TCM Film Festival

Day 3

I didn't see many films yesterday because most of my day was spent watching D.W. Griffin's Intolerance. Yes, a three and a half hour long silent film. I may have lost my mind. It is a masterpiece and raises the bar for technical achievement in film. Some of the sets (specifically the ancient Babylon ones) were so massive that they have never been fully torn down. The Hollywood & Highland Center is built in part of the set. (The elephants and arches are the most noticable pieces.) I do have one criticism of the film. I wish the four stories were in chronological order and not intercut with each other.

The next event was A Conversation with Elliott Gould. It was amazing to hear Elliott Gould talk about his unique career. The one problem was that his interviewer was Alec Baldwin. Baldwin has the tendency to turn the interviews that he does into him talking about himself. It's annoying to the interviewee and to the audience.

The final event of the day was a poolside screening of Forbidden Planet with Robby the Robot introducing the film!!!!!!!! He even made a sex joke. The film itself is wonderful. It is a fifties sci-fi version of Shakespeare's The Tempest. With a little bit of Freudian psychology thrown in at the end. Unfortunately for the film, it is an excellent subject for really inappropriate commentary to happen however, it does heighten the enjoyment. Definitely a must-see with friends.

Overall Rating: 4.5/5