TCM Classic Film Festival (part two)

Welcome back to my report from the 2015 TCM Classic Film Festival. In the last installment, I described the first couple of days. This will finish the story.

Saturday morning I started off, solo, by seeing The Man Who Would Be King, starring Sean Connery in what amounted to his first major role after the Bond series. Here's an example of a movie I probably would never have watched at home, but thankfully saw the first time on the big screen thanks to the Festival. Directed by John Huston and co-starring Michael Caine in a fantastic Rudyard Kipling adaptation, the epic jumped right off the screen. Fantastic movie. And Christopher Plummer, who played Kipling, appeared with Leonard Maltin to introduce it. He told several funny stories, such as one where the crew complained when a camel strayed too close to a scene, and Huston replied, "that camel has every right to be in the shot." Plummer explained that when the studio bosses came to inspect the production, they wanted to delete all of Plummer's scenes, to save money of course. Plummer said Connery met them right away and threatened to leave the movie right then and there if they cut out Kipling. Plummer also revealed that the producers replaced the original score at last minute, with something that Maurice Jarre (who had written the Lawrence of Arabia and Doctor Zhivago scores) hastily wrote. Plummer felt the Jarre score nearly ruined the movie. Mr. Plummer looked fantastic. Maybe not Captain vonTrapp fantastic but pretty good. Maltin asked him about that, and he replied that his wife is a great cook who makes only healthy meals. He also said he normally won't see his own movies because he doesn't like to watch himself act. He said every time he does, he thinks the scene wasn't as good as he remembered at the time. 

Christopher Plummer

Then it was off to watch the Sophia Loren interview. Originally lead TCM host Robert Osborne planned to interview her, but he had to miss the festival for medical reasons. Her son Eduardo Ponti, also a film maker, substituted. TCM filmed it and will be showing it in the coming months I'm sure, so I won't say too much about it here. The process of getting in to see it was infuriating. They lined us up for nearly an hour, then when we got in we saw that nearly the entire lower level was roped off for "guests." Everyone had to go up into the balcony. Several women dressed "Italian style" in black lace, with their hair up, in loose dresses showing plenty of figure. One thing I was happy to hear her say was that she always loved Cary Grant. I won't get into that story, but suffice to say he had a strong, largely unrequited love for her and wanted to marry her (even though she was with Carlo Ponti at the time). She explained that she decided not to marry him because she had not been in America very long, and doing so would have been too great a break from the world she had known. Plus she was involved with Ponti. But she said they stayed close friends to the end of his life. Must have been kind of awkward telling your son that. Also, she said she enjoyed working with Peter O'Toole more than any other male co-star. I loved the interplay with her son. She broke "character" many times and said "Eduardo!" in such an instinctive way when he would complement her. And she was very moving when she said even though her husband Carlo Ponti has been dead many years, she thinks of his eyes, which are gentle and strong and from which she still receives comfort.

Shirley MacLaine

After the interview I met up with Donna and Jim at a pub on Hollywood Boulevard, and afterwards we watched The Apartment, with Shirley MacLaine introducing. Everyone knows The Apartment, right? If you don't, then stop reading this, and go watch it immediately. Probably Billy Wilder's most socially relevant movie. MacLaine clearly was itching to speak "out of school" as TCM host Ben Mankiewicz interviewed her. She said Wilder was very cynical, which, gee, tell me something I don't already know. Wilder hated improvisation, but for this movie started filming with only a 29 page script. He wanted to see how Jack Lemmon and MacLaine grew together. She said Lemmon was kind of wild, even though she was hanging out in Las Vegas with the Rat Pack at the time. Wilder seemed very interested in how she spent those weekends. He added the famous gin rummy game to the ending based on one of those conversations.

Alec Baldwin

I'm kind of embarrassed to say I had never seen The French Connection. I remembered when it came out it was absolutely huge. So I was eager to finally see it, and at the historic Graumann's Chinese Theater, no less. They presented a totally remastered print with remastered sound. Unfortunately, the sound was enormously, over the top too loud...like "these amps go up to 11" loud. I've been to two Black Sabbath concerts and thought this was too loud. Director William Friedkin and Alec Baldwin appeared after the movie (somewhat unusually for the festival, which normally presents before the movie). Friedkin gushed over Baldwin, who did his dead-on Pacino impression at one point when they discussed the movie Cruising. Lots of discussion about the Exorcist, Sorcerer, and others. Friedkin said everyone they approached passed on Popeye Doyle role. So they "settled" for Hackman. On the other hand, they wanted Roy Scheider from start. Friedkin said he never does screen tests-he interviews. Director John Singleton unexpectedly appeared in the audience and asked a question about sound in the movie, that sometimes there's lots of sound while at other times there's no sound yet you see characters speaking. Friedkin told the incredible story of how this low budget picture came to be. Then Warner Brothers studio head Darryl Zanuck OK'd it but budgeted only $1.5 million. This meant they couldn't have "sets" and had to film everything on location. They couldn't afford New York City film permits, so they had to engage in somewhat "guerrilla" shooting, although they did manage to hire police to control crowds for some of the shots. This explains why a number of pedestrians look directly into cameras throughout movie. As for the famous subway/car chase scene, Friedkin said they obtained an MTA permit only because they paid the executive director $40,000 plus a one way ticket to Jamaica, because he knew he'd be fired if he agreed. He was fired. 

The next morning I went in early to catch the old Spencer Tracy/Katharine Hepburn movie Desk Set. Not exactly their finest outing, but a cute little movie nonetheless. The festival showed it because it was really the first movie to deal with the advent of computers and how they would affect people, particularly in the workplace. IBM helped finance the movie, and received some pretty heavy handed product placement throughout.  Some movie historian lady introduced the movie. I'm sorry I can't remember her name or much of what she said.

Ileana Douglas and Madeleine Stowe

On to more weighty fare. I had to choose between seeing The Philadelphia Story again, for like the millionth time, or The Children's Hour (which I'd never seen). I was all set to watch the acclaimed Shirley MacLaine/Audrey Hepburn film, until I realized that doing so would potentially keep me from getting a close up seat for Marriage Italian Style, and a shot at sitting close to Sophia Loren. The Philadelphia Story it was. Madeleine Stowe and Ileana Douglas introduced it. Stowe made some very compelling remarks about how the movie represents a pinnacle of sophistication and wit, something sorely lacking in today's movies (though I would argue often present in many cable TV and now Netflix productions). And as always, watching a movie of that stature in the historic Graumann's Chinese Theater is simply a treat not to miss. Hey, look, watching The Philadelphia Story again can never be a bad choice. Ever. 

Sophia Loren

Finally, the finale. Marriage Italian Style, with Sophia Loren introducing. I raced into the theater and got about as close as I could to the front, to bask in Sophia Loren's presence. I was not disappointed. As the photo shows, she looks incredible. TCM host Ben Mankiewicz interviewed her. Let me just put it this way. She said a bunch of stuff that just kind of went in one ear and out the other. I was so enthralled being that close to Sophia Loren (Sophia Loren!!!) I couldn't hardly breathe, much less think. I'm no star chaser, but that's because there are no more stars. Sophia Loren is a star, in every way. I enjoyed the movie. Very "Italian" of course, but intriguing. Loren played a prostitute who as a teenager met Marcello Mastroianni in the brothel where she worked. The movie follows them over years as he first makes her his mistress, then puts her in charge of his various businesses, until he later tries to cast her aside for a woman the same age as Loren when they first met. Not a story that early 1960s Hollywood could have made, but charming and intriguing in its own way.

The next day I ran in Beverly Hills again, got packed, then headed out to lovely Santa Monica to spend the afternoon before my flight. If you ever get the chance you should check it out. Its an identifiable town separate from Los Angeles, with a phenomenal beach of its own, right before the road leading to Malibu.

This was the second year I attended the TCM Classic Film Festival and I think I may keep returning. I enjoyed seeing these classic stars, and classic movies in classic movie theaters. Its fun watching these great movies with crowds of like minded, intelligent fans as who are eager to share their own experiences about these movies. 

Now that I think about it, American movies from the studio era, and into the 1970s creative renaissance, represent a vital part of our nation's cultural heritage. I see people lining up to see Fast and Furious 7 and Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2, and take it as further proof that we no longer can appreciate the sophistication and beauty that can produce a Sound of Music, or Philadelphia Story, or Roman Holiday, or The Apartment. As I've previously written, creativity and art seem to have found a home on the small screen, with the likes of The Sopranos, the Larry David Show, Friday Night Lights, Breaking Bad, Mad Men, True Detective, and other powerhouses. These shows carry on that old movie tradition without having to produce "box office." 

Maybe there's still room in America for something that doesn't pander to the lowest common denominator. I hope so. But I still love the classics. And would rather watch Casablanca or Singin In the Rain or Goldfinger or Breakfast at Tiffany's on the big screen for the hundredth time than watch about whatever 3D action thriller summer comic book blockbuster happens to be at the local IMAX for the first time.  

Grumpy old man, I know.

NEXT--She is a pornographic symbol!