Michael Curtiz

Curtiz: consider Casablanca overrated (or maybe just over-familiar), surprised it remains on S&S's Top 100; think Mildred Pierce is a very good noir, although I like Todd Haynes' remake even more; saw Angels with Dirty Faces ages ago, don't remember anything. Those three and now White Christmas are all I've seen.

Was mostly unimpressed with White Christmas when I finally saw it last year. Saw it back-to-back with a first viewing of Holiday Inn so the racially insensitive elements of WC seemed positively restrained in comparison.

OTOH, just recently watched Captain Blood on a whim with no foreknowledge or expectations and thought it was pretty damn spectacular. The best pirate movie ever? Would love to see it on a big screen.

No way is Casablanca overrated btw

consider Casablanca overrated

See, we don't disagree all the time

As much as I am not a Casablanca fan, looking back at what it was up against for the best picture Oscar, I'm glad it won. The only thing in the lineup that I regard as clearly superior is Heaven Can Wait.

Just about every Curtiz film between 1937 and 1948 is worth a watch. A special prize to the absolutely bonkers Flamingo Road.

OL: I knew about the blackface scene in Holiday Inn (haven't seen it; I assume TCM plays the film intact with a warning?); I was going to mention that too.

Those three and now White Christmas are all I've seen.

No King Creole? Elvis Noir!

I've seen like two Elvis movies--Loving You and Jailhouse Rock and I think that's it. (Not even VLV, no.)