1. Alibi Ike (1935)
2. The Irish In Us (1935)
3. A Midsummer Night's Dream (1935)
4. Captain Blood (1935)
5. Anthony Adverse (1936)
6. The Charge of the Light Brigade (1936)
7. Call It A Day (1937)
8. It's Love I'm After (1937)
9. The Great Garrick (1937)
10. Gold Is Where You Find It (1938)
11. The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938)
12. Four's A Crowd (1938)
13. Hard To Get (1938)
14. Wings of the Navy (1939)
15. Dodge City (1939)
16. The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex (1939)
17.Gone With the Wind (1939)
18. Raffles (1939)
19. My Love Came Back (1940)
20. Santa Fe Trail (1940)
21. The Strawberry Blonde (1941)
22. Hold Back The Dawn (1941)
23. They Died With Their Boots On (1941)
24. The Male Animal (1942)
25. In This Our Life (1942)
26. Princess O'Rourke (1943)
27. Thank Your Lucky Stars (1943)
28. Government Girl (1943)
29. To Each His Own (1946)
30. Devotion (1946)
31. The Well-Groomed Bride (1946)
32. The Dark Mirror (1946)
33. The Snake Pit (1948)
34. The Heiress (1949)
35. My Cousin Rachel (1952)
36. That Lady (1955)
37. Not As A Stranger (1955)
38. The Ambassador's Daughter (1956)
39. The Proud Rebel (1958)
40. Libel (1959)
41. Light In the Piazza (1962)
42. Lady In A Cage (1964)
43. Hush...Hush, Sweet Charlotte (1964)
44. The Adventurers (1970)
45. Pope Joan (1972)
46. Airport '77 (1977)
47. The Swarm (1978)
48. The Fifth Musketeer (1979)
This is a really fun musical comedy, featuring some wonderful songs by George Gershwin, and an Oscar-winning dance number, back when they gave Oscars for Best Dance Direction.
Fred Astaire plays an American entertainer visiting London. At one point, a crowd of people recognizes Fred and they get him to dance on the spot. It's a fun dance scene on a city street.
Joan Fontaine, proving she can handle the lead in a romantic comedy, is the titular damsel, who lives in a mansion with her father (Montagu Love) and numerous servants. Joan's "distress" is that she's forbidden to leave the mansion after she attempts a runaway to find a lover.
One of the young teenage servants named Albert (Harry Watson of The Watson Family) plays matchmaker and attempts to get Fred to fall in love with Joan and vice versa. Albert is really funny in this movie. Plenty of mistaken identity hilarity ensues.
George Burns and Gracie Allen play Astaire's sidekick assistants. They're not essential to the plot but provide plenty of comedic relief with zany one liners and retorts. In one scene, George and Gracie tour the mansion; a sign inside reads "Do Not Finger Art Objects" and Gracie giggles thinking "Art Objects" is a man's name.
I admit - I imagined what it would be like if Ginger Rogers - Fred's usual co-star - played the lead instead of Joan, but that thought was put to rest after I saw how good the chemistry is between her and Fred. Joan's part doesn't require any dancing, except for one scene where she and Fred frolic on the castle grounds.
A high point in the film is the carnival sequence featuring the Oscar winning dance number in a fun house. Gracie really impressed me with her singing and dancing chops!
Among his distinguished film credits: 1971's Pope Joan starring Liv Ullmann and Olivia de Havilland.
In Pope Joan, which also starred Liv Ullmann and Olivia de Havilland
In Judgment at Nuremberg, which also starred Spencer Tracy and Burt Lancaster
According to the AP, Mr Schell was also a successful concert pianist and conductor, performing with such luminaries as Claudio Abbado and Leonard Bernstein, and with orchestras in Berlin and Vienna.
Mr Schell's film credits include:
1958 The Young Lions
1961 Judgment at Nurenberg (Oscar for Best Actor)
1964 Topkapi
1966 The Deadly Affair
1967 Counterpoint
1972 Pope Joan (co-starring Olivia de Havilland)
1974 The Odessa File
1975 The Man in the Glass Booth (Oscar nomination)
1977 A Bridge Too Far
1977 Julia (Oscar nomination)
1979 The Black Hole 1984 Marlene (documentary on Marlene Dietrich, which was nominated for an Academy Award)
1990 The Freshman
1993 A Fair Off Place
1994 Little Odessa
1998 Deep Impact
2002 My Sister Maria (documentary on his sister, actress Maria Schell)
Classic movie fans said goodbye to many of their favorites in 2013. We lost a lot of the stars that we thought had finally found a way to beat mortality. How could the always-athletic Esther Williams ever leave us? Didn't Peter O'Toole have a few more lives left in him?
I observed these passings with some personal sadness, though I mostly felt for the families who had lost loved ones who just happened to be adored by the rest of the world as well. Making it into your 80s or 90s is something to celebrate, especially when you have contributed so much. And yet, I was seriously bummed out when Joan Fontaine passed on Sunday, December 15.
There are lots of reasons I mourned Ms. Fontaine with a bit more intensity. She was one of the first stars I admired when I was a gawky middle-schooler learning to love the classics. You could say she started this deeply fulfilling journey with me. As the years passed, she remained a favorite. I came to appreciate her increasingly more as I picked up new subtleties in the best of her performances, including Letter to an Unknown Woman and Rebecca.
I think most of all though, I felt sad to see Fontaine go because she embraced the classic film community with such generosity. As much as she treasured her privacy, she never forgot her fans.
Maybe the press couldn't reach her, but true fans could. She respected the people who reached out to her, whether with a blog post or an adoring letter.
Fontaine reportedly granted her last interview to a classic film blog. She spent a great deal of her time responding to queries, autographing photos and sending charming thank you notes. I hear her Christmas card list was enormous, and that this year her secretary had difficulty convincing her to hold off on the significant task of sending them.
This charming lady saved her love for the people who showed her honest affection and appreciation. Even though I never knew her personally, I feel a bit like she was a part of my world, and that's why I'll miss her like a friend.
From 1962, comes Light in the Piazza, a touching romantic drama starring Olivia deHavilland. Shot on location in Italy, this Guy Green-directed film also stars Rossano Brazzi, Yvette Mimieux, and George Hamilton, with Barry Sullivan taking on a supporting (and very pivotal) role.
Vacationing in Florence, Italy, are Americans Meg Johnson (Olivia deHavilland) and her 26-year old daughter, Clara (Yvette Mimieux). Years earlier, Clara had been kicked in the head by a pony, resulting in a brain injury which left her with the mental capabilities of a 10-year old. As Clara grew to adulthood, she began being attracted to boys---and they to her; feeling that such relationships could never work given Clara's limited mental state, Meg and her husband Noel (Barry Sullivan) determined that their daughter should be taken abroad and, thus, removed from potential love situations.
Obviously, if one is trying to avoid love, Italy is not the place to visit, for, Clara soon makes the acquaintance of Fabrizio Naccarelli (George Hamilton). Never suspecting that Clara's childlike innocence is because she really is a child, Fabrizio finds her charming and delightful. Clara adores him too---which greatly unsettles her mother. Hoping to nip the relationship in the bud, Meg attempts to explain the situation to Fabrizio's father (Rossano Brazzi), but when she is unable to do so, she determines that the only way out is to leave Florence---and Fabrizio.
After meeting up with husband, Noel, in Rome, and learning that he wants to send Clara to a special school, Meg begins to see the whole situation differently. Although Noel insists that Clara's condition is the same and has not improved, Meg, who has been living with the dream that Clara will one day be able to live a normal life, is convinced that the trip has done Clara good and that she has begun to get well. Further, knowing that Fabrizio adores Clara just as she is, Meg begins to believe that a marriage between them would not only work, but that it would be good for both of them. Despite her husband's instructions to the contrary, Meg is determined to do whatever it takes to see to it that Clara and Fabrizio are joined together in marriage. How it all plays out is the balance of the film.
A lovely, charming story, Light in the Piazza is definitely a "discussion piece" kind of film, providing some very thought-provoking questions. Would we really deem a 10-year old capable of handling all the aspects of marriage? Do we think it's right to withhold information from those whom it affects?
The Italian backdrop to the film is gorgeous! If I didn't already want to visit Italy, I certainly would be wanting to after my viewing of this. Olivia deHavilland is gorgeous here---stunning, really! She's 46 and even more beautiful (I think) than she was in her 1940's films! She gives a terrific, heart-tugging performance. What mom doesn't want a normal life for her child?! What mom wouldn't do everything in her power to see her child happy?! I could really identify with her heart, even if not her actions.
Rossano Brazzi is incredibly handsome and dashing---very much the stereotypical Italian gentleman. And his lovely accent only adds to his charm! George Hamilton is very good in his role. While there are moments when his character seems a bit too immature to be a 23-year old man, the bulk of the time, he is kind, caring, loving, and sincere. Mr. Hamilton brings Fabrizio beautifully to life.
Yvette Mimieux---in one of her earliest films---is really terrific. She's incredibly beautiful here, and she plays the part of the innocent, childlike Clara perfectly. She was 20-years old at the time, portraying a character who was supposed to be 26. I never took her for 26...and not just because her character's brain injury had left her with a mental capacity of a 10-year old. Had the film not given the age she was supposed to be, because she is so youthful-looking, I would have taken her for about 18, 20 at the most.
Filled with wonderful, gracious characters you can't help but care about, Light in the Piazza is a lovely, charming, heart-tugging film, well worth viewing. Out on DVD, it should be fairly easy to track down. I hope you get a chance to see it!
NOTE: This article has also been published at They Don't Make 'Em Like They Used To (HERE), where July 2013 is "Olivia deHavilland Month."
Fred Astaire plays an American entertainer visiting London. At one point, a crowd of people recognizes Fred and they get him to dance on the spot. It's a fun dance scene on a city street.
One of the young teenage servants named Albert (Harry Watson of The Watson Family) plays matchmaker and attempts to get Fred to fall in love with Joan and vice versa. Albert is really funny in this movie. Plenty of mistaken identity hilarity ensues.
I admit - I imagined what it would be like if Ginger Rogers - Fred's usual co-star - played the lead instead of Joan, but that thought was put to rest after I saw how good the chemistry is between her and Fred. Joan's part doesn't require any dancing, except for one scene where she and Fred frolic on the castle grounds.
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