Roman Holiday (1953) [unrated]

This movie made Audrey Hepburn a star. It is my favorite of her movies. (Breakfast at Tiffany's is forever tainted by Mickey Rooney's insulting and overtly racist portrayal of a Japanese man.) This was Audrey's first movie, and she earned an Oscar! Supported by the handsome Gregory Peck, this is a bittersweet romance.

She plays a princess who has become overwhelmed with her responsibilities and duties. Presented with an opportunity to escape, she takes it. Her heart is full of wanting to be just a normal person living a regular life. She falls asleep on a bench and is discovered by Gregory Peck, a newspaper man, who doesn't recognize her. He tries to offer her money for a taxi but she refuses to cooperate, leaving him no choice but to take her with him to his apartment. (This is the 50's, so this is actually an innocent offer!)

Free for the first time in her life, the princess turns down his offer to spend the day with her. By now, he does know who she is, and has taken an assignment for an exclusive interview with her for the whopping sum of $5000. Not letting on that her cover is blown, he contrives to bump into her and then she does spend her time with him.

This is a sweet romance. Everyone operates with integrity, and although we may admire them all, the ending is very sad, yet right.

This is one of those movies that originally was supposed to be cast with other actors: Elizabeth Taylor and Cary Grant! It surely would have played differently with them.

Peck did not want the part, thinking the age difference between himself and Hepburn was too great, but his contract did not give me a choice. Peck was originally given star and solo billing, but ever the gentleman, half-way through the filming, suggested to the director that the billing be shared. This type of behavior was almost unheard of in Hollywood and only added to Peck's appeal.

Hepburn was cast after a terrible screen test. The cameraman deliberately let the camera keep filming when the test was over, letting the director see just how animated Hepburn could be.

The screenplay was co-written by Dalton Trumbo, who was blacklisted at the time and did not receive a credit. Instead, he was fronted by Ian McLellan Hunter. His credit was reinstated when the DVD was released in 2003!

When you watch this movie, you are overtaken with nostalgia for that much more innocent time. Although the characters fall in love, there are no steamy scenes. Instead, we are treated to pure romance. Even the ending is romantic.

DIRECTOR:  William Wyler.  CAST:  Audrey Hepburn, Gregory Peck, Eddie Albert, Tullio Carminati.

AWARDS: 3 Academy Awards, 5 other wins and 11 nominations.

The Navigator: A Medieval Odyssey (1988) [PG]

Do not confuse this film with the children's movie Flight of the Navigator. This movie is definitely for grownups!

The year is 1348. A mining village in Cumbria, north of England, has just welcomed back one of its residents, Connor. Connor comes bearing tales of the spread of the Black Death. Although this village is isolated, it is inevitable that the plague will come to them. Connor's younger brother, Griffin, is a nine-year-old with second sight. He has a vision that all will be well if the villagers put a cross on the spire of an unknown church that is far away. He also believes that the quickest way to reach this church is by digging down in the mine.

Griffin, Connor, and three of the bravest men undertake this journey. They dig down and somehow reach Auckland, New Zealand in 1988! Up until this point, the movie has been in black and white. But similar to Dorothy reaching Oz, the modern age is in color. Usually this type of fish-out-of-water movie is played for laughs, but instead, this movie is from the point of view of the villagers. The villagers continue on their mission, filled with wonder at what they see.



Although the men do not question how they arrived here, they deal with each obstacle within the scope of their experience. Their first challenge is crossing a four-lane highway. They are in awe of the beasts that approach them so very swiftly and continue going rather than fighting them, as they beasts they normally would encounter would do.

Because of their sincere belief in Griffin's vision and their mission, they continue on. Not only must they find the church, but they must also find a foundry that will make the spike they need to mount the cross. They sincerely believe that this is the only way to save their village from the plague. But Griffin's vision also has some troubling aspects. Will all of his vision come true?

What a fascinating concept! It is said that the director first got the idea when he attempted to cross the Autobahn and ended up stuck in the middle. 

The subtitle for non-American release was An Odyssey Through Time.

The film does have the feel and look of a real Medieval tale. Although low budget, the movie is beautifully produced. The movie was chosen for competition at the Cannes Film Festival. Although won no awards, it received a five-minute standing ovation.

If you are looking for something really different to watch, this is it!

DIRECTOR: Vincent Ward. CAST: Hamish McFarlane, Bruce Lyons, Chris Haywood, Marshall Napier, Noel Appleby, Paul Livingston, Sarah Pierse.

AWARDS: 21 wins and 4 nominations.

The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974) [R]

The scariest horror movie ever made! I first saw it in a movie theater in New York City with my best friend. We spent the last 30 minutes of the movie on our feet, holding hands, and screaming. And no one told us to shut up and sit down!! Although many of the production values are now primitive given today's technology, it is still a very scary movie.

Horrible, but not really as gory as reputed to be, this was a first in horror movies. It is well-made, well-acted, and very effective. Every horror movie made since pays homage to this one.

In an effort to get it seen, Tobe Hooper, the director and co-writer, promoted it as a true story. It is not, although there was a Texas family that indulged in cannibalism, and there had been some disturbances in a cemetery.

Pretty simply, a group of five friends, among them Sally Hardesty, and her invalid brother Franklin,   stumble on a house and disturb the murderous family there.

There was nothing like this before. Shot on a skimpy budget of $300,000, this movie is guaranteed to give you nightmares and make all other horror movies pale in comparison! Don't waste your time on any of the other movies in this franchise. Take the R-rating to heart and don't let the little ones near this one.

DIRECTOR: Tobe Hooper. CAST: Marilyn Burns, Gunnar Hansen, Edwin Neal, Allen Danzinger, Paul A. Partain, William Vail.

AWARDS: One win

Lark Rise to Candleford {TV} 2008-2011 (4 seasons)

I confess that I am a sucker for BBC historical series. This show has captured me. It takes place in the late 19th century, based on the semi-autobiographical books by Flora Thompson. Told through the eyes of Laura, (Olivia Hallinan) a girl from Lark Rise, a small hamlet, who goes to Candleford, the big village, to work at the post office, this is her coming-of-age story.

The post mistress is Dorcas, (Julia Sawalha) who is Laura's mother's cousin. She and the post office are the center of Candleford. Dorcas is unmarried and although she does have some romances, her biggest love is the people of both Lark Rise and Candleford.

There is rivalry, of course, between Lark Rise and Candleford: country mouse vs. village mouse. Those from Candleford tend to look down on those from Lark Rise.  Yet both communities often come together into one.

Of course, there are many characters, but all are real and none are stereotypical.

In Candleford, Thomas who does the postal delivery, is a Christian, and romances the minister's daughter. Minnie, who is lazy, young, and romantic, comes to the post office as a maid. The Pratt sisters, who dress alike although there is at least 10 years age difference between them, own the local dress shop. 

Lark Rise is the home of Laura's family. They struggle, as does everyone in the hamlet, to make a living. Laura's father is a free thinker who often causes trouble with his belief that money does not determine the worth of a person. He and his wife have a loving relationship.
Queenie and Twister are an older couple. Queenie reads tea leaves, and practices herbal medicine and a little magic. Twister spends his days trying to get out of working and into the pub. They are also a sweet couple.

Of course, there are many other characters in this community. We come to know and love them all.

This is a gentle, sweet series. Little stories, a sense of the coming modern age as things such as bicycles arrive, a great feeling of community, relationships that change and grow, bits of humor, and an increasing depth to all the characters, have captured my heart.

The biggest surprise for me was the actress who plays Dorcas. She looked so familiar to me, but I just couldn't place her. Imagine how blown away I was when IMDB revealed that she played Saffron, Edina's daughter on Absolutely Fabulous! You couldn't imagine two more different characters. She does an amazing job with both.

If you loved Anne of Green Gables, you will love Lark Rise to Candleford.

CREATED by Bill Gallagher.  CAST: Olivia Hallinan, Julia Sawalha, Linda Bassett, Ruby Bentall, Claudie Blakley, Brendan Coyle, John Dagleish, Victoria Hamilton, Mark Heap, Karl Johnson, Sandy McDade, Ben Miles, Liz Smith, Matilda Ziegler.