This fine Sunday I chose a movie I love very much and somehow always connect with Easter eggs because it was on TV one Easter Sunday many decades ago ... but that's just an extra tidbit. It's a comedy that was filmed after a play and the playwright himself is in it. A woman is accused of having murdered her husband, a painter. She's lying in court and when she doesn't know an answer, she faints. When her attorney quits because even he is not convinced of her innocence anymore, a mysterious man, Peer Bille, turns up and takes over. For everything the prosecutor brings up he has a different explanation, why the rowing boat capsized, why the defendant's dress was dirty, even why she was happily humming only weeks after her husband's death. Even the nosy neighbor's statement fails to impress him although she has not only seen a strange woman crying and talking to the grave, but also shadows of a man and a woman in the painter's studio. Did both husband and wife have lovers?
Bille: I assume, Miss Kiebitz ... Kiebutz: Butz! Bille: Butz ... that you were shocked by all this. Kiebutz: I'd say so. Bille: You covered your eyes and turned away? Kiebutz: Not right away. Bille: How long did you watch? Kiebutz: Until I'd had enough. Bille: And when was that? Kiebutz: I didn't check the time. Bille: You just watched the shadows. And tell us what they did. What did the shadows do? Kiebutz: They embraced. Bille: Go on. Kiebutz: They kissed. Bille: Go on. Kiebutz: Kissed for a long time. Bille: Go on. Kiebutz: He kissed forehead, eyes, and mouth. Bille: Go on. Kiebutz: Then the shadows disappeared. Bille: And then? Kiebutz: Then ... Bille: Then you waited a while? Kiebutz: Yes. Bille: But nothing happened? Kiebutz: I'd had enough. Bille: Apparently not, if you waited some more. Laughter in the audience. Bille: What's the distance to your house? Kiebutz: Around 100 meters. Bille: Congratulations. You must have great eyes for your age. Kiebutz: I used my opera glass. Bille: Just what I wanted to hear. Laughter in the audience. Bille: Thank you, no further questions. Presiding judge: Have a seat, please. Thank you. Kiebutz: Thank you. And rest assured, that's the last time I give the authorities a tip-off.
Hokuspokus, D, 1953 I don't know why, but the DVD very conveniently had English subtitles which I used for today's quote.
It was the night before my final English test and I wanted to go through some vocabulary. Instead my brothers, my sister, and I watched a movie then. We found it hilarious. Now that I started to watching classic horror movies, I couldn't leave this one out. Our favorite quote is still funny to me even though I've learned to appreciate the movie in a different way. This post is dedicated to my sister and my brothers. Oh heck, and to my English teacher at the time even if she didn't like me. One man is already dead, killed by the mysterious strangler, the phantom who lives in the catacombs of the Paris Opera. There is only way to avoid being killed as well if you go after it and Ledoux from the Secret Police knows just what it is. Ledoux (title card): Keep your hand up - the strangler's noose coils quick!
Seriously? Wouldn't it make more sense to hold the hand just a little closer to your head then? What do I know, though ;-) The Phantom of the Opera, USA, 1925
I played my sister's records of the soundtrack up and down and to this day I still adore the songs and the dancing in the movie. And oh man, I was desperately in love with Treat Williams back then. I also remember haircut discussions only too well, so here you go.
Berger: Whaddaya say, Pop? Mom: Whaddaya say, what? Berger: Nothing, Ma, nothing. Pa? Pop: Ya need money, get a job. Mom: Money? You're talking about money? What do ya need money for? Berger: Nothing, I just need it. Mom: Who is she? Berger: Who is who? Mom: The girl. Berger: What girl? Mom: Who's the girl? Berger: There's no girl. What are you talking about? Mom: You can tell us everything. We understand everything. Berger: What are you talking about? There's no girl. I need some money, that's all. Mom: You need money. Tell us the truth! Berger: What are you talking about, telling the truth? Pop: Goddammit. Every time you come home, there's trouble. Why don't you clean yourself up a little bit? Why don't ya get a haircut? Get a haircut and I'll give you the money. You don't even have to pay me back. Berger: You give me the money if I get a haircut? Pop: Try to do something to make us happy. Berger: You'd give me the money if I cut my hair? Everyone is yelling at the same time. Mom: Gimme your pants! Berger: My pants are clean! Mom: Gimme your pants! Berger: Why? They're clean, for Christ's sake! He's following his mother into the kitchen when she gives him a sign. Mom (softly): How much you need?
Today's post is dedicated to all the knitters in my life. You know who you are! Wallace and Gromit are window cleaners, but that's not all. Wallace is quite an ingenious inventor and Gromit, well, he is quite a talented dog. One day strange things happen in their house. They expect it to be mice, but it turns out to be a sheep. Does this have to do anything with the sheep rustlers in town? The first step is to clean up the little guy, however. In search of food he has made quite a mess of himself. Isn't it good that Wallace has just the right machine for that, "Wallace's Knit-O-Matic"? Wallace: There. Nothing to fret over. Just a quick shampoo. We've tested this on Gromit, haven't we, lad? Gromit nods with a slightly sceptic look on his face. Wallace: Right! Off we go then. Shaun the Sheep as he's being shampooed: Baa! Baa! Baa! Baa!
And then things really go wrong when the machine has a hiccup and turns into shaving mode ... it's a good thing that it can knit, too!
Thanks to the portrait pendants I have been making lately I started my journey into classic horror. No one knows where this journey will end, but I hope you'll be there with me. Today we go into the woods of England. There we will find Larry, a lord's son, who has come home because his older brother had a fatal accident. He is ready to take on his duties. One day he comes into the village's antique store to meet Gwen there, the shopkeeper's lovely daughter. He buys a cane with a wolf handle and an engraving of a five point star and a wolf. Gwen explains to him that this is the sign of the werewolf and Larry asks what that means. Gwen: There's an old poem. "Even a man who is pure in his heart and says his prayers by night, May become a wolf when the wolfbane blooms and the autumn moon is bright." Poor Larry, maybe you should have stayed in the USA instead of coming home to meet your fate there.
John Robie, a former cat burglar known as "The Cat", is trying to avoid getting blamed for jewelry thefts he didn't commit. He convinces an insurance agent to give him a list of his richest clients to catch the real thief himself. One of those clients is a very rich lady with a very pretty daughter, Frances, who is very intrigued by the handsome cat burglar. Then there is Danielle, the daughter of a man who used to work with Robie, who is just as intrigued. John: Say something nice to her, Danielle. Danielle: She looks a lot older up close. John lets out a groaning sound. Frances: To a mere child anything over 20 might seem old. Danielle: A child? Shall we stand in shallower water and discuss that?
P.S. To be honest, I'm intrigued as well ... I mean, Cary Grant is playing Robie, and by now you should know how much I adore him. To Catch A Thief, USA, 1955
It has been almost three months ago that I pleased you with the last monster trash movie quote. That just won't do. All those sharks are out there waiting. Mutants, prehistoric survivors from the Arctic, ghosts, in the water, in the air, in the sand. We are not safe anywhere. Yup, you humans, I said in the sand. I will spare you the scientific explanation that Dr. Sandy Powers, marine biologist, gives us in the movie for that because for some reason I don't really trust her expertise. This is not about Sandy, however. It's about the guy in the red cargo shorts and it's not really a quote because he doesn't get to talk. Let me explain. Guy comes home to organize a music festival on the beach in order to make money and pay off some loan sharks (I couldn't resist the pun). Home island had bad crisis ever since shark attack. Guy's Dad, the mayor, hopes festival will save the island. Throw in a sheriff, his sister the deputy and guy's ex, a marine biologist, two assistants, thousands of students (played by about thirty people who are not natural dancers), and sharks that swim through sand, and you get an incredibly bad movie. Boy, I sure had fun with it. Now where does the guy in the red cargo shorts come into the picture? After the first dancer girl gets eaten by a shark jumping out of the sand, people are panicking. Red Cargo Shorts seems to have a problem with that. After almost four minutes he is still on the beach which is not a surprise because he keeps running back and forth, but he doesn't get eaten. It was probably just a very smart tactic to confuse the sharks ............
Sand Sharks, USA, 2011 P.S. These are not screenshots from one long shot where you see him running. He seriously keeps popping up in different spots again and again. I'm not the only one who noticed it! ;-) P.P.S. Again, I'm usually on the sharks' side.
These movies were part of my childhood and accompanied me into my (kind of) grown-up life. Maybe that's one reason why I - while usually being most unforgiving in these matters - don't mind this Miss Marple being not at all like Miss Marple in the books. She will always be my favorite. Do the twist, Jane Marple! Miss Marple: Ah, there's Mr. Stringer. As it happens, this is his favourite dance. Mr. Stringer! Mr. Stringer: Miss Marple, I found out ... Miss Marple: I was just telling Mr. Enderby that this is your favourite dance. Shall we? Mr. Stringer: Dance, you mean? Miss Marple: Naturally. You'll excuse us, won't you, Mr. Enderby? Come along. Mr. Stringer: Really, Miss Marple, I don't think ... Miss Marple: Do your best, Mr. Stringer. This is the only way I could get you alone.
They are dancing the twist.
Miss Marple: What did you find out? Mr. Stringer: You were quite right, Miss Marple. It's worth at least 50,000 pounds. Miss Marple: I knew it. Then it was that picture after all. Mr. Stringer: It certainly was. Miss Marple: Excellent. We can now proceed with certainty. Mr. Stringer: Proceed where, Miss Marple? Miss Marple: To trap the killer. Was Inspector Craddock in the foyer as you came through? Mr. Stringer: Yes. Miss Marple: Well then. I think perhaps a little livelier. And don't be alarmed if I suddenly pretend to be ill. Now then, hot it up!
The hotel is like multi-colored frosting, butter cream and fondant, the concierge has his eye on everything and everyone, and frankly, there are some very interesting hairstyles ... It's not a secret that I like the slightly bizarre. What happens in short: M. Gustave, the concierge, is hunted by police and the son of the rich lady he is accused of having killed. Fleeing together with the lobby boy, Zero, stuck in the middle of nowhere, he has to call on the help of The Society of the Crossed Keys.
M. Gustave: Operator, please get me the Excelsior Palace in Baden-Jürgen and reverse the charges, please. (turning to Zero) We've no choice. There's nowhere else to turn. (back to the phone) I'll hold. Thank you. (turning to Zero) It's our only hope. Otherwise, I shouldn't even mention its existence to you. It goes without saying you must never breathe a word about this to a living soul. Do you swear? Zero: Of course. What is it, in fact? M. Gustave: I can't say. (back to the phone) Guten Abend. Monsieur Ivan bitte. Danke. (turning to Zero) How does one come by front-row aisle seats for a first night at the Opera Toscana with one day's notice? How does one arrange a private viewing of the tapestry collection at the Royal Saxon Gallery? How does one secure a corner table at Chez Dominique on a Thursday? (back to the phone) Ivan, darling, it's Gustave.
I seem to remember that they always showed a certain movie on Easter when I was a child. I also remember reading the book. I was lying on my parents' bed on the belly, my feet up in the air, and I can still feel the thick, cool and satiny quilt bedspread when I think of it. Many people agree that one actor is stealing the show here, the great Peter Ustinov as the crazy Emperor Nero. Nero (looking at burning Rome): Petronius, look what I've created! Tigellinus, my robe of grief. Terpnos! Lyre. History will judge my song, Petronius. Will it be great enough to match the occasion? I'm seized with the fear that it will not be great enough. Petronius: It will be worthy of the spectacle, as the spectacle is worthy of you. Nero: You ... you encourage me, Petronius. But I'm aware that I must compete with those who sang of the burning of Troy. My song must be greater, just as Rome is greater than Troy! (singing) Silence, ye spheres, be still, ye hurtling stars, open wide-vaulted skies above me. Now at last, lo, I see Olympus, and a light from the summit doth illumine me. I am one with the gods, immortal, I am Nero, the artist who creates with fire, that the dreams of my life may come true. To the flames now I give the past, to the flames and soil. Take thou this Rome, oh, receive her now, ye flames, consume her as would a furnace, burn on, o ancient Rome. Burn on, burn on!!!
Today I'm going to introduce you to Hedwig Courths-Mahler, a German writer of love stories or as she put it "fairytales for adults". Courths-Mahler stopped writing in 1935, so her novels are obviously set in time before that which might make them seem a little, erm, aged to us. Five of her novels were made into movies in the 70s with well known German actors ... who didn't always seem to take the "fairytales" very seriously which annoyed Courths-Mahler's daughter. The keyword is "overacting". Reason enough to pick some quotes from them over the next months (which will be obviously be translated by me as there is no English version) because that's just what my twisted sense of humor likes.
A special touch are a narrator reading parts from the novel, the still photos that are shown in between and of course the piano music which matches every mood so perfectly. After both of Ria's parents are dead, industrialist Rolf Matern, a long time friend of the family whose secret it is that he made his money through an invention by Ria's father, takes her in. Ria who knows about this, but doesn't want to reveal the secret, falls in love with Matern's son Heinz.
When Heinz' parents die, he offers Ria a marriage of convenience. He quickly finds that he loves her, but thinks she doesn't love him, while she feels she is his "unloved woman".
Will they reveal their love to each other despite the breach of trust and the silence between them? Who is Mr Krause? And what does Ria need all that money for? When Ria visits a friend, Heinz goes into her room to feel near to her. There is a picture of him on her desk. But what is this? It looks as if someone has kissed the picture. As much as the question plagues him, however, he cannot ask her.
When he finally finds out his father's secret and what Ria did, he has to know. "Ria, did you kiss my picture?"
P.S. I wish I could give you the slightest idea of how the actors speak, gesture, move and even stand. Maybe the screenshots help understand a little ;-) P.P.S. Look forward to more quotes from the other movies!
The most famous detectives of the world are invited - for dinner and a murder. How can they resist? It turns out that Lionel Twain, their host, is not only challenging them to solve the murder that is about to happen and promising a handsome reward of one million dollars, but that he also turns up as the murder victim a little later. One of my favorite quotes of the movie that is brimming with wonderful stars says it all. I have thought that for many years. Seriously, how am I supposed to know that the butler's sister's husband's aunt Lucy who comes to visit in the last chapter is really the lord's first wife's daughter from her second marriage Lucille? (Yes, I do know there are a lot of 'ssssssssss here, I did that on purpose)
Lionel Twain: You've all been clever for so long, you've forgotten to be humble. You've tricked and fooled your readers for years. You've tortured us all with surprise endings that made no sense. You've introduced characters in the last five pages that were never in the book before! You've *pointing at Miss Marbles* withheld clues and information that made it impossible for us to guess who did it. But now the tables are turned. Millions of angry mystery readers are now getting their revenge! When the world learns I've outsmarted you, they'll be selling your $1.95 books for 12 cents. It's checkout time, ladies and gentlemen. I have your bills ready. Credit cards will be accepted.
Hear, hear! Even if you think I've spoiled watching the movie for you now, you are wrong. Give it a try if you haven't seen it yet, it's still a classic (and it has a blind butler!). Murder by Death, USA, 1976
It's true. I can get stuck in the IMDb message boards forever and read discussions about movies. This time I ended up in a thread with the title "People above 30, Why you didn't watch Labyrinth at theaters?" Well, I actually saw it at the theater, together with my little brother who liked it so much that we went right back the next day to watch it again. Sarah is tired of having to babysit her little baby brother, Toby. She asks the Goblin King, Jareth, to take him away. When he really does, however, she goes into the labyrinth to bring Toby back. Sarah: Give me the child. Jareth: Sarah, beware. I have been generous up until now, and I can be cruel. Sarah: Generous? What have you done that's generous? Jareth: Everything! Everything that you wanted I have done. You asked that the child be taken, I took him. You cowered before me. I was frightening. I have reordered time. I have turned the world upside down. And I have done it all for you. I am exhausted from living up to your expectations of me. Isn't that generous? Sarah: Through dangers untold and hardships unnumbered I have fought my way here to the castle beyond the Goblin City. For my will is as strong as yours and my ... Jareth: Stop. Wait. Look, Sarah. Look what I'm offering you. Your dreams. Sarah: And my kingdom as great. Jareth: I ask for so little. Just let me rule you and you can have everything that you want. Sarah: Kingdom as great. Damn. I can never remember that line. Jareth: Just fear me, love me, do as I say, and I will be your slave. Sarah: My kingdom as great. My kingdom as great. *pausing* You have no power over me. You have no power over me!
I used to love playing board games, but unfortunately it's not easy finding someone to play with. Are you wondering why I am telling you that fact in a quote of the week post? Today's movie is based on a board game that has been around for a long time, since 1949. I'm talking about Cluedo (its original name in the UK and also in Germany) or Clue (the US version). In the game you are supposed to find out who killed the victim, in which room it happened and which weapon was used. In the movie six people are invited to a big old house and find out that they are all being blackmailed by the same man. In the end there are six dead people, none of them the original guests, though. Who did it? Colonel Mustard? Miss Scarlet? Mrs. White? Professor Plum? Mr. Green? Mrs. Peacock? Or was it the butler Wadsworth? Let's go back to the moment after Mr. Boddy (the blackmailer according to Wadsworth) and the cook have been killed. It's obvious one of the people left must be the murderer ... or maybe not? Colonel Mustard: Wadsworth, am I right in thinking there is nobody else in this house? Wadsworth: Um, no. Colonel Mustard: Then there is someone else in this house. Wadsworth: No, sorry. I said no meaning yes. Colonel Mustard: No meaning yes? Look, I want a straight answer. Is there someone else or isn't there? Yes or no! Wadsworth: No. No. Colonel Mustard: No, there is, or no, there isn't?! Wadsworth: Yes. Mrs. White (smashing her glass against the fireplace and screaming): Please!!
Boris is sent to war against Napoleon's army. On the way to a battle his fellow soldiers and he talk about the women they love ... Soldier: Are you married, Boris? Boris: Me? No. Soldier: You got a sweetheart? Boris: No, no. I'm in love with a girl. She's married to someone, and she's in love with someone and he's married. It's a real healthy situation. Soldier: Hey, look, Boris, look. Boris: What have you got there? Soldier (pulls out some hair): I got a lock of my wife's hair. Boris (taking the hair from him and dropping some): A lock of her hair? Jeez, she's probably running around bald! Soldier: Don't drop it! Don't drop it. Have you got a lock of your sweetheart's hair? Boris: No, my sweetheart's married. I got a lock of her husband's hair. It's the best I could do.
Listen, I'm sorry. I had completely forgotten that I hadn't picked a quote yet. Of course the movie we saw last night - another hilarious trash monster movie - was a real treasure box of quotes, but I wasn't prepared and didn't record it. Instead of drowning you in excuses, though, and tell you stories that you don't want to hear, I'll give you a song as a quote instead. Marilyn, you are not forgotten.
Don't worry. This is not going to turn into the "trash cult horror monster quote of the week". I just happened to have the DVD lying next to the one from last week, and as I am a little busy this weekend due to a chain of unfortunate incidents in combination with stupidity on my side *bowing to the audience* which forces me to rip up half of a WIP and make it again .... to cut the already long story shorter, I went the easy way. I wonder if there will be a time when we are facing the umpteenth sequel of a tornado carrying sharks into cities or maybe I'm just very afraid for the future of mankind if we are - facing the sequel, that is, not a real tornado carrying sharks. Not that we would get sharks in our area, it would have to be a foxnado, I guess, or maybe a squirnado which might in fact be quite amusing. I don't even want to think about a catnado! Oh, you want me to shut up at last and give you a quote instead? Let's see .... how about this? Fin: I know you're scared. I'm scared too. They're sharks. They're scary.
No one wants to get eaten. But I've been eaten. And I'm here to tell you
it takes a lot more than to bring a good man down. A lot more that to
bring a New Yorker down.
I have a terrible secret. Please only keep reading if you think you are strong enough, I also recommend you sit down if you don't sit already. The secret are trash monster movies (with not more than a 3.5 on IMDb if possible although I'm flexible regarding that). Giant snakes, sharks swimming in the sand, gargoyles coming to life, mutant crocodiles, no matter what, together with a person who shall stay unnamed for the moment I give them a chance, always in hope that they will be bad AND funny. Not all of them work, sometimes not the whole movie works, but sometimes the mood is just right and we experience an evening of giggles and laughters. If we recognize an actor, it's the icing on the cake although we sometimes do feel sorry for them (pink hair, Wil Wheaton, really?) Today's movie has a stunning 3.1 score at the moment. There's no doubt that some of it is owed to the fact that the casting really keeps you on your toes if you have ever seen even just one episode of the TV show Eureka. Confused already? Well, we sat through part of the movie just wondering if the sheriff was the sheriff from Eureka. One moment we thought it could be, then again it was clearly not him. When we finally looked it up ... guess what? It was a different actor, but Eureka's sheriff was the director of this movie! That was more than icing on the cake, it was like icing AND chocolate sprinkles! A good story on top of that would probably have been too much. Three dinosaur fossils - a T. Rex, a pteranodon and a raptor - are brought back to life in a ritual and set out to stomp the town. Bad news. More bad news is that even if the skeletons fall apart, for example from being hit by the Jeep, the bones just come back together again ... once with the best result ever.
Sheriff: Oh no. He's not dead! Flying T. Rex that just formed from the bones of the T. Rex and the pteranodon and has glowing red eyes now roars (!!!)
Sheriff: Corporal, take cover! Too late, I'm afraid.
Triassic Attack, USA, 2010 P.S. I only have the German version of the movie, so this is a translation of my own and not the original quote.
Imagine the 60s. A young guy is getting ready to leave for college. The night before he and his friends are going out. Cars are cruising up and down the streets, guys try to pick up girls, girls flirt with the guys, they meet at the diner, and there are even street races. Our guy Curt is smiled at by a lovely lady in a car and he falls for her head over heels, but can't find her anywhere.
Finally he goes to the radio station to have the great Wolfman Jack send the girl a message. Instead he finds a technician who says the Wolfman is not there. Technician: That's the Wolfman. Curt: He's on tape. The man is on tape. Well, uh, where, where is he now? I mean, where does he work? Technician: Man, the Wolfman is everywhere. Curt: I gotta give him this note. Shit! Technician: Here, let me see the note. Hell, that's just a dedication, man. What I can do is relay it. It'll be on tomorrow or Tuesday. Curt: No, no, see, this is very important. See, I may be leaving town tomorrow and it's very important that I, damn it, reach this girl right now. Technician: You don't know whether you're going to leave town or not? Curt: I'm supposed to go to college back East tomorrow. And I don't know if I'm gonna go. I don't know. Technician: Wait a minute. Have a popsicle. Curt: No, thanks. Technician: Sit down a minute. It's early in the morning. Curt: Damn. Technician: I can't talk for the Wolfman, but I can tell you one thing. If the Wolfman was here, he'd say "Get your ass in gear.". Curt is chuckling. Technician: The Wolfman comes in here occasionally, bringing tapes, you know, to check up on me and whatnot. And the places he talks about that he's been, the things he's seen. It's a great big beautiful world out there. And here I sit sucking on popsicles. Curt: Why don't you leave? Technician: I'm not a young man anymore. And the Wolfman gave me my start in the business, and I like it. I tell you what. If I can possibly do it tonight, I'll try to relay this dedication and get it on the air for you later on. Curt: That would be terrific. Really. Thanks! Technician: Just a minute. It's been a pleasure, really. Curt: Thanks a lot. Appreciate it.
While Curt is on his way out, he hears and sees the guy talking "Rock on, baby. We gonna do it right here. Rock'n'roll yourself to death! Oh, mercy! Give me some more! My, my!"
When Curt pulls up to a phone booth in his car, this is on the radio: "Hey, I got a dedication here for a friend of the old Wolfman. And he wants me to play the next song for a blonde young lady in a Thunderbird. A white T-Bird, you understand. My friend's name is Curt and he wants to talk to you, baby. So you meet him at Burger City or you can phone Diamond-3132. Now he's a friend of mine, you hear. Little girl, you better call him or the Wolfman gonna get ya!" Looks like he met the Wolfman after all! Will the girl call, though? American Graffiti, USA, 1973
Almost exactly 115 years ago, on the 5th of January 1900, four men are invited to dinner at a friend's house. Their host George is late, and just as they sit down for dinner according to the instructions George gave his housekeeper, they are startled when he suddenly comes in looking exhausted, his clothes torn and dirty. They urge him to tell them what has happened. George: I've got to tell it now, David, while I still remember it. David: Relax. Try to relax. You've all the time in the world. George (giving him a strange look): You're right, David. It's exactly what I have. All the time in the world.
That's when he tells them about his travel to the future with the time machine he invented and his adventure with the surface dwelling Eloi and the subterranean Morlocks (which impressed me incredibly when I was a child) ...
Bookworm, movie fan, crazy cat lady, armed with crochet hook, beads and bead loom!
Bücherwurm, Filmnarr, verrückte Katzenlady, bewaffnet mit Häkelhaken, Perlen und Perlenwebrahmen!
