Going to the movies has always been my second-favorite hobby. Once I became a parent, however, I felt that leaving my kids for bridge games was enough; I no longer felt inclined to go out to the movies at night. On non-bridge nights, I began to watch films on video. I relied on movie guides and movie reviews, but found myself disappointed many, many times. To be more certain of buying or renting a good film, I obtained a number of books about movies and began to cross-check them. One movie guide might warmly recommend a film while another derides it as a turkey. If a movie gets good reviews by everyone, I try it and am usually happy. (The books I read are listed on page 191.) However, there is still a distinction: Some films are good, but I wouldn't want to watch them more than once; others are so enjoyable that I watch them again and again. The movies I recommend to you are those that are worth seeing more than once.
As a further guide, I asked bridge-playing friends and Bridge Today Magazine readers to submit lists of their ten favorite films. I discovered that bridge players prefer funny or romantic pictures; there were no war pictures and very few political or depressing films submitted. I have, nonetheless, included a few political/depressing films, because some are so powerful or so fascinating that they shouldn't be overlooked.
At first my plan was to list 100 films. This proved impossible so I expanded the list to 180. Even at this number, there are too many left out, so I am now working on a second volume. I am still accepting top-ten lists, and would also appreciate comments and suggestions.
I have one major objection to modern films and it's a big one: Doesn't anyone blush anymore? There is too much needless profanity and explicit sex in modern films. Recently, film directors have thought it a good idea to include scenes of men urinating. Really. I suppose they think this is something new, but I would like to remind you that thousands of years ago, ancient pagans worshipped their idols by having sex, urinating and defecating publicly. (I hope this doesn't mean we'll get poo-poo scenes next.) By the way, I am not the only one objecting. I recently watched a ten-part BBC series on Hollywood movies, and many of the directors and screenwriters who were interviewed stated that the films of the 40s and 50s were much more clever and witty, because sex had to be suggested through innuendo or body language to get by the Hays Office censors. The writers and directors had to be creative, whereas modern movie makers can lazily show naked people shaking and grunting and call it a day. If you want to see a great arousal scene, watch Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert in It Happened One Night. The two are sharing a room, and Gable puts up a clothesline between their two beds with a blanket thrown over it so that they can't see each other (he calls it, "The Walls of Jericho"). Colbert takes off her nylons and flings them on the clothesline. Watch Gable's reaction. Believe me, this is a hundred times sexier than watching two people copulate and grunt.
Despite these episodes of bad taste, I have recommended a few movies that include profanity, explicit sex, and urinating scenes. At home with my VCR I can simply fast-forward the latter two, but I'm stuck with the profanity. However, I only put up with the offensive parts of a movie if I think there is a lot of other good stuff in it.
Most of the critics who wrote the movie guides avoid discussing God or religion or a universal morality. While profanity and explicit sex are completely acceptable, God and morality are no-no's. What an upside-down world we live in! I have not attempted to choose films which appeal to my religious, moral or spiritual nature; I have chosen films that are entertaining. On the other hand, I don't avoid including God and morality in my comments, if it seems apropos to do so.
I hope you enjoy these films as much as I do, and I wish you pleasure at
the movies and success at the bridge table.
-Pamela Granovetter, September, 1996
The Bridge Today Magazine
Top-Ten Survey
List of Movies
Votes received are listed in parenthesis; the rest received only the author's vote. Restricted movies are marked "R."
Adventures of Robin Hood An Affair to Remember (3) The African Queen (2) Alice Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore American Graffiti (3) Annie Hall (3) Apollo 13 (1) Au Revoir les Enfants Barton Fink-R The Bigamist The Birds Black Narcissus Blood Simple-R The Bodyguard-R Breakfast at Tiffany's (1) The Bridge on the River Kwai (4) Brief Encounter (2) Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (2) Cabaret (1) Carrie-R Casablanca (18) Chinatown-R (4) Cinema Paradiso (3) Citizen X-R Corrina, Corrina Crimes and Misdemeanors (2) The Crying Game-R (1) Dances with Wolves (3) Dave (1) The Day of the Jackal (1) Dead Again-R Dersu Uzala (1) Dial M for Murder (2) Die Hard-R (1) Diner-R D.O.A. Doctor Zhivago (6) Don't Look Now-R Dr. Strangelove (4) A Dry White Season (1) 8 1/2-R The Elephant Man The Empire Strikes Back (4) E.T. The Extra Terrestrial Family Plot Family Viewing-R Fargo-R (1) Fiddler on the Roof (2) Floating Weeds The 400 Blows (2) The French Connection-R Fresh-R (1) The Fugitive (3) Funny Girl (1) The Godfather-R (3) The Godfather Part II-R (2) The Godfather Part III-R Goldfinger The Gold Rush Gone With the Wind (10) The Graduate (4) Groundhog Day (3) Hannah and Her Sisters (1) Heart Like a Wheel Hidden Agenda-R High Noon (6) Housesitter Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (2) In the Heat of the Night (2) In the Line of Fire-R The Ipcress File It Happened One Night It's A Wonderful Life (7) Jaws (2) Jean de Florette (1) Joe Versus the Volcano (1) Jurassic Park (3) The Karate Kid The Killing Fields-R The Lavender Hill Mob (1) A League of Their Own Le Samourai-R Lethal Weapon-R Like Water for Chocolate-R (2) The Long Goodbye-R The Magnificent Seven (7) The Maltese Falcon (7) Manon of the Spring (1) The Man with the Golden Arm Meet Me in St. Louis Miller's Crossing Mirage (1) The Mission (1) Mrs. Doubtfire Muriel's Wedding-R The Music Box Norma Rae North by Northwest (4) Notorious (2) Not Without My Daughter No Way Out-R (2) Nuts-R One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest-R (6) Ordinary People-R (1) The Parallax View-R Parenthood (1) Passion Fish-R Pather Panchali A Place for Annie Pretty Woman-R (3) The Prince of Tides-R (1) The Princess Bride (6) Prizzi's Honor-R Proof-R Psycho (4) Pulp Fiction-R (8) Quiz Show (1) Radio Days Raiders of the Lost Ark (7) Raise the Red Lantern (3) Raising Arizona Rear Window (4) Rebecca Red Dust Red River (1) The Remains of the Day (1) Return of the Jedi (4) Rio Bravo (1) A River Runs Through It (1) Rocky (1) Rosemary's Baby-R Running on Empty Scarlet Street Schindler's List-R (7) Sea of Love-R The Set-Up Shane (1) Shattered-R The Shawshank Redemption-R (2) The Shining-R (2) Short Cuts-R The Silence of the Lambs-R (5) Singin' in the Rain (3) Sleepless in Seattle (3) Sneakers Some Like It Hot (2) Sophie's Choice Sorry, Wrong Number The Sound of Music (6) The Spy Who Came In =0Bfrom the Cold (2) Stagecoach (1) Star Wars (12) The Sting (6) Suspect-R Tap The Terminator-R (4) Terminator 2: Judgment Day-R (2) Terms of Endearment (1) The Thin Man The Third Man Thirty Two Short Films About Glenn Gould To Have and Have Not Tokyo Story To Live Tootsie Trust-R 12:01 (1) Two for the Road (1) The Vanishing (3) The Verdict-R Vertigo (1) Wall Street-R The Way We Were When Harry Met Sally-R (8) While You Were Sleeping (3) Witness-R The Wizard of Oz (4) Working Girl-R (1) Z (1)
The Adventures of Robin Hood
directed by Michael Curtiz/William Keighley, 1938, 105 minutes
As a kid, I used to watch this movie on our black & white television from time to time, but had no idea what I was missing. It wasn't until adulthood, when I saw The Adventures of Robin Hood with my children, that I realized this great classic was made in glorious color. The actors wear gorgeously bright costumes and the entire film is a visual delight, due to the three-strip Technicolor process, which is now used almost exclusively in China.
Errol Flynn is absolutely dashing as Sir Robin Hood of Locksley, champion of the poor and downtrodden, and loyal subject of King Richard the Lionhearted. Richard, while crusading in foreign lands, is captured and held for ransom. Back in England, Prince John (Claude Rains) takes advantage of his brother's absence by consolidating power with the wicked Sir Guy (Basil Rathbone) and the Sheriff of Nottingham (Melville Cooper) to rape and plunder the weak Saxons. Sir Guy hopes to marry beautiful Maid Marian (Olivia de Havilland), the royal ward of King Richard, who despises the Saxons. Robin Hood takes it upon himself to protect Prince John's helpless victims and organizes a group of truly merry men, including Little John (Alan Hale) and Friar Tuck (Eugene Pallette). They steal from the rich and give to the poor, and along the way Robin Hood convinces Marian that she is wrong to hate the Saxons, and that Prince John and Sir Guy are evil and treasonous. The story is told with so much wit, energy and pizzazz, entertaining to both adults and children, that it deserves to be called a classic.
I disapprove of stealing, even if one does it for a good cause, except at bridge, of course. Stealing tricks at bridge is a must, sometimes to make those crucial extra tricks at matchpoints, and sometimes to bring home a contract. One way to do this is to convince your opponents that they are better off not taking their tricks. For example: You hold K-10-x-x in dummy opposite the J-x in your hand. You think the ace is on your left, in front of the king. Your plan is to play toward the king, because if the ace is ducked, you can win the king and pitch the second card in this suit on a winner in dummy, and thus gain one trick while losing none. Lead the jack, not the low card. Your left-hand opponent, holding the ace, might smoothly duck it, believing you are going to misguess the position.
An Affair To Remember
directed by Leo McCarey, 1957, 115 minutes
Lots of publicity for this charming tearjerker was generated by Sleepless in Seattle, the 1993 version of this film (the first was director McCarey's own Love Affair, 1939). Penniless Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr meet on a cruise and fall in love, although each has a commitment to another. Both are accustomed to living a life of luxury through the generosity of their beaus, but they decide to chuck it all and get married.
It turns out that Grant has neglected his talent as an artist and Kerr as a singer. The lovers decide to separate for a while in order to break up with their mates and start earning a living as professional artists. They agree to meet a few months later at the Empire State Building, but Kerr is hit by a car and doesn't show up. When she finds she is no longer able to walk, she decides not to contact Grant, who is succeeding as an artist. Kerr, who is extremely charming in this role, was enjoying tremendous popularity with the public. In 1957 she was voted the most popular female star by Photoplay Magazine, and this film won the Photoplay Gold Medal Award. The Photoplay awards were determined by movie fans rather than critics or motion picture artists.
Bridge players enjoy a good cry at the movies; they'd like to cry at the card table, but it would be too embarrassing. This movie is good therapy. Bring plenty of hankies.
Famous Love-Story Films
Brief Encounter Camille Casablanca Elvira Madigan Intermezzo Now Voyager Pat and Mike Random Harvest The Story of Late Chrysanthemums The Way We WereThe African Queen directed by John Huston, 1951, 105 minutes
Humphrey Bogart won his only Academy Award, at the age of 53, for his performance in The African Queen (he should have won for Casablanca as well).
The story takes place in German East Africa in 1914. Charlie (Bogart) is a slovenly Canadian trader, who owns a small boat. He sometimes delivers mail to an English brother and sister (Robert Morley and Katharine Hepburn), who have been in Africa for 10 years doing missionary work. The Germans attack the small missionary settlement and the brother dies. Charlie offers to take the prim and proper sister, Rose, down the river to wait out the war, but Rose has other ideas. She suggests they blow up a German battleship, "The Louisa," which commands a strategic spot down-river. As usual, Bogie plays a man who is not willing to risk his personal safety for politics. But when Charlie refuses, Rose won't speak to him. He gets lonely and gives in.
In order to reach "The Louisa," Rose and Charlie must make an extremely dangerous journey through crocodile-infested waters, dense reeds and white rapids, which Rose finds exhilarating. She says, "Now that I've had a taste of it, I don't wonder that you love boating." When Rose asks if he's worried, Charlie replies, "Oh, I'm not worried, Miss. Gave myself up for dead back where we started." As they go down the perilous river, they fall in love. They make such a refreshing couple; they are totally supportive of one another and express their love openly and often. Even when faced with dire situations and certain death, they feel happy and thankful to have found each other.
If two bridge players could feel so wonderfully toward each other and see each disaster as simply another hurdle to overcome instead of the time for anger and recriminations, they would surely make an extremely successful pair.