Showing posts with label Veronica Lake. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Veronica Lake. Show all posts

Monday, August 7, 2023

I Married a Witch - A 1942 Film Starring Veronica Lake- - directed by Rene Claire - A Comedy


 



Available on YouTube 

A few days ago I watched a marvelous movie, Sullivan's Travels, with Veronica Lake in the co-starring role.  I was very happy to discover a film in which she has the lead, I Married a Witch.


The film's plot follows Jennifer, a witch who is burned at the stake in 1692. Before she dies, she curses the family of her accuser, dooming them to marry the wrong women for all eternity. 250 years later, Jennifer is resurrected by lightning and decides to exact her revenge on the most recent descendant of her accuser, Wallace Wooley (Fredric March), a wealthy politician.


Jennifer uses her magic to make Wallace fall in love with her, but



her plan backfires when she begins to fall in love with him herself. The two of them must overcome their differences and the curse that Jennifer placed on Wallace's family in order to be together.



I Married a Witch was a critical and commercial success, and it is considered one of the best films of the screwball comedy genre. The film's stars, Veronica Lake and Fredric March, were nominated for Academy Awards for their performances. 

The film's use of special effects was groundbreaking for its time. The scenes of Jennifer's magic, such as when she makes herself invisible or turns Wallace into a dog, were created using a variety of techniques, including rear projection, stop-motion animation, and matte paintings.

The film's costumes were designed by Edith Head, who won an Academy Award for her work. Head's designs for Veronica Lake's character, Jennifer, were particularly memorable, and they helped to solidify Lake's image as a glamorous Hollywood star.

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Saturday, August 5, 2023

Sullivan's Travels - A 1941 Film Directed and Scripted by Preston Sturges- Starring Veronica Lake and Joel McCrea


 


Sullivan's Travels - A 1941 Film Directed and Scripted by Preston Sturges- Starring Veronica Lake and Joel McCrea - Run Time One Hour and Thirty Minutes


Preston Sturges 

August 29, 1898 Chicago

 August 6, 1959 New York City

The Documentary Below details the amazing life and career of Preston Sturges 




Sullivan's Travels is considered among the top five of Preston Sturges films. 

 My post today is in Memorium of his passing away Sixty three years ago.

Sullivan's Travels satire on the film industry, it follows a famous Hollywood comedy director (Joel McCrea) who, longing to make a socially relevant drama, sets out to live as a tramp to gain life experience for his forthcoming film. Along the way he unites with a poor aspiring actress (Veronica Lake) who accompanies him. The title is a reference to Gulliver's Travels, the 1726 novel by satirist Jonathan Swift about another journey of self-discovery.

The plot is just so much fun I will leave it pretty much Untold.


I will just make a few observations on why I like it. The cast of people surrounding Sullivan are hilarious. The reporte and chemistry between the super rich director is perfect. This was my first encounter with Veronica Lake, she is in other of the movies of Preston Sturges, and I loved her. When she asked Sullivan to introduce her to Ernest Lubitsch I laughed out loud.




The film was nominated for two Academy Awards: Best Original Screenplay and Best Writing (Original Screenplay).


Sullivan's Travels is on YouTube 


I will soon post on I Married A Witch starring Veronica Lake and plan to post on The Palm Beach Story from Preston Sturges on August 29.


Mel Ulm






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