Trudy Gold
Romance in English Language Film
Trudy Gold - Romance in English Language Film
- Right everyone, so tonight, bearing in mind we’ve been spending so much time on the dark side of the moon, I thought, let’s have some fun. It is St. Valentine’s Day, so why not wallow in some of the great romantic films. So what I was interested in, what is the origin of Valentine’s Day, and actually Saint Valentine, who was he? Well, in fact, there were two different Valentines who were both martyred during the Roman period. It was only in the 14th century that the saints were associated with lovers, and they were associated with lovers because of Geoffrey Chaucer. Now let’s go a little further. There was once a pagan festival of Lupercalia. It was celebrated in mid-February, and what happened was on the evening of Lupercalia, all the women’s names would be placed in a container, and each young man would then draw out a name. He would then be paired with the young woman who he had chosen, and they would stay together for the remainder of the festival. What happened after that, I have no idea. Also, there was a courtship line in Geoffrey Chaucer, of course, Geoffrey Chaucer, the great bard of English literature writing in the 1340s, he wrote something called “The Parliament of Fowls”. And in line 669, he talks about birds choosing their mates. The poem, a love poem, it was probably written to honour the wedding of Richard II and Anne of Bohemia. And this is how the poem opens, “So short our lives, so hard the lessons, "so difficult the tests, so sudden the final victory, "so tenuous a hoop of joy "that so easily evaporates into fear, "this is what I mean by love.” And we know that the earliest surviving Valentine was in 1477 when a lady called Marjorie Buse wrote to her fiance John Caston, “Write well, beloved Valentine.”
So there you are, that is the origin of a $20-billion industry because of course today, St. Valentine, it is beloved of whom? It is beloved of florists, it is beloved of restaurateurs. You try and get a table tonight. And of course it is beloved of those who love. But it is an industry. But going into my wallow, what I decided to do was to take the favourite films that have come up in all the various lists, and also add to it some of my own. And I’m afraid the bulk of them are made before 1950. I just love the films of the 1940s. Now the list, the list, the first of course is “Gone With The Wind”, and it’s on everybody’s list. Now because I’ve lectured on “Gone With The Wind” in the past, and because I’ve lectured on “Casablanca” in the past, which is the second in everybody’s list, what I’m going to do is I’m just going to show you extracts. Now, of course I don’t have to tell you the story of “Gone With The Wind”, it’s of the southern belle, Scarlett O'Hara, it’s David Selznick. It was said that Hollywood made two films, “Gone With The Wind’, and everything else. Of course it was made by David Selznick, it was written by Ben Hecht, the brilliant Ben Hecht who we’re going to come onto when we look at "Notorious”, another one of my favourite films. And it’s the story of the flighty southern belle, set against the backdrop of the American Civil War. Today it’s quite controversial, because of course of the issue of the portrayal of African-Americans in it. But what I decided to do is we just go in for the wallow, at the capricious Scarlett and the handsome Rhett.
Now let me also tell you, the three most popular films on everybody’s list, Hollywood’s list, all sorts of film buffs’ list, it is, as I said, this, “Casablanca”, and the other one is “Brief Encounter”. Now none of them have happy endings. All of you who’ve seen “Gone With The Wind” will know the last line where Rhett says, having loved Scarlett all the time, the capricious witch, in the end he has enough, and when she loves him, he’s had enough. And he says, “Frankly my dear, I don’t give a damn”, with the emphasis on give, because of course of the morals clauses in Hollywood. Anyway, let’s look please at “Gone With The Wind”, clip one.
CLIP BEGINS
But, Rhett, I really can’t go on accepting these gifts, though you are awfully kind.
I’m not kind, I’m just tempting you. I never give anything without expecting something in return. I always get paid.
If you think I’ll marry you just to pay for the bonnet, I won’t.
Don’t flatter yourself, I’m not a marrying man.
Well, I won’t kiss you for it either.
Open your eyes and look at me. No, I don’t think I will kiss you, although you need kissing badly. That’s what’s wrong with you. You should be kissed and often, and by someone who knows how.
Oh, and I suppose you think you’re the proper person.
I might be, if the right moment ever came.
You are a conceited black-hearted varmint, Rhett Butler, I don’t know why I let you come and see me.
I’ll tell you why, Scarlett, because I’m the only man over 16 and under 60 who’s around to show you a good time.
CLIP ENDS
- Can we see the next clip, please, Jude? Yeah.
CLIP BEGINS
Don’t you want to marry me?
[Ashley] I’m going to marry Melanie.
But you can’t, not if you care for me.
Oh my dear, why must you make me say things that will hurt you? How can I make you understand? You’re so young and unthinking, you don’t know what marriage means.
I know I love you, and I want to be your wife. You don’t love Melanie.
She’s like me, Scarlett, she’s part of my blood and we understand each other.
But you love me.
How could I help loving you? You who have all the passion for life that I lack, but that kind of love isn’t enough to make a successful marriage for two people who are as different as we are.
Why don’t you say it, you coward? You’re afraid to marry me, you’d rather live with that silly little fool who can’t open her mouth except to say yes and no, and raise a pack of mealymouthed brats, just like her.
You mustn’t say things like that about Melanie.
Who are you to tell me I mustn’t? You led me on, you made me believe you wanted to marry me.
Now, Scarlett, be fair, I never at any time…
You did, it’s true, you did. I’ll hate you ‘til I die. I can’t think of anything bad enough to call you.
Has the war started?
Sir, you, you should have made your presence known.
In the middle of that beautiful love scene, that wouldn’t have been very tactful, would it? But don’t worry, your secret is safe with me.
Sir, you are no gentlemen.
And you, miss, are no lady. Don’t think that I hold that against you, ladies have never held any charm for me.
First, you take a low common advantage of me, then you insult me.
I meant it as a compliment. And I hope to see more of you when you’re free of the spell of the elegant Mr. Wilkes. He doesn’t strike me as half good enough for a girl of your, what was it, your passion for living.
How dare you! You aren’t fit to wipe his boots.
And you were going to hate him for the rest of your life.
CLIP ENDS
- Now of course, there’s a lot of side issues to this film. Leslie Howard hated the film, he didn’t even read the script, he was pushed into making it. Rhett Butler was pushed into making it, because he was getting a divorce and he needed money, and Louis B. Meyer put the pressure on him. But it was an incredible film. And I think the publicity that went with it, I’m sure you all know the story of the hunt for Scarlett O'Hara, and how many unscrupulous men in the south were promising young women for the casting couch an opportunity to play Scarlett. It was a huge scandal. But as I said, in the end, it was probably Hollywood’s greatest film. Ironically, it comes out in 1914, and many of the films we are looking at are films from the war. And can we see the next clip please? Now the next clip is of course “Casablanca”. And I don’t have to tell you the story of “Casablanca”, Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman. The film that should never really have been made, it was going to star, first of all it was Ronald Reagan, then it was George Raft, and finally it was Humphrey Bogart. And the Epstein Brothers wrote it in six-weeks. And when Julius Epstein was later asked about it, he said, “I didn’t do it for the art. "I did it for the money.” So let’s see the great love scene, the eternal lovers. Personally, I think when you think about “Casablanca”, it’s probably the most quoted film in film history. Personally, I would’ve run off with Claude Rains, I think he’s much too depressive. And her husband, of course, the Jewish Paul von Henreid is much too, I don’t know, perfect. But let’s see a love scene. Quoted more than any other film.
CLIP BEGINS
Louis, have your man go with Mr. Laszlow, and take care of his luggage.
Certainly, Rick, anything you say. Find Mr. Laszlow’s luggage and put it on the plane.
Yes, sir. This way please.
If you don’t mind, you fill in the names, that’ll make it even more official.
You think of everything, don’t you?
And the names are Mr. and Mrs. Victor Laszlow.
But why my name, Richard?
'Cause you’re getting on that plane.
I don’t understand, what about you?
I’m staying here with him 'til the plane gets safely away.
No, Richard, no, what has happened to you? Last night…
Last night we said a great many things. You said I was to do the thinking for both of us. Well, I’ve done a lot of it since then. It all adds up to one thing, you’re getting on that plane with Victor where you belong.
Richard, no.
Now, you’ve got to listen to me. You have any idea what you’d have to look forward to if you stayed here? Nine chances out of 10 we’d both wind up in a concentration camp, isn’t that true, Louis?
I’m afraid Major Strasser would insist.
You’re saying this only to make me go.
I’m saying it because it’s true. Inside of us, we both know you belong with Victor. You’re part of his work, the thing that keeps him going. If that plane leaves the ground and you’re not with him, you’ll regret it, maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but soon and for the rest of your life.
But what about us?
We’ll always have Paris. We didn’t have, we’d lost it until you came to Casablanca. We got it back last night.
And I said I would never leave you.
And you never will. But I’ve got a job to do too, and where I’m going you can’t follow, what I’ve got to do, you can’t be any part of. Ilsa, I’m no good at being noble, but it doesn’t take much to see that the problems of three little people don’t amount to a hill of beans in this crazy world. Someday you’ll understand that. Now now! Here’s looking at you, kid.
CLIP ENDS
- An extraordinary ending. And those of you who’ve seen “Play It Again Sam” will know that that is the end of “Play It Again Sam” when the woman he’s in love with, Diane Keaton, goes off with her husband, and he says that line. And she said, “Are you sad?” And he said, “All my life, I’ve wanted to say those lines.” But “Casablanca”, the film, the unexpected great success. And of course it coincided with the allied invasion of North Africa. And I have done a whole session on it, so that’s why I’m running over quickly. And can we see the next clip? Now the next clip is from a very high-blown version of “Jane Eyre”. I don’t have to tell you the story of Jane Eyre, Hollywood is very interested in bringing the great books to the screen. And “Jane Eyre”, it comes out of the Goldwyn series, the wonderful Orson Welles at his most attractive. Joan Fontaine, sister of Olivia de Havilland, she was 19, she plays the young heroine. I still think it’s the best version ever of “Jane Eyre”, and this is the proposal scene from “Jane Eyre”. If you could take it away if you don’t mind, Judi, as they say. This is 1943.
CLIP BEGINS
I thought you’d gone.
Changed my mind, or rather the Ingram family changed theirs. Why are you crying?
I was thinking about having to leave Thornfield.
You’ve become quite attached to that foolish little airedale, haven’t you? To that simple old fairfax.
[Jane] Yes.
You’ll be sorry to part with them.
[Jane] Yes, sir.
[Edward] It’s always the way in this life, no sooner have you got settled in a pleasant resting place, you’re summoned to move on?
[Jane] Yes, I told you, sir, I shall be ready when the order comes.
[Edward] It’s come now.
Then it’s settled?
All settled, even about your future situation.
You’ve found a place for me?
Yes, Jane, I have in the west of Ireland. You’ll like Ireland, I think, they’re such warmhearted people there.
It’s a long way off, sir.
From what, Jane?
From England and from Thornfield.
[Edward] Well?
And from you, sir.
Yes, Jane, it’s a long way, when you get there, I shall probably never see you again. We’ve been good friends, Jane, haven’t we?
[Jane] Yes, sir.
Even good friends may be forced to part. Let’s make the most of what time has left us. Let us sit here in peace, even though we shall be destined never to sit here again. Sometimes I have a queer feeling with regard to you, Jane, especially when you’re near me as now. It’s as if I had a string somewhere under my left rib, tightly and inextricably knotted to a similar string situated in a corresponding corner of your little frame. And if we should have to be parted, that corner can easily be snapped. I have the nervous notion I should take to bleeding inwardly. As for you, you’d forget me.
That I never will, sir, you know that. I see the necessity of going, but it’s like looking on the necessity of death.
Where do you see that necessity?
In your bride.
[Edward] What bride, I have no bride.
But you will have.
Yes, I will, I will.
Do you think I could stay here to become nothing to you, do you think because I’m poor and obscure and plain that I’m soulless and heartless? I have as much soul as you, and fully as much heart. And if God had gifted me with wealth and beauty, I should have made it as hard for you to leave me as it is now for me to leave you. There, I’ve spoken my heart, now let me go.
Jane, Jane, strange, it’s almost an unearthly thing, you that I love as my own flesh.
Don’t mock, don’t mock.
The wrath of Blanche. It’s you I want, answer me, Jane, quickly, say, “Edward, I’ll marry you.” Say it, Jane, say it.
I can’t read your face.
Read quickly, say, “Edward, I’ll marry you.”
Edward, I’ll marry you.
God, pardon me.
CLIP ENDS
- Yes, beautiful, beautiful, Orson Welles. And I think by far the best version ever, overblown, but it is Valentine’s Day. Now the next clip I’ve chosen, and there were lots I could have included. I really did have to make big decisions. But the next clip is actually from “To Have and Have Not”, it’s directed by John Houston, and of course it’s based on a Hemingway novel. All the films I’m showing you either come from great writers, or they have great script writers. And this is the first pairing of the 19-year-old Betty Perske, who took the name Lauren Bacall, and Humphrey Bogart. And of course they began a lifelong affair that ended in marriage, and only ended with his death in 1956. Interestingly enough, they were very close to Leslie Howard, who you saw as Ashley in “Gone With The Wind”. And when Leslie Howard was killed in a plane crash, the plane was probably brought down by the Germans over the Bay of Biscay, a very long, complicated story. And I’ll be doing a session on Leslie Howard later on in the year. They named their child Leslie Howard in memory of him. And in “To Have and Have Not”, it’s a war story. He owns a ramshackle old boat. She is a pickpocket, he falls madly in love with her, and will do anything for her. And what she wants is to get to the United States of America. And here we have the famous whistle scene. She’s 19, they fall madly in love on and off the screen. So let’s see beautiful Lauren Bacall.
CLIP BEGINS
You wouldn’t take anything from anybody, would you?
[Steve] That’s right.
You know, Steve, you’re not very hard to figure, only at times. Sometimes I know exactly what you’re going to say, most of the time. The other times, the other times you’re just a stinker.
What’d you do that for?
Been wondering whether I’d like it.
[Steve] What’s the decision?
I don’t know yet. It’s even better when you help. Sure you won’t change your mind about this?
[Steve] Uh-huh.
This belongs to me, and so do my lips. I don’t see any difference.
[Steve] Well I do.
Okay. You know you don’t have to act with me, Steve. You don’t have to say anything, and you don’t have to do anything, not a thing. Oh, maybe just whistle. You know how to whistle, don’t you, Steve? You just put your lips together and blow.
CLIP ENDS
- Another very quoted scene. Now, the next film… Thank you, Judi. Now, the next film I’ve chosen for you is “Brief Encounter”. Now “Brief Encounter” came out in 1946. It was directed by David Lean, screenplay by Noel Coward, based on his novella play, “Still Life”. Now it’s quite an unusual choice, “Brief Encounter”, but it is in everybody’s top-five that I could come across. And it really is an extraordinary story, it’s Celia Johnson and Trevor Howard, of repressed love and respectability and romance. They play a married couple, married to other people, and they meet by accident at a railway station. And it’s very evocative of the period of the '40s, when in England, every little railway station had its little cafe. It’s in black and white, of course, most of these films are in black and white. But what it’s got an air of is a quiet desperation. They’re madly in love. In fact, they do borrow a friend’s flat, but their love is never consummated. And it’s this quiet desperation, that middle-class English repression. And it is real quiet desperation. Ironically, a remake was made with, believe it or not, Sophia Loren and Richard Burton, and it never ever worked. I think it was made in the '70s, and the problem was you just couldn’t imagine Sophia Loren and Richard Burton not being able to get a room. And of course, the backdrop to “Brief Encounter” is Rachmaninoff, and I think in a way it really makes the scene. But, ironically, when I looked at lots of the lists, “Brief Encounter” comes up absolutely at the top. Now, I remember talking about it with a friend of mine who had been declassifying Nazis at the end of the war, I think he said. “We couldn’t take these films seriously "after everything we saw.” It came out in 1946, and of course it ends sadly, and they don’t end up together. But it is beautifully acted, and you have to make your own minds up about it. So the quiet desperation of “Brief Encounter”, let’s have a look at the trailer.
CLIP BEGINS
[Laura] I am a happily married woman, or rather I was until a few weeks ago. This is my whole world, and it’s enough. Or rather it was until a few weeks ago.
[Alec] Can I help you?
[Laura] Oh no, please, it’s only something in my eye.
Try pulling your eyelid down as far as it’ll go.
And then blowing your nose.
Please let me look, I happen to be a doctor.
[Laura] It’s very kind of you.
Turn round to the light, please.
[Laura] That’s how it all began, just through me getting a little piece of grit in my eye.
Are you going to the pictures this afternoon?
[Laura] Yes.
How extraordinary, so am I.
I thought you had to be all day at the hospital?
[Alec] Well, between ourselves, I killed two-patients by accident this morning, and the matron is very displeased with me. I simply daren’t go back.
[Laura] What’s she like, your wife?
[Alec] Madeline, small, dark, rather delicate.
How funny, I just thought she would’ve been fair.
And your husband, what’s he like?
Medium height, brown hair, kindly, unemotional, and not delicate at all. We’re neither of us free to love each other, there’s too much in the way. There’s still time, if we control ourselves, and behave like sensible human beings, there’s still time. I’m an ordinary woman. I didn’t think such violent things could happen to ordinary people.
Give us a kiss.
I’ll do no such thing, the lady might see us.
Come on, a quick one across the bar.
Albert, stop it.
[Albert] Come on, there’s a love.
Let go of me this minute, Albert. Now look at me Banburys all over the floor.
I want you to promise me something.
[Laura] What is it?
Promise me that however unhappy you are, and however much you think things over, that you’ll meet me again next Thursday.
Where?
Outside the hospital at 12:30.
All right, I promise.
CLIP ENDS
- So that’s “Brief Encounter”, and you really get a sense of that incredible repressed passion. Now I’m turning to another one of my favourite films, “Notorious”, again written by the brilliant Ben Hecht. Now remember, Ben Hecht had been a newspaper man who came to Hollywood because his great friend, Mankiewicz one of the other great screenwriters, wrote to him and said, “Come out here, "we can earn $300 a week, "and you don’t really have to do any work "and nobody’s got much talent.” And of course, “Notorious” is made post-war, and it’s a dark film. It was directed by the brilliant Alfred Hitchcock. And Ingrid Bergman plays the heroine, she is the daughter of a Nazi, but she hates her father’s past. She comes to America, the American authorities are worried about a group of Nazis. And the agent who tries to get her involved is of course Cary Grant. The price to get involved is to marry Claude Rains. And what happens is she marries Claude Rains, she’s in love with Cary Grant, he’s in love with her, but he is prepared to allow her to marry, really prostitute herself to get the information. And this is from the dark “Notorious”, the love affair between the two of them. Can we see the clip, please?
CLIP BEGINS
[Alicia] What’s your angle?
Got a job for you.
There’s only one job that you coppers would want me for.
You remember a man named Sebastian.
One of my father’s friends, yes.
[Devlin] He’s part of the combine that built up the German war machine and hopes to keep on going. We have to contact him. She’s a perfect type for the job.
Sebastian knows her, he was once in love with her.
She’s good at making friends with gentlemen. I don’t think any of us have any illusions about her character, have we, Devlin?
This is a very strange love affair.
[Devlin] Find out what’s going on inside his house, what the group around him is up to, and report to us.
Oh, darling, what you didn’t tell them, tell me. That you believe I’m nice and that I love you, and I’ll never change back.
[Devlin] She’s had me worried for some time. A woman of that sort.
[Alexander] I was watching you and your friend, Mr. Devlin.
Mr. Devlin doesn’t mean a thing to me.
I’d like to be convinced.
[Alicia] Someone is coming.
I’m going to kiss you.
No, he’d only think we…
That’s what I want him to think. This is a tough job we’re on, she’s never been trained for that kind of work. I’ve got to get you out of here.
CLIP ENDS
- I’m sure most of you have seen these films, but if not, those of you who haven’t seen these, you’re in for, I think, an absolute wallow. Now the next film I’ve chosen is “Letter From an Unknown Woman.” It was based on a novella written by the wonderful Stefan Zweig, and it was directed by Max Ophuls. Max Ophuls of course was German/Jewish, he started out in theatre, along with you’ll never guess who, Max Reinhardt. And then he moves to Huffler in Germany. And then in '33 when Hitler comes to power, he flees to France. And then in '38 he finally comes to America. And “Letter From an Unknown Woman” is by far his most famous film. He’s actually going to be made in Hollywood, but he’s eventually going to go back in 1950 to France where he makes some interesting films, those of you who love these kind of films. He makes Schnitzler’s “La Ronde’ in 1950, "Lola Montes” in 1953, “The Earrings of Madame De” in 1954, and that, of course, was made with Charles Boyer. He’s a very interesting director. And the story of “Letter From an Unknown Woman”, we’ll let the trailer tell the story. But it stars again, Joan Fontaine, with the young, beautiful Louis Jourdan as the ruay and the rate she falls madly in love with. His real name was Maximilian Oppenheimer, by the way.
CLIP BEGINS
[Lisa] By the time you read this letter, I may be dead. I have so much to tell you, and perhaps very little time. Will I ever send it? I don’t know. I must find the strength to write now before it’s too late. And as I write, it may become clear that what happened to us had its own reason beyond our poor understanding. If this reaches you, you will know how I became yours, and you didn’t know who I was.
I’ve seen you somewhere, I know, I followed you upstairs and watched you in your box. Is there any place we could have met that I might have seen you? At one of my concerts, it must have been some time ago.
[Lisa] If this letter reaches you, believe this, that I love you now as I’ve always loved you. My life can be measured by the moments I’ve had with you, if only you could have shared those moments.
Of course it was Max Ophuls’ son, Marcel Ophuls….
[Lisa] By the time you read this letter.
CLIP ENDS
- Sorry, I was going to say, he of course made some incredible films including “The Sorrow and the Pity”, which was a very important, one of the first films, about what happened in France during the Shoah. So the next film I’ve chosen, in fact my family quarrelled with me over this, they said, “Mom, it just is not a good film.” But I find it a great wallow. It stars the glorious Ava Gardner, and the equally glorious James Mason as the Flying Dutchman. And of course, I’m sure you all know the story of the Flying Dutchman, the film version, because he murdered his wife in a fit of jealousy, and he profanes God, he is challenged to roam the seas, and only allowed into land every seven-years. And he comes to land in the south of Spain where he meets with the beautiful Ava Gardener. And this is the trailer, it’s actually directed by an interesting man called Albert Levin, who was in charge of the American Jewish relief work post-World War I helping Jews. He’d originally been a reader for Sam Goldwyn. We’re now looking at the second generation on from the moguls, and they’re very much in the tradition of good scripts and good yarns. And I think the other point, I don’t know if I’m getting old, but I think what is also true about these films, they are well acted. So let’s have a look at the trailer from “Pandora & The Flying Dutchman”.
CLIP BEGINS
♪ Well ♪ ♪ How am I to know ♪ ♪ If it’s really love ♪ ♪ That found it’s way here ♪ ♪ How ♪ ♪ How am I to know ♪ ♪ Will it linger on ♪
There’s something beyond my understanding. Something mystical in the feeling I have for you. ♪ I dare not guess ♪ ♪ At this strange ♪ ♪ Happiness ♪ ♪ For all ♪
And you, what would you give up?
I’d die for you without the least hesitation. ♪ Has come to stay here ♪
CLIP ENDS
- There you see the German/Jewish Marius Goring. So many of these characters who’d been actors under UFA had to flee either to America or to Britain, and make completely different careers for themselves. And I think it’s an interesting film of “Pandora and the Flying Dutchman”. Now I want to turn to one of my favourite films, “Picnic”. “Picnic”, it’s Joshua Logan. And it is the story of a drifter who comes into town where his old army friend really is the son of the richest man in the town. And he is engaged to Kim Novak, who comes from the wrong side of the tracks. And of course, you can imagine the story, the drifter falls for her. And she’s just been crowned the beauty queen of the town. And this is where they have this extraordinary dance scene. Kim Novak and William Holden in I think one of the sexiest dance routines in cinema history, see what you think.
CLIP BEGINS
I wish I could do it.
Aren’t they graceful? You used to dance like that, Flo.
CLIP ENDS
- Okay, now before I get onto my final two clips, I’m just going to mention to you the films I had to leave out, which some of you will know very well. “Laura”, Otto Preminger’s brilliant “Laura”, 1944 with Gene Tierney. “Matter of Life and Death” with David Niven, “Roman Holiday” with Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck, “A Star is Born” with Judy Garland and James Mason, “Dr. Zhivago” of 1965, “Moonstruck” of ‘87, “An English Patient” of 1996. A film some of you won’t know know, a beautiful film with Faye Dunaway and Marlon Brando called “Don Juan DeMarco”. I think we should include “Pretty Woman”, “Far from the Madding Crowd” with Julie Christie, “The Go-Between”, “An Affair to Remember” with Cary Grant, “The Thomas Crown Affair”, you can have both versions of that. And “From Here To Eternity”, the extraordinary scene in the waves with Deborah Kerr and Burt Lancaster. But before I come to my final clip, I’m going to talk about “Some Like It Hot”. Now, “Some Like It Hot” is directed by the absolutely mind-blowingly brilliant Billy Wilder, who also wrote it. And the point about writing it, he wrote it in his fourth language. It became a huge success. It broke the Hays code, and it is considered as one of the greatest films of all time. And it was Wilder, he selected Curtis and Jack Lemmon for the roles. And it’s interesting because of course it starred Marilyn Monroe, and both Strasburg and Arthur Miller were on the set driving Billy Wilder crazy all the time. And it was such a success that he had the opportunity to work with her again.
And he said, “I went to see my psychiatrist "and he said, 'You’re much too rich, and much too old, ”'to ever to be able to do it.’“ So he won many Oscars. As I said, he’s one of my greatest, he’s one of my greatest heroes. In fact, there was an Italian director who won the Oscar for the Best Foreign Film. And he said, "I want to give thanks to Billy Wilder, "because after God, "he’s the most important person in my life.” And evidently Billy Wilder phoned him up the next day and said, “It’s God speaking”. Billy Wilder also had a very dark side, you’ve got to remember he was an Austrian Jew whose mother, whose grandmother and stepfather all died in the Shoah. He was asked to direct “The Sound of Music”. He said, “You don’t want me near it, "because I’d make it all about the Nazis.” And Spielberg actually wanted him to direct “Schindler’s List”. He was talked about Billy Wilder, so was Polanski talked about. But in the end, everybody said to Spielberg, “You’ve got to do it yourself.” Now, the last line of “Some Like It Hot” is actually on Billy Wilder’s tombstone, one of the great Hollywood figures. And as I said, he wrote this in his fourth language. The man who worked a bit for Max Reinhardt, was taken to Hollywood. To me, the quintessential European who changed the face of Hollywood. And we will be spending more time on these themes next year, because I think, as you’ll agree, Hollywood at that special time with the influx of European talent, it created something very special. So let’s have a look at the scene that everybody loves, the final scene of “Some Like It Hot”.
CLIP BEGINS
Sugar, what do you think you’re doing?
I told you I’m not very bright.
Let’s go!
You don’t want me, sugar, I’m a liar and a phoney , a saxophone player. One of those no good nicks you keep running away from.
I know, every time.
Sugar, do yourself a favour, go back to where the millionaires are, the sweet end of the lollipop, not the coleslaw in the face, the old socks and the squeezed out tube of toothpaste.
That’s right, pour it on, talk me out of it.
I called Mama, she was so happy she cried. She wants you to have her wedding gown, it’s white lace.
Osgood, I can’t get married in your mother’s dress. She and I, we are not built the same way.
We can have it altered.
Oh no you don’t. Osgood, I’m going to level with you, we can’t get married at all.
Why not?
Well, in the first place, I’m not a natural blonde.
Doesn’t matter.
I smoke, I smoke all the time.
I don’t care.
Well, I have a terrible past, for three-years now I’ve been living with a saxophone player.
I forgive you.
I can never have children.
We can adopt some.
But you don’t understand, Osgood! Ah, I’m a man.
Well, nobody’s perfect.
CLIP ENDS
- The last film I’m going to show you, I’m cheating, because it isn’t an English-language film, it’s “Cinema Pardiso”. It was made in 1988, it was directed by Giuseppe Tornatore, it’s semi-autobiographical. It’s the story of a young boy who adores films. And in his local village, the cinema is actually owned by a priest. And the priest won’t allow any love scenes in any of the films. The young boy becomes very friendly with the man who works the reel. And he becomes very famous, he goes away from the village, he becomes a very famous director, but he can never really settle. And when his friend, who’d worked all the films, dies, he comes back for the funeral, and the widow gives him a reel. And what that reel is are the cuts that the priest had made them cut from the films, and they are the great love scenes. So shall we finish with the incredible last sequence of “Cinema Paradiso”? See how many of them you can recognise. I can’t do them all, see if any of you can, I’m sure you can.
FINAL CLIP PLAYS
Thank you, and thank you, Judi, for making all the clips possible. I did promise you a wallow, and I hope you had one. It was meant to be light, it was meant to be frothy. It’s the pagan festival of Valentine’s Day. Don’t forget that $20-billion industry. Let’s have a look at the questions, shall we?
Q&A and Comments:
[Judi] So Trudy, there’s no real questions here. It’s a load of “I love your hair, and "I love the clips you’ve chosen.”
I love you all. Anyway, we’re back to serious again with me on Thursday. I just wanted to do something light for a change. And because I’m a big kid, and I just love Hollywood. And again, Judi, thank you so much. This was not an easy presentation to put together.
[Judi] You’re welcome, Trudy, and I promise I’ll go watch some of those films.
Okay, we’ll watch them together. I’ll bring the tissues. Anyway, take care, everybody, and I’ll see you on Thursday.