997 Cluny Brown

Discuss releases by Criterion and the films on them. Threads may contain spoilers!
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Michael Kerpan
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Joined: Wed Nov 03, 2004 1:20 pm
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Re: 997 Cluny Brown

#51 Post by Michael Kerpan » Tue Nov 12, 2019 11:36 pm

Finally at long last I got to see L's last film courtesy of this new Criterion release. A funny and charming film -- Jennifer Jones and Boyer are quite entertaining -- as was the rest of the cast. Not one of my very top Lubitsch films, perhaps, but well worth watching (and occasionally re-watching). I thought the Blu-Ray looked pretty good overall. I also watched the Haskell/Smith-Nehme and K. Thompson pieces, and found both useful. And I didn't even really mind the packaging when seen "in person".

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hearthesilence
Joined: Fri Mar 04, 2005 4:22 am
Location: NYC

Re: 997 Cluny Brown

#52 Post by hearthesilence » Wed Nov 13, 2019 11:23 am

The birthday cake scene has possibly my favorite physical gag in a Lubitsch film. I don't think it's one of his masterpieces either but it's a solid film that couldn't have been made by anyone else.

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movielocke
Joined: Fri Jan 18, 2008 12:44 am

Re: 997 Cluny Brown

#53 Post by movielocke » Wed Nov 13, 2019 2:34 pm

This was wonderful, I thought Jennifer Jones was great, but her performance is so very different from every one else (broad and big, like other screwball protagonists) that it often felt a bit off putting... but it was supposed to! So not a negative just a little weird to watch, but I remember reacting “that was really weird (and wonderful)” about Hepburns performance in bringing up baby the first time I saw it.

But I could see why people find it off putting it’s not as charismatic as BUB and lacks a Cary Grant character gradually coming up to her level to balance things out—rather the opposite with Wilson sucking energy out of everything, sort of leaves her committed performance frequently hanging.

But wow the supporting cast and dialogue are so damn good.

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