1. WHITE HEAT-1949
A brilliant film with an outstanding performance by James Cagney who should have won the Oscar. He plays a clever but psychopathic leader of a gang who is married but is way too dependent on his mom. The cops send a man undercover to break their operation and gain Cagney's trust. There is a prison scene where Cagney's character has a huge meltdown after hearing some news which makes you almost feel bad for the guy. The ending is a true blow out!
2. THE CAINE MUTINY-1954
Humphrey Bogart leads a great cast as the captain of a ship during World War 2. His antics makes many men on board the ship question if their captain is truly sane. It all comes to a head and a trial ensues but one still questions the sanity of the captain. Bogart's acting is stellar and you are left wondering if he was right or if he was nuts or both. A film worth seeing for sure especially when Bogart is on the witness stand.
3. FALLING DOWN-1993
An every day man, waiting in his car in a traffic jam just leaves his car and goes for a walk but along the way he creates much mayhem with gangsters, a convenience store owner and his ex-wife. Michael Douglas is the main man who we see fall down that well of anger and frustration and takes it to a whole new level. Another superb performance that, I think, was overlooked. I did not expect to truly like it all that much but I do and it keeps your hold for sure.
What 3 films come to your mind?
Hi again, Birgit!
ReplyDeleteA triple play! I have seen all three of these films! As you recall I recently posted on your blog my favorite quote (speech) from The Caine Mutiny, a film I first saw in the theater when I was only five years old. I "backed into" Virginia Mayo in White Heat after having first seen her in The Best Years of Our Lives. I admire the acting chops of Michael Douglas and thoroughly enjoyed Falling Down. I also like his co-star Barbara Hershey, the alluring "it girl" of the 60s and 70s.
Thank you, dear friend BB!
I've not seen any of these films, but heard of The Caine Mutiny. Once again I feel like a fool, but I love showing u and reading your synopses.
ReplyDeleteI haven't seen any of these, I'm not even sure if I've heard of them before now. lol
ReplyDeleteI haven't seen any of these but they all sound so good. Three more movies to add on my endless watchlist haha
ReplyDeleteOf course I have seen the oldies, but never saw or even heard of Falling Down. Of course, that is the year my ex and I separated and that movie is not something I likely would have chosen to help with my frustration.
ReplyDeleteBirgit,
ReplyDeleteWe've seen all of these movies. The two vintage flicks are excellent but 'Falling Down' was a film I had a difficult time getting into. Perhaps it was just the mood I was in and maybe it deserves a second viewing. Anyhwo, great Thursday movie line-up! Thanks for visiting yesterday!
Curious as a Cathy
Great picks and we have a match!!
ReplyDeleteWhite Heat is one riveting watch from beginning to end because of Cagney and company. I agree this is one of his very best portrayals but he's matched by the deeply disturbing Margaret Wycherly as his creepy mother. How neither gathered a nomination I just don't get. They are almost matched by Virginia Mayo (another missed nomination) and Edmond O'Brien. Good stuff.
The Caine Mutiny is a little overlong and suffers from the casting, at least for me, of Jose Ferrer but Bogart is fascinating and it provides nice change of pace roles for Van Johnson and Fred MacMurray.
I didn't love Falling Down, it's extremely dark, but it was the first one to come to me when I read the theme. Again well-acted.
These three came easily this week.
They Drive by Night (1940)-Joe and Paul Fabini (George Raft & Humphrey Bogart) are wildcat truckers struggling to make enough to get their own business off the ground. When Paul is seriously injured in an accident Joe goes to work for old friend Ed Carlsen (Alan Hale) the owner of a successful trucking firm and all seems well. The problems start when Ed’s much younger wife Lana (a riveting Ida Lupino) discovers that Joe is seriously involved with Cassie (Ann Sheridan) and allows her (unreciprocated) desire for Joe to take extreme measures leading to betrayal and death. Rough, tough Warner’s drama climaxes in a high grade courtroom meltdown.
Mommie Dearest (1981)-Joan Crawford (Faye Dunaway) is a huge star at a crossroads in her life and career. Released after decades by MGM and between husbands she decides to start the family she’s always wanted by adopting several children with the oldest being Christina (Mara Hobel as a child/Diana Scarwid as an adult). Madly ambitious and competitive she is not suited to motherhood and rides the children relentlessly meting out hard punishments for small infractions. Among these is a spectacular meltdown late at night when she discovers that the young Christiana has failed to take her expensive dresses off wire hangers from the dry cleaners. While Crawford was a tough customer and a harsh taskmaster and child abuse is no joke this hatchet job reeks of score settling and has been largely discredited. Faye however pours her guts into the role giving almost a kabuki performance.
Falling Down (1993)-William Foster known through most of the film by his license plate moniker D-FENS (Michael Douglas) an unemployed defense worker frustrated with the various flaws he sees in society abandons his car in LA gridlock and begins to psychotically and violently lash out against most everyone he encounters as he makes his way across the city to attend his daughter’s birthday party. The entire film is really one long meltdown.
I haven't seen any of those
ReplyDeleteFalling Down is such a great film--one of my favorites. I know I've seen a lot of films with melt-down scenes, and though I can even picture some of the scenes in my mind, I can't think of a single title at the moment. I'm sure some will come to me later.
ReplyDeleteArlee Bird
Tossing It Out
Oh, just remembered the main one that I was try to think of: Citizen Kane where Kane starts trashing the bedroom of his wife. That was a pretty big meltdown.
DeleteLee
Three really good choices here. "The Caine Mutiny" is a classic. I especially like the scene where Jose Ferrer throws a glass of champagne in Fred MacMurray's face and offers to meet him outside. "I've had a couple of drinks, so it'll be a fair fight."
ReplyDelete"Falling Down" is one nearly everyone can relate to, I think. There was something about Michael Douglas, who normally plays these great romantic heroes, going on a tear like he did, that made for compelling watching.
I think Falling Down was the first time Michael Douglas looked old. But I think at the time most of that was makeup.
ReplyDeleteGreat choices, BIRGIT!
ReplyDelete'FALLING DOWN' is the first one I thought of. It has to be the ultimate "meltdown" movie, and one of my top 25 favorite films of all time. (It even gave birth to one my online pseudonyms, "D-FensDogG".)
I LOVE 'THE CAINE MUTINY'. My Pa turned me onto that movie about four decades ago.
'WHITE HEAT' isn't one of my favorites (I'm not too big on gangster movies) but it fits the topic very well.
'V FOR VENDETTA' also came to my mind. And then a movie with a different" kind of "meltdown" that I really like a lot is 'ALTERED STATES'.
~ Stephen
'Loyal American Underground'
I did not see these but heard a lot about them.
ReplyDeleteHope your day is productive and your evening pleasant.
I haven't seen The Caine Mutiny. But I've seen the other two.
ReplyDelete... And Justice for All
Falling Down I haven't seen. Was on my list to watch for a while though, have to get to it. Can't really think of a lot of meltdown movies though.
ReplyDeleteI haven't seen any of these movies, but I have heard about Falling Down. Now to watch it...
ReplyDeleteHaven't seen White Heat in years, but loved it. Didn't see The Caine Mutiny until a few months ago, but yes, Bogart was terrific. And I finally saw Falling Down three or four years ago, and liked that one, too. Great choices today!
ReplyDeleteI like the meltdowns Doris Day did in her movies. When she crossed her eyes to pretend she's seeing red then dumps something over a guy's head cracks me all the time.
ReplyDeleteWhat 3 films come to my mind?
ReplyDelete#1: The Wall. Sound-tracked by Pink Floyd which may have been both autobiographical and an oral biography on Syd Barrett who kind of lost it. And/or the whole world kind of lost it. The Wall would also be the top choice for a movie that happens in on day. 30 minutes go by and Geldof's lit cig - when they cut back to him in real time is close to a nub with quite a bit of ash.
#2 Bulworth. When he realizes how bad D.C. is - that the pipe dream RFK sold - there's a real-life photo in the film of Beatty meeting RFK. Manic-depressive Bulworth hasn't ate in three days and buys a big insurance policy and hires a hitman to take himself out then he says whatever he wants because he's plumb crazy... and his dream of getting killed comes true.
ReplyDelete#3 Helter Skelter, the 1976 TV movie. A lot of people had a meltdown in that one. In Charlie's courtroom monologue, that's when you knew he lost it.
ReplyDeleteI was surprised at Falling Down. Good story and acting. Total meltdown.
ReplyDeleteHaven't seen any of these, but I've heard about Falling Down.d Definitely one I'll check out because it's been a while since I've seen a good Michael Douglas movie/performance, and I love them!
ReplyDeleteSaw the Caine Mutiny but not the other two. I always enjoy Humphrey Bogart's performances.
ReplyDeleteFalling Down sounds good, I can't believe I had never heard of it.
ReplyDelete