Action in the North Atlantic (1943)

A fine World War II movie, indeed.

What a superb war movie. It's got all the right elements: action, adventure, interesting characters, a couple of love stories, brains versus brawn, patriotism, etc. Plus, you have Humphrey Bogart as the effortlessly cool (I say that a lot huh?) Lt. Joe Rossi. That's delicious buttercream icing on an already fantastic cake. It does what a war movie in 1943 should do: make you hate the Germans and pump your fist in the air when the American prevail. Or in my case, make you clutch your soft blue blanket in fear when the German submarines DARE to fire off underwater torpedos at my beloved American ship. How DARE they?!

And now, a special message from Chris Rock:

(click on the image to watch the video. NSFW)

No matter what a stripper tells you, there's no Robert Mitchum in this Bogie movie.

IMDB and other sources claim that Robert Mitchum has a bit part and one line of dialogue in this movie. Mitchum? Really? I was so excited! I looked and looked and looked and looked for him. Couldn't find him. It was a big fat lie. Mitchum wasn't in the movie at all. I looked through Lee Server's bio of Robert Mitchum and Server devotes a section to 1943 when Mitchum was getting his start in Hollywood playing lots of bit parts. No mention of Action in the North Atlantic whatsoever. Again, it's a big fat lie. Unless you can show me proof, I'm calling this one's bluff. Moral of the story: don't believe everything that IMDB or Wikipedia tells you.

The Maltese Falcon (1941)

The world's best remake

We hate remakes don't we? Hollywood seems to be money hungry now, milking the last few drops out of the golden teats of brands just to make some dough. Nothing is sacred. All those classics you hold near and dear are just waiting to be butchered by some big studio wanting to make a fast buck. It's just a matter of time until classic power houses such as Casablanca (1942), The Wizard of Oz (1939) and Gone with the Wind (1939) are remade for today's contemporary audience. However, remakes aren't new. They are an old tradition in the movie business. Let's take The Maltese Falcon (1941) for example. Not only is it a remake of the 1931 version it's also preceded by another remake Satan Met a Lady (1936) with Bette Davis and Warren William. 

I often wonder what goes into the decision making process of 21st century movie studios when they decide to remake a classic. I like to envision that young upstarts at these studios, fresh out of film school but have not yet made an emotional connection to certain classics come up with these ideas only to have them robbed by the powers that be that throw money around to make it happen. Then they see who's hot, who's available, who's willing to butcher and/or remake this film to cash in on some big box office dough. Some remakes are good but the unfortunate truth is that most are really bad. But audiences will still flock to theaters because these established names are recognizable. Who wants to take a chance on an unknown when there is something safe and familiar instead?

One thing about The Maltese Falcon is that if they ever remake it again they can NOT top the cast. Humphrey Bogart was effortlessly cool as Sam Spade. Mary Astor as the dangerous, scared and alluring Brigid O'Shaunessy was simply divine. And I couldn't imagine any other team of criminals than Sydney Greenstreet, Peter Lorre and Elisha Cook Jr. Or could I? While I watched the film I looked closely at each of the actor's faces and tried to come up with the first contemporary actor that came to mind. In some cases it was physical appearance in other cases it was a random association based on essence. This new cast could either prove as a nightmare or a decent possibility to you. For me, it would only work if they did something fresh and new with it. If they do ever remake this, there is no way they will be able to find an actor like Bogie. He has no equivalent. There is no replacement. Bogie was Bogie, 'nuff said.

Humphrey Bogart

Ben Affleck

(I have this strange Bogie-Affleck thing. Don't ask)

Mary Astor

Julianne Moore

(Astor pouted in the same way Moore does)

Sydney Greenstreet

James Gandolfini

(Gandolfini can't play loveable but he can sure play a big round intimidator)

Peter Lorre

Johnny Galecki

(Hair, eyes, they sort of resemble each other. Plus some guy called Chuck Lorre produces the Big Bang Theory. I didn't even realize this until I was looking up the actor!)

Elisha Cook Jr.

Casey Affleck

(eh. They just look alike!)

Fox 75th Anniversary Sets at Target

Carlos went to Target some weeks back and saw that they were carrying several DVD boxed sets at $9.99. These were 75th Anniversary 20th Century Fox Studio Classics sets. A great deal. You get 4 movies for $10.00. That's only $2.50 a movie. And it's much less expensive than investing in a larger boxed set with many more movies. These make great gifts! We got the following:

(Click on the image to go to the Target.com page for the item for more information. However, these DVD sets are only available in Target stores.)

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and here are some others of note:

Full Disclosure: Carlos found these at Target and we purchased two. 

Also, don't bother with the poster codes. Fox either run out of posters or the codes don't work.

Actors Who Remind Me of My Father

If you've been following this blog for a while (or at least have read my archives), you may remember a post I did called "An Ode to my Father". In the post I said:

I find that my interest in classic films stems mostly from my constant need to understand my father. The decades from the 1920s to the 1960s intrigue me the most because these are the years my dad lived through but also the decades of his life that I know little about. Watching these films and getting a taste of what those decades were like, I feel like I can better connect with him.

Something unique about my experience with classic films is that I see my father in many actors on screen. Perhaps it's familiarity but I think my dad's look is indistinctive. I've seen many men, mostly on TV and in film, share distinct characteristics with my father. One notable figure is Dan Rather, whom I always imagined as my television father when I was growing up. Rather's eyes, hair, the shape of his face and his build were all very similar to my dad's. And even though my mother and father were right next to me as we watched Dan Rather on the news every night, I always saw another version of him on screen.

This is a post I've been meaning to do for a long time: to round up all the classic film actors that remind me of my father and list the physical and non-physical attributes that create the similarities in my mind. I'm automatically endeared to these actors because of their resemblance to my dad. I like them even more if they happened to be talented actors with excellent films.

(image from Classic Film Scans)

Edward G. Robinson

It's mostly his hair style, the hunch of his back and his shorter height. His eyes, nose and mouth are almost exaggerated versions of my father's facial features. The suits Robinson wore fit him in a similar way that suits fit my dad: a little loose and a little long but still fitting to the frame.

Walter Matthau

It's the droopy jowls that do it. My father has a less exaggerated version of those same jowls. His thick dark hair and tan skin also remind me a bit of my dad.

Ernest Borgnine

My dad and Borgnine have similarly shaped heads, the same sort of hunch and similar builds. Their eyebrows today kind of match too. While their personalities are totally opposite from one another, Borgnine and my father share similar laughs.

Jack Lemmon

I can't quite point this one out except for the fact that my father's casual wear was very similar to what Jack Lemmon wore in numerous movies. Everytime I see Lemmon on screen I get a dad vibe from him.

John Garfield

My dad was a tough kid. He got into a fist fight with another kid and the fight resulted in my dad losing all hearing in one ear. My dad would also spend the summers by the seaport knitting fishnets for local fishermen. I like to think that when my dad was a teenager that he looked a bit like John Garfield. Sweet face with a tough edge.

Claude Rains

It doesn't hurt that Claude Rains played many fatherly type roles during his film career. His build, his eyes, his hair and more notably his chin remind me a lot of my father.

James Mason

I think James Mason's features remind me more of the men on my dad's side of the family than they do my dad specifically. It's mostly Mason's angular European face, thick hair, square face and gentile demeanor that remind me of the M. men.

George Sanders

The similarity isn't physical at all. I like to think my dad was like George Sanders when he lived in Europe. A well-dressed rogue, excellent at conversation and a bit elusive. Plus Sanders had some bad luck with the ladies and my dad did as well before he met my mother of course.

(from Classic Film Scans)

Glenn Ford

It is uncanny how similar Glenn Ford's face was to my fathers. The eyes, the nose, the mouth, the shape of the face, even the ears and the hair. It all works. I look at Glenn Ford and something within me calls out "dad?!".

Do any classic film stars remind you of your father or mother? Other family member? Friend? Acquaintance? Guy you saw on the subway? I'd love to hear your responses.