And that's a wrap!

 

Eleven movies over four days. What a celebration of cinema! Not to mention a reunion of fellow film nerds. My vacation may have ended very badly (see post below), but that doesn't mean it was a bad time.

 

Here are the movies I saw in the order I saw them: 

 

Modern Times (1936). I don't much like silent movies and my sense of humor is more verbal than visual. The only Chaplin I'd ever seen before was a few minutes at the Museum of Science and Industry when I was a kid. Yet I loved this. It's the adventures of a kindhearted Tramp during the Depression. It's funny, romantic and rebellious. The intro by Tony Shaloub (Mr. Monk) reframed the movie and helped me appreciate it. He recommended rewatching movies we loved as children (when he fell in love with Chaplin and Laurel & Hardy), that while we remember the slapstick they probably have more heart and pathos than we understood. 

 

 

The Mouthpiece (1932). A pre-code talkie I'd never even heard of before! A flamboyant defense attorney, Vince Day, will do anything to win the case and gain greater fame and publicity for himself. He seems the inspiration for Richard Gere's lawyer in Chicago. The (unrequited) love of a good woman changes his heart and he does the right thing. The ending was satisfyingly ambiguous. I can't wait to see it again.

 

Letty Lynton (1932). Okay, NOBODY has ever seen this one before! This Joan Crawford crime drama was wildly popular when it was first released but then it's been tied up in litigation and disputes for the last 90 years! Seeing this unicorn was the highlight of the festival for many. I liked it, didn't love it, but it was exciting to be part of the crowd seeing it for the first time since the 1930s.

 

Strangers on a Train (1951). A Hitchcock that I've seen many, many times. I always enjoy how twisted it is, but seeing it on the big screen with an audience was a thrill. Even better, it was introduced by CAROL BURNETT! She's always been a massive classic movie fan, and this one has personal meaning for her. I couldn't get close enough to get a photo, but at 93 she's still very funny and sharp. 

 

Pal Joey (1957). The world premiere of the 35 mm restoration and it was gorgeous! Tina Sinatra introduced it and I'm glad she got to hear us all spontaneously applaud when her father performed "The Lady Is a Tramp" for Rita Hayworth. It's a classic musical moment, and Daddy's Girl Tina was justifiably proud. This was a highlight for me.

 

A Face in the Crowd (1957). Andy Griffith is a folksy TV personality who lets power go to his head until he becomes The Demagogue in Denim. This film was introduced by conservative author and commentator Jonah Goldberg, who shocked me by saying that this character reminds him of Tucker Carlson (ouch). While it's easy to see this film as an indictment of right-wing media types who promote Trump to a gullible public, Goldberg and TCM's Ben Mankiewicz explained it's more than that – it's about how willing Americans are to be misled. That Trump is a symptom, not the disease. And I get it because this movie is almost 70 years old. We've been here before. A searing movie and thought-provoking discussion. If you've never seen this movie, FIND IT! It's free on Tubi and available on Amazon Prime and it's even more relevant today than it was in the year of my birth. (Plus you'll see a dimension to Andy Griffith you never guessed existed.)

 

All the President's Men (1976). More than a tribute to Redford – though he deserves all the posthumous accolades he's getting – this screening was a celebration of intelligent filmmaking and a free press. Former White House counsel John Dean (!) introduced the film and took questions afterward. I can't believe I was so close to history! My favorite moment was when he shared with us that The Nixon White House always knew Mark Felt was Deep Throat. It's just no one ever asked them.

 

 

Signage promoting the festival on Hollywood Blvd.

 

I'd Rather Be Rich (1964). My oldest friend and I saw this movie on TV when we were little girls and I was excited to revisit it. I enjoyed it thoroughly, even though it's fabulously stupid. The plot is all about misunderstandings and sex and mistaken identity – kind of like a less smutty episode of Three's Company. The hair was poofy, the clothes were gorgeous and Andy Williams was charming in his only film role. It was introduced by Kate Flannery from The Office, who clearly loves movies like this as much as I do.

 

Anastasia (1956). I was disappointed by this one. It was opulent, but slow moving and I admit I was bored. Yeah, I know: Oscars and Golden Globes. Blah, blah. 

 

Rope (1948). My second Hitchcock of the festival was definitely a highlight! First of all, I'm just captivated by this movie, which starts with a murder on a bright sunny day. So it's like Columbo – we know who did it and we know why they did it, the tension comes from watching the killers try to hide their crime. Then there was Mario Cantone (Anthony from Sex and the City). He was hysterical. Since the movie is clearly patterned on Leopold and Loeb, he yelled, "GAY HITCHCOCK!" Here he is cracking up Professor Jacqueline Stewart. Cantone was also insightful. He reminded us all how hard it was for gay actors in the 1940s and that he believed keeping a real-life secret infused John Dall's and Farley Granger's performances with desperation.

 

On the Town (1949). Closed out the Festival with a grand old MGM musical. Three sailors see all of New York – and find love – during their 24-hour shore leave. I've always had mad affection for this confection ("New York, New York, a wonderful town/the Bronx is up and the Battery's down/the people ride in a hole in the ground/New York, New York!") By late Sunday night we were all pretty punchy. The intro by TCM's Dave Karger started out rather high-brow, talking about Leonard Bernstein and the challenges of filming on location. Soon it devolved into silliness, with Karger, Cantone and Kate Flannery leading us in a game of "Shag, Marry or Kill" with the film's leads: Gene Kelly, Frank Sinatra and Jules Munshin. Sorry, Jules.

 

Here's hoping the Paramount merger doesn't fuck everything up and we'll all be together in Hollywood for 2027.

 

 

 PS As soon we got home, we heard Ted Turner had died. That felt like a death in the family. Without Ted Turner there would be no CNN, no 1995 World Champion Atlanta Braves, and most important to a legion of old movie nerds, no Turner Classic Movies. I wish we'd been together when we got the news. We could have toasted him.