Ben-Hur
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spiderwort — 3 years ago(April 02, 2023 11:06 PM)
I love this film! I have it on DVD. Probably a good one to look at again; haven't seen it in awhile. By the way, don't know if you know, but it was born out of a workshop that actor/writer Michael Gazzo did at the Actors Studio. And I haven't seen the 1968 version. But I'm sure the original would remain my favorite.
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MissMargoChanning — 3 years ago(April 03, 2023 01:55 PM)
I agree that I would most likely pick the original over the 1968 production.
Still, I like Sandy Dennis. I can see her as Celia.
I also like Peter Falk. I can just about see him as Polo.
Michael Parks is easy to see as Johnny. In his early career, he was always good at playing troubled young men. He'd be believable as an addict. It would be interesting to see what they did with those roles.
I have the original too.
You asked a pretty question; I've given you the ugly answer.
Fasten Your Seatbelts….
It's Going To Be A Bumpy Night! -
telegonus — 3 years ago(April 03, 2023 07:55 AM)
I felt the same about William Holden in
Picnic
, the first time around, but that was decades ago. His careworn, prematurely near middle aged looks seemed all wrong for an ex- college classmate of Cliff Robertson, although men age differently (as women do also).
Even as early as junior high I had a six foot plus friend who would have been, due to his size and general demeanor, perfect casting for
Of Mice & Men
,'s Lennie. Yet he could buy cigars and cigarettes without being carded, and even, in drive-in movies, he would buy the beer for his friends with no questions asked.
Now, for me, William Holden's aged looks in
Picnic
lends him an air of tragedy, and that air gets smoggier as the film progresses. That Cliff looks so much young than Bill in that movie speaks to the different lives these two men had lived. Holden seemed to me a far more tragic figure in
Picnic
due to all those lines in his face. -
spiderwort — 3 years ago(April 03, 2023 11:59 AM)
Beautifully said, and I whole-heartedly agree. I can understand why some people could object to Holden's age, but I think you make the perfect argument for why it is actually a benefit to Inge's story. I'm an Inge fanatic, as you may recall, and I think Inge would absolutely accept your assessment. In fact, I've seen several productions of PICNIC with younger actors in the role, and it doesn't at all have the same power the film does, for the reasons you mention. What most people don't realize about Inge is that there's a lot of Chekhov in him, and with that, darkness and despair (in the midst of some humor, too).
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Doghouse-6 — 3 years ago(April 03, 2023 12:54 PM)
Hi, ol' bud. Nice to see a few familiar faces here.
I can only echo what Zolotoy expressed above about the loss of all that information and history. I had just finished rereading an old thread about exposure in motion picture as opposed to still photography about which I wanted to refresh my memory, and in which you, I and several others participated. Clicked to go back to the home page and…gone, baby, gone!
Apparently, I signed up here some years ago, but I'm not sure if I've ever used it. Be nice if some of the sense of community can be recreated.
I turn 70 in a week. Seems like once you pass 60, life becomes more about losing things than about anything else.
Poe! You are…avenged! -
spiderwort — 3 years ago(April 03, 2023 01:12 PM)
Oh, Doghouse, I'm thrilled to see you here! And, yes, I hope we can create that sense of community we both desire.
And Happy Birthday to you, early! That's a big crossroads. I passed it a bit ago, so I certainly understand your last comment. Anyway, have a wonderful, wonderful day and a very Happy Birthday! -
Doghouse-6 — 3 years ago(April 03, 2023 01:34 PM)
Couldn't ask for a warmer welcome than that, and thanks for the good wishes.
If memory serves, this format is modeled upon that of the original IMDB boards. Looks like I'll have to relearn how to navigate it. But hey: relearning things is not all bad, and is its own kind of edification.
Poe! You are…avenged! -
Doghouse-6 — 3 years ago(April 03, 2023 10:45 PM)
You too.
Rather reminds me of going from jr. high to high school: lots of faces you don't know, but seeing the ones you do know among them makes you feel more at home.
First time I've thought about
that
in I don't know how many decades.
Poe! You are…avenged! -
telegonus — 3 years ago(April 04, 2023 06:40 AM)
Nice, Doghouse.Thanks, for everything.For hanging out with the rest of the IMDB alums who've chosen to stay alive on film boards and blogs. There are a lot of 'em out there, though I personally prefer the ones with formats closer to the original. What a blast that was!
I didn't think it was possible for it to die, but then everything does, so there you have it. -
Doghouse-6 — 3 years ago(April 04, 2023 12:58 PM)
You're one of my oldest friends from way back on the original IMDB, and are truly a reliable force of nature. Whether there, here, on IMDB2 or Moviechat or the CHFB or wherever I've seen classic films discussed, I can count on you to be there as dependably as the sky above or the ground below, and always with something of value to contribute.
Yup, everything dies eventually but, thus far, your always-welcome presence endures, and that's a very comfortable feeling to have.
Poe! You are…avenged! -
telegonus — 2 years ago(November 05, 2023 12:20 AM)
I'm already there, Doghoouse; and yes, there is life, and nowadays there can be very good life, and as one passes the old three score and ten of the past, Everyman can now dream, and he could live as long as Moses (Charlston Heston, more likely, and that's a stretch); and many of us are either getting there, or pretty close. Reaching fifty was a revelation for me, not because it felt like a landmark but because it was just another birthday. It's nice, also, to look much younger than one is. When we were growing up, many men in late middle age, well past fifty, I'd say, looked downright elderly. I can remember many teachers in my junior high years fiftyish to sixtyish, and a lot of them looked like what I'd have guessed Methuselah must have looked like in his final days.
Congratulations, btw, and a belated Happy Birthday salute from me!
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Doghouse-6 — 2 years ago(November 06, 2023 07:39 PM)
Many thanks for the b-day salute, no matter how belated. I'm always delighted to see you (figuratively speaking).
What you say about looking younger than one's age is something I guess I've never experienced. The mirrors in my house tell me, "Ah, fugeddabout it, you look the same as you did 20 years ago," but I know they're lying. When I went to lunch at nice restaurants with work colleagues at 19, I was getting asked for my drink order and getting served. Hell, I got served champagne on a flight to Hawaii when I was still 17. It was only when the attendant came to offer a refill that my dad in the row ahead blew the whistle on me (but not on my older brother next to me, who was still eight months shy of 21…oh, the mysteries of family dynamics).
So, I've learned to revel in my elder status, even when clerks at the convenience store on the next block where I buy beer think it's amusing to ask if I'm over 21. "More than three times, son," I say. And people open doors for you, beckoning you to enter first, offer help carrying parcels and stop for you at corners where you're waiting for a break in traffic to cross the street.
But what really brings comfort is the company of boomers like ourselves, Spiderwort and Ecarle (now Roger) over at MovieChat, among others, who share the same cultural references, experiences and understanding.
Poe! You are…avenged! -
telegonus — 3 years ago(April 03, 2023 06:16 AM)
Good to see that you migrated over to this site, ZolotoyRetriever (is ZT okay?). I've seen your name on many sites, going back I think to the old IMDB. It would be grand if we could get more "old timers" to move here, or give it a chance anyway.Miss MargoChanning comes to mind, though I see her more at Moviechat. Ecarle gets around. So many good posters, good writers, good people. I haven't see FunkyFry in a dog's age. Sci-Fi Guy, from Newfoundland. Amyghost's around and about, but not here.
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