Wonderland Burlesque's
Let's All Go To The Movies:
With Or Without
Part IV
As the say in show biz: some got it, some ain't.
To do with or without?
That appears to be the question. And these are the men with the all the answers.
Or so these films would have us believe.
Let's take a peek at what the world of cinema has to offer when it comes to the haves and have not.
Either way? It's movie magic!
--- ---
The Man Without Desire
(1923)
A doctor suspends the life of a mourning lover and he is revived 200 years later.
Brunel's commission for the film was to write and produce a historical drama set in Venice. Feeling that this alone would not necessarily prove a draw for filmgoers, he came up with a story which had an 18th-century core but was framed by a contemporary narrative. The film was given a budget of £5,000, which, while not lavish, allowed for travel to Venice to shoot location scenes. Studio filming and post-production took place in Berlin.
The film's theme of loss of sexual desire, and by implication impotence, was exceptionally frank for its time; oddly, however, it appears to have been passed for release without interference by the British film censors, who at this time had a reputation for extreme zealousness where sexual matters in film were concerned.
You can watch this film in its entirety for free on YouTube.
--- ---
Young Man With Ideas
(1952)
Released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, this American romantic comedy was directed by Mitchell Leisen and stars Ruth Roman, Glenn Ford, Denise Darcel, Nina Foch and the always dependable Mary Wickes.
Filming began with Russell Nype playing Maxwell Webster. Nype was fired after he disagreed with director Mitchell Leisen on how the character was to be portrayed. Glenn Ford was brought in to replace Nype and two weeks of filming had to be re-shot. This was to be Nype's feature film debut. He returned to Broadway and would not make a feature film until 18 years later with Love Story (1970).
Denise Darcel sings I Don't Know Why (I Just Do) and Amoure Cherie.
The film earned $565,000 in the US and Canada and $283,000 elsewhere, resulting in a loss of $754,000.
Critic Bosley Crothers said of the picture: "This cheerful and unpretentious flurry of straight domestic farce has a lot more to recommend it than you'll find in some of [MGM's] heavier, gaudier films"; the script is "elastic and pleasingly written", its direction is "of a measuredly careless, off-beat sort that clips you with sudden droll surprises", and it is "played with seeming relish by a comparatively second-flight cast that appears to be thoroughly delighted to have something bouncy to do."
Mary Wickes
--- ---
An impoverished American sailor is fortunate enough to be passing the house of two rich gentlemen who have conceived the crazy idea of distributing a note worth one million pounds. The sailor finds that whenever he tries to use the note to buy something, people treat him like a king and let him have whatever he likes for free. Ultimately, the money proves to be more troublesome than it is worth when it almost costs him his dignity and the woman he loves.
Based on the 1893 Mark Twain short story The Million Pound Bank Note, this British comedy was directed by Ronald Neame and stars Gregory Peck, Ronald Squire, Wilfrid Hyde-White and Jane Griffiths.
Gregory Peck was paid $350,000 for this film and The Purple Plain, which was released nine months later.
Although the film has Gregory Peck as the male lead, and its based on a Mark Twain story, the film wasn't made by one of the usual large major US Studios, as may be expected. It was produced by the J. Arthur Rank Organization, at the time considered one of the UK's major film production companies. The American release was handled by United Artists under the alternative title Man with a Million.
The prop £1,000,000 note was larger in both size and value than any real note produced by the Bank of England up to that time. However, the bank still imposed strict regulations, which were violated when posters advertising the movie showed a reproduction of the note. This had to be covered over before the posters were allowed to be used.
Man With A Million
(1954)
AKA: The Million Pound Note
Based on the 1893 Mark Twain short story The Million Pound Bank Note, this British comedy was directed by Ronald Neame and stars Gregory Peck, Ronald Squire, Wilfrid Hyde-White and Jane Griffiths.
Gregory Peck was paid $350,000 for this film and The Purple Plain, which was released nine months later.
Although the film has Gregory Peck as the male lead, and its based on a Mark Twain story, the film wasn't made by one of the usual large major US Studios, as may be expected. It was produced by the J. Arthur Rank Organization, at the time considered one of the UK's major film production companies. The American release was handled by United Artists under the alternative title Man with a Million.
The prop £1,000,000 note was larger in both size and value than any real note produced by the Bank of England up to that time. However, the bank still imposed strict regulations, which were violated when posters advertising the movie showed a reproduction of the note. This had to be covered over before the posters were allowed to be used.
The Man Without Memory
(1974)
AKA: Puzzle, L’uomo senza memoria
This 1974 Italian giallo film was directed by Duccio Tessari and stars Senta Berger and Luc Meranda.
La Stampa called the film "full of ideas and with a strong storyline".
You can watch this film in its entirety for free on YouTube.
--- ---
Man Without Memory
(1984)
AKA: Mann ohne Gedächtnis
A man is found lying on the side of the road and is brought in to the police station as a probable vagrant, but he has no memory. Perplexed and defeated by their unsuccessful attempts to make him talk, the police send the man over to the hospital for examination by psychiatrists.
It was entered into the 34th Berlin International Film Festival.
--- ---
And that's all for now.
Tune in next time...
Same place, same channel.
L'uomo senza memoria - Movie Trailer
(1974)
No comments:
Post a Comment