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| Every now and then, the host, Dan B., will stick in a
shot from an art house film. Some
months ago, he featured Chris Marker's La Jetee, a cineaste's cult film,
if ever there were one. When he does a movie like this, you have to be prepared.
First, you need to identify the genre of the movie from the context of
the scene. Is it a horror film or a fantasy film? Here, the inclination
is to favor the fantasy category. The little girl (more on her later) is
not frightened by the animal's skull (or the creature inside, with his
feet sticking out). It seems like a dream sequence, hallucination, or
something of that nature. If you look closely at the dimensions of the
feet compared to the girl, then you will realize that the girl is not
human, but a doll. This suggests stop-motion animation. The
lighting suggests a European art film. Something like Delicatessen,
for example.
In order to put together a list of art-house or independent fantasy films, you will need to consult a recent book which specializes in such lists. Videohound's Independent Film Guide is an inexpensive book with just such a list. Fewer than 30 films are listed under the fantasy category. The rest of your search is just a matter of legwork, using TV Guide's online film review page, and either Reel or Amazon's site to get the cover art. The last step in your search process is to cross-check Orsofsky's database to verify that the film you plan to guess is available on Laserdisc. If you are lucky enough to own the disc, or the VHS tape, you will notice that the blond doll in the image is a miniaturized version of Alice, the title character of the movie Alice, by Jan Svankmajer. Notes: Leonard Maltin never submitted a review for this movie for inclusion in Cinemania 97. Thus if you use Cinemania as your primary search tool, you are out of luck.
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| Joan Crawford's face is so recognizable, that you should
rarely ever confuse her with another actress, such as Esther Williams,
Rosalind Russell, or whomever. In some films, like the one above, she is
strikingly beautiful, perhaps even more so, when you realize the context
of the story. Cinemania lists 20 Crawford movies available on
Laserdisc. Grand Hotel, It's a Great Feeling, and Mildred
Pierce can be eliminated because Dan has used these movies already. Johnny
Guitar, Berserk, Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?,
etc., can be eliminated using genre as a filter. Next, you have to read
the plot reviews at TV Guide to locate the film where she plays a
domestic employee (in this case, a governess). Cross-reference the
movies with photos in Citadel Press' The Films of Joan Crawford,
and you will find only one strong candidate, where the clothing, hair,
makeup and setting all fit the bill. The best choice is A Woman's
Face. The final check is to either rent the movie or borrow it from
a friend who owns The Joan Crawford Collection (on Laserdisc).
The LD has a chapter stop with the sunlamp scene.
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