tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-494160638739613756.post6951532653529595160..comments2024-03-28T02:30:08.913-04:00Comments on Not Just Movies: Only Angels Have WingsJakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09078001374402400232noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-494160638739613756.post-42927029680360140522012-02-09T21:20:34.607-05:002012-02-09T21:20:34.607-05:00There are maybe a half dozen perfect movies where ...There are maybe a half dozen perfect movies where nothing is out of place (The 39 Steps, Double Indemnity, Madame de..., Stagecoach) and this is one of them. And this review - along with Robin Wood's essay - is one of the best things I've read about this masterpiece.barrywerksnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-494160638739613756.post-84712577024349301162011-02-08T20:27:43.959-05:002011-02-08T20:27:43.959-05:00Wonderful. This is one of my absolute favorite mov...Wonderful. This is one of my absolute favorite movies, too, one of Hawks' best, one of Grant's best, just amazing. You perfectly capture the tone of sadness and melancholy that runs through the whole film - the fog hanging over everything seems to be death itself, and constantly living and working in the shadow of so much death has permanently shaped these men. I love the "wake" in which everyone sings around the piano, yelling out "who's Joe" even though the dead man's spirit hangs over everything. I love everything about it, really. I think it's honestly one of the best, if not <i>the best</i> movie to ever come out of Hollywood.Ed Howardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18014222247676090467noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-494160638739613756.post-59758775647821011082011-02-08T08:56:44.199-05:002011-02-08T08:56:44.199-05:00And Hayworth is brilliant. Everyone is firing on ...And Hayworth is brilliant. Everyone is firing on all cylinders here. <br /><br />I love the lookout guy in his mountain hideaway with the donkey - the details Grant gets into his behavior with the bottle opener - the dialogue - It's exhilarating to this day.Sheila O'Malleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05859697259996394827noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-494160638739613756.post-66583650193608285702011-02-08T08:49:40.330-05:002011-02-08T08:49:40.330-05:00Thanks, Sheila. I spent about two weeks sitting on...Thanks, Sheila. I spent about two weeks sitting on this because I just got swamped with about four separate journalism projects that have consumed all my time (I don't even think I've watched a movie in a week and a half, which is scandalous) and I was afraid I missed so much from not being able to get my thoughts down fresh. But damned if I don't remember everything about Grant. He just instantly sears into your memory in everything he does, and when he enters the film he instantly shoves aside everything that came before.<br /><br />I'm probably going to revisit the film in a few months when I'm not buried from work to get at the other details. There's so much going on here, from its astonishing atmosphere, toeing the line between dream and horrifying reality (all the more scary for the plodding dullness and inured ennui that always goes with the most dangerous jobs) to the dynamite supporting performances. It may well edge out Rio Bravo as my favorite Hawks before it's all said and done: I don't think I've ever seen a film quite like this, and I can't point to a hair out of place.Jakehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09078001374402400232noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-494160638739613756.post-46149900923843211652011-02-08T06:54:34.019-05:002011-02-08T06:54:34.019-05:00Sorry, I'm commenting left and right.
This ...Sorry, I'm commenting left and right. <br /><br />This is my favorite movie. I was thrilled to see you cover it here. I never get enough of it. I love that opening sequence and its atmosphere - and also how Hawks seemed to populate the screen with real people, not professional extras. I wrote a piece on that somewhere. Thomas Mitchell's death scene is one of the most moving in all of cinema. Oh, hell, there's too much to say. <br /><br />Cary Grant at his crankiest and sexiest. I love that Richard Schickel quote (and Pauline Kael is very good on this movie as well, and what the dynamic is between him and Bonnie): He actually IS hard to get. those men are rare indeed. And she falls to pieces trying to enter his world and be close to such a creature. <br /><br />Slam-dunk on every level. And Richard Barthelmess? I've always loved him, but he is particularly good here.Sheila O'Malleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05859697259996394827noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-494160638739613756.post-46480563879005307452011-02-08T06:52:18.845-05:002011-02-08T06:52:18.845-05:00// Grant's entrance here relies on his singula...// Grant's entrance here relies on his singular ability to stand back just far enough to let the wave of talent emanating from him crest and crash onto the camera. //<br /><br />Wonderful. Totally true. How did he do it?Sheila O'Malleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05859697259996394827noreply@blogger.com