TV and Movies

[Oznell]

First this,

Then this,

The two couldn't be more different, but I love them both.  The first, "The Big Heat",  I usually try to alert here, as it is director Fritz Lang's enthralling American masterpiece of film noir, one of the true greats.  

The second is the frequently-screened "Midnight Lace",  and what could be more deliciously escapist than spunky, be-jeweled heiress Doris Day in peril in a Ross Hunter-produced fever dream of the glamorous London penthouse set?   I mean, I ask you....

Great to watch both in real time as a weekend matinee double feature, or to record for savoring later.

Noon Eastern, Saturday--  "The Big Heat"   Glenn Ford, Gloria Grahame, Alexander Scourby, Lee Marvin, Jocelyn Brando

Straight arrow cop (Glenn Ford) pays a family price when he takes on the mob and police corruption in his town.  In that effort, he ends up teaming, oddly, with spirited gangster's moll Gloria Grahame, who might like more than just a "strategic" relationship with him.

Glenn Ford never had a better role, in my opinion, nor limned it more intensely, as a man driven by a righteous fury he can barely contain.  Gloria Grahame's dippy, yet poignant moll is pivotal.  And a young Lee Marvin's amoral gangster-lieutenant has a frightening realism.

Despite its high entertainment value, "The Big Heat" is a many-layered work of art, with complex, underlying themes.   Can't do justice to it in a short scribble like this!  Must be seen.

Fritz Lang happens to be one of my favorite directors, his work so well worth seeking out.  TCM describes him thusly:

"A dark visionary whose meditations on human loneliness were punctuated by a stark visual style and an obsessive work ethic, Austrian director Fritz Lang made a number of acclaimed silent and talkie films in Germany before fleeing the Nazis to become a noted practitioner of film noir in Hollywood."

TCM was canny in scheduling frothy "Midnight Lace" at 1:45 p.m.,  right after "The Big Heat".    After the scorching, raw power of the first, viewers can relax into the almost silky, urbane suspense of the second..... 

[Judaline]

@Oznell  Is this the Glenn Ford movie with the hot coffee in the face? Trying to place it.

[Johnnyeager]

Yes, and here is the result:

[kaydee50]

Much prefer The Big Heat.  The other was too predictable.

[Group 5 minus 1]

Don't care for Gloria Graham,altho she is not bad in "The Man who never Was" In"Midnight Lace"-DD's wardrobe (which is super-fab) hence the title "Midnight Lace" does a better job of of acting that she does.

[Judaline]

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@Johnnyeager wrote:

Yes, and here is the result:

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Uh-oh, I didn't give it away, but I guess the secret's out, lol. Yes, that's the movie I thought it was!

[godi]

Two classics. Thanks @Oznell  

[Etoile308]

Three things that strike me about Midnight Lace. Has any one actress ever worn so many beautiful and stylish outfits, especially all those coats with their perfectly coordinated hats, gloves and purses? Has John Galvin ever looked better? Finally, how many times, in movies and television, has John Williams played that type of role?

[stevieb]

They certainly seem to show Midnight Lace a bit more than regularly... Not a favorite... Despite it's visual appeal, I find Doris' histrionics tiresome...

[Pearlee]

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@Etoile308 wrote:

Three things that strike me about Midnight Lace. Has any one actress ever worn so many beautiful and stylish outfits, especially all those coats with their perfectly coordinated hats, gloves and purses? Has John Galvin ever looked better? Finally, how many times, in movies and television, has John Williams played that type of role?

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@Etoile308  Agree about the clothing, accessories and also the jewelry. John Gavin looked as good in Psycho (1960) and had a bigger role!