tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post4051480227690106192..comments2024-03-29T03:05:28.466-07:00Comments on DREAMS ARE WHAT LE CINEMA IS FOR...: I AM A CAMERA 1955Ken Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04940648971296673233noreply@blogger.comBlogger46125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-74153475627739815402023-06-17T23:55:05.770-07:002023-06-17T23:55:05.770-07:00Hi Bernard. It's fascinating to hear from some...Hi Bernard. It's fascinating to hear from someone who has seen this film so often (more times than CABARET!) and has found it to be as charming and enjoyable film as I did. That's an interesting observation you make about Isherwood's characters being so vivid that they successfully withstand decades-worth of revision and reinvention.<br />And it's wonderful knowing that Julie Harris' winning performance pleased Isherwood, even if perhaps the film adaptation didn't.<br />I haven't yet seen Christopher and His Kind although I've long promised myself I'd get around to it.<br />Your question about whether Harris or Minnelli have ever met and talked about playing the same role is irresistible to contemplate. One feels they had to have met sometime in their long careers. Strange too that I've never come across an interview or anything in which Harris was asked what she thought about CABARET. In an old Rex Reed with Minnelli during the filming of CABARET, I recall she said she had seen Harris in the film version, but that she intended to make "her" Sally less a scatterbrain (her word) and more self-interested and meaner. <br />I too hope some day this film gets a DVD release. <br /><br />Thank you for reading this post and sharing your thoughts on the film and other Isherwood adaptations. Your taking the time to comment is much appreciated!Ken Andersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04940648971296673233noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-24863725115379096982023-06-17T17:11:16.928-07:002023-06-17T17:11:16.928-07:00I agree with you wholeheartedly! I love this movie...I agree with you wholeheartedly! I love this movie. I also love Cabaret in its many incarnations! What a marvelous cast of characters Isherwood created that can be reinvented successfully almost every decade to this day and each time with significant new nuances.<br />At this point in my life, I am sure I have watched I am a Camera more often than Cabaret.<br />I will point out, too, that Christopher Isherwood who lived to see the Minnelli version said the Julie Harris portrayal came the closest to the "real" Sally Bowles (Jean Ross, although much fictionalized).<br />There is a movie version of Christopher and his Kind which is quite good, too. The stories themselves, of which the Sally Bowles character is more an periodic supporting character, tell a broader story than the Camera/Cabaret scope ... enjoyable, but they drag a bit in some parts, which their adaptations never do.<br />I wonder if Julie Harris and Liza Minnelli ever met and spoke of Sally Bowles? I think they must have done.<br />Now finding a DVD of this has become my quest, like yours fruitless for years, but maybe someday all the Romulus films will be re-released. I'll be waiting.Bernard Profitendieunoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-24991802118737082172022-04-27T16:08:17.965-07:002022-04-27T16:08:17.965-07:00EARLY 50’s Chris!EARLY 50’s Chris!Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04886849957698051522noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-68801835162702682702022-01-05T15:21:05.336-08:002022-01-05T15:21:05.336-08:00Anon, I bet that if he was 100% gay (or straight, ...Anon, I bet that if he was 100% gay (or straight, for that matter), you wouldn't say that, but whateverLillynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-29426282708555998832020-03-15T18:27:38.263-07:002020-03-15T18:27:38.263-07:00You what really is kind of interesting about it? W...You what really is kind of interesting about it? With all the speculation about Dean's sexuality (a speculation that for me personally is irrelevant and specious, i.e. who gives a damn one way or another) it's haunting to speculate that maybe through the character of Sally Bowles and Isherwood's story he found some intellectual and psychological shelter and identification with it's 1950's-coded bisexual signifiers in what he wouldn't know in that movie theater were the last 24 hours of his life....(gee, that just sent a chill down my own spine, if you don't mind me saying so.)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-41453446188833331832020-03-08T19:20:23.466-07:002020-03-08T19:20:23.466-07:00Maybe "little-known factoid" is closer. ...Maybe "little-known factoid" is closer. I remember reading about it in a book on the making of "East of Eden"-a bit of trivia I don't think I would have remembered had I not later read it in a book on "Giant." <br />It's a curious little factoid (I think Ursula Andress with him and someone...perhaps you recall?) that grants a bit of legend to this seldom talked about film. <br />Thank you for including the info here. I hope someone reads this who didn't know anything about it and is inspired to see the film or learn more about James Dean.Ken Andersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04940648971296673233noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-82540189947027801412020-03-08T04:02:20.696-07:002020-03-08T04:02:20.696-07:00Unknown Factoid Alert: James Dean went to see this...Unknown Factoid Alert: James Dean went to see this (and his former East Of Eden co-star) the day before he died.<br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-60945692174202668212015-09-15T06:11:59.863-07:002015-09-15T06:11:59.863-07:00That is indeed a perfect setting to read Isherwood...That is indeed a perfect setting to read Isherwood! I've never read "Christopher & His Kind", but people tell me I should read it rather than check out the movie adapted from it. <br />The various adaptations of his Berlin Stories seem to offer something for everybody - even though it's difficult to find people who like them all.Ken Andersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04940648971296673233noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-5595452643730529782015-09-15T04:47:43.538-07:002015-09-15T04:47:43.538-07:00Cabaret is a favorite film of mine. In college, th...Cabaret is a favorite film of mine. In college, the theater department did a stage production which wasn't nearly as interesting as the film. Instead of the Fritz & heiress subplot, there was a much less interning subplot about an old married couple. It wasn't until j read the script "I am a Camera" that I realized where the story came from. <br /><br />Christopher and his kind is a favorite book as well. I've read it a few times - including a trip to Europe where I read chapters late into the night on a night train from Amsterdam to Berlin. A perfect setting. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-13097092217627333412015-09-10T20:48:56.140-07:002015-09-10T20:48:56.140-07:00Thanks very much, Eric!
You really have covered qu...Thanks very much, Eric!<br />You really have covered quite a few films here!<br />As stated in an earlier reply to one of your comments, I like that you are able to articulate the whys and wherefores of what you like and don't like about a film, or where our personal tastes (takes) differ.<br /><br />A through line in your comments and in most of those posted throughout is that our response to a film is influenced by so many factors: our age, the circumstances of viewing, our interests at the time, etc.<br />From that perspective, everyone is able to enjoy differing or contrasting takes on a beloved or reviled film without ever feeling someone else's opinion is right or wrong. We're afforded a glimpse into a personality as well as fresh eyes through which to look at a film.<br />Thanks for sharing your informative and enjoyable comments with all of us!Ken Andersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04940648971296673233noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-57903302441723505702015-09-06T13:01:27.424-07:002015-09-06T13:01:27.424-07:00Having just discovered your blog, and gone through...Having just discovered your blog, and gone through your wonderful reviews, this is the first one that I really disagree with. The only reason to watch this, IMHO, is for the actors and particularly to see Julie Harris (Isherwood, who hated the play just as he hated the various iterations of Cabaret and probably would have hated A Single Man and Christopher and his Kind's adaptations as well, for that matter, has written that on stage Julie Harris was exactly his Sally Bowles come to life.) <br /><br />And I'm not sure it's really true that the original van Druten play has been de-fanged, but that's just my impression from having read the play and never, of course, seen it. The film strikes me as pretty faithful--and maybe that's part of my prob. Van Druten, IMHO, is one of those 20th century playwrights who had great success (The Voice of the Turtle, I Remember Mama, etc) but is now largely unperformed because his work, while always capable, is also completely uninspired. I almost wrote that I find him a hack, but that would be unfair... <br /><br />At any rate, I admit part of my dislike for the movie is that I saw it as an opinionated teenager in the 90s (and yes, like you said, it was next to impossible to track down until a Canadian movie station here aired it one night and I managed to catch it,) who was obsessed with Isherwood, Cabaret, etc. So I admit my bias, and the fact that the Breakfast at Tiffany's take on the material simply does not work at all for me (good call on the comparison, however!) I recently re-visited it on youtube however, and my feelings hadn't changed. I guess I simply can't divorce the piece from the works it's adapting and the complete change of tone (which is funny as often I appreciate when films go in a different way. Back to Isherwood, I even really liked Ford's film of A Single Man even though stylistically it's nearly the opposite of Isherwood's remarkable novel which relishes in the ugliness of life not the austere beauty Ford portrays.) <br /><br />Of course the original play did help form the structure of Cabaret on stage (and to a lesser extent on screen, even though even on stage they added a lot of elements taken from brief mentions in The Berlin Stories like Herr Shultz) So I guess there's... that. And, while I've heard the film as not a success, the play did make a big enough impact that for a good decade before Cabaret finally was made, various composers wanted to make more light hearted musical adaptations (including Bob Fosse who saw Sally as a good vehicle for his wife Gwen Verdon in the early 60s) before Hal Prince came up with his brilliant concept for the production and hired his own writers.<br /><br />Still--as always a great and thought provoking review,<br />Eric Henwood-GreerEricMontreal22https://www.blogger.com/profile/11536437939711295435noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-9609907283655068332014-07-26T03:41:38.601-07:002014-07-26T03:41:38.601-07:00Hi Robert
I'm with you, I always thought this ...Hi Robert<br />I'm with you, I always thought this film would turn up one day on TCM. I waited so long I forgot about it entirely. It felt like quite the find seeing it on YouTube. As I missed my chance in the past to see several other "lost" films that were uploaded one day, only to disappear the next, I watched it I believe the very same day. I hope you enjoy it when you get around to it.<br />Thanks for commenting, and I'm happy to hear you too appreciate the lanky charms of Mr. Harvey. Ken Andersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04940648971296673233noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-2787383700522001532014-07-25T15:20:41.151-07:002014-07-25T15:20:41.151-07:00Thank you so much for this review and especially t...Thank you so much for this review and especially the links! I thought for sure "I Am A Camera" would turn up on TCM - but no. I'll have to set aside some time to watch both "Camera" and "Christopher & His Kind" which I read h so many years ago. (P.S. Ditto on Laurence Harvey)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-10469014426487423942014-07-21T23:19:18.743-07:002014-07-21T23:19:18.743-07:00"I Am A Camera" is available on DVD--the..."I Am A Camera" is available on DVD--the image of the DVD cover can be seen at IMDB. But perhaps it isn't available in the States. A good rule of thumb--if something is on YouTube and looks crisp, most likely it's been taken from a DVD. If it's any consolation, a great deal of movies on DVD haven't been released in Australia!Mark Vanselownoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-51531220986651045092014-07-08T19:10:54.808-07:002014-07-08T19:10:54.808-07:00Hi Ken,
The Lana movie was a piece of ridiculous ...Hi Ken,<br /><br />The Lana movie was a piece of ridiculous cotton candy with a preposterous plot and that MGM sheen which is always a good thing. I was glad to finally track it down, I had guessed from the description that it wouldn't be a classic but beside Lana and Debbie Marjorie Main was also in the cast. It was a painless way to spend 90 minutes and rounded off my Debbie viewing, so yeah!<br /><br />Anxious to hear your thoughts on Christmas Holiday! Forgot to mention that the mommy Gene had issues with is played by that mistress of malevolence Gale Sondergaard.joel65913https://www.blogger.com/profile/14526657073681774683noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-10456566896058756182014-07-08T18:06:48.937-07:002014-07-08T18:06:48.937-07:00Happy to hear you found the Lana Turner musical on...Happy to hear you found the Lana Turner musical on YouTube! I hope it turns out to be a glad surprise. i must say, you got my interest with your description of "Christmas Holiday", a film I'd never heard of. it sounds like such an against-type affair it HAS to be interesting even if i don't like it! I'm going to see if I can find time to watch it. Thanks for bringing a number of obscurities to my attention, Joel!Ken Andersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04940648971296673233noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-29848867695341988782014-07-08T16:27:59.049-07:002014-07-08T16:27:59.049-07:00Hi Deborah
On the contrary, I did NOT know that Ju...Hi Deborah<br />On the contrary, I did NOT know that Judi Dench originated the role on the London stage! That's fascinating. I can only imagine how terrific she must have been (her bit in the movie "Nine" I guess could serve as a hint).<br />So interesting to know how the dramatic productions adhered to that element of Bowles' character that asserted her meager singing skills. <br />I've seen a stage production of "Cabaret" with a not-very-talented Sally, and to this day I'm not sure if it was intentional.Ken Andersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04940648971296673233noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-79069761851540620382014-07-08T13:55:59.176-07:002014-07-08T13:55:59.176-07:00I'm sure I'm not telling someone with your...I'm sure I'm not telling someone with your extensive knowledge of Cabaret anything new, but Judi Dench was the original Sally Bowles on the London stage in 1968. I remember an interview where she said something like how hard it is to sincerely play someone with mediocre talent who is blithely oblivious to their lack thereof. I've seen some photographs from the production--Dame Judi looking very downscale with runs in her stockings and much-mended garments. And I can just hear her croaking out some of those Cabaret classic songs!DiscoDollyDebnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-44135452375603488052014-07-07T20:40:47.393-07:002014-07-07T20:40:47.393-07:00Ken, Your comment about the films on Youtube comin...Ken, Your comment about the films on Youtube coming and going prompted me to check on those films I listed and Happy Day! it turns out that Mr. Imperium has shown up!! It's an obscure Lana Turner musical (?) title that is also one of Debbie Reynolds first films. Debbie told wonderful backstage stories about the making of it in her first bio. Who knows if it will be any good but I'm especially anxious to give it a look since it's the only one of Debbie's theatrical films I haven't seen. So thanks for the inspiration, I'm making time to watch tomorrow.<br /><br />One really odd but fascinating number that's still on Youtube is Christmas Holiday. Deanna Durbin is a prostitute or as the film refers to her a "roadside hostess"! who sings of course and Gene Kelly her mad dog killer escaped con husband with mommy issues! To say it's the most unusual film either made is an understatement. The one drawback is that it's posted in ten minute increments which can be a pain but also makes it easier to break away if you have to when one clip ends. joel65913https://www.blogger.com/profile/14526657073681774683noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-16461910194048528072014-07-07T19:36:24.603-07:002014-07-07T19:36:24.603-07:00I'm wholly unfamiliar with the Holy Grail fil...I'm wholly unfamiliar with the Holy Grail films you mentioned as being on your list (save for The Chapman Report). Sometimes, good or bad, it's just a pleasure to see a film one has wondered about for a long time. <br />Although the movies don't always stay up for long, YouTube has proved to be a valuable Holy Grail source. I've especially enjoyed seeing so many fondly-remembered 70s TV movies from my youth (few actually living up to my memory of them). Thanks for commenting, Joel!Ken Andersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04940648971296673233noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-59750549566806285852014-07-07T19:31:30.391-07:002014-07-07T19:31:30.391-07:00Hi Joel
Nice observations you make about "I a...Hi Joel<br />Nice observations you make about "I am a Camera." Specifically those citing the unlikelihood of Julie Harris being able to recreate her stage role had the film been made in Hollywood. In fact, had Hollywood had a hand in this, I daresay it would have been sanitized out of all recognition.<br />Always so curious, as time passes, to ruminate on what censors think they are protecting people from.<br />I also like the point you make about the irony inherent in casting an exceedingly talented musical performer like Liza Minnelli to portray a modestly-talented chanteuse; then going out and hiring non-singers to perform in musical films requiting real ability.Ken Andersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04940648971296673233noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-40654254430957670552014-07-07T19:25:26.175-07:002014-07-07T19:25:26.175-07:00Hello, Wille
That is an amazing bit of trivia ther...Hello, Wille<br />That is an amazing bit of trivia there, regarding your old home appearing in this largely-unseen-in-these-parts film! In trying to remember the location shots, the post-credits scene you cite slipped my mind. I'm glad the film copy was clear enough for you to have made a clear identification. Thank you for sharing this info with us!Ken Andersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04940648971296673233noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-63459578184010838302014-07-06T02:17:29.944-07:002014-07-06T02:17:29.944-07:00I just want to add that the interior of the house ...I just want to add that the interior of the house is not how it looked indoors. That's a studio set. <br /><br />What a charming film it was, so full of vitality and rather daring too for the times what with the unwed mother and hints of abortion. Thank you for reviewing this undeservedly overlooked gem! I suppose if it had been made in Hollywood, instead of Britain, it would be more well known.<br />WilleAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-44701913359063415052014-07-05T19:18:19.157-07:002014-07-05T19:18:19.157-07:00I'm also not as big a fan of Laurence Harvey a...I'm also not as big a fan of Laurence Harvey as you are but I will admit I liked him better in this than almost anything I've ever seen him in. He was more humorous than normal, hadn't settled into that slickness that came along shortly after Room at the Top and seemed overall more engaged with the script and the other perfomers than was usually the case. <br /><br />Shelley Winters' gentle reading of her part was also quite lovely. Still about a decade away from when she abandoned, with a few exceptions, all attempts at nuance her quiet work is a nice reminder of how talented she could be. Actually the whole cast does really good work. <br /><br />It's funny how most, if not all, movie lovers have their specific Holy Grail films and it's always a dicey proposition when you finally see them, if you do. <br /><br />When I finally caught up with The Chapman Report, also with Shelley Winters, I was delighted to find that it had been worth the wait full of pathos and humor but also loaded with soapy goodness. The old Norma Shearer weepie There Own Desire was just the reverse though! I sat in slack jawed horror as that creaky antique unspooled. It was disappointing after chasing it for years but at least I was only watching it to try and see as many performances that had been nominated for a best actress Oscar as possible. <br /><br />It's so surprising when a film with a pedigree like I Am a Camera is hard to track down. You would think that certain film makers or pictures with a reference point like Cabaret would automatically be candidates for a release on current media until you realize that not even all films that have been Oscar nominated are readily available. My most desired film that seems totally unavailable at present is a movie with my beloved Linda Darnell called The Lady Pays Off, what's surprising about its obscureness is that it was directed by Douglas Sirk. He's so venerated now that I would have thought his American films would have been released in some sort of collection by now. Frustrating.<br /><br />Thanks Ken not just for the interesting overview but for reminding me about the film so I could finally watch it and check it off my list. Youtube is a such a valuble source for this sort of thing. Now if I could only find The Walls of Jericho, The Blue Veil, Mr. Imperium or The Revolt of Mamie Stover on there!!joel65913https://www.blogger.com/profile/14526657073681774683noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-66150089682801076192014-07-05T19:16:57.727-07:002014-07-05T19:16:57.727-07:00Hi Ken,
I had actually noticed that this was avai...Hi Ken,<br /><br />I had actually noticed that this was available a few weeks ago and was intrigued. Like everyone else I've been curious about it for years since learning of its existence but ran into a brick wall in regards to access. I immediately wanted to see it, it was just finding the time to do that. That time finally arrived this morning.<br /><br />A few qualifiers first. Don't hate me since I know you love it but I'm not a huge fan of Cabaret. It's well made, I like a most of the music and Liza aces the role but I just never really connected with it. I was still interested to see the comparisons between it and this film.<br /><br />The first thing that struck me was that as a cabaret performer, which of course we only get a brief glance in Camera, Julie is closer to the description that Sally is usually given. That is at best she is a second rate musical performer, I know in the original Broadway production of Cabaret Jill Haworth was cast partly because she wasn't a dazzling singer. As I said Liza was the best part of the movie for me but she was really too talented to be true to the character. A tad ironic that in a film that should have cast a mediocre singer in the lead they spotlit a highly gifted one and in modern musicals often they cast name actors, Russell Crowe, Renee Zellweger, Amanda Seyfried, Meryl Streep etc., with middling musical gifts in roles that require a Minnelli level of talent. <br /><br />You could tell that this was an English production almost from the get go as you said in the light coding of Isherwood's homosexuality, the fact that if Sally wasn't an actual prostitute she was certainly willing to trade sex for personal gain, that she clearly planned to have an abortion but the thing that made it most obvious to me was the fact that Julie Harris was playing the lead. <br /><br />Even after her big successes in Member of the Wedding and East of Eden Hollywood never really tried to make a leading lady of Julie. Between Eden and her next lead in The Haunting was an eight year gap, it might be that she wasn't necessarily interested since the stage was her major love but she didn't fit into the ready made mode that Hollywood was selling at the time. The fact that she created the part on stage of course meant very little especially at that time, other than Judy Holliday who had Hepburn and Tracy pushing for her, unproven talents were almost always replaced between stage and screen. If this had been produced in Hollywood she would have had to watch from the sidelines as Marilyn Monroe, Ava Gardner, Jean Simmons or even Holly Golightly herself Audrey Hepburn played the (watered down) part. <br /><br />Julie was wonderful as Sally, definitely a different interpretation but the proper brittle reading of a lost girl who doesn't think she's lost. As good as she always was on film and TV after having seen her on stage in The Belle of Amherst I saw that she registered in a way that she couldn't in pictures. She feed off that live energy like no one I've ever seen. While I'm sure it would have been astonishing to see her in this on stage I'm glad she got the chance to leave a record of her performance.joel65913https://www.blogger.com/profile/14526657073681774683noreply@blogger.com