From Here to Eternity

 And this week's Friday night movie has been... From Here to Eternity!

Original image located here. Accessed 5th April 2024

Best Picture Oscar winner no.: 26 (1953)

If people know this movie it's because of that unforgettable image of it's two stars, Burt Lancaster and Deborah Kerr, in a passionate embrace in a beach as the waves roll around them. That's all well and good but what of the movie attached to said image?

In recent years it has become something of a joke that if you want to win big at the Oscars, then just make a movie based on World War II. In which case I think we can blame this movie for that observation. Keep in mind this was made eight years since the end of the war and would no doubt be still fresh in people's minds.
So what we have here is a group of soldiers going through various trials and tribulations, both on and off the military grounds, that eventually leads to a climax where Pearl Harbour is under attack. 
So yeah, I do like that this movie is taking a humane approach to it's subjects - which in turn makes the climax hit hard. Certainly the movie may look archaic now but there is still a lot going for it.
Still I have to wonder if those was the film that Michael Bay had in mind when he made Pearl Harbour...

Shane

And this week's Friday Night movie has been... Shane!

Original image located here. Accessed 27th January 2023

Yep its one of the classic westerns (not least for it's unforgettable closing scene). And given my love for the genre it was inevitable that I would come to this.

In a way this movie surprised me: I went in expecting a standard good vs evil tale where the distinction between the good guys and the baddies couldn't be defined clearer. But what I got was something with some surprising depth.
The gunfights aren't shown in an attractive light (perhaps pointing the way to the ultra-violence of westerns in the 1960s). The mysterious past of Shane isn't elaborated on save for a few tantalising clues (did he and Wilson clash previously?). The scenery is shown in a staggering light. And I will certainly admit that this movie makes a hefty contribition to the romanticisation of Wild West, showing a Wild West outsiders like myself have seen many times before (compared to the likes of, say, The Wild Bunch).
So yeah, a decent movie all round.