I'm a bit like a crow for I love shiny objects. When I was up at the library DVD section, I picked up
Auntie Mame (1957). I love most pre-60's early Technicolor movies because there was a conscious effort to place colour in each shot. Wardrobes didn't have to look natural they only had to look good together!
Anyway, it's more than cinematography that I enjoy in movies created before I was born. Back when American films were primarily for English-speaking audiences they had good screenwriters. Here's a little sample:
[Pouring Agnes a drink]
Mame: This will calm you down.
Agnes Gooch: Oh, no! Spirits do the most horrible thing to me. I'm not the same person!
Mame: What's wrong with that?
Agnes Gooch: Will it mix with Dr. Pepper?
Mame: He'll love it! Drink!
I saw
Casino Royale (2006) this week. It was good. I enjoyed it and figure they kept it Bond-ish enough. Of course there was lots of action. The only dialog I can really recall is a bit of fun they had poking at the old martini quip.
James Bond: Vodka-martini.
Bartender: Shaken or stirred?
James Bond: Does it look like I give a damn?
I'd say it's too bad that worldwide box office receipts are such a driving force in movies nowadays. The less clever dialog there is, the less translation there has to be.
