Here he is as the dastardly Rupert of Hentzau. The ultimate opportunist. He was so malevolent and funny. That sword fight was awesome and it's the first time I've cheered when a villain got away. Not sure if it's in the book, but it seemed like such a clever idea to let such a likeable and charismatic villain get away. He stole the film with his wicked and unflappable presence.

I'd only ever seen him in Little Caesar before, in which he doesn't have the most interesting of roles performing as a straight man. So I never rated him as an actor. So when I looked up Rupert on the cast list at the end, I was delighted to see it was him as I vaguely recognised him. Please do let me know if there are any other performances of his I should be checking out.

Interesting to see him sort of playing the antithesis of his father's roles in this.

According to Wikipedia:

Douglas Fairbanks Jr. initially wanted to play Rudolf, but when the role went to Colman, his father, Douglas Fairbanks, told him "not only is The Prisoner of Zenda one of the best romances written in a hundred years and always a success, but Rupert of Hentzau is probably one of the best villains ever written".

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I love this movie! I challenge you to find a Hays Code era film queerer than this one. 😅😅

I'm not complaining, but how did Desert Fury make it past the censors? Eddie and Johnny were most definitely a couple. How else can you explain Johnny's jealousy and resentment when Paula seduces his man?

And then you have Mary Astor camping it up as Fritzi—LOVE. She treats Paula more like a lover than a daughter, especially with lines like, "Give me a kiss, baby."

I wonder if all of this subtext was intentional on the part of the writer, director, or actors, or if it genuinely never crossed their minds.

Film starts at 7:15. Kind of fun to not know exactly which film they are going to show.

Currently rewatching this gem. One of the first classic films I saw. I remember seeing this on television one night and found that I was unable to look away. Natalie Wood and Tony Curtis were amazing together. Their chemistry was phenomenal.

No sexual answers, please. Don't be weird.

I just watched it. I liked it, 5 out of 5. What are this sub's thoughts on it?

I've only recently discovered the short but shiny moment of queer visibility that happened 100 years ago. It's called "The Pansy Craze" which overlaps a ton with pre-hays code films. Did everyone know about it already? If not...

In the late 1920s and early 1930s, queer performers were headliners, drawing huge crowds, and appearing in mainstream entertainment. Then came a backlash that pushed that visibility underground.

Sound familiar? Yeah, it's happening again.

I was so engrossed in this topic, that I watched a bunch of pre-code films and created a youtube video about it. What's your favorite pre-code film? Any recommendations?

In the movie, the scene where the female lead Terry (Deborah Kerr) sings was not voiced by the actress herself, but by the famous classical singer and dubbing specialist Marni Nixon. Marni Nixon is very well known for exclusively dubbing the singing scenes of famous actresses of that era, such as Deborah Kerr in The King and I, Audrey Hepburn in My Fair Lady, and Natalie Wood in West Side Story.

Love the elegant green skirt and the "Early Summer" (初夏) typography at the bottom. Sharing this beautiful piece of history with fellow classic film lovers! ✨☺️

I’m currently binging Katharine Hepburn movies and these are the only ones I can’t find streaming anywhere unless I want to buy/rent them. Anywhere legit I can stream these?

I’m thinking Robert Wagner Jr. and Debra Paget, his love interest in “Stars and Stripes Forever” (1952). The only other couple that comes to mind is Rita Moreno and George Chakiris in “West Side Story” (1961). Any other surviving movie couples from way back when you can think of?