James Cagney & Horst Buchholtz - Torture/Rescue/Chase Scene - "One, Two, Three" (1961)

[555paint]

a cold war classic

[haranoe]

@555paint An all-time classic. PERIOD.

[555paint]

@haranoe well i say cold war classic. it was topical comedy for the day and it was great but i am not sure it holds up in post cold war era.

[haranoe]

@555paint Precisely because of the way he pokes fun at politics and beliefs, it goes beyond the era and the countries it depicts: I wish a comedy of the sort COULD be made today about our times. That's also the reason why the film was not widely appreciated back then: in such a sensitive topic in 1961, it shows both sides as what they pathetically were/are, instead of joining the partisanship and double-crossing it deeply criticizes even more than just light-heartedly satirizes.

[555paint]

@haranoe well i agree there are no topical political comedies like this any more...for whatever reason--public doesnt like em anymore or late nite does the same job etc. In those days a poitical satire was rare but no it is relentless on late nite and hey let's face the poltiticans do a good enough job on their own now e.g. Weiner. Also a movie like this was necessary (I am guessing) back in those days to let off some pressure.

[haranoe]

@555paint But comedy shows offer comedy bites. It's like there were not feature movies anymore, only short commercial movies.

[555paint]

@haranoe look i agree, i want more topical political comedies feature movies...like this one. I was just trying to figure out why they disappeared (more or less) and I am guessing cuz Late Nite has taken over that franchise and I think the public just doesnt want it anymore. Gotta remember when One Two Three came out there was no Late Nite. But I agree feature movies offer--or can offer--a lot more as demo in this movie

[haranoe]

@555paint I don't intend being the usual pain in the ass by insisting... I will only add that: 1. back then there was a far clearer, more easily simplified perception of what was wrong and what had to be fought, while today there are so many points to be taken into account from so many perspectives that it's much more difficult to reduce it all to the puppetry of this film 2. today, access to and flow of information is incredibly more snippy and widespread.

[555paint]

@haranoe true, the contrast in the world was somewhat more stark in early 60s, on the other hand as i said we saw some few movie-polticial-comedies in post cold war e.g. Wag the Dog which a kinda of simple premise: start a war to divert domestic critcism.

[555paint]

@haranoe I guess the cloest thing to a simliar political comedy these days would have be Wag the Dog but I think One Two Three placed in the context of the times was better, of course they had the advantage of Cagney and Wiilder etc. --hard to recreate that combination.

[bobandrayfan1]

It's on youtube now..in 20 parts!

[lookingonn]

That was a funny scene.

[htuomnom]

It's to bad you can not put the full movie on you tube.

[bobandrayfan1]

@htuomnom it's on youtube now in 20 parts!