Lawrence of Arabia (1962)

 The story of Lawrence unfolds in flashbacks after his death from a motorcycle accident. A complex man, who at first abhors violence, confronts it head on in the desert as a symptom of war. Finding his aversion a cover for his actual passion for violence, Lawrence unwittingly then determinedly becomes a hero to the Arabs. The Arabs worship and camaraderie lead to conflicting emotions as Lawrence begins to question his allegiance to Britain and his passion for the desert.  For two years he leads a guerrilla army against the Turks, spilling blood and causing havoc. Towards the end of his crusade he is a broken and changed man leading an army made up of thugs instead of people devoted to the Arab cause. Things come to a head at the massacre at the village of Tafas, where Lawrence goes mental while slaughtering the enemy. The taking of Damascus is no longer victorious as Lawrence witnesses how the Arabs are ill-suited to the task of setting up governance in Damascus and abandon the city to the British, giving them further foothold on the Ottoman Empire and erasing whatever important work Lawrence first set out to accomplish. Deflated, Lawrence is promoted to Colonel and ordered home.

A movie filled with wonderful acting and rivaled only by it's breath-taking scenery, Lawrence of Arabia is definitely a classic essential. O'Toole is absolutely gorgeous in this film. So much so that after the premiere, Noel Coward told O'Toole, "If you had been any prettier, the film would have been called Florence of Arabia".  O'Toole is surrounded by some pretty heavy hitters who also give outstanding performances- most notably Omar Sharif, Alec Guinness, Anthony Quinn, and  José Ferrer who said, "If I was to be judged by any one film performance, it would be my five minutes in Lawrence." He must of forgotten his superb performance in Cyrano de Bergerac! Lawrence of Arabia is well worth the time it takes to watch it and I would definitely recommend!


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Lawrence of Arabia! Now's your chance!!

Cyrano de Bergerac (1950)

Cyrano(José Ferrer), is a charismatic swordsman-poet with an enviable vocabulary at his feet. Though he can turn a pretty verse and heroically fight a hundred men at once, he can’t seem to win the love of a woman or more importantly, a certain woman, Roxane (Mala Powers). Cyrano blames this solely on his large proboscis, a sore point and cause of many a duel. Though he is hopelessly in love with
Roxane, he chivalrously agrees to protect and encourage a love match between her and the man she does adore, Christian (William Prince). Unfortunately, Christian isn’t as pretty with words as he is with deeds and relies on Cyrano to help him woo Roxane. However, the innocent deception turns out to have tragic results.

This is a movie my father has been trying to get me to watch for years. Knowing my love for Steve Martin's version- Roxanne, he called me last week and demanded I watch Cyrano de Bergerac which was showing last Sunday on TCM.

Full of witty repartee with a Shakespearean twist, Cyrano de Bergerac is a cleverly done piece. José Ferrer, who won both an Oscar and a Tony (and was nominated for an Emmy- making him the first man to be nominated in all three categories) for his characterization of Cyrano, carried the entire film. Powers and Prince, indeed all the other characters in comparison fell quite flat, not so much due to their performances but because they did not have the wonderful lines or actions that make Cyrano stand apart, which is really the whole point.

Tonight on TCM!

The Charge Of The Light Brigade (1936) Two brothers love the same woman at a perilous Indian outpost.Cast: Errol Flynn, Olivia de Havilland, Patric Knowles, Henry Stephenson Dir: Michael Curtiz

The Ferrer-Hepburns

Hepburn met Mel Ferrer at a party hosted by Gregory Peck. She had seen him in the film Lili and was captivated by his performance. Later they worked together in the play Ondine and Hepburn agreed to play the role. Married in 1954, the marriage lasted fourteen years marriage as Ferrer was rumoured to have had a girlfriend on the side, while Hepburn had an affair with her Two for the Road co-star Albert Finney.
Despite the gossip columns saying their marriage would never last, Hepburn claimed that they were inseparable and were very happy together. However, Ferrer had a bad temper and was rumoured to be too controlling.

Marriage Among the Stars...

Lew Cody and Mabel Normand

Harold Lloyd and Mildred Davis




Al Jolson and Ruby Keeler



Bing Crosby and Kathryn Grant

Mel Ferrer and Audrey Hepburn

Fred MacMurray and June Haver

Jackie Coogan and Betty Grable

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Summer Under the Stars: Bette Davis!