BellonaTimes wrote:harvey wrote:Filmed versions of Vanity Fair: Any recommendations ... ?
I'm surprised you didn't mention the 1930's production of
Becky Sharp starring Miriam Hopkins.
To relieve your surprise, I had singled out a few of the more
interesting movie versions available at the public library
(I particularly like actress Susan Hampshire) and, yes, I knew about
Becky Sharp (1935), which is reputed to be well-worth the watch.
It's based on a play which is, in turn, based on the book.
In fact, I have the
video file of
Becky Sharp from archive.org.
I've watched only a few minutes so far. I'm a bit frustrated about it
because I know that there were a lot of inferior film copies made
for theater use when the movie was released and that UCLA has a
restored version which people who've seen it say has great picture
quality, but which has never been released for sale.
Becky Sharp is interesting historically as the first movie released in
full (three-strip) Technicolor. I don't know if that also means the
first in full color, since I don't know if Technicolor had any competitors
then. Technicolor had previously developed a two-strip color film
(captured red, including flesh tones, and green, but no blue), which
dates from at least 1930 (the earliest example I've seen).
Can't stand Hopkins except in These Three and when Bette Davis
shakes her in Old Acquaintance.
I like Miriam Hopkins in the two movies I've seen with her:
Barbary Coast (1935), with Edward G. Robinson and Joel McCrea,
directed by Howard Hawks. Takes place in San Francisco during the
California Gold Rush. It has adventure, drama, and romance. There's
a triangle among the three main characters. (Trivia: banned in
Finland in 1936.)
Trouble in Paradise (1932) with Herbert Marshall and Kay Francis,
directed by Ernst Lubitsch. A romantic comedy. The dinner scene
with Hopkins and Marshall at the beginning is a classic. It, too, has
a triangle among the three main characters. (Trivia: also banned
in Finland; did they have something against Ms. Hopkins?)
Unfortunately, our library has neither of her two movies you like.