It's May the Lusty Month of May

from the soundtrack of my life

'Camelot' Blu Ray Releases Today

i love 'camelot'. i contend it is one of the best translations of a broadway show to film media. i love the book, the look, the score, the casting and the direction. richard harris and vanessa redgrave are the perfect arthur and guenivere. if there is a weak link it is franco nero as lancelot getting one of the worst dubbed singing voices in musical history. otherwise it is actually a better film than the original broadway production. 

richard harris plays arthur as a big kid with a big heart, a lot of love, warmth and charm. he is just so damn perfect. vanessa redgrave gives us a guenivere that is worth fighting a war over. and she has never been more sensual as  a guenivere should be.

the score soars. it seldom falls flat although 'if ever i would leave you' one of it's most famous tunes is utterly destroyed by the aforementioned nero dubbing. rather than list my favorites i give you some videos instead. please realize these are not from the blu ray version but some older you tube clips.

'i wonder what the king is doing tonight' introduces us to mr harris's youthfully charming arthur

'where are the simple joys of maidenhood' in turn introduces us to a  youthful yet sensual guenivere

'the lusty month of may' gives us an equally lusty guenivere, lusty knights and lusty ladies

'camelot'

'what do the simple folk do'

'take me to the fair'

'how to handle a woman'

don't let it be forgot
that once there was a spot
for one brief shining moment...


and now it is on blu ray forever

 

Oscarbation: A Look Back at 1968 for Best Actress

1968 was a mixed bag in the best actress category. and oddly enough it ended in a tie. there was no tie! there was only one best actress in the category. in fact the second best actress of the year was not even nominated. i'll address this major oversight tomorrow.

#5

joanne woodward in ''rachel, rachel',

some overact. some underact. some sort of walk through a role. ms woodward was either underacting in this film or just walked through it because her husband and director paul newman wanted her in the film. mr newman did no favor for his wife. the film, as well as ms woodward's performance, is as dull as dishwater. she did not deserve a nomination for this one. another actress deserved this slot.

#4

patricia neal in 'the subject was roses'

a talky stagy film from a better play. ms. neal gave it her all following a stroke. the film is easily forgotten as well as ms neal's performance. the nom was a 'welcome back' nod to the beloved actress. it was undeserved especially condidering who was left out in 1964. and i repeat another actress was most certainly left out.

#3

barbra streisand in 'funny girl'

ms streisand gave a socko performance in her screen debut. her singing was a joy, her comedy moments were spot on. the problem was in the dramatic moments. she played it her way. it was our introduction to the ms streisand who believed she did not need a director. she split the oscar with katharine hepburn. this is patently absurd. barbra would go on to give some other even better performances. it's still a pleasure to watch the first half of this film. the second half is drudgery.

#2

vanessa redgrave in 'isadora'

depending on what version you see ms. redgrave gives a great performance or a fairly good one. this film has been edited and shredded to death over time disgracefully. if you are lucky enough to see an original uncut version of the film you will see a wild manic performance that only the divine vanessa could give. she uncannily embodies dancer isadora duncan. i contend it is her best film role to date.

#1

katharine hepburn in 'the lion in winter'

me hepburn gives the best damn performance of her long career in this film. ms hepburn gives one of the most brilliant film performances of all time in this film. she can make you laugh, cry, get angry or be empathetic from one moment to the next. i cannot praise her, or this film, enough. she gives us a masterclass in acting in 'the lion in winter'. splitting the prize with streisand? stranger things have happened.

sublime

Oscarbation: 1977

 

today's birthday celebrant vanessa redgrave deservedly won the best supporting actress oscar in 1977 in this lillian hellman tale of friendship. her controversial acceptance speech created quite a stir.

Happy Birthday Vanessa

vanessa starred in a number of my favorite films and amongst them were 'camelot'. it was a lush adaptation of the broadway musical and vanessa played guinivere as a queen a king would go to war over. vanessa proved herself worthy as a musical leading lady who sang her musical numbers with a sultry and smoking voice.

trailer

'simple joys of maidenhood'

'camelot'

'what do the simple folk do'

'the lusty month of may'

'take me to the fair'

'i loved you once in silence'

vanessa was oscar nominated in 1968 as best actress for 'isadora'. based on the life of dancer isadora duncan it was largely unseen. pity as it has a brilliant performance by ms. redgrave. on my wish list for disc release.

trailer

three scenes including the end of isadora duncan

what can i say about ken russell's 'the devils'? a mad nun, a sex crazed priest and total all around depravity. not for the faint of heart. and another vanessa film that may be lost for all time. it's never really been available on disk except for a lousy 'from tv' copy. it's a shame considering the garbage that is released on disc that a major film maker's work is wallowing in limbo.

trailer

just one of the more bizarre scenes in the film

'murder on the orient express' is truly one of my favorite all time greats. a star studded cast, a full lush score and an amazing adaptation of the agatha christie novel. all around grand entertainment.

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a great scene combining the departure of the orient express and a piece of the amazing score that sent it on its way

and what a score!

and most recently there is 'letters from juliet' in which ms. redgrave stole the film playing a woman in search of her lost love in verona.

trailer

featurette

'Playing for Time' ****stars

one of the best tv movies (1980) has been released this month. the extraordinary talents of vanessa redgrave and jane alexander raise this holocaust drama above most holocaust films. it is a gift that someone finally saw fit to give it a dvd release.

'Letters to Juliet' Opens Today

the trailer