What three movies would you pick if you were guest programmer on Turner Classic Movies?

"Der Letzte Mann / The Last Laugh" - classic F.W. Murnau from 1924, at a time when the German film industry was a serious rival to Hollywood, and the biggest film studio in the world was in Berlin. Pure cinema: manages to tell its story with virtually no intertitles, and famous for its use of subjective and "entfesselt" - literally, "unchained" - camera, 50 years before the invetion of the Steadicam. Towering performance by Emil Jannings. Murnau also manages to make the best of the silly happy ending forced on him by the studio (some things never change) by exposing it for what it is.

For a bit of levity in between:
"Gold Diggers of 1933" - Busby Berkley does the Great Depression; a blast of joy, ridiculousness and sadness all rolled into one. I've been having a hell of a time trying to get my hands on a Region 2 DVD to show this to my class, but finally managed to locate a copy with Spanish subtitles. Better than nothing. Marvel at the gorgeousness of Ginger Roger's face in extreme close-up singing, "We're in the Money" (also a good corrective to anyone who claims that Americans don't understand irony).

"Ace in the Hole" - also still absurdly hard to get hold of, one of the best Billy Wilder movies and Kirk Douglas performances there is. I've only ever seen it once (on TV years ago) but remember being amazed by the depth of its cynicism and the prescience of its message.

Thanks, David, that was fun!

Thanks, David, that was fun!

So was your list! It's like you were just waiting for the opportunity to program on cable.

I'm boggled that Ace in the Hole and Golddiggers are hard to find. They seem to be on TV over here frequently.

I love Jan Sterling in Ace in the Hole.

Reporter: "Do you want to pray?"
Jan: "Kneeling bags my nylons."

It's like you were just waiting for the opportunity to program on cable.

The only problem being I don't actually get TCM over here....

But yes, it's incredible to me in this day and age how some movies can still be so hard to get a hold of.

Corwood, the Apu Trilogy is easily available over here, maybe I can swap you for "Ace in the Hole"...?

But yes, it's incredible to me in this day and age how some movies can still be so hard to get a hold of.

Heh, this is why I've been hitting the Grey Market this year. I just scored a cool, very late sixties mod French movie titled Erotissimo from ModCinema.com.

Also, you can find a lot of stuff on All Clues No Solutions and similar sites.

I'm boggled that Ace in the Hole and Golddiggers are hard to find. They seem to be on TV over here frequently.

Not here, or at least - not on non-subscription channels.

Edit: my problem is Region 2. I know there are ways round this, but I need DVDs I can show in class (using ancient DVD players) and possibly lend to students. Also poverty (can't really afford to spend $$$$s on one single DVD).

What three movies would you pick if you were guest programmer on Turner Classic Movies?

Lavender Hill Mob, George Cukor's A Double Life, and Faisons un rêve (because it's truly a crime that Sacha Guitry is not better known--his creativity and delivery was genius).

Le Voyage Dans La Lune, Testament of Dr. Mabuse, Alexander Nevsky.

Good programming!

megan, you saw that Eclipse (Criterion) put out a Sacha Guitry set, no?

megan, you saw that Eclipse (Criterion) put out a Sacha Guitry set, no?

Just now, when I looked to see what of his was out here. I may have to put that on my Christmas list. His stuff is so much fun.

OK, I just know that with a bit of Buffista input we can crack this:

[link]

After two viewings I've got: James Bond (not sure which one), ..., Up, The Godfather, The Usual Suspects, The Birds, The Big Lebowski, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Babe?, Delicatessen?, Airplane, One Million Years B.C., The Shawshank Redemption, ..., Dr. Strangelove..., Pan's Labyrinth, Singin' in the Rain?, Ben Hur, Silence of the Lambs, Borat, Groundhog Day .

Any advance?