Grandest 'Film Folly' Of All

Hahah. THAT film.

Good Lord yes, was dragged to that as a school field trip. Others off the top of my head: Waterworld (if you're going that late), Even Cowgirls Get The Blues, 1941.

Just realized there's only 2 years separating Waterworld and Cowgirls. Sorry to derail this thread, will wait for other one.

(Sorry, Eric H., couldn't resist.)

No worries. I guess I torpedoed this one without even realizing it.

My own window of interest is the '70s. Waterworld and Cowgirls[i] certainly belong on a folly poll somewhere, but I know more about the '75-'82 debacles--all the [i]Easy Rider/Raging Bull directors meeting their Waterloos. Maybe someone who knows more about the late-'80s could set up a second poll?

Try again (italics are my own Waterloo):

My own window of interest is the '70s. Waterworld and Cowgirls certainly belong on a folly poll somewhere, but I know more about the '75-'82 debacles--all the Easy Rider/Raging Bull directors meeting their Waterloos. Maybe someone who knows more about the late-'80s could set up a second poll?

i think lola montes is one of my all-time "wished i liked it better" movies

Seconded.

Good Lord yes, was dragged to that as a school field trip.

You saw Song of Norway in a theater?!? I'm 1% jealous, 99% ready to help you with grief counseling.

Seconded.

― look at it, pwn3d, made u look at my peen/vadge (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Wednesday, December 8, 2010 3:15 PM (6 minutes ago) Bookmark

technically, you thirded me, but who's counting

Lola Montes was one of those movies where I should love it but I ended up being indifferent.

I like Lola Montes just fine.

Wow @ "The Conqueror"...I never heard that story. Crazy...

Inspired the Mekons song "The Flame That Killed John Wayne."

I had heard the Conqueror stories, had never seen any clips. That looks wretched.

But not as wretched as Song Of Norway!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lKHKQ1p4HZk&feature=related

I do think Cleopatra is sort of the odd one out among these choices in that it really does seem to be a pretty irredeemable misfire, as opposed to glorious. (Never managed to get through it, myself.)

that's probably because it's an huge epic made by a guy who was essentially a screenwriter.

^^^

That would explain a couple things.

Watch it as Liz and Richard's first vacation films and it's a treat. (Legendary line from Mankiewicz during one of their love scenes: "Cut...CUT!...I feel like I'm intruding!")

Also it's just weird to be watching and see all these familiar people in different contexts. "Oh hey, Carroll O'Connor."

I made it through it (pan-and-scan) on TV in the '70s. The 4:30 Movie on WABC would show it in a 90-minute slot, all week, in 4 or 5 parts.

Uncut it's something like four hours -- allegedly the original cut was *six* hours. There's a couple of ridiculously rough edits where you can tell they chopped out something after Mankiewicz lost control of the cut.

Filmed in Super Panavision 70 by Davis Boulton and presented in single-camera Cinerama in some countries, it was a clear attempt to capitalise on the success of The Sound of Music but suffered from a weak script, poor editing (by the director's wife), unappealing animation and an ill-advised stunt sequence (directed by Yakima Canutt) which appeared to portray Grieg as an action hero.

yakima canutt? im fucking sold!

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

Still think you cocked this one up, Clemenza.

My own window of interest is the '70s.

Posts so in character they didn't even need to be posted.

LOL this thread, memories

No Ludwig (Visconti, 1973), no credibility.

I liked L'Inhumaine, but as a precursor of the more epic lol-80s music videos. (Which I suspect were made by film students who had been trained on whatever version of Metropolis was in circulation.)

Foolish Wives is almost restrained compared to The Merry Widow (1925) or The Wedding March (1928). I haven't seen Queen Kelly, but all accounts suggest it's in the same vein.

Classic ILX right here.

That's for sure!

xp Clyde Fitch and this thread, thought you may not know it, were well before my time.

What makes a man walk into a lion cage with nothing but a chair?

clem, did you ever read Klawans?

Helluva book!

Don't know what the total death toll was for those who worked on Stalker compared to The Conqueror, mentioned above, but it's likely that the industrial location shooting near poisoned waterways was when Tarkovsky contracted cancer.

The only copy of this book is in a non-circulating reference library downtown, otherwise I'd like to read it.

One possible inclusion I thought of that I think fits the criteria as I now understand it is Hopper's Last Movie.

I actually like it a lot, but unlike all the other choices on the list, The Last Movie is barely coherent as a movie, thus losing a lot of potential grandeur in the eyes of most viewers.

This thread is the classic example of the insular, cock-tugging male critics worldview ILX is sometimes so terrible for.

Eric: I remember this thread. Of the many arguments I've had on here, this'd be one where I think back and--without even scrolling back--regret being needlessly difficult. Sorry.

I certainly didn’t do myself any favors either, obviously, and am fine (retroactively) haveing gotten called out on it

This thread is the classic example of the insular, cock-tugging male critics worldview ILX is sometimes so terrible for.

Hey, I was trying to be charitable :)