Here's Lookin' at You Blog

Was te 1949 version of Little Women originally done in Black and White? I was doing some searches on it and on imdb.com they have a few screenshots however they are all in black and white. Does this have something to do with the technicolor of the movie?  Whats the deal with technicolor, and how exactly is it so different than regular color.?

When I think of adaptation, i think of things that go horribly wrong.  A movie that was made from a book or a comic book, with the possibility of being excellent but falls short. (i.e. ghost rider, daredevil, elektra).

I think that adaptation can be important, however to a point it is unnecessary.  I mentioned this in an earlier blog, about how sometimes things are done too many times.  I don’t think that “The Glass Key” needed 3 different movies on top of the original.  I dont’ think that Little Women does either.  However, atleast the glass keys, they mixed it up a little.  Different title, characters, plot outline, the Little women movies they are all basically the same thing.

I did some research on Katherine, and found out that she would be turning 100 in a few short months hadn’t she died in 2003.  However, I looked into to her filmography on www.imdb.com and she did do a few films between Little Women and the Philadelphia Story, which made her name a staple in the fim industry.  I haven’t seen any of the ones in between the two, but I’m wondering if they were actually any good?  because Cukor must have thought he saw something in her besdies beauty and a voice that could make you want to stab yourself in the ears at the time, (sorta like the way a car turns over). Has anyone seen any of her movies between 1934 and 1940?  Or was she just so good in Little Women that Cukor had to run out and hire her once more? 

Why is the job of a college professor so illustrious?  What is it about college professors that make young women swoon? Donald Sutherland was a pretty cool guy in “Animal House” but what made Karen Allen cheat on her serious boyfriend Peter Reigert?  Why does Jo not go for Laurie and takes Mr. Bhaer instead?

I think it’s phenomenal that so many people, men and women, have been influenced so greatly by the book Little Women.  I was touched to hear Dr. Campbell’s story about his mother, and how it made him see her in a whole new way.  To know a parent in only one way, and then to have that completely changed is awe-inspiring.  I would be interested in knowing how many other males started to see their parents in a different way. 

 At the end of class when he had us saying “cut” at every scene change I began to really appreciate the art of directing.  The fact that everytime a cut is performed a scene has to change and the camera moved is remarkable.  Especially impressive is the fact that most film makers only use one camera. 

If I had read The Glass key and then seen Yojimbo and was not in a film class I admit I would not see that they were related to each other.  However since I am, and have found out that Yojimbo, Miller’s Crossing and even Fistful of Dollars are all remakes it makes me think, to what point do you stop redoing them. Though Fistful of Dollars is a nostalgic film, Yojimbo mytologizes it, and Miller’s Crossing is the newest interpretation, for a student that is forced to see the differences, it gets to be a bit much eventually.

Another adaptation of “The Glass Key” it is more evident in ‘Millers Crossing” who the characters relate to than “Yojimbo.”  Tom is Ned, Leo is Madvig, Verna is Janet, and Casper is Shad O’Rory.  At the end of the class however we were introduced to a new character adaptation in Bernie Bernbaum.  Bernie in the book would be Taylor Henry because he is the main love interest’s brother however his character is not much like Taylor, also in the sense that Taylor was dead by now.  Is Bernie going to be killed? Is Leo going ot have anything ot do it? will Tom and Verna get over themselves?

I really enjoyed watching Yojimbo more than watching the actual “The Glass Key” movie.  I think that when you go to see a movie that is the same title as the book, you are expecting much more from it.  However, when you watch Yojimbo, you’re not looking for something exactly like the boook.  It’s more of a loose adaptation to the book. 

I must say I was thoroughly disappointed with the movie version of  The Glass Key.  I felt that the changes of the main characters name was totally pointless.  Changing “Ned” to “Ed” was close but when we first meet the “Shad O’Rory” it took me a minute to realize it was him because they changed it to “Nick Vonner” forgive my spelling. 

Also instead of having Ned and Janet working together to solve the murder, it’s just Ned and there’s no real reporting.  Despain is completely is not mentioned in the movie, and Ned doesn’t have his spy, Jack, to help him.  I think there were a lot of main components that shouldn’t have been taken out.  the movie wasn’t even long, so I don’t think time would have really been a problem.  The ending also was bad, the two lovebirds just run off happily together with Paul’s blessing.  In the book  can’t even tell if Ned even likes Janet Henry, and Paul leaves miserable at the end mumbling incoherent words out the door.  Not to mention that in the book Madvig and Henry were never engaged.  That was something that was unnecessary. 

sure the movie ended up being fairly amusing, but I just don’t think it held up to the book well enough.

who agrees?

“What a sock”!, “What a Battle”!, What a poor misrepresentation of a great mystery book!