Obscure films you feel no one remembers but should

[bill5]

Challenge to be Free comes to mind. Not a "great" movie, but (somewhat loosely) based on a true story and I have fond memories of it. Mike Masurki (sp?) is iconic in this role

7 Faces of Dr Lao - Old quirky movie starring Tony Randall at his best.

Foxfire - Hallmark movie starring Jessica Tandy and Hume Cronyn. IMO this was in fact a great movie, based on a theatrical production they did. John Denver of all people co-stars and does a great job. Should have been a feature film. 

[Anderton]

Fellini Satryicon is one of the most disturbing, unusual, fascinating movies I've seen. And in deference to the other thread about DVDs going away, it's not available on ANY streaming service. 

 

Roger Ebert reviewed it when it first came out, but later modified his review in 2001. A snippet (bold added):

 

"Fellini Satyricon" was released in 1970, and I was ready for it: "Some will say it is a bloody, depraved, disgusting film," I wrote in a fever. "Indeed, people by the dozens were escaping from the sneak preview I attended. But `Fellini Satyricon' is a masterpiece all the same, and films that dare everything cannot please everybody." Today I'm not so sure it's a masterpiece, except as an expression of the let-it-all-hang-out spirit of the 1970 world that we both then occupied. But it is so much more ambitious and audacious than most of what we see today that simply as a reckless gesture, it shames these timid times. Films like this are a reminder of how machine-made and limited recent product has become.

 

Here's a link to his original review, which describes the movie quite well. In some ways, the movie is unfortunately prescient.

[Nowarezman]

I'm not sure what's obscure and what isn't - but I suspect the average person nowadays has never heard of My Dinner With Andre (1981).  One of those movies that could have been on the stage, as it's 99% conversation.   But the movie has always stayed with me since I saw it when it came out in a little movie theater across the street from U of TX.  

 

Two vastly different men with vastly different experiences and attitudes in life discuss life over a very long dinner at a restaurant.  That's pretty much it!  So it's clearly not for everyone. 

 

One character is romantic, adventurous, mystical, extroverted - the other humble, humane, self-effacing, quietly profound in his way.  Both are actors (surprise!) and old friends. 

 

We've probably all known a few very wild and adventurous sorts - lots of crazy storytelling and a terrific desire for extreme or transcendent experiences, however naive or even disingenuous.  But most folks are just ordinary folks with school, jobs, modest hopes, modest middle-of-the-road lives. These are the two poles of possible ways of life the film examines, embodied in the two characters (guess which one Wallace Shaw plays.)  Which one are you?  Am I?  Which one would I rather be?  Which way is better in real human terms? Do I think I'm one when I'm actually the other?  Can one be both? These were the questions the movie left resonating in my mind, even to this day. 

 

nat

 

[Anderton]

1 hour ago, Nowarezman said:

These were the questions the movie left resonating in my mind, even to this day. 

 

Excellent choice. And for others who want resonating questions, it's streaming on Max and Max Amazon Channel

[ToddP]

"Testament."

It was shown on our PBS station. It was the last program before they went off the air that night (back when TV stations went off the air). I remember just staring at the TV snow for like 5 minutes before I could manage to get up and turn the TV off. 

[bill5]

20 hours ago, Nowarezman said:

I'm not sure what's obscure and what isn't

I would say if I talked to someone who was around (not just a baby of course) when it came out, most of them would go "?? Don't recall that one"

[o0Ampy0o]

Johnny Got His Gun starring Timothy Bottoms

 

"During World War I, a patriotic young American is rendered blind, deaf, limbless, and mute by a horrific artillery shell attack. Trapped in what's left of his body, he desperately looks for a way to end his life."

 

Doctors see this as an opportunity for an experiment.

 

 

[bill5]

Night of the Comet

[Piktor]

On 8/3/2023 at 10:01 PM, o0Ampy0o said:

 

 

Doctors see this as an opportunity for an experiment.

 

 

I am breaking my own rule in responding to your comment, but that was a movie that was impactful. It was disturbing. That is not to say that it is bad or good. 

 

Could you please explain your comment? Your claim about doctors is not really clear. Are you accusing doctors of something nefarious?  

[Polychrest]

Blow-Up.  Gifted Italian director weaves an out-of-focus murder mystery into the lives of jaded London creative elites.  Out of fashion now, but when it was released in 1966, critics loved it.  It won the Palme d’Or at Cannes.  Great cast includes cameos from the Jeff Beck-Jimmy Page Yardbirds and the recently-deceased Jane Birkin (“Je T’aime” vocalist) in the infamous “Purple paper scene” that helped drive the American National Legion of Decency to condemn the film.

[David Emm]

I've mentioned this one before, but its easy for it to slip under your radar. "The Legend of 1900" stars Tim Roth, one of my favorite actors. It was a major prize winner as a book in Italy and the film version is a keeper. A baby is abandoned on a luxury liner that also shuttles immigrants back & forth and is raised by the crew. As it develops, he is a stunning piano prodigy and becomes a feature of the ship. There's a whopper of a scene where he bests Jelly Roll Morton in an impromptu cutting contest. He also finds himself unable to leave the ship, even to pursue a broader musical career. Its alternately quite funny and deeply poignant. It requires some very adult emotional processing, but its well-rewarded.

 

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120731/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0_tt_4_nm_4_q_the%20legend%20of%201900

[Ivan May]

One more obscure film that not many people remember is The End Of The Tour, a well-loved biopic about the life and legend of writer David Foster Wallace, whose career ended in suicide in 2008. It stars Jason Segel as David Foster Wallace and Jesse Eisenberg as David Lipsky, a Rolling Stone journalist who is asked to interview David Foster Walace. I'm not a fan of Jason Segel, but this is one of his most dramatic roles.

[o0Ampy0o]

22 hours ago, Piktor said:

I am breaking my own rule in responding to your comment, but that was a movie that was impactful. It was disturbing. That is not to say that it is bad or good. 

 

Could you please explain your comment? Your claim about doctors is not really clear. Are you accusing doctors of something nefarious?  

 

I am not sure whether you are sincerely asking me a question or making a statement disguised as a question.

 

I quoted the description from IMDB but it did not adequately convey the content of the film. So I added the reference to the doctor's objective. Their objective is very much a part of the film. The way they handle things later emphasizes the cold disregard for human beings over curiosity. They have a lot in common with Joseph Mengele.

 

Somewhere online is a video of a great Japanese animator. (I found it: Hayao Miyazaki).  He is at a university. Students have shown him a video of a project they worked on in class. The resulting content greatly disturbs this man. He cannot refrain from expressing how repulsed he is by it because he sees it as offensive to humanity. Many comments express disagreement and a POV that this man was insensitive to the students who were proud and wished to share their work with this great man of achievement in the field.

 

I agreed with the great animator. The project neglected respect and dignity of humanity. Their project was all about some new effect which could find usefulness in a horror film context while this animator's POV is that it was repulsive first and foremost ignoring more important things than finding some new way to depict grossness.

 

In regards to Johnny Got His Gun and the mindset depicted in these doctors, they proved all they cared about was satisfying their curiosity. They did not consider that their lab rat was a man. In the film their response to events emphasizes it. The film is a statement against war. Many atrocious things take place during wars. Somehow they are not given their due consideration because it is wartime. But we never cease to be human beings under any circumstances. As human beings some have the sensitivity and depth to comprehend the significance of disregarding that sensitivity and depth. I see this as the worst tragedy, that those with the sensitivity and depth can disregard it as they commit the atrocities.

 

 

[Piktor]

12 minutes ago, o0Ampy0o said:

 

I am not sure whether you are sincerely asking me a question or making a statement disguised as a question.

It was a question. Thank you for answering it. I understand what you meant now. 
It has been about 43 years since I saw that movie. 

[Anderton]

Just now, Piktor said:

I understand what you meant now. 

 

Clarification among participants is what keeps these forums civil, IMHO. Rather than people jumping to conclusions, they ask first what the person meant.

 

If only real life was like that. Meanwhile, a LOT of movies have been added to my "watch before I die" list!

[bill5]

Yes I am intrigued by some of these movies!

[DJkeys]

I have seen Fellini Satyricon, My Dinner with Andre, and Blow Up, all excellent.  My pick would be a pretty obscure Kubrick film called Barry Lyndon.  It is a kind of period black comedy/farce.  Extremely funny, sarcastic and probably the most beautifully filmed movie I have ever seen. Kubrick had special lenses developed by Zeiss so that the entire film was shot in all natural light.  There are indoor scenes using candles and moonlight scene that is out of this world. I recommend highly-

 

-dj

[Stokely]

Not as obscure as pretty much all these mentioned, but one of my favorite sci-fi movies is 1999's (iirc) noir genre Dark City.   

When I was younger I loved The Big Blue by Luc Besson, with the American soundtrack which I really preferred...not a great movie, more of an atmosphere.   Very '80s and I haven't seen it in decades, I suspect I might not enjoy it as much today now that I'm old and cynical so maybe I'll let it stay in memories  

Also not obscure in the slightest really, but if you are like me and dislike anime in general, or "cartoons"--you might not have seen Spirited Away.  Definitely a desert island movie for me, and the English dub is excellent (usually I prefer the original language but in this case I stick with English.)   The soundtrack is outstanding.

 

[Strays Dave]

Mostly obscure because of it's age, 1932's   "The Old Dark House"  was directed by James Whale following his  "Frankestein".  It featured Boris Karloff, Gloria Stewart, Charles Laughton and Melvyn Douglas....in addition to some other British actors.  It has some quirky dark humor in addition to the standard vintage horror fare.  And it's available on YouTube.  I have a YouTube premium subscription (about $15 monthly) and don't have interrupting advertisements. 

 

There's a wonderfully odd dinner scene at about 18 minutes in. 

 

 

[o0Ampy0o]

Obscure because they weren’t bigger hits but should be remembered and consequently more readily available to view:
Restoration with Sam Neill, Hugh Grant and Robert Downey Jr.

Sirens with Sam Neill and Hugh Grant.

High Art featuring Ally Sheedy’s performance far beyond everything else she has done.

[Rod S]

I'll include two in the discussion.  

 

Lilya 4-Ever - Roughly based on true story of a Lithuanian girl brutally exploited after going to Sweden    Horrific and imcomprehensible.   

 

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0300140/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0_tt_7_nm_1_q_forever%20lilya

 

As If I was not there -  Based on a book based on testimony of women taken prisoner during the Bosnian War.  Shocking movie on the brutality of war focused on the viewpoint of one person caught on it.     

 

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1456477/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_2_tt_8_nm_0_q_as%20if%20I%20wasn't%20there

 

there's a few others that I vaguely remember that I have to try to remember the name.  

[Polychrest]

Tomorrow is Labour Day (or Labor Day, if you insist).  I did communications work for unions last century.  One now-obscure film that went down really well with the brothers and sisters back then was Michael Moore’s first film, Roger and Me.  Released in 1989, it’s a brave, bitter, tragicomic documentary in which he explores the poisoned relationship between General Motors and his home town of Flint Michigan after GM shuts down a big manufacturing plant there.  It was a hit on college campuses and also with critics.  Moore’s a bête noir these days in parts of divided America, but Roger and Me struck a familiar chord with lots of people in both red and blue states.  It’s very entertaining, and its social and economic themes still resonate—just ask the writers and actors on strike today how they feel about huge implacable corporations shamelessly exploiting their workers.  The Library of Congress’ National Film Preservation Board selected it as a “groundbreaking” film that the Library and Congress will protect for future generations.  A highlight for me:  Best use of “Wouldn’t It Be Nice” by the Beach Boys in a movie soundtrack.

 

If you’ve never seen it, it’s on Turner Classic Movies at 10:00pm ET tomorrow night.  [end of public service announcement]
 

 

[KuruPrionz]

The Harder They Fall, starring Jimmy Cliff. A Jamaican crime movie with a soundtrack that brought Reggae music to the world. 

 

El Topo. A Western set in Mexico, surreal, strange and disturbing. 

 

Pink Flamingoes, directed by John Waters. Not for the squeamish, this is brutally grotesque, absurdly funny (if you have a sick, twisted sense of humor like mine) and profoundly disgusting. 

[surfergirl]

Come See The Paradise and American Pastime.

Both are about Japanese internment camps.

[Notes_Norton]

Mrs. Notes and I watch one rented movie per week, and we have eclectic tastes, and like unusual movies. Romantic Comedies (chick flicks) and Macho Fighting (dick flicks) are not on the menu. We avoid the “You've seen this one before but with different actors, the same plot, with a few different additions/subtractions and special effects,” That's the reason we quit watching TV in the 1990s. Watching the same thing again and again in a different package isn't what we like to do. Nothing wrong with that, it just isn't what we want to do.

 

So we look for something different, foreign is OK, indies are OK, Hollywood is OK, and anything else, as long as it seems different, and especially if it seems like it will encourage conversation. We've made some mistakes and watched trite recycled garbage, and we've stumbled on some very interesting movies. Here are the movies we watched in the last 2 weeks, and I recommend them both.

1. The Man From Earth (2007 sci-fi by Jerome Bixby). It's definitely not an action film, it's mostly a half dozen people in a room talking. It's about a guy who refused to age and is 14,000 years old, and still looks like he is in his mid 30s. The conversation gets very philosophical, and interesting enough for Mrs. Notes and me to watch it a second time, and that's a rarity. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Man_from_Earth
2. Dave Made A Maze (2017 fantasy adventure comedy horror). Silly, unbelievable, but definitely watchable. As opposite to the above recommendation as a film can get. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dave_Made_a_Maze

If you try them, I hope you like them.

 

Insights and incites by Notes ♫

[Winston Psmith]

Not certain how obscure it is, but 1,000 Clowns with Jason Robards has long been one of my favorite films. The opening sequence alone had a great influence on me, early in life, and Murray (Robards) is perhaps my most-loved tragic hero. Yes, tragic. Watch and decide for yourself.

 

FWIW, in later years, I came to love how this film depicts the city I grew up in, at the time I was growing up. It's true, you can't go home again, but sometimes, you can see what it looked like.

[Jeff Leites]

You can't get more obscure then this.  A 1982 made for TV movie, "Between Two Brothers". 

 

Why should anyone remember it?  Because I was an extra in the film 🤣

 

[allan_evett]

Harold and Maude, 1971. A dark comedy that ultimately makes a point... Now a cult classic.

 

Waiting for the Light, 1979.  Quirky little comedy set in the early 1960s. Did make me think a bit, due to a tie-in with the Cuban Missile Crisis. So a moving twist, in that I was one of many kids then who were clueless about how close we came to extreme disaster.

[Sundown]

“They Live” is a favorite (John Carpenter) … 

 

I actually wrote a humorous tribute song for it (“They Live We Groove”) and maybe one day I’ll post it to YouTube and share it here. 

 

It’s very B-movie, but it has a cult following.

 

Todd

[David Emm]

"From Noon Till Three" is a wonderful, cockeyed 1976 western that bats far above its weight class. Its an original twist on a couple of tropes. When you expect a left turn, it makes a hard right. Charles Bronson was mainly known for his violent, crime-related movies, but this one feel like a passion project with his wife, Jill Ireland. They both do stand-out work.

 

The humor is procedural rather than "Blazing Saddles"-flavored, which enhances its dramatic elements all the more. Its funny to some extent, but the sudden turns also make it poignant and memorable. Its like a 'chick flick' with big biceps guys will like. Watch it with your gurl and get into what a win-win it'll really be for you both. Its on Amazon, so its accessible. I can still play the lovely, haunting melody of the song that defines the closing chapter of the story. You'll never see it coming. Its too potent to merely call  it a "movie." Its ultimately a serious film.  

 

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0074553/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0_tt_7_nm_1_q_From%20Noon