Classic Movie Picks: July 2014

by Lani

Each month, I scour the Turner Classic Movies schedule for upcoming films that I can't miss. The highlights are posted here for your reading and viewing pleasure! (All listed times are Eastern Standard, check your local listings or TCM.com for actual air times in your area. Each day's schedule begins at 6:00 a.m.; if a film airs between midnight and 6 a.m. it is listed on the previous day's programming schedule.)

7/6: Good help is hard to find...
2 AM - The Housemaid (1960)
4 AM - Diary of a Chambermaid (1964)
I'm intrigued by this late night double feature of foreign films featuring maids who disrupt the lives of their employers. Korean director Kim Ki-yong's psychological drama The Housemaid was unreleased in America until 2013, with assistance from Martin Scorcese's World Cinema Project. Diary of a Chambermaid was made in French by Spanish director Luis Buñuel, here downplaying his usual surrealism, and stars Jean Moreau. 

7/7: Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II
8 PM - Show Boat (1951)
10 PM - Carousel (1956)
Tonight's line-up honors lyricist Oscar Hammerstein II with film adaptations of his stage musicals. Show Boat was a collaboration with composer Jerome Kern and depicts the personal dramas among entertainers aboard a riverboat. Carousel is perhaps the darkest work produced by Hammerstein and composer Richard Rodgers, his most successful and sustained collaboration. It tells the story of an ill-fated romance between an innocent mill-worker and a rough, self-centered carousel barker. Though they may seem old-fashioned now, both shows represented an evolution in musical theatre from revue-style shows to ones in which the songs and dances arose from and furthered the plot. It seems that with Broadway's current slew of "jukebox" musicals, we may be moving backwards, but that's a discussion for another blog...

7/10: Great American Docs
8 PM - Salesman (1969)
9:45 PM - The Times of Harvey Milk (1984)
11:30 PM - Harlan County U.S.A. (1976)
These three documentaries offer authentic and revealing portraits of American life. Salesman, directed by Albert Maysles, David Maysles, and Charlotte Zwerin, focuses on four door-to-door Bible salesman on the East Coast. While selling door-to-door is mostly a thing a of the past, the struggles of the salesmen still resonate today. 
Director Robert Epstein began filming a short film in 1978 about San Francisco politician Harvey Milk's campaign against the Briggs Initiative, which would have banned gays and lesbians from working in California public schools. Three weeks after the initiative was defeated, Milk was assassinated, and Epstein chose to re-focus his film on the life of Milk and his message of inclusiveness for the LGBT community. The Times of Harvey Milk won the Best Documentary Academy Award in 1984.
Barbara Kopple also won the Best Documentary Oscar for her film Harlan County U.S.A. It chronicles a contentious miners strike in Kentucky as the miners push to unionize and are met with frequently violent resistance from the mine owners, Duke Power.

7/27, 12:15 AM - Pandora's Box (1928)

In this silent film by German director G.W. Pabst, Louise Brooks is Lulu, a hedonistic dancer whose sexual magnetism causes the weak men around her to self-destruct. She isn't a traditional femme fatale; she suffers along with the men and as a result of their recklessness. (And she doesn't just beguile men -- the film contains what may be cinema's first lesbian in the character of the Countess, who shares a dance with Lulu.) Even if you've never seen this film, you'll probably recognize Brooks's hairdo. Her severe, squared-off bob became an iconic look of the 20s and it pops up often in later films which want to reference the era, from Cyd Charisse in 1952's Singin' in the Rain to the title character in 2012's Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries.

Classic Movie Picks: June 2014

by Lani

Each month, I scour the Turner Classic Movies schedule for upcoming films that I can't miss. The highlights are posted here for your reading and viewing pleasure! (All listed times are Eastern Standard, check your local listings or TCM.com for actual air times in your area. Each day's schedule begins at 6:00 a.m.; if a film airs between midnight and 6 a.m. it is listed on the previous day's programming schedule.)

Posting a bit late this month due to a much needed vacation; however, this month is packed with interesting films, particularly ones with French roots, starting tonight with...

6/8, 4 AM - Orpheus (1949)
Many artists have been inspired by the Greek myth of Orpheus, a musician who travels to the underworld to retrieve his dead wife Eurydice; Orpheus is able to win her freedom on the condition that he not look back as the two return to the world of mortals (if you think he doesn't look back, then you may not want to hear the story of Lot and his wife, either). French director Jean Cocteau moves the story to post-WWII France and casts Orpheus as a successful poet disdained by the Left Bank intellectuals. Despite the magical elements of the story, Cocteau wanted the film to have a directness, so that what appeared on screen felt real and not like sets & special effects. Scenes of the journey to the underworld take place among the eerie ruins of Saint-Cyr military school, which had been destroyed during the war. Only practical effects were used, no camera tricks -- so, for example, when Orpheus reaches through a mirror which turns to liquid, the actor is actually sticking his hands into a pool of mercury. Cocteau's films are always visually stunning and surprising; they truly epitomize the idea of "movie magic."

BONUS PICK: 6/8, 2 AM - Black Orpheus (1959)
This adaptation of the Orpheus & Eurydice myth takes place in the favelas of Rio during Carnaval. The striking images and exuberant music are sure to make an impression. The film's originality and unexpected setting has made it a favorite among film lovers and critics.

6/15, 2 AM - Purple Noon (1960)
I am a fan of Anthony Minghella's The Talented Mr. Ripley and ever since that film came out in 1999, I've wanted to see the earlier French adaptation of the same Patricia Highsmith story. In Purple Noon, Alain Delon plays Tom Ripley, the resourceful mimic and forger who becomes obsessed with his callow playboy friend. Highsmith's stories prove that sometimes villains can be more compelling than heroes.

6/18: Directed by Rene Clair
8 PM - Under the Roofs of Paris (1930)
9:45 PM - July 14th (1933)
11:30 PM - A Nous la Liberte (1931)
1 AM - Le Million (1931)
2:30 AM - The Grand Maneuver (1955)
Rene Clair is considered France's first great comedy director, known for strong visuals and impish wit. His work was a source of inspiration for such greats as Charlie Chaplin and the Marx Brothers. His French-language films of the 1930s, four of which are showing tonight, are from what's considered his most creatively successful period. Though he was initially wary of incorporating sound into film, he was able to introduce sound without losing the sophisticated visual language developed during the silent era. Later, Clair also found success in Hollywood in the 40s with films like I Married a Witch starring Fredric March and Veronica Lake. 1955's The Grand Maneuver was his first film in color and one of his last films. As the New Wave began to dominate the French film scene, Clair's more traditional style of movie making fell out of fashion among critics. However, with the advantage of hindsight, Clair's achievements and influence are recognized today.

BONUS PICK: 6/18, 4:30 AM - Gigi (1949)
Most classic movie fans are familiar with the 1958 musical version of Gigi, based on a short story by French author Colette about a teenage courtesan-in-training in trun of the century Paris. However, this 1948 French romantic comedy was the first film version of that story and it remains truer to the source material than the later Hollywood film. Explicit mentions of Gigi's intention of becoming a rich man's mistress, as well as the fact that the women in her family never married, were too scandalous to pass the American Production Code.

6/22: Blue, White, and Red
2 AM - Blue (1993)
3:45 AM - White (1993)
5:30 AM - Red (1994)
Polish Director Krzysztof Kieslowski's Three Colors Trilogy was shot over a period of nine months in France and hailed as a masterpiece almost immediately following its release; each of the films received international accolades on their own. Each film tells stories of very personal connections, set against a backdrop of the political changes affecting Europe at the end of the Cold War. 
In Blue, the tragedy of the group, Juliette Binoche plays Julie, a woman grappling with the grief of losing her husband and child in a car accident. Her husband, Patrice, was a composer whose final concerto was written to celebrate the unification of Europe. As Patrice's assistant struggles to finish the concerto, Julie learns of secrets in her husband's past.
White is a black comedy about a Polish hairdresser living in Paris who decides to return to Poland after his French wife, played by Julie Delpy, leaves him. He finds his homeland in transition from communism to democracy and shrewdly begins to grab any opportunity to get ahead. After transforming to a savvy businessman from his pitiful and penniless former self, he becomes determined to win back his wife.
Red depicts an unlikely friendship between a young model, played by Irene Jacob, and a retired judge, played by Jean-Louis Trintignant. The judge eavesdrops on his neighbors in an attempt to sort out their messy lives; however, the ultimate message of the film is that life, and love, cannot be controlled.

6/30, 2 AM - $ [a.k.a. Dollars] (1971)
I am always interested in a heist movie; watching them is a bit like eating a midnight snack -- just as when you sneak down to the kitchen for a treat, there's an illicit pleasure to be had in watching the crime unfold. I've never seen this movie starring Warren Beatty and Goldie Hawn as would-be bank robbers; however, a daring caper in a far-flung locale (this time Hamburg, Germany) should make for a light, but tasty late night snack. (And I had to pick something without subtitles this month!)

Jodorowsky's Dune Review

by A.J.

Jodorowsky's Dune may appear at first to appeal only to film geeks and the art-house crowd, however, this is the most delightful and engaging documentary I've seen in years. I think even non-cinephiles will feel the same. If you've never heard of a version of Dune directed by Alejandro Jodorowsky that's because it was never made, but despite that little fact it still managed to influence science-fiction movies for decades and, along with Stanley Kurbick's Napoleon, is referred to as the greatest movie never made. 

Alejandro Jodorowsky's most famous films are the confounding, psychedelic western El Topo and the equally confounding, surreal The Holy Mountain. Though neither had a wide theatrical release both films still managed to find an underground fan base. El Topo, released in 1970, found a cult following from midnight screenings, becoming the first "Midnight Movie." With a larger budget and a more psychedelic spiritual vision, Jodorowsky followed up with The Holy Mountain in 1973 which caught the attention of French producer Michel Seydoux. When Seydoux asked Jodorowsky what he wanted make next Jodorowsky said "Dune" even though he had never read the novel. 

Jodorowsky's previous films were highly experimental and avant-garde using striking, surreal images, purposely provocative imagery and themes, and a complete lack of explanation for what you are seeing. El Topo and The Holy Mountain are not condescending assaults on the audience (like, in my opinion, the later films of Jean-Luc Godard), rather, they present a challenging journey and invite you to take part. Scenes in these movies are close enough to being understandable to keep you watching, but far away enough to keep you intrigued. The numbers his movies give you don't seem to make sense, but in the end add up to something substantial. Would his big budget adaptation of a well-loved fantasy novel be more traditional? Even mainstream? No, absolutely not. 

The team of talent Jodorowsky assembled to visualize Dune is unparalleled. French comic book artist Jean "Moebius" Giraud and the dark surrealist H.R. Giger would draw the world of Dune. Dan O'Bannon, fresh off working on John Carpenter's Dark Star, would create the special effects. Pink Floyd would do the music. Salvador Dali would play the evil emperor of the galaxy and Orson Welles would play the evil baron. To say that the vision for Dune was ambitious is a gross understatement. Today this version of Dune could be easily created with CGI, but in 1975 the special effects technology would more than likely not have lived up to the vision. 

Jodorowsky had no problem straying from the plot of the novel. He wanted to make a movie that would give the audience the experience of taking LSD without actually taking the drug. The best part of Jodorowsky's Dune is Jodorowsky himself talking about this unrealized movie and how he assembled his team of artists. He has such passion and enthusiasm that it is easy to understand how he was able convince all these people to drop everything, move to Paris, and work on a movie that did not have studio funding. Dune, directed by Alejandro Jodorowsky, was turned down by every Hollywood studio, but the studios did take notice of the artists. 20th Century Fox would produce Dan O'Bannon's screenplay Alien and hire H.R. Giger to create the monster itself, which bore heavy similarities to the work Giger had done for Dune.

We get to see a glimpse of what all of those creative minds produced: a massive book of storyboards that tell the entire story of Dune as dreamed by Jodorowsky and his team. The sketches and drawings are truly a treat to see. They are equally mesmerizing and bizarre. Only two copies of that book exist today. I hope that some publishing house realizes what a wonderful piece of movie history and work of art still awaits to be seen. I know I would buy a copy. I want so bad to experience Jodorowsky's Dune.  

Under the Skin Review

by A.J.
 
It begins with images that are only vaguely familiar: a black circle... a pupil? An eyeball? What we see in Under the Skin is intriguing, mysterious, and understandable enough. Some critics have made comparisons between this film and the films of Stanly Kubrick. Bizarre, ethereal imagery, long shots, quiet scenes, and a lack of explanation usually draw comparisons to Kubrick, but what those people really mean is that it reminded them of the last half hour of 2001: A Space Odyssey (Kubrick’s movies are thought provoking but actually very comprehensible). On the spectrum of auteurs, director Jonathan Glazer’s Under the Skin falls somewhere between David Lynch and Alejandro Jodorowsky, and in the best way possible too. 

Scarlett Johansson plays a woman with black hair, an English accent, and a fur coat. She roams rural Scotland in a van picking up men with the unspoken promise of a sexual encounter. This is not as easy as you might think, even for an alien (?) that looks like Scarlett Johansson. What does she really want these men for? What really happens to them? Each encounter shows a little more, though that doesn’t mean it reveals more about what is happening. 

This very well might be Scarlett Johansson's best performance. She brings curious life to this not quite human creature. Even when using her charm and sex appeal she seems to be operating on autopilot until she has an encounter with a severely deformed man. After that she strays from her routine and becomes curious and confused by her surroundings and her body. Her journey from then on is as unknown to her as it is to us, and the movie comes as close as it ever does to meeting us halfway. 

Under the Skin makes no direct statements. There is nothing resembling traditional exposition. That will frustrate some and excite others. However, this does not mean it is impossible to follow what is happening on screen; anyone familiar with science-fiction/horror movie tropes is likely to have a good idea of what’s going on. There is plenty to ponder, but this movie shouldn't cause too much frustration to those intent on solving its mystery since Under the Skin is ultimately a Rubik's cube, not a puzzle with missing pieces. 

Classic Movie Picks: May 2014

by Lani

Each month, I scour the Turner Classic Movies schedule for upcoming films that I can't miss. The highlights are posted here for your reading and viewing pleasure! (All listed times are Eastern Standard, check your local listings orTCM.com for actual air times in your area. Each day's schedule begins at 6:00 a.m.; if a film airs between midnight and 6 a.m. it is listed on the previous day's programming schedule.)

5/8, 4:30 AM - Marat/Sade (1966)
In Charenton Asylum, 1808, the Marquis de Sade directs a play, featuring his fellow inmates, which reenacts the events surrounding the death of radical journalist Jean-Paul Marat in 1793. What could go wrong, right? Part of an evening dedicated to 1960s stage-to-screen adaptations, this film is based on a 1965 production by the Royal Shakespeare Company and features Patrick Magee as Sade, Ian Richardson as Marat, and Glenda Jackson as the assassin Charlotte Corday. Fun fact: The full title of the play and film is "The Persecution and Assassination of Jean-Paul Marat as Performed by the Inmates of the Asylum of Charenton Under the Direction of the Marquis de Sade."

5/12: Starring Mitzi Gaynor
12:15 AM - The I Don't Care Girl (1953)
1:45 AM - Mitzi: A Tribute to the American Housewife (1974)
Tonight's line-up highlights triple-threat Mitzi Gaynor. During her ingenue days at 20th Century Fox, Gaynor was overshadowed by another blonde -- Marilyn Monroe -- despite her formidable singing and dancing talents. Those talents are showcased in the musical biopic The I Don't Care Girl as Gaynor portrays vaudeville superstar Eva Tanguay, featuring lively musical numbers by choreographer Jack Cole. My second pick of the night is one of Gaynor's successful 1970s TV specials adapted from material she performed in her touring stage shows. Though the premise sounds dubious (a tribute to housewives?), director/choreographer Tony Charmoli managed to win an Emmy for choreography, which is enough to get me interested.

5/19: Made by Brooksfilm
10 PM - 84 Charing Cross Road (1987)
12 AM - The Doctor and the Devils (1985)
TCM pays tribute to Brooksfilms, the production company founded by Mel Brooks, with six movies on May 19 & 20, four of which feature Brooks' wife Anne Bancroft. I've picked two films which are new to me, but sound worth a look. 84 Charing Cross Road is based on the true story of a 20-year correspondence between New York writer Helene Hanff and antique book dealer Frank Doel in London. While their initial letters were about obscure & out-of-print books, eventually the two began to delve into topics discussed by close friends. They never met face to face, their correspondence ending with Frank's death in 1968. Bancroft and Anthony Hopkins star as Hanff and Doel with Judi Dench appearing in a small role as Doel's wife. 
There's not much information on TCM.com or IMDB.com about The Doctor and the Devils, but after reading the brief plot description I have to assume the film is based on the true tale of notorious 19th century grave robbers turned murderers Burke and Hare. (Their story was most recently told in the 2010 film Burke and Hare starring Simon Pegg and Andy Serkis.) Jonathan Pryce and Stephen Rea star as the titular devils Fallon and Brown, while Timothy Dalton plays the doctor who uses the stolen cadavers for medical experiments. 

Star of the Month: June Allyson
5/21, 12 AM - Good News (1947)
5/28, 8 PM - My Man Godfrey (1957)
The films of June Allyson are taking over primetime on Wednesdays this month. To enjoy June Allyson at her charming best, you could do worse than the light and frothy college musical Good News. Peter Lawford co-stars as a football player who needs help from perky tutor Allyson to pass French class. The fact that Lawford's French accent is much better than Allyson's should be politely ignored. I'm also looking forward to seeing the remake of My Man Godfrey co-starring David Niven. The story from the Depression-era screwball classic has been updated here with Niven playing an Austrian WWII refugee in the United States illegally. Allyson plays the daffy heiress who hires Niven's Godfrey to be  her family's butler. Since the 1936 version with William Powell and Carole Lombard is one of my favorite movies, I'm interested to see how the later version tried to make the story it's own.

5/29, 10:15 PM - F for Fake (1973)
Orson Welles's final masterpiece is ostensibly a documentary about an art forger; however, the film also touches upon the art of filmmaking, magic and trickery, as well as a famous publishing scandal. It's all in service of asking "what is truth in art?"

Friday Night Spotlight: Australian Cinema
TCM's Friday Night Spotlight has been consistently serving up interesting themes and films. This month the spotlight shines on Australian New Wave cinema of the 1970s and 80s, focusing on several notable auteurs including Bruce Beresford, Peter Weir, Jane Campion, Gillian Armstrong, and Phillip Noyce. Hosted by Oscar-nominated Aussie actress Jacki Weaver, this series offers a lot of intriguing films. If you haven't seen Breaker Morant or Picnic at Hanging Rock, seek them out.

Life Itself Review

by A.J.

Last year on April 4^th, just before my birthday, I received the news that Roger Ebert had passed away. I was saddened more than I thought I could be by the death of someone I never knew. I did meet him once at a book signing in New York; I wrote about that experience and my thoughts and feelings about Roger Ebert in my tribute last year. I only met him once, never knew him, but I will always miss him.

This year, just before my birthday I received in the mail a messenger bag, t-shirt, and gift card to Steak ‘n Shake from the Life Itself production team for a small donation to the Indiegogo.com campaign to cover post production costs of Life Itself, the documentary about Ebert by filmmaker Steve James.

I was able to watch Life Itself streaming online in concurrence with its premiere at the Sundance Film Festival this past January, an additional perk of contributing to the production. I’m not sure at what point during the documentary I realized that I would not be able to give this film an “objective” review. Fortunately, as Ebert was apt to remind everyone, there is no such thing as an objective review.

It seems obvious that Steve James would be the one to make this film. James’s 1994 documentary Hoop Dreams was championed heavily by Siskel and Ebert. The Criterion DVD edition of Hoop Dreams contains their initial enthusiastic review, a special segment in which they accuse the documentary wing of the Academy Awards of corruption after Hoop Dreams was not nominated for Best Documentary (it turns out they were right), and the special show in which Ebert names Hoop Dreams the best film of the 1990’s.

Life Itself takes the structure of Ebert’s memoir of the same name beginning with the straightforward linear of childhood, youth, early career, before beginning anecdotes, jumping to the present, then back to the past. There are interviews with friends and colleagues and filmmakers. Roger Ebert was able to become friendly, if not friends, with filmmakers like Martin Scorsese, Werner Herzog and others. He helped a few personally when he could and they tell their stories too. There is, of course, a portion about Gene Siskel and the creation of the show that made them famous, even to people that didn’t follow critics. I do wish there was more about the show and its different versions, especially its final incarnation on PBS, and also how he dealt with being famous for being a film critic, a relatively normal job.

If you are a fan of Roger Ebert, or movies, or journalism, you will enjoy this documentary. It is a fitting tribute and portrait of a life that touched and influenced the lives of people he never meant and influenced movies and filmmakers even though he never directed one. As you can imagine the tone of the documentary shifts as it covers Ebert’s illness, the loss of his voice, and his death. After he lost the ability to speak, Roger Ebert reinvented himself in the most wonderful way with his website, his blog, and then twitter. Even though he could not speak, you could read his words and there was his voice. Now that he is gone I can still hear his voice.

Classic Movie Picks: April 2014

by Lani

Each month, I scour the Turner Classic Movies schedule for upcoming films that I can't miss. The highlights are posted here for your reading and viewing pleasure! (All listed times are Eastern Standard, check your local listings orTCM.com for actual air times in your area. Each day's schedule begins at 6:00 a.m.; if a film airs between midnight and 6 a.m. it is listed on the previous day's programming schedule.)

Happy 20th Anniversary TCM! 
On April 14, 1994, the channel was launched with a ceremony in Times Square and it has been the saving grace of many a cable line-up ever since. It’s certainly the default channel in my house (no surprise there), in fact it’s on right now as I type!

4/7-11: Fan Takeover!

The daytime schedule this week features films requested by viewers. It’s a bit of a mixed bag; however, by virtue of their making it on the schedule, these films are considered worth a view by somebody out there in TV land. During primetime and late night we’ll get films handpicked by Fan Programmers. The Fans’ picks include some of my favorites like The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (1964) and The Philadelphia Story (1940), as well as some I’ve never seen, such as Went the Day Well? (1942) and A Man Called Adam (1966) — it’s no coincidence that both of those are TCM premieres. Check out the full schedule here, and be sure to tune in on the dot to hear each fan introduce their film.

BONUS PICK: 4/14, 7 PM - TCM: Twenty Classic Moments (2014)

Take a look back at some of the most memorable moments from the past twenty years.

4/10, 4:15 AM - Lola (1961)

This first feature by French director Jacques Demy stars Anouk Aimee as the title character, a cabaret entertainer in Nantes caught in a love triangle. Demy dedicated this film to director Max Ophuls, whose influence is apparent not only in the swirling camera work, but also in the title character who was surely named for Ophuls’ masterpiece Lola Montes (airing on 4/20, 2:00 AM). I really enjoy Demy’s bittersweet valentines to the Technicolor musical — The Umbrellas of Cherbourg and The Young Girls of Rochefort — so I’m interested to see what came before those films.

4/16: A Proper Butling

8 PM - The Remains of the Day (1993)

3:30 AM - English Without Tears (1944)

If you are experiencing Downtown Abbey withdrawal, here are two films featuring Brits with stiff upper lips to help you cope. Tonight’s schedule is devoted to butlers on screen, but I think these two in particular make a nice double feature because they are both about people adapting to societal changes in England following WWII, as well as love that crosses lines of duty and class.

4/20, 12 AM - Spione/Spies (1928)

This silent film from German director Fritz Lang is a pulpy thriller about super-spy Haghi, who oversees an international spy network from his headquarters beneath a bank. Like many imports of the era, including Lang’s Metropolis, Spione was edited severely for the U.S. market. The original cut was unavailable until 2004; I believe TCM is showing the restored version.

¿Quien es mas macho? Heston vs. Wayne

This month TCM spotlights two of Hollywood’s all-time macho men: Charlton Heston and John Wayne. It’s the Duke’s low drawl versus Heston’s clenched growl. Six guns versus frequent shirtlessness. April will be cloaked in a manly musk; breathe in at your own risk!

4/4, 9:30 PM - The Agony and the Ecstasy (1965)

4/4, 4:45 PM - Skyjacked (1972)

Heston is being honored this month with his own U.S. stamp and in celebration TCM will show 5 of his films on April 4. His wide range as an actor is represented by my two picks from the primetime lineup; however, one constant through all his films is that he’s very entertaining when squaring off against an adversary. In the epic drama Agony, Heston is Michelangelo, locked in a tug of war with Rex Harrison’s Pope Julius II over the painting of the Sistine Chapel ceiling. In disaster-thriller Skyjacked, he’s the captain of an airliner terrorized by a hijacker bound for Moscow.

4/22, 8 PM - Stagecoach (1939)

4/23, 12:30 PM - The Quiet Man (1952)

Wayne is the official Star of the Month and his films will take over the schedule April 21-25. The mini-festival was programmed by Robert Osborne -- 58 movies in total. There is a lot to choose from here, but I’ve selected two films directed by Wayne’s great collaborator John Ford. Stagecoach is Wayne in classic cowboy mode aboard the eponymous coach on a perilous ride through Apache country. In The Quiet Man, Wayne tries to be more of a lover than a fighter as a former boxer with a hidden past, but when playing opposite the fiery Maureen O’Hara he finds it difficult to keep his cool.