The Howard Hawks 1946 The Big Sleep always ranks high on my and a lot of other people's list as one of the best film noirs. And yet, film noir expert and author, Eddie Muller, doesn't consider it noir so much as a screwball comedy w/a touch of noir thrown in. Yes, it's funny and entertaining and while no one expects Bogart as Philip Marlowe to die in the end, his character does get threatened and beaten up, so Eddie's argument that Bogart is some superman (he does have a way with the women, I'll admit) doesn't hurt the movie for me. Love Bob Steele as Kinino: Whattaya think it is, poison? he menacingly taunts Jonesey (Elisha Cook) who, of course, is poisoned by the drink. 'What's so funny? Nothing's funny' Cook replies before he dies. The Warner Bros. stock cast I see in other movies always reminds me of their roles in TBS: John Ridgely as Eddie Mars, Louis Jean Heydt as Joe Brodie always stand out for me. According to Muller, the actress who played Agnes, Sonia Darrin, didn't get much/any work out of her performance here which is great. Years later, her son, Mason Reese, became one of those cute commercial kids for Underwood Deviled Ham. From his Wiki page, apparently he consumed enough of the product to remain stout in adulthood!
The best visual adaptation of Huckleberry Finn is still the 1920 film by William Desmond Taylor. Though more famous for his murder than his filmmaking, he was a good director. And Lewis Sargent was absolutely perfect as Huck. But the film does less well with Jim, so the definitive adaptation has yet to be made.
This movie is stunning. It brings everything off the page to life. The direction is subtle and witty and the pacing is perfect. What a revelation. Thank you.
The Howard Hawks 1946 The Big Sleep always ranks high on my and a lot of other people's list as one of the best film noirs. And yet, film noir expert and author, Eddie Muller, doesn't consider it noir so much as a screwball comedy w/a touch of noir thrown in. Yes, it's funny and entertaining and while no one expects Bogart as Philip Marlowe to die in the end, his character does get threatened and beaten up, so Eddie's argument that Bogart is some superman (he does have a way with the women, I'll admit) doesn't hurt the movie for me. Love Bob Steele as Kinino: Whattaya think it is, poison? he menacingly taunts Jonesey (Elisha Cook) who, of course, is poisoned by the drink. 'What's so funny? Nothing's funny' Cook replies before he dies. The Warner Bros. stock cast I see in other movies always reminds me of their roles in TBS: John Ridgely as Eddie Mars, Louis Jean Heydt as Joe Brodie always stand out for me. According to Muller, the actress who played Agnes, Sonia Darrin, didn't get much/any work out of her performance here which is great. Years later, her son, Mason Reese, became one of those cute commercial kids for Underwood Deviled Ham. From his Wiki page, apparently he consumed enough of the product to remain stout in adulthood!
Brando blew up from the stage version of Streetcar. I don’t think Men ever was a play.
Haggard must have played Pap Finn- they had things in common...
Pap was played by Ron Howard's actual father. Haggard and Jack Elam were the Duke and Dauphin. And Donnie "Ralph Malph" Most was Tom Sawyer.
And Jim was Antonio "Huggy Bear" Fargas.
TV dross like that was probably what turned my grade school self into a book snob.
The best visual adaptation of Huckleberry Finn is still the 1920 film by William Desmond Taylor. Though more famous for his murder than his filmmaking, he was a good director. And Lewis Sargent was absolutely perfect as Huck. But the film does less well with Jim, so the definitive adaptation has yet to be made.
The complete surviving film is viewable (in passable quality) on one of those dodgy Russian websites: https://m.ok.ru/video/2463664376486
This movie is stunning. It brings everything off the page to life. The direction is subtle and witty and the pacing is perfect. What a revelation. Thank you.
Thank you, Ivan.
Yes it does make sense for Rance Howard to be playing his son’s character’s father.
Haggard and Elam as the Duke and Dauphin- strange.