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Reviews
Johnny Guitar (1954)
Why the women wear the pants in this movie
The screenwriter, Philip Yordan once told Elwe Yost, the famous (to Canadians) film aficionado and interviewer to the stars, that Joan Crawford found her role lame, and demanded something more meaty before she'd take part. So Yordan reversed all the roles, giving the women the men's roles and vice-versa. That's why the film is so off-kilter and the characters (namely Mercedes McCambridge and Crawford) so intense and unfeminine in so many ways. The result is a classic, not a classic western, mind you, but something else that is hard to classify, but well worth watching. And the scene where Johnny grabs the shot glass off the bar counter and confronts first the Dancing Kid, then the Sheriff's men, is a classic Nicholas Ray moment. Campy? Perhaps, by today's standards, but this movie has some of the great lines of all times.
The Beloved Rogue (1927)
A period piece telling the story of the first poet of Paris, Francois Villon. Great fun to watch.
The Beloved Rogue is a wonderful period piece. It portrays 145th century Paris in grand Hollywood fashion, yet offering a bleaker side to existence there as it would be experienced by the poor. And the snow. It's constantly swirling about, adding to the severity of the setting -- brilliant! The setting is enhanced by the odd cast of characters, including beggars, cripples and dwarfs.
A brilliant performance is turned in by John Barrymore, outdone only by the magnificent Conrad Veidt, who portrays a degenerate, dissolute Louis XI to perfection. And yes, Veidt picks his nose on purpose, pushing his portrayal to wonderfully wry limits.