#the one and only errol flynn

[flynnfan-downunder]

ERROL FLYNN

#errol flynn #i adore this man #fabulous photo #glorious in costume #wonderful in color #the greatest swashbuckler ever #love this film #great actor #the one and only errol flynn

[hotvintagepoll]

Congrats to the ultimate winner of the Hot & Vintage Movie Men Tournament, Mr. Toshiro Mifune! May he live happily and well where the sun always shines, enjoying the glories of a battle hard fought.

A loving farewell to all of our previous contestants, who are now banished to the shadow realm and all its dark joys and whispered horrors—I hear there's a picnic on the village green today. If you want to remember the fallen heroes, you can find them all beneath the cut.

What happens next? I'll be taking a break of two weeks to rest from this and prep for the Hot & Vintage Ladies Tournament. I'll still be around but only minimally, posting a few last odes to the hot men before transitioning into a little early ladies content, just like I did with this last tournament. The submission form for the Hot & Vintage Ladies tournament will remain up for one more week (closing February 21st), so get your submissions in for that asap! Once the form closes, there will be one more week of break. The first round of the Hot & Vintage Ladies Tournament will be posted on February 29th, as Leap Year Day seems like a fitting allusion to leaping into these ladies' arms.

Thanks for being here! Enjoy the two weeks off, and send me some great propaganda.

In order of the last round they survived—

ROUND ONE HOTTIES:

Richard Burton

Tony Curtis

Red Skelton

Keir Dullea

Jack Lemmon

Kirk Douglas

Marcello Mastroianni

Jean-Pierre Cassel

Robert Wagner

James Garner

James Coburn

Rex Harrison

George Chakiris

Dean Martin

Sean Connery

Tab Hunter

Howard Keel

James Mason

Steve McQueen

George Peppard

Elvis Presley

Rudolph Valentino

Joseph Schildkraut

Ray Milland

Claude Rains

John Wayne

William Holden

Douglas Fairbanks Sr.

Harold Lloyd

Charlie Chaplin

John Gilbert

Ramon Novarro

Slim Thompson

John Barrymore

Edward G. Robinson

William Powell

Leslie Howard

Peter Lawford

Mel Ferrer

Joseph Cotten

Keye Luke

Ivan Mosjoukine

Spencer Tracy

Felix Bressart

Ronald Reagan (here to be dunked on)

Peter Lorre

Bob Hope

Paul Muni

Cornel Wilde

John Garfield

Cantinflas

Henry Fonda

Robert Mitchum

Van Johnson

José Ferrer

Robert Preston

Jack Benny

Fredric March

Gene Autry

Alec Guinness

Fayard Nicholas

Ray Bolger

Orson Welles

Mickey Rooney

Glenn Ford

James Cagney

ROUND TWO SWOONERS:

Dick Van Dyke

James Edwards

Sammy Davis Jr.

Alain Delon

Peter O'Toole

Robert Redford

Charlton Heston

Cesar Romero

Noble Johnson

Lex Barker

David Niven

Robert Earl Jones

Turhan Bey

Bela Lugosi

Donald O'Connor

Carman Newsome

Oscar Micheaux

Benson Fong

Clint Eastwood

Sabu Dastagir

Rex Ingram

Burt Lancaster

Paul Newman

Montgomery Clift

Fred Astaire

Boris Karloff

Gilbert Roland

Peter Cushing

Frank Sinatra

Harold Nicholas

Guy Madison

Danny Kaye

John Carradine

Ricardo Montalbán

Bing Crosby

ROUND THREE SMOKESHOWS:

Marlon Brando

Anthony Perkins

Michael Redgrave

Gary Cooper

Conrad Veidt

Ronald Colman

Rock Hudson

Basil Rathbone

Laurence Olivier

Christopher Plummer

Johnny Weismuller

Clark Gable

Fernando Lamas

Errol Flynn

Tyrone Power

Humphrey Bogart

ROUND 4 STUNGUNS:

James Dean

Cary Grant

Gregory Peck

Sessue Hayakawa

Harry Belafonte

James Stewart

Gene Kelly

Peter Falk

QUARTERFINALIST VOLCANIC TOWERS OF LUST:

Jeremy Brett

Vincent Price

James Shigeta

Buster Keaton

SEMIFINALIST SUPERMEN:

Omar Sharif

Paul Robeson

FINALIST FANTASIES:

Sidney Poitier

Toshiro Mifune

and ok, sure, here's the shadow-bracket-style winner's portrait of Toshiro Mifune.

#hotvintagepoll #hot men finals #a winner crowned! #fuck that old man (requiem) #shadow bracket #toshiro mifune

[artsy-hobbitses]

Putting my own spin on the one and only Kurt ‘Nightcrawler’ Wagner because I’m EXCITED for X-Men ‘97, and with Gambit now happily married, someone else needs to have the frauleins dropping their knickers like they’re live grenades.

Very strong Errol Flynn influence, X-Men outfits are really best when they accentuate the character instead of ‘fitting with a team’ (there was a period where they all had these slick black and gold uniforms but where’s the fun if EVERYONE looked like that? More so the X-Men who revel in differences?) so there was really no reason the Fuzzy One couldn’t own the full longcoat and brocade shoulders!

Also, energy blades for a little high tech to go with the old school ✨👌🏼

#Kurt Wagner #nightcrawler #x men #art #uncanny xmen

[rhysdarbinizedarby]

‘Our Flag Means Death’ Star Rhys Darby on Stede’s Transformations & Hopes for Season 3

[Warning: The below contains MAJOR spoilers for Our Flag Means Death Season 2 Episode 8 “Mermen.”]

Our Flag Means Death saw Gentleman pirate Stede Bonnet (Rhys Darby) transform from a fish-out-of-water swashbuckler into the romantic hero he was always destined to be in the latest season of Max‘s original comedy.

After realizing the error of his ways at the end of Season 1, Stede sought redemption in the eyes of the infamous Blackbeard, a.k.a. Ed (Taika Waititi), after recognizing he was in love with the pirate. While the path wasn’t a direct one, they eventually found their way back to one another with the help of a fantastical mermaid sequence, some much-needed apologies, and ultimately a better string of communication.

Reflecting on his journey, star Rhys Darby is opening up about Stede’s various transformations in Season 2, including the excitement surrounding that mermaid tail, as well as about where he thinks the pirate lovebirds might end up next should the series return for Season 3.

Congrats on Season 2! Now that we can finally talk about it, what has it been like getting to see fan reactions, especially during the SAG-AFTRA strike?

Rhys Darby: Yeah, it was like a pressure cooker that needed to burst, for us and for the fans. When it finally came out, the burst happened and there was so much love for us, [but we] couldn’t talk about it. We were still stuck in this bottle and the cork wouldn’t come off, and that was difficult, but it was really lovely to see all the love and the surprise from everyone. Obviously, as you know, the fan artwork, it’s what we would say in New Zealand is pretty full on. So yeah, it was super cool.

And not that anyone gives out numbers, but I think I heard on the ethos that people [are] watching it, and it’s rating really high and at a time when we need this kind of beautiful love fest of comedy with a whole bunch of silliness to take us away from the disasters that are happening in the world. It’s been lovely. I just wish it was longer. I know people watch and rewatch and they’re so fanatical, but it’s just a comedy show, so to have any effect means so much to us.

In Season 2, Stede’s gone through a few transformations, one of which is that he’s a real pirate now, at least comparatively to Season 1. What helped you get into that new version of him? Was it the writing, costumes, or a combination of the two?

Yeah, the costumes are the first thing that comes to mind because once he starts wearing different gear, he looks at himself and goes, “Oh my God, I’m a different man.” And he really is turning from a man who is wearing these beautiful gowns with high heels and things inappropriate for a pirate ship to becoming an Errol Flynn-type hero straight away. That’s what they wanted to do with the character. So he’s lost a lot of that beautiful pageantry and is becoming a more practical guy who has to survive. He returns to this nightmare of a world because he wants to fight for love, and for want of a better term, “man up,” whatever the modern-day version of that is, “person up?” To become the guy that he dreamt of being in the first season.

He didn’t dream that he was going to fall in love with someone. He dreamt he was going to be this amazing pirate and that just was not going to happen. But then when he found this love, I think he went away from that [dream] going, “I don’t deserve this.” And then when he realized upon returning home that he does deserve it, he had to fight for it. And so the only way to fight for it was to drop the battle armor of the gowns and actually become the pirate he imagined being. So it was great to become that and to fight for that love and to thank god that [Blackbeard] didn’t die. He would’ve actually lost it, I think, because it would’ve been like, “Well, what am I fighting for now?”

I think it was just so fun to see that character change, but also within that change, see a bit of the old self come through, especially when he found that cursed red suit. And all of a sudden it was like, “Oh my God, the old me again, look how good I look!” So it was lovely that they had those elements… I was missing a little bit of the old Stede myself. So it was great to find that again. And then again near the end with the British invasion scenario where I got to do the big coat and everything, which of course looked awesome. You can see that moment where I put it on and did that slow turnaround. It was way more filmic shots of me wearing that kind of stuff. And I think that gave Stede's strength as well. So much of Stede's embodiment comes from the things he’s wearing.

Speaking of costumes, the big one of the season had to be Stede’s mermaid look. How did you wrap your head around getting ready for such a fantastical, and ultimately, beautiful scene?

That was the highlight of the whole season for me. As a kid, I used to swim around like a little merkid. I would put my legs together and I’d swim under the water. I’ve always been into mermaids and things because I’m into cryptozoology. So when I got to be a mermaid or a merman, I really took to it. It was pretty easy, to be honest with you. I didn’t have any training to swim like that. So the only training I did was some breath work beforehand to help me hold my breath longer. But that was kind of almost superfluous. Once I got that [tail] on, I just became a mermaid. It’s hard for me to describe how I suddenly become these things, but I think I just got under the water. I could swim really easily with it.

And I had weights on. So one of the things was we had to make sure I was the right weight so that I wouldn’t just float. That thing was sort of buoyant. So once we sorted that out, I could actually swim really well, and then just sort of hover underneath the water for a long time while [Taika]’s looking at me, I’m looking at him. To see it on the day, on the screen when I knew they’d got [the shot], there were just so many cheers, and I think they even played the music to see how the scene would work out. It’s one of those life moments where you go, “Oh my God, I’m becoming a cryptid again. I’m never going to forget this.”

This season really does focus even more on Stede and Blackbeard’s romance. How did you and Taika prepare for that? Especially since Stede’s more transparent about his feelings this time around.

It was good, and it was time. And because I was the new strong Stede, it felt really natural for me. I think it just worked really well with the writing because of the aggression that I was going through. When I was fighting that really bad guy [Ned Low (Bronson Pinchot) and] threw a violin at him because he ruined Calypso’s birthday, that was a good moment because it is not just about Ed, it’s about the crew, Stede’s family, and they were going through this amazing moment there, and all of a sudden this guy turns up and next thing we’re getting tortured. And I’m like, “How dare you?”

I think that progression of strength helped [Stede] break into the moment of, “I’m just going to take my lover as well now, and do something with him.” He probably had no idea what he was doing because it’s Stede, but it worked out and it was the right time in the show. Taika and I are really good mates, so it’s really easy to do emotional scenes together. As soon as we put our gear on, we’re just looking at that character, and we admire each other.

You and Taika have been known to improv on the show. Was there any improv moment from Season 2 you were particularly proud to see onscreen?

Yeah. Well, one, I noticed that some people are talking about that they thought was scripted, which wasn’t — most of the [scenes where] I’m with Taika are improvised in those emotional close moments — is on the deck of the boat where we’d do the thumb thing. That was all improvised on the day. So that was fun that we got that kind of stuff in. And there were some more little bits and pieces, but that’s one that comes to mind. That worked really well.

By the end of Season 2, Stede and Blackbeard have settled in to open their own inn. Do you think the peace and quiet will last in a possible third season, or will they get bored and want to rejoin the excitement?

Well, obviously as it stands now, it’s very lovely and it’s a nice positive ending, which is lovely for Season 2. But in reality, if you think about the characters, even in the fictional world, they’re both outlaws, they’re pirates, and the British back then… they never gave up. They did track down all the pirates and either hang them or get rid of them. There was only a couple that got away, and it certainly wasn’t those two. So I think what they’re thinking is, yes, this is bliss, but both those characters must be thinking, this is not going to last because you’ve got to sleep with one eye open.

Even though they’re in the middle of nowhere, they’re still in an area where everyone knows what they are, so they’re going to be tracked down. So I think if it was me, [they’d] end up back in action one way or another, especially if their inn is popular, which it probably would be. Word would get around. I mean, in those days, had you heard the Blackbeard and Stede had opened up an inn, [you’d have] to check that one out. It’ll be like Planet Hollywood.

There would be a wait-list, for sure.

Yeah, absolutely. Basically, they’re too famous now that Stede’s killed Ned and everything. He’s a famous pirate. So death is going to come to their door at some point. They’ll have to deal with it.

Do you think this version of Stede and Blackbeard’s story could avoid the fate of the real-life pirates?

Yeah, no, I think you’re dreaming if you think they’re going to live happily ever after.

Our Flag Means Death, Seasons 1-2, Streaming now, Max

Source: TV Insider

#ofmd #our flag means death #ofmd s2 spoilers #behind the scenes #rhys darby #taika waititi #interview #tv insider

[theoharacollection]

MAUREEN O'HARA: A WOMAN OF BEAUTY, STRENGTH, & DIGNITY

In Memory of The Queen of Technicolor

In loving memory of one of Ireland's greatest gifts to cinema, The O'Hara Collection is devoted to the films and collective works of actress, Maureen O'Hara. The goal of this blog is to showcase her wonderful spirit and shed light on her glorious career as one of the Golden Age's finest. Later dubbed The Queen of Technicolor, O'Hara not only dressed her films with her fiery red hair and brilliant green eyes, but she also had a talent for acting that even rivaled her beauty. There will never be another like her.

Maureen O'Hara was born August 17th, 1920. She passed October 24th, 2015. She was 95 years old.

Interviews and commentary sampled from the following featurettes: -A Tribute to Maureen O'Hara with Hayley Mills, Juliet Mills, and Ally Sheedy -The Making of The Quiet Man (hosted by Leonard Maltin) -The Making of Rio Grande (written and hosted by Leonard Maltin)

Song: Maggie's Theme from The Parent Trap Soundtrack

Films Used In Order of Appearance: Lisbon (1956) w/ Ray Milland Jamaica Inn (1939) w/ Charles Laughton The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1939) w/ Charles Laughton How Green Was My Valley (1941) w/ Walter Pidgeon Against All Flags (1952) w/ Errol Flynn The Black Swan (1942) w/ Tyrone Power Spencer's Mountain (1963) w/ Henry Fonda Our Man in Havana (1959) w/ Alec Guinness Mr. Hobbs Takes A Vacation (1962) w/ Jimmy (James) Stewart The Parent Trap (1961) w/ Hayley Mills The Quiet Man (1952) w/ John Wayne The Rare Breed (1966) w/ Juliet Mills McLintock! (1963) w/ John Wayne Rio Grande (1950) w/ John Wayne The Wings of Eagles (1957) w/ John Wayne Only the Lonely (1991) w/ Ally Sheedy & John Candy

#old hollywood #vintage #maureen o'hara #ireland #john wayne #errol flynn #the parent trap #the quiet man #ally sheedy #hayley mills #juliet mills #harry carey jr. #brian keith #jimmy stewart #Youtube #video #vid recs

[atomic-raunch]

Gustaf Tenggren, who worked as one of the chief illustrators (not animators) for Disney during the 30’s in front of Christian’s Hut on Catalina Island. Tenggren did a lot of the preproduction art for Snow White, Bambi, and Pinocchio, as well as backgrounds for The Old Mill among others.

Christian’s Hut was originally built as a bar to entertain the cast and crew of the ‘35 Mutiny on the Bounty, hence the name after Fletcher Christian. Clark Gable lived above the bar during filming, in fact you can’t make it out in the picture but at the bottom of the sign in the top left corner it originally read “Prop. Clark Gable” (whether he was actually ever the proprietor in anything other than name only is unknown). After the filming of the movie the bar remained and became a regular hangout for Humphrey Bogart and Errol Flynn along with other old Hollywood elite when they’d sail their boats to Catalina Island. The bar tender was none other than Ray Buhen who would go on to open Tiki Ti. Lot’s of cool things all in one picture!

#gustaf tenggren #old hollywood #vintage tiki #Christian’s hut #old disney #disney history #tiki #tiki ti #humphrey bogart #errol flynn

[celluloidbroomcloset]

Just saw your post about Taika, and as a fellow veteran of Film Twitter, the Casablanca thing was simultaneously funny and annoying.

As you said Taika's point was he doesn't care about his 'legacy' because as he (correctly) says, 95% of people don't know who directed Casablanca, the just know the movie itself. But when headlines were screetching 'taIKa wAItiTI doESNt CarE wHO DireCTeD cASAblNCa!!!', Film Twitter saw their new opportunity to shit on him. 'Respect the name of Michael Curtiz and his legacy!!!!' (even though I bet most of them Google WhoDirectedCasablanca to do so). I even saw several posts about Curtiz with the hashtag sayhisname, which umm.......

What makes all this REALLY funny is knowing that Michael Curtiz not only abused a lot of animals (he tripped 125 horses in 1935s Charge of the Light Brigade, resulting in 25 of them being killed or put down. He didn't give a shit and got attacked by Errol Flynn lol), his negligence and carelessness on Noah's Ark got 3 extras killed and many more injured. Say what you want about Taika, they've never had to change safety laws for both humans and animals because of him.

Just further proof Film Twitter is where everything is made up and the points don't matter

Oh God, the whole thing was so stupid (especially knowing, as I do, how many folks on Film Twitter absolutely do not know shit about film history to begin with). I recall asking some of my friends who are not into film if they know who directed Casablanca and none of them did - but they all knew the film, which was the point (I could start ranting about the cult of the director now but I won't). Curtiz is not a household name in the same way that Hitchcock or Welles is, and the point Taika was indeed making was about the enduring quality of art.

It did read like people going out of their way to be deeply critical of a thrown-off remark intended to illustrate a point. The degree to which his comments, whether one agrees with them or not, are scrutinized is frankly bizarre.

#reply #taika waititi

[extraterrestrialechos]

OFMD is a great opportunity for people who haven't been in an extremely masc environment (or five) to observe how mascs (including bitchy queer ones like Izzy and Lucius) interact with each other in isolation, the dynamics of which would (in my experience) significantly and immediately change if the social group was femme-accommodating.

And it seems like, instead of exploring another side of human experience, of being happy to get a look at what goes on between mascs and getting a look at the conversation about what between us is detrimental to our health and what's worth keeping in our relationships -- this beautiful thing the first season excavates so deeply -- and define Ed and Stede out of masculinity entirely.

Stede's posh suit wearing which he identifies out loud as an act of social aggression --

It's a power move. Make people feel underdressed, and suddenly you're the one in charge.

-- is sensitive and femme, actually.

Ed having a total breakdown, getting straight wasted, and living out a drunken approximation of Stede's "gentlemanly" lifestyle (wearing an expensive silk dressing gown, eating only marmalade) is, from quotes I've seen circulated months ago, Ed embracing his "authentic goddess self."

Like, I like being masc actually?

I was never more excited about Stede than to see him dressed as Errol Flynn in Captain Blood at the end of the season, because it promised he'd keep his "as mean as he is nice" edge and also no longer wear suits that instinctively make me desire to fight him.

(Listen it also took me until Season 3 of Hannibal to stop trying to throw myself at the TV at Hannibal Lecter, I see a man flexing on me and my forebrain immediately shuts off.)

Ed, I think he's got a lot of potential to mix some more gender in there. Because, let's face it, he's at all times extremely gender, but there's plenty room on the gender spectrum for that without giving up yardies and getting your balls busted by your bro.

...and Izzy and Lucius can gnaw each other's arms off because putting two bitchy gays in a small enclosure defaults to male betta fish rules.

#ofmd meta #ofmd #extechos

[lily-orchard]

the hypocrisy is strong here. 

So- remember that funny vid you posted yesterday about bg companions? Welp you sister got a hold of it and got reeeeeeeal pissy that you didn’t like her favorite vampire (Astarion) and instead liked imoen and wyil

https://web.archive.org/web/20240127170615/https://pleasetiemyshoe.tumblr.com/post/740637966481997824/so-lily-just-released-a-little-video-entitled

After ranting about her hatred of wyil, and saying that you only like him bc he’s black- (which she expanded on in this post- https://web.archive.org/web/20240127170516/https://pleasetiemyshoe.tumblr.com/post/740674729147514880/i-wonder-if-lily-can-give-any-reason-for-liking) she posted this (basically her just going “my bb gurl gets more pussy then you, die mad lilz”)

https://web.archive.org/web/20240127014739/https://pleasetiemyshoe.tumblr.com/post/740625996292685824/poor-lily-hating-on-astarion-because-a-pixelated

But a few hours later, and one super immature argument with someone who likes wyil later, she posts this: 

https://web.archive.org/web/20240127165256/https://pleasetiemyshoe.tumblr.com/post/740685500698050560/if-youre-actually-mad-over-pixels-on-a-screen-and

Like- am I the only one who can see the hypocrisy here? She went from “you don’t like my babygurl vampire bc he fucks more then you do” to “if you get mad that ppl like different characters then you do then you need to unfuse your skin from your gaming chair” in the span of around an hour. As if she literally didn’t just get mad that you like different characters then her 🙄🤦🏻‍♀️

it’s a simple way to show how disingenuous these ppl are, but feels like it’s worth pointing out that she can’t even keep her stance straight when it comes to benign bs. If she can’t even stop being disingenuous over something so petty, then why should we believe she’s suddenly a piller of truth when it comes to srs things?

Can't believe I'm having this conversation but...

Okay there's a lot to unpack here but first of all

Courtney has no literacy, film at 11

The vibe, the fact that his introduction paints him as a swashbuckling Errol Flynn type, his strong sense of justice, the best voice acting in the entire game, the adorable scene of him swordfighting with the babus.

He's the closest thing a game has gotten to Garrus in a decade.

Like put aside the fact that Courtney is completely uncultured, she's also illiterate. I'm being told I only like a character because he's black by someone whose only reason for liking a character is 'babygirl.'

Lastly

This is not the first time Courtney has projected herself onto Imoen and insisted that I'm actually the one doing it, so let's just clear this up

#courtney peet cringe #courtney peet is a creep #pleasetiemyshoe #lily orchard #courtney peet #courtney orchard #brittany johnson #britts galaxy brain #lily orchard drama #lily orchard discourse #stalking #harassment

[flynnfan-downunder]

ERROL FLYNN

#errol flynn #the one and only errol flynn #unrivalled #no one better #icon #man of many talents #unforgettable

[hotvintagepoll]

Propaganda

Eva Dahlbeck (Smiles of a Summer Night, A Lesson in Love, Kastrullresan)— Beautiful, formidable, funny. Ingmar Bergman called her a "battleship of femininity" and cast her in several of his comedies. It's a joy to see her pulling all the strings in Smiles of a Summer Night while her two boyfriends make utter fools of themselves.

Maureen O’Hara (The Parent Trap, The Quiet Man)—They called her the Queen of Technicolor. That right there should help introduce people to the fiery, wonderful, stunning Maureen O’Hara. She was from Ireland, born in 1920, and started in theater at the age of ten. At 15, she was winning drama awards, including one for her performance as Portia in the Merchant of Venice. At 16, she was the youngest pupil to graduate from the Guildhall School of Music. By 18, she transitioned to film, starting off with a bang alongside Charles Laughton in Hitchcock’s Jamaica Inn, and proceeded to work steadily up through the early 1970s. She was in adventures and comedies and romances, spent a lot of time in westerns giving merry hell to John Wayne (and less merry hell to the indomitable John Ford — she held her own even when he was verbally abusive and demeaning to her). She was in The Quiet Man, which was the first American-made film entirely filmed in a foreign country. She helped make American Christmas what it is with Miracle on 34th Street. She played a lineup of headstrong, forthright women second only, perhaps, to Katharine Hepburn. She was married three times, lived for a while with a boyfriend in Mexico, sued for custody of her daughter in the 1950s, AND sued a magazine for libel in the same era. After mostly retiring from acting, she edited a magazine. She eventually sold the magazine to spend more time with her grandson, but even then ran a ladies fashion store. She was an outspoken, brilliant, passionate lady, with amazing red hair, a career to envy, and — well — that face!

This is round 1 of the tournament. All other polls in this bracket can be found here. Please reblog with further support of your beloved hot sexy vintage woman.

[additional propaganda submitted under the cut]

Eva Dahlbeck:

Maureen O'Hara:

I thought she was one of the most beautiful women in the world when I was a kid and I have yet to really change my mind. Always loved her temper and her red hair. Plus she was kind of a MILF in The Parent Trap

Haughty, red hair, hot.

The hair. The accent. The figure. The acting chops. The perfection.

I would have to give up my passport if I didn't submit Maureen O'Hara but also have you seen her? Not only did she look like that (she was called the Queen of Technicolor, though she wasn't a big fan of that sobriquet), she was also very funny and tough as nails. She faced off against Walt Disney in a contract dispute and the legend goes that when someone mentioned her at his deathbed, he sat up and said 'That bitch!'. Her comment on that story is "At least he didn't think of me and say, 'That wimp'." She struggled to get serious roles for a time, saying ""Hollywood would never allow my talent to triumph over my face," so she plays the sexy princess/pirate/harem girl in a LOT of early movies that she referred to as "Tits and Sand" films, she being the tits in question. She also turned down so many leading men and studio bosses (Errol Flynn and Howard Hughes are among her rejects) that there were rumours spread that she was a lesbian. Many egos were battered it seems. I'm including the infamous Lady Godiva scene in the photo propaganda for the sheer Moment of it [link] . It was a bit of a flop critically, but it was one of Clint Eastwood's first film appearances and she said he told her later that he was very glad of the money at the time. She was a very proud Irish woman and when she went for her American citizenship they insisted on referring to her as British (the timeline of Irish independence is a bit wibbly wobbly, we won't get into it here). She refused to accept American citizenship under that condition and argued her way through every level of US immigration she could find, supposedly saying "I'm not responsible for your antiquated records here in Washington", until a judge finally gave up and said "Give her what she wants, just get her out of here". This made her the first ever person seeking US citizenship to be proclaimed Irish on the record! And while we don't embrace the leprechaun imagery quite so enthusiastically today, her dressing her dog up in a little shamrock hat is too cute for you all to miss so I'm including that in the photo propaganda.

*Marge Simpson voice*: I just think she's neat 🤷‍♀️

#maureen o'hara #eva dahlbeck #fuck that old woman #hotvintagepoll #ladies 1

[nitrateglow]

For the ask game:

2023, 1989, 1975, 1922

2023 - Godzilla Minus One. Caught me completely by surprise with how much it moved me.

1989 - A tie between Kiki's Delivery Service and Batman, both sentimental favorites with great style. Kiki might have a slight edge, because the message only hits harder the older you get. But then, I LOVE the noirish aesthetic of Batman. That production design is just so perfect.

1975 - Barry Lyndon. No contest. The greatest period movie ever made. It has this reputation as long and boring, but the three hours fly by for me every time. Also there's a lot of Kubrickian dark humor in it too-- it's hardly dry, dour Oscarbait. Like Kubrick's best work, it improves with repeated acquaintance.

1922 - Robin Hood with Douglas Fairbanks. What a grand epic that is. It gets dismissed in favor of the Errol Flynn version, but tbh I love both of those movies about equally.

#godzilla minus one #robin hood 1922 #barry lyndon #kiki's delivery service #batman 1989

[dweemeister]

“Why, you speak treason!” “Fluently.”

When it comes to Robin Hood, it doesn’t get any Robin Hood-ier than this. Swashbuckling legend Errol Flynn is Robin Hood as much as Olivia de Havilland is Maid Marian in what might just be the most entertaining film of the 1930s in Michael Curtiz’s The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938). Every single Robin Hood film release since stands in this version’s shadow.

Action-packed without being overly silly or too violent, witty as any of the screwball comedies released in the ‘30s and ‘40s, costumed and designed with an eye-popping color palette, and enjoyable enough for anyone who has never seen a film this old, Michael Curtiz’s and William Keighley's The Adventures of Robin Hood continues to delight as it approaches its eighty-fifth anniversary of its release. Flamboyant performances from Claude Rains and Basil Rathbone add to the fun! Perhaps its most innovative aspect is the rollicking score by Erich Wolfgang Korngold - Korngold (as much a composer for film as he was for contemporary classical music) was one of the first to use Wagnerian leitmotifs in association with characters and ideas in his scores, which would go on to influence almost every film composer working since.

At that year’s Oscars, The Adventures of Robin Hood - the most expensive movie yet produced by Warner Bros. at that time - was nominated for four Academy Awards, winning three: Best Art Direction (Carl Jules Weyl), Film Editing (Ralph Dawson), and Original Score for Korngold. Its only loss was for Best Picture (You Can’t Take it with You). 

#The Adventures of Robin Hood #Robin Hood #Michael Curtiz #Errol Flynn #Olivia de Havilland #Claude Rains #Basil Rathbone #Una O'Connor #Erich Wolfgang Korngold #Carl Jules Weyl #Ralph Dawson #Oscars #31 Days of Oscar

[aragarna]

Please rant about the new musketeer movie, I need to know how bad it is on a scale from Michael York to Mathew McFaydden, so I know if it's worth trying to hunt down a cinema or wait till it's out on dvd

Well.... The good news is, there's no flying ship in that one. Not sure where to put it though. It's not atrocious, but it's lacking something. I'm always happy to see my boys, and the cast is good. It is rather entertaining at times, and I'm sure people not as attached to the characters as I am might not be as harsh as me but... I guess I was hoping for more? For better? Why is it that there can't be a single decent modern adaptation?!

The rest under the cut because spoilers for The Three Musketeers: d'Artagnan

First, it's visually ugly. It's all in brown and dark tones. Apparently the weather in France is always bad, ranging from pouring rain to clouds and fog. Even the red robe of the cardinal doesn't pop up! And don't get me started on the musketeer's uniforms. Why is it that every single recent movie wants to make them something that they're not. We *know* what they looked like. Blue casaques with a big white cross. Would it look out of fashion today? Of course! Even slightly ridiculous? Maybe. But Mordious, that's a 17th century uniform! Just play along! So, in this one, it becomes a very dark navy blue long coat with a black cross on the arm. It's actually so indisguishable that you can never tell when they're wearing it or not.

But okay, fine, if it was the only issue, I would have waved it off. The rest of the costumes, though probably not historically accurate, look pretty cool over all. If only they had more colors. Can you believe that there's a costumed ball, with one character wearing an arlequin costume and ... it doesn't even look like rainbow-y!

(can you tell I'm slightly mad at the movie's terrible coloring?)

And overall, I felt it wasn't very well filmed. Like, this isn't just a swashbluckler, it's The Swashbuckler story, so gotta work on those sword fights! Give me some fancy fighting! Work a real choregraphy! I understand that this is not the Errol Flynn era anymore but come on. So their idea to make it more "modern" was to use sequence-shots for the fight scenes. That is not a bad idea, but when there's no real choregraphy to follow, that just makes everything messy and pointless. So yeah, disappointed with the action scenes.

My other major source of annoyment was the lack of character development, or just character moments. D'Artagnan flirting with Constance was fine, but it's *not* the main story. It should have been the friendship between our four heroes. Instead of adding a whole new plot, I wish they'd taken the time with the canon scenes. Show me more why they went from being this close to kill each other, to instant friends ready to die for each other. Making Porthos bisexual is fine. I don't mind modernization of characters, but did you have to tell and show me this very clearly 3 times, but then give him virtually no other line of dialogue the rest of the movie? Romain Duris as Aramis is particularly awesome, but the poor guy is just as useless. The film is such a waste of a good casting. D'Artagnan, the main character, barely gets more time. Where is my ever-resourceful, cunning, smart and quick thinking hero? Young and idealistic but also natural leader d'Artagnan? His scenes with Constance are cute enough (and I don't mind that they got rid of Mr. Bonacieux) but I wanted more bonding with the boys! It's called The Three Musketeers, not My Cute Landlady. François Civil does a decent job but he isn't given the most subtle text...

Athos is the only one that is allowed a bit more development, but he's reduced to be a sappy old man. AAARGH ATHOS IS NOT AN OLD MAN. I do like Vincent Cassel, but the movie comes out 20 years too late for him to be a musketeer. Athos is not old, he is just the only vaguely grown-up one of the group. And come on "I don't have enough will to live to lie." ?! What the Hell?

All the characters feel reduced to a single dimension.

And yes, I do realize that you can't fit hundreds of pages in two 2-hour movies, but still, I feel like there were ways to make the movie better if it had been more character-oriented. The only real good character is the King. He has all the best lines and Louis Garrell is perfect.

Finally, while I don't mind when they take liberties from the original story, I'm not sure that the whole side plot actually adds anything. If you're worried about lack of plots, just develop the exisiting ones instead of rushing them in and out of England, maybe? It's Alexandre Dumas you're adapting, don't tell me there aren't enough twists in that plot!

And what annoys me about that side plot is that it starts with Athos being arrested. Which means that, from the start, they're never all four of them together. Which also means that that one supposedly emotional letter from Athos sounds a bit phony. Why would he care for that young idiot that he met only once?

Let my musketeers be all together, Morbleu!

Anyway, to try and end on a more positive note: it does remain entertaining enough that you're not bored. They filmed in real places - Le Louvre looks actually like Le Louvre - which is always a bonus. Louis XIII is awesome, and all the court intrigues are probably the best parts. And they do have a second movie coming out this December to try and make up for that one. We can expect War! Love! Tragedy! Vengeance! (and hopefully more character development?)

Sorry, that was long. All this to say: meh.

#the three musketeers #the three musketeers d'artagnan #the three musketeers spoilers #movie rant

[deadlockorignalfilms]

This seems really important

List of reported  and confirmed Warner Home Video DVDs that have rotted:

Box Sets and Series:

4 film favorites: Hugh Grant

4 Film Favorites: King of Horror- The Dreamcatcher side of Disc 1 doesn't load in any player. That side of the disc has become discolored.

4 Film Favorites: Lethal Weapon

4 Film Favorites: Urban Action (Black Belt Jones, Hot Potato, Black Samson, Three the Hard Way) - Hot Potato freezes at layer chagne

Adventures of Superman: The Complete Fifth & Sixth Seasons - Disc 2 (2U / L907)

Alfred Hitchcock - The Signature Collection-All these discs fail at the layer change:- Foreign Correspondent- Strangers on a Train: Two-Disc Special Edition (both discs)- Stage Fright- Suspicion- The Wrong Man

Animaniacs Seasons

Astaire and Rogers Collection Vol 1 and 2 and complete set

Barbara Stanwyck Signature Collection

Batman - The Complete Animated Series- Volume 2, Disc 3 starts skipping at episode 5.- Volume 3, Disc 2 doesn't play the last episode.

Bette Davis Collection Vol 1

Bette Davis Collection Vol 2

Bette Davis Collection Vol 3

Blade Runner 4 Disc Collector’s Edition-Disc 1,2 and 4

Burt Lancaster Signature Collection

Busby Berkeley Collection Vol 1

Busby Berkeley Collection Vol 2

Buster Keaton TCM Archives collection

Cary Grant Signature Collection

Clark Gable Signature Collection

Classic Comedies Collection

Classic Comedy Teams Collection

Classic Musicals From the Dream Factory Vol 2

Classic Musicals From the Dream Factory Vol 3

Cult Camp Classics Volumes

Dallas-multiple seasons

Doris Day Collection Vol 2

Dukes of Hazzard - Multiple Seasons

Elizabeth Taylor-Richard Burton collection

Elvis Presley [Deluxe 2-Volume] (10-Disc Set)

Errol Flynn Signature Collection Vol 2

Errol Flynn TCM Spotlight WWII Adventures

Esther Williams Collection Vol 1

Film Noir Classic Collection Vol 3

Film Noir Classic Collection Vol 4

Film Noir Classic Collection Vol 5

Forbidden Hollywood Vol 1

Forbidden Hollywood Vol 2

Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends

Friends: Season 3, Disc 1,Season 6, Discs 1, 3, and 4

F-Troop Season 2

Gary Cooper Signature Collection

Greta Garbo Signature Collection

Henrik Ibsen Collection- The Master Builder and The Lady From The Sea will not play.

Humphrey Bogart Signature Collection Vol 2

James Cagney Signature collection

James Stewart Signature Collection

Joan Crawford Collection Vol 1 and 2

John Ford and John Wayne Collection

John Ford Collection

Katharine Hepburn 100th Anniversary Collection

Katharine Hepburn Collection

Legends of Horror Collection-all discs rot.

Literary Classics Collection 

Lois & Clark - The Complete Fourth Season: Disc 4 freezes at episode 3 on one player and read as invalid on another.

Looney Tunes Gold Coll 5 - Disc 2,Disc 4

Looney Tunes Golden Collection Vol. 2: Disc 3

Looney Tunes Golden Collection Vol. 4 - all four discs have rotted

Looney Tunes Golden Collection Vol. 5 - all four discs have rotted

Lucille Ball Film Collection

Man From Uncle Complete Series: Season 2 Disc 6

Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland Collection- TCM reissue pack is okay

Motion Picture Masterpieces Collection

Myrna Loy and William Powell Collection TCM Spotlight

Nancy Drew Movie Mystery Collection

One Tree Hill

Paul Newman Collection

Pinky and the Brain seasons

Popeye Volumes

Powerpuff Girls Complete Series

Rooney & Garland Collection

Sam Peckinpah Collection

Shakespeare Collection

SilverHawks Volume One - Disc 4 (2U / L906)

Smallville - The Complete Sixth Season: Disc 2 skips and freezes. Discs 3 and 4 only play the first two episodes on one player and read as invalid on another.

Spawn: The Animated Collection - 10th Anniversary Signature Edition (Steelbook)- Disc 1 freezes and skips over the opening eight minutes of the first episode.

Stanley Kubrick - Warner Home Video Director's Series

Super Friends: The Legendary Super Powers Show - Disc 2 (60, L387)

Superman Ultimate Collector’s Edition Tin-multiple films and extras no longer play. Some discs completely rotted.

Superman: The Theatrical Serials Collection: Disc 4

Supernatural (Season 2), some episodes on discs 4 & 5 won't play

Tales from the Crypt - The Complete Fifth Season: Disc 1, Disc 2 froze before the end of the last episode on one player and read as invalid on another.

Tales from the Crypt - The Complete First Season: Disc 1 doesn't play.

Tales from the Crypt - The Complete Sixth Season: Disc 1 & 2 won't play some of the episodes. At least three are inaccessible.

Tarzan Collection Vol 2

TCM Archives Laurel and Hardy Collection - both discs rotted

TCM Greatest Classic Films Collection - Horror

Tennessee Williams collection

Tex Avery's Droopy: The Complete Theatrical Collection - both discs rotted

The All-New Super Friends Hour Volume One - Disc 1 (2U / L908), Disc 2 (2U / L907)

The Christopher Reeve Superman Collection

The Cult Camp collection

The Exorcist - The Complete Anthology- Dominion: Prequel to The Exorcist fails at the layer change.

The Flash: The Complete Original Series - Disc 2 (2U / L907), Disc 6 (2U / L907)

The John Wayne Collection

The Sopranos

The Twisted Terror collection

The West Wing-Multiple Seasons

Tom & Jerry Spotlight Collection Volume 2: Discs 1 and 2

Tom & Jerry Spotlight Collection Volume 3: Disc 1

Tough Guys Collection-reissued as Gangsters Volume 2

Twisted Terror Collection

Vacation/European Vacation- Comedy Double Feature release

Val Lewton Collection-I Walked With A Zombie / The Body Snatcher, The Leopard Man / The Ghost Ship

Veronica Mars

Veronica Mars - The Complete Second Season

Veronica Mars - The Complete Third Season

Warner Bros Gangsters Vol 1

Warner Bros Gangsters Vol 2

Warner Bros Gangsters Vol 3

Warner Bros Gangsters Vol 4

Individual Titles (Boxsets listed if originally released as part of a set): 

2001: A Space Odyssey-Stanley Kubrick Director’s Series

30 Seconds to Tokyo

A Clockwork Orange-Stanley Kubrick Director’s Series

A Free Soul/Divorcee-A free Soul rotted-Forbidden Hollywood Collection - Volume 2

A Midsummer Night’s Dream-Shakespeare collection and standalone

A Nightmare on Elm Street - Infinifilm Edition

A Slight Case of Murder-Tough Guys Collection and Gangsters V2

Across the Pacific-Humphrey Bogart: The Signature Collection - Volume 2

Act of Violence /Mystery Street (Only Plays Mystery Street) Film Noir v4

Action in the North Atlantic-Bogart Signature Collection v2

Adventures of Don Juan-Errol Flynn SC V2

Air Force

All This and Heaven Too

Angels in the Outfield (1951)

Arsenic and Old Lace-snapper case

Austin Powers in Goldmember (Infinifilm Series)

Babes In Arms- Rooney & Garland Coll

Babes on Broadway- Rooney & Garland Coll

Bathing Beauty-Esther Williams Vol. 1

Best Foot Forward

Billy Budd-Literary Classics Coll 

Black Legion-Gangsters V3

Blade Runner- 4 disc collector’s edition

Bombers B-52

Boom Town

Born to Dance

Bringing Up Baby-Classic Comedies Collection

Broadway 1936

Brother Orchid-Gangsters v4

Bullets or Ballots-Tough Guys Collection and Gangsters V2

By the Light of the Silvery Moon-The Doris Day Collection, Vol. 2

Captain Blood-Errol Flynn SC V1

Captain Horatio Hornblower-Literary Classics Coll

Captain of the Clouds-James Cagney Signature Collection

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof-Tennessee Williams collection

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory SE

City for Conquest-Tough Guys Collection and Gangsters V2

Command Decision

Crime Wave/Decoy-Film Noir V4

Critic’s Choice

Cruising

Damn Yankees

Dance Girl Dance

Dangerous When Wet-Esther Williams, Vol. 1

Dark Passage

David Copperfield-Motion Picture Masterpieces 

Decoy-Film Noir Classic Collection Volume 4

Deep in My Heart-Classic Musicals from the Dream Factory: Volume 3

Desperate Journey-Errol Flynn TCM WWII Adventures

Destination Tokyo-The Cary Grant Signature Collection

Dinner at Eight-Standalone copy

Dive Bomber-Errol Flynn SC V2

Dog Day Afternoon SE

Dr. X/Mask of Fu Manchu-Legends of Horror

Dragon Seed-Katharine Hepburn 100th Anniv Coll

Droopy

Du Barry Was a Lady 

Each Dawn I Die-Tough Guys Collection and Gangsters V2

East of Eden SE

East Side West Side 

Eight Legged Freaks

Evelyn Prentice-Powell and Loy TCM Collection

Executive Suite-Barbara Stanwyck Signature Collection

Eyes Wide Shut-Stanley Kubrick Director’s Series

Female/Three on a Match-Forbidden Hollywood v2

Firecreek-James Stewart Signature collection

Flamingo Road-Joan Crawford V2

Flying Down to Rio (Astaire/Rogers Collection)

Fort Apache

Friendly Persuasion

G Men-Tough Guys Collection and Gangsters V2

Garbo Silents Collection-Garbo Signature Collection

Gentleman Jim-Errol Flynn Signature Collection V2

Girl Crazy-Rooney & Garland Coll

Gold Raiders/Meet the Baron double feature

Hairspray SE

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix SE

High Sierra

His Kind of Woman-Noir V3

His Majesty O'Keefe-Burt Lancaster Signature Collection

Hit the Deck-Classic Musicals from the Dream Factory: Volume 3

I Love You Again (Loy/Powell collection)

I'll See You in My Dreams-The Doris Day Collection, Vol. 2

Illegal / The Big Steal (only plays Illegal)-Film Noir Classic Collection, Vol 4

In This Our Life-Bette Davis collection v2

Invisible Stripes-Gangsters V4

Jeopardy-Barbara Stanwyck: The Signature Collection

Jailhouse Rock Remastered (50th Anniversary Deluxe Edition) - Elvis Presley 10 Film Set

John Carpenter’s Someone is Watching Me

Julius Caesar

Kismet-Classic Musicals from the Dream Factory: Volume 3

Lady Be Good- Classic Musicals from the Dream Factory: Volume 3

Lady Killer-Gangsters V3

Land of the Pharaohs-Cult Camp Classics v1

Looney Tunes Golden Collection vol 1 disc 1 & vol 5 disc 4

Love Crazy-Powell and Loy TCM Collection

Lucky Me-The Doris Day Collection, Vol. 2

Madame Bovary-Literary Classics Coll 

Manhattan Melodrama-Powell and Loy TCM Collection

Meet the Baron/Gold Raiders-Gold Raiders won’t play

Mogambo-Clark Gable SC

Mr. Skeffington-Bette Davis collection v1

My Dream Is Yours-The Doris Day Collection, Vol. 2

Mystery Street-Film Noir Classic Collection Volume 4

Neptune's Daughter-Esther Williams, Vol. 1

Night and Day-The Cary Grant Signature Collection

Night of the Iguana

Ninotchka-Garbo Signature Collection

Nothing But Trouble-Classic Comedy Teams Collection

Lucky Man

On An Island With You-Esther Williams V1

On Moonlight Bay-The Doris Day Collection, Vol. 2

Operation Crossbow

Othello-Shakespeare Coll

Passage to Marseille-Bogart Signature Coll V2 

Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid SE-Peckinpah Collection

The Wild Bunch 2 disc SE-Peckinpah collection

Personal Best

Popeye

Popeye vol 1 discs 1 & 4

Presenting Lily Mars

Pride and Prejudice-Motion Pic Masterpieces

Prince of The City

Rebel Without a Cause

Red-Headed Woman-TCM Archives: Forbidden Hollywood Collection - Volume 1

Reflections in a Golden Eye

Reunion in France

Rio Bravo

Roberta-Astaire Rogers coll

Romance on the High Seas-The Doris Day Collection, Vol. 2

Romeo and Juliet-Shakespeare coll

Royal Wedding-Classic Musicals from the Dream Factory: Volume 2

Sadie McKee-Joan Crawford V2

Shawshank Redemption SE

Shoot the Moon-Rooney and Garland coll

Side Street-Film Noir Classic Collection Volume 4

Splendor in the Grass-snapper

Story of Vernon and Irene Castle-Astaire and Rogers

Straight Time

Streetcar Named Desire

Strike Up the Band-Rooney and Garland Collection

Superman the Movie [Four Disc Edition]

Superman II [2 Disc Deluxe Edition]

Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut

Superman III (Deluxe Edition)

Superman IV-deluxe reissue

Superman Returns

Tarzan’s Desert Mystery-Tarzan collection v2

Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning (Unrated)

That Midnight Kiss-Classic Musicals from the Dream Factory, Vol 2

That’s Entertainment 3

That's Dancing-Classic Musicals from the Dream Factory, Vol 2

The Big Cube

The Big Steal-Film Noir v4

The Charge of the Light Brigade-Errol Flynn SC V2

The Clock (1945)

The Comedians-Taylor-Burton collection

The Corn is Green-Katharine Hepburn 100th Anniv Coll

The Dawn Patrol-Errol Flynn SC V2

The Devil Doll/Return of Dr. X-Legends of Horror Collection

The Divorce-Forbidden Hollywood V2

The Fighting 69th-James Cagney Signature collection

The Flintstones

The Fountainhead-individual and Gary Cooper Signature Collection

The Golden Compass SE

The Great Lie

The Great Ziegfeld

The Heart is a Lonely Hunter

The Hill-WWII collection

The Informer-John Ford collection

The Jazz Singer-2007 release

The Little Giant-Gangsters v4

The Live By Night/Side Street-Film Noir Classic Collection, Vol 4

The Maltese Falcon 3-disc SE and Humphrey Bogart: The Signature Collection - Volume 2

The Man Who Came to Dinner-Bette Davis collection

The Naked Spur-James Stewart Signature Collection

The Old Maid-Bette Davis V3

The Pirate-Classic Musicals from the Dream Factory: Volume 2

The Prince and the Pauper-snapper case

The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex-Errol Flynn SC v1

The Prodigal

The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle 

The Stratton Story-James Stewart SC

The Three Musketeers-Literary Classics Coll

The Toast of New Orleans-Classic Musicals from the Dream Factory, Vol 2

The West Point Story-James Cagney Signature Collection

The Wreck of the Mary Deare-Gary Cooper SC

The Yakuza-Robert Mitchum SC

There Was A Crooked Man

They Died With Their Boots On-Errol Flynn SC v1

They Live By Night-Side Street-Film Noir v4

Three Little Words

To Please a Lady/Jeopardy-Jeopardy does not play. Barbara Stanwyck SC

Torch Song-Joan Crawford V2

Treasure Island

Twilight Zone: The Movie

Undercurrent-Katharine Hepburn 100th Anniv Coll

Vacation/European Vacation Comedy Double Feature release

Wally Gator

Watch on the Rhine-Bette Davis collection V3

Waterloo Bridge-TCM Archives: Forbidden Hollywood Collection - Volume 1

West Point Story-James Cagney Signature collection

Where Danger Lives/Tension-Film Noir Classic Collection, Vol 4

Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? SE-Taylor Burton Collection

Without Love-Katharine Hepburn 100th Anniv Coll

Wizard of Oz- 2 disc SE

Wonder Woman

Words and Music-Classic Musicals from the Dream Factory: Volume 2

#warner bros #dc #cartoon network #power puff girls #fosters home for imaginary friends #superman #hugh grant #alfred hitchcock #animaniacs #pinky and the brain #batman the animated series #Youtube

[pepperf]

Robin Hood at the Regent's Park Open Air Theatre today! And of course it bucketed down solidly for an hour leading up to it. They delayed the start for about 20 mins, and finally the rain petered out, and our (compostable!) ponchos were not needed for the show itself - but the sunscreen was.

If you are in/near London and have the chance to go see it, I highly recommend it. It's on until 22nd July, so there's only a short run. If you do, go prepared for British weather.

Spoilerific review behind cut, in case anyone does go see it.

A good reinvention of the Robin Hood legend, with emphasis on making the story less male and white (in the end, the real Robin was young, black, and female), lots of derring-do and traditional elements (the arrow contest!) mixed with some unsubtle but enjoyable modern politics (the king ends by disenfranchising the wicked Barons, declaring all land to be common land, and abdicating, lol).

About half the cast were POC, and idk whether I'd say this was well-done or under-utilised? It's not really my shout, but it was interesting to note that the story itself did not explicitly point it out, but the heroic, good, and victimised characters were mostly POC, while the villains were mostly white and male.

Also, about half of the characters were female, including Little Joan (former court jester, with a slight look of Harley Quinn), and Mary Tuck (an ex-nun, with a penchant for Earth Mother spiritualism and mushroom tea). Marion was the lead - very similar to the other stage production of Robin Hood that I've seen (The Heart of Robin Hood at the RSC in oh god 2012?!). In that version, she was the true hero of Sherwood; in this (the next step on the ladder?), she was the one firing all the arrows, yes, but she also had a bad case of (Wealthy) White Saviour-ism, which ultimately held her back.

There was a fine selection of villains, too: the Sheriff was enjoyably rakish and selfishly ambitious, Gisburne was gorgeously terrifying and unhinged, and the wicked Council of Barons (all three of them) first appeared in a selection of boy band poses, to much hilarity.

And of course, being the old-skool Robin Hood fan that I am, I could not help loving the old Robin Hood references. First came the Errol Flynn-style Robin, in his hat, tunic, and green tights, a little untidy and possibly drunk, impatiently shooed offstage by the other characters. Then the hyper-masculine Russell Crowe/BBC 2006 type, called out for his accent ("Where are you even FROM?" "I come from the North of England! But I spent some formative years in Ireland...and my mother was French-Canadian..." I LOL'D). And then, oh my heart, the first bars of the Clannad theme rolled out, and the Michael Praed 80s Robin showed up, all athleticism and lucious locks - and there was such a delicious reaction from about 2/3rds of the audience (from which you could tell that this was a formative experience for a generation, many of whom are now parents. Behind me, a small kid asked in bewilderment, "Who's that?"). All three were barred from taking the hero role for being outdated caricatures - but also fondly given a place as forest spirits, part of the realm of the dead and the fictional, giving a cheery, sympathetic greeting to anyone who died.

There was some rather woolly but well-intentioned neo-pagan-esque woodland spirituality, which ultimately won the day and defeated the bad guys. I'm not sure they quite stuck the landing there, but I appreciated the aim all the same.

I loved it, and it was a great play to see outdoors, despite the weather. I'd love to go back and see it at night, I'm sure it's much more atmospheric, which would probably help sell me on the woo-woo parts - but sadly that's not going to be possible in the short time it's on. Still, overall, a great time was had.

#robin hood #robin hood summer #robin of sherwood #robin hood (bbc 2006) #errol flynn #regent's park OAT