What Classics Did You See Last Week (February 8–February 14)
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unex — 1 month ago(February 15, 2026 12:59 PM)
Il Posto (1961) - An Italian film about a boy entering adulthood. He's not exactly aimless but is faltering as he settles into the path set out for him. I really liked the ending. The lead looks a lot like Timothee Chalamet.
X-15 (1961) - A film about test pilots but really a defensive reaction about pilots being usurped by astronauts who are mere passengers. Not a good movie. It's notable for being Richard Donner's debut and early appearances from Charles Bronson and Mary Tyler Moore. I watched it because I think the X-15 was an interesting aircraft. The Right Stuff may have borrowed the opening of a narration over footage of a first-person perspective moving through clouds in the sky.
Richard III (1994) - An adaptation of the Shakespeare play set in a fascist England. It works really well but feels a little too abridged. Ian McKellan is great in it but the Americans, Annette Bening and Robert Downey Jr., weren't up to par. -
spiderwort — 1 month ago(February 15, 2026 02:18 PM)
I really enjoyed Il Posto, unex. I think the director, Ermanno Olmi, was really wonderful. I especially love his film, L'albero degli zoccoli (The Tree of the Wooden Clogs). Recommend that, if you haven't seen it.
Haven't seen X-15, but did see Richard III and remember enjoying it. You're probably right in your assessment of Annette Bening and Robert Downey Jr., because honestly the only one I remember is Ian McKellan. And I loved its updated setting. -
unex — 1 month ago(February 22, 2026 01:23 PM)
I think that was the first Ermanno Olmi film I've seen. His films unfortunately don't seem to be widely available. I do hope to be able to see that one as it is the last film on the
hundred Italian films to be saved list
so I guess in some sense it was the last great Italian movie to be made since they didn't see fit to include any films released after that. -
spiderwort — 1 month ago(February 15, 2026 02:35 PM)
First viewings:
Broken Lullaby / Ernst Lubitsch
(1932). A Frenchman (Phillip Holmes) in Germany meets the father (Lionel Barrymore) and fiancé (Nancy Carroll) of a soldier he killed in World War I. This is not at all a typical Lubitsch film, sans “the Lubitsch touch,” but it’s a very good one, although the performances at times seem a bit over the top. It’s based upon the play, “The Man I Killed” by Maurice Rostand, son of the playwright Edmond Rostand, who wrote “Cyrano de Bergerac,” et al. Personally, I prefer the François Ozon 2016 version of this, “Frantz,” but I do recommend this one for Lubitsch fans and for its moving, meaningful script. (On TCM through February 23)
Les Mistons [The Mischief Makers] / Francois Truffaut
(1958). Truffaut’s second short film, seventeen minutes long, it deals with the sexual awakening of five 12-year-old boys who endlessly spy on two young lovers, the woman of whom they are all in smitten with. Not the best film, but worth a look for Truffaut fans. (On TCM through March 10)
Re-watches:
Penny Serenade / George Stevens
(1941). This is a beautiful, deeply moving film about the ups and downs of married life, beautifully directed by Stevens with wonderful performances by Irene Dunne and Cary Grant, who get great support from Beulah Bondi and Edgar Buchanan. Grant received his first Oscar nomination for best actor for his performance. Highly recommended. (On several streaming services)
To Have and Have Not / Howard Hawks
(1944). A ship’s skipper (Humphrey Bogart) fools the Nazis and flirts with a singer (Lauren Bacall) on Martinique. The film in which Bogart and Bacall fell in love, it’s based upon a novel by Ernest Hemingway with great direction by Hawks, to say nothing of the chemistry between the two stars. Highly recommended.
The Enchanted Cottage / John Cromwell
(1945). A scarred war veteran (Robert Young) and a homely woman (Dorothy McQuire) are transformed by love in the cottage where she works and he recovers. A sensitive and mystical tale, it’s a long-time favorite of mine with wonderful performances by all the cast, including Herbert Marshall, Mildred Natwick, and Spring Byington. Highly recommended. (On MAX and on TCM through March 12)
Vivacious Lady / George Stevens
(1938). After a whirlwind courtship, a nightclub singer (Ginger Rogers) has to adjust to her new husband’s (Jimmy Stewart) conservative family. A classic comedy made before Stewart was a star, it’s quite enjoyable because of the cast, including Charles Cobern and Beulah Bondhi as Stewart’s parents. And, of course, Stevens’ direction. Hadn’t seen it in ages, but it was as funny and sweet this time as it was when I first saw it. (On HBO Max) -
PygmyLion — 1 month ago(February 16, 2026 04:01 PM)
I watched
Broken Lullaby
last night. It is currently ranked 7.6 on IMDB and I would agree with that sort of ranking - and added it to my nominees list for the 5th academy awards thread. A fairly good story, it has a bit of the Eric Remarque feel to it, and a little bit of the "Return of Martin Guerre" feel to it.
While not having the Lubitsch touch that we see in his musical comedies like
The Smiling Lieutenant
still one can see a similarity in the drama part of
A Shop Around the Corner
.
Not a box office success. While Lionel Barrymore was a pretty good draw in the 1930s, the movie could have perhaps used a little bigger star power elsewhere.
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I also like
Vivacious Lady
quite a bit and had it on my nominees list for the 1938 oscars. It is another one of those movies that I have watched in recent years that makes me realize what a nice actress Ginger Rogers was.
—
Along with
To Have and Have Not
and
Penny Serenade
, you look to have had a pretty good week. -
spiderwort — 1 month ago(February 16, 2026 05:12 PM)
Along with To Have and Have Not and Penny Serenade, you look to have had a pretty good week.
I did indeed. And I'm glad you enjoyed them, too. And I especially appreciated your comments about
The Broken Lullaby
. An interesting Lubitsch project indeed. -
spiderwort — 1 month ago(February 16, 2026 05:30 PM)
Roman Holiday
is one of my favorite films! I love it. And what a great film debut it was for Audrey Heburn.
And I remember enjoying
One Foot in Heaven
, though I haven't seen it in ages and don't remember it very well. Maybe I'll see it again one of these days. I also didn't remember that it was nominated for the Best Picture Oscar.
And I haven't seen
Hamlet
in ages either, but I remember being quite impressed by it, by Olivier's direction as well as his performance.
Haven't seen your other two, but they sound like fun, especially
WALL-E
. -
PygmyLion — 1 month ago(February 17, 2026 03:50 AM)
Trouble in Paradise
1932 - Miriam Hopkins, Kay Francis, Herbert Marshall, Charles Ruggles, Edward Everett Horton, C.Aubrey Smith. Dir Ernst Lubitsch. Marshall and Hopkins play thieves trying to get money from the rich owner of a perfume company (Francis). ***
Fort Dobbs
1958 Clint Walker, Virginia Mayo, Brian Keith. Solid Western fare. ***
Finishing School
1934 - Francis Dee, Ginger Rogers, Billie Burke, Bruce Cabot, John Halliday, Beulah Bondi. Mrs. Helen Radcliff(Burke) sends her daughter Virginia (Dee) off to finishing school. ***
All Quiet On the Western Front
1979 Richard Thomas, Ernest Borgnine, Donald Pleasaence, Ian Holm, Patricia Neal. I remember watching this rendition of Erich Remarque's novel back at the time it came out. A watchable version, but not close to being as good as the 1930 version. A little on the long side too at 2 and a half hours - **1/2 -
Rufus-T — 1 month ago(February 22, 2026 09:13 PM)
A Simple Plan (1998)
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120324/
I read the Scott B. Smith novel when it was first released. Though some of the decision the characters made were questionable, it was a very thrilling read. Then came the movie which Scott B. Smith adapted himself and directed by Sam Raimi. The film was exactly how I imaged it when reading the book. Small town man and his brother along with his brother's buddy found a crashed plane with a bag of money. The decision to hold on to the money resulted some complication. Bill Paxton played the man. Bridget Fonda played the wife who gave him many advise on how to handle the money. It was Billy Bob Thornton who stole the show playing the older brother. The direction, the script, and the performance were all wonderful. The story might not be strong, but development of the event was very suspenseful. This is my 3rd or 4th viewing. I still like the movie a lot.
F1: The Movie (2025)
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt16311594/
Joseph Kosinski came off the success of directing "Top Gun: Maverick". He now direct this another action film about formula 1 drivers. Brad Pitt played a talented but not too successful in his younger days because of being cocky, daring, and reckless. He came out of retirement to help a friend in a racing team while mentoring a younger driver just as cocky as he was. The story is not complicated, and there is a bit of "The Natural" in it. This movie is not about the story. You watch for the car race, for the excitement, and for high quality technicality of the film making. The editing and sound and the filming were high quality. The movie would have been even more spectacular on a large screen, which I did not see it on. The crucial moment was captured perfectly, and ironically with silence. I don't know much about Formula 1, and one can understanding from this film that it take a big team of people from mechanic, engineer, etc to win a race. If you like "Top Gun: Maverick", you'll probably will like this.