Just watched this tonight for the first time in YEARS. It is indeed a guilty pleasure. Some of the dialogue made me cringe. And boy, was I surprised at how flat it was delivered by the architect. I expect more from British actors. And let's hear it for Joan Collins! Truly one of the all time great comeuppences in film history. And is it just my imagination, or has she played a lot of bitches in her career? And furthermore, she always seems to be very good at it!
shareHey, if this is Martin Scorsese's favorite guilty pleasure movie, it can't be too bad. It's one of my earliest memories from NYC's old "Million Dollar Movie" from the 60s. I always liked it, and agree with Dave Kehr's recent review in the NY Times that it's a much underrated film -- in fact, he called it the one film that justifies all four WHV box sets of Cult Camp Classics.
If you're really from (or on) FI, check out the review of LOTP in this coming weekend's (July 13-19) edition of the FI News!
Hey, if this is Martin Scorsese's favorite guilty pleasure movie, it can't be too bad.
It was a considerable influence on Scorsese's Casino. I have no guilt in admiring this film. It's a great film, and one of the few Hollywood spectaculars that hasn't dated in the least. In fact it's actually quite prescient and timely. The characters are darker and the approach to them is more modern and there's little sentimentality in the film.
"Ça va by me, madame...Ça va by me!" - The Red Shoes
Well said, artihcus. I always thought this film was unnecessarily (and unjustifiably) put-upon, a fate it doesn't merit. I too find it has held up far better than most of its contemporary Biblical/ancient world epics, and remains far more enjoyable. And one has to appreciate Howard Hawks's artistry in this, the most unique film of his career.
shareI thought Joan Collins was brilliant in that last scene! I consider it the second best comeuppence, next to the villainess in "Freaks."
No, it's not your imagination...she has always played the bitch very well!!
No guilt here. I saw this movie in the theater when it was first released and I was highly entertained then and still am throughout and especially during the final scene inside the pyramid. Granted, the eyepopping spectacle viewed in cinemascope was the major "star" of the movie but a film of this caliber will never be produced again.
sharePersonally, I didn't have to think of this film as a guilty pleasure in order to enjoy it. It might even be my favorite Hawks film, despite it being "an anomaly in his career", as Boddonavich keeps putting it in the DVD commentary.
Though, I kind of wish they had just followed Faulkner's advice and made it so that the Pharaoh talked like a Southern plantation owner, lol.
What I don't understand is how we're going to stay alive this winter.
This is not one of my guilty pleasures.
I'm proud to admit that I love this movie because I find the screenplay very clever. The casting of Joan Collins is inspired.
My guilty pleasures are Angels in the Outfield (1994), Congo (1995), Miss Congeniality (2000) and Flightplan (2005).
I saw it as a child and have always had a fondness of this film.
I'm actually going to watch it tonight as I haven't seen it for quite sometime.