tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3193750673421600279.post312950052374522764..comments2023-12-30T01:44:58.368-08:00Comments on The Girl with the White Parasol: Miscastings in Classic FilmAubynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00446079492480611898noreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3193750673421600279.post-48245542405230061762011-09-22T19:57:13.658-07:002011-09-22T19:57:13.658-07:00Grandoldmovies: Thanks for commenting. I don't...Grandoldmovies: Thanks for commenting. I don't remember having too many complaints about Holden. He's not at his best, but he doesn't jar me the way Bogart does. Yes, it's interesting how Hobson manages to feel so wrong. And she has to carry the weight of that strange altered ending. Estella is supposed to have matured by the end; instead she's a sulking shut-in.Aubynhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00446079492480611898noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3193750673421600279.post-34728532068847161092011-09-22T16:10:10.004-07:002011-09-22T16:10:10.004-07:00You're spot on about Bogie in Sabrina; he'...You're spot on about Bogie in Sabrina; he's too old, too reserved, even too short for the role. I also think William Holden was miscast as the younger brother. Holden was a fine dramatic actor, with a genius for portraying self-loathing (as in Sunset Blvd or Stalag 17), but his comic playing in Sabrina is heavy and off-key. (As for Bogie in Return of Dr X - part of the great campy fun of that film is that he's so wrong for the part!) I agree with Laura about Hobson's Estella; she's somehow 'off' but you can't say quite why. And I think it sticks out so much because everyone else in the film is so perfectly cast.grandoldmovieshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10773085288675763855noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3193750673421600279.post-44632407121550094672011-09-20T14:06:58.661-07:002011-09-20T14:06:58.661-07:00Dawn: Thanks for commenting. I'm sort of neutr...Dawn: Thanks for commenting. I'm sort of neutral on Howard as an actor. But he was the one who insisted that Humphrey Bogart play the gangster role in <i>The Petrified Forest</i> and for that, he has my eternal gratitude.Aubynhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00446079492480611898noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3193750673421600279.post-18752130729525908302011-09-20T05:32:09.973-07:002011-09-20T05:32:09.973-07:00I totally agree with you, Leslie Howard is the wea...I totally agree with you, Leslie Howard is the weakest link in the film, Gone with the Wind. But, I do not care for many of his performances.Dawnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03476174860119487509noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3193750673421600279.post-31428728176734506542011-09-15T12:58:46.777-07:002011-09-15T12:58:46.777-07:00Vulnavia: Haven't seen Simmons as Havisham, sa...Vulnavia: Haven't seen Simmons as Havisham, sadly. I'll have to remedy that. As for Bogart as a vampire...well, it's a scary thought, no question.Aubynhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00446079492480611898noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3193750673421600279.post-82713694462560164422011-09-15T12:29:55.920-07:002011-09-15T12:29:55.920-07:00Oh, and I think the most spectacular miscasting in...Oh, and I think the most spectacular miscasting in movie history is Humphrey Bogart in The Return of Dr. X. Bogart as a vampire. No, really.Vulnavia Morbiushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04722740955194993451noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3193750673421600279.post-64833630116793731932011-09-15T12:27:38.720-07:002011-09-15T12:27:38.720-07:00I would be remiss if I didn't mention that Jea...I would be remiss if I didn't mention that Jean Simmons was also a <i>splendid</i> Mrs. Havisham.Vulnavia Morbiushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04722740955194993451noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3193750673421600279.post-61634984271789030132011-09-15T10:20:07.966-07:002011-09-15T10:20:07.966-07:00X. Trapnel and KC: Glad to see we agree about Nora...X. Trapnel and KC: Glad to see we agree about Nora Gregor. You're right that Toutain is equally dull. Darrieux would have stolen the film, for better or for worse. But oh, to watch her and Jean Renoir...Aubynhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00446079492480611898noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3193750673421600279.post-20312357218324891122011-09-14T22:51:04.769-07:002011-09-14T22:51:04.769-07:00I've never thought about it, but you are so ri...I've never thought about it, but you are so right about Nora Gregor. She's so limp and blah. I find it hard to believe she'd have that pilot so smitten. Darrieux would have been perfect. I'm going to go cry about that now. . .KChttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17587905976811500791noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3193750673421600279.post-42453646120101251572011-09-14T21:43:49.900-07:002011-09-14T21:43:49.900-07:00Rachel,
I couldn't agree more about the dull ...Rachel,<br /><br />I couldn't agree more about the dull and lumpish Nora Gregor, but doesn't Roland Toutain (whoever he is) match her every plodding step of the way? Darrieux in the role might have elevated the film beyond the viewing capacity of mere mortals.X. Trapnelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01956452254763751719noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3193750673421600279.post-76088711800491745442011-09-12T18:55:47.815-07:002011-09-12T18:55:47.815-07:00Laura: You describe Simmons's performance perf...Laura: You describe Simmons's performance perfectly. I agree. As for Ashley, hmmm, well Olivier definitely would have been believable struggling with his lust for Scarlett. But then, it's hard to imagine him taking a back seat to Gable. Tough call. I'm kind of blanking on who <i>would</i> be the perfect fit for Ashley.<br /><br />Maybe my list will inspire you to make one of your own. *bats eyelashes*Aubynhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00446079492480611898noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3193750673421600279.post-60898949470913934942011-09-12T18:43:56.253-07:002011-09-12T18:43:56.253-07:00I'm with you completely about Hobson as Estell...I'm with you completely about Hobson as Estella. I can't put my finger on it, but something just doesn't gel. Really, it might have to do with the magic in Simmons's portrayal of young Estella, like you point out. Hers was a very crafty, precocious performance, and really captures both Estella's cruelty and the charm that captivates Pip. <br /><br />I can't help but wonder, mainly because Leigh plays Scarlett, how her future hubby Laurence Olivier would have done as Ashley. He had the youthful, more poetical beauty, and would have definitely brought more passion to the role than Howard. Then again, maybe conversely he and Scarlett would have had <i>too</i> much chemistry. On screen, it's crucial that Rhett and Scarlett have more sizzle between 'em.<br /><br />Great idea for a post!Laurahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15532386898201721692noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3193750673421600279.post-68261597454596326392011-09-12T18:20:13.142-07:002011-09-12T18:20:13.142-07:00FlickChick: Grant would have been great in Rope, I...FlickChick: Grant would have been great in <i>Rope</i>, I think. Joan Crawford and Charles Dickens? The mind boggles. Actually, the young Joan might have done well in a contemporary update of GE, à la the Ethan Hawke version, but imagining her in Dickensian England...yeah, I can't do it.Aubynhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00446079492480611898noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3193750673421600279.post-12821705494414962762011-09-12T17:59:16.022-07:002011-09-12T17:59:16.022-07:00Rachel - I tend to agree on all counts and this is...Rachel - I tend to agree on all counts and this is my rule: when in doubt, all male leads can be better played if played by Cary Grant. My go-to girl is usually Joan Crawford, but I don't think she could have pulled off "Great Expectations"!FlickChickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17351624749230610755noreply@blogger.com