Answering Nitratevile General Jackassery

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Richard M Roberts
Godfather
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Joined: Sun May 31, 2009 6:30 pm

Answering Nitratevile General Jackassery

Postby Richard M Roberts » Wed Dec 20, 2017 1:35 pm

http://www.nitrateville.com/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=25337

So Elliot Hearst decided to invoke my name as the main arbiter of meanness over at Nitwitvile (well, so much as he can't even get my middle initial right, what more can we expect?), as if I have uttered any words positive or negative over there in a long, long, time. Been gone from that nerdnest going on near five years now folks, and the nastiness, stupidity, and uncivil whining has continued unabated if perhaps even gotten worse. So gee, don't think I can be blamed for it at all these days.

But Elliot, since you wondered, yeah, it is a stupid question, so much so that no one has complained about that shot in a hundred years, I guess that since most digital transfers of THE IMMIGRANT have been slowed to such a comedy-killing crawl these days one's OCD-brain has all the time in the world to ponder such pointlessness.

And come to think of it, you're making an assumption as to the direction Chaplin's ship is going in the first place, what if they came down from Canada? In any event, definitely a stupid question in which the only sane and rational answer can be "who cares?", at least I've confirmed your suspicions.

While we're taking a holiday bash at Nitwitburg, I see someone over there also pondering the life-fulfilling question as to whether Brian Aherne was ever more than "okay", one of those typical nerd judgement calls on someone whose success in life was way beyond anything the judger most ever likely saw in their own lives but they feel it their place to be able to look down upon the poor performer. Considering he had a happy and successful career that spanned over forty years, made him pots of money, married him to Joan Fontaine in her prime, and gave him a long and prosperous life, "okay" was apparently way more than enough on Aherne's terms, try it some time Dean Thompson, before you knock it.

Ahhh, this has put me all in the Holiday mood, Nitnuts roasting on an open fire and all that, time for a Christmas movie........


RICHARD M ROBERTS

Richard M Roberts
Godfather
Posts: 2895
Joined: Sun May 31, 2009 6:30 pm

Re: Answering Nitratevile General Jackassery

Postby Richard M Roberts » Thu Dec 21, 2017 3:17 am

It keeps on giving......

A nameless one's brilliant bon-mot:

"I’d be very curious to know if anyone has ever found anything in contemporary reviews about these glitches. I have a vague recollection of a mention of the Modern Times rear projection being below standards, but am not aware of any others. Anybody know of primary sources or earliest documented references?"

Gee, somehow I doubt it, even the critics were like.......too busy laughing................and they had like ....LIVES then.....

RICHARD M ROBERTS (awaiting the first doctoral thesis study on EARLY AND PIONEERING EXAMPLES OF CINEWHINING IN MODERN AMERICAN FILM CRITICISM)

Elliot L. Hearst
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Re: Answering Nitratevile General Jackassery

Postby Elliot L. Hearst » Fri Dec 22, 2017 2:10 pm

Well, I'm glad to see I was able to get a rise out of you. I'm sorry for being careless by using the incorrect middle initial for you, but my eyesight is failing me as I enter my dotage. In fact, while I was only trying to be funny by invoking your name, I realize now that my reference to you was in fact out of line, and I will delete it. That, I apologize for.

However, I don't agree that my question was evidence of my jackassery, nor have I been diagnosed with OCD (by someone other than yourself who might actually be qualified to suggest such a thing, unless you possess a Psy.D. that I'm unaware of). It's not that I don't have anything better to think about, but as I wrote, it simply struck me as something odd, and being a New Yorker, I noticed it decades ago. I just thought I'd throw it out there to see if anyone had any idea why it appears in the film that way. Some people responded with some interesting theories, and someone even said it was a "great question!" So there.

I don't get your Canada point at all. If the immigrants were sailing down from Canada (which I strongly doubt), the shot still doesn't make any sense if you're familiar with the topography of New York Harbor.

At least I use my real name on Nitrateville.

Hoping my posting privileges here don't disappear like my hairline is,
Elliot Hearst

Steve Rydzewski
Associate
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Re: Answering Nitratevile General Jackassery

Postby Steve Rydzewski » Fri Dec 22, 2017 3:47 pm

Richard...

You are in a respected and educated class by yourself along with the rest of we merry mafioso, your friends and fans.

I too get annoyed by silly things wherever they appear such as trying to ID a familiar face. I'll admit few faces are occasionally hard, some may not even be actors. In most cases, some of the guesses are so far off I have to laugh. Most guessers are just pulling names out of their asses with no regard or attempt at a few minutes of research before jumping the gun. I don't open my mouth unless I'm very sure of an ID, or can suggest a resemblance to another player. Often there's always a mishmash of total way-off assumptions and we all remember what Benny Hill once said about assuming.

Well, what I really wanted to say was to wish you, Richard, and all our great friends here at SCM very Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year. May it bring the discovery of more lost films and more educated research, but first and foremost, good health and happiness to all.

Love you guys and girls, thank you for being there!

- Steve Rydzewski

Richard M Roberts
Godfather
Posts: 2895
Joined: Sun May 31, 2009 6:30 pm

Re: Answering Nitratevile General Jackassery

Postby Richard M Roberts » Fri Dec 22, 2017 4:55 pm

Elliot L. Hearst wrote:Well, I'm glad to see I was able to get a rise out of you. I'm sorry for being careless by using the incorrect middle initial for you, but my eyesight is failing me as I enter my dotage. In fact, while I was only trying to be funny by invoking your name, I realize now that my reference to you was in fact out of line, and I will delete it. That, I apologize for.

However, I don't agree that my question was evidence of my jackassery, nor have I been diagnosed with OCD (by someone other than yourself who might actually be qualified to suggest such a thing, unless you possess a Psy.D. that I'm unaware of). It's not that I don't have anything better to think about, but as I wrote, it simply struck me as something odd, and being a New Yorker, I noticed it decades ago. I just thought I'd throw it out there to see if anyone had any idea why it appears in the film that way. Some people responded with some interesting theories, and someone even said it was a "great question!" So there.

I don't get your Canada point at all. If the immigrants were sailing down from Canada (which I strongly doubt), the shot still doesn't make any sense if you're familiar with the topography of New York Harbor.

At least I use my real name on Nitrateville.

Hoping my posting privileges here don't disappear like my hairline is,
Elliot Hearst


The point is Elliott, you don't know whether the boat is actually travelling north, south, east, or west, which means you cannot really judge whether the Statue of Liberty is moving the right direction or not. and the fact that you would continue to worry about it indicates some level of OCD (apart from being a film nerd in general, which these days pretty much guarantees it). Film creates all of it's own space, which is how Orson Welles can have someone throw a punch in one OTHELLO shot in Morocco, then have the punchee take the blow in the next shot from Italy. Worrying about that sort of thing in a hundred-year old comedy classic puts you on the level of those types who care not that a million angels can dance on the head of a pin, but want to know how big the pin is.

Don't you dare delete my misspelled middle initial, you gave me a nice excuse to send a Holiday-razz to that idiot newsgroup, which I may remind you, the "interesting" theories and "Great Question" responses all become relative considering where they came from. I wouldn't throw you off this group for coming over and trying to stand up for yourself, I'll just happily set you straight and box your ears a little, it's all for your own good anyway. It is in your own favor that you use your real name. I wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year and hope that you also get a laugh out of THE IMMIGRANT once in awhile while you ponder so seriously directional issues.

RICHARD M ROBERTS

Bill Sprague
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Re: Answering Nitratevile General Jackassery

Postby Bill Sprague » Thu Jan 04, 2018 8:15 pm

The nonsense at Nitrateville never seems to end. It would seem that after all this time people would smarten up and stop posting nonsense Or someone should register Nitrateville as a copyright relating to nonsense and generalized mental illness and psychosis whose crazy members are worthy of living the rest of their lives in a mental institution , whether they are nameless or not. All it takes is intelligence to prove that this is not true, but it seems to me that this is not true.


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