Guess the Movie

[Griffin NoName]

I think the man is just directing them to the outside lavatories

[Opsa]

Difficult to make out the details. Do I see that correctly that there are a little boy and girl on the stairs with the man behind them? Has the man a scarf over his face in order not to get recognized? What's in his hand, a weapon (can't see that clearly). In that case it looks liike a kidnapping or hostage situation. I guess this is a built set, not on location. Otherwise it would be difficult so set up the lighting so high up.

Yes to boy and girl, no to scarf and weapon. No to kidnapping or hostage, exactly. Yes to set.

I think the man is just directing them to the outside lavatories

If I were them, I would need a lavatory.

[Swatopluk]

Is it a UNIVERSAL film?
something about who slew grandma Rue?

[Opsa]

Nope.

[Swatopluk]

So, the kids do not just need the lavatory because they are full of shit?

Edit: The Night of the Hunter maybe?

[Opsa]

You got it!

Phoeey- I knew it was too easy. But I just had this movie on the brain. Haven't seen it in a while, though.

My final clue was to be this photo: (an amazing shot- apparently they filmed Shelly Winters in front of a powerful fan and then filmed her swaying back and forth in slow motion to get the underwater sensation)

[Swatopluk]

Ironically I have not seen the movie* but saw an ad in the papers a few days ago.
Otherwise it would likely never have come to mind.

Since it was obviously an American movie with a slightly Gothic look but not a Universal, I thought about films with two kids in (I assumed) an unpleasant situation (either causing it or be subjected to it). That spawned my first guess of Auntie Rew (not grandma Rue). Then I had to find out the title of the film I guessed next (that from the ad). I knew it was about Mitchum as a psychopathic preacher. That was enough to google it and check pictures for style. In one or two those backstairs were visible. A week ago and I would not have guessed it without many more hints.

I'll look for something a wee more difficult

*only a single scene in Scorcese's  Personal Journey through American Movies

[Opsa]

Duje seriously, you have got to see "Night of the Hunter". It is riveting.

[Swatopluk]

I'll add it to the list. But it is sooo long already. I'm the Trsitram Shandy of movie watching.

[Griffin NoName]

I thought the set looked really cardboard cutout. Never seen the movie, would never have guessed. But I am really bad at this game anyway.

[Opsa]

That is one of the reasons why I like Night of the Hunter, because it is so theatrically set and lit. It is considered to be Film Noir, which I love because of the artfulness. I usually think of Film Noir as being city-based, but NOTH takes place out in the countryside, with all it's weird country people. Robert Mitchum scared the heck out of me when I first saw this on TV as a kid, with his preacher's hat and "LOVE" and "HATE" tatooed on his knuckles. As he stalks the kids,  he sings
"Leaning, leaning,
Safe and secure from all alarms
Leaning, leaning,
leaning on the everlasting arms"
Which to this day I cannot hear without the little hairs on my arms standing up. His character is just a dangerous hoodlum dressed like a preacher. We're not fooled by him and the kids are not fooled by him, but their poor Mom sure is.

There is nothing realistic about this movie, and it unfolds like a strange dream. I just love it.

Okay, who's next?

[Swatopluk]

That would be me but I have not yet decided which film to choose.

[Sibling Zono (anon1mat0)]

We should place some rules to avoid incredibly obscure films, how about a round with blockbusters, the challenge is to get the shots from a movie that everybody has seen and be hard to guess. We can limit the hints to make it more challenging.

[Swatopluk]

Do you think I have such films in my collection?

[Sibling Zono (anon1mat0)]

I'm sure the level of success of a movie can be agreed upon, sadly IMDB doesn't have records for box office with older movies and only from the 80s onward there is some data, still I think you could tell, movies like Ben Hur or Lawrence of Arabia no only had large budgets but large attendance (and I'm sure you have some of those in your collection).