I’ve seen the remake of this — by my favourite director, Douglas Sirk. It’s good! And strangely enough, Sirk has also redone another movie by John M. Stahl — Magnificent Obsession. Sirk’s version was better than Stahl’s, I think, so I’m wondering about this one…

… and whether the reason that Criterion released these two particular Stahl movies was because people remember the Sirk versions.

Man, that’s some drawn-on eyebrows.

No collar gap.

This is quite good! Louise Beavers is great, and of course Claudette Colbert is, too. The first third of this movie is wonderful — it’s snappy, fun rags to riches story that you can’t help love.

Then there’s the rest, and it’s… fine? The last bits drag, though.

I was mostly surprised by how little the Sirk version of this has in common with this version. His version of Magnificent Obsession is almost a scene by scene copy, but this movie has very little in common with the Sirk version.

I mean, it’s got “the concept of ‘passing'” in common, but none of the plot (except perhaps a scene or two). I wonder what the reason was — I think this plot is more interesting, really? I mean, the rags to riches bit; not the love story between Colbert and whatsisface.

Imitation of Life . John M. Stahl. 1934. ☐ ⚀ ⚁ ⚂ ⚃ ⚄ ⚅

I’m guessing I have seen this before (I mean, it’s a classic), but I have no recollection of doing so. So it’s possible that it’s just passed me by?

This opening scene doesn’t ring any bells either.

Love that shot and that juxtaposition.

Oh, now it does seem familiar to me… I think I may have seen this when I was like… ten? Or something? I think it might have been shown on TV.

The only thing I remember is feeling so sorry for the Jon Voight character for being so painfully stupid, and … that it ends in tragedy. Or perhaps just for the Dustin Hoffman character? I can almost envisioning him freezing to death on the streets or something.

Why were everybody so sweaty back then!

See, he’s stupid? He reads comics!

Oh no! Now I remember the ending… on the bus to Florida?

I’m really enjoying this movie — I’m like going “they really knew how to make movies back then *grumble* *grumble* these days”. But I’m also thinking the same things from when I was 10 — 1) why doesn’t he, like, just get a job?, and 2) is it humanly possible to be as stupid as that guy?

Nooo the Mary Jane is hitting! Not the reefer madness!

This is the kind of movie where you’d go “we used to be a nation! we made proper movies!” Because this is indeed a proper movie.

I think it’s a bit flabby in the last third? But I mean, it’s great.

Midnight Cowboy. John Schlesinger. 1969. ⚅

I’m watching this movie for no particular reason at all. What, did something happen?

I’ve rewatched all (or just about all) of Lynch’s movie over the past few years, but I skipped this one — and I think it’s because I was just confused? I thought that this was Mulholland Dr or something.

So I don’t think I’ve seen this since the 90s.

Ssh! Now we’re watching the movie.

After watching this now, I see why I’d forgotten about it… or at least gotten it mixed up with Mulholland Dr. It’s just this is a kind of run-through of many of the themes Lynch would explore in a better way there?

But it might also be that my problems with this movie is mostly due to the casting and the soundtrack. Bill Pullman tries to act like Kyle MacLachlan, but doesn’t succeed, and the guy playing the er “other” lead guy wasn’t much better.

Were there none of Lynch’s usual troupe except the tiny Jack Nance cameo?

The musical choices haven’t aged well (except for the Bowie track) — and what’s with the stunt casting of Henry Rollins? I wonder what the story behind all this was: Nobody wanted to finance the movie unless he made it… more… 90s? Hm, looks like it was financed by a French company, so perhaps not.

This wasn’t the final movie Lynch would get to make, but The Straight Story was, er, something quite different, and then Mulholland Drive was supposed to be a TV series, but wasn’t picked up, and then Inland Empire was done digitally on the cheap, and that was it for Lynch and movies.

It’s a tragedy that Lynch couldn’t get financing for the last couple decades.

Anyway, I’m just saying: This is probably Lynch’s least good movie. Except for The Elephant Man.

Lost Highway . David Lynch. 1997. ⚄