[Bespin 8,483]

That was irony 

[Not Mr. Big 4,639]

The Hateful Eight 

Why did they make the screen so skinny??

 

[Gruesome Son of a Bitch 6,488]

I watched it on a 19" 4:3 Sony Trinitron from 1998.

[bruce marshall 1,315]

1 minute ago, Gruesome Son of a Bitch said:

I watched it on a 19" 4:3 Sony Trinitron from 1998.

Sitting very close one.hopes!

3 minutes ago, Not Mr. Big said:

The Hateful Eight 

Why did they make the screen so skinny??

 

Cuz it's ' retro' , man?

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

11 hours ago, bruce marshall said:

The opening was great, esp. with the great music.

Richardson shot this like JFK, DOORS..and it was way overdone

 

My favourite shot was the closing shot. It's a very artfully produced film and definitely an important entry in the whole Vietnam War saga that led to a slew of Hollywood films attempting to psychologically rehabilitate from the whole ordeal and compel American viewers to deeply reflect on its impact. But I'd find it hard to recommend to many people, unlike Full Metal Jacket, which I'd recommend to everyone.

[A24 4,338]

4 hours ago, Not Mr. Big said:

The Hateful Eight 

Why did they make the screen so skinny??

 

 

Because, like Ben-Hur, it's shot on Ultra Panavision 70, which is super wide.

 

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

Great film!

[Naïve Old Fart 9,534]

Indeed. It is truly epic, in every sense of the word. A magnificent achievement.

It embodies everything that cinema represents.

[bruce marshall 1,315]

20 minutes ago, Naïve Old Fart said:

Indeed. It is truly epic, in every sense of the word. A magnificent achievement.

It embodies everything that cinema represents.

I agree.

HATEFUL 8 is magnificent!

[Chen G. 3,949]

Ultra Panavision 70 is much too wide: its even wider than three-strip Cinerama; even William Wyler thought it too unwieldy.

 

The spherical 70mm process, a-la Lawrence of Arabia, yields better visuals and a more elegant, wieldy framing of 2.2:1.

 

20 hours ago, Quintus said:

it was quickly deemed more cost effective to slaughter the people instead. 

 

The irony is that the original means of execution - by mass shooting - was much, much more cost-effective (and is generally responsible for the majority of genocide casualties of WWII) then the later use of gas, but German troops absolutely couldn't stand the psychological fallouts of doing it.

[Quintus 5,399]

My reading up on the subject comes from Laurence Rees' superb book, and its follow up, highly recommended to anyone with an enduring fascination with those dark but still strangely relative times:

 

 

 

 

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

26 minutes ago, Chen G. said:

The irony is that the original means of execution - by mass shooting - was much, much more cost-effective (and is generally responsible for the majority of genocide casualties of WWII) then the use of gas, but German troops absolutely couldn't stand the psychological fallouts of doing it.

 

Reportedly even Himmler was sickened by it. He was a meekish kinda fella who'd prefer to outsource it of course.

[Chen G. 3,949]

9 minutes ago, The Big Man said:

Reportedly even Himmler was sickened by it.

 

He witnessed a whole of one such execution, fainted on the spot and spent the whole of the next day reeling from it. I believeh used the term "barbaric" to describe it.

 

I find those sorts of responses - which were inordinately common - fascinating because they show the true tormented nature of the people who do these sorts of things. That there is a glimmer of humanity in them, protesting against their own actions. Fascinating.

[Nick1Ø66 4,718]

21 hours ago, Quintus said:

The extermination of the Jews by the Nazis was merely an economical solution to the original but costly deportation plan. Madagascar was at one point earmarked as a major destination, but it was quickly deemed more cost effective to slaughter the people instead. 

 

If you haven't seen it, and can find it, watch the HBO movie Conspiracy with Kenneth Branagh, about the 1942 Wannsee Conference, where Nazi leaders met to debate the various methods of acheiving the "Final Solution".   Chilling. Who would have know Stanley Tucci would make such a good Nazi.

 

And second to both of the books you recommended.

[Naïve Old Fart 9,534]

CONSPIRACY is brilliant. It's chilling in its sheer matter-of-fact presentation. The Nazis might as well have been considering what to do with an infestation of rats. This pest needed to be gotten rid of; what's the best way? The fact that it takes place over a very civilized dinner, is almost inhuman.

Very, very good.

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

Born on the Fourth of July

 

Movies like this give me back pain.

[Edmilson 7,463]

Great score by Williams!

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

I just remember the titty bit

[Quintus 5,399]

3 hours ago, The Big Man said:

Born on the Fourth of July

 

Movies like this give me back pain.

 

You seen My Left Foot? 

[A24 4,338]

Wasn't Born On The Fourth Of July the first movie where Tom Cruise showed he can do more than being a pretty boy?

[Glóin the Dark 1,222]

I thought that was Cocktail.

[Naïve Old Fart 9,534]

2 minutes ago, AC1 said:

Wasn't Born On The Fourth Of July the first movie where Tom Cruise showed he can do more than being a pretty boy?

Still his best performance.

[SteveMc 2,674]

Rain Man came first of course

[A24 4,338]

2 minutes ago, SteveMc said:

Rain Man came first of course

 

But still too pretty, I guess.

 

 

It was a ... transition role.

[Naïve Old Fart 9,534]

2 minutes ago, SteveMc said:

Rain Man came first of course

RAIN MAN is a blinding performance, especially as, essentially, Cruise has nothing to act to.

BORN ON THE FOURTH OF JULY is his most emotionally demanding, and diverse role. To go from idealistic teenager, to embittered veteran, is no mean feat.

[Not Mr. Big 4,639]

6 hours ago, Chen G. said:

Ultra Panavision 70 is much too wide: its even wider than three-strip Cinerama; even William Wyler thought it too unwieldy.

 

The spherical 70mm process, a-la Lawrence of Arabia, yields better visuals and a more elegant, wieldy framing of 2.2:1.

It doesn't translate well to home video, or even most movie screens. I generally prefer the "taller" ratios like 2.20:1, 1:85 (but NOT 2:1)

I've heard there was a 2.20 print of Last Crusade but I'm not sure if it was open matte or not

[Edmilson 7,463]

Cruise's best acting is in that scene with the penis monologue.

[Naïve Old Fart 9,534]

I'm sorry, did I miss something? How did we go from aspect ratios, to Tom Cruise's penis?

[Jurassic Shark 12,079]

Isn't that obvious?

[Naïve Old Fart 9,534]

6 minutes ago, Not Mr. Big said:

I've heard there was a 2.20 print of Last Crusade but I'm not sure if it was open matte or not.

There are 70mm prints, but I don't think that they are open matte.

[Chen G. 3,949]

2 hours ago, Not Mr. Big said:

t doesn't translate well to home video, or even most movie screens. I generally prefer the "taller" ratios like 2.20:1, 1:85

 

Also, the nature of the extreme anamorphic squeeze results in quite a lot of distortion and in a general degradation of the image. Again, compare the look of Ben Hur to that of Lawrence or even 2001 - the latter two look much more vibrant and pleasing because they were shot spherically.

[bruce marshall 1,315]

3 hours ago, Naïve Old Fart said:

There are 70mm prints, but I don't think that they are open matte.

Transferring films shot in 35mm anamorphic to 70mm ( blow up) usually requires reframing the original .

Aspect ratios of Spherical prints can be

preserved easier.

46 minutes ago, Chen G. said:

 

Also, the nature of the extreme anamorphic squeeze results in quite a lot of distortion and in a general degradation of the image. Again, compare the look of Ben Hur to that of Lawrence or even 2001 - the latter two look much more vibrant and pleasing because they were shot spherically.

Well, there is no squeeze on the latter but the squeeze on UP is not that great. Less than Panavision 35mm

[Chen G. 3,949]

What I meant was, Anamorphic lenses are less sharp than spherical lenses.

 

The net result is appearant on the screen, I think. Ben Hur has that "old-timey" movie feel (also no doubt contributed to by the costumes and the like) whereas you can watch Lawrence or even something like 2001 or Ryan's Daughter and not have that as a distancing effect, partially they look closer to a contemporary movie in terms of vibrancy, cleanliness and sharpness.

[Marian Schedenig 8,195]

9 hours ago, Nick1066 said:

 

If you haven't seen it, and can find it, watch the HBO movie Conspiracy with Kenneth Branagh, about the 1942 Wannsee Conference, where Nazi leaders met to debate the various methods of acheiving the "Final Solution".   Chilling. Who would have know Stanley Tucci would make such a good Nazi.

 

7 hours ago, Naïve Old Fart said:

CONSPIRACY is brilliant. It's chilling in its sheer matter-of-fact presentation. The Nazis might as well have been considering what to do with an infestation of rats. This pest needed to be gotten rid of; what's the best way? The fact that it takes place over a very civilized dinner, is almost inhuman.

Very, very good.

 

(See my earlier post about it above)

[SteveMc 2,674]

2 hours ago, Chen G. said:

What I meant was, Anamorphic lenses are less sharp than spherical lenses.

 

The net result is appearant on the screen, I think. Ben Hur has that "old-timey" movie feel (also no doubt contributed to by the costumes and the like) whereas you can watch Lawrence or even something like 2001 or Ryan's Daughter and not have that as a distancing effect, partially they look closer to a contemporary movie in terms of vibrancy, cleanliness and sharpness.

Maybe Ben-Hur's old-timey feel might have more to do with the acting, blocking and shot choices, all of which remain very rooted in the theater, while the others, 2001 especially, more fully embrace conventions and possibilities that are uniquely cinematic. 

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

3 hours ago, Chen G. said:

What I meant was, Anamorphic lenses are less sharp than spherical lenses.

 

The net result is appearant on the screen, I think. Ben Hur has that "old-timey" movie feel (also no doubt contributed to by the costumes and the like) whereas you can watch Lawrence or even something like 2001 or Ryan's Daughter and not have that as a distancing effect, partially they look closer to a contemporary movie in terms of vibrancy, cleanliness and sharpness.

 

The old 50s CinemaScope movies had those distortions you're mentioning like people's heads looking fatter. But Ultra Panavision 70 was nowhere near as prone to that as the earlier CinemaScope films were. In the late 50s and 60s, Panavision refined the anamorphic format to be more user friendly so that close-ups were easier to shoot and yield more overall natural looking images.

 

7 hours ago, Quintus said:

 

You seen My Left Foot? 

 

Oh fuck no, I already have nerve entrapment in my own left foot.

[bruce marshall 1,315]

Poor Tin Man. It's really cruel that he had his only pleasure in life ripped from him.

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

My heart, you mean?

[bruce marshall 1,315]

6 minutes ago, The Big Man said:

My heart, you mean?

You're recently fired amor.

[Gruesome Son of a Bitch 6,488]

[Not Mr. Big 4,639]

The English Patient 

In desperate need of a Horner single 

 

 

 

[Gruesome Son of a Bitch 6,488]

Anyone else think Super Nintendo World looks like Wonka's Chocolate Room?

[Chen G. 3,949]

10 hours ago, SteveMc said:

Maybe Ben-Hur's old-timey feel might have more to do with the acting, blocking and shot choices, all of which remain very rooted in the theater, while the others, 2001 especially, more fully embrace conventions and possibilities that are uniquely cinematic. 

Ben-Hur never stuck in my mind as terribly theatrical in its blocking, as opposed to something like The Ten Commandments which is really a stageplay.

 

Beyond the skill of their directors, Lean and Kubrick were being aided by the fact that their subject matters were 20th century ones, so there wasn’t this gaudy pageantry going on; and their films don’t star Charleton Heston...

 

Actually, 2001 does have one section that is incredibly stagey: that being the whole Dawn of Man sequence, purely due to the logistics of shooting in front of a front-projection screen.
 

On the whole, though, it’s not fair to compare the blocking of 2001 (ostensibly a travelogue closer to How The West Was Won or This Is Cinerama then to Quo Vadis) to that of a narrative film like Ben Hur.

 

But I still think the photographical process also has a part to play. Those movies just look better.

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad Chen