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Post by Captain Spencer on Sept 18, 2023 2:08:19 GMT
Hang 'Em High (1968)After surviving a hanging, a cattle rancher seeks revenge on the posse of nine men who wrongfully tried to lynch him. This is actually one of my favorite Clint Eastwood westerns. Even though it is not as action-packed and violent like other Eastwood westerns, it is dialogue-driven with strong dramatic elements. Unlike the cool and suave Man With No Name who nobody dares to tangle with from Eastwood's spaghetti westerns, Jed Cooper is an average man who is constantly dealing with many hardships, and that includes handling a very dangerous Bruce Dern and clashing with a no-nonsense, hardass judge who becomes a constant thorn in his side. Hang 'Em High explores the theme of limited amount of law enforcement in a rough territory with very little governance and the challenges that come with it. Then there's the disturbing spectacle of public hanging and how it was treated as actual public entertainment, like a circus. Very well acted by Eastwood, Pat Hingle and Inger Stevens. 7.5/10
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Post by jeffersoncody on Sept 18, 2023 9:58:20 GMT
Thanks for hosting this! mikef6 The Learning Tree 1969 directed by Gordon Parks and based on a book by Parks himself. The movie of the week for me, since the story went round in my head after watching it and that is a positive sign. The story, set in Kansas during the 1920's, covers less than a year in the life of a Black teenager and documents the veritable deluge of events which force him into sudden manhood. The family relationships and enmities, the fears, frustrations, and ambitions of a black teenager in small-town America are explored with a strong statement about human values. This was interesting, though segregation and racism still exists, this small-town has moved forward, whites don't think all blacks are bad and blacks don't think all whites are bad, and can co-exist in harmony, but still there also those who can't leave the old ways of thinking on both sides. It's those latter that disrupts and reaches a boiling point at some point or other that can destroy the harmony and which it occasionally does. At first I though it was a bit too episodic but as the story moved forward the movie became clearer what characters to follow and in the end I liked it very much. You have inspired me to finally watch this movie Teleadm, and I am about to fire up a spliff, pour a double gin and tonic and sit down to watch a crisp widescreen print of it. THE LEARNING TREE has been circling my periphery for a while, but you closed the deal and now I am really looking forward to it . Thanks Tele.PS. will let you know what I thought of it on this thread next week.
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Post by Jep Gambardella on Sept 19, 2023 21:05:34 GMT
I watched two 100-year old movies over the weekend:
Our Hospitality (Buster Keaton) – a young man returns to his hometown, unaware of the long-running feud between his family and that of the woman he just met and fell in love with during the train journey. Pretty funny and featuring incredible stunts. More and more I find myself becoming a fan of Buster Keaton.
A Woman of Paris (Charles Chaplin) – I’ve had this one in my collection for years but had never watched it. I had assumed it was a comedy, but in fact it’s the first drama written and directed by Chaplin, in an attempt to break out from his mold. He doesn’t even appear in the movie. The story is that of a couple from a small town in France that is planning to elope, but circumstances change. The girl goes to Paris alone, and an year later she is the sugar daughter of a rich playboy. She then runs into her former love again.
Probably of limited appeal to the general public but I thought it was a pretty good drama that stands on its own after 100 years.
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