Thursday Movie Picks - Seven Deadly Sins: Pride
We've hit our final Deadly Sin edition from Wandering Through The Shelves! These were very challenging and fun. At this point, we all have to be proud of what we came up with on the previous weeks? So let's talk about pride. Here are three films I enjoy that have characters that need to overcome it.
1) American History X
Edward Norton's Derek is a racist. He's pride comes with being white and when he's sent to prison for murder he's forced to confront that pride head on and re-think his entire garbage existence. This film is hard to watch, but it's very well done.
2) The Last King of Scotland
It takes a bit of pride in what you do to take the leap Nicholas does in this film. To practice medicine in a foreign country, hit on his boss' wife, then eventually become close do Idi Amin and have an affair with his wife too. I love this movie. Much like American History X, it's brutal at times, but it works so well.
3) Beauty and the Beast
Nooooooo onnnnnnnnneeeeeeeeeeee
Prides like Gaston
Glorified like Gaston
Has an ego so far and wide like Gaston
As a specimen yes he's infuriating...
God I love that song. Perfect for Disney's ultimate dude bro.
Ooooh, Beauty and the Beast is a great choice! I wouldn't even think about that one.
ReplyDeleteThank you!
DeleteGreat choices and didn’t think of the first 2 but they fit perfectly. Yes that first film is hard to watch but it is so good. I remember when Idi Amin was in power and he was one scary F=@)&. Gaston is brilliant and so narcissistic. I guess pride becomes a big sin when one turns into a narcissist. I never thought there were many people who are narcissists u til my best friend was divorcing her. A-hole husband who has his face right beside Trump when describing narcissism. Within 2 minutes of talking to her lawyer, her lawyer mentioned that word. Now I see how many have this issue. Pride is one of the worsts when going too far.
ReplyDeleteThat's funny you mention narcissism not being prevalent because I had that thought recently as well and I wondered if I'm just better at identifying it now or if I was just naive lol
DeleteIdi Amin seemed terrifying. I've also been thinking of that film a lot lately, which is why I placed it here.
Narcissism is very hard to see unless it is over the top(Trump). They, at first, are very charming and truly know how to manipulate. Idi Amin was terrifying. I watched a 60 minutes episode once and they were talking to 2 Americans who, I forget if they were businessmen or in the government. They were having dinner and Amin was talking about and was very animated and nice ,charming. When they sat down to dinner and the silver platters came with severed heads of his enemies. They just were in shock but he made his point
DeleteOh god that's terrifying.
DeleteI can't say I enjoyed the first two films but I think perhaps that's what the filmmakers were going for.
ReplyDeleteNorton is extraordinary in the first as is Forest Whitaker in the second. McAvoy is strong as well but Whitaker dominates the film.
Gaston in Beauty & the Beast is an inspired choice. I'm sure I've seen all of this version in bits and pieces when my nieces and nephews have watched it but I'm much more of a fan of the 40's Cocteau film.
This one was tougher than I expected it to be and I ended up with a film that I wouldn't recommend to anybody but it fit so I guess my struggling through it wasn't for naught after all!
Jezebel (1938) In the pre-Civil War South headstrong Julie Marsden (Bette Davis who won the Best Actress Oscar for this) loses his fiancée Preston Dillard (Henry Fonda) after creating a scene at a ball when her pride stands in the way of her making amends. When he returns from the North with a new wife Amy (Margaret Lindsay) she schemes to get him back but a duel and a yellow fever epidemic complicate matters.
Pride and Prejudice (1940)-When the wealthy Mr. Darcy (Laurence Olivier) and Mr. Bingley (Bruce Lester) arrive in her rural village Mrs. Bennett (Mary Boland) sees an opportunity to find husbands for at least two of her five unmarried daughters. Jane (Maureen O’Sullivan) takes a shine to Mr. Bingley but it’s instant animosity between Elizabeth (Greer Garson) and Darcy who let their pride (his) and prejudices (hers) stand in the way of their attraction. High grade adaptation with good performances though Greer at 36 is pushing it as the supposedly 19 year old Elizabeth.
The Pride and the Passion (1957)-A piece of immense foolishness about a British captain (Cary Grant) in Spain trying to prevent the French from stealing a super cannon (the pride of Spain) during the Napoleonic Wars! Ludicrously cast with the Italian Sophia Loren and Hoboken born Frank Sinatra (preposterous with both an atrocious accent and wig!?) as Spanish guerillas (she’s okay but he is dreadful) and a stiff as a board Cary. Overripe piece of twaddle that Grant considered the worst thing he ever did. He would visibly cringe whenever it was mentioned.
I'd like to watch the 1940's Pride and Prejudice some day, I'm only familiar with the 2005 version, which I loved. I haven't seen your other two.
DeleteWhitaker definitely dominated but I hated how little love McAvoy got when he was in nearly every scene of that film.
The Keira Knightley version is my favorite too but I'd used it before and this one is a good rendition of the book just a bit less rough around the edges....but that's Golden Era MGM for you.
DeleteJezebel is essential Bette Davis viewing. I think her best peak period performance is in the following year's Dark Victory but so many of the classic Davis elements are present in this. It was Jack Warner's attempt to make up for letting Gone with the Wind slip through his and Bette's fingers.
When they were battling over the crappy scripts he kept putting her in despite the fact that she'd already won her first Oscar (and also trying to convince her to play a lady lumberjack in a horror called God's Country and the Woman) he tried to tempt her with GWTW which was still in galley form. Knowing nothing of it she shot off "I bet it's a dilly" over her shoulder stormed out of the studio, sailed to England and signed to do two films in violation of her contract. Warners sued and they fought it out in court. She lost the case but won the war, upon her return Warner paid all court costs and started putting her in the best scripts the studio had making her so popular she was eventually referred to a the fifth Warner Brother because her films were so profitable.
Another tidbit about the film. Henry Fonda insisted he be finished his scenes by a certain date in December or he wouldn't play his role. The reason for the stop date was that he needed enough time to get to New York for the birth of his first child....Jane Fonda!
Unfortunately I have no reason whatsoever to recommend The Pride and the Passion, it stinks. Cary and Sophia made another film together the next year-Houseboat-which is a cute comedy worth catching but not this.
I'll have to watch Jezebel. I think that's what I have on my prelim 2021 Blind Spot list, I have a couple Bette movies in there and just watched Of Human Bondage the other day for it. (Quarantine has made me blow through all these classic films I normally watch once a month lol)
Delete3 excellent films. That is my definitive Gaston as I saw a few minutes of the live-action version and... changed the channel. It was fucking awful.
ReplyDeleteI hated the live action one so much. The sad part is Gaston and La Fou in the remake were the best parts of it.
DeleteBeauty and the Beast is THE perfect choice!
ReplyDeleteThank you!
DeleteAmerican History X is a difficult film to watch but one I admire. Norton's sense of redemption has a chilling poignancy about it.
ReplyDeleteIt really is.
DeleteI hate that American History X didn't even cross my mind.
ReplyDeleteThat always happens to me on TMP day. lol
DeleteThe Last King of Scotland was good.
ReplyDeleteI like that Gaston song, it's funny.
Thank you!
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