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| bartist |
 Posted: Fri Sep 09, 2011 8:24 am |
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Joined: 27 Apr 2010
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Location: Black Hills
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| Saw AUW back in its day and remember only that it seemed pretty dull, perhaps due to that earnestness WP cited. At that time, my sense was that King Kong was the most accurate study of sexual dynamics, and that women were sufficiently empowered to turn men into lovestruck giant apes who would end up toppling from the tops of skyscrapers. |
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| Joe Vitus |
| Posted: Fri Sep 09, 2011 11:37 am |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
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Location: Houston
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| King Kong was a great remake of a classic movie. Too bad the final scene takes place at a location that makes it impossible for me to watch the movie ever again. |
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| Joe Vitus |
| Posted: Fri Sep 09, 2011 11:38 am |
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billyweeds wrote: Oh, and Paul the director's last name is spelled with a "Z" like Liza. Mazursky, that is.
Damn. I looked him up to make sure I spelled the name right. Did replace the "i" with a "y" at the end. But apparently still messed up. |
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| marantzo |
| Posted: Fri Sep 09, 2011 11:56 am |
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grace wrote: marantzo wrote: The movie itself was a chick flick to the core, cock full of female empowerment topped of with a perfect man who understands.
Not that I don't enjoy the turn of phrase, but is this a Freudian slip or what?
It's definitely a slip. 
It's not a chick flick. You are right Joe. I should have called it a woman's movie. For some reason 'woman's movie' became 'chick flick' which isn't the same thing. Woman and chick are not one and the same. Chick was just a shortened form of chicken which used to be describing a good looking, sexy young female. I think in My Friend Irma, Irma's boyfriend Joe used to call her chicken. |
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| bartist |
| Posted: Fri Sep 09, 2011 12:06 pm |
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Joe Vitus wrote: King Kong was a great remake of a classic movie. Too bad the final scene takes place at a location that makes it impossible for me to watch the movie ever again.
That is too bad. I vaguely recall seeing a list of films that featured the twin towers and the remake of KK was near the top, due to a fairly extended scene with various shots, both interior and exterior. |
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| billyweeds |
| Posted: Fri Sep 09, 2011 12:08 pm |
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| I think both terms are wrong for An Unmarried Woman. "Woman's pictures" include Imitation of Life, Madame X, and Stella Dallas. "Chick flicks" are He's Just Not That Into You, You've Got Mail, and Failure to Launch. AUW is a "feminist film," which is sometimes more mature and often less entertaining than either of the other genres. |
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| marantzo |
| Posted: Fri Sep 09, 2011 12:11 pm |
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| It was a woman's movie of its time. How's that? |
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| Joe Vitus |
| Posted: Fri Sep 09, 2011 12:36 pm |
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I agree with Gary to the extent that I think "women's picture" is a better term than "chick flick" because the former suggests some seriousness and dignity--La Notte could be classified as a "women's picture" (I think of "chick flick" as totally empty, escapist fare, and generally a light comedy about finding the perfect man). But I also agree with Billy in that this is most certainly not a movie made specifically for women.
Indeed, it might in concept be a "men's movie" to the extent it seems aimed to a large extent at making men re-think how they view and treat women. The movie was inspired by Mazursky seeing a real estate document that labeled a potential buyer as "an unmarried woman," and he challenged the guy "If it was a male would you have written 'an unmarried man'?" And the guy in turn replied that was entirely different.
It's meant to be a drama for both sexes about the relationship between the sexes. Though unfortunately, contemporary males in general seem so disinterested in social, let alone relationship topics, it might have evolved into a women's picture on the basis of the people most willing to watch it. |
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| carrobin |
| Posted: Fri Sep 09, 2011 4:47 pm |
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Of course my main problem with "An Unmarried Woman" was the extreme length of time it took before Alan Bates entered the picture, and naturally I agreed with Goldie Hawn's "I didn't understand that movie, I'd have been Mrs. Alan Bates before he knew what hit him" in "Private Benjamin." But it did lack humor, except, as I recall, when her daughter returned from a date with a geeky adolescent who, when asked what he thought of the film they'd seen, said "It was flawed."
Today I've been lounging around recovering from cataract surgery, and saw "Beyond a Reasonable Doubt" on TCM. I wasn't really intending to watch, but when I saw that it was directed by Fritz Lang, I stuck with it. After a few minutes I realized I'd seen it before, at least in part, but I didn't remember the abrupt twist at the end. Interesting film, to say the least. |
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| gromit |
| Posted: Fri Sep 09, 2011 4:56 pm |
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Joined: 31 Aug 2004
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Location: Shanghai
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Haven't seen that.
Would like to.
I'm a Fritz fan.
Wasn't that re-made recently with Michael Douglas? |
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| carrobin |
| Posted: Fri Sep 09, 2011 5:04 pm |
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Joined: 21 May 2004
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| If "BARD" was remade, I don't know about it. Michael Douglas would be great in the Dana Andrews role, though. |
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| billyweeds |
| Posted: Fri Sep 09, 2011 5:07 pm |
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carrobin wrote: If "BARD" was remade, I don't know about it. Michael Douglas would be great in the Dana Andrews role, though.
Michael Douglas didn't play the Dana Andrews role in the egregious remake. He played, I think, the Sidney Blackmer role.
The original was no great shakes either. IMO the plot twist, while certainly "interesting," was completely ridiculous and unconvincing. Andrews (a favorite of mine), Blackmer, and Joan Fontaine were wasted. |
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| Joe Vitus |
| Posted: Fri Sep 09, 2011 5:18 pm |
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carrobin wrote: I agreed with Goldie Hawn's "I didn't understand that movie, I'd have been Mrs. Alan Bates before he knew what hit him" in "Private Benjamin."
Had the movie in question been Georgy Girl, I would agree with both of you. Well, I wouldn't want to be a Mrs., but you get my point. |
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| carrobin |
| Posted: Fri Sep 09, 2011 6:01 pm |
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[quote="billyweeds"]carrobin wrote: IMO the plot twist, while certainly "interesting," was completely ridiculous and unconvincing. Andrews (a favorite of mine), Blackmer, and Joan Fontaine were wasted.
It's true, I kept thinking that the plot didn't have to be so painfully secret to accomplish their purpose, but of course there wouldn't have been a movie if the trap hadn't been set in the script. But it was a good noir ride.
And Joe--true, Bates was irresistible in "Georgy Girl," but I understood why they split up. "AUM" wasn't so convincing. |
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| whiskeypriest |
| Posted: Sat Sep 10, 2011 8:56 am |
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Location: "It's a Dry Heat."
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carrobin wrote: Of course my main problem with "An Unmarried Woman" was the extreme length of time it took before Alan Bates entered the picture, and naturally I agreed with Goldie Hawn's "I didn't understand that movie, I'd have been Mrs. Alan Bates before he knew what hit him" in "Private Benjamin." But it did lack humor, except, as I recall, when her daughter returned from a date with a geeky adolescent who, when asked what he thought of the film they'd seen, said "It was flawed."
NB: Clayburgh gave a great performance in the title role.
"NB normally means "note bene", or "note well". For my pruposes it means "Note billy", or, well, note billy. That's actually already in English, isn't it. |
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