Silly Little Country

Top Ten Movies

I tend to resist making a complete list. The main reason is it is easy to forget, and, even worse, suddenly see a new film that works its way up the charts.

TVO this evening has a Sam Peckinpah night. Generally I find his films well-made and distasteful. The first one they are running tonight is one of the great exceptions, "Ride the High Country". (It is well-made and not distasteful.)

As I age its theme becomes more attractive - the old coot cowboys trying to do something well (a standard Peckinpah theme). And Randolph Scott and Joel McCrea are lovely as the aging cowboys. Fine quote from first five minutes, "I expected someone much younger", with the brilliant response, "Well, I used to be".

Moreover, I cannot imagine how any male of my generation could not be completely won over by Mariette Hartley in this film.

UPDATE (and a bit irrelevant): I saw 'Hamlet' this year on stage (see previous posts). It is a hard play for me to watch, because every time Hamlet starts his 'To be ...' soliloquy, I start conjuring in my brain Allan Mowbray and Victor Mature doing it in 'My Darling Clementine', where it is actually covered by even more meaning, given the situation of the characters involved, and the rowdiness around them, than poor Hamlet alone can give it.

Wow if I ever had to a full top ten I wonder where this would be - it should be up there.

posted by Alan Adamson @ 8:00 PM