I’m very late because I had to go to a conference and had no time u til now. I’m laying in my hotel room and thought of James Mason whom I had a big crush on. I first saw him in those Gainsborough British flicks where he almost always played the villain while Stewart Granger was the hero and Margaret Lockwood was the heroine or the wicked lady ( yes she was Wicked in the film of the same name). He was a lover of animals especially cats and I d love to find his book he wrote and illustrated about his cats. His voice is very distinctive and often imitated and sets him above the usual leading men. Here are 3 films I love him in, oh, I still need to see “Odd Man Out” so I don’t have that one listed.
1. THE SEVENTH VEIL-1945
I fell for this man watching this film when I was a teenager. I wonder why because he’s a narcissistic abuser, but he does have that brooding, dark haired look. He becomes the guardian of this young gal who has an aptitude for the piano. He grills her constantly, she has no life apart from him and the piano making her into a great concert pianist but at the cost of her sanity. Now, the doctor must unveil everything about her to help her find herself. This film was made when psychosis was all the rage and many films were made about this.its well acted and I enjoyed every part of it.
2. BIGGER THAN LIFE-1956
This is an early film about the dangers of prescription drugs. A man, in chronic pain, can’t take it anymore and is willing to die than go on. The doctors find a new drug, cortisone, that can help his pain. He can’t believe how much less his pain is and becomes a new man until he becomes addicted and the side effects come out, this is a hidden gem with James Mason in a tour de force performance. It’s a small film but one that packs a punch.
3. JOURNEY TO THE CENTRE OF THE EARTH-1959
This is one of my favourite movies that I can watch over and over again and always enjoy it. The professor, James Mason, finds an artefact from an explorer and decides to venture to the centre of the earth. He and his student aide, played by Pat Boone (believe it or not) travel to Iceland where they get knocked over the head and thrown into some barn. They are saved by Gertrude the Duck( yes, a duck) and her human, Hans, a big man whom they ask to come with them. One more hurdle, the wife, played by Arlene Dahl, of the dead explorer demands to come as well and they all start down this volcano, include Gertrude, the duck. They meets all sorts of adventures before they encounter dinosaurs ( just big lizards but it’s effective) and the lost city of Atlantis. It’s adventure at its best.
Sorry for being late…take care as now I must get ready, eat breakfast and drive out of Toronto back home.
Hi, Birgit!
ReplyDeleteSorry I'm late, dear friend! I looked for your post at 6 am and again at 7 am, but could not wait any longer. I had a morning appointment to get to and have been away from the computer until now. I'm happy to see that you got your Thursday film feature published.
James Mason is one of my favorites. I have not seen the first two Mason movies, but the trailers have me interested. I am surprised that I never heard of the roid rage saga Bigger Than Life. It looks tense and explosive. I saw Journey To The Center Of The Earth at age 9 but haven't watched it since. Diane Baker was a popular young actress at the time. I liked her and see that she is still with us today at age 87. I was also fond of Arlene Dahl who lived a long life and departed in 2021 at age 96.
I'd like to plug Hitchcock's NxNW and Stanley Kubrick's Lolita as two more James Mason films worth watching.
Well, I'm already overdue to start my monthly blog hiatus. I hope you and your fur babies stay safe and well until I return to active duty late this month. See you then, dear friend BB!
I have not seen any of these even though I am familiar with James Mason. Interesting selection.
ReplyDeleteHi Birgit!
ReplyDeleteExcellent choice for a theme!! When he was still with us James Mason was my favorite living actor and even though he’s gone he still ranks extremely high on my list.
You mentioned that “Odd Man Out” is still a blind spot for you and that was the case for me with “The Seventh Veil” for decades. I was finally able to catch up with it and while I didn’t love the film (I didn’t hate it either, but have no burning desire to watch it again) his performance is exemplary as always.
“Bigger Than Life” isn’t an easy watch but a very worthwhile one with both he and Barbara Rush giving award level performances. It wasn’t a hit at the box office upon release, not surprising considering the subject matter, so that screwed its award potential, but it has become much admired since.
“Journey to the Centre of the Earth” is a great watch on a rainy, gloomy day. Lots of adventure, fantastic color (I’m sure that factored in somewhat with Arlene Dahl’s casting with her flaming red hair) and my girl Diane Baker (this was her first year in film and she had a great run with this, “The Diary of Anne Frank” and “The Best of Everything”), hell even Pat Boone is kinda fun here. Even with all the technological advancements the effects in this still pull you in.
Hmmm, it’s hard to pick just three of his films to spotlight, for me there is even a difference between my favorite films that he’s in and the films that I think contain his best performances with one exception. Of course, he’s terrific in all these but in some he’s more supporting than the film’s focus.
My five favorites that he appears in:
“A Star is Born” (1954)-The best version of the story and he and Fredric March are thisclose as far as whose portrait of Norman Maine is best.
“The Last of Sheila” (1973)-A wonderful puzzle of a picture.
“North by Northwest” (1959)-He’s one of Hitch’s best villains.
“Evil Under the Sun (1982)-Uber stylish Christie with James and Sylvia Miles great fun as the bickering couple but overshadowed by Diana Rigg, Maggie Smith and Peter Ustinov.
“Heaven Can Wait” (1978)-Mason is pure class as the heavenly Mr. Jordan in this charming piece of whimsy but the film belongs to Warren Beatty.
His five best performances:
“A Star is Born” (1954)
“Five Fingers” (1952)
“Odd Man Out” (1947)
“One Way Street” (1950)
“The Reckless Moment” (1949)
That just scratches the surface of his career though, there are many other fine films and performances I had to leave out.
BIRGIT ~
ReplyDeleteUnbelievably, I haven't seen any of these three films you mentioned. I'm certain that I would have loved 'Journey...' when I was a kid. My favorite boyhood movie? 'Swiss Family Robinson'. Pirates, wild animals, and coconut bombs!!! Every little boy's dream movie. GOL!
~ D-FensDogG
Really like James Mason. "Journey" was awesome. Much better than the Brendon Fraser version. Also liked him in "The Fall of the Roman Empire."
ReplyDeleteInterestingly, I lived in Iceland for 18 months so I recognize the volcano and environs. Also, did you catch a picture from this movie that I used for my "Sea Peoples" post for the Challenge?
ReplyDeleteAlso, liked seeing David Thayer in this movie (you may know he played Dr. Timothy Stokes in "Dark Shadows").
I think I've only seen "Journey" but I'm intrigued by the other two. @samanthabwriter from
ReplyDeleteBalancing Act
I couldn't put a name to the face until I watched the second trailer and then a light went on. I have not seen any of these old films but I'd like to watch the last one. That's interesting Pat Boone was in this one. I don't think I knew that he dabbled in acting. Very interesting. Have a boogietastic week, Birgit! xo
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