keithmanies

Paper Moon is one hell of a movie. I saw this film as a 10 year old in 1973 and loved it then as I do now at 39. Set in Depression era Kansas, it is story of the relationship between Addie, a smart talking 7 year old, and Moses, a bible selling con man who might be her father. The on screen chemistry between Ryan and Tatum O'Neal is fantastic. Madeline Kahn is great as a side show floosey they pick up along the way and she almost steals the show! Filmed in Kansas and Missouri, director Peter Bogdonavich used local people in cameo roles which adds to the authentic feel of the film. Also to the director's credit, this film may be one the best to portray 1930's America. All in all, Paper Moon is full of great characters and a fine story line. On a personal note, I saw this film with my 90 year old grandmother and she laughed throughout the film and said it was one the best films she ever saw. That's not a bad recomendation coming from someone born in 1883!

Doctor Zhivago is one of David Lean's best historical epics. Loaded with great actors and actresses, this movie gives the viewer a great story set against the dramatic events of Russia in the 1910 to 1940 period. It is all here, from the cossacks charging the bolsheviks to the bloody purges under Josef Stalin. These historical events are told with a personal backdrop of the main characters dealing with all the changes that surround them.

In a role that many think is Anthony Quinn's greatest performance, Zorba the Greek is a movie that stands up to repeat watching. Zorba teaches his English friend that one must laugh and dance through life's sorrows and disasters. The Greek traditional music used in the film is catching and is often a viewer's introduction to that form of music. Quinn's supporting cast is great! The closing scene where Zorba dances away on the beach is memorable, especially since he did the dance on a broken leg! Injury or not, Quinn did the scene with an infectious smile and humanity that makes the role of Zorba one for the ages.