Sunday, October 14, 2007

Famous Last Words- Round 1, Week 3

While some would debate the quality of my first week selection, The Big Lebowski, there's no getting around the fact that the source of last week's quote, Jean Renoir's Grand Illusion, is a classic. It's certainly one of the first in the genre to transcend the traditional good vs. evil formula, with Renoir's much-remarked-upon humanism making even the German officer a complicated, vulnerable person. And that cast! Jean Gabin, Marcel Dalio, Pierre Fresnay, the great Erich von Stroheim, and even a small role for L'Atalante star/Madonna muse Dita Parlo at the end of the film.

As luck would have it, Grand Illusion was DVD #1 for the Criterion Collection, and consequently the lucky winner of this round will be able to apply his or her shiny new $20 gift certificate from the Criterion Store towards the purchase of the Grand Illusion DVD if he or she so desires. However, there are also nearly 400 other available titles to choose from, as well as assorted Criterion and Janus gear. Perhaps you could purchase a Criterion baseball cap:

It's certain to impress movie lovers of a certain stripe, and confuse the non-initiated into wondering what the hell team you're rooting for. If nothing else, you'll certainly feel more sophisticated than the non-South Carolina fans who think it's funny to wear this hat:

But then, who wouldn't?

Anyway, here's your quote for this week:

"Now... where was I?"

Common enough, but at the end of the film? Remember, e-mail your answers to this address by 11:59 pm Saturday. See you next week!

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