What movie are you viewing at the moment? - Page 19

**scoundrel** · February 8th, 2010, 05:32 PM

Just finished on Film4. Not an outstanding classic but very watchable and features some good character acting from Jennifer Jones as Miss Dove and others, particularly Robert Stack and Peggy Knudsen (who seems to have worked mostly in television but had the bit part of gangster Eddie Mars' wife in the 1946 classic noir The Big Sleep).

It's a re-imagining of Goodbye Mr Chips: Miss Dove is a formidable and uncompromising schoolmarm in a very small town in middle America who is taken very ill with a tumour and has to be hospitalised. The film alternates from her perilous present to flashbacks of her life.

By becoming a schoolteacher, Miss Dove loses the chance to marry. But her apparent loss is the gain of generations of children who pass through her schoolroom and the film shows that she is held in deep affection by these kids now they are adults. It could be unbearably sentimental. But Jennifer Jones brings a refreshing toughness and astringency to her character. Miss Dove is feared as well as loved, because she is extremely strict: she is loved for being fair, honest (sometimes brutally so) and kind when this is the right response. A number of her grown up former pupils, their own home circumstances chaotic, turn to her at various times for crucial advice as to a surrogate mother, knowing she will pull no punches, but also knowing she will tell no tales and that she will wish them well.

The school precinct cop, William Holloway (Chuck Connors) idolises her because she refused to allow the middle class parents to marginalise him in her class on the grounds that his family were ''white trash'' (although this term is implied rather than stated in the genteel filmscript) and instead provided in her classroom the only stable and supportive environment in his childhood. He graduates high school, the first member of his family ever to do so, joins the US Marines to serve in WW2, is promoted to sergeant and wins a few creditable campaign medals, and ultimately, with Miss Dove's help, uses his GI Bill entitlement to go to college before joining the police. He acknowledges her as the inspirational figure of his life.

Another pupil is hospital nurse Billie Jean Green (Peggy Knudsen), a very capable nurse who gives Miss Dove very good care in her hospital bed. But Billie Jean has a bitter secret: she is an unmarried mother, not a widow, as she publicly maintains for the sake of her daughter. In mid century middle America, illegitimate children and unmarried mothers were ostracised (see Peyton Place a film from the same era about the same social time and place). Billie Jean has worked and struggled to raise her daughter, always hiding the secret. Only because she is being seriously courted by Officer Holloway has she told him the truth. He can be relied upon to tell no-one else, but he handled it badly and the newly re-injured Billie Jean confides the story to her former teacher in the hospital room. Miss Dove is firmly Victorian in her sexual mores and doesn't soften her words in saying so, but she isn't shocked as Officer Holloway was because she never had a false illusion about Billie Jean. However, she approves of Billie Jean as a nurse and as a person, likes the way she has rebuilt her life, and takes her opportunities to let Officer Holloway know he has been a fool. Gradually, with a little manipulation from their former teacher, these lovers are reconciled.

The reversal of authority roles when Miss Dove falls sick is a theme anyone who has ever had the experience of being hospitalised will relate to. Her doctor, Thomas Baker (Robert Stack) is another ex-pupil but once Miss Dove is in his care, she is the one who must behave herself and do as she is told. The most intriguing moment is when he diagnoses her tumour, on her spine, an extremely difficult operation even today and right on the limits of surgury in the era of the film. Offered a famous and eminent surgeon by the retired bank president, played by Robert Douglas, who wants to redeem his debt of honour from the day she stood in the queue and bought crucial minutes until he could close the till when there was a run on his bank, Miss Dove prefers that Dr Baker do the operation. As a child, he once ''borrowed'' her fathers' gold watch, took it apart and reassembled it perfectly, and she observes drily, ''You were always very delicate with your fingers, Thomas...''

Before being anaesthetised, she asks Baker: ''Where will I wake up?''

''Here, Miss Dove. In your room.''

But Miss Dove spots the hesitation and knows what he is trying not to say. So she gives him her father's gold watch, just in case she doesn't wake up in her hospital room. It's very understated, but an impressive portrayal of cold courage.

Jennifer Jones was a very good character actress. Except in the sequence when she is a young woman, she uses acting craft, not her undeniable good looks, to carry this film. She does this very well.

MaxJoker · February 9th, 2010, 03:12 PM

Currently watching it on plus plus minus Four extra (Or whatever the repeating channel is called ) ,eventhough it`s cheesier than a ton of Stilton

Come to mention it slowly watching a ton of Stilton would be more entertaining.

Well it couldn`t be any worse

**hattertim** · February 9th, 2010, 06:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MaxJoker

Currently watching it on plus plus minus Four extra (Or whatever the repeating channel is called ) ,eventhough it`s cheesier than a ton of Stilton

Come to mention it slowly watching a ton of Stilton would be more entertaining.

Well it couldn`t be any worse

It's fair to say that it was the law of diminishing returns (and a lower budget) when it came to the Apes films. However cheesy this one is, though, it's a hell of a lot better than many 5th films in other franchises!

**TCO95** · February 9th, 2010, 06:24 PM

The True Story of Sherlock Holmes.

I had no idea Sir Arthur Conan Doyle based the character on a real man, his teacher Dr. Bell. He's credited with being the first forensic investigator. He seems to be a very forward thinking man for his times. Very interesting program.

Sharu · February 9th, 2010, 06:31 PM

Tokyo Gore School (2009

http://www.freemoviestheatre.com/fre...hool_2009.html

MaxJoker · February 10th, 2010, 12:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hattertim

It's fair to say that it was the law of diminishing returns (and a lower budget) when it came to the Apes films. However cheesy this one is, though, it's a hell of a lot better than many 5th films in other franchises!

What you mean like police academy , Halloween , Friday 13th ?

Because if you do we`ll have to differ

As Planet was so cheesy i had to go take a cholesterol test after watching it.

Yet i do love it so

Yeah i especially loved the attention to detail concerning the monkey masks , because as we all know Apes faces are completely rigid expressionless unmoving ,and for some reason contain a set of human lips and teeth just behind the outer fraying rubber layer

Anyway i`m currently half watching Primal Secrets on Five USA , supposed to be a mystery but it`s just over half an hour in and i`ve guessed the harmless old lady in it must have killed her daughter.

Only got it on because Meg Tilly`s in it , she`s such an elfin cutie

MaxJoker · February 10th, 2010, 03:02 PM

I now be half watching ( Hey i`m working here boss, i`m working ! ) Living with the enemy on Channel 5 , it`s a typical TV movie of the minute bit of nonsense but it`s on because the utterly lovely Sarah Lancaster is starring in it

" HOT DAMN !!! "

Extempus · February 11th, 2010, 08:59 AM

The last movie I watched was Scooby Doo. Yes, I watch fun, mindless movies on occasion.

**Devius** · February 16th, 2010, 06:18 PM

Finished watching "District 9" - imo, it's superior to "Avatar"

**Jeff Vader** · February 17th, 2010, 11:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by snowy25

just been watching a lot of german movies right now, shame i cant speak german but the subs are usually quite good. recently watched these 3 movies.
barfuss
rabbit without ears (keinohrhasen)
das experiment

i enjoyed them all. the first two were funny to waatch and the third wasa little tougher to watch, mainly because its based on a true story but overall enjoyed all 3.

I thought that Das Experiment was also a bit disturbing, in how quickly things got out of hand - I don't want to go into too much detail and spoil the film for people. I'd also recommend it.

February 8th, 2010, 05:32 PM	#181
scoundrel Super Moderator Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: England Posts: 26,255 Thanks: 162,437 Thanked 278,678 Times in 26,199 Posts	Good Morning Miss Dove (1955) Just finished on Film4. Not an outstanding classic but very watchable and features some good character acting from Jennifer Jones as Miss Dove and others, particularly Robert Stack and Peggy Knudsen (who seems to have worked mostly in television but had the bit part of gangster Eddie Mars' wife in the 1946 classic noir The Big Sleep). It's a re-imagining of Goodbye Mr Chips: Miss Dove is a formidable and uncompromising schoolmarm in a very small town in middle America who is taken very ill with a tumour and has to be hospitalised. The film alternates from her perilous present to flashbacks of her life. By becoming a schoolteacher, Miss Dove loses the chance to marry. But her apparent loss is the gain of generations of children who pass through her schoolroom and the film shows that she is held in deep affection by these kids now they are adults. It could be unbearably sentimental. But Jennifer Jones brings a refreshing toughness and astringency to her character. Miss Dove is feared as well as loved, because she is extremely strict: she is loved for being fair, honest (sometimes brutally so) and kind when this is the right response. A number of her grown up former pupils, their own home circumstances chaotic, turn to her at various times for crucial advice as to a surrogate mother, knowing she will pull no punches, but also knowing she will tell no tales and that she will wish them well. The school precinct cop, William Holloway (Chuck Connors) idolises her because she refused to allow the middle class parents to marginalise him in her class on the grounds that his family were ''white trash'' (although this term is implied rather than stated in the genteel filmscript) and instead provided in her classroom the only stable and supportive environment in his childhood. He graduates high school, the first member of his family ever to do so, joins the US Marines to serve in WW2, is promoted to sergeant and wins a few creditable campaign medals, and ultimately, with Miss Dove's help, uses his GI Bill entitlement to go to college before joining the police. He acknowledges her as the inspirational figure of his life. Another pupil is hospital nurse Billie Jean Green (Peggy Knudsen), a very capable nurse who gives Miss Dove very good care in her hospital bed. But Billie Jean has a bitter secret: she is an unmarried mother, not a widow, as she publicly maintains for the sake of her daughter. In mid century middle America, illegitimate children and unmarried mothers were ostracised (see Peyton Place a film from the same era about the same social time and place). Billie Jean has worked and struggled to raise her daughter, always hiding the secret. Only because she is being seriously courted by Officer Holloway has she told him the truth. He can be relied upon to tell no-one else, but he handled it badly and the newly re-injured Billie Jean confides the story to her former teacher in the hospital room. Miss Dove is firmly Victorian in her sexual mores and doesn't soften her words in saying so, but she isn't shocked as Officer Holloway was because she never had a false illusion about Billie Jean. However, she approves of Billie Jean as a nurse and as a person, likes the way she has rebuilt her life, and takes her opportunities to let Officer Holloway know he has been a fool. Gradually, with a little manipulation from their former teacher, these lovers are reconciled. The reversal of authority roles when Miss Dove falls sick is a theme anyone who has ever had the experience of being hospitalised will relate to. Her doctor, Thomas Baker (Robert Stack) is another ex-pupil but once Miss Dove is in his care, she is the one who must behave herself and do as she is told. The most intriguing moment is when he diagnoses her tumour, on her spine, an extremely difficult operation even today and right on the limits of surgury in the era of the film. Offered a famous and eminent surgeon by the retired bank president, played by Robert Douglas, who wants to redeem his debt of honour from the day she stood in the queue and bought crucial minutes until he could close the till when there was a run on his bank, Miss Dove prefers that Dr Baker do the operation. As a child, he once ''borrowed'' her fathers' gold watch, took it apart and reassembled it perfectly, and she observes drily, ''You were always very delicate with your fingers, Thomas...'' Before being anaesthetised, she asks Baker: ''Where will I wake up?'' ''Here, Miss Dove. In your room.'' But Miss Dove spots the hesitation and knows what he is trying not to say. So she gives him her father's gold watch, just in case she doesn't wake up in her hospital room. It's very understated, but an impressive portrayal of cold courage. Jennifer Jones was a very good character actress. Except in the sequence when she is a young woman, she uses acting craft, not her undeniable good looks, to carry this film. She does this very well. __________________ To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

February 9th, 2010, 03:12 PM	#182
MaxJoker Beloved Brother Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Cemetery Gardens_Arterial Blood Lane_Rampton Secure Unit_Extra Violent F Wing_Cell 19 Posts: 69,106 Thanks: 372,713 Thanked 987,850 Times in 69,067 Posts	Currently watching it on plus plus minus Four extra (Or whatever the repeating channel is called ) ,eventhough it`s cheesier than a ton of Stilton Come to mention it slowly watching a ton of Stilton would be more entertaining. Well it couldn`t be any worse __________________ My hypocrisy only goes so To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

February 9th, 2010, 06:24 PM	#184
TCO95 Veteran Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: This member is not allowed in your country. Posts: 5,176 Thanks: 47,615 Thanked 64,805 Times in 5,130 Posts	The True Story of Sherlock Holmes. I had no idea Sir Arthur Conan Doyle based the character on a real man, his teacher Dr. Bell. He's credited with being the first forensic investigator. He seems to be a very forward thinking man for his times. Very interesting program. __________________ To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

February 9th, 2010, 06:31 PM	#185
Sharu Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Berlin Posts: 443 Thanks: 15,203 Thanked 5,980 Times in 441 Posts	Tokyo Gore School (2009 http://www.freemoviestheatre.com/fre...hool_2009.html __________________ "some people never go crazy; what truly horrible lives they must lead" -Bukowski

February 10th, 2010, 03:02 PM	#187
MaxJoker Beloved Brother Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Cemetery Gardens_Arterial Blood Lane_Rampton Secure Unit_Extra Violent F Wing_Cell 19 Posts: 69,106 Thanks: 372,713 Thanked 987,850 Times in 69,067 Posts	I now be half watching ( Hey i`m working here boss, i`m working ! ) Living with the enemy on Channel 5 , it`s a typical TV movie of the minute bit of nonsense but it`s on because the utterly lovely Sarah Lancaster is starring in it " HOT DAMN !!! " __________________ My hypocrisy only goes so To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

February 11th, 2010, 08:59 AM	#188
Extempus Member Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Napa Valley, CA Posts: 97 Thanks: 9 Thanked 694 Times in 95 Posts	The last movie I watched was Scooby Doo. Yes, I watch fun, mindless movies on occasion. __________________ You will always be missed, sweet Bettie. You will live in our hearts forever.

February 16th, 2010, 06:18 PM	#189
Devius Veteran Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: It's a London Thing.... Posts: 23,534 Thanks: 142,187 Thanked 228,463 Times in 23,568 Posts	Finished watching "District 9" - imo, it's superior to "Avatar" __________________ "I've had it with them, I've had it with you, I've had it with ALL THIS - I WANT ROOM SERVICE!* I want the club sandwich, I want the cold Mexican beer, I want a $10,000-a-night hooker!"* Johnny Mnemonic (1995)