A Festival of Love

Vintage Circus

There is something nostalgic about the old circuses and their story. In many ways this is showed in “Freaks” but there are also other stories that perhaps could become a movie. For vintage circus lovers you can follow a page on Tumblr dedicated to circuses and their people, from unknown clowns to famous people who made their story during their lifetime and others who have transcended time.

Released: 1932


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Freaks

Wallace Ford, Olga Baclanova, Henry Victor, Daisy Earles, Daisy Hilton, Schlitze,

The Rich Are Always With Us (1932)

When I first got this movie, I didn't watch it right away, thinking
that, most probably it was a light comedy drama movie, but the actors interested me, especially George Brent and Bette Davis. Knowing that, in this movie, starring Ruth Chatterton, who was married with George Brent at that time, was happened to be the movie where Bette Davis and George Brent fell in love, appealed to me. Later on Chatterton and Brent would divorce but Brent and Davis never married although they kept a relationship for quite long.

But when I saw this movie I realized what a great actress Ruth
Chatterton was. And for a time when actors and actresses would say their line the best right and straight forwarded way,

Ruth Chatterton speaks in such natural way, at times repeating one or two words in a sentence, as if there was no camera at all. Something that nowadays actors do, at times not so naturally.

  Bette Davis still not being "caught" by the clever camera, appears very glamorous, beautiful and determined, but her eyes, alas, the camera doesn't really focus the moment she is sitting on a couch and looking
to the right, slowly... what would made her later on "Bette Davis' eyes". Anyhow she is so wonderful here that Davis fans will really love her play. The romantic scenes are very well filmed, Bette and Brent have  some hilarious moments, Ruth and Brent very charming and romantic, and because everything seems so naturally sophisticated, Brent kisses and embraces in a great gentleman's style. What he was in real life.

 

This movie's plot is very simple, but it is very well portrayed and love has a great importance as a meaning, like in so many classic movies. Only that in this one, love goes beyond "you and me"…

 

 

 

 

 

 

Technorati Tags: classic movies,vintage movies,bette davis,george brent,ruth chatterton,love

Luxury Liner

 
As these days I am dedicated to discover movies where George Brent played in, yesterday I saw "Luxury Liner", a 1948 MGM Technicolor movie starring Brent, Jane Powell, singer/actor Lauritz Melchior, Frances Gifford, and among others, my dear Xavier Cugat, who seldom speaks but is great with his orchestra and didn't forget to bear his chihuahua.. In his late years, Cugat would live in a room for himself at the Ritz hotel in Barcelona. He died years ago, but he is so remembered here. I would see him getting out from the Ritz sometimes when I went to my father's school near the hotel, and some months ago, I went to have a drink to a bar which had lots of his photos, near The Ritz as well. I asked the owner, a young girl, and she told me that her grandmother used to guest Cugat at that bar years ago. It was like travelling through time and being with Cugat himself there, he loved speaking about his adventures, his career, his ups and downs, and women.

When I started seeing the "Luxury Liner", I remembered the tv series "Love Boat" and asked myself if this movie was the inspiration for the tv series. I have no idea, but it looks quite similar. 

Jane Powell sings so beautiful and mixing opera with cha cha cha, how could this be? Cugat made it possible:-)

Regarding Brent, the story has reminiscences of something that happened to me some years ago with someone. But in this case he says "if you love someone you must tell him/her", not that person's case, although this was the only difference. 


If you want to spend a time with nice songs, some silly jokes, and feel the glamour of old times's travel by cruise, then perhaps you will like this movie very much. I have to say it made me feel very good after it ended, leaving me a sensation of gaiety. 

Had I choose a character to play myself, without doubt I would loved to play Zita Romanka's, hahaha.

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Technorati Tags: 1940s,actors,cinema,love,music,george brent,jane powell