Another Wonderful Evening at UCLA
Tonight marked my third visit to UCLA's wonderful series "That Signature Style: The Films of Mitchell Leisen."I couldn't resist the chance to see NO MAN OF HER OWN (1950) in 35mm this evening, and the experience was all that was hoped. The film's dark, lushly romantic atmosphere completely envelops the viewer when seen on a big screen. I liked it even better than when I first saw it roughly 18 months ago (reviewed here). Barbara Stanwyck and John Lund are superb, backed by an excellent supporting cast. (But how did I miss noticing Bess Flowers at the nightclub dance?)
I also had the opportunity to say hello to some good friends of this blog tonight, which makes any screening that much more enjoyable!It's a rainy night here in Southern California, and with a busy day ahead tomorrow I decided to head for home at intermission. Those who stayed for the second half of the double bill also had the chance to enjoy THE MATING SEASON (1951).
The series continues next Sunday evening, December 9th, with the rarely seen LADY IN THE DARK (1944), starring Ginger Rogers and Ray Milland, followed by TAKE A LETTER, DARLING (1942) with Rosalind Russell, Fred MacMurray, and Macdonald Carey.
Previously: UCLA Celebrates Director Mitchell Leisen; Mitchell Leisen Series Opens at UCLA; Tonight's Movie: Swing High, Swing Low (1937) at UCLA.
posted by Laura @ 11:34 PM
6 Comments:
I've seen all of these films and certainly The Mating Season is the mutt of the pack. Thelma Ritter and John Lund are fine and MIriam Hopkins you wish would be. The situation is sadly, dumb. Admittedly, that is an opinion, but I dare anyone watching the film to seriously disagree.
Oh,I'm envious, seeing NO MAN OF HER OWN on 35mm
Dd you like Jane Cowl? I thought she was wonderful.
Barrylane, the premise of THE MATING SEASON, like so many films, is a stretch, but the cast is a delight. I suppose this could in some sense also be said of NO MAN OF HER OWN -- it's a film that takes a fairly unbelievable series of circumstances and completely sells the audience on the story, due to the skill of the filmmakers and especially the heartfelt peformances of the actors.
Vienna, Jane Cowl is superb. It's a great shame she passed on not long after making this film. To date I've seen three of her four sound films and she was excellent in all of them -- I especially enjoyed her in Robert Montgomery's ONCE MORE, MY DARLING.
Best wishes,
Laura
I am going to live vicariously through you Laura. To save up money for my future trip, I'm going to have to forego going to a lot of screenings unfortunately. So I'm happy to read your entries about your Hollywood screening adventures.
In that case, they didn't make it happen.
Raquel, thanks for your note! I've walked in your shoes budgetwise and am very grateful I've been able to have so many fun movie experiences in the last couple of years. Really delighted I'm able to share a little about them with others. :)
Know your future adventures will be exciting, good luck saving those pennies!
Best wishes,
Laura
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