Thursday, November 2, 2017

Thursday Movie Picks-Stranger who bully many of the farmers. . We soon learn that Shane is very good with a gun which frightens his friends but the young also know that they need him. A quiet film with some major violence interspersed in this film. The cinematography is excellent and the story touching especially the unrequited love that develops between Shane and the farmer’s wife. . A classic with a kill( sorry) performance by Jack Palance.


Halloween brought out the strange people from a mother and daughter who decided to argue in my office to a woman who came on her scooter wearing her helmet, a coat and her pajama bottoms with pussy cats...she also had her knapsack...my little princess...she’s in her 40’s. Oops, today is not about strange people but people who are strangers. I almost picked Clint Eastwood in any of his Spaghetti Westerns but I chose one he directed instead. Head on over to Wandering Through The Shelves to find out what other strangers in films fellow bloggers have chosen. Here are my 3...

1. THE STRANGER-1946




This is an excellent film directed by Orson Welles which doesn’t get much viewing but it should because it is a gem. It is a quaint town in Connecticut where a teacher is married  to Loretta Young( talk about nuts!), the daughter of the Supreme Court Justice. The teacher (Welles) loves clocks is fixing a large clock in the tower that has not worked in a long time. All seems great until Edward G Robinson comes to town, who knows a lot more about this teacher than anyone else does including the teacher’s wife. You see, Robinson is an FBI agent who knows that the teacher is actually a Nazi who masterminded the holocaust. An intense film with the Welles' filming style he is famous for and it is the first movie to show actual footage from the concentration camps.

2. SHANE-1953


“Shane! Come back! Come back...Shane!” Yes we know the stranger’s name soon into the movie who comes to a homesteader’s place and requests to have some water. They are a welcoming and humble family who let him stay. Shane is weary and enjoying this peaceful life, enjoying the family style as well as the life of a farmer. All is not well, since the farmers are up against the cattle ranchers and the ranchers are bullies who seem to be winning especially when they bring in the meanest gun fighter played to the hilt by Jack Palance. Shane would rather forget his past but he is compelled to help the settlers. An excellent film with beautiful cinematography and excellent acting by all with Jean Arthur in her last big screen performance.

3. HIGH PLAINS DRIFTER-1973


This is a Clint Eastwood film which he directed and stars in a film that is a western but could also qualify for a Halloween film as well. I won't tell you more about that aspect but it left me speechless at the end. He plays a stranger who comes to this town which looks decrepit and ugly. He is goaded by a man whom he shoots dead and then takes a girl into the barn for a good time...which she loves despite her feeble protests. The people in this town are fearful, greedy untrustworthy jerks except for a couple of people, one being a little person who becomes the stranger's right hand man. The townspeople all have a secret but so does the stranger. There are 3 outlaws coming to the town so the people hire the stranger to deal with them but they must abide by the stranger's requests. I love this movie which does not sugar coat the west at all.

What would be your 3?

62 comments:

  1. Hi, Birgit!

    That, dear friend, has to be the longest post title in the history of blogging! :)

    I haven't seen The Stranger but it is my kind of film. I love Loretta Young and watched several of her 1930s pictures in 2007 when I binge watched old B&W movies for an entire year. I also was a regular viewer of her TV series. Notice the now antiquated use of the word "queer" in that scene?

    I am not big on Westerns, not a big Clint Eastwood fan, and didn't care for Spaghetti Westerns, and therefore, I haven't seen the second or third of your featured films. However, I did admire macho actor Jack Palance.

    Thank you and happy Thursday, dear friend BB!

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    1. I wrote my post on my blog and the part of it went missing. I thought nothing took so I wrote the rest up on my lunch hour at work on a regular computer. The top part doesn't show up when I try to edit it. I have no clue how to get rid of that...typical me. I know you are not into westerns but the stranger fits so well with the stranger theme.

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    2. I also keep thinking about the Hitchcock film Shadow Of A Doubt because Uncle Charlie (Joseph Cotten) turns out to be a stranger in a way - not at all the man his family thinks he is.

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  2. You can't go wrong with Clint Eastwood and High Plains Drifter. His Pale Rider would also fit.

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  3. I'm back to not having seen any of your picks. lol The Stranger sounds like the most interesting one for me.

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    1. hahahaaa-yes, so many nowadays don't care for westerns at all. The Stranger is a good movie

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  4. All good picks. Clint Eastwood westerns are so great.

    One that comes to my mind is Spencer Tracy as a stranger coming into a town in Bad Day at Black Rock.

    There are a lot of films that might fit this stranger concept, but none are coming to my mind so early this morning.

    Lee
    Tossing It Out

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    1. Excellent choice! Spencer Tracy is so good in this film which I truly enjoyed watching

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  5. An interesting phenomenon with the title, there! :) I can't think of how you might fix it other than doing a copy-and-paste or two, and putting them into a brand new post, and then editing that.

    Of the three you mentioned, I can't recall if I ever saw The Stranger, although I'm a big Orson Welles fan. (Just ask my cat... Orson.)

    Shane is deservedly considered a classic, but I read the novel as a boy and wish they'd outfitted him in all black... but I suppose he'd have looked too much like a villain for contemporary tastes.

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    1. yeah..I'm not about to go to all that work for this week's blog post...too lazy here:) I hope you get to see this film even though it was not one of Orson's favourites. There is no way, back in that day, the hero would wear black...that went to Jack Palance

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  6. Love these and we match once again!! And I'm completely with you on the Loretta Young remark (at least after her pre-code films)

    Shane is taut and sad at the same time and the first thing I think of when I hear the title is exactly your quote. High Plains Drifter is a solid Western from Eastwood. It is a tougher one than some of his films. The dueling conflict between EGR and Welles keeps The Stranger fascinating even with Young overacting on the side-honestly she isn't terrible but how much better this would have been with a fiercer actress in the role like Joan Bennett.

    This week was so much easier to come up with a trio than last month was!

    The Night Digger (The Road Builder) (1971)-Maura Prince is a lonely woman with some physical disabilities (Patricia Neal-returning to work after suffering a series of strokes which had caused great paralysis which she was still struggling to overcome) lives as a virtual servant to her feeble but domineering mother (Pamela Brown) taking care of her and their large home in the English countryside. Into their lives and strained relationship rolls moody, handsome mysterious biker Billy Jarvis (Nicholas Clay) to cast their lives into upheaval. Maura is at first guarded against Billy’s off kilter charm and her mother contemptuous but as time moves along Maura beings to soften and find herself attracted to him. There’s just one problem Billy’s in the habit of wandering away and disappearing at night which seems to correlate to a series of murders in the surrounding area.

    Knife in the Water (1962)-A wealthy couple are headed to go sailing for a few days when they encounter a hitchhiker along the way. Despite some antagonism between the two men the couple invite the young man to accompany them on their trip. There the tension escalates as an attraction builds between the hitcher and the wife as well as resentment between the two men. When an altercation leads to a mystery things take a dark turn. Roman Polanski’s breakthrough picture, nominated for Best Foreign Film, is a tense three person drama.

    The Stranger (1946)-Professor Charles Rankin (Orson Welles) has a dark secret, he is in actuality escaped war criminal Franz Kindler one of Hitler’s architects of the final solution. One day his former assistant Meinike appears in town and beseeches him to confess his sins, fearing exposure Rankin kills him and buries him in the woods on the edge of town. Shortly afterwards a stranger arrives, Mr. Wilson (Edward G. Robinson) an agent for the War Crimes Commission who had been tracking Meinike in hopes he would lead him to Kindler. Suspecting Rankin almost immediately because he shares Kindler’s fascination with clocks Wilson tries to enlist and warn Rankin’s wife Mary (Loretta Young) to the truth. Initially doubtful she grow wary when Wilson mentions Meinike since she knows he had visited her husband. Under increasing pressure Rankin decides to eliminate all obstacles to his freedom leading to a taut showdown. Welles directed as well as stars in this noir set in small town America.

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    1. I'm so glad we match with The Stranger and our view about Loretta Young:) Yes, Bennett would have been a better choice or Gene Tierney (Sh was solid in the film Leave Her To Heaven). I don't know your other 2 picks but would love to see them. Patricia Neal is one brave woman with what she went through especially being married to that creep Raould Dahl

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    2. Gene Tierney would have worked wonderfully as well, she was always good in roles that called for a level of uncertainty.

      Roald Dahl did ultimately treat Patricia Neal shabbily but in fairness even she said that if it hadn't been for his pushing and insistence that she keep working at her recovery after she had that series of strokes she would never have made the strides she did. It doesn't excuse his stepping out on her but he was there for her when she needed help the most.

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  7. I have not seen any of those but you have piqued my interest with High Plains Drifter.

    For my list I would definitely go with Strange Brew (show some Canadian love!)

    The obvious choice would be to go for Doctor Strange, but perhaps go with the gawdawful original made-for-TV version from the 70s? Hey, it had a young Jessica Walter.

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    1. Strange Brew...hahaha classic! I have not seen Doctor Strange yet

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  8. Seen the last two, both are great indeed. Sounds like quite the characters at your place too. Young Guns might fit.

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    1. These characters are an every day experience:) Young Guns fit but I don't like that movie

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  9. I haven't seen any of these but I think I'll check out the one with Clint Eastwood.

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  10. I've seen Shane and High Plains Drifter.

    The Cube
    Strangers On a Train

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  11. Oh sigh. Once again, I've not seen a single one of these movies. What can I say, other than your blog title was longer than my brain can comprehend (grin).

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    1. That was some stupid boo boo I can’t seem to fix

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  12. I haven't seen any of these movies

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  13. I've heard of these but not seen them. I really need to up my western game.

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  14. HIGH PLAINS DRIFTER is my favorite Clint Eastwood movie.

    Some other Westerns I love that revolve around a stranger coming to town are...

    'SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL SHERIFF' (my favorite James Garner movie)
    'THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JUDGE ROY BEAN' (my favorite Paul Newman movie)
    'THE WESTERNER' (my favorite Gary Cooper movie)

    And an excellent non-Western that fits the theme is...

    'V FOR VENDETTA'

    ~ D-FensDogG
    Stephen T. McCarthy Reviews...

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    1. I'm late here but High Plains Drifter is amazing and you get hints almost from the beginning about the stranger. Love Support your local Gunfighter and sheriff movies-so much fun. I also love Judge Roy bean-such an excellent film. V for Vendetta is good but not a fav of mine and...gulp...I still have to see The Westerner

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  15. Your title confused me but I see from the comments that the gremlins have been at work! Technology has a mind of its own sometimes.

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  16. I'm putting The Stranger and High Plains Drifter on my list to see. Merci.

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  17. Never seen The Stranger but all the others mentioned I did see. They actually put Shane on TV fairly recently. I hated Shane the first time I saw it. Enjoyed it last time. Loved all the Spaghetti Westerns Eastwood did.

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    1. Shane is so good and love the Spaghetti Westerns

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  18. Hi again Birgit. I'm not familiar with The Stranger, but my brother adored Shane so much he wanted to name his son Shane! As for me - all Clint Eastwood's spaghetti westerns get my vote. :)

    Susan A Eames at
    Travel, Fiction and Photos

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    1. I have a friend who named her son Shane but not because of the movie. Yup all 3 Clint did are great and so is Once Upon A Time In The West

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  19. Hi Birgit,
    Shane is definitely a classic and earned my youngest brother's name:) I thought Alan Ladd, along with the rest of the cast did a remarkable job.
    Hope all is well.

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    1. Oh that is cool that he was named after the movie. They did a great job in the film

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  20. Such an interesting category! There are lots of stories about people who begin as strangers. Brief Encounter comes to mind. There's Tampopo which is loosely based on Shane. How about ET? Meet Joe Black?

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    1. Oh wow...Yes! Brief Encounter is a rich film and so well done, Love that film. I don't know Tampopo but your other 2 fit for sure

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  21. Birgit,

    "The Stranger" grabbed my attention and luckily I found it available on Amazon Prime Video which I added to our Watch List. Maybe this weekend, DH & I can watch it. We saw "High Plains Drifter" years ago. I think we own it on DVD or Blu-ray. I always enjoyed those old westerns Clint starred in but the "Dirty Harry" series is my favorite. He's a great actor! I can't think of any films to fit this category but I enjoyed reading your picks. :)

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    1. I hope you like the movie. Dirty Harry series are fun to watch. I think there are many films that do fit this category once one starts thinking about it

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  22. Wow! Shane. I'd completely forgotten that one. There was no actor who could scare me more than Jack Palance. All he had to do was come into view and I surrendered or hide under the seat. I may have to order Shane and see it again.

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    1. Jack Palance had one of those faces that meant you are in trouble.

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  23. Good choices! I've seen the first two, but not High Plains Drifter. I'll have to put that on my to-watch list. I love a good Clint Eastwood western.

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    1. This is an excellent film so you must see it:)

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  24. I'm adding to my list. All looks good.

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  25. I haven't seen any of these. I think I got my fill of Westerns in the era when that was about all they were showing on TV and the movies.

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    1. The Stranger is a non western if you ever choose to see it

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  26. Shane was a great movie, despite the whiny Brandon de Wilde (is that his name?). Actually, kinda sad that Shane could never escape his life and had to drift away.

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    1. He was a brat in the film but especially off until Alan Ladd told the director to do something or he will. Yes, that is his name and the kid died young. I agree...it is sad.

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  27. As usual, I feel ignorant around here - never heard of any of these, though I'm a tad envious of the gal who's taken in the barn by a handsome, rugged stranger.

    Happy week, Birgit!

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    1. Yes, it is a politically incorrect scene but she does end up loving it.

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  28. The Stranger sounds really intense.
    Is your mom still doing well?

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    1. The Stranger is intense actually but in a film noir style. My mom is doing ok! Everyone is surprised at how she bounced back and she is even sitting in the lounge. She is now in a wheelchair and too weak to walk but she is ok. My brother and I are a bit shocked but happy.

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    2. That's great, Birgit. I'm so glad she has bounced back.

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  29. Love Shane. Grew up on that! :)

    Haven't seen High Plains Drifter in so long, would need to refresh my memory, but usually enjoyed the Clint Eastwood westerns when back when!

    Haven't seen the first one you profiled. Will have to look out for it!

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    1. Hope you get see Drifter again and The stranger is a good movie to watch out for.

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  30. Occasionally, there will be women running around in pajama bottoms at the grocery store. I don't quite get it......

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