Any fans of classic Hollywood here? - Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community

vp81955 · 11-26-2009, 06:38 PM

For purposes of this discussion, we'll consider "classic Hollywood" the era between 1920 and 1960. (While some movies were made n the classic Hollywood tradition after 1960, the studio system of the earlier period had more or less dissipated, replaced by independent producers; studios more or less functioned as distributors of product, not creators of it.)

What I love about the classic era is how studios defined themselves in different periods, or what type movies they sought to make. The Warners films of the early '30s, with their hard-edged Depression realism and attitude, were substantially different from the melodramatic Warners of the mid-forties. MGM under Irving Thalberg was a far different place than after Thalberg's death, when Louis B. Mayer took firmer control and made the studio more sanctimonious. The urbane RKO of the early '30s was vastly different than RKO under Howard Hughes in the early '50s.

I suppose my favorite genres are the romantic/screwball comedies, featuring the likes of William Powell, Myrna Loy, Cary Grant or Carole Lombard, and the pre-Code films, many of which are a revelation. What are your favorites from the era?

oliver9184 · 11-27-2009, 06:08 PM

Yes! I'm a fan of classic Hollywood. My degree course required that I become very familiar with the studio system of the Golden Age of Hollywood. I wasn't keen at first, preferring more modern films but then I came to properly understand and love the old ones. Knowing about the how the studios operated in those days really helped me to appreciate them. By far my favourite studio was Warner Bros; I got through hundreds of their old films during research for my final year dissertation, which focused on what it took to be a star in that period between the advent of sound and the start of WWII - in particular James Cagney (gangster films), Humphrey Bogart (melodramas) and Errol Flynn (swashbucklers).

Apart from that I also liked those screwball comedies (Bringing Up Baby, Ball of Fire, etc), the old Universal horrors (Frankenstein, The Invisible Man) and some early Westerns (Stagecoach, Destry Rides Again).

Great to have someone so like-minded joining the fun here! There's a thread in the main discussion about old-style Hollywood publicity shots you should check out if you didn't already.

little_tippler · 11-28-2009, 06:37 AM

I do enjoy many old Hollywood films but I'm really not well-versed on them. Still, I'd love to know more if you care to share! Recommendations?

oliver9184 · 11-28-2009, 10:06 AM

I here's what I recommend. I spent about an hour writing stuff to justify each choice only to lose it all by not being able to log back in properly. Anyway here's my top ten Golden Age films for a beginner.

The Strawberry Blonde (d. Raoul Walsh, Warner Bros, 1938)
starring James Cagney, Olivia de Havilland and Rita Hayworth
The Adventures of Robin Hood (d. Michael Curtiz and William Keighley, Warner Bros 1938)
starring Errol Flynn, Olivia de Havilland and Basil Rathbone
You Can't Take It With You (d. Frank Capra, Columbia 1938)
starring James Stewart and Jean Arthur
It Happened One Night (d. Frank Capra, Columbia 1934)
starring Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert
Bringing Up Baby (d. Howard Hawks, RKO Radio 1938)
starring Cary Grant and Katharine Hepburn
Angels with Dirty Faces (d. Michael Curtiz, Warner Bros 1938)
starring James Cagney, Humphrey Bogart and the Dead End Kids
The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (d. John Huston, Warner Bros 1948)
starring Humphrey Bogart and Walter Huston
The Invisible Man (d. James Whale, Universal 1933)
starring Claude Rains
I Am A Fugitive from a Chain Gang (d. Mervyn LeRoy, Warner Bros 1932)
starring Paul Muni
Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde (d. Rouben Mamoulian, Paramount 1931)
starring Fredric March

Gone with the Wind (d. Victor Fleming, Selznick International 1939), It's a Wonderful Life (d. Frank Capra, Columbia 1946) and Casablanca (d. Michael Curtiz, Warner Bros 1942) are also recommended but I figured most people know them already. I also recommend any film from this period directed by Frank Capra, and anything made by Warners and starring James Cagney.

A lot of films from this period can seem very tame and prudish for modern audiences. If you hold this view check out films made before 1933/34 - they're known as 'pre-code' and were not restricted by the Hayes Code which was a set of fairly strict industry-imposed guidelines.

boink · 11-29-2009, 12:04 PM

yes..classic Hollywood, also British classic...Italian and other European film.

Redlemon · 11-30-2009, 06:25 AM

Two words: Fred Astaire.

little_tippler · 11-30-2009, 07:15 AM

and along with Fred one can't forget...Gene Kelly. What, did you think I was going to say Ginger Rogers? Pfft.

Also, for ladies I have to say a few: Judy Garland, Leslie Caron, Cyd Charisse, Bette Davis, Greta Garbo, Vivien Leigh, Ava Gardner, Ann Miller, Kathryn Grayson, Katharine Hepburn...these are some of my favourites.

Daniel_ · 11-30-2009, 12:12 PM

Having spent Sunday watching Richard Burton being Alexander the Great, followed by Kirk Douglas being Spartacus, I have to answer YES to this one.

Charlatan · 11-30-2009, 04:39 PM

I am definitely a fan of the classics from Hollywood but also from around the world. While I enjoy many films from that time, I'd have to say my favourite sub-genre is Film Noir (it's a sub-genre because, while it is mostly known for crime films, it crosses more then genre -- westerns and drama).

What I've always found interesting was the movement of the visual style, if not the content, of these films as it moved from German expressionist films in the 20s and 30s (M, Metropolis, The Last Laugh) into France in the 30s (Quai des Brume, Le Jour se Leve) into the US in the 40s (the whole cannon of films noir). In some ways it shows the movement of certain creative influences as they escaped from Nazi Germany, into France and then to the US.

Aside from the films above check out:

Stranger on the Third Floor (1940) Peter Lorre's first US film, it isn't a full blown film noir but has many of the hallmarks including a wicked dream sequence.
The Phantom Lady (1944) A gem of a film. Features Elisha Cook Jr., an actor who specialized in playing 'the loser', in a scene where he drums with a band that makes him look like a madman on crack.
Panic in the Streets (1950) A public health official must race against time to stop a group of hoods who have killed a man with pneumonic plague. The killers will spread the plague if they aren't caught in time. A young Jack Palance is the head killer.
Sudden Fear (1952) Speaking of Jack Palance... this is a great film about an actor that decides to get his revenge on a famous playwright (Joan Crawford!) that doesn't cast him in a play. It is ripe for a remake.
The Big Knife (1955) OK, let's make it a Jack Palance triple header... this is a great example of drama that is a film noir. An actor that sold out his art for monetary success tries to escape the nasty Hollywood studio system.
Mildred Pierce (1945) Melodrama meets film noir meets Joan Crawford (also a cool song by Sonic Youth... but I digress).

There are a ton (a ton!) of these films to be seen, and not all of them start Jack Palance and Joan Crawford.

pagowsky · 12-13-2009, 07:42 PM

Gone with the Wind（1939）
Waterloo Bridge（1940）
Citizen Kane（1941）
Casablanca（1942）
Roman Holiday（1953）
Rear Window（1954）
Ben-Hur（1959）
West Side Story（1961）
The Sound of Music（1965）
he Godfather (1972)
Star Wars (1977)
Amadeus (1984)
Ghost (1990)
Dances with Wolves (1990)
The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
True Lies (1994)
Schindler's List (1993)
Forrest Gump (1994)
Legends of the Fall (1994)
The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
The Lion King (1994)
Se7en (1995)
raveheart (1995)
The Bridges of Madison County (1995)
rainspotting （1996）
Titanic (1997)
Saving Private Ryan (1998)
...

11-26-2009, 06:38 PM	#1 (permalink)
vp81955 Upright Location: Virginia	Any fans of classic Hollywood here? For purposes of this discussion, we'll consider "classic Hollywood" the era between 1920 and 1960. (While some movies were made n the classic Hollywood tradition after 1960, the studio system of the earlier period had more or less dissipated, replaced by independent producers; studios more or less functioned as distributors of product, not creators of it.) What I love about the classic era is how studios defined themselves in different periods, or what type movies they sought to make. The Warners films of the early '30s, with their hard-edged Depression realism and attitude, were substantially different from the melodramatic Warners of the mid-forties. MGM under Irving Thalberg was a far different place than after Thalberg's death, when Louis B. Mayer took firmer control and made the studio more sanctimonious. The urbane RKO of the early '30s was vastly different than RKO under Howard Hughes in the early '50s. I suppose my favorite genres are the romantic/screwball comedies, featuring the likes of William Powell, Myrna Loy, Cary Grant or Carole Lombard, and the pre-Code films, many of which are a revelation. What are your favorites from the era?

11-28-2009, 06:37 AM	#3 (permalink)
little_tippler Leaning against the -Sun- Super Moderator Location: on the other side	I do enjoy many old Hollywood films but I'm really not well-versed on them. Still, I'd love to know more if you care to share! Recommendations? __________________ Whether we write or speak or do but look We are ever unapparent. What we are Cannot be transfused into word or book. Our soul from us is infinitely far. However much we give our thoughts the will To be our soul and gesture it abroad, Our hearts are incommunicable still. In what we show ourselves we are ignored. The abyss from soul to soul cannot be bridged By any skill of thought or trick of seeming. Unto our very selves we are abridged When we would utter to our thought our being. We are our dreams of ourselves, souls by gleams, And each to each other dreams of others' dreams. Fernando Pessoa, 1918

11-28-2009, 10:06 AM	#4 (permalink)
oliver9184 Psycho	I here's what I recommend. I spent about an hour writing stuff to justify each choice only to lose it all by not being able to log back in properly. Anyway here's my top ten Golden Age films for a beginner. The Strawberry Blonde (d. Raoul Walsh, Warner Bros, 1938) starring James Cagney, Olivia de Havilland and Rita Hayworth The Adventures of Robin Hood (d. Michael Curtiz and William Keighley, Warner Bros 1938) starring Errol Flynn, Olivia de Havilland and Basil Rathbone You Can't Take It With You (d. Frank Capra, Columbia 1938) starring James Stewart and Jean Arthur It Happened One Night (d. Frank Capra, Columbia 1934) starring Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert Bringing Up Baby (d. Howard Hawks, RKO Radio 1938) starring Cary Grant and Katharine Hepburn Angels with Dirty Faces (d. Michael Curtiz, Warner Bros 1938) starring James Cagney, Humphrey Bogart and the Dead End Kids The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (d. John Huston, Warner Bros 1948) starring Humphrey Bogart and Walter Huston The Invisible Man (d. James Whale, Universal 1933) starring Claude Rains I Am A Fugitive from a Chain Gang (d. Mervyn LeRoy, Warner Bros 1932) starring Paul Muni Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde (d. Rouben Mamoulian, Paramount 1931) starring Fredric March Gone with the Wind (d. Victor Fleming, Selznick International 1939), It's a Wonderful Life (d. Frank Capra, Columbia 1946) and Casablanca (d. Michael Curtiz, Warner Bros 1942) are also recommended but I figured most people know them already. I also recommend any film from this period directed by Frank Capra, and anything made by Warners and starring James Cagney. A lot of films from this period can seem very tame and prudish for modern audiences. If you hold this view check out films made before 1933/34 - they're known as 'pre-code' and were not restricted by the Hayes Code which was a set of fairly strict industry-imposed guidelines. Last edited by oliver9184; 11-29-2009 at 07:08 AM..

11-29-2009, 12:04 PM	#5 (permalink)
boink Addict Location: Seattle	yes..classic Hollywood, also British classic...Italian and other European film. __________________ when you believe in things that you don't understand, then you suffer. Superstition ain't the way.

11-30-2009, 06:25 AM	#6 (permalink)
Redlemon Devoted Donor Location: New England	Two words: Fred Astaire. __________________ I can't read your signature. Sorry.

11-27-2009, 06:08 PM	#2 (permalink)
oliver9184 Psycho	Yes! I'm a fan of classic Hollywood. My degree course required that I become very familiar with the studio system of the Golden Age of Hollywood. I wasn't keen at first, preferring more modern films but then I came to properly understand and love the old ones. Knowing about the how the studios operated in those days really helped me to appreciate them. By far my favourite studio was Warner Bros; I got through hundreds of their old films during research for my final year dissertation, which focused on what it took to be a star in that period between the advent of sound and the start of WWII - in particular James Cagney (gangster films), Humphrey Bogart (melodramas) and Errol Flynn (swashbucklers). Apart from that I also liked those screwball comedies (Bringing Up Baby, Ball of Fire, etc), the old Universal horrors (Frankenstein, The Invisible Man) and some early Westerns (Stagecoach, Destry Rides Again). Great to have someone so like-minded joining the fun here! There's a thread in the main discussion about old-style Hollywood publicity shots you should check out if you didn't already.

11-30-2009, 07:15 AM	#7 (permalink)
little_tippler Leaning against the -Sun- Super Moderator Location: on the other side	and along with Fred one can't forget...Gene Kelly. What, did you think I was going to say Ginger Rogers? Pfft. Also, for ladies I have to say a few: Judy Garland, Leslie Caron, Cyd Charisse, Bette Davis, Greta Garbo, Vivien Leigh, Ava Gardner, Ann Miller, Kathryn Grayson, Katharine Hepburn...these are some of my favourites. __________________ Whether we write or speak or do but look We are ever unapparent. What we are Cannot be transfused into word or book. Our soul from us is infinitely far. However much we give our thoughts the will To be our soul and gesture it abroad, Our hearts are incommunicable still. In what we show ourselves we are ignored. The abyss from soul to soul cannot be bridged By any skill of thought or trick of seeming. Unto our very selves we are abridged When we would utter to our thought our being. We are our dreams of ourselves, souls by gleams, And each to each other dreams of others' dreams. Fernando Pessoa, 1918

11-30-2009, 12:12 PM	#8 (permalink)
Daniel_ Evil Priest: The Devil Made Me Do It! Location: Southern England	Having spent Sunday watching Richard Burton being Alexander the Great, followed by Kirk Douglas being Spartacus, I have to answer YES to this one. __________________ ╔═════════════════════════════════════════╗ Overhead, the Albatross hangs motionless upon the air, And deep beneath the rolling waves, In labyrinths of Coral Caves, The Echo of a distant time Comes willowing across the sand; And everthing is Green and Submarine ╚═════════════════════════════════════════╝

11-30-2009, 04:39 PM	#9 (permalink)
Charlatan Getting it. Super Moderator Location: Lion City	I am definitely a fan of the classics from Hollywood but also from around the world. While I enjoy many films from that time, I'd have to say my favourite sub-genre is Film Noir (it's a sub-genre because, while it is mostly known for crime films, it crosses more then genre -- westerns and drama). What I've always found interesting was the movement of the visual style, if not the content, of these films as it moved from German expressionist films in the 20s and 30s (M, Metropolis, The Last Laugh) into France in the 30s (Quai des Brume, Le Jour se Leve) into the US in the 40s (the whole cannon of films noir). In some ways it shows the movement of certain creative influences as they escaped from Nazi Germany, into France and then to the US. Aside from the films above check out: Stranger on the Third Floor (1940) Peter Lorre's first US film, it isn't a full blown film noir but has many of the hallmarks including a wicked dream sequence. The Phantom Lady (1944) A gem of a film. Features Elisha Cook Jr., an actor who specialized in playing 'the loser', in a scene where he drums with a band that makes him look like a madman on crack. Panic in the Streets (1950) A public health official must race against time to stop a group of hoods who have killed a man with pneumonic plague. The killers will spread the plague if they aren't caught in time. A young Jack Palance is the head killer. Sudden Fear (1952) Speaking of Jack Palance... this is a great film about an actor that decides to get his revenge on a famous playwright (Joan Crawford!) that doesn't cast him in a play. It is ripe for a remake. The Big Knife (1955) OK, let's make it a Jack Palance triple header... this is a great example of drama that is a film noir. An actor that sold out his art for monetary success tries to escape the nasty Hollywood studio system. Mildred Pierce (1945) Melodrama meets film noir meets Joan Crawford (also a cool song by Sonic Youth... but I digress). There are a ton (a ton!) of these films to be seen, and not all of them start Jack Palance and Joan Crawford. __________________ "My hands are on fire. Hands are on fire. Ain't got no more time for all you charlatans and liars." - Old Man Luedecke

12-13-2009, 07:42 PM	#10 (permalink)
pagowsky Banned	Gone with the Wind（1939） Waterloo Bridge（1940） Citizen Kane（1941） Casablanca（1942） Roman Holiday（1953） Rear Window（1954） Ben-Hur（1959） West Side Story（1961） The Sound of Music（1965） he Godfather (1972) Star Wars (1977) Amadeus (1984) Ghost (1990) Dances with Wolves (1990) The Silence of the Lambs (1991) True Lies (1994) Schindler's List (1993) Forrest Gump (1994) Legends of the Fall (1994) The Shawshank Redemption (1994) The Lion King (1994) Se7en (1995) raveheart (1995) The Bridges of Madison County (1995) rainspotting （1996） Titanic (1997) Saving Private Ryan (1998) ...