Joan of Arc, the Patron Saint of France

What I like about Netflix, is the ability to see old movies.  I saw Joan of Arc, the original movie, as a child, but recently we ordered it as our Netflix selection.  I hadn't realized what a splendid job Ingrid Bergman did in her role. (She was nominated for an Oscar for this role.)  I had also forgotten how incredibly beautiful she was.  Dan and I thoroughly enjoyed this movie the other night.

For a short biography of Joan of Arc check out this url.

Here are some screen shots I captured from the movie:

The beautiful Ingrid Bergman as Joan of Arc.

Joan of Arc meets the Dauphin and future King Charles of France.

This was one of the first movies for Jose Ferrer who received an Oscar nomination for his role as the Dauphin.

Joan of Arc is found guilty and will be burned at the stake.

Burned at the stake.

The acting in this movie was superb, and the photography amazing, especially for a film of 1948.  There has been a more recent film about Joan of Arc where a much younger actress, Leelee Sobieski shines as the legendary 15th-century warrior.  Ingrid Bergman was a bit older than the 17 year old Joan.  I'm going to order the 1999 DVD Joan of Arc and compare the two portrayals.

"Gentlemen, you can't fight in here! This is the War Room!"

Peter Sellers in one of his three roles. Image from Wikipedia.

Yesterday Dan and I watched the movie from which this quote, "Gentlemen, you can't fight in here! This is the War Room!", was taken.  Do you know the movie?  Roger Ebert has said the movie is "arguably the best political satire of the (20th) century."  The late Peter Sellers played three different roles in this movie, and was nominated for an academy award for best actor.  He didn't win.

Peter Sellers playing the POTUS. Image from Wikipedia.

Peter Sellers in his third role. Image from Wikipedia.

We did not see the movie when it came out in 1964, but this was our Netflix movie of the week, and we liked it.  Dark comedy!  Leave a comment if you know the movie.

Oscars Tonight

I enjoy watching the Oscars each year, and I'm looking forward to seeing who wins tonight.  Here are some of my favorite winners of past years:

  

Best Actress Elizabeth Taylor ("Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?"). 1967

Best Actor John Wayne ("True Grit"). 1970

Best Actor Henry Fonda, Best Actress Katherine Hepburn, (" On Golden Pond"). 1982

Best Picture winner “Terms of Endearment,” with the movie’s Best Actress winner Shirley MacLaine and Supporting Actor winner Jack Nicholson. (1984).

Best Picture ("Rainman"), 1989.

Best Picture (The King's Speech"), 2011.

And one of my all time favorite songs to win is "Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head" by Burt Bacharach and Hal David.  It won for best song in 1970 for the movie "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid".  A great movie, with two great actors, Paul Newman and Robert Redford. Have a listen.

The Artist

Dan and I saw the movie, The Artist, last night at the Rialto.  It was so well done and so much fun that I'm speechless (pun intended).

If you have a chance, don't miss this movie.