Comments on: Million Dollar Movie

By: Matt Blankman

Matt Blankman — Sun, 06 Mar 2011 17:02:22 +0000

[9] To be sure, these films feature a lot of submerged passion, infidelity, secret liaisons, sexual and social hypocrisy. Lots of stuff going what Charlie Rich would call “behind closed doors.” It’s impossible to not filter that through what we know of Minnelli the man….but that’s a whole other can of worms.

By: The Mick536

The Mick536 — Sat, 05 Mar 2011 21:42:08 +0000

[5] I apologize. I was being a wiseguy by asking a stupidly worded question. I was using sleep in a sexual context to go with my observation that he directed some of his actors in steamy, erotic, and emotionally charged scenes with the feeling and knowledge that comes to one from having led a complicated life.

By: cult of basebaal

cult of basebaal — Fri, 04 Mar 2011 22:59:56 +0000

[6] You must have seen *some* westerns, though, right?

Unforgiven?

Should we make you a list of say, top 10 *must see* westerns to get you started?

By: Matt Blankman

Matt Blankman — Fri, 04 Mar 2011 19:09:22 +0000

[6] “Home from The Hill” is excellent, but “Some Came Running” is a better film and one of Sinatra’s best acting jobs. The carnival sequence has some really stunning work by Minnelli (I think Scorsese highlights it in his “Personal Journey…” doc).

“El Dorado” is fun, but its basically just a remake of the superior “Rio Bravo,” albeit with the great Mitchum and a young James Caan.

By: Alex Belth

Alex Belth — Fri, 04 Mar 2011 19:02:54 +0000

I’d really like to see “Home from the Hill.” So Matt, I was at my gym the other day and “El Dorado” was playing in the men’s lounge and some older dude was watching so I looked at it for a few minutes and though, “You know, I really need to give westerns a try.”

By: Matt Blankman

Matt Blankman — Fri, 04 Mar 2011 18:54:43 +0000

[1] All I meant by the last line was that there’s a lot more to Minnelli than the musicals (great as they are), and that his films deserve attention and appreciation.

By: Chyll Will

Chyll Will — Fri, 04 Mar 2011 18:36:48 +0000

[2] If “Night of the Hunter” is any indication, smoking pot did Robert Mitchum a lot of good…

By: Matt Blankman

Matt Blankman — Fri, 04 Mar 2011 18:35:27 +0000

[1] But Minnelli *did* win the Oscar for best director, for “Gigi” in 1958 and “An American In Paris” won best picture in 1951. While Minnelli definitely had an “interesting” personal life, and while there’s no doubt it influenced his work, I’m not sure what to make of whatever point you’re trying to make.

By: The Mick536

The Mick536 — Fri, 04 Mar 2011 18:29:06 +0000

And marijuana is still illegal. The connection? Robert Mitchum did time for having pot, a conviction later reversed.

By: The Mick536

The Mick536 — Fri, 04 Mar 2011 18:24:39 +0000

Not sure I understand the last sentence or what I am supposed to do or not do with him, but it seems that no discussion of Minelli can take place without some reference to his bicurious lifestyle. No personal judgment intended, but his genius could be attributed to the fact that he was married to three beautiful women and carried on, at times, an openly gay lifestyle. His failure to win the Oscar could have been a result of Hollywood not wanting this gender confused genius to take the Oscar into the closet with him.

What the 50′s did to so many creative people was a disgrace. Not so sure we have come that far since then. To those of you who think we did, i would say we should have gone farther with our social and political development. We owe these giants a thank you and a spank you, because not all of them were honest with themselves or us.