West Side Story (1961)

So, I have something of a history with this film. Previous to this screening, I'd only seen it once, about twenty years ago, and I hated the film. I loathed it. In fact, despite having only seen the film a single time two decades ago, I retained surprisingly clear memories of the film itself as…

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Gigi

I feel like I'm seeing Lubitsch everywhere now, but it's hard to deny the connections between Lubitsch and Gigi. It's set in Europe, pre-WWI (specifically France's Belle Epoque), with wealthy people and a certain visual materialism, a class divide, the battle of the sexes, and Maurice Chevalier. It's the Chevalier presence that makes it unmistakable…

An American in Paris

I occasionally mention movies that I attribute with my father, but this is the main film I attribute with my mother. I saw it several times in my youth, all with her. In fact, my mother was due to come for a visit, so I actually worked my schedule so that we could naturally watch…

The Merry Widow (1934)

#3 in my ranking of Ernst Lubitsch's filmography. I knew that The Merry Widow was Lubitsch's first film subjected to the Hays Office's rules upon its original release, so I was a bit shocked as the film went on and it felt like a bawdy pre-Code film. Thankfully, the actual release process was a bit…

One Hour with You

#21 in my ranking of Ernst Lubitsch's filmography. A remake of Lubitsch's earlier The Marriage Circle, this is essentially the same movie with two major differences: songs and the guy caught in the middle of the two women, his wife and her best friend, actually goes through with the infidelity. It's a change that introduces…