Let the Countdown Begin!

[monica]

And here is the scene where she tells him she will be waiting.

Attachments:

[monica]

And he is smiling at her from the distance.

Attachments:

[Mary Ellen Byrne]

I remember the scene where Madelaine calls out to Karl that she will wait but what my version cut to immediately was Karl from a distance waving good-bye. That close-up of Connie smiling back at Vivian was not included.

Well here we all are with only six days left to go before our beloved Connie walks into all our respective living rooms and stays for 24 full hours.

And I have to say, I did it! I was able to swing it though it looked as if it might be doubtful. However, I went to the powers that be, gained their Almighty approval and now it is cast in stone! I have petitioned for and obtained full permission to take a vacation day on August 23, 2011! I will be free, free, free!!! to spend every waking minute with our Connie. Now to convince the family that claiming the television as MINE for twenty-four hours because I want to watch one star shine on my TV screen does not mean I have lost it.

How to enjoy non-stop Veidt without stepping on TV schedule toes? That is the question. Well, I have six days to figure it out. I have but to pray to Conrad and perhaps I will be given divine inspiration for the answer.

[monica]

Mary Ellen, are you going to record everything from the TCM presentation? I was interested in what might Robert Osborne say about Connie, before each movie. If he says something interesting, could you please record that? I will find a solution in case you will send me the video materials. Perhaps we will use a programme from the net.

About Dark Journey, yes, as I said, the ending was different from one version to another. Even their last dinner scene was different, if you look at page 3. If by any chance you watch Dark Journey on TCM, it would be nice to know what version they are showing - the one with the cut scenes or the one from my DVD... Perhaps you will find out.

[Mary Ellen Byrne]

You asked me if I would keep an eye out for "What a Character and when it came on to record it for you. I figured if I were going to do that, if I recorded all 24 hours of Connie Day I was sure to get the special if it were broadcast.

If I am able to get all 24 hours recorded (I'm still not sure I can get ALL 24 hours in), I will do up a DVD for you of all of Robert Osborne's introductions and follow ups.

No I doubt I have to worry about something like this on a handmade DVD but do I have to worry about any region codes? I noticed you sent me "Nazi Agent" in .avi format? Will I need that in order for you to be able to play the disc?

Five days left to go! Can you stand the suspense!

[monica]

Mary Ellen,

I could make for you again Nazi Agent and send you the DVD version, so you could watch it on your DVD player. I could make for you a .vob in an NTSC format.

[Mary Ellen Byrne]

No need to, Monica. I already converted the .avi version to DVD version with video conversion program I have. I was just wondering for your sake since I plan to make a DVD of the Bob Osborne introductions and epilogues (and the documentary if it's shown) for you and send it to you in Romania. I just did not want to send you the disc and through some glitch have you not be able to play it.

As I said, I probably do not have to worry about it. So I will make you the disc after Connie Day (which is only 4 days away, now! Yeaaa!) and if there is a problem, let me know and we will figure another way.

You know, going over the TCM schedule again, I've noticed something. They start with "Above Suspicion" and then end (almost) with "Caligari". TCM seems to be showing Connie's career in reverse. They are starting at the end and going back to the beginning. I wonder if there is a method to that madness?

[monica]

Mary Ellen, they chose some very wrong/awkward hours of showing Connie's important movies. How could they put Above Suspicion, Whistling in the Dark and All Through the Night during the day, and let after midnight movies like Nazi Agent, The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari and Dark Journey? Connie had the leading role in these 3 movies, and surely people won't stay up all night long to watch him in better roles. They will reach to the conclusion that he was a minor Hollywood star, that he had little to do with the filmmaking and that he had small roles in some good or not-so-good movies, and so TCM's efforts to show the great actor Conrad Veidt will be in vain. People will see him again (for the nth time) in The Thief of Bagdad and Casablanca - Connie's best remembered roles in America, even if his parts here are rather symbolic than large ones.

[monica]

All in all, TCM is showing 14 movies of Connie, of which exactly half are Hollywood movies - not all that good, and with Connie in small roles. The other half represents 5 British movies - all very good, fortunately - and only 2 German silent films (do the Americans still have something against the Germans?). They could have shown more of Connie's silent gems, like Student of Prague, Waxworks, Two Brothers, Lucrezia Borgia, The Indian Tomb, and even some of his Hollywood silent films - at least The Man Who Laughs and The Last Performance!
But still, it's good to have for the FIRST time the CONRAD VEIDT DAY on TCM, so that everybody should know who this amazing actor really was.
After getting all of his movies in existence (56), mostly from archivists, I was asked by my mother why Conrad's movies are not available on DVD? Except for (in chronological order) The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, The Indian Tomb, Lucrezia Borgia, The Hands of Orlac, The Man Who Laughs, Under the Red Robe, Dark Journey, The Spy in Black, Contraband, The Thief of Bagdad, Escape, A Woman's Face, Casablanca, and Above Suspicion, I haven't seen much of Conrad's movies officially available on DVD, which is too bad for such a great actor like him.

[Mary Ellen Byrne]

What archivists? Is it possible they might be interested in giving out another set of copies - maybe? Pretty please?

I don't think the Americans have anything against the Germans, I think it's more of a modern audiences have something against silent films. I also feel there is a bias in modern audiences against any film made before "The Graduate" (1967). I guess they figure if it's not "deep and meaningful" and doesn't push the envelope of societal limits and isn't in color, why bother?

I think "The Man Who Laughs" would have been a great choice. I watched it on YouTube and I think that was so well done it marks a turning point in his career. I think his silent career also gives people a chance to see the vast expanse of his talent.

I watched the scene in TMWL where the King is interrogating the arrested Lord Clancharlie and I'm saying to myself over and over and I am looking at Clancharlie "Hmm. . .who is that guy playing that part? I've seen him somewhere before. Dang, who is it?' Turns out it was Connie! (Poor Connie! He always seems to be suffering non-recognition at my hands.) He was playing not only Gwynplaine but Gwynplaine's father as well and he used to do that in film after film. Not just playing twins but two completely separate characters in the same story. That takes talent!

The scene backstage with Gwynplaine and one of his fellow clowns is a fantastic moment! The clown is telling Gwynplaine how lucky he is that his smile is permanent and he doesn't have to keep taking his grin off after every show then turn around and have to put it back on for the next performance. To watch the look on Gwynplaine's face as he watches this clown wipe off his hideous clown grin and become a normal human with just two or three strokes of the towel. Gwynplaine'd give his eye teeth to be able to do that. And he's not saying a thing! It's just a few adjustments to a few facial muscles and the shifting downward of the eyes to express sorrow.

As I once said about another actor on another forum I was once on, you can't pay to get talent like that. You either have it or you don't and Connie most definitely had it!

Only two more days ;D until we arrive at Connie Heaven! (what happened to three, you ask? Well, it turns out that under the previous system of countdown, I discovered that we'd end up on Tuesday, August 23 having only one more day to go. On Tuesday we do not have one more day to go, we have arrived at the day itself. So my count have been off by one this whole time. So like Pope Gregory, I just take the difference that I am off, dismiss it completely, and get back on track.)

[Mary Ellen Byrne]

Just one more day fellow Connieites until THE day is upon us! The day Turner Classic Movies opens their vault and put on display the movies that REALLY matter - The Connie films ;D

I will be looking forward to sharing the day with all of you albeit virtually.

Hope everyone has had a good day, today.

I'll see everyone again tomorrow for the final countdown entry!

[monica]

If BBC could broadcast a day with all of Connie's British movies, it would be indeed a great surprise, because all of the movies he made in the UK still exist (except for Cape Forlorn).

[Mary Ellen Byrne]

That would be something I'd like to see. I wonder if there is someway one could go the the BBC website to suggest it?

Just a scant few hours left until all our Connie dreams come true! (8 hours, 30 minutes from the Eastern Time Zone where I am).

I intend to be up at no later than 5:30 am, have a very hearty breakfast to prepare, then sit down with the all-day-long-never-ending-bottomless bowl of popcorn to enjoy all-day-long-never-ending-ceaseless Connie!

I've got to say, I was just going over the film schedule one more time and it occurs to me that out of 14 films, there are only two I will be seeing for the first time. Through the magic of archive.org or YouTube, or previous broadcasts (and, ahem, VERY GENEROUS movie dubs from VERY GENEROUS members of the Connie Forum ), I've already seen the other 12 in their entirety.

I've got JewSuiss set to record since my mother and sister are both talking about girls lunch out as it is a rare moment when all three of us are free at the same time. Other than that, I am not stirring from in front of my TV set and that dial is going to be on nothing else but TCM. Jesus Christ himself could return in the second coming and take over leadership in Libya. I will just have to settles for following up with it Wednesday. Tuesday is devoted in its entirety to Our Connie.

[monica]

Connie deserves such great fans like us!