Decent-looking, yet with a touch of debonair and cheekiness
What a bloke. He exudes this charming persona but with a humble personality. Sharply dressed too for his era. That doctor-educationist (intellectual) look, could be a kind lawyer (his oscar winning performance in To Kill A Mocking Bird as Atticus Finch, the lawyer who championed against racism and prejudism).
Those throaty fatherly voice and those intense yet kind eyes. Apparently my boyfriend named him as one his favourite male actors both for talent and for that salt-of-the-earth masculine look.
I have only started to really appreciate hollywood film noirs and all those movie legends of 50s, 60s and 70s during my PhD studies (2001-2005). While some oldies were a bit too melodramatic and too good to be true (out of this world), they have set some standards of what films today are all about. (which reminds me of Alfie's favourite quote(Michael Caine classic, 1966) : "what is it all about?").
Watching To Kill the Mocking Bird (adapted from one of the 20th century's most popular novel of the same title by Harper Lee) for the first time didn't do much to me as I knew the storyline already. But when i saw it for the 2nd and the 3rd time, i could feel how simple the movie was made yet with strong castings led by Gregory Peck himself, it remained in my mind as one of the excellent movie adaptation of all time.
Malaysian movie scenes during 50s and 60s were much influenced by the indian movies. As a matter of fact, most of the directors and/or producers were either of northern or southern indian origins. We have our local heroes like P.Ramlee, Ahmad Mahmud, Nordin Ahmad, Yusof Latif, Salleh Kamil, Aziz Satar, S.Shamsudin, Haji Mahadi, Jins Shamsudin and heroins like Latifah Omar, Zaiton Hussein, Saadiah, Umi Kalthom, Normadiah, Rose Yatimah, Siput Sarawak and Sarimah, and we glorify and admire their talents, charms and beauty. All have become part of our local film industry. Yet, in malaysia, not many of us are interested to watch hollywood oldies, except if they have lived overseas for quite some time or they just happened to want to see marilyn monroe, james dean or young elizabeth taylor doing their classic stuff.
I used to read names like Steve McQueen, John Wayne, Lauren Bacall, Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman, Cary Grant, Rita Hayworth, Fred Astaire, Katherine Hepburn, Richard Burton, Marlon Brando, Audrey Hepburn, Marlene Dietrich, Grace Kelly, Rex Harrison, Kirk Douglas, Tony Curtis, Jack Lemmon, Walter Matthau, James Coburn, George Peppard (i knew him 1st on The A-Team), Clark Gable, Peter O'Toole, Vivien Leigh, Anthony Quinn, Julie Andrews and so many more hollywood screen legends (dead or alive) including Gregory Peck, of which some i knew their faces and some i hardly even know they existed before. But as i learnt to watch those oldies normally on ITV, Channel 4 and Channel Five, I found it hard not to miss them. Thank god for www.imdb.com site that i could actually obtain some info on these people besides the exposures from movie talk shows and greatest actors, actresses, movie list of all time documentaries on Channel 4 back in the UK.
Dont call yourself a movie buff if you dont know jack about classical movies.
5 comments:
So, you are an avid fan of classic movies and classic actors/actresses huh! The only classics that I watched are The Sound Of Music (who hasn't anyway), Bridge of River Kwai, that Clark Gable (if memory serves me right, that's his name) movie and a couple more.. Regarding your definition on being a movie buff, I think that depends on different individuals laa... :) A movie buff of classic movies may not enjoy modern movies (especially to old folks perhaps). How about those who are crazy about Bollywood movies. I'm sure their reason for liking them so much, lie on those good looking actors/actresses and those Bollywood style hip hop songs/dance moves. But the minute a classic unknown Hindi/Tamil movie is on the screen, very likely those Bollywood movie buffs will switch off their TV sets.
Sorry, had to delete my earlier commment 'coz got mixed up in the spelling between Hollywood and Bollywood. Wonder why do those 'Hindi' folks need to adapt the word Hollywood anyway... :))
Abdun,
Not an avid, but an all-rounder. I like/watch all kind of movies, in whatever language, and in whatever era. All depends on the storylines as well as the casts/plots/etc effects presented in a movie.
A movie buff go beyond religion, creed, language, cultural barrier in order to see a movie. A (normal) cinema goer is different from a movie buff. A keen movie goer loves to go to any movies that are more hyped or money worth spending or prolly a way of having fun with friends. A movie buff would see a movie in a more critical angle and appreciate even a bodo type of malay movie (it can fall under this category: bodo movies which i define as can be fun but heck, dont take it too seriously. Then u can rank the bodo-ness level of it from able to smile to Why T.F do they make such movie?). A movie buff doesnt have to be one who only watch what is popular now because he/she can catch it on DVD/VCD/etc.
I can say that u r also some sort of a movie buff la. I do enjoy reading some of your reviews on the movies. Some of them should deserve to be published nationwide even....but then u kena increase ur horizon on that matter. NOT all bollywood are craps and certainly NOT all hollywood products are that good either.
Jgn terkejut, i can slowly differentiate telugu from tamil just by watching their movies.
I am someone who likes to discuss a movie from many points of view. If I am really rich one day, I'd like to make movies/documentaries/etc as a way to share my imaginations and fantasies with other people. Good thing we have new set of creative directors in malaysia like yasmin ahmad, afdlin shauki, and shuhaimi baba to name a few. Damn, i can just go on and on about it but prolly best to save it for my future postings, inshallah.
Thanx for the compliment Manal... It's pretty flattering (shy..)
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