All You Need Is Love

One of my favorite modern films is Love Actually. And this video of the song All You Need Is Love is perfect! Enjoy! You may have to highlight the link first and then hit open to view.
http://youtu.be/BKGAdE6wwTM

Let's watch... CAMILLE (1936)

No doubt a star vehicle for Greta Garbo who works her magic as the doomed Parisian courtesan who loves the young Duval (played by Robert Taylor) but leaves him at the bequest of Duval's father. Later she is stricken with illness and Duval comes back. Tragic tear-jerker that benefits from the great performance of Garbo. Pure excellence. This is my second favorite Garbo film. I only like her screwball comedy Ninotchka more. But Camille is by far my favorite of her dramatic films. She just makes her acting seem so effortless and not acting at all. And Camille is one of my top 5 favorite romantic films of all time. So if you have never seen it, please try to find it somewhere and watch it. It comes highly recommended by me.

Notes:

 Greta Garbo's personal favorite of all her films.

The only memento of Hollywood kept by Garbo was a pair of Adrian-designed kid gloves from this film. White leather, they were beaded with an ivy leaf pattern than spelled out her initials "G.G." over and over.

Garbo wore bedroom slippers under all her fancy dresses so she could be comfortable, as well as more naturalistic in her acting.

Count Our Lucky Stars

Monty

Some great film couples showing some love...

In honor of Valentine's Day, here are photos of some of the great film couples of all time:

Greta and John

Clark and Jean

Tony and Janet

Fred and Ginger

Doris and Rock

Spencer and Katharine

Grace and Cary

Olivia and Errol

Gene and Tyrone

Veronica and Alan

James and Margaret

John and Maureen

Audrey and Gregory

Clark and Vivien

Humphrey and Lauren

William and Myrna

Lana and John

Carole and Clark

Cary and Irene

Greer and Walter

Count our lucky stars

Monty

Let's watch... I LOVE YOU, MAN (2009)

OK, I know me and Irene usually write about classic stars and movies but every now and then it's nice to write about some modern films. Since February is all about romantic movies, I wanted to write about one of the funniest ones I have seen in recent years: I Love You, Man.

Hilarious comedy about real estate agent Peter (Paul Rudd) proposing to his girlfriend Zooey (Rashida Jones) and then realizing he has no male friends to be his best man. So Peter goes through a series of man dates set up by his mom and brother but to no avail. Along comes Sydney Fife (Jason Segel) who doesn't actually appear until about 30 minutes into the movie, but once he does Segel gives the movie a nice kick and the laughs become more frequent and hilarious. I really loved this movie. A kind of laid back story with several engaging characters and wonderful performances. The three leads are all great and work well together Paul Rudd is likable and goofy; Jason Segel comes across as aloof but actually makes a lot of sense and Rashida Jones is a revelation as she makes Zooey smart and sexy. The supporting cast is also super including Jamie Pressly and Jon Favreau as a bickering married couple; JK Simmons as Peter's dad; Andy Samberg as Peter's brother; Sarah Burns as Zooey's best friend Hailey and a dry but funny cameo by The Incredible Hulk himself, Lou Ferringo. I love You, Man is a sweet sometimes raunchy, but enjoyable comedy. For couples, singles, men or women. Everyone will enjoy this one. Also RUSH appears for a brief scene and they rock! AWESOME! I'm slapping da bass man. You have to see the movie to get that quote. I'll just say Paul Rudd had me laughing when he says it like 20 times.

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Denise: Oh my God, Hailey, why must everything always be about you? Hailey: Because I'm single.

Zooey and Peter

Sydney and Peter

The trio playing some golf

Sydney and Peter taking a stroll on the board walk

Zooey

Denise, Zooey and Hailey

Sydney

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/BlfIyqSKAEM" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Let's watch.. ..THEY LIVE BY NIGHT

I am not the one to decide whether it is good or bad luck for a director to create a wonderful piece of film with their first try..

The one I want to present now is the very first film Nicholas Ray directed – and again a film based on a novel:  

THEY LIVE BY NIGHT (1949)

When Bowie (Fraley Granger) and Keechie (Cathy O’Donnell) meet – we could have a classic boy meets girl story – but: Bowie is on the run. The police is after him and his mates (Howard Da Silva and Jay C. Flippen). And though Keechie and Bowie try to live the classic lovers’ dream of marriage and founding a family – the polive doesn’t forget about Bowie..

~ dreaming of a calm and happy life.. ~

I love this film. It’s kind of a gloomy love story about two very young people who’s luck doesn’t have a real chance. I love the moments when they’re together trying to live kind of a normal life. 

~I also love that singer Mary Bryant has an appearnce..~

This might be not the classical lover’s film – but it’s one of my favourite love stories. 

So – if you don’t need a classic happy end and loads of glamour to be fine with a film: 

Please, give it a try.

Thank you very much for listening!

Yours

Irene

Let's watch.. ..LOVE IS A MANY-SPLENDORED THING

Fancy a romance movie based on real events? 

And you would like to have some Asian history in it, too?

Try

LOVE IS A MANY-SPLENDORED THING (1955)

Honkong, 1949: Suyin (Jennifer Jones) - a widowed doctor of English and Chinese decent - and Mark (William Holden) - an American war correspondent who is estranged of his wife - fall for each other. But not everyone is happy about this cross-cultural relationship.. And besides: There are "troubles" in Korea - and Mark has to go there..

"I will make no mistakes in the name of loneliness. I have my work and an uncomplicated life. I don't want to feel anything again... ever."

This film is based on the novel A MANY-SPLENDORED THING by Han Suyin which is quite autobiographical.

The title song became a #1 hit.

Jennifer Jones is none of my favourite actresses - most of the time I find her ridiculous and very much overacting.. Her performance here I think is okay. At least I find her less enervating..

~ For the famous beach scene William Holden shaved his chest. ~

It is said that during the filming of LOVE IS A MANY-SPLENDORED THING she complained to her husband David O. Selznick about William Holden. (She complained apparently very often and was known to thread people with "I am going to tell David about that!" ...) They barely spoke after that to each other. When William Holden tried to remove the stress from the set and presented her a spray of white roses - Miss Jones is said to have thrown them into his face.. I do not know what William Holden did to her - but I hope it was horrible enough to deserve such bad manners..

That Miss Jones reportedly chewed garlic before her love scenes with Mr. Holden (who was known to bed most of his female co-stars) to put him off I find rather funny. 

Frankly: the more I learn about Jennifer Jones the more I am fascinated - still I won't forgive her for abandoning Robert Walker - who I adore.

I love this movie foremost for it's story - and the historical background and setting. I guess you might find movies which are much more kitschy than this film - another plus in my book. 

Thank you very much for listening!

I hope you're enjoying the show!

Yours 

Irene

Waterloo Bridge (1940) is my favorite romance film...ever!

Waterloo Bridge was the first film Ms. Leigh made after the hugely successful Gone With The Wind. And most people were wondering how could she ever follow-up her performance as Scarlett O'Hara from that film. I mean Scarlett O'Hara is one of the most known characters in the world and Leigh was phenomenal. How could she do anything that would come close to matching that amazing performance. Well, just behold her in Waterloo Bridge as English ballet dancer Myra Lester and she is simply wonderful. Set in England during World War 1, Myra is part of a ballet company that is run by the tyrannical Madame Olga, who is so strict on her girls, that you think they were training for combat. Anyway one fateful night Myra meets Captain Roy Cronin (the always charming Robert Taylor and it's love at first sight. They meet on the Waterloo Bridge.

After a whirlwind romance Roy is called to the front line right before he and Myra are to be married. Once that happens Madame Olga kicks Myra from the ballet company for missing a performance. Myra's best friend Kitty (a sassy Virgina Field) sticks up for her and gets lets go as well. So these two young women are now broke and jobless trying to survive. What makes matters worse, Myra reads the newspaper one day and thinks Roy was killed in combat. Of course it's not true, but she thinks it is. Actually he's been captured by the Germans. So Myra ends up joining her friend Kitty as a street-walker/ prostitute. Myra believing she has lost the love of her life just drifts and drifts, not caring about relationships anymore.

Then one fateful day at Waterloo Station, Myra is there looking to pick out a returning soldier, when Roy comes home and both are shocked to see one another. It's been over a year since they last saw each other. They quickly embrace and plan to get married once again. Of course Roy wants Myra to meet his family in Scotland and Myra accepts and goes with him. But she is torn as to when to tell Roy about her dark past. She eventually confides to Roy's mother, Lady Margaret (a terrific Lucile Watson) and leaves Roy the next morning saying she can't marry him.

Racing home to London, Roy is frantic to find Myra and goes to find Kitty who finally tells him the secret life she and Myra have been leading. He is shocked but still wants to find her. They scour the whole city and can't find her. Myra is actually at the Waterloo Bridge, sad and lonely, wishing things had went another way. I won't ruin the ending for those who have never seen this film, but let's just say it's very emotional. I thought Vivien Leigh was magnificent as Myra. Her performance is more subdued than her Scarlett role, but it is just as good and award worthy. She goes from happy to confused to sad to quirky to dramatic, all in one film with such ease. I would have easily given her another Best Actress award for her performance here. She is just amazing to watch and I now see more than just as Scarlett O'Hara. And she just looks so beautiful. The scene where she is standing by the church doors waiting on Roy and the pastor is worth the price of admission alone. She looks directly at the camera and you're hypnotized by her beauty.

As for the supporting cast, Taylor is charming and romantic as usual. Virgina Field as Kitty gets most of the best lines in the film. Lucile Watson is quite good as Lady Margaret. And Maria Ouspenskaya is unbelievably stern as Madame Olga. Waterloo Bridge is now one of my favorite films of all time. A heart-breaking film, but also an amazing film. One of the best.
B+

Count our lucky stars

Monty

Photo Of The Day: Romance in the winter-time

Just a photo to get our romance month started......and what better pic than of this since it's winter time most everywhere in the world and this is my fave Fred and Ginger movie!

Fred and Ginger in Swing Time

Count Our Lucky Stars

Monty