...all those scenes between Susie and Dallas ARE THE MOST BORING SCENES IN CINEMA HISTORY!!! Whenever we're not with Sidney and J.J. the picture falls flat. Could there have been any way to make the young couple more interesting?
There is no "off" position on the genius switch.
They were both a *wee* bit more interesting than the usual generic-good-guys-in-a-movie-about-crooked-guys, but I still agree with you. They were still boring as hell. Susie alone in the end was quite interesting to watch though - especially her first scenes with Sidney, where her animosity towards him was almost palpable. She was interesting because she wasn't just the "mentally ravished dame", she was already forming an attitude and acting according to it. Like Sidney says, in that delightfully brief and pouting manner: "You've grown up. *stares bitterly at her* CUTE."
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Well people in love tend to be boring, what's so strange in that? So, these scenes weren't boring, but just like they should be. And actually i like that "don't leave me in a minor key" quote, a lot.
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It didn't help that Ms. Harrison was a "quirky" performer, with odd line readings and movements. I get the feeling that Milner, who had been acting since his teen years, didn't get much of a feel for her and couldn't work up much chemistry. I'd would've loved to hear his take on making this film.
"We're fighting for this woman's honor, which is more than she ever did."
It was a different era, a different sensibility. Unlike today, back then it was a bigger crime to be unethical and/or immoral than it was to be "boring." Plus, the villian in the story is always more interesting. Compare Richard the 3rd to Clarence. Similar dynamic at work here.
shareDifferent era? Geez, even freaking cartoons like Lady and the Tramp, Cinderella had more passion than this crappy movie.
From Here to Eternity
African Queen
Seven Brides for Seven Brothers
Rebel Without a Cause
Roman Holiday
In a Lonely Place
Lots of movies in roughly the same era handled this better. Sweet Smell of Dullsville - it ain't just the two lovebirds that had a boring problem. James Wong Howe's photography was outstanding, as usual, and I thought Tony Curtis was pretty good. Everything else was way too forced and monotonous.
Don't know what movie you saw but "forced & monotonous" it wasn't, in my humble opinion. Why do you think that? Okay, you're making me analyze why I liked it. For starters, it shows us a world that people aren't familiar with. Sure, it's a world that doesn't exist anymore but it's still fascinating. This movie does a great job of showing what's just beneath the scratched surface of show biz as it was in the 1950's. Also, how many movies (especially movies made today) are willing to depict characters as unsympathetic as these are? That took some guts. Thirdly, this movie is so cynical that it was ahead of it's time. I don't think Joe Six-pack was sophisticated enough to appreciate this movie in 1957. But he definitely is in 2011. This is the kind of movie that only gets better with each viewing. Watch it again. I'll bet you like it better the second time.
shareHad Dallas and Susan had been a couple of wisecracking sharpies—like JJ and Sidney—there would have been no CONTRAST to the bad guys; the story wouldn’t have worked. Granted, this makes them less interesting to watch, but that is how cinema works. Like many other film characters (and people in real life), Susan is weak—but she overcomes that weakness in the end. It’s what screenwriters call “character development.” And as a jazz musician, I didn’t find Dallas boring, even if he is clean-cut. I think he gets in a few sharp lines of his own, like when he asks JJ if Falco will go to the “dog and cat heaven.” I love this whole movie, and personally never had any problem with the romance, even if its dialogue is less sparkling than the repartee between JJ and Sidney.
shareYep, structurally I'll bet the filmmakers wanted to make the couple goody--goodies to give them some contrast with the other characters. Good point, bookrefuge.
sharehow many movies (especially movies made today) are willing to depict characters as unsympathetic as these are?