Thursday, October 9, 2008

We watched the #1 movie of all time (according to AFI)

It seems the students enjoyed the movie Citizen Kane, especially at the end when everything comes together. We breifly talked about Orson Welles and his radio play for War of the Worlds. I enjoyed the line, "Don't believe everything you hear on the radio," spoken by Welles himself. The controversy about who's responsible for the screenply for Kane and the rumors about the movie being based on William Randolph Hearst add to the pleasure of watching this film. It may not be my favorite movie of all time, but it is a great movie to share with young viewers. Now, for the roundup for next session on October 23, 2008.

The Third Man(1949) NR
Who was Harry Lime? And who killed him? And is he really dead? These are just a few of the questions writer-turned-sleuth Holly Martins (Joseph Cotten) tries to answer as he trolls the shadowy streets of postwar Vienna. Director Carol Reed turns Graham Greene's classic mystery into a film noir without equal. You'll be humming the zither theme for weeks! -- provided by Netflix

The Big Sleep(1946) UR
Tough-as-nails private eye Philip Marlowe (Humphrey Bogart) takes on a blackmail case and soon falls for Lauren Bacall, the feisty daughter of a wealthy general. The plot thickens when the murder victims pile up. The film was blessed with stellar talent: Raymond Chandler wrote the novel on which the movie is based, William Faulkner adapted the book for the screen, and Howard Hawks directed. -- provided by Netflix

Notorious(1946) UR
This top-notch Hitchcock espionage thriller builds to an incredibly suspenseful climax. Government agent T.R. Devlin (Cary Grant) recruits Alicia Huberman (Ingrid Bergman) to spy on her father's influential Nazi friends. As part of her cover, she marries ringleader Claude Rains, but finds she's falling in love with Grant. The 360-degree camera pan around a smitten Grant and Bergman ranks as one of the screen's hottest love scenes. -- provided by Netflix

The Treasure of the Sierra Madre(1948) NR
John Huston won Academy Awards for writing and directing this powerful saga that pits gold against greed in the wilds of Mexico. Three poverty-stricken dreamers (Walter Huston, Humphrey Bogart and Tim Holt) head to the mountains south of the border in search of gold. Their fortune and friendship grow at first, but soon, paranoia and greed begin to take over, endangering all that they've gained. Walter Huston also won an Oscar for his role. -- provided by Netflix

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