TCM Classic Film Festival 2017: Day 4 Recap

And with a snap of the finger, TCMFF was over. Per my yearly tradition, I took it easy on day #4 of the festival in order to recuperate. I had to skip the early morning screening of Cock of the Air (1932) in order to sleep, pack and get a bit of writing in. I discovered that the easier I go on my festival schedule, the more fun I have. You won't have the best time of your life if you're tired and hungry.

Sunday kicked off with a nice chat over coffee with Marya and Noralil of TCM. I love spending time with these ladies.

Then I headed to Club TCM. I caught most of the Conversation with Leonard Maltin event. I sat in the way back and I noticed that this year they had small screens so you could watch the event even if you're view is obscured. These projections make a huge difference. Kudos to TCM for this idea!

I stayed at Club TCM to stake out a good spot for the Conversation with Dick Cavett that followed. I sat with Kate Gabrielle, Casey and Karen and we had the perfect vantage point to watch Illeana Douglas interview Dick Cavett. No more craning my neck or fighting for a seat like last year!

I'll be sharing an in-depth report on this event soon. I have to say, of all of the Club TCM interviews this was by far my favorite. Cavett was charming, funny and had the best stories to tell. Afterwards there was a signing for his book Brief Encounters (books sold by my favorite bookstore Larry Edmunds!) and a photo opportunity.

Dick Cavett loves his fans and he seemed to be having a ball. One of my favorite moments was when a TCM staffer was spelling out my name to Cavett and he responded "I know how to spell it!". People often bungle up my name or they call me Rachel instead. It's one of my biggest pet peeves. Cavett knew how to spell Raquel and for that I'm forever grateful. I brought up Raquel Welch and he said that he knew her well and went on tour with her. In addition to interviewing her on his show of course!

Cavett loved taking photos with fans and did several funny poses. My favorite part of this year's TCMFF was all the time I got with Dick Cavett: interviewing him on the red carpet, watching his Club TCM interview, interacting with him at the book signing and even walking past him at 25 Degrees at the Hollywood Roosevelt hotel. I've been a big fan of him for years and this was more than I ever dreamed of.

Afterwards a group of us headed to the Egyptian for a screening of What's Up, Doc? (1972). We got the news earlier that Bob Newhart would not be attending TCMFF for the screening of Hell is for Heroes (1962). I was in the mood for a comedy so it worked out perfectly.

Dave Karger interviewed director Peter Bogdanovich before the screening. A full report to come on this blog very soon. I enjoyed this film immensely. It was the perfect way to cap off TCMFF especially considering I was traveling to San Francisco the very next day and the film takes place there. Unfortunately...

It wasn't the last film for me. The final one was Lady in the Dark (1944) projected on nitrate at the Egyptian. While many people love the Egyptian, it's my least favorite of all the TCMFF theatres. It's always cold in there and the seats are squeaky and a little uncomfortable. And the film. Well. I just plain didn't like it. I found it quite boring and rather strange. It's very much of its era and had some rather sexist overtones. The film got a mixed reaction from the crowd. Some friends of mine loved it and others were either lukewarm about it or hated it outright. I enjoyed the fantastic Edith Head costumes, including Ginger Rogers' sequined dress with fur lining, but little else. I'd give this film another try but it's a rarity so this was my only shot until it becomes available on DVD or Blu-Ray. I could see why everyone loves nitrate so much. It had a very 3D like quality. I don't have an eye for this kind of stuff so nitrate lovers definitely appreciated that element more than I could. The best part of this whole event was actress Rose McGowan's intro. She gave a very heartfelt tribute to Robert Osborne. I loved how she said that Osborne's spirit lives within all of us who love classic movies.

 

And that's a wrap on Day #4. I have lots more to share with you including my overall thoughts on how this year's festival went down and more in-depth posts about some of the screenings and special events I attended. Stay tuned for more tales from Hollywood.

Griffth Observatory

On my fifth trip to Hollywood I finally made it over to the Griffth Observatory. For any classic movie enthusiast, visiting the observatory is a must. Especially if you're a fan of James Dean and Rebel Without a Cause (1954). While we didn't go into the actual observatory, we did get to explore the grounds and take some with the Hollywood sign in the background. Here are my photos from our visit.

TCM Classic Film Festival 2017: Day 3 Recap

The Graduate signage at the 2017 TCM Classic Film Festival

Another day in La La Land kicks off with the third day of the 2017 TCM Classic Film Festival. Still weary from the midnight screening of Zardoz (1977), I managed to get up early for the 9 AM screening of The China Syndrome (1979).

This time I went with Carlos who is a huge Michael Douglas fan. After the movie the man himself came out for an interview with Ben Mankiewicz. It was neat to see him in person and to talk about the making of the film. I've seen numerous Michael Douglas films before but something about hearing his voice in real life was quite epic. You could hear his father's voice in his.

Michael Douglas and Ben Mankiewicz

I was entranced by The China Syndrome and hope to do a full review with transcript from the interview here on the blog soon.

Afterwards I made my way to In-N-Out burger for a quick meal and then headed over to Club TCM. I attended Bruce Goldstein's presentation The Art of Subtitling. He poked fun at those who point out how the subtitles to foreign films miss words or are not direct translations. He did a great job explaining why. He used some examples from Panqiue (1946), a French film I had seen the day before. If the subtitles included a word for word translation the text would take up half the screen. See the example in the photo below.

Goldstein went into detail about how foreign films are translated and how the subtitles are positioned on the different scenes. It's really a technical art. You have to accommodate enough time for the viewers to read the text, the subtitle can't take up too much of the screen, it should be accurate for the time, place, culture, characters and plot and the words can't get in the way of the flow of the visuals. Goldstein demonstrated with examples of different styles of subtitling both good and bad. He always discussed the international culture of dubbing. Here in the US we much prefer subtitles but in foreign markets dubbing is preferred. It was an amazing presentation and I'm so glad I attended. Hat tip to Kate Gabrielle who's enthusiasm for this event made me want to go.

High on my list of films to see at the TCM Classic Film Festival was Elia Kazan's America America (1963). I always end up picking one film that most of my friends skip or is generally overlooked. The theater was half full for this screening and I really wish it was a packed house. A three hour film about a Greek immigrant isn't a big sell but this is such a fantastic movie it was one I didn't want to miss.

Especially after I had interviewed the star Stathis Giallelis on the red carpet just a couple days before...

Me interviewing Stathis Giallelis on the red carpet TCMFF

Alicia Malone and Stathis Giallelis

TCM's FilmStruck host Alicia Malone was on hand to interview Stathis Giallelis before the America America screening. While I've written about this film before, I can't miss an opportunity to write about this wonderful event. Stay tuned.

After a three hour drama, it was time for a light comedy...

Best in Show (2000)! I thought this was going to be a controversial pick because the film is only 17 years old. (Ben Mankiewicz poked fun at the newness of the film by falsely claiming that it was the 30th anniversary). I was pleasantly surprised that this screening sold out the bigger of the three theatres at the TCL Chinese Multiplex.

Stars John Michael Higgins, Fred Willard, Bob Balaban and Jim Piddock were all on hand for a pre-screening interview. I've always had a love for this film and it was great fun to hear the cast talk about making the movie. It was a bit awkward that Balaband couldn't speak because he was on voice rest. However everyone made the most of it and it turned out to be a running joke throughout the presentation.

Cast members of Best in Show with Ben Mankiewicz

It got chilly on Hollywood Boulevard. I made my way to the Grauman's Chinese theatre to get my ticket for the screening of The Graduate (1967). 

I had a great chat with Warner Archive's Matt Patterson while I was on my way to get some food. We had such a good conversation that I ran out of time to grab a meal. It was worth it though.

I sat with Danny of Pre-Code.com and his lovely wife Aubrey for the screening of The Graduate. This was the first time I had seen the film all the way through. I had watched various clips and I knew the ending well. Before the film, Ben Mankiewicz interviewed screenwriter and actor Buck Henry. More on this event to come.

Ben Mankiewicz and Buck Henry

The last recap should be available in a few days. Stay tuned!