North by Northwest (1959)

Why it's here:
Another chance to see Cary Grant, here in one of his best known roles, and to show my kids the beyond-iconic moment in cinema when a plane chases down Cary Grant.

Specs:
Over 2 hours, color

Our family's average rating on a scale of 1-10:
7.5

More about the film and our reaction to it:
What struck us most about the film is that it seemed to be recreating "Notorious", yet just wasn't quite as good. Most people to write about this film think it is Hitch's very best work. I'm not a Hitchcock expert, so while I appreciate certain touches in this film enormously and thought that overall it was a really good movie, we weren't blown away.

Even though Cary Grant is the coolest, most appealing character that ever lived on screen, he's starting to seem a bit old for the dashing romantic lead and the age difference between him and Eva Marie Saint is beginning to be too much. His acting is superb and as always he creates the embodiment of something you want to live for and aspire to. He is a golden star - the best that ever lived.

This film contains scenes that would rank among are some of the most incredible in our festival (such as the aforementioned crop duster chasing down Grant, and Grant driving drunk along a windy road, the characters cavorting all over Mt. Rushmore, the scene in the UN where someone gets stabbed with a thrown knife). These elements are profoundly memorable, but somehow, for us, the film as a whole was not. 

Iconic shot:

Auntie Mame (1958)

Why it's here:
Recommended to us by a friend.

Specs:
Almost 2 1/2 hours; color

Our family's average rating on a scale of 1-10:
7.63

More about the film and our reaction to it:
Auntie Mame was a strange movie. By the end we all really liked it. While we were watching, we couldn't quite figure out what to think of it. It kept seeming like it had come to a close and several times during its run, I thought it had ended. But the story was simply told in chapters or vignettes that each told a piece. It covers an astonishing scope of time in the lives of these people, in good depth. It did feel long, though. And we began to feel that the ending was dragging on. This could be a function of the fact that we had already been tricked into thinkng the film was about to end several times before it actually did.

Throughout the whole is an astonishingly compelling performance by Rosalind Russel (who we had not seen since "His Girl Friday"). She has created a character that is burned in our brains - avant gaurd, lovably out of touch, caring and kind but totally free-spirited, she is the gem of the film.

The movie is at times silly, sad, absurd, frustrating, playful - but always compelling.

On a second viewing, I would probably appreciate it more, knowing how it is set up, what it does and where it's taking me

Iconic image:

Gunfight at the OK Corral (1957)

Why it's here:
The story has been done so many times, but this is the Classic. We were drawn by the strong local interest since the historical events underlying this tale took place near where we live. In addition, the film was shot in part at Old Tucson. We had to check it out.

Specs:
2 hours, color. Available on dvd

Our family's average rating on a scale of 1-10:
6.63

More about the film and our reaction to it:
Although the film was good, and certainly watchable entertainment, it was not fabulous. The best part was the exposure to the performances of Kirk Douglas and Burt Lancaster, both major stars who gave top performances here. But the movie dragged on a bit, especially with subplots that pulled away from the main story. Maybe this is because, though clearly one of the most famous tales from the old West, the real Tombstone shoot-out was truly just not that dramatic.  This probably also explains why dramatizations always ratchet up the facts and intensity of the story. Quite a bit.


After watching the film, we went and toured the actual site of the gunfight and learned that the whole battle was short and well contained within a small corral.

The film is full of 50s-era cliches and camp that are charming and enjoyable if you are in the right mind -- for instance, the song "Boot Hill" which has been running through our brains in a continuous loop since. ("Boot Hill, Boot Hill, so cold, so still...") The Boot Hill cemetery in real life is a fascinating and nicely kept monument to the time of the wild West. The Tombstone courthouse holds wonderful exhibits -- including many historical artifacts, displays and period details. It is both architecturally and historically a fantastic place to see. And, the preserved gallows standing in the walled-in courthouse yard still reeks with unpleasant energy.

The actual history of the town is so compelling and as this film marked the impetus for our trip there, and as a well known, quintessential piece of American cultural history, we are grateful to it.
The shot below is so well-framed that I believe it is mandatory to recreate in every subsequent Hollywood release of the story :)

Iconic image: