Movies and Books

Yesterday, I watched the 1925 silent version of The Lost World. I have read the book by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

I recently watched the 1959 film of The 39 Steps, starring Kenneth More and Taina Elg. I've also seen the 1935 version produced by Alfred Hitchcock starring Robert Donat and Madeleine Carroll. Both were OK, but I think the book was better. Both films had good train scenes in them though.

I also recently watched the 1979 film of The Riddle of the Sands starring Michael York and Jenny Agutter. This one was a bit closer to the book, if I remember rightly.

Looking for something to watch, I found The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton on TV. I am listening to the audio book now.

My daughter and I were talking recently about making a list of culturally iconic films to make sure the grandchildren watch so that they understand references.
Starting with The Princess Bride, of course.

>4 2wonderY: I have never watched it. I should.

>4 2wonderY: of course!

I started reading Jamaica Inn by Daphne Du Maurier. I watched the movie on You Tube and decided to read the book. I own the book

By chance The Dam Busters was on TV last night, a 1955 classic war film based on true events. The book of the same name is by Paul Brickhill, himself a former fighter pilot.

>8 John5918: The book is infinitely better than the movie. Speaking of the book - in 9th Grade the teacher asked me to make an oral presentation of my book report. As luck would have it the book was The Dam Busters. When I announced the title of the book the teacher made a sharp intake of breath and when I turned to look at her I could see she was really mad and it took a second for her to realize I wasn't swearing in class...I got an A. :-)

>8 John5918:

Gosh, I remember devouring that book as an early teen. A Pan paperback? That's what I'm visualising.

Much more recently I was gripped by another astonishing feat of the war, recounted in Neal Bascomb's The Winter Fortress. Well worth looking up if you're still interested in epic undertakings in impossible conditions.

>8 John5918: I still have a copy of Brickhill's The Dam Busters that I was given for Christmas in 1958.

I finished the audio book The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton and I have watched the movie.

Not films (or movies as you say across the Pond) but recently I have found myself watching a lot of old British television police series going back as far as the 1950s - Dixon of Dock Green, Z-Cars, The Bill, Softly Softly, The Sweeney, etc. I'm watching on YouTube, as we don't have access to Netflix or any of those other fancy TV channels. I prefer the older black and white ones - the cars, the clothes, the hair cuts, the street scenes and the general ambience all remind me of my childhood and adolescent years. Nostalgia!

There was a classic line in a Z-Cars episode that I watched last week. Two gangsters are shooting at each other in a disused brickworks. A handful of (unarmed) police pitch up. The inspector calls out to them that they're surrounded, that there's no escape unless they want to shoot their way out, and so "you'd better throw down your guns because we know you won't shoot a copper!" Even in real life in those days it was rare for a villain to kill a police officer in Britain.

Mind you, I have also been watching a more recent series, Vera, based on a series of books by Ann Cleeves set in the north east of England and featuring the eponymous female detective inspector who is nearing retirement but still active. And Vera drives an old Land Rover! I've read all the books and watched almost all of the TV series.

The African Queen is one of my favorite old movies and l finally read the book last week. It was just like the movie - l could hear and see Hepburn and Bogart as l read.
Except they changed the ending significantly in the movie. I liked the movie ending much better, although the book ending is probably more credible.

>14 nrmay:

Haven't watched the film or read the book for years, but I loved it. On my African-themed model railway I have a small river steamer which I have named "African Queen" in honour of that film!

>13 John5918:
Next time you're in the UK John have a look at Talking Pictures TV on Freeview. They show all of the shows you've mentioned, and others like Callan, Gideons Way, No Hiding Place. Also loads of b&w films from the 30s onward. Very enjoyable!

There are a couple of recent movies which do a good job of following the books. They are The Martian and The Big Short and the movies have the same name.

>13 John5918:

I expect the producers had you as soon as the Land Rover made its appearance.

>13 John5918: I watch Sherlock Holmes on You Tube. I will check for Ann Cleeves; I have one of her books I need to read.

>15 John5918: That is fun.