Marty and Cindy take on a classic that Cindy hadn’t seen before, Lawrence of Arabia
Title: Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
Director: David Lean
Writers: Robert Bolt and Michael Wilson
Stars: Peter O’Toole, Alec Guinness, Anthony Quinn, Omar Sharif, Jack Hawkins, José Ferrer, Claude Rains
Studio: Horizon Pictures / Columbia Pictures
Runtime: 222 minutes (original) | 216 minutes (restored)
Format: Super Panavision 70 | Technicolor
Filming Locations: Jordan, Morocco, Spain
Why This Film Matters
· A cornerstone of epic filmmaking—winner of 7 Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director.
· Revolutionized widescreen cinematography; Freddie Young’s desert imagery remains unmatched.
· Peter O’Toole’s debut transformed him into an international star and redefined screen charisma.
· Maurice Jarre’s sweeping score became one of the most recognizable in movie history.
· Critically reassessed as both a spectacle and an introspective psychological study.
· The 1988 restoration pioneered modern film-preservation efforts and revived Lean’s full vision.
Signature Sequences
· The Match Cut: From a tiny flame to the blazing desert sunrise—one of the most famous edits in film history.
· The Mirage Scene: Omar Sharif’s arrival, emerging from heat shimmer, remains a visual tour de force in long-lens cinematography.
· Aqaba Assault: Filmed with hundreds of extras and horses, it’s a ballet of movement and chaos captured in sweeping long shots.
· “Nothing Is Written” Scene: Lawrence’s defiance against fate—one of O’Toole’s defining moments.
· The Retreat from Deraa: Lawrence’s capture and implied assault by the Turkish Bey mark a disturbing psychological turning point.
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Cindy and Marty chat about the movie Gaslight, a psychological thriller that coined the term we use today.
Director: George CukorWriters: John Van Druten, Walter Reisch, and John L. Balderston (adapted from Patrick Hamilton’s 1938 play)Stars: Ingrid Bergman, Charles Boyer, Joseph Cotten, Angela Lansbury, Dame May WhittyStudio/Distributor: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)Runtime: 114 minutes; Format: B&WSetting: Victorian London
Cultural Legacy: Origin of the term “gaslighting” — now used to describe psychological manipulation and control.
Critical Acclaim: Ingrid Bergman won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her haunting performance; Angela Lansbury earned an Oscar nomination for her debut role at just 18.
Stylistic Brilliance: Exemplary of 1940s Gothic noir — shadow-filled cinematography, claustrophobic sets, and emotionally precise direction from George Cukor.
Social Relevance: A timeless exploration of emotional abuse, control, and the struggle to trust one’s own perception.
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Cindy and Marty converse about one of their favorite movies, North by Northwest, packed full of trivia.
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Cindy and Marty talk about another favorite comedy by director Billy Wilder, Some Like It Hot with Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon, and its contemporary influence about gender roles and expectations.
Some Like It Hot (1959)
· Director: Billy Wilder; Writers: Billy Wilder & I.A.L. Diamond (from Robert Thoeren & Michael Logan’s story)
· Stars: Marilyn Monroe, Tony Curtis, Jack Lemmon; with Joe E. Brown, George Raft, Pat O’Brien
· Studio/Distributor: The Mirisch Company / United Artists
· Runtime: ~121 minutes; Format: B&W; Setting: Prohibition-era Chicago & 'Miami' (filmed at Hotel del Coronado)
Brief Synopsis
Two Chicago musicians witness a mob hit and escape by disguising themselves as women to join an all-female band headed to Florida, where romantic entanglements, mob reprisals, and comic mayhem ensue — culminating in one of cinema’s most famous closing lines: “Nobody’s perfect.”
Why This Film Matters
· AFI ranks it #1 on the 100 Years…100 Laughs list. https://www.afi.com/afis-100-years-100-laughs/
· A landmark of screen comedy that playfully subverts gender roles and skirted the Production Code’s strictures.
· Iconic location work at the Hotel del Coronado standing in for Miami’s 'Seminole Ritz.'
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Cindy and Marty do their first FTC episode on the Frank Capra classic (1944) "Arsenic and Old Lace"
• Year: 1944 (shot late 1941; broad release held until 1944)
• Runtime: 118 minutes; Studio: Warner Bros.
• Director: Frank Capra; Writers: Julius & PhilipEpstein (from Joseph Kesselring’s play)
• Music: Max Steiner; Cinematography: Sol Polito; Editing:Daniel Mandell
• Release: New York premiere Sept 1, 1944; U.S. release Sept23, 1944
• Setting: Halloween in Brooklyn (Brewster family home)
Key cast:
• Cary Grant — Mortimer Brewster
• Priscilla Lane — Elaine Harper
• Raymond Massey — Jonathan Brewster (a Karloff look‑alikegag)
• Peter Lorre — Dr. Herman Einstein
• Josephine Hull — Abby Brewster; Jean Adair — MarthaBrewster; John Alexander — “Teddy Roosevelt” Brewster
• Jack Carson — Officer O’Hara; Edward Everett Horton — Mr.Witherspoon; James Gleason — Lt. Rooney
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