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Poll

What's your favorite film by William A. Wellman?

Wings
0 (0%)
Beggars of Life
0 (0%)
Other Men's Women
0 (0%)
The Public Enemy
1 (5%)
Night Nurse
0 (0%)
So Big!
0 (0%)
The Purchase Price
0 (0%)
Heroes for Sale
0 (0%)
Midnight Mary
0 (0%)
Wild Boys of the Road
1 (5%)
Female
0 (0%)
Viva Villa!
0 (0%)
The Call of the Wild
0 (0%)
Small Town Girl
0 (0%)
A Star Is Born (1937)
1 (5%)
Nothing Sacred
0 (0%)
Beau Geste
0 (0%)
Roxie Hart
0 (0%)
Lady of Burlesque
0 (0%)
The Ox-Bow Incident
8 (40%)
Buffalo Bill
0 (0%)
Story of G.I. Joe
1 (5%)
Magic Town
0 (0%)
Yellow Sky
0 (0%)
Battleground
0 (0%)
The Next Voice You Hear...
0 (0%)
The Happy Years
0 (0%)
Across the Wide Missouri
0 (0%)
Westward the Women
0 (0%)
Island in the Sky
0 (0%)
The High and the Mighty
0 (0%)
Track of the Cat
0 (0%)
Blood Alley
0 (0%)
Darby's Rangers
0 (0%)
other (please specify)
0 (0%)
haven't seen any
8 (40%)
don't like any
0 (0%)

Total Members Voted: 19

Author Topic: Wellman, William A.  (Read 7859 times)

Antares

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Re: Directors Best Poll - William A. Wellman
« Reply #10 on: August 24, 2012, 08:58:02 PM »
I was hoping you were going to mention the fantastic scene where Fonda reads the letter of one of the doomed men, and Wellman shoots the scene with the brim of Harry Morgan's hat obscuring Fonda's eyes. That is one of my favorite shots of all time.
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pixote

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Re: Directors Best Poll - William A. Wellman
« Reply #11 on: August 24, 2012, 09:06:34 PM »
I was hoping you were going to mention the fantastic scene where Fonda reads the letter of one of the doomed men, and Wellman shoots the scene with the brim of Harry Morgan's hat obscuring Fonda's eyes. That is one of my favorite shots of all time.

That's the screenshot I wanted to lead the review with but I couldn't find it.

pixote
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Antares

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1SO

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William A. Wellman
« Reply #13 on: January 04, 2013, 10:32:22 PM »
1. The Ox-Bow Incident
2. Westward the Women
3. A Star is Born

4. Wild Boys of the Road
5. Lady of Burlesque
6. Battleground
7. Midnight Mary
8. Other Men's Women
9. Beggars of Life
10. Men With Wings
11. Frisco Jenny
12. Beau Geste
13. Heroes For Sale
14. Story of G.I. Joe
15. Nothing Sacred
16. Night Nurse
17. So Big!

18. College Coach
19. The Hatchet Man
20. Lilly Turner
21. Magic Town
22. The Iron Curtain
23. Looking for Trouble
24. Safe in Hell
25. Call of the Wild
26. Buffalo Bill
27. The Star Witness
28. Roxie Hart
29. Blood Alley
30. The Purchase Price
31. The Public Enemy
32. Reaching for the Sun
33. Wings
34. The Great Man's Lady
35. Love is a Racket
36. Good-bye, My Lady
37. Across the Wide Missouri
38. The High and the Mighty

39. Yellow Sky
40. Track of the Cat
41. Island in the Sky
« Last Edit: April 21, 2021, 04:10:53 PM by 1SO »

Sam the Cinema Snob

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Re: Directors Best Poll - William A. Wellman
« Reply #14 on: January 14, 2013, 11:45:24 AM »
Wings (1927)

The flight sequences are majestic from a technical perspective and a couple of the infantry scenes have great visual ideas. With that out of the way, I can say the rest of the film is miserable. The film tries to set up a four way romance, but two of the players are such weak characters that it holds no weight. The film's numerous comedic gags consistently fall flat, the worst of which is when a drunk Jack amuses himself with bubbles for about ten minutes. It's not funny the first second, it continues to not be funny for ten minutes. The core story is a strong idea, but the film is so wrapped up in showing things that I don't really get why we need to see. It spends a weird amount of time showing infantry combat when they only come into the story a couple of times. Ultimately, it's a film that comes across as an uneconomical storyteller. It could be 90 minutes and still tell the same story, losing very little in the process.

roujin

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Re: Directors Best Poll - William A. Wellman
« Reply #15 on: February 03, 2013, 06:43:29 PM »
The Purchase Price (William A. Wellman, 1932)

This was lovely. Stanwyck is seriously up there for greatest actress ever. The material here isn't even all that notable, but through sheer craft and personality, she sells everything.
« Last Edit: February 29, 2020, 03:08:11 PM by 1SO »

1SO

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Re: Directors Best Poll - William A. Wellman
« Reply #16 on: February 17, 2013, 10:56:18 AM »
Sam is right. There's really nothing else to add, but we so rarely agree I thought it was worth posting.

Sam the Cinema Snob

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Re: Directors Best Poll - William A. Wellman
« Reply #17 on: February 17, 2013, 01:10:19 PM »
Glad we agree. I love me some silent films, but Wings was a trial to get through.

Antares

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Re: Directors Best Poll - William A. Wellman
« Reply #18 on: September 24, 2013, 07:49:18 PM »
The Ox-Bow Incident
A Star Is Born (1937)
Story of G.I. Joe
Battleground
Wings
Nothing Sacred
   
   
Wild Boys of the Road
Night Nurse
Roxie Hart   
Yellow Sky
The Public Enemy
Other Men's Women       
The Purchase Price    
Heroes for Sale
Midnight Mary    
Female    
Beau Geste    
Buffalo Bill


The High and the Mighty
« Last Edit: March 13, 2018, 08:15:57 PM by Antares »
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1SO

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Re: Directors Best Poll - William A. Wellman
« Reply #19 on: July 06, 2014, 10:01:59 PM »
Beau Geste
* * *

Grand adventure film with an all-star cast including, Gary Cooper, Ray Milland, Robert Preston, Brian Donlevy, Broderick Crawford, Susan Hayward and Donald O'Connor. The adventure is squeezed tight by an increasingly mad performance by Donlevy (who scored an Oscar nomination). As a stern commander in a desert outpost, he grows increasingly unhinged through the back half. Donlevy is one of my favorites for playing jerks, but his character here has authority, which makes him truly frightening. The story is framed by a mystery which adds an extra layer of interest. It's the kind of film that cannot meet high expectations but would easily surpass low ones. A solid adventure drama, wrapped in respectability.

 

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