My Movies: Day 4

Posted to Facebook without comment as 4/10 of Ten Movies in Ten Days

NOTE: I have decided that I have been doing this wrong. If this project is about films that have left an impact on me then what we need here are the effects/my reasons and not a précis or synopsis. We don’t need the details that I can link to in Wikipedia or IMDB. It’s time to spill my guts and get personal. Otherwise, what is the point?

I will revisit the first three posts in this series and see what I can come up with. I do not think it true that I could always articulate my reasons or explain the impact involved but where I can, I will.

Also – I have realised that a large part of this project for me is in selecting just the right still. I seem to be spending an inordinate time on the selection process but I am really enjoying doing so.

Papillon, 1973

Based on the 1969 autobiography by the French convict Henri Charrière, two and a half hours of what I remember to be difficult viewing – brutally punishing to the emotions. But what a story! You couldn’t make it up. Except “based on” essentially means “partly fictionalised” so… who, knows. For once, I have not read the book. Cannot comment.

Definitely bum-numbing, this is a gripping and involving story and is completely memorable.

Anyway. Steve McQueen. What’s left to say… Steve McQueen doing what Steve McQueen does best and he is as adorable as ever. However, this was the first film that I saw that showed me just what an actor Dustin Hoffman is.

Scores 7.1 at IMDB, which I really must quibble with because this is a truly great film. If you haven’t yet seen it, do so. It’s a Classic.

I have not seen the re-make and am not sure that I want to. I don’t wish to spoil the memories of this first experience and, with performance such as McQueen and Hoffman deliver here, how could it possibly be bettered?.

Wikipedia | IMDB