映画批評から英語を知るのもあり。楽しまなければ英語は身に付かない。
I am not a native speaker of English. In order to improve my English ability,I would like to continue learing English every day. I am sure that the best way not to give up learning English is to enjoy it. I like movies, so learning English through movie-related documents is a suitable option for me. Reading and understanding a lot of the movie documents written by a native is a good way,I think. I would like to be able to write my reviews on movies fluently.
Judy Garland really projects Dorothy's innocenece and vulneribility
(脆弱さ）, and Margaret Hamilton truly scares you as the Wicked Witch. The special effects are still amazing, even after all that's come along since.Unlike many of today's films that age fast, this will continue to last.Young Dorthy is tired of her ordinary life in her ordinary town and is suddenly whisked away(連れ去られる） to Oz, a dream land full of color and beauty. Masterfully done job on everyone's part as the wonderful movie unfolds. It is so much fun, it's no wonder it is still around. It has survived many movies of the same time, as well as countlessly bad sequels and spin-offs, which is no surprise at all. Great cast in a great movie proves that being over the raindow is timeless.
The Wizard of Oz is rated ★★★★★
Would you please click below?I would appreciate it.
Your one click motivates me to continue writing this blog!! にほんブログ村
The film begins with a voiceover of a woman speaking the first lines from the novel: "Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again", to the images of a ruined country manor. She continues that she can never return to Manderley — as it no longer exists, except as a ruin.
Joan Fontaine plays a young woman (who is never named), an orphan, who works as a paid companion to the wealthy Edythe Van Hopper (Florence Bates). In Monte Carlo, she meets the aristocratic widower Maximilian (Maxim) de Winter (Laurence Olivier) and they fall in love. Within weeks, they decide to get married.
There's wonderful acting by Joan Fontaine as a naive and very green bride who marries a rich man and moves into his mansion. Little does she know that her husband's first wife had a very shady past, and a doting maid who still resides at the home. This movie is just wonderful, I encourage any romantic suspense lover to watch it! One of Hitchcock's best.
Rebecca is rated ★★★★★
Would you please click below?I would appreciate it.
Your one click motivates me to continue writing this blog!! にほんブログ村
Spoiler alert!You might as well not watch the below video as it reveals the ending(まだ見ておられない方は、以下のビデオを見ない方が良いと思います。結末が分りますので）。
The movie is set in London in 1914, on the eve of World War I. 1914 was the year Chaplin made his first movie. Calvero (Charles Chaplin), once a famous stage clown but now a washed-up drunk, saves a young dancer, Thereza Ambrose, alias Terry (Claire Bloom), from suicide. Nursing her back to health, Calvero helps Terry regain her self-esteem and resume her dancing career. In doing so he regains his own self-confidence, but his attempts to make a comeback are less successful...
it's the story of a once-great stage comedian (Calvero, a formerly great tramp clown, played by Charlie Chaplin), who's been failing in his career, and has become an alcholic, who saves the life of a despondent ballerina (played by Claire Bloom) from a suicide attempt. The film is a juxtaposition(組み合わせ、並列） of these two personalities, one who rallies & goes onward, the other who falls further. It contains some of Chaplin's funniest & finest moments, include a nice pantomime of a flea circus, and a duet towards the end of the film with Buster Keaton. I wasn't really into charlie until I saw this and "the great Dictator". I know they are classic classic's when I watch them again.When he made this film he was about 64 years old....yet bouncy and buoyant(元気溌剌）...very charismatic, sweet and charming.
Limelight is rated ★★★★★
Would you please click below?I would appreciate it.
Your one click motivates me to continue writing this blog!! にほんブログ村
The Great Dictator is a comedy film by Charlie Chaplin released in October 1940. Like most Chaplin films, he wrote, produced, and directed, in addition to starring as the lead. Having been the only Hollywood film maker to continue to make silent films well into the period of sound films, this was Chaplin's first true talking picture as well as his most commercially successful film.More importantly, it was the first major feature film of its period to bitterly satirize Nazism and Adolf Hitler.
At the time of its first release, the United States was still formally at peace with Nazi Germany. Chaplin's film advanced a stirring, controversial condemnation of Hitler, fascism, antisemitism(反ユダヤ主義), and the Nazis, whom he excoriates(激しく非難) in the film as "machine men, with machine minds and machine hearts".
Not only is it funny, but its message, especially the end speech, is deeply moving
Speech script:
I'm sorry but I don't want to be an Emperor, that's not my business. I don't want to rule or conquer anyone. I should like to help everyone if possible, Jew, gentile, black man, white. We all want to help one another, human beings are like that. We all want to live by each other's happiness, not by each other's misery. We don't want to hate and despise one another. In this world there is room for everyone and the earth is rich and can provide for everyone.
The way of life can be free and beautiful. But we have lost the way.
Greed has poisoned men's souls, has barricaded the world with hate;
has goose-stepped us into misery and bloodshed.
We have developed speed but we have shut ourselves in:
machinery that gives abundance has left us in want.
Our knowledge has made us cynical,
our cleverness hard and unkind.
We think too much and feel too little:
More than machinery we need humanity;
More than cleverness we need kindness and gentleness.
Without these qualities, life will be violent and all will be lost.
The aeroplane and the radio have brought us closer together. The very nature of these inventions cries out for the goodness in men, cries out for universal brotherhood for the unity of us all. Even now my voice is reaching millions throughout the world, millions of despairing men, women and little children, victims of a system that makes men torture and imprison innocent people. To those who can hear me I say "Do not despair".
The misery that is now upon us is but the passing of greed, the bitterness of men who fear the way of human progress: the hate of men will pass and dictators die and the power they took from the people, will return to the people and so long as men die liberty will never perish. . .
Soldiers: don't give yourselves to brutes, men who despise you and enslave you, who regiment your lives, tell you what to do, what to think and what to feel, who drill you, diet you, treat you as cattle, as cannon fodder.
Don't give yourselves to these unnatural men, machine men, with machine minds and machine hearts. You are not machines. You are not cattle. You are men. You have the love of humanity in your hearts. You don't hate, only the unloved hate. Only the unloved and the unnatural. Soldiers: don't fight for slavery, fight for liberty.
In the seventeenth chapter of Saint Luke it is written:
"The kingdom of God is within man"
Not one man, nor a group of men, but in all men; in you, the people.
You the people have the power, the power to create machines, the power to create happiness. You the people have the power to make life free and beautiful, to make this life a wonderful adventure. Then in the name of democracy let's use that power, let us all unite. Let us fight for a new world, a decent world that will give men a chance to work, that will give you the future and old age and security. By the promise of these things, brutes have risen to power, but they lie. They do not fulfil their promise, they never will. Dictators free themselves but they enslave the people. Now let us fight to fulfil that promise. Let us fight to free the world, to do away with national barriers, do away with greed, with hate and intolerance. Let us fight for a world of reason, a world where science and progress will lead to all men's happiness.
Soldiers! In the name of democracy, let us all unite!
. . .
The Great Dictator is rated ★★★★★＋
Would you please click below?I would appreciate it.
Your one click motivates me to continue writing this blog!! にほんブログ村
The last five minutes are simply exquisite,the scene takes on such emotional gravity as to defy explanation. Though shot in the early days of talking pictures, "City Lights" was silent. Chaplin still held onto his immortal character, the Little Tramp. Outwardly appearing as a bum(ホームレス), the Tramp has a heart of gold and is rather self-sacrificing. He encounters a blind flower girl. Determined to pay for a surgery to restore her sight, Chaplin performs several jobs to secure funds for the operation.
The end of the picture is a true gem(珠玉), among the most memorable and touching climaxes in screen history.Although this film is rather quite funny (the boxing match had me in stitches(笑い転げる）), Chaplin's brilliantly ends this film with one of the most touching scenes in cinema. Imagine spending 90 minutes laughing uncontrollably, only to be brought to your knees in tears as the tramp and the blind girl reunite. Surely this emotional transition is one of the greatest feats in the history of film.
City Lights is rated ★★★★★
Would you please click below?I would appreciate it.
Your one click motivates me to continue writing this blog!! にほんブログ村
This film let the imagination of the viewer make up the horror, as everything is in the unseen.Irena(Simone Simon) is cursed with the supernatural ability to turn into a cat when angered. Irena is a tragic figure, doomed by her own inner terrors and torments. This deadly ability causes the detoriation of her happy marriage, the death of a man, as well as hers A sense of suspense and wonder permeates（浸透、充満する） the film, thanks to producer Val Lewton's celebrated use of light and shadow and the brisk direction of Robert Wise. Because of their small budgets, these films depended more on good writing and haunting atmospherics, rather then the usual corny（陳腐な、物まねの）, special effects to scare audiences. Lewton's movies might have at the time been considered "B-films", but they were extremely well made and most effective.
Cat People is rated ★★★★
Would you please click below?I would appreciate it.
Your one click motivates me to continue writing this blog!! にほんブログ村
Power, greed, corruption and slavery are the main focus here and are enhanced by the constant use of religious imagery throughout the film. Despite the films age, the complicated sets and backdrops are spectacular and beautiful to behold. From the sweeping views of the ultra-modern Metropolis with its imposing skyscrapers, endless stream of cars and airplanes which fly within city limits to the workers' smog-infested dwellings and the majestic work machines that run their lives to the thousands of extras who were carefully set and choreographed all contribute in giving "Metropolis" its trancelike quality. The visual features used in the film are highly impressive especially when the technological conditions of the German film industry in the 1920s are considered. The symbolical usage of lights and shadows as well as the music contribute to the plot, and these features artistically enrich the film. The mechanical and cold atmosphere of the city is successfully represented through architecture. The gestures and mimics of the actors in Metropolis is one of the things that you cannot find in Hollywood films. This is absolutely a masterpiece of silent films.
Lang's film has many levels; one can approach it politically, in terms of class dynamics or in terms of gender and the representation of woman or its association with the evil, etc. The characters are brilliantly used for conveying the sub-themes in the film. You have to see this multidimensional master piece of science fiction; it is a feast for the eye, for the ear and the mind.
Metropolice is rated ★★★★★
Would you please click below?I would appreciate it.
Your one click motivates me to continue writing this blog!! にほんブログ村
The movie opens with a policeman committing suicide in his home. His wife immediately finds him dead and reads a suicide note. Instead of calling the police, she first calls a major crime syndicate boss named Mike Lagana (Alexander Scourby). The police eventually arrive at the dead policeman's house and detective sergeant Dave Bannion (Glenn Ford) leads the investigation. One of the attractions of this story is the pace: it is fast-moving, and it's not too dated either, despite being over 50 years old.
From now on, I rate the movie by the number of star mark as follows:
★★★★★(best)
★(worst)
The big heat is ★★★★★
Would you please click below?I would appreciate it.
Your one click motivates me to continue writing this blog!! にほんブログ村
The famous opening scene, an uninterrupted two minute tracking shot that bridges the US and Mexican borders, is almost enough to recommend this movie on it own. But then consider the cast of characters Welles assembled: Heston, Leigh, Dietrich, all giving masterful performances. As usual, it is Welles himself who steals the show.Welles himself is made to look huge. He was already a bit overweight anyway, but the camera angles used and make-up only serve to emphasis his bulk. He plays Hank Quinlan a crooked plice chief. The other main characters are Charlton Heston as Vargas a Mexican Policeman and Janet Leigh is his wife Susan Vargas. Both are excellent. From the famous oprning tracking shot, which lasts over 3 minutes, through to the ending this is a dark tale of corruption and drugs. The story is set right on the border between the U.S and Mexico so you are continually unsure about jurisdiction. You will have to concentrate when watching this.
Would you please click below?I would appreciate it.
Your one click motivates me to continue writing this blog!! にほんブログ村
Mildred Pierce is a 1945 American drama film starring Joan Crawford, Ann Blyth, Jack Carson, Zachary Scott, and Eve Arden in a film noir about a long-suffering mother and her ungrateful daughter.
This melodramatic film noir is one of the most decorated films of the genre, nominated for 6 Academy Awards, including Best Picture, and winner of the Best Actress Oscar for Joan Crawford's portrayal of the title character. Like several of film noir's most famous examples, "Double Indemnity" among them, "Mildred Pierce" is based on a novel by James M. Cain. In this case, the novel was adapted by Ranald MacDougall, with some uncredited assistance from William Faulkner. As the film opens, Mildred Pierce (Joan Crawford), a sophisticated woman, obviously distraught, makes an apparent attempt to frame a business associate for her husband's murder. She is taken to the police station, where she recounts the events of the past few years to an investigating officer. We see, in flashback, her split from her first husband, her preoccupation with providing an aristocratic lifestyle for her eldest daughter, her business success, and eventual marriage to her now-deceased second husband.
Would you please click below?I would appreciate it.
Your one click motivates me to continue writing this blog!! にほんブログ村
Lana Turner herself admitted this film is here career best.Part of this film was set near beaches in santa monica and other parts of southern california,it is enjoyable to see the unspoiled beauty of southern california beaches of mid 1940s.Turner gives an icy hot performance here, with many long takes between she and Garfield as they are drawn to each other like moths to a flame. Much is made of director Tay Garnett framing Turner in sexy white outfits throughout the film. Her best scene, however, and the one in which she is the most strikinginly beautiful, she is dressed in a black bathrobe. Cora is in the kitchen caressing a knife and agonizing over her dreams and what needs to be done to make them come true. When Frank walks in on her, her voice catches, her reluctance to follow through real. She tells Garfield in a quivering(震える）voice, "If you really loved me."
Would you please click below?I would appreciate it.
Your one click motivates me to continue writing this blog!! にほんブログ村
"How Green Was My Valley" is one of John Ford's best films,the sentimental story of the Morgans, a family of Welsh coal miners.
It is the warm picture of a closeknit loving family .
It is a tear jerker(涙を誘う） but not in a silly sentimental way.
What this movie suggests is that the inspiration one needs to overcome adversity need not be found only in the wisdom of others.
Sometimes,it can be found within one's own heart. Huw Morgan found that out even as a child.
Would you please click below?I would appreciate it.
Your one click motivates me to continue writing this blog!! にほんブログ村
The movie is a true classic, endeared by generations of filmgoers and influencing much of what we see in today's romantic comedies. It's responsible for a specific formula: The common scenario being boy meets girl, boy and girl despise each other, boy and girl fall in love with each other, boy loses girl, boy eventually wins girl back. You've seen it. So many times in fact that the stories and characters generally seem jaded (うんざり）and contrived（わざとらしい）. Many of these films fail to duplicate the magic of this 1934 classic. The acting, too, usually isn't up to par to a Gable or Colbert--both of whom deliver stellar（素晴らしい） performances in this film. The sparring （スパーリング）between these two legendary actors is priceless!
Would you please click below?I would appreciate it.
Your one click motivates me to continue writing this blog!! にほんブログ村
It's the (mostly) true story of Edward D. Wood, Jr. Wood was a rabid(狂気じみた、それほど熱意がある） movie-lover who passionately wanted to make movies and didn't care what he had to do to make it happen.In addition to his lack of talent, Ed liked to wear womens' clothing. Sometimes, he supposedly even directed his movies while wearing womens' clothing. His first film was a debacle（大失敗） called Glen or Glenda, one of the most painfully inept and mind-blowingly awful movies in the history of cinema. This is a great movie that is so frequently overlooked among all the great movies that came out in 1994. Even in Tim Burton's filmography, the film is often overlooked. Anyone who loves cult movies, or just movies in general should see Ed Wood. It's an offbeat（型破り）, unusual masterpiece that tells a fascinating story about a man who made up for his lack of talent with an abundance of passion.
Well, this film is not listed in the best 1001movies mentioned before(chucles).
Would you please click below?I would appreciate it.
Your one click motivates me to continue writing this blog!! にほんブログ村
