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ORIGINAL: TRM

Seems like a decent idea. It should encourage me to seek out classics other people have really liked. Ok so that last 'classic' i watched was : -

The kid (Chaplin, 1921) - The story follows Chaplin (playing his famous role of 'the tramp') who becomes the father of an orphan by complete accident. Without ruining any of the plot (hopefully) the film develops showing the tramp who has trained his son to destory windows, before the tramp then comes by with a new pane of glass to replace the broken window pane (and make some money in the process).

The positives - One of Chaplin's most touching films (possibly only behind City lights) whilst still keeping a good level of slapstick comedy. The acting by Chaplin is up to the standard which i have become accustomed to in his later films and he is joined by a brilliant performance by the young Jackie Coogan.

The negatives - Well i don't think there was much to be criticised to be honest. The ending was possibly a little bit abrupt, but this was afterall Chaplin's first feature length film and this is something which he did get better with in his later films. Another minor point is that there are perhaps not as many memorable moments in this film as some of his other classics (well it has been a couple of days since i watched it and i can only remember a few key set pieces whereas i could still mention quite a few from City lights which i watched a few months ago) but this is of course a very minor thing.

Overall i think this rightly ranks down amongst Chaplin's finest films as well as one of the best films of the silent era. A good solid 9/10 and i would happily recommend it to anyone.

(Is this the kind of review you wanted m_er? If im missing something i don't mind editing my post)

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ORIGINAL: Dantes Inferno

THE THIRD MAN
Year: 1949
Directed by: Carol Reed
Written by: Graham Greene
Starring: Joseph Cotten, Alida Valli, Orson Welles, Trevor Howard



Quite possibly the finest non-auteur film ever made, The Third Man is a product which success lays in the sum of its parts, and not in the hands of a single individual. Carol Reed's offbeat camera shots, Graham Green's pulsating story, an excellent cast (with a show-stealing Orson Welles) and one of the most memorable scores ever produced: all equally important ingredients in the meal that is anything but "just a thriller".

VERDICT:
Its characters may not get what they want, but they same cannot be said for the audience of this magnificent film. Endlessly watchable and morally challenging, The Third Man is the best story Holly Martins never wrote. 9/10

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ORIGINAL: Professor Moriarty

To me, relatively "disappointing" on the first viewing when I was expecting Harry Lime to be a main character, there from the get go. Subsequent viewings do the film greater justice each time.  imo its a masterpiece. I also have a more metaphysical take on Anna and Trevor, being two-sides of Holly's conscience on whether he should betray a friend, no matter how bad that friend's actions or not. Anyway, that's my rambling and without that its still a well shot, well written, well acted masterpiece 5/5

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ORIGINAL: Dantes Inferno

Great idea! I'm going to try to hang more in this forum so I can get some more knowledge on the Golden Oldies, so this thread is just perfect for me. I even got a review:

* * * CONTAINS PLOT SPOILERS * * *

THE THIRD MAN
Year: 1949
Directed by: Carol Reed
Written by: Graham Greene
Starring: Joseph Cotten, Alida Valli, Orson Welles, Trevor Howard



Quite possibly the finest non-auteur film ever made, The Third Man is a product which success lays in the sum of its parts, and not in the hands of a single individual. Carol Reed's offbeat camera shots, Graham Green's pulsating story, an excellent cast (with a show-stealing Orson Welles) and one of the most memorable scores ever produced: all equally important ingredients in the meal that is anything but "just a thriller".

The film revolves around a group of characters, some visible, some hiding in the darkness of Vienna's powerless street lights. Guiding our story is the pulp writer Holly Martins, who have arrived in the war-torn Austrian city on the behalf of his friend Harry Lime. However, as it turns out, Lime was killed in a traffic accident, and Holly's stay changes the minute he walks into his hotel. He finds himself a popular talking partner to many a person, some of them turning out to have known Lime very well. However, as he questions them on his friend's demise, Holly finds out that their stories doesn't quite match up, with the prime evidence being the fact that a porter who saw the accident claims there was "a third man"; someone who helped the lowlife baron Kurtz and the Romanian Popescu, carry Lime's body out of the road and to a statue in the city market. Both of them are suspicious characters, with Popescu seeming to have gained the Superman-like ability to enter and leave Vienna at breckneck speeds. It is interesting to note that all the people Holly meets share the same notion, in the sense that they are all unwilling to let him find out what we all know must be the real truth. It is ironic that their attempts to make Holly forget actually makes him (and us) more curious, leading the way into the labyrinthine plot.

Holly himself is as far from an auteur, and he knows it, frequently referring to himself as a hack writer. He is constantly questioned about his work, but he seems vaguely interested at best. Realizing that the story he finds himself is much more interesting than the ones he writes himself, Holly throws himself head-first into a mess he never should have entered. As pretty much every film buff in the world is aware of, The Third Man is of course Harry Lime, and he is no more than dead than any of the other characters (save for the porter, who was killed in an act which finds the plot propelling its mystery even more).

It is of course a given that Holly is in a world he doesn't belong in. Surrounded by tall buildings with giant-like shadows and people talking a language he can't possibly even begin to understand (clearly underlined in a scene which find him hopelessly trying to recite a stage-play), Holly really should have gone back to America. Then again, if he did, we might not have gotten this film, and then we would have been very sorry indeed.

It is interesting to see that even when Harry Lime is exposed for the hardened criminal he is, our sympathies still remain on his side, much thanks to the charming performance of Orson Welles. In the end, Holly finds himself watching his friend's funeral for the second time, and he has not wisened one bit. He may have served the law, but for what purpose? It is clear that it doesn't give him satisfaction. In that sense, The Third Man may be a film which main theme lays in loyalty, and the price one pays for breaking that loyalty.

VERDICT:
Its characters may not get what they want, but they same cannot be said for the audience of this magnificent film. Endlessly watchable and morally challenging, The Third Man is the best story Holly Martins never wrote. 9/10

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ORIGINAL: Dantes Inferno

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ORIGINAL: Professor Moriarty

To me, relatively "disappointing" on the first viewing when I was expecting Harry Lime to be a main character, there from the get go. Subsequent viewings do the film greater justice each time.  imo its a masterpiece. I also have a more metaphysical take on Anna and Trevor, being two-sides of Holly's conscience on whether he should betray a friend, no matter how bad that friend's actions or not. Anyway, that's my rambling and without that its still a well shot, well written, well acted masterpiece 5/5

That's a great theory, Moriarty! Didn't think of that at all. I will definitely watch this film again with that in mind.

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ORIGINAL: Professor Moriarty

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ORIGINAL: Dantes Inferno

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ORIGINAL: Professor Moriarty

To me, relatively "disappointing" on the first viewing when I was expecting Harry Lime to be a main character, there from the get go. Subsequent viewings do the film greater justice each time.  imo its a masterpiece. I also have a more metaphysical take on Anna and Trevor, being two-sides of Holly's conscience on whether he should betray a friend, no matter how bad that friend's actions or not. Anyway, that's my rambling and without that its still a well shot, well written, well acted masterpiece 5/5

That's a great theory, Moriarty! Didn't think of that at all. I will definitely watch this film again with that in mind.

Thanks I'd be interested to see if you think it stands up.

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ORIGINAL: rawlinson

I just want to see everyone naked.

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ORIGINAL: Dantes Inferno

In theory, 12 Angry Men should be one of the most un-watchable films ever made. Just picture the face of your ignorant friend as you tell him it's in black and white, has no action, no explosions, is all talking, and to round it up: takes place in one single room. Oh yes, there are more ways than the Hitchcockian way to scare a person.Of all the Oldies I have yet seen lately, 12 Angry Men is unquestionably the most enjoyable. In fact, for anyone wanting to get into the B&W classics, you could do a whole lot worse than this film. Isn't that ironic?

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ORIGINAL: Dpp1978
There are certainly times where calling a person a cunt is not only reasonable, it is a gross understatement.

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ORIGINAL: elab49
I really wish I could go down to see Privates

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ORIGINAL: FGT

I hate musicals but, perhaps because of the age of them, the songs are ok.

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Which ones? All musicals?