_01.jpg "Feb. 9, 2011<br />34. In this Our Life (1942)<br />Starring Bette Davis, Olivia de Havilland, George Brent, Dennis Morgan, Charles Coburn, Frank Craven, Billie Burke, Hattie McDaniel, Lee Patrick<br />Directed by John Huston<br />Plot: “A neurotic southerner steals her sister’s husband then vies with her for another man. ” (from TCMDb)<br />I thought this was an engaging and well-made drama. Bette Davis gives an over-the-top performance as the sister from hell, yet her scenery-chewing doesn’t succeed in overpowering memorable performances from other cast members—including Olivia de Havilland, Charles Coburn, and newcomer Ernest Anderson. One standout element of the movie is the way that it addressed racial discrimination, which was rare for Hollywood of that time. Based on a Pulitzer-prize winning book, the script does apparently take liberties with the original material. Yet whatever its flaws may be, I enjoyed the film and I think it is definitely worth watching. I’m just surprised it is not better known.")
Feb. 9, 2011
34. In this Our Life (1942)
Starring Bette Davis, Olivia de Havilland, George Brent, Dennis Morgan, Charles Coburn, Frank Craven, Billie Burke, Hattie McDaniel, Lee Patrick
Directed by John Huston
Plot: “A neurotic southerner steals her sister’s husband then vies with her for another man. ”(from TCMDb)
I thought this was an engaging and well-made drama. Bette Davis gives an over-the-top performance as the sister from hell, yet her scenery-chewing doesn’t succeed in overpowering memorable performances from other cast members—including Olivia de Havilland, Charles Coburn, and newcomer Ernest Anderson. One standout element of the movie is the way that it acknowledges racial discrimination, a rare subject for Hollywood of that time to address. Based on a Pulitzer-prize winning book, the script does apparently take liberties with the original material. Yet whatever its flaws may be, I enjoyed the film and I think it is definitely worth watching.
![Jan. 12, 2011<br /><br />11. The Night of the Iguana (1964)<br /><br />Starring Richard Burton, Ava Gardner, Deborah Kerr, Sue Lyon<br /><br />Directed by John Huston<br />Based on the play by Tennessee Williams<br /><br />Plot: After scandal rocks his life, a suffering Episcopal clergyman becomes a tour guide for a group of Baptist women traveling Mexico. When his past failings begin to catch up with him, he detours the group to a resort run by a friend of his. [seriously, I am so bad at writing plot summaries!]<br /><br />I can’t really decide what I think of this film. I both love it and hate it. It’s not the type of film that I would usually watch, but I saw a clip of it on Tumblr and decided to give it a chance. Despite several elements that I wasn’t quite comfortable with, it provides a lot of food for thought and a really interesting story (the plot is certainly original!). However, I don’t think that I really agree with all its messages. Some of them I found to be quite muddled. Richard Burton (he has a gorgeous voice, by the way) and Ava Gardner breathe life into their respective characters in two very fine performances. Deborah Kerr is okay, even if her role comes across as a little preachy. Sue Lyon, on the other hand, was almost insufferably annoying. Needless to say, there were some really great moments in the script, as well as some stunning visual scenes. Though this is an intriguing and riveting piece of cinema, I can’t say that it is without its flaws. Still, it’s one of those movies that I can’t stop thinking about after watching.](http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film/dvdreviews21/a%20John%20Huston%20The%20Night%20of%20the%20Iguana%20DVD/a%20John%20Huston%20The%20Night%20of%20the%20Iguana%20DVD%20PDVD_010.jpg "Jan. 12, 2011<br /><br />11. The Night of the Iguana (1964)<br /><br />Starring Richard Burton, Ava Gardner, Deborah Kerr, Sue Lyon<br /><br />Directed by John Huston<br />Based on the play by Tennessee Williams<br /><br />Plot: After scandal rocks his life, a suffering Episcopal clergyman becomes a tour guide for a group of Baptist women traveling Mexico. When his past failings begin to catch up with him, he detours the group to a resort run by a friend of his. [seriously, I am so bad at writing plot summaries!]<br /><br />I can’t really decide what I think of this film. I both love it and hate it. It’s not the type of film that I would usually watch, but I saw a clip of it on Tumblr and decided to give it a chance. Despite several elements that I wasn’t quite comfortable with, it provides a lot of food for thought and a really interesting story (the plot is certainly original!). However, I don’t think that I really agree with all its messages. Some of them I found to be quite muddled. Richard Burton (he has a gorgeous voice, by the way) and Ava Gardner breathe life into their respective characters in two very fine performances. Deborah Kerr is okay, even if her role comes across as a little preachy. Sue Lyon, on the other hand, was almost insufferably annoying. Needless to say, there were some really great moments in the script, as well as some stunning visual scenes. Though this is an intriguing and riveting piece of cinema, I can’t say that it is without its flaws. Still, it’s one of those movies that I can’t stop thinking about after watching.")
