I doubled back to the library on Monday and picked up the pre-ordered

From Here to Eternity    

Burt Lancaster (young) was soo hot, but I never was too excited by Montgomery Clift.  Frank Sinatra, Ernest Borgnine (again) all were wonderful and Thank-You-Very-Much for having the beatings be off-camera.  That’s a Big difference I’ve noted with these older films:  the physical violence and sex are implied, while the emotional action is emphasized.  However, seems like they fall in love really easily…and the female characters are pretty 1-dimensional.  But maybe that’s the way people really were back then.

Yesterday I viewed Gigi in the east room while Casey watched Ben-Hur in the west…

Gigi   

Who knew you could have a musical where no one Actually sings..?  Everybody just talk-sang throughout this movie, and thanks for the French accents which made is much more bearable.  It’s a creepy little theme, watching a grandmother and aunt get a young girl ready to be a..errh…courtesan.  Since Leslie Caron didn’t really look that young, it didn’t seem quite so nasty, and the backdrop of Paris made for rich scenery that made it look quite acceptable.  Louis Jourdan is wonderful eye-candy;  love Maurice Chevalier.   In 1959 America must have loved their musicals and this was one of two nominated for Best Picture that year (against Auntie Mame).  Overall, though, I’d rather have watched the other loser:  “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof”.  What were they thinking???

Ben-Hur  

yuck…I watched the first half-hour or so and a little bit in the middle while we were eating supper, then returned for the chariot scene and the ending.  I do not like this movie, never have.  The penchant for making up stuff about Jesus  seems to be a little bit insulting, but I guess most people like that sort of thing.  I have never been too fond of Charlton Heston.  But Casey enjoyed it, especially the ship-wreck parts…  Also nominated was  “The Diary of Anne Frank”   which would have been too much for my tender heart, anyway, so I guess I was better off with this winner.

And we’ve made it to the ’60’s now…