A Girl, A Screen, An Opinion ([info]ontheaisle) wrote,
2006-01-29 03:29:00
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Days of Being Wild / Magnificent Obsession (1954)

January 14th - January 28th:

I had trouble getting it from Netflix before I saw 2046 in the theater, so I made sure to get a copy of Days of Being Wild before I watched it again on DVD. (These two films, together with In the Mood for Love, form a loose trilogy.) As it's one of the earlier and thus less accomplished ones, it's not surprising that it ranks nearer to the bottom of my list of favorite Wong Kar Wai films, but I did enjoy it. And the extra light it does indeed shed on some of the characters and references in 2046 makes that movie even more lovely to behold.

I've been a fan of Douglas Sirk's classic melodramas since I happened upon Imitation of Life on TV as a teenager. So I was really glad when Magnificent Obsession, which isn't currently available on DVD, turned up on Turner Classic Movies. It's not quite as eye-popping as some of Sirk's other stuff, but the dramatic medical crises, spunky kid, gratuitously shirtless Rock Hudson, and the always great Agnes Moorehead provide plenty of entertainment to fill out the two hours. Oh, and the title turns out to mean something utterly different (and amusingly...creepier) than you might imagine.

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  • 4 comments

[info]chicken_cem

January 30 2006, 13:28:32 UTC 6 years ago

Magnificent Obsession and All That Heaven Allows are both unbelievable. I think I've seen each one about six or seven times, I just can't tear my eyes away, partly in disbelief at the social mores of the time, partly because of the "better-than-Lifetime and way before them" melodrama.

[info]keever

January 31 2006, 04:19:08 UTC 6 years ago

The thing that really put me over the edge into Sirk fan territory was listening to Todd Haynes' Far From Heaven commentary (which is one of the standard-bearers for commentaries, if you ask me). He had a lot of insights, many of which came from an apparently well-known Fassbinder article on Sirk, that pointed out just how much is going on beneath the surface of his films. It's totally fascinating.

[info]chicken_cem

January 31 2006, 05:39:03 UTC 6 years ago

Yes, that's a very good commentary. He said many of the same things in his Far From Heaven Q&A at the Cable Car last time he visited his alma mater here. He's very congenial, thoughtful, and accessible. His Velvet Goldmine Q&A was likewise wonderful. I never miss an opportunity to hear him speak.

[info]keever

January 31 2006, 15:50:44 UTC 6 years ago

God, he's awesome. And it looks like his Dylan film will actually be released this year, too!
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