This being Thursday, it's time for another edition of Thursday Movie Picks, the blogathon run by Wandering Through the Shelves. This week, the theme is "Cinephiles in the Movies", and I have to admit I had to do a bit of thinking before I came up with three movies that fit the theme. And surprisingly enough, all three are movies that a search of the site claims I haven't used before:
Merton of the Movies (1947). Red Skelton plays Merton, an usher in a small town movie theater during the silent movie era who idolizes actor Lawrence Ruprecht (Leon Ames). When Merton foils a crime thanks to something he learned in a Ruprecht film, he's brought out to Hollywood for the PR value, but he thinks he's going out there to be turned into a star. He's a terrible actor, and only good for comedy, which he doesn't want to do. Stunt double and eventual girlfriend Virginia O'Brien gets him a job in a spoof with leading lady Gloria Grahame. But what happens when Merton learns it's a parody and not a serious movie?
Garbo Talks (1984). Estelle Rolfe (Anne Bancroft) is a fan of old movies, specifically the movies of Greta Garbo. She gets terminal brain cancer, and her son Gilbert (Ron Silver) decides that he's going to fulfill Mom's dying wish, which is to meet Greta Garbo. Of course, Garbo famously wanted to be let alone, so who knows if Gilbert is even going to be able to find her, let alone convince her to meet his mother? Director Sidney Lumet wanted to use Garbo, but never got a response from her, using songwriter Betty Comden as a stand-in instead.
Cinema Paradiso (1988). Salvatore (Salvatore Cascio) is a movie director living and working in Rome but who grew up in a small village in Sicily during and after World War II. His girlfriend tells him that his mother called with the news that Alfredo (Philippe Noiret) has died; obviously since it's just a first name Salvatore should know who it is. Sure enough he does; Alfredo was the projectionist at the movie theater in the village, and Salvatore thinks about growing up with a love for the movies.
3 comments:
We match on Cinema Paradiso! Garbo Talks sounds interesting as I like Anne Bancroft. I'll have to look that one up.
Ooohhg, I was so close in picking Garbo Talks which is an under- rated film. I have not seen the Merton movie but I know about it and wanted to see it.. Cinema Paradiso Is on everyone's list except mine because I still have to see ot.
we share a pick with Cinema Paradiso - but I don't think I've heard of the other two
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