Screening Log. The Bitter Tea of General Yen

The Bitter Tea of General Yen (Frank Capra) (1933)







Article at Senses of Cinema [link]
Info at Capra site [link]

Screening Log. Remember the Night

Remember the Night (Mitchell Leisen) (1940)

Screening Log. Flesh and Fantasy

Flesh and Fantasy (Julien Duvivier) (1943)

Screening Log. The Miracle Woman

The Miracle Woman (Frank Capra) (1931)



I wouldn't say that I dislike Frank Capra movies, its just that after the fourth or fifth one his formula becomes much too obvious and a little too much. So when I started this movie for my Stanwyckathon, I expected it to fall into the same "all-American small town common folk myth" niche (that he defined so well, so many times), but thankfully this one did not...or at least didn't as clearly as his later "classics" would.

Visually this is the most interesting and complex Capra film I've seen, with a good amount of camera movement and an overall beautiful composition. Stanwyck is amazing, and gives one of her best performances as an Aimee Semple McPherson inspired evangelist. David Manners is also excellent as the very convincing blind man who saves her. Sure there were a few convenient moments and awkward progressions, but overall this is my favorite Capra film, with the exception of It's a Wonderful Life (which was just so embedded into my childhood and overall experience that I can't honestly judge anything against it).

Screening Log. Baby Face

Baby Face (Alfred E. Green) (1933)

Trailer

A very interesting pdf of Warner Bros original editing notes in an attempt to please the very unhappy censors. Apparently the mentioning of Nietzsche's name was even a no-no. [link]

The Barbara Stanwyck Show.

The Barbara Stanwyck Show was an anthology dramatic television series broadcasted on NBC from 1960-1961. Though Stanwyck won an Emmy from the show, it was not continued into a second season.

The Hitch-Hiker (29 May 1961) (co-staring Joseph Cotten)


Assassin (15 May 1961) (co-staring Peter Falk as the assassin)


Confession (20 Feb 1961) (directed by Jacques Tourneur)


The Miraculous Journey of Tadpole Chan AKA Little Jo (14 Nov 1960)


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So begins my Barbara Stanwyck-athon.