Supporting Actor 1988. Great intro by Micahel Caine and Sean Connery. Plus, it includes the clips from the nominees. Great Phoenix and Landau clips...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=70blPyjmdjM
Shelley Winters and Peter Ustonov interview after they won. She seemed such a nice woman...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nxHtboJJT14&feature=related
Edited By HarryGoldfarb on 1227623533
Clips from Oscar Ceremonies at Youtube
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HarryGoldfarb
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Big Magilla
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I just finished watching The Visit.
I don't recall having seen the film before, but it seemed very familiar to me. Perhaps I read the play years ago.
I pretty much agree with Italiano's assessment of the casting. The mix does allow for an "everywhere" kind of town but if that was the intent why didn't they change the characters' names from the very obvious German?
Beside the obvious themes of greed and revenge, the film also reads as an idictment of the good Germans who stood by while Hitler marched to power in decades not long past.
The film is a bit talky, belying its stage origins but the magnificently coiffed and gowned Bergman does the role justice. Bergman, who was 49 at the time, plays a character who was betrayed 20 years earlier at the age of 17, making her 37 so she isn't at all too young for the character at least as written for the screen.
Anthony Quinn is surprsingly restrained in one of his last pre-Zorba role. Valentina Cortese conveys the irony of her role as Quinn's wife quite well and some of the other supporting players aren't bad but Hans Chrsitian Blech as the Gestapo like Army colonel and Irina Demick as his gullible mistress are.
I don't recall having seen the film before, but it seemed very familiar to me. Perhaps I read the play years ago.
I pretty much agree with Italiano's assessment of the casting. The mix does allow for an "everywhere" kind of town but if that was the intent why didn't they change the characters' names from the very obvious German?
Beside the obvious themes of greed and revenge, the film also reads as an idictment of the good Germans who stood by while Hitler marched to power in decades not long past.
The film is a bit talky, belying its stage origins but the magnificently coiffed and gowned Bergman does the role justice. Bergman, who was 49 at the time, plays a character who was betrayed 20 years earlier at the age of 17, making her 37 so she isn't at all too young for the character at least as written for the screen.
Anthony Quinn is surprsingly restrained in one of his last pre-Zorba role. Valentina Cortese conveys the irony of her role as Quinn's wife quite well and some of the other supporting players aren't bad but Hans Chrsitian Blech as the Gestapo like Army colonel and Irina Demick as his gullible mistress are.
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Cinemanolis
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The first Italian version of the play (at the Piccolo Teatro in Milan) was legendary - in the late 50s, it made a star of its bold, inventive young director Giorgio Strehler (Sarah Ferrati, a famous stage actress of those times, played the main role).
I didn't know about the musical, but in the 70s Von Einem composed an opera in Italian based on the play, which successfully toured many European countries.
I know that Zoe Caldwell has recently played the old lady in Australia, while in some of the many versions of the play in the Far East the role has been played by men in drag.
Unfortunately I've never seen The Visit on stage, but I vaguely remember a German tv movie where the role was played by Swiss actress Maria Schell (even more miscast than Bergman, but at least older when she did it).
I didn't know about the musical, but in the 70s Von Einem composed an opera in Italian based on the play, which successfully toured many European countries.
I know that Zoe Caldwell has recently played the old lady in Australia, while in some of the many versions of the play in the Far East the role has been played by men in drag.
Unfortunately I've never seen The Visit on stage, but I vaguely remember a German tv movie where the role was played by Swiss actress Maria Schell (even more miscast than Bergman, but at least older when she did it).
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Big Magilla
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The play was done on Broadway three times, in 1958 with Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne, in 1973 with Rachel Roberts and John McMartin and in 1992 with Jane Alexander and Harris Yulin.
Angela Lansbury at 82 is too old for the part now, but Chita Rivera and George Hearn who star in the D.C. production of the Kander-Ebb musical aren't far behind her. Both of them are in their mid-70s now, even older than Lunt (mid 60s) and Fontanne (early 70s) were when they first tackled the roles.
Angela Lansbury at 82 is too old for the part now, but Chita Rivera and George Hearn who star in the D.C. production of the Kander-Ebb musical aren't far behind her. Both of them are in their mid-70s now, even older than Lunt (mid 60s) and Fontanne (early 70s) were when they first tackled the roles.
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FilmFan720
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As I remembered - a good scene, but one which doesn't completely belong (the kiss especially) to Durrenmatt's much tougher universe. And Bergman was still too young, too beautiful, too "healthy" to be entirely believable as a woman whose whole life has been tormented by hatred and revenge.Johnny Guitar wrote:Here's a clip:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pqq-UzJO5KQ
I haven't seen The Visit, but I agree with the recommendation of Hyenas. A great film.rain Bard wrote:Has anyone here ever seen the Visit? I've been dying to watch it ever since I learned of its existence several years ago. It's based on a brilliant play by Freidrich Durenmatt, and I've always wondered if its lack of availability signaled mediocrity (but then again, there's so many examples of unavailable masterpieces that I should know better).
In the meantime, Durenmatt's play was turned into a scathing anti-colonialist film by Senegalese filmmaker Djibril Diop Mambety called Hyenas, and it's available on DVD and highly recommended.
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Johnny Guitar
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Here's a clip:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pqq-UzJO5KQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pqq-UzJO5KQ
I saw the movie more than twenty years ago on Italian television. Yes, changes were made, including a very important one which I won't tell you but which certainly has the effect of "softening" Durrenmatt's uncompromisingly pessimistic view of human beings. Still, the play is such a powerful masterpiece that, even in a so-so version, its strength, and I would even say its "weirdness", aren't completely absent - let's say that if a failure, the movie is still a very interesting one, and doesn't deserve to be so forgotten, so obscure. It can probably be more appreciated by those who haven't read the play - though at the same time, when I read it years after having seen the movie, I realized that it's such a complex, symbolic piece of theatre that transferring it to the screen (a more realistic medium) would have been impossible without some compromises. I think it took some courage to make it into a movie, and even just for this reason it deserves to be seen. With a better director, or one with a more personal approach to the material, it could have even been a very good movie.
The cast is bizarre, with actors from all European countries - and Anthony Quinn. This was probably the (messy) result of the movie being a complicated co-production, but in some way, maybe unintentionally, it preserves one important point of the play - this is not about a specific place, a specific time, it's about mankind in general. As far as I remember, Quinn is very good, but of course it's Bergman who has the showiest role - and Karla Zachanassian is one of the great woman's roles in contemporary theatre. She's an extraordinary actress, but maybe - I should really see the movie again - a bit miscast here. I wonder for example how Katharine Hepburn would have been in the part - terrible maybe, as she always was when she had a "big" role but a weak director to guide her - still I think she would have probably been better suited to it. Today, Meryl Streep would be a wonderful choice.
Edited By ITALIANO on 1212161965
The cast is bizarre, with actors from all European countries - and Anthony Quinn. This was probably the (messy) result of the movie being a complicated co-production, but in some way, maybe unintentionally, it preserves one important point of the play - this is not about a specific place, a specific time, it's about mankind in general. As far as I remember, Quinn is very good, but of course it's Bergman who has the showiest role - and Karla Zachanassian is one of the great woman's roles in contemporary theatre. She's an extraordinary actress, but maybe - I should really see the movie again - a bit miscast here. I wonder for example how Katharine Hepburn would have been in the part - terrible maybe, as she always was when she had a "big" role but a weak director to guide her - still I think she would have probably been better suited to it. Today, Meryl Streep would be a wonderful choice.
Edited By ITALIANO on 1212161965
Cinemanolis wrote:rain Bard wrote:Has anyone here ever seen the Visit? I've been dying to watch it ever since I learned of its existence several years ago. It's based on a brilliant play by Freidrich Durenmatt, and I've always wondered if its lack of availability signaled mediocrity (but then again, there's so many examples of unavailable masterpieces that I should know better).
In the meantime, Durenmatt's play was turned into a scathing anti-colonialist film by Senegalese filmmaker Djibril Diop Mambety called Hyenas, and it's available on DVD and highly recommended.
I actually have 'The Visit' on Vhs recorded from american tv. I bought it on ebay, as i knew that it was rare, but it's one of those films i always intend to see but still haven't. After 4 or 5 years sitting on my shelves, i think it's time to watch it.
I also have a copy of The Visit (1964) on Vhs. It is very melodramatic, but memorable because of Bergman, Quinn and Cortese.
I believe the screen version is different from the play as changes were made.
Edited By Reza on 1212116624
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Cinemanolis
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I actually have 'The Visit' on Vhs recorded from american tv. I bought it on ebay, as i knew that it was rare, but it's one of those films i always intend to see but still haven't. After 4 or 5 years sitting on my shelves, i think it's time to watch it.rain Bard wrote:Has anyone here ever seen the Visit? I've been dying to watch it ever since I learned of its existence several years ago. It's based on a brilliant play by Freidrich Durenmatt, and I've always wondered if its lack of availability signaled mediocrity (but then again, there's so many examples of unavailable masterpieces that I should know better).
In the meantime, Durenmatt's play was turned into a scathing anti-colonialist film by Senegalese filmmaker Djibril Diop Mambety called Hyenas, and it's available on DVD and highly recommended.
Has anyone here ever seen the Visit? I've been dying to watch it ever since I learned of its existence several years ago. It's based on a brilliant play by Freidrich Durenmatt, and I've always wondered if its lack of availability signaled mediocrity (but then again, there's so many examples of unavailable masterpieces that I should know better).
In the meantime, Durenmatt's play was turned into a scathing anti-colonialist film by Senegalese filmmaker Djibril Diop Mambety called Hyenas, and it's available on DVD and highly recommended.
In the meantime, Durenmatt's play was turned into a scathing anti-colonialist film by Senegalese filmmaker Djibril Diop Mambety called Hyenas, and it's available on DVD and highly recommended.
It is definitely a memorable Oscar speech - and one typical of its decade: it would be unthinkable today - but knowing Valentina Cortese, her intelligence, her sense of humour, and let's say it, her love for theatrical gestures, had she won, her speech would have been equally great.HarryGoldfarb wrote:Please, look at this...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ky5sW4no_cg&feature=user
If Juliette Binoche little homage to Lauren Bacall was a proof of humility... this stands out! Man, I never heard about this reaction to her win... And coming from her is just amazing. How tasteful and classy...
Bergman was right, of corse - Valentina should have won. Having lived in Italy, Bergman not only knew Cortese personally (they had even acted together in a movie called The Visit), but was aware of her reputation as a legendary stage diva in this country - though to be honest Cortese wasn't certainly unknown in America, and years before had even had a short but extremely interesting career in Hollywood. So Bergman's hommage to Cortese was, of course, a tribute to a great performance, but to a great actress too. As for Cortese, well, losing to Ingrid Bergman was certainly much more bearable than losing to a precocious child in what was really a leading role - which, I'm afraid, would have happened if she had been nominated the year before.