LADY WINDERMERE'S FAN at Stanford Sat. May 27, '06

[bpnjensen]

LWF played at the Stanford this past weekend, Jim Riggs at the Mighty
Wulitzer. A very fun movie, excellent 35mm print, with parts played
very well by all. Based on the writings of others on this group, I
expected a thoroughly light-hearted romp through farcical goings-on -
and some of the time it was that - but much of it was heavier than
that, with real concern for the characters and compassion for the
people who were less than perfect but still endearingly human. It has
a good ending, very satisfying.

My 11-year old son, however, was quick to point out that the whole
problem could have been solved if Lord Windermere wasn't so concerned
about his wife's vanity to have prevented her from finding out the
truth about her mother (who looked just as young and radiant as her
daughter, BTW). He mumbled repeatedly, "Why doesn't he just tell
her?," and I had to explain after the movie that among British
"nobility" social status is key in life for several reasons. I suppose
that this concept was much more obvous in 1925 - nowadays, the way rich
celebrities behave publicly, they often appear to be spoiled idiots,
and we're used to that.

Also, what would a farce be without that all-critical misunderstanding?
;-) Just another boring day at the estate, I guess.

Ronald Colman had a crtiical co-starring role, and he was easily the
most interesting thing on screen when he appeared. Charisma plus! A
bounder with a big heart.

The co-feature was the talkie "Bulldog Drummond Strikes Back," in which
Colman really shone, of course - a totally lovable film every frame of
the way. It's too bad he made so few of the myriad Drummond movies -
what a great character he created. The smiles never disappeared from
our faces during that film.

Bruce Jensen

[mikeg...@gmail.com]

>nowadays, the way rich celebrities behave publicly, they often appear to be spoiled idiots,
>and we're used to that.

Or as Eric Idle observes in "The Aristocrats," the joke doesn't work in
England, because everyone knows that there's NOTHING to which a real
aristocrat will not stoop....

So they played Bulldog D. Strikes Back in public? In a studio print?
Can they do that now?

[bpnjensen]

>So they played Bulldog D. Strikes Back in public? In a studio print?
Can they do that now? <

David Packard did, apparently, just this...is there any other source?
He often turns to the UCLA Archive for his materials...in fact, LWF was
a new print that he just had struck from original negatives sent to
UCLA by MOMA at his request.

It was beautiful 35mm, easy on the eyes, and complete with no odd
splices or breaks.

BJ