Yes, one hundred years of "movie magic" are commemorated on April 30th. However much I love the so called seventh art, I've never considered myself a film buff or even a frequent "filmgoer"; but as soon as I started flicking through the fantastic Universal's website, I decided I should write this post with some of my favourite films produced by the renowned American studios. Needless to say, it's not easy to select a handful of titles when you're spoilt for choice indeed, as there are, literally, thousands of them. So after giving it a thought for a while, and clicking on a good deal of windows to refresh my memory, I came up with the list below.
I've tried to include movies belonging to different genres and different decades, though funnily enough two were premiered the same year, 1973. Then you'll notice most of them were shot when I was just a kid or even before I was born but I treasure them dearly. I guess that's because I've always been really fond of classic films.
OK, without more ado, these are my top six "Universal flicks" arranged chronologically, from the oldest to the most recent.
OK, without more ado, these are my top six "Universal flicks" arranged chronologically, from the oldest to the most recent.
DUCK SOUP (1933):
I know this is 1933 stuff and I was only a kid when I first watched it - those were the days of Spanish TV in black and white and a mere two channels!
I can't help laughing my head off no matter how many times I watch this hilarious satire by the great Marx Bros! This "war scene" is a fine classic example of their humour:
I just love those nutty, fast-delivered punchlines by Groucho, don't you?
PSYCHO (1960):
Possibly my favourite film of all time, at least the one I've seen most often, and indeed one that made a deep impression on me. The perennial "shower scene", with the blood-curdling music by Bernard Hermmann (do you remember Juanjo's lovely post?), still makes my hair stand on end! Psycho is a must-see movie for everyone, and especially for lovers of Mr. "McGuffin" Hitchcock's awesome thrillers.
But being my fave flick, I can't help embedding yet another fantastic scene, actually the one prior to the brutal stabbing, where Norman and Marion try to get to know each other a little better until ... Well, I won't give away anything. This is, to my mind, Anthony Perkins at his best!
TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD (1962):
There are many valid classic examples of the genre, but to me Robert Mulligan's brilliant adaptation of the Prize Pulitzer-winning namesake novel by Harper Lee is the archetypal, quintessential "courtroom drama". Gregory Peck was my unsung hero with his sober yet relentless defense of a black man wrongly accused of raping a white woman in the segregated "Deep South".
JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR (1973):
"Too much Heaven on their minds".... how deeply moved I was by the title's meaning and, above all, by the shrill delivery of Carl Anderson as Judas in this amazing, ground-breaking rock opera stemmed from the factory of, who else, Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Webber.
There's a story behind this film, or rather, the soundtrack. I was only eleven or twelve and I had a neighbour, Mariano, who was a passionate music lover (how much I felt his passing when shortly afterwards he died). Well, he had this primitive Dual record player (the lid was the loudspeaker) where he would play his records all day long. In those days the building stairs were filled with the music of JCS, and to me the album was (never more suitably") like a "revelation". And this song in particular with the distinctive rock feel touched my heart.
THE STING (1973):
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There's always ample talk of the onscreen chemistry of legendary couples: There's Burton and Taylor, Gable and Leigh ... even Di Caprio and Winslet? (no way, ha ha!).
Joking apart, the biggest, most adorable scam in movie history proved that an only-male chemistry is possible when these two lovable heartthrobs display their charms, isn't that right ladies?
How about this final scene with the familiar rag piece by Scott Joplin adapted for the screen by Marvin Hamlisch? How many times must have we whistled it!
OUT OF AFRICA (1985):
Last but not least, talking about onscreen chemistry, here's Robert Redford again, this time alongside my favourite actress, the unique Meryl Streep, in this delightful, multiple Award-winning romantic drama directed by Sydney Pollack.
You know, if there's a time I wish I'd been on a plane in a movie I was watching, this one-off scene would be it: Redford and Streep holding hands while flying across the breathtaking landscapes of Kenya with the backdrop of John Barry's moving soundtrack. Simply mind-blowing!
Well dear students, this is my personal selection of best-loved "Universal" movies. Sure thing I could have included a bunch more but that's no big deal, as you can now complete this blog entry with your own favourite titles. So will you guys email me with at least one film you would like to feature on this post? I really look forward to it!
Here's the link to one of my favorites mafia movies: American Gangster, from Universal Studios. The plot also has a lot to do with the "American dream". People like the main character of this movie decided to live their own "American dream", don't you think so?
ResponderEliminarhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3RsIjL4qCjc
I hope you enjoy the movie.
Gustavo.
Since I was a child, I used to enjoy watching films on TV or being taken to the cinema to see a good one in the company of my father and sister, most of the times. I must confess that I became sort of hooked on films and the stories behind them so whenever there was a film on TV late at night, I reluctantly submitted to go to bed.
ResponderEliminarUndoubtedly, Universal Studios have produced extraordinary films, as Jose Luis has already mentioned some of the favourite ones, I’ll comment on a classic, another Alfred Hitchcock’s “must” that immediately springs to my mind, Rebecca.
As you may know, Rebecca was a film adaptation of the namesake novel by Daphne du Maurier. Two years after having written her story (1938) achieved her greatest recognition through this outstanding film, which won two Oscars (Best Film and Best Picture) despite having been nominated in 11 categories.
I won’t tell you much of the plot in case you still haven’t seen it. However incredible it may sound, the secret of its success relies on the following facts. The whole story is told by a naïve young woman (Joan Fontaine) whose name we never know, and only when she marries Maxim de Winter (Laurence Olivier), a handsome and rich widower, she becomes, of course, Mrs de Winter. However, this causes confusion since there are constant references to the first Mrs de Winter, Rebecca, who seemed to be the narrator’s counterpart and who everyone thought had drowned in the sea near Manderley, the old mansion where they live. Throughout 130 minutes, the past becomes the present, and the omnipresent Rebecca together with the diehard, her devoted housekeeper, Mrs Danvers (Judith Anderson) rule the whole film in a dramatically tense atmosphere.
It was such an impact the one created by the main character that in Spain, we started naming the cardigan Joan Fontaine wore as “rebeca”.
Well, I think Rebecca is a film you can’t miss. Thanks, Jose Luis, for giving me the opportunity to write about one of my real “passions”.