tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-71854824209299956172024-03-19T17:05:54.813+11:00Classic Movie RamblingsMovies from the silent era up to the 1960sdfordoomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02306293859869179118noreply@blogger.comBlogger1224125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7185482420929995617.post-20983805678007442432024-03-18T14:24:00.000+11:002024-03-18T14:24:44.367+11:00Carry On Loving (1970)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXbWJXK_YwM0wec4685h_uJtzeM5G63fhU-tHYzGrGOFOHBN2JW8nlYz6omJDPTHq4KKxTCZ8uh0D4KMr1W1Gy4K4-kx_1ko9HBtb835JV2K7xnmdXHdbKUFHuijkzpmzu9SlD67Kiojvjjdb95-LdnWcQD8VMUjGSaZTeB3OeK7gwBSL5vC3tIGYdE10/s1600/Carry%20On%20Loving1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1203" data-original-width="1600" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXbWJXK_YwM0wec4685h_uJtzeM5G63fhU-tHYzGrGOFOHBN2JW8nlYz6omJDPTHq4KKxTCZ8uh0D4KMr1W1Gy4K4-kx_1ko9HBtb835JV2K7xnmdXHdbKUFHuijkzpmzu9SlD67Kiojvjjdb95-LdnWcQD8VMUjGSaZTeB3OeK7gwBSL5vC3tIGYdE10/s320/Carry%20On%20Loving1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><i>Carry On Loving</i>, released in 1970, was the 20th movie in the Carry On series. There are those who feel that it’s a bit more risqué than previous Carry Ons. Perhaps it is, just a little. There are also those who feel that the series was starting to become a bit stale by this time, an opinion with which I strongly disagree. <br /><br />This entry in the cycle features most of the much-loved series regulars.<br /><br />This time the subject is marriage. Mr and Mrs Sidney Bliss (Sid James and Hattie Jacques) run the Wedded Bliss Marriage Bureau, a computerised dating service which is rather less high-tech than it appears to be. Mrs Bliss suspects that her husband is sampling the female merchandise, keeping the most desirable ladies for himself. In particular she thinks he’s having it off with Esme Crowfoot (Joan Sims).<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyhgY8T19kj2t9OL5noidZ3raz5FrCOL04Lvn-sHeyffDhbrsscjL-bl99R8-VYH5GL_ftW-SFN9AK1_DWLJxFGoX0wTMr-zZVmeJcCFfogSY2_guGBWa9NhUy-b85UwuL2Ctit4n25STlvG6hBe3iO_EJxRKJz_cx_faSv-LsMQZw3oug1UXk3fB-tX8/s794/CarryOnLoving1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="794" height="181" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyhgY8T19kj2t9OL5noidZ3raz5FrCOL04Lvn-sHeyffDhbrsscjL-bl99R8-VYH5GL_ftW-SFN9AK1_DWLJxFGoX0wTMr-zZVmeJcCFfogSY2_guGBWa9NhUy-b85UwuL2Ctit4n25STlvG6hBe3iO_EJxRKJz_cx_faSv-LsMQZw3oug1UXk3fB-tX8/s320/CarryOnLoving1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>She hires a thoroughly inept private eye (played by Charles Hawtrey) to find out just what Sid is up to. <br /><br />Mr Snooper (Kenneth Williams) has his own problems. He’s a marriage guidance counsellor but he’s not married and he’s been told he’ll lose his job if he doesn’t acquire a wife pronto. He turns to the Wedded Bliss agency for help.<br /><br />There are all the misunderstandings you’d expect in a Carry On movie. Shy young virgin Bertrum Muffet (Richard O’Callaghan) is set up to meet Esme Crowfoot but he ends up meeting a photographic pin-up model instead. He has no idea she is a model and is shocked when she immediately wants to take her clothes off.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgm4cwPo9X7HQqd9863C8DlLDYxjar457uRVbdwsSXu74EDJAvo2bc0YR-td9_mQxm4U6fGy_iHHhnrPw6ZpiWej_MXiP0QwFJdhg6AnS0IdHEbhR9y_SbpGH94Pob4jU9EuNVUzVOBCCmgtXSGcsIuNmyipvZR7Xuxykn_aRDb1pxLni0Wbzw-s-P2LM/s795/CarryOnLoving2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="449" data-original-width="795" height="181" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgm4cwPo9X7HQqd9863C8DlLDYxjar457uRVbdwsSXu74EDJAvo2bc0YR-td9_mQxm4U6fGy_iHHhnrPw6ZpiWej_MXiP0QwFJdhg6AnS0IdHEbhR9y_SbpGH94Pob4jU9EuNVUzVOBCCmgtXSGcsIuNmyipvZR7Xuxykn_aRDb1pxLni0Wbzw-s-P2LM/s320/CarryOnLoving2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>This is the second date the agency has arranged for him. The first one ended disastrously, landing him in the midst of an incredibly gloomy and crazy family.<br /><br />The great thing about the Carry Ons is that even when you know exactly where a scene is heading it’s still funny. In fact the anticipation makes it funnier. And this is a very funny Carry On movie.<br /><br /><br />Everyone is in fine form. Sid James is sneaky and lecherous, Hattie Jacques is a bit of a dragon, Kenneth Williams is the world’s worst marriage guidance counsellor. Bernard Bresslaw has great fun as Esme’s terrifying wrestler ex-boyfriend Gripper Burke. Joan Sims, Terry Scott and Charles Hawtrey are as reliable as ever. Newcomer Richard O’Callaghan plays a role that in previous movies would certainly have gone to Jim Dale but he does a fine job as a good-natured innocent.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8Ib_3fYfyMWnLte3BzqWqUhDX7jPhDr5NACufOHpB_zR_-stkZFWc0IY9VxFvs849XAX3AaYkrDs2wvhRbOiXbnKaE8Ulf3xU5kIrzhvg9WxYbrya4-TfZBtd8UfSSBgnnURV5hal6e7JIarB2bD36Rj8kwFTsgkMrw38zOG4aHmq-B04q8WN86r9b_M/s794/CarryOnLoving3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="446" data-original-width="794" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8Ib_3fYfyMWnLte3BzqWqUhDX7jPhDr5NACufOHpB_zR_-stkZFWc0IY9VxFvs849XAX3AaYkrDs2wvhRbOiXbnKaE8Ulf3xU5kIrzhvg9WxYbrya4-TfZBtd8UfSSBgnnURV5hal6e7JIarB2bD36Rj8kwFTsgkMrw38zOG4aHmq-B04q8WN86r9b_M/s320/CarryOnLoving3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>This movie takes the same irreverent attitude towards marriage that the Carry Ons took towards everything else. Irreverent, but not hostile. The Carry Ons had no political barrow to push, which is why they’re so refreshing to watch today. The aim is to provide laughs, and Talbot Rothwell’s script provides plenty of those. <br /><br />By this time the Carry On franchise was humming along like a well-oiled machine. Everybody, from director Gerald Thomas down to the humblest crew member or bit-part actor, knew what to do and how to do it. These were very modestly budgeted moves but very professionally made.<br /><br />There’s a vast amount of sexual innuendo, all of it good-natured. Men are made fun of, and so are women. Authority figures are regarded with a certain scepticism.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnjkRklag7-ZfeXnamaBPwsBsiXzTGWajSuyLufRpqZKoVzhv-acN33yviJOxsbgRnaB0VfE5dsM4M7fPMS6hVxi21F-EHqOrmjfHNdneoMbDBQqnVM1d0DBZQXfHpwF62tbc-jnjWWPaYHQm17Td9OoDyS1h6SHLL2lcBlj2tocevsPpeAooETxxT6Xw/s794/CarryOnLoving4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="448" data-original-width="794" height="181" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnjkRklag7-ZfeXnamaBPwsBsiXzTGWajSuyLufRpqZKoVzhv-acN33yviJOxsbgRnaB0VfE5dsM4M7fPMS6hVxi21F-EHqOrmjfHNdneoMbDBQqnVM1d0DBZQXfHpwF62tbc-jnjWWPaYHQm17Td9OoDyS1h6SHLL2lcBlj2tocevsPpeAooETxxT6Xw/s320/CarryOnLoving4.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Critics never had much love for the Carry On movies which committed the cardinal sin of being immensely popular with ordinary audiences. The opinions of the critics were irrelevant. <i>Carry On Loving</i> did very nicely at the box office.<br /><br /><i>Carry On Loving </i>is naughty (in an innocent wort of way) and it’s funny. Highly recommended.<br /><br />This movie is part of the Carry On Collection DVD boxed set. It gets a good 16:9 enhanced transfer with quite a few extras. Jacki Piper joins Richard O’Callaghan for an amusing audio commentary. They both have very happy memories of working on this movie.<br /><div><br /></div><div><div>I’ve reviewed lots of the Carry On movies including my personal favourite <a href="https://princeplanetmovies.blogspot.com/2016/09/carry-on-cleo-1964.html" target="_blank">Carry On Cleo</a> (1964), <a href="https://princeplanetmovies.blogspot.com/2015/11/dont-lose-your-head-1966.html" target="_blank">Don't Lose Your Head</a> (1966), <a href="https://princeplanetmovies.blogspot.com/2015/09/carry-on-henry-1971.html" target="_blank">Carry On Henry</a> (1971) and the unfairly maligned <a href="https://princeplanetmovies.blogspot.com/2023/06/carry-on-emmannuelle-1978.html" target="_blank">Carry On Emmannuelle</a> (1978).</div></div>dfordoomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02306293859869179118noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7185482420929995617.post-50666813488216325572024-03-14T22:18:00.000+11:002024-03-14T22:18:10.891+11:00Heat Lightning (1934)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgJOOb-qX9c41j7kXqn1AvEK43o_RYH6b2fLka_rRl3M5J4C3TmdNWU8GCh3wLb25t34z3SM20RixF4ybfBcLfGZyBBhEyxqGzLaNJS6h4_0eEQkDbvPpFhdoRYOeEjsXbyG8GOKcfmQqBjxg9BhisZ9IBYGm6NIsfJeyQEv25A91jBJRFjYqb4u2Ufo8/s1041/Heat%20Lightning2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="805" data-original-width="1041" height="247" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgJOOb-qX9c41j7kXqn1AvEK43o_RYH6b2fLka_rRl3M5J4C3TmdNWU8GCh3wLb25t34z3SM20RixF4ybfBcLfGZyBBhEyxqGzLaNJS6h4_0eEQkDbvPpFhdoRYOeEjsXbyG8GOKcfmQqBjxg9BhisZ9IBYGm6NIsfJeyQEv25A91jBJRFjYqb4u2Ufo8/s320/Heat%20Lightning2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><i>Heat Lightning</i> is a 1934 melodrama from Warner Brothers. It’s the sort of material that a few years later might have been given more of a noir treatment but it actually works just fine as it is.<br /><br />Olga (Aline MacMahon) and her kid sister Myra (Ann Dvorak) run a gas station, lunch counter and fleabag motel in the middle of the Mojave Desert. Olga is in charge and she also acts as mechanic.<br /><br />Olga takes life pretty seriously. She seems to be trying very hard to repress her femininity, and her emotions.<br /><br />She is very protective, perhaps over-protective, of her sister. She is particularly concerned to keep Myra away from Steve Laird and in this case she may be right. He does apparently have quite a bad boy reputation where the ladies are concerned.<br /><br />Olga wants to protect Myra from men. It isn’t hard to figure out that Olga has had plenty of experience with men, not all of it good. She’s clearly a woman with a past.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaPPq7D1gqvRpzaY9IzokeVqHodJgPRJWjIsI40DQMy-pd2hay-DjRHzm4SgdK9pRAMUKpJO1nuYXRDnENUwq2fj0tK5TgHwb73Ad-Mna9_nwQ0AMVPOlqt4vjxYNzKsbHIkIonK4JW02GSjMQE5cyoH5iJMiIE7GfAJRBDeBqzBAmNP8Ng5xdacHFymM/s625/HeatLightning1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="465" data-original-width="625" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaPPq7D1gqvRpzaY9IzokeVqHodJgPRJWjIsI40DQMy-pd2hay-DjRHzm4SgdK9pRAMUKpJO1nuYXRDnENUwq2fj0tK5TgHwb73Ad-Mna9_nwQ0AMVPOlqt4vjxYNzKsbHIkIonK4JW02GSjMQE5cyoH5iJMiIE7GfAJRBDeBqzBAmNP8Ng5xdacHFymM/s320/HeatLightning1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Suddenly it seems like everybody is heading for Olga’s gas station. You’d wonder how such an isolated gas station could get so many customers, but then for anyone motoring in these parts there’s just nowhere else to end up.<br /><br />Some of the customers on this particular day are going to shake the foundation of Olga’s life to the core.<br /><br />One of these customers is George (Preston Foster). He knew Olga a long time ago, when she was a very different person. He knew her very very well. They were lovers, and one assumes that they were involved together in various activities of dubious legality. George has turned up with Jeff (Lyle Talbot). We soon find out that they have just robbed a bank, and shot a bank guard. This is exactly why Olga now lives in the middle of the Mojave Desert. She wanted to get right away from George.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg19LJG42MPK-MbR9XdIqhVaWXQbyR9bkywruScX6mAyL-PdYfPQ74-jt9AnS1WQTNZiKIpeBbFUzw-0LriJfjLP7qKCkNkQzs-QraTgWRTwIp75JRJBze5Pz3GnYOyxbtnPYTyyzFuKueXtlQIy1gEHdVPzeUGjCWEABzVCSYZQR4TwUUmPJFXE6zcg-Y/s624/HeatLightning2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="466" data-original-width="624" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg19LJG42MPK-MbR9XdIqhVaWXQbyR9bkywruScX6mAyL-PdYfPQ74-jt9AnS1WQTNZiKIpeBbFUzw-0LriJfjLP7qKCkNkQzs-QraTgWRTwIp75JRJBze5Pz3GnYOyxbtnPYTyyzFuKueXtlQIy1gEHdVPzeUGjCWEABzVCSYZQR4TwUUmPJFXE6zcg-Y/s320/HeatLightning2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Staying at the motel overnight are Mrs Tifton (Glenda Farrell) and Mrs Ashton-Ashley (Ruth Donnelly). They’re not exactly respectable ladies. They’re both man-eaters.<br /><br />The sexual tension between Olga and George just keeps rising. Olga doesn’t want to admit that seeing him still does things to her. There’s also a certain amount of sexual tension between Mrs Tifton and her chauffeur Frank (Frank McHugh). But then there’s always going to be sexual tension when Mrs Tifton is around.<br /><br />George and Jeff are headed for the Mexican border but George has other things planned before they leave and those other things will precipitate a crisis.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGce_Mv-m5ihRM-C7855ZpiJZEQEzXsPhM-qdpO3EOehXTPk_HEM8TMg0r-QQT5J23skFLMWqV44cHMcq6ciKzKNG9EV-i4UGJ0vACpkwZhuPRcseo_rF2LurETWWgaZEGOjkLvIGqZ_CwjlW8jo4iMeEv6nuZms4B-JsqT5pTucGUkpPYrWs8V7jqIlA/s622/HeatLightning3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="464" data-original-width="622" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGce_Mv-m5ihRM-C7855ZpiJZEQEzXsPhM-qdpO3EOehXTPk_HEM8TMg0r-QQT5J23skFLMWqV44cHMcq6ciKzKNG9EV-i4UGJ0vACpkwZhuPRcseo_rF2LurETWWgaZEGOjkLvIGqZ_CwjlW8jo4iMeEv6nuZms4B-JsqT5pTucGUkpPYrWs8V7jqIlA/s320/HeatLightning3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>The core of the movie is the relationship between the two sisters. Olga’s over-protectiveness has made Myra man-crazy. She feels totally cut off from life and she has a desperate need for a social life and she is desperate to find a man. Olga fears Myra will make all the mistakes that she made. She’s probably right, but she doesn’t realise that forcing Myra into open rebellion will make things worse. <br /><br />Olga thinks she has successfully repressed her sexual and emotional longings but all that flies out the window when she sees George again.<br /><br />It’s a tough role for Aline MacMahon. She has to make Olga sympathetic and that’s not easy. Olga is a very prickly character. She also has to convince us that inside Olga is a mass of conflicting passions and fears. MacMahon does a pretty good job of it.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXSHC_ghWzrmo-2ZTxFFPZa2R2dRxyb8CLLF1bEWZsrSTEX7BjDZUoOAzDCUy7dzOcEsQ2yGoldQoENXwX_VUoLXMbLVNK5zzEdI7wFNXsZxO1r6FuBh3hznRTD5hneN-gsShmJERqq2eOMDc6Angf2EQYgiB6hYNEF8liXAqPvwvXUjMweOZgHiSTOzo/s624/HeatLightning4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="466" data-original-width="624" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXSHC_ghWzrmo-2ZTxFFPZa2R2dRxyb8CLLF1bEWZsrSTEX7BjDZUoOAzDCUy7dzOcEsQ2yGoldQoENXwX_VUoLXMbLVNK5zzEdI7wFNXsZxO1r6FuBh3hznRTD5hneN-gsShmJERqq2eOMDc6Angf2EQYgiB6hYNEF8liXAqPvwvXUjMweOZgHiSTOzo/s320/HeatLightning4.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Ann Dvorak has a fairly tough role as well. Myra’s judgment is disastrously poor but we have to care about her. Dvorak does a fine job as well.<br /><br />Glenda Farrell is a lot of fun, as usual. Preston Foster as the manipulative George and Lyle Talbot as the easily-led and easily panicked Jeff are both good.<br /><br />The desert setting works well. Everything about the movie is as overheated as the weather. There’s a bit of humour but it’s used to increase the sense of emotional and sexual tensions building to boiling point.<br /><br />A fine well-crafted overwrought melodrama and the ending is satisfying. Highly recommended.<br /><br />The Warner Archive DVD release is barebones but looks good.dfordoomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02306293859869179118noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7185482420929995617.post-17175540763983794462024-03-12T13:00:00.001+11:002024-03-12T13:01:56.830+11:00The Oyster Princess (1919)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvUyT5FkVZoayHjLUdE7_ZGmgJFV5Vcm5OhpBCioK9zQpzjlyvdMRVHn4N4jJHllpJ0QGqjqMthtz9cCoigHb74AE7juAMpNH5Uga74O7WqWMvRRYnJW4Jb2LQ8EefwYi0DmdZoQhl3fIoLkkELGF6pqwv7xpQa_J92Xp_J_IQ0upNJp78TImazGNC84M/s660/Oyster%20Princess1.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="660" data-original-width="440" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvUyT5FkVZoayHjLUdE7_ZGmgJFV5Vcm5OhpBCioK9zQpzjlyvdMRVHn4N4jJHllpJ0QGqjqMthtz9cCoigHb74AE7juAMpNH5Uga74O7WqWMvRRYnJW4Jb2LQ8EefwYi0DmdZoQhl3fIoLkkELGF6pqwv7xpQa_J92Xp_J_IQ0upNJp78TImazGNC84M/w133-h200/Oyster%20Princess1.jpg" width="133" /></a></div><i>The Oyster Princess</i> (<i>Die Austernprinze</i>) is a very early German Ernst Lubitsch film, described as a grotesque comedy which sums it up quite well.<br /><br />If you’re only familiar with Lubitsch’s Hollywood movies his German silent movies will come as a major shock. They’re wild and crazy. Lubitsch invented his own genres as he went along. These movies obey none of the rules of conventional film-making that became established with the coming of the sound, but they don’t even obey any of the rules of silent film-making. Lubitsch just didn’t care about rules at this stage of his career. He was wildly experimental. I’d be tempted to describe the young Lubitsch as an avant-garde film-maker but that gives the impression of someone taking himself very seriously and Lubitsch wasn’t taking himself seriously at all. He was making fun movies. They were crazy, but they were fun.<br /><br /><i>The Oyster Princess</i> is the story of Ossi (Ossi Oswalda), the daughter of American millionaire tycoon Quaker (Victor Janson). Quaker made his fortune from oysters. He’s the oyster king.<br /><br />Ossi is throwing an epic tantrum. She has just heard that the daughter of America’s shoe-polish king has married a count. She now expects to marry a man at least equal to a count, preferably outranking a count. To calm her down her father promises to buy her a prince.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZQCns6XvKob1K_2nkAajy44OkwkaokMKTSxooTcZHb-Iph2YwHUFEJ0xjUVA7ForXAOh6lvA1N0yUloaDQb2wQO6DI-mMziZ1c0MDTsNnUCO9Re2bc_GKlkc5FgfpRN8eNrjWjz9jWKnkSK2Ch19g79JGHKfsednf_OkbSn71pyd5g8fBbQhY4epzWUo/s613/OysterPrincess1.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="467" data-original-width="613" height="244" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZQCns6XvKob1K_2nkAajy44OkwkaokMKTSxooTcZHb-Iph2YwHUFEJ0xjUVA7ForXAOh6lvA1N0yUloaDQb2wQO6DI-mMziZ1c0MDTsNnUCO9Re2bc_GKlkc5FgfpRN8eNrjWjz9jWKnkSK2Ch19g79JGHKfsednf_OkbSn71pyd5g8fBbQhY4epzWUo/s320/OysterPrincess1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Quaker engages the services of renowned matchmaker Seligsohn (Max Kronert). Quaker places a firm order for a prince.<br /><br />Fortunately in Europe in 1919 princes could be picked up quite inexpensively. There were plenty of noblemen who had lost their estates and fortunes in wars and revolutions. All of them would jump at the chance to marry a millionaire’s daughter.<br /><br />Such a nobleman is Prince Nucki (Harry Liedtke). He is a real prince but he shares a squalid tenement apartment with his buddy Josef (Julius Falkenstein). Josef is in theory the prince’s aide-de-camp, and his only servant. Prince Nucki doesn’t have two pfennigs to rub together. What he has are debts. The marriage sounds like a fine idea.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi20AEH43TrpzcBrx3awAdHqZPcb3lUFOfwIjQ53HuUzLBjyA3RdftHJtwVoZR939jPxo_EneJfvURjRAZBsoTkcree9UJ_PsY6I7UTXipP-0Mniuv96DFo_AKcVruX2uCRtZjl8dpcU1oMw0kBbtxmskM4XI7h7zcPR-Kbu7eebqZ0E72EYYkQ_9q50JM/s607/OysterPrincess2.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="465" data-original-width="607" height="245" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi20AEH43TrpzcBrx3awAdHqZPcb3lUFOfwIjQ53HuUzLBjyA3RdftHJtwVoZR939jPxo_EneJfvURjRAZBsoTkcree9UJ_PsY6I7UTXipP-0Mniuv96DFo_AKcVruX2uCRtZjl8dpcU1oMw0kBbtxmskM4XI7h7zcPR-Kbu7eebqZ0E72EYYkQ_9q50JM/s320/OysterPrincess2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Josef is dispatched to the Quaker mansion to meet Ossi and to make arrangements for the wedding. <br /><br />Josef is certainly impressed by Quaker’s wealth. His mansion isn’t the size of a small palace, it’s the size of a large palace. Ossi doesn’t have a personal maid. She has two dozen personal maids.<br /><br />The wedding doesn’t turn out quite as expected. Ossi gets married, but to whom?<br /><br />This is not a bedroom farce and it’s not really a bawdy comedy. It pokes fun at millionaires and princes but it’s not really a satire. It’s certainly not a realist film but it’s not a fantasy. Everything is highly exaggerated but it doesn’t feel like surrealism. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9lOx_wBoWK38iDxpS5der6Kon6sAiLtB3NUTCDp1GtvPiGd5dqSHxkZFjRRTnxU2V1o2ZsMe8v3Uv8_uJyNAUdbn-Ggu3_ykjQT2BFUh7QvNbCadhAUan_IhXR4FEZPm-dPbyOq192-BLjMqtUzYb0-NWQqxqTC74S5zpHsMF_Nku-cO51Bgqa7YzBFM/s606/OysterPrincess3.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="467" data-original-width="606" height="247" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9lOx_wBoWK38iDxpS5der6Kon6sAiLtB3NUTCDp1GtvPiGd5dqSHxkZFjRRTnxU2V1o2ZsMe8v3Uv8_uJyNAUdbn-Ggu3_ykjQT2BFUh7QvNbCadhAUan_IhXR4FEZPm-dPbyOq192-BLjMqtUzYb0-NWQqxqTC74S5zpHsMF_Nku-cO51Bgqa7YzBFM/s320/OysterPrincess3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>There is romance, but this film doesn’t neatly fit the romance genre either.<br /><br />It’s a bit of all those things blended into an intoxicating cocktail.<br /><br />There has never been an actress quite like Ossi Oswalda. She made a series of films for Lubitsch and her performances are always bizarre and over-the-top but she’s quite different in each film. She had a knack of being bizarre and loveable at the same time. A strange actress but a fascinating one.<br /><br /><i>The Oyster Princess</i> doesn’t have the overt and deliberate extreme artificiality or the extreme stylisation of other early Lubitsch movies, but you can sense that he’s starting to move in that direction.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHwWo6jANnNTlZyvkVdiDtuOHNhOhr_xuAypVESUwc2Ve64zpNqgfCRjMo8mEwGITbXyEQnr_mruYmZQfXY-TxwxLtVkmcEi4Vk5eqUDL7jjBRrmyjXLP3E6Ex-0JHkNg_qhyphenhyphenYxt3yh6JTFQzBsApLBJX7CoDlRpR0PELCgFgATy6KDbVt5e_tt6uNAZ4/s618/OysterPrincess4.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="464" data-original-width="618" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHwWo6jANnNTlZyvkVdiDtuOHNhOhr_xuAypVESUwc2Ve64zpNqgfCRjMo8mEwGITbXyEQnr_mruYmZQfXY-TxwxLtVkmcEi4Vk5eqUDL7jjBRrmyjXLP3E6Ex-0JHkNg_qhyphenhyphenYxt3yh6JTFQzBsApLBJX7CoDlRpR0PELCgFgATy6KDbVt5e_tt6uNAZ4/s320/OysterPrincess4.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Mostly it’s just crazy good-natured fun. The characters might be grotesques but they’re likeable in spite of this. Even Quaker, as crass as he is, isn’t such a bad old guy.<br /><br />And I haven’t even mentioned the fox-trot epidemic yet.<br /><br />This movie is included in the Lubitsch in Berlin DVD boxed set from Eureka (which has now been released on Blu-Ray as well) and it’s also available on Blu-Ray from Kino Classics. My copy is from the DVD set and the transfer is quite OK and English subtitles are provided for the title cards.<br /><br />It’s best to approach <i>The Oyster Princess</i> with no expectations at all in mind. Just sit back and enjoy the ride. Highly recommended.dfordoomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02306293859869179118noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7185482420929995617.post-59444685953554170102024-03-09T01:04:00.000+11:002024-03-09T01:04:37.510+11:00Downstairs (1932)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAJpP3G6-7T-qVtMrSnrK7pIMgydaWimx6B6roSrZQvujbPi84L_0vNY8pOoNj1iPtPy7lCYejhkI511Ifcv4p2CyzK4gjv4iiUZ-ZaSLwi0bT9IVFq-50qdVDUF0utw7MaJFcdp-KJLz0tDJ0LPGweXi1aGxVp8PIVU6c63RuCqws5N5ghT9j4hQdvhU/s920/Downstairs1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="725" data-original-width="920" height="252" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAJpP3G6-7T-qVtMrSnrK7pIMgydaWimx6B6roSrZQvujbPi84L_0vNY8pOoNj1iPtPy7lCYejhkI511Ifcv4p2CyzK4gjv4iiUZ-ZaSLwi0bT9IVFq-50qdVDUF0utw7MaJFcdp-KJLz0tDJ0LPGweXi1aGxVp8PIVU6c63RuCqws5N5ghT9j4hQdvhU/s320/Downstairs1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><i>Downstairs</i> is a 1932 MGM pre-code melodrama directed by Monta Bell. The setting is central Europe and while it’s never specified it’s fairly obvious that it’s Austria.<br /><br />The household of the Baron von Burgen is celebrating the marriage of the much-respected butler Albert (Paul Lukas) to the Baroness’s charming ladies’ maid Anna (Virginia Bruce). The Baron is an indulgent master and it’s a happy household.<br /><br />While the festivities are in full swing the new chauffeur Karl Schneider (John Gilbert) arrives. It will immediately be obvious to the audience that Karl is a bad ’un. Not just bad but sly, scheming and ruthless. And almost certainly a womaniser.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidbUsVMh1wn3o_0hvRC3i2682oI48bVnHXMwy88P8wIz_kTVWxrF_2BFjbuoVhnNcfezKWf8xo5DTBjF8ohSbWe7Snti5VyDirZvxN8DQmoqSEsmj7Hkh5aN6tMvSFZmMDVuPfKgwDgb_8Q20syAvtiuJyl2DSTpdh_GOEaknBEwA2GhxFBnnujI3PYXk/s626/DownstairsCap1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="467" data-original-width="626" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidbUsVMh1wn3o_0hvRC3i2682oI48bVnHXMwy88P8wIz_kTVWxrF_2BFjbuoVhnNcfezKWf8xo5DTBjF8ohSbWe7Snti5VyDirZvxN8DQmoqSEsmj7Hkh5aN6tMvSFZmMDVuPfKgwDgb_8Q20syAvtiuJyl2DSTpdh_GOEaknBEwA2GhxFBnnujI3PYXk/s320/DownstairsCap1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>It’s also clear that Karl has taken an unhealthy interest in the naïve Anna.<br /><br />Karl is obsessed with women but he’s obsessed with money as well and it’s not clear at this stage which of those obsessions takes top priority, although in all probability he hopes to get both. He’s a blackmailer rather than a thief. Being a thief requires too much courage and the truth is that Karl is a coward. His weakness is that he doesn’t just enjoy manipulating people, he enjoys flaunting his power over them and that attracts attention. It also makes enemies. <br /><br />Albert is a bit of an innocent but he’s not a complete fool and he soon suspects that Karl has seduced Anna.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqX-YAsl2JiT46MEjQCl85X6Jxw5x0zI9K55cE-D-YvgqBz_2Jhe-9mJWjExzYLLPV3L7wjcqrYCIR1FjI64odHBNdEzN4u6P19oTG0NDIamQDDpMPr9fMr0HR3ke6aroxomNfsdyDsdkSby56lwvG2dWLCTR1Fs4Nbj9ODPCOJ50ldpPba-N57iNbI-8/s625/DownstairsCap2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="466" data-original-width="625" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqX-YAsl2JiT46MEjQCl85X6Jxw5x0zI9K55cE-D-YvgqBz_2Jhe-9mJWjExzYLLPV3L7wjcqrYCIR1FjI64odHBNdEzN4u6P19oTG0NDIamQDDpMPr9fMr0HR3ke6aroxomNfsdyDsdkSby56lwvG2dWLCTR1Fs4Nbj9ODPCOJ50ldpPba-N57iNbI-8/s320/DownstairsCap2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>The easiest solution would be for Albert to fire Karl. As butler he’s in charge of the hiring and firing of the servants but it’s not that simple since Karl has a hold over the Baroness.<br /><br />Tensions rise as Albert feels himself to be more and more publicly humiliated.<br /><br />The final resolution is the sort of thing a movie would never get away with under the Production Code. What would really have landed this film in hot water once the Production Code arrived is Anna’s frank admission that while she’s sorry she cheated on Albert the sex with Karl was fabulous.<br /><br />Virginia Bruce is excellent as the sweet but overly trusting Anna. Paul Lukas is good as the stiff-necked Albert.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjsPFCXIAX3ZkYqdc65bKp0S9fUbhkXmT8OjujoMsCKTXZUDJK9AUqLMXSlTsCqX1mh57NVmFm3P-fgAYyLGpHzP1GiQ_Xr0SdDS0y3-VcJA18ODzoiVNyFLpaon36XMrYsmE7wkBU_ZUCBPA6FQwB0kK_FsMkbx3rBM4qOK3U6umeoX2vFR9_WFJmsL4/s620/DownstairsCap3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="467" data-original-width="620" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjsPFCXIAX3ZkYqdc65bKp0S9fUbhkXmT8OjujoMsCKTXZUDJK9AUqLMXSlTsCqX1mh57NVmFm3P-fgAYyLGpHzP1GiQ_Xr0SdDS0y3-VcJA18ODzoiVNyFLpaon36XMrYsmE7wkBU_ZUCBPA6FQwB0kK_FsMkbx3rBM4qOK3U6umeoX2vFR9_WFJmsL4/s320/DownstairsCap3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>The movie however belongs to John Gilbert. He’s deliciously slimy and while Karl is a full-blown melodrama villain Gilbert makes him believable.<br /><br />John Gilbert had been a huge star in the latter part of the silent era. He was unable to make a successful transition to talkies and the reason for this has always been somewhat controversial. The story was put about that his voice was all wrong or that he had a weak voice. When you watch the talkies he did make it’s obvious that his voice was fine. He did have a serious falling out with Louis B. Mayer and it seems likely that Mayer deliberately wrecked Gilbert’s career.<br /><br />He is so good in this film that one can’t help feeling that he deserved a much better fate than being tossed on the scrap heap. This is one of the all-time classic sleazebag cad performances.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4zJhhxkC-zJFjUk5XG7OU2FPo5-SdYCs1QJoBqTzkVYIF6xVy0-Bo1CU-dvxxM4bN1JhGIasit1CjfsSWsv2_en1jguQYr-sYRRFPCjQZxGr_gMLxHkFoz8xU6ScsDTPPCn_vpOFq0dBDjVD0NBsifiQsveRyxIGJ6XWrdCBCxsFV9UJUTK-8W8OREk8/s627/DownstairsCap4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="467" data-original-width="627" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4zJhhxkC-zJFjUk5XG7OU2FPo5-SdYCs1QJoBqTzkVYIF6xVy0-Bo1CU-dvxxM4bN1JhGIasit1CjfsSWsv2_en1jguQYr-sYRRFPCjQZxGr_gMLxHkFoz8xU6ScsDTPPCn_vpOFq0dBDjVD0NBsifiQsveRyxIGJ6XWrdCBCxsFV9UJUTK-8W8OREk8/s320/DownstairsCap4.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>It’s worth pointing out that this movie is based on a story idea by John Gilbert himself. This movie was important to him and he clearly hoped it would put him back on top. That didn’t happen. Critics hated the movie and the public apparently wouldn’t accept Gilbert (one of the great romantic leading men of the silent era) as an unsympathetic scoundrel.<br /><br />In this case the critics and the public were both wrong. <i>Downstairs</i> is truly an excellent hard-hitting pre-code melodrama and it’s very highly recommended.<br /><br /><i>Downstairs</i> is part of the four-movie Warner Archive Forbidden Hollywood Vol 6 set (along with the wonderful <i>Mandalay</i>) and it gets a very nice transfer.dfordoomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02306293859869179118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7185482420929995617.post-85644627235286766092024-03-05T18:25:00.000+11:002024-03-05T18:25:26.405+11:00Mandalay (1934)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHJfT-HbN8r3aekfkiHe6QlPnteCJa0_HdvQnnNGujsvhyphenhyphenbxaIXlD63HUHWdlAD6ocClsI6qTZVizlcjFMi1rKWtvBltS2kZ7ym5ckcBFhYS0ShQIkVvnST20SojQw3G9KhkzYhLQ61uDrPpgX54vb5zaU2gMEtzS7SgZYMCAywkh5Q3DuUR1ag0qN5FA/s578/Mandalay1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="462" data-original-width="578" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHJfT-HbN8r3aekfkiHe6QlPnteCJa0_HdvQnnNGujsvhyphenhyphenbxaIXlD63HUHWdlAD6ocClsI6qTZVizlcjFMi1rKWtvBltS2kZ7ym5ckcBFhYS0ShQIkVvnST20SojQw3G9KhkzYhLQ61uDrPpgX54vb5zaU2gMEtzS7SgZYMCAywkh5Q3DuUR1ag0qN5FA/s320/Mandalay1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><i>Mandalay</i>, a 1934 First National Pictures production, belongs to a sub-genre I dearly love - the pre-code tropical melodrama.<br /><br />The movie opens in Rangoon. Tanya Borodoff (Kay Francis) and Tony Evans (Ricardo Cortez) are very much in love. Tony isn’t what you would call a respectable citizen. He’s a gun-runner. Tanya doesn’t mind. Tony has a big deal going with nightclub-owner Nick (Warner Oland). Tony has a problem - he doesn’t have the cash to pay for a shipment of guns and Nick won’t offer him credit. Nick offers Tony a tempting deal - he can have the money for the guns in exchange for Tanya. No decent man would sell his girlfriend, and certainly not to a man with Nick’s reputation. But money is money and women are easily replaced.<br /><br /><div>Nick’s nightclub is more than just a nightclub, it’s a brothel as well. Nick needs a new hostess to take charge and Tanya has the beauty and the class needed for the job.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5fn41m_f2FVbkItpD13PSGcO98D-WfxjaIfrNIPlhVce9K-ba1NDs7bxj0hMQUPXAyVzheaKtO_WnYWcXNKPZAle0qshCvPjdBdgHdTRYidgqcFwhLwbkyyvkS0qQCh4scY8PrNx2dXNYyNWCkOdnFIjP2s8l1-JBMTSXeanGSyy1gNSGefxjBft8lb8/s623/MandalayCap1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="467" data-original-width="623" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5fn41m_f2FVbkItpD13PSGcO98D-WfxjaIfrNIPlhVce9K-ba1NDs7bxj0hMQUPXAyVzheaKtO_WnYWcXNKPZAle0qshCvPjdBdgHdTRYidgqcFwhLwbkyyvkS0qQCh4scY8PrNx2dXNYyNWCkOdnFIjP2s8l1-JBMTSXeanGSyy1gNSGefxjBft8lb8/s320/MandalayCap1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Tanya is devastated, for a couple of hours. Then she shrugs her shoulders and accepts the situation. We are certainly meant to realise that Tanya has been, and is, somewhat flexible and free-and-easy in her morals. And she knows how to handle men.<br /><br />She is now known as Spot White. She’s a success, but she is implicated in one scandal after another, as one man after another ruins himself over her. The British police commissioner in Rangoon decides to deport her, or at least he intends to deport her until she reminds him of certain indiscretions with the fair sex of which he has been guilty.<br /><br />Tanya’s life in Rangoon has been rather exhausting so she decides to head for somewhere quiet to take things easy for a while. Mandalay sounds promising. On the steamer to Mandalay she meets Dr Gregory Burton (Lyle Talbot).<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5y5kdr4WHFVanVFcaBHWcNxQJu-NsYGjgQWqv8gGqDpsYae1ExJexizGkelkXpRVFivGb6vMfhaBVY3ucgbiHJcN3lPPuFO14qTVK_hv6CR7i5USHfh8_Y_q-fQzmU2xE3ba1luTm8vpOKV9PBae5hqrMF8f-gb1IXbU97DL1SCG0rEyH-i_62x-BpPU/s622/MandalayCap2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="466" data-original-width="622" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5y5kdr4WHFVanVFcaBHWcNxQJu-NsYGjgQWqv8gGqDpsYae1ExJexizGkelkXpRVFivGb6vMfhaBVY3ucgbiHJcN3lPPuFO14qTVK_hv6CR7i5USHfh8_Y_q-fQzmU2xE3ba1luTm8vpOKV9PBae5hqrMF8f-gb1IXbU97DL1SCG0rEyH-i_62x-BpPU/s320/MandalayCap2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>In classic melodrama style lots of plot twists follow, Tanya is caught between two men and all three main characters are trying to escape their pasts.<br /><br />Ricardo Cortez was one of those actors whose careers were almost entirely ruined by the Production Code but in his pre-code heyday he was a solid second-tier star who was always very watchable. He always seemed to play characters who were up to no good, men with whom the heroine should avoid becoming entangled, but he was always fun.<br /><br />Kay Francis was a huge star in the pre-code era but by the late 30s her career had more or less fizzled out. Like Ricardo Cortez she was a star who could only thrive in the free-and-easy atmosphere of pre-code Hollywood.<br /><br />I’ve always had a soft spot for Lyle Talbot as well.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9DcjVf0tiKvdAByRipFNzYKqx3B1Sr5SWuobD6lA4TSRi78rdA4dIxCUt__Ce9757QSPZTn2JoZkuklg9lE_rKq8w5T0iThMyZ6Zy0Q0HXXKD_TLMCc0d9XzFZYjq2aAPr8FDukpkqHsaaSY_neAE2kyCqO3fjy49pfED71CYFakJtXLFq3hrQngnRMg/s626/MandalayCap3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="467" data-original-width="626" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9DcjVf0tiKvdAByRipFNzYKqx3B1Sr5SWuobD6lA4TSRi78rdA4dIxCUt__Ce9757QSPZTn2JoZkuklg9lE_rKq8w5T0iThMyZ6Zy0Q0HXXKD_TLMCc0d9XzFZYjq2aAPr8FDukpkqHsaaSY_neAE2kyCqO3fjy49pfED71CYFakJtXLFq3hrQngnRMg/s320/MandalayCap3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>All three give extremely effective performances but the movie belongs to Kay Francis. She also gets to wear some fabulous slinky 30s dresses and she looks great. She’s absolutely at the top of her game here.<br /><br />There’s no shortage of pre-code wickedness in Mandalay. Tanya is a high-class hooker and a sexual adventuress but she certainly isn’t condemned for making such choices. It’s better than just being a victim and feeling sorry for yourself which was the only other option available to her.<br /><br />The plot goes places that would have been totally off-limits after 1934 and the ending is very pre-code indeed. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-eNk4g3sspk3mfNU2IypaBl3HOeBHb9h8_-hPH9mqBCYmESLWGWpkmDno3vCJurzojOyE9vUOovV3DgeptlIREVjWC5VLgMhQoKgeLSLa5iy2TqNyhASma24LC90DLtTGCOxKNCTIFXOv1Na9BHWmWcxJcj7YlB-2KOJ74BYVKbbcGt78X5nloL4bcXA/s626/MandalayCap4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="467" data-original-width="626" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-eNk4g3sspk3mfNU2IypaBl3HOeBHb9h8_-hPH9mqBCYmESLWGWpkmDno3vCJurzojOyE9vUOovV3DgeptlIREVjWC5VLgMhQoKgeLSLa5iy2TqNyhASma24LC90DLtTGCOxKNCTIFXOv1Na9BHWmWcxJcj7YlB-2KOJ74BYVKbbcGt78X5nloL4bcXA/s320/MandalayCap4.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Michael Curtiz directs with style and energy, as he always did.<br /><br />This movie demonstrates just how good Hollywood was in those days in creating exotic atmosphere without the need to do location shooting in exotic places. In fact the exotic overheated atmosphere in these early 30s tropical melodramas has a special magic that was lost when location shooting became all the rage. This is not reality. This is the fantasy world of Hollywood movies which is much more exciting and alluring.<br /><br />This is top-notch sin and depravity in the tropics stuff. <i>Mandalay</i> is very highly recommended.<br /><br /><i>Mandalay</i> is included in the Warner Archive Forbidden Hollywood Vol 6 set and it gets a very nice transfer.</div>dfordoomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02306293859869179118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7185482420929995617.post-14662032389677856662024-03-02T15:54:00.000+11:002024-03-02T15:54:04.692+11:00Dressed to Kill (1946)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyQL1s9-4yXapd16Aid42zBIg_RqZ5_i4DDffke8JRvqQGPs_mxb4XhW4fBXzQEX9NEYlFGu5PnztzYkV3jlr8HR-azPHzRLMTKO3iSdXzwuSYeJHJMppFer0bj-uLOTjiXGQtxu5lzLKcYhXQLwJvn8tXoC-53V6gbNlSkHk_ZETWggkNt_c8QxlrxjQ/s999/Dressed%20to%20Kill1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="783" data-original-width="999" height="251" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyQL1s9-4yXapd16Aid42zBIg_RqZ5_i4DDffke8JRvqQGPs_mxb4XhW4fBXzQEX9NEYlFGu5PnztzYkV3jlr8HR-azPHzRLMTKO3iSdXzwuSYeJHJMppFer0bj-uLOTjiXGQtxu5lzLKcYhXQLwJvn8tXoC-53V6gbNlSkHk_ZETWggkNt_c8QxlrxjQ/s320/Dressed%20to%20Kill1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><i>Dressed to Kill</i>, released in 1946, was the last of the Basil Rathbone-Nigel Bruce Sherlock Holmes movies. Roy William Neill was the director, as he had been on eleven of these films.<br /><br /><i>Dressed to Kill</i> is based, very very loosely, on the Conan Doyle short story <i>The Adventure of the Six Napoleons</i>.<br /><br />It starts with three music boxes. They’re not valuable antiques, in fact they’re worth almost nothing. But they’re worth killing for. The prologue to the movie gives the audience a clue as to the reason, but both Sherlock Holmes and Scotland Yard are totally in the dark.<br /><br />The music boxes are an interesting variation on the ingenious plot device of <i>The Adventure of the Six Napoleons</i>. We know, and Holmes knows, that there is vital evidence concealed in these three music boxes, and that for some reason it is necessary to possess all three. But Holmes cannot for the life of him see how the trick was done.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmh9JLUOkkWZgTqPq2oLbXHQWnSFBSLBTL10QH7gGQa_RnsmOgMMhgRhDC2Hu8O9fY9n5dTQ_H2f_jgjuMqvOdaRKL87qajlxWp129ehhdfPBs54rRgeF1C9K0Ef7Zh4jOJ1Opw8TZPvmJzjuC2dwuvIZaHM9B5lUDYSUlkzW_MUUJdL0DNeabDgFwZ3c/s608/DressedToKill1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="466" data-original-width="608" height="245" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmh9JLUOkkWZgTqPq2oLbXHQWnSFBSLBTL10QH7gGQa_RnsmOgMMhgRhDC2Hu8O9fY9n5dTQ_H2f_jgjuMqvOdaRKL87qajlxWp129ehhdfPBs54rRgeF1C9K0Ef7Zh4jOJ1Opw8TZPvmJzjuC2dwuvIZaHM9B5lUDYSUlkzW_MUUJdL0DNeabDgFwZ3c/s320/DressedToKill1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>It has some connection with a robbery from the Bank of England, but it wasn’t money that was stolen. Not exactly.<br /><br />The problem is that all three music boxes were sold, to three different people. Holmes has to find those three people and find the music boxes but someone else is trying to do the same thing. Someone very determined and desperate and very ruthless. Someone who is one step ahead of both Holmes and Scotland Yard.<br /><br />There is a woman in the case. Holmes doesn’t yet know her identity but he knows that she is very dangerous and will stop at nothing.<br /><br />The woman is Hilda Courtney (Patricia Morison) and Holmes finds her to be a formidable opponent.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKK-s7qH5d49tlvatE5ldioRJgJ6ZD84c_-JNeGntboLSBU5tZKuUQPD-kCWq8QlPizX8CZikZkXT3k36o3FML_1z1Y4XzIR-bvWEaNSpK1cc6VYMC4NoQK4mycmDOQ7u0cxKjQLbBlCLRyos2xrJoU5LBaDL7Fe2pkXwxICuYwJFRJ1O8JfGMbJq4oU8/s606/DressedToKill2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="467" data-original-width="606" height="247" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKK-s7qH5d49tlvatE5ldioRJgJ6ZD84c_-JNeGntboLSBU5tZKuUQPD-kCWq8QlPizX8CZikZkXT3k36o3FML_1z1Y4XzIR-bvWEaNSpK1cc6VYMC4NoQK4mycmDOQ7u0cxKjQLbBlCLRyos2xrJoU5LBaDL7Fe2pkXwxICuYwJFRJ1O8JfGMbJq4oU8/s320/DressedToKill2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>The major weakness in this movie is that the script is a bit uninspired. It borrows from previous entries in the series and the solution to the mystery is a little too obvious and the ending a little too contrived. At one point Holmes has a narrow escape but it seems much too easy and fails to evoke any real sense that he’s in danger.<br /><br />Universal were happy to continue the series but Rathbone had had enough and one can’t blame him. He’d been a fairly big star in the 30s but in the 40s his career was just marking time and it’s understandable that he felt he needed to move on. It didn’t really work and his career never really regained momentum.<br /><br />Amusingly a lot of critics at the time complained that the film’s title was meaningless, which is the sort of inanity that makes one wonder how film critics ever get to be film critics. Hilda Courtney is a classic femme fatale, she’s always exquisitely and seductively dressed and she’s not averse to killing. The title is perfect.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvtmwuRboywAwzTxtvyM1rnxfTcICUSKNo_jGs4ZFqHxXEgYt4iSNYNevNYPkb0_rg_Ct3RomvwhQgP5_KgSl1R2SkLxvzTDohmthyxFPwe-li8nQyHrdKOYSKZV4ZKAojhZQ-LDE8GksZkjLsoy51rSHKdXODrUSuOG3PtrCzpJLwJtOWtLtJXsZl5AE/s606/DressedToKill3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="467" data-original-width="606" height="247" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvtmwuRboywAwzTxtvyM1rnxfTcICUSKNo_jGs4ZFqHxXEgYt4iSNYNevNYPkb0_rg_Ct3RomvwhQgP5_KgSl1R2SkLxvzTDohmthyxFPwe-li8nQyHrdKOYSKZV4ZKAojhZQ-LDE8GksZkjLsoy51rSHKdXODrUSuOG3PtrCzpJLwJtOWtLtJXsZl5AE/s320/DressedToKill3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Several of the Universal Sherlock Holmes movies are specifically set in the 1940s with the Second World War playing a major role. These movies have Holmes hunting spies and saboteurs. In my view these are by far the weakest movies in the series. Holmes feels totally out of place in these wartime stories. <br /><br />Happily the majority of the films in the Universal series avoid this pitfall. They essentially take place in a kind of Holmesian alternative universe. People drive cars, but apart from that it could easily be the 1920s or the Edwardian era or even the 1890s.<br /><br /><i>Dressed to Kill</i> falls into this latter category. There’s nothing in this film that really looks 1940s. Even the cars seem old-fashioned for 1946. It’s as if Holmes and Dr Watson are totally unaware that they’re no longer in late Victorian London. I really love this temporal vagueness. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkG8QDbDpTh9Xw0oBzU7YWanHCsGLkTtJft9itqmzjrhPlPSwgSlSH3fDd0RSN-aWJDHqh1TMxQJTvq10XqeM-c5XDF9_3Mxda9n7GxPfsbkDdh8j5kkujO5sAo-tzt9hN8XHPpo40AF_BLGxQngrU8u85S9vEH-yGhIybQkSvH3WUtRWyNHSp2HqiL6w/s608/DressedToKill4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="466" data-original-width="608" height="245" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkG8QDbDpTh9Xw0oBzU7YWanHCsGLkTtJft9itqmzjrhPlPSwgSlSH3fDd0RSN-aWJDHqh1TMxQJTvq10XqeM-c5XDF9_3Mxda9n7GxPfsbkDdh8j5kkujO5sAo-tzt9hN8XHPpo40AF_BLGxQngrU8u85S9vEH-yGhIybQkSvH3WUtRWyNHSp2HqiL6w/s320/DressedToKill4.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Countless actors have portrayed Sherlock Holmes in movies and on TV, including some very fine actors some of whom were extremely good in the rôle. I have a soft spot for Ronald Howard as a young Sherlock Holmes in the underrated 1954 <a href="https://cult-tv-lounge.blogspot.com/2015/06/sherlock-holmes-1954.html" target="_blank">Sherlock Holmes</a> TV series. Peter Cushing did a very fine job in Hammer’s 1959 <a href="https://princeplanetmovies.blogspot.com/2012/02/hound-of-baskervilles-1959.html" target="_blank">The Hound of the Baskervilles</a>. But two performances stand head and shoulders above all the rest - Jeremy Brett in the 1980s/1990s Granada TV series and Basil Rathbone. Their interpretations of the character were wildly different. Brett played him as an irritable, unstable neurotic genius. Rathbone’s Holmes is supremely self-confident and always in totally control. The great thing is that when you read Conan Doyle’s stories both interpretations are justified and completely valid.<br /><br />I simply can’t make a choice between Jeremy Brett and Basil Rathbone. They’re both magnetic and so much fun to watch.<br /><br /><i>Dressed to Kill</i> is one of the lesser entries in the series but it’s reasonably entertaining and it has a fine femme fatale. Recommended.<br />dfordoomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02306293859869179118noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7185482420929995617.post-15755226153568226452024-02-28T19:43:00.001+11:002024-02-28T19:47:05.642+11:00Ann Vickers (1933)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6mjIrwLyzerAUznbV1QDDIHHMlNS_p-uafc93O_0QIgBk1skuLR4KDy6rD7mwxkh2uEN09nAOuT7uCqeS-c_3ApEOZrsGWueTKfPTuQ04NH47DY1_odsjFV_ORTwbKduA_lfM5xcQyVBbsxJ-BOvopya3kPJTSVZTy_zRyb7UuwgJcibdtUMuRFcpBIY/s400/Ann%20Vickers1.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="313" data-original-width="400" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6mjIrwLyzerAUznbV1QDDIHHMlNS_p-uafc93O_0QIgBk1skuLR4KDy6rD7mwxkh2uEN09nAOuT7uCqeS-c_3ApEOZrsGWueTKfPTuQ04NH47DY1_odsjFV_ORTwbKduA_lfM5xcQyVBbsxJ-BOvopya3kPJTSVZTy_zRyb7UuwgJcibdtUMuRFcpBIY/s320/Ann%20Vickers1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><i>Ann Vickers</i> is a 1933 RKO melodrama directed by John Cromwell.<br /><br />It was based on a novel by Sinclair Lewis. Lewis was a big deal in the literary scene at that time although he is now forgotten.<br /><br />Ann Vickers (Irene Dunne) is a social worker. She has been involved in every fashionable cause that’s going but she’s always looking for new causes.<br /><br />Ann has devoted herself to her career as a reformer. The First World War has broken out and she meets a handsome young officer. She imagines that he’s in love with her and will marry her but he finds a woman who is younger and cuter. By this time Ann is pregnant.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy_STvkq3Cs-AecD-MXhirAMGwjPna91NZjMXxiO7CH7t4UDrdBckV6uu-eVK05kdwIiF_jjckUPKrxnk07-mCVbs1fxRQQuIUolaKysMNfQUmB8LE24Ejy6bjw7UxILsHWkYUVP3md9P2KnifHTxV9BFbnywKXVSYoNPe-DaxgW4MK0s4CLhmGWLl37s/s604/AnnVickers1.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="465" data-original-width="604" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy_STvkq3Cs-AecD-MXhirAMGwjPna91NZjMXxiO7CH7t4UDrdBckV6uu-eVK05kdwIiF_jjckUPKrxnk07-mCVbs1fxRQQuIUolaKysMNfQUmB8LE24Ejy6bjw7UxILsHWkYUVP3md9P2KnifHTxV9BFbnywKXVSYoNPe-DaxgW4MK0s4CLhmGWLl37s/s320/AnnVickers1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>She solves that problem by having an abortion. At least we assume she has an abortion - the movie is a little vague on that subject. It probably had to be vague to avoid igniting a firestorm of outrage.<br /><br />She has by now found a new fashionable cause - prison reform. She throws herself into it with her usual zeal. She ends up running a reformatory for women. She has setbacks. She is set up for blackmail and forced to resign. She then writes a best-selling book on prison reform and becomes a celebrity.<br /><br />Then she meets Judge Barney Dolphin (Walter Huston). He’s corrupt but she doesn’t mind that as long as his political views are aligned with hers. They fall in love and she has a son by him, out of wedlock. She gets fired yet again.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHC2cVTO-39lVytezLayU3Qj5QyH2Sxb5cNWhleffjSOHNiPP6iDc8RbJEPmFDj1W6QLSvFp32cavOmx2n7VWl6n3jPrj9i54DbdFZ30V8xf9pDcRkC66KNd5nc-awj-dJEB8AinFeCAurUtRFSmIIwCir7qVk4cNjah00s10UCI94MyfwVko_3HIrJhk/s608/AnnVickers2.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="467" data-original-width="608" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHC2cVTO-39lVytezLayU3Qj5QyH2Sxb5cNWhleffjSOHNiPP6iDc8RbJEPmFDj1W6QLSvFp32cavOmx2n7VWl6n3jPrj9i54DbdFZ30V8xf9pDcRkC66KNd5nc-awj-dJEB8AinFeCAurUtRFSmIIwCir7qVk4cNjah00s10UCI94MyfwVko_3HIrJhk/s320/AnnVickers2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>And Barney Dolphin’s crooked business dealings are about to catch up with him.<br /><br />There’s lots of obvious pre-code material here - the lead character has (probably) an abortion and later becomes a single mother.<br /><br />The problem is that this is a social message movie and it bludgeons us relentlessly with that message. Jane Murfin’s clumsy heavy-handed script doesn’t help. This is a movie totally lacking in any trace of subtlety.<br /><br />John Cromwell manages to do something rather amazing in this movie - he gets a bad performance out of Walter Huston.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg52fxnLj1W0uE9MO0LOFP7fDizbUYNrIKK8IilGPg1f3YZ59eYxe8XUGV9TJ1hFVmZt6aAOfrcvIi_2NVYn2HSARv7iROYT8a3w7BsBWndmCpgPNUvL3-1OKhZ32lDwizXZUBibdd_v7vX7Rwn38q9dv_A5MF98ytTO1pGCdZhKkTORGHL-KnBo5Ua_74/s600/AnnVickers3.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="466" data-original-width="600" height="249" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg52fxnLj1W0uE9MO0LOFP7fDizbUYNrIKK8IilGPg1f3YZ59eYxe8XUGV9TJ1hFVmZt6aAOfrcvIi_2NVYn2HSARv7iROYT8a3w7BsBWndmCpgPNUvL3-1OKhZ32lDwizXZUBibdd_v7vX7Rwn38q9dv_A5MF98ytTO1pGCdZhKkTORGHL-KnBo5Ua_74/s320/AnnVickers3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Edna May Oliver contributes an annoying performance as Ann’s friend and mentor Malvina Wormser.<br /><br />The other supporting players and dull and wooden. <br /><br />The biggest problem is the central character. Ann Vickers is smug and self-righteous and she’s a hypocrite. She poses as a moral crusader but is quite prepared to use her political influence to try to get her crooked boyfriend out of a jam. Irene Dunne’s performance is dull and earnest. It is impossible to care what happens to Ann Vickers. The character never comes to life.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg74Hks5y1w2Jtkk8awQbzcpSh83l7s9HAG6ApHXrhSXzcr1-whRN_uqtoEwtR3xpmdeBhKR3G7YcNhVzgWTaj9zwessp5AUFV2XjstwxhiifMIOtBoCHEw289Hthn5fkywgPz45XYsdBTOoA10zsiHm8V4DG_tA4AsUIl3eCou0-n2QY0TaBTj3G9CwyI/s604/AnnVickers4.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="464" data-original-width="604" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg74Hks5y1w2Jtkk8awQbzcpSh83l7s9HAG6ApHXrhSXzcr1-whRN_uqtoEwtR3xpmdeBhKR3G7YcNhVzgWTaj9zwessp5AUFV2XjstwxhiifMIOtBoCHEw289Hthn5fkywgPz45XYsdBTOoA10zsiHm8V4DG_tA4AsUIl3eCou0-n2QY0TaBTj3G9CwyI/s320/AnnVickers4.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>It’s a bad sign when a movie with a modest 76-minute running time feels much too long.<br /><br />The movie tries to combine preachiness with emotional melodrama but the preachiness is clumsy and the emotional melodrama feels contrived and falls flat. Irene Dunne never gets any kind of handle on her performance. She displays neither genuine emotion nor passion. She just reads her lines. The movie might have worked slightly better with a livelier lead actress but I suspect this film was doomed from the start. I’d avoid this one.<br /><br />This film is included in the five-movie Spanish Verdice Irene Dunne Pre-Code DVD boxed set, in English as well as Spanish. The transfer is far from pristine but it’s acceptable.dfordoomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02306293859869179118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7185482420929995617.post-24917019382812863592024-02-25T23:41:00.000+11:002024-02-25T23:41:52.853+11:00Thirteen Women (1932)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1tBX0NFpq55_lzlRN744yEujlDUha0wWZryGsH6EkAA9RpLGBcCjNOydv3MEh65ckNISUT6lstj7dSpSE6hPUIpshXwvwpUkRX7dlFk1uUK-NNOnBIPypMlP6vhL6VIn5JHdJQMSrEg5mCIdoJqGPb2MSHVIqWajqKz2-rt_gISbZearaM-iJ7ictSAo/s400/Thirteen%20Women1.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="271" data-original-width="400" height="217" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1tBX0NFpq55_lzlRN744yEujlDUha0wWZryGsH6EkAA9RpLGBcCjNOydv3MEh65ckNISUT6lstj7dSpSE6hPUIpshXwvwpUkRX7dlFk1uUK-NNOnBIPypMlP6vhL6VIn5JHdJQMSrEg5mCIdoJqGPb2MSHVIqWajqKz2-rt_gISbZearaM-iJ7ictSAo/s320/Thirteen%20Women1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><i>Thirteen Women</i> is a 1932 RKO pre-code movie which straddles the crime melodrama and horror genres. <br /><br />It was based on a book by Tiffany Thayer and he’s an interesting figure (and yes despite the name he was a man). He was a founding member of the Fortean Society and edited their newsletter for many years. Thayer therefore had an active interest in the strange, the unexplained, the occult and the paranormal. Those interests come through very strongly in this movie.<br /><br />Twelve women who were once schoolgirls at the St Alban’s School for Girls in San Francisco receive warnings in the mail. An Indian mystic, Swami Yogadachi (C. Henry Gordon), has cast their horoscopes. He has foretold disaster for all of them.<br /><br />The Swami has foretold disaster for himself as well. But were the letters that were sent to those twelve women sent by the Swami, or by his assistant, the beautiful and glamorous Ursula Georgi (Myrna Loy)? What motive could Ursula have?<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiav5UhtlOzuuyXv3QHjdgr9sjdQVXmkTnxKWGoOXx6UuVzjxMWqYGpIfwbcCr_cVCkPQhu_hL1sGmF8vBE8tCP8IWqEhbDwk9xhKS-mQZd1Wh_TBZ97qoLtrtaaqg6JJAS31oU3Ewn-nvEq2LTxw7YoFuQeKWXGzj3ytC3p39SF6357Ezsva7oME7rYR4/s602/ThirteenWomen1.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="465" data-original-width="602" height="247" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiav5UhtlOzuuyXv3QHjdgr9sjdQVXmkTnxKWGoOXx6UuVzjxMWqYGpIfwbcCr_cVCkPQhu_hL1sGmF8vBE8tCP8IWqEhbDwk9xhKS-mQZd1Wh_TBZ97qoLtrtaaqg6JJAS31oU3Ewn-nvEq2LTxw7YoFuQeKWXGzj3ytC3p39SF6357Ezsva7oME7rYR4/s320/ThirteenWomen1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>The swami’s predictions begin to come true. Disaster does befall three of the women, in puzzling circumstances.<br /><br />Laura Stanhope (Irene Dunne) has by far the strongest personality of the twelve women. She decides that she will have to take charge and persuade the others that the only dangers they face are in their own minds. It is their own fears that threaten them.<br /><br />Ursula had also been a pupil at the St Alban’s school. She is half-Indian and as a result she was given a very hard time by those other twelve girls. She has neither forgotten nor forgiven.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi66mYi9SNh-deCKlO7BtVMiM3m4_lt-_LOzV0Zt8pMow01vnxmjtAjoxCmIkntvTY4yeeq6UJM_ecuP-1xKdqpKAAx4COvZp3DiG-XxFHBalk1V2ueI9OLrJnc-Z5jeAHa3NZv_XiT-CLJjkSYj1K5N2hC7eL6wDipUTivu7Sr1Ot9fYw9v0c1Ium_OdA/s605/ThirteenWomen2.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="466" data-original-width="605" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi66mYi9SNh-deCKlO7BtVMiM3m4_lt-_LOzV0Zt8pMow01vnxmjtAjoxCmIkntvTY4yeeq6UJM_ecuP-1xKdqpKAAx4COvZp3DiG-XxFHBalk1V2ueI9OLrJnc-Z5jeAHa3NZv_XiT-CLJjkSYj1K5N2hC7eL6wDipUTivu7Sr1Ot9fYw9v0c1Ium_OdA/s320/ThirteenWomen2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>The combination of threatening letters and three slightly mysterious deaths has attracted the attention of the police. Detective Sergeant Barry Clive (Ricardo Cortez) is assigned to the case. The three deaths were all suicides. There was absolutely no doubt about that. But Sergeant Clive suspects that something sinister was behind those suicides. His job is to find out what is really going on, and to make sure there are no more odd suicides. Laura Stanhope’s main concern is for her little son Bobby.<br /><br />This movie does confront the issue of racial prejudice and it does so in an intelligent and sensitive way. It is best not to get distracted by the fact that it does not approach the issue the way it would be approached today. Western attitudes in the 1930s towards Asia, Asians, Asian society and culture and Asian belief systems were complex and varied. Ursula is certainly portrayed as a dangerous exotic beauty but she has some nuance. She has comprehensible motives for her actions.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3WRrQjKb_XJR2Z2LX1Vp51XcI26gDk-JoLbrHIQWZUKMzouyZ60hMBLQT4NUZ3ANg8I63FwczaG_H0Yr-EnTWZMp5q0wko-akmupNJkL6cx5weOHQO4aY-Zt0wbyyRSTBXOG39Gv2vBW9lWI7LG8dBEQ9HD_LD-GbvMzKQbYuJzKmb_Fzmt5me1YteJ8/s637/ThirteenWomen3.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="467" data-original-width="637" height="235" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3WRrQjKb_XJR2Z2LX1Vp51XcI26gDk-JoLbrHIQWZUKMzouyZ60hMBLQT4NUZ3ANg8I63FwczaG_H0Yr-EnTWZMp5q0wko-akmupNJkL6cx5weOHQO4aY-Zt0wbyyRSTBXOG39Gv2vBW9lWI7LG8dBEQ9HD_LD-GbvMzKQbYuJzKmb_Fzmt5me1YteJ8/s320/ThirteenWomen3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Irene Dunne gets star billing but she also gets the thankless sensible good girl role. She is totally overshadowed by Myrna Loy who gets the juicy sexy bad girl role (and in 1932 no-one could top Myrna Loy in that kind of part). Ursula Georgi is in fact the central character, she entirely dominates the movie and Myrna Loy is the real star. And she’s fabulous.<br /><br />The most interesting question to be confronted is whether there is actually anything occult or paranormal going on. There are hints that perhaps there might be. This is essentially a murder mystery but those hints are just enough to give the film some affinity with the horror genre.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL0tZLxGnfISK9hFq3awYQkeYVIuIIIughlfuMa3QNVfoE88PEhL8WlLe5l50QEGSHzlr6lof74z0sSNKELCSoY5UHVYw91q2yhRg92Xex-QlLguWe9hfO0FN_Nqh6kht5zz7YhE0KYwujAaW0U9YZR1V7uzPamZUXiJtnZ1v3ngUHE8oq68QOqHkIA4w/s606/ThirteenWomen4.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="467" data-original-width="606" height="247" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL0tZLxGnfISK9hFq3awYQkeYVIuIIIughlfuMa3QNVfoE88PEhL8WlLe5l50QEGSHzlr6lof74z0sSNKELCSoY5UHVYw91q2yhRg92Xex-QlLguWe9hfO0FN_Nqh6kht5zz7YhE0KYwujAaW0U9YZR1V7uzPamZUXiJtnZ1v3ngUHE8oq68QOqHkIA4w/s320/ThirteenWomen4.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Sadly <i>Thirteen Women</i> in its original form is a lost film. In 1932 it was hacked to pieces by the studio. The running time was slashed from 73 minutes to 59 minutes. The cut footage was destroyed. Since this happened in 1932 it seems most likely that the studio lost faith in the film’s commercial viability as an A-picture and butchered it for release as the bottom half of a double bill. In its surviving form it’s quite coherent but seems a bit rushed.<br /><br /><i>Thirteen Women</i> doesn’t have any overt pre-code content but it is rather pre-code in its refusal to fit neatly inside genre boundaries and it does have a lurid vibe. It’s slightly offbeat and thoroughly enjoyable. Myrna Loy’s performance is enough to qualify it for a highly recommended rating.<div><br />This film is included in the five-movie Spanish Verdice Irene Dunne Pre-Code DVD boxed set, in English as well as Spanish. The transfer is not great but it’s acceptable. That’s where my copy came from but it has also been released on DVD in the Warner Archive series.<br /></div>dfordoomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02306293859869179118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7185482420929995617.post-31046430867075851002024-02-22T12:16:00.000+11:002024-02-22T12:16:01.418+11:00Murder Over New York (1940)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiimkVrfJb1hnx1T1GS2NjqZ6U-EGW3OcXKEf-4OSVtJXSxljYeoKnlt7DD3t4F5I0NuoptINI2llwv0xhVrXb2p7jVgjEoFXWhrDn-Oiiuztg-EtfS4TsCNsNUrov3Tk-qXtjQKqbEBswa7w-vPjNch8xoSb_uUWpRMarbqRioZqy9DKsH1revCPj6c7k/s1344/Murder%20Over%20New%20York1.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1050" data-original-width="1344" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiimkVrfJb1hnx1T1GS2NjqZ6U-EGW3OcXKEf-4OSVtJXSxljYeoKnlt7DD3t4F5I0NuoptINI2llwv0xhVrXb2p7jVgjEoFXWhrDn-Oiiuztg-EtfS4TsCNsNUrov3Tk-qXtjQKqbEBswa7w-vPjNch8xoSb_uUWpRMarbqRioZqy9DKsH1revCPj6c7k/s320/Murder%20Over%20New%20York1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><i>Murder Over New York</i> is a 1940 entry in 20th Century-Fox’s incredibly prolific Charlie Chan B-movie cycle.<br /><br />I watched this one immediately after watching <i>Charlie Chan at the Opera</i> (made four years earlier). I wanted to watch a Warner Oland and a Sidney Toler Chan movie back-to-back. I’ve always had a preference for Sidney Toler in the role and watching these two movies confirmed my view that Sidney Toler was a much better Charlie Chan. He’s just slightly harder-edged. Chan after all is not a gentleman amateur detective. He’s a cop. I can buy Sidney Toler’s Chan as a policeman in a way that I can never quite buy Warner Oland’s version. And Warner Oland tries a bit too hard to make Chan too likeable.<br /><br /><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj28eAN4979hbR94Z7V_qv1OuGBV8rnBgKoJsdGvZgNDTCBtyejY0HwFHKvlY3XdYLfzghrtQl8gSBjCWFC6kBqn2UvMXt2oLTJ_RNJ2Rz0EXmKCK3E4kuHtM5aFXDZMquEXPtZ5p9ZQLeGmt-hxaASPP7Qbrbv3pUuDRNy9NN8MaikOTMFqPRt-7VLCKY/s624/MurderOverNewYork1.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="467" data-original-width="624" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj28eAN4979hbR94Z7V_qv1OuGBV8rnBgKoJsdGvZgNDTCBtyejY0HwFHKvlY3XdYLfzghrtQl8gSBjCWFC6kBqn2UvMXt2oLTJ_RNJ2Rz0EXmKCK3E4kuHtM5aFXDZMquEXPtZ5p9ZQLeGmt-hxaASPP7Qbrbv3pUuDRNy9NN8MaikOTMFqPRt-7VLCKY/s320/MurderOverNewYork1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Murder Over New York</i> involves spies and sabotage but those elements are really just there to give the movie a topical flavour, and to justify some aviation action. The plot is mostly just a standard murder mystery tale.<br /><br />Inspector Drake of Scotland Yard is now working for British Military Intelligence. He and Charlie are old friends. Drake is investigating a sabotage ring, and more precisely he is investigating the sabotage of a new bomber prototype. <div><br /></div><div>When Drake is murdered Chan naturally is determined to be involved in the case. Number Two Son is also determined to be involved, whether Charlie likes it or not.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3QOVXWG2V07SDVhErRJBj3_DwrfdDlSyPx2etbyClgFC18ccQMdo381iRyhGVX8akutlExLVg7V9CrPD7hkHcE5xSqAXpjhShl1U0tmZ6STPCSuGAyoq45t6kCRWQFMblfdM5V7YNWSx1l8qbcn7Do4ZeOubWXZt6qWg1ZMBJIugjLoai0xDqqvrVg5s/s624/MurderOverNewYork2.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="467" data-original-width="624" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3QOVXWG2V07SDVhErRJBj3_DwrfdDlSyPx2etbyClgFC18ccQMdo381iRyhGVX8akutlExLVg7V9CrPD7hkHcE5xSqAXpjhShl1U0tmZ6STPCSuGAyoq45t6kCRWQFMblfdM5V7YNWSx1l8qbcn7Do4ZeOubWXZt6qWg1ZMBJIugjLoai0xDqqvrVg5s/s320/MurderOverNewYork2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>There will be more murders, and the murder methods involve poisons and poison gases.<br /><br />There’s an array of possible suspects but the prime suspect is nowhere to be found. He’s a notorious spy named Paul Narvo and Drake was on his trail but even Narvo’s ex-wife has no idea where he is.<br /><br />There’s some gee-whizz technical stuff, with detailed explanations of the equipment used to send photographic images over long distances and there’s a secret chemical laboratory that plays a part in the story. There’s another high-tech element but I can’t mention it without revealing a major spoiler.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIxLsHCQmlPCOPr8-rfVTlJJQ5kVSdtLQMp8Po4SP-432vgOv3fiDrEXjnFhPjfwoRCLlIBpdf3eEye-48nAXPw3tSgixNNCLYSDIhBlemYAkY_YLQaAu2uCgzwFb_Fz51eyTty9lBNqanQUqCmKm1sb2w8LUqr1EtRp9g-k_dqKG0_haV4p-oBldxqOk/s624/MurderOverNewYork3.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="467" data-original-width="624" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIxLsHCQmlPCOPr8-rfVTlJJQ5kVSdtLQMp8Po4SP-432vgOv3fiDrEXjnFhPjfwoRCLlIBpdf3eEye-48nAXPw3tSgixNNCLYSDIhBlemYAkY_YLQaAu2uCgzwFb_Fz51eyTty9lBNqanQUqCmKm1sb2w8LUqr1EtRp9g-k_dqKG0_haV4p-oBldxqOk/s320/MurderOverNewYork3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>There’s a tense climax aboard the second new bomber prototype, with Charlie (as so often) setting a trap for the killer.<br /><br />At least it’s supposed to be a bomber prototype but it’s clearly a civil aircraft, in fact I’m fairly sure it’s a Lockheed 12 airliner. I guess they figured that the audience at the time wouldn’t notice or care. And really it doesn’t matter. What matters is that we get suspense and terror in the air and that’s always fun. <br /><br />The plot is quite serviceable with the usual red herrings.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrFFhFOI6vJnq-AFfTGvnxj0XLEjCfCn0-J0QblXrWMTmWpcbXnJhcXrV7Vtxpy5lTuJKdI0IcbpECB2MmES43VVEXihoJ1hM5m_Dyg1yVuWbD2-jhaZSL84YQGGfAGQE1E7uyrwMIj4BydNxo3UP73mjH7qiTHD6Y17-LGkGTD0kmLqJpmaAjS2pSspc/s625/MurderOverNewYork4.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="467" data-original-width="625" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrFFhFOI6vJnq-AFfTGvnxj0XLEjCfCn0-J0QblXrWMTmWpcbXnJhcXrV7Vtxpy5lTuJKdI0IcbpECB2MmES43VVEXihoJ1hM5m_Dyg1yVuWbD2-jhaZSL84YQGGfAGQE1E7uyrwMIj4BydNxo3UP73mjH7qiTHD6Y17-LGkGTD0kmLqJpmaAjS2pSspc/s320/MurderOverNewYork4.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>There’s some humour but it’s not too intrusive. <br /><br />The supporting cast is solid. Look out for Shemp Howard of the Three Stooges in a bit part as a phoney Hindu fakir. I enjoyed Charlie’s gentle affectionate mockery of Number Two Son Jimmy (Victor Sen Yung). And as I mentioned earlier I really enjoy Sidney Toler as Chan.<br /><br />Director Harry Lachman does a good job and keeps things moving along.<br /><br />Mostly this movie follows the established formula but it’s entertaining and it’s highly recommended. <br /><br />This movie is included in Fox’s Charlie Chan volume 5 DVD boxed set. The transfer is very good.</div>dfordoomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02306293859869179118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7185482420929995617.post-32751023208006690572024-02-18T14:32:00.000+11:002024-02-18T14:32:08.958+11:00Bachelor Apartment (1931)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifD_Ejg2c63SpZPCdk7fuuCM9HbyzWkz4y60oKYln7xAbqTEyaMkjdbMPxcqHaG-rgwV20iMzPUoMy1MbO2JBMyHRJQ3wzeYXfpD-cNcd09ynpCOGThpMrvMJyKwUfZYgyDluN7hvrtd-Qkyps3jmMCGvDn2J5hv74gGj15bUjGnNbTrrjl2CeZKLHGmY/s1134/Bachelor%20Apartment1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="854" data-original-width="1134" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifD_Ejg2c63SpZPCdk7fuuCM9HbyzWkz4y60oKYln7xAbqTEyaMkjdbMPxcqHaG-rgwV20iMzPUoMy1MbO2JBMyHRJQ3wzeYXfpD-cNcd09ynpCOGThpMrvMJyKwUfZYgyDluN7hvrtd-Qkyps3jmMCGvDn2J5hv74gGj15bUjGnNbTrrjl2CeZKLHGmY/s320/Bachelor%20Apartment1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><i>Bachelor Apartment</i> is a 1931 RKO pre-code comedy that deserves more attention than it gets. In fact it doesn’t get any attention and that’s a pity.<br /><br />Lowell Sherman stars and he directed the movie as well. He shares top billing with Irene Dunne.<br /><br />Sherman plays rich New York playboy stockbroker Wayne Carter who has a problem. There are just too many women in his life. It’s not that he doesn’t like women. He likes them a lot. But he can only deal with so many at once. He certainly can’t deal with four women all at the same time.<br /><br />He’s having a particular problem with Mrs Agatha Carraway (Mae Murray). They had had a steamy affair before her marriage to Wayne’s buddy Herb. Now Agatha wants to resume the affair but Wayne really isn’t interested at all. Unfortunately it is almost impossible for a man to convince Agatha that he isn’t interested in her.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAdV8b6-yKMvcmzQ5zvrwVgW8G25bhGjUTthy4Xw2-m2wz5xW9Iz6hIbXV924e2BtQpiY3cT_sl15FPxghcs9wL8v3DXSLLVOlArEcFnVcgXYXHOO3Sbhg5WNUYotxWMaVOTQr578_htUYQsnGu82okw5_r-X2EdWfMsD0Cm92WOxzLmor_z_2JkpmZUQ/s605/BachelorApartment1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="467" data-original-width="605" height="247" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAdV8b6-yKMvcmzQ5zvrwVgW8G25bhGjUTthy4Xw2-m2wz5xW9Iz6hIbXV924e2BtQpiY3cT_sl15FPxghcs9wL8v3DXSLLVOlArEcFnVcgXYXHOO3Sbhg5WNUYotxWMaVOTQr578_htUYQsnGu82okw5_r-X2EdWfMsD0Cm92WOxzLmor_z_2JkpmZUQ/s320/BachelorApartment1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>There’s also Janet (Noel Francis). Wayne picked her up in a traffic accident. Janet is a lot of fun. Janet likes men a great deal. She’s a sweet girl but she will end up being something of an inconvenience. As far as Wayne is concerned they were ships that passed in the night but this ship keeps steaming back into port at the most inopportune moments.<br /><br />Helene Andrews (Irene Dunne) and her sister Lita (Claudia Dell) are out of work and living in a seedy apartment. Lita is considering becoming a bad girl because bad girls get lots of nice things and she likes nice things. Helene would never consider doing such a thing. Helene has never had any trouble defending her own virtue. Her virtue is as well defended as Fort Knox. But now she has to defend Lita’s virtue as well.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhByvtPUKJjAy958J8hrJ7JlbdzJ4GbXzkLlUSPBynD4Y5r_ciK0MT-Hl0IPh7GVfrXTJsJBwjnkWaq7M5zUYf6xvf4j61FIFAvaDdrpWw9pl41G65XObSnxqLnRYdsjDWo8V4JbW18TCwf7FBgmPjD_Fj8iUeDK0_6iBPfB5YuTwoTCy56OIbT66maC7w/s608/BachelorApartment2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="467" data-original-width="608" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhByvtPUKJjAy958J8hrJ7JlbdzJ4GbXzkLlUSPBynD4Y5r_ciK0MT-Hl0IPh7GVfrXTJsJBwjnkWaq7M5zUYf6xvf4j61FIFAvaDdrpWw9pl41G65XObSnxqLnRYdsjDWo8V4JbW18TCwf7FBgmPjD_Fj8iUeDK0_6iBPfB5YuTwoTCy56OIbT66maC7w/s320/BachelorApartment2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>As soon as Helene meets Wayne she disapproves of him. Wayne is however fascinated. A good girl is something totally out of his previous experience. He persuades her to accept a job as his executive secretary. <br /><br />Wayne is now considering a major lifestyle change. He intends to give up his wicked ways and settle down with a nice girl and the nice girl he has in mind is Helene.<br /><br />As you would expect lots of complications follow, with gun-wielding irate husbands and romantic misunderstandings and women suddenly popping up in bedrooms where they’re not supposed to be.<br /><br />Irene Dunne gets the thankless good girl role but handles it reasonably well. Helene is supposed to be a bit prissy.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZDiRqyIG4Ge4P24-22_NLrupujnnskVV-Y-LpI58VfHk78vZSMYccCL3-tQh_FTy8BrnaWL60WWbo1o1XgBygu9g9yCvlN_HvyA4Ir6SKR3PqiP-UldQG_FpHDo0VESSlMEsQrle1NVw6lVtImk8zrdj6hTgUWuk5oN4CTV5oF7k6YnmwMnyJdKi2Ezk/s605/BachelorApartment3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="467" data-original-width="605" height="247" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZDiRqyIG4Ge4P24-22_NLrupujnnskVV-Y-LpI58VfHk78vZSMYccCL3-tQh_FTy8BrnaWL60WWbo1o1XgBygu9g9yCvlN_HvyA4Ir6SKR3PqiP-UldQG_FpHDo0VESSlMEsQrle1NVw6lVtImk8zrdj6hTgUWuk5oN4CTV5oF7k6YnmwMnyJdKi2Ezk/s320/BachelorApartment3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Not everybody likes Lowell Sherman in this movie but I thought his low-key performance was spot on. Wayne Carter is supposed to be a man who is cynical and a dissolute and at the same time bored and weary of his cynical dissolute lifestyle and I think Sherman nails the character perfectly.<br /><br />Mae Murray had been a big star in the silent era but talkies killed her career stone dead. It’s not hard to see why. Her performance here is histrionic and affected and she is either putting on a ridiculously shrill voice or she simply has an unfortunate voice. Having said that I don’t mind her in this film - this is essentially a bedroom farce and so being outrageously over-the-top isn’t too much of a problem.<br /><br />Claudia Dell has a more rewarding part as Helene’s sister Lita. Noel Francis is fun as Janet.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyGzuvW6kzX6Dqsv8LHgWe4xM64A2YaG4HUDXFTVqkIo1hrgpQioR4InDNx6r6xCpTTj_ZknauNatQI9ViH-w1sqbNaZyIzWg_p5xl13RdkCcqYr15ALHUBNYwauURypdowhv2lniLkbjZ3EEnMlVaezBiurh6uf6s3uVdX4tUdZ93rCM_naODXCuJW_A/s613/BachelorApartment4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="463" data-original-width="613" height="242" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyGzuvW6kzX6Dqsv8LHgWe4xM64A2YaG4HUDXFTVqkIo1hrgpQioR4InDNx6r6xCpTTj_ZknauNatQI9ViH-w1sqbNaZyIzWg_p5xl13RdkCcqYr15ALHUBNYwauURypdowhv2lniLkbjZ3EEnMlVaezBiurh6uf6s3uVdX4tUdZ93rCM_naODXCuJW_A/s320/BachelorApartment4.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>There’s plenty of mild pre-code naughtiness here. What would have landed this film in trouble with the Production Code after 1934 is its rather frivolous attitude towards illicit sex and its assumption that having illicit sex doesn’t make either a man or a woman a dangerous menace to society.<br /><br />This is a breezy bedroom farce and it’s genuinely amusing and charming. I enjoyed it quite a bit and I especially enjoyed Lowell Sherman’s performance. Highly recommended.<br /><br /> This film is part of the five-movie Spanish Verdice Irene Dunne Pre-Code DVD boxed set, in English as well as Spanish. The transfer is not great but it’s acceptable.<br />dfordoomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02306293859869179118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7185482420929995617.post-25021942166676368322024-02-15T20:41:00.000+11:002024-02-15T20:41:46.464+11:00Phantom of Chinatown (1940)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhGsGaDQrUN7h11MqTOt9eeDTBTKQX76jiJXxCYTJlQKY9xDmjmz81fzui90urN8tYFzzgs43NoSLMJwx7nHMcF_3VTjoHMW3GnVf2kY6RhpSvVQWy8vFP1ol373g3-wCWUHXC9txATxA1m6bbR5Rc-iO9cF-fVjO0nO5I9LNurmMNepKHS4xbHopktPQ/s1280/Phantom%20of%20Chinatown1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhGsGaDQrUN7h11MqTOt9eeDTBTKQX76jiJXxCYTJlQKY9xDmjmz81fzui90urN8tYFzzgs43NoSLMJwx7nHMcF_3VTjoHMW3GnVf2kY6RhpSvVQWy8vFP1ol373g3-wCWUHXC9txATxA1m6bbR5Rc-iO9cF-fVjO0nO5I9LNurmMNepKHS4xbHopktPQ/s320/Phantom%20of%20Chinatown1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><i>Phantom of Chinatown</i> was the sixth and last of the Mr Wong crime B-movies made by Monogram Pictures between 1938 and 1940 (although the print credits this one to Monarch Films). <br /><br />The five earlier movies all starred Boris Karloff as Mr Wong and all were directed by William Nigh. For this sixth movie Phil Rosen took over as director. Keye Luke took over the role of Mr Wong and this was a significant change. Karloff’s Mr Wong was an avuncular middle-aged English-educated Chinese gentleman. Keye Luke’s Mr Wong is a much younger man (Keye Luke was seventeen years younger than Karloff) and he’s very Americanised. This is a totally different Mr Wong. And there’s a change in tone - this movie begins with some touches of both horror and adventure as an archaeological expedition searches for fabulous treasures in a lost tomb in Mongolia. The tomb is reputed to be protected by a curse.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRb_WkzUZsHGAOgTFhrLWx3B6Ao_p_ifiUEC7H7K6YNulD2IiBtysG1XyBIaZeFLp4FjqsQq0kYfLTVDTzKEVUHjsImnv6B0YWFrT9nNR9d4XI0MGi3vftvrLrkKxMp-ePOxZOHCM5X245KR2nrBvuxfkC548bfz_HkfZJoVknUmnmsbYp8j7JL8vM6r0/s703/Phantom%20of%20Chinatown1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="703" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRb_WkzUZsHGAOgTFhrLWx3B6Ao_p_ifiUEC7H7K6YNulD2IiBtysG1XyBIaZeFLp4FjqsQq0kYfLTVDTzKEVUHjsImnv6B0YWFrT9nNR9d4XI0MGi3vftvrLrkKxMp-ePOxZOHCM5X245KR2nrBvuxfkC548bfz_HkfZJoVknUmnmsbYp8j7JL8vM6r0/s320/Phantom%20of%20Chinatown1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>In the earlier movies everyone calls Mr Wong Mr Wong. In this movie people call him Jimmy (Mr Wong is James Lee Wong). In this movie he seems to be strictly an amateur detective.<br /><br />Captain Street of the Homicide Squad appears in all the earlier movies but in this movie he and Mr Wong have never met before. One explanation is that this movie is a sort of origin story, showing us Jimmy Wong at the start of his career as a detective. <br /><br />Today we would describe these changes as representing nothing less than an attempt at a reboot of the franchise.<br /><br />Sadly the attempt failed. Keye Luke was a fine actor but he lacked Karloff’s huge box-office drawing power and distributors were not interested in Mr Wong movies without Karloff.<br /><br /><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQSqwX7DgMpLbu-ftigBfYZ9NGMruD-WJSW6VeOkINfefEGzvgy8k1Sx_TMDWktRySeM2tdMU7l4Vb5QO2yNrRLfv2gQFOOLvs2IQsg2XPDpQsPi9LpjHpQ9gQi5mVjoeGbPQsa3A1EAvDcLIRqe9vChBuBjO8j2QIDKj6a6MtrnR1bhJL80ZQ1gmRLN0/s708/Phantom%20of%20Chinatown3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="708" height="244" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQSqwX7DgMpLbu-ftigBfYZ9NGMruD-WJSW6VeOkINfefEGzvgy8k1Sx_TMDWktRySeM2tdMU7l4Vb5QO2yNrRLfv2gQFOOLvs2IQsg2XPDpQsPi9LpjHpQ9gQi5mVjoeGbPQsa3A1EAvDcLIRqe9vChBuBjO8j2QIDKj6a6MtrnR1bhJL80ZQ1gmRLN0/s320/Phantom%20of%20Chinatown3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Phantom of Chinatown</i> begins with an audience listening to a lecture from Dr Benton, the leader of the expedition that had sought to find the Temple of the Eternal Flame in Mongolia. Dr Benton suddenly keels over in the middle of the lecture, dead. And it was murder. He was poisoned.<br /><br />Jimmy Wong, who been one of Dr Benton’s students, is on the scene.<br /><br />Jimmy spots a couple of clues that the police have missed. Captain Street decides to bring Jimmy in on the case.<br /><br />During his lecture Dr Benton had shown film footage shot during the expedition and Jimmy Wong suspects that there’s a clue in that film.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG3VBJuE0ENM9Sub2fqZOSPY1ITgR1XB4gBCBviJ1BLbwC3sJGRFA4WVFjoAzEU7TnR8sbO6bL2MtdQMCXeOUBA79pEoXqgkYNT--5fCkEuxNTRiGaS1ZSu2uMpV4OcaCTmjQ4sGcSHkW3VxPrXla4OQSLPN5WTjAy3rJBFt2vRqpvllTVp35ZCrHDSgE/s713/Phantom%20of%20Chinatown4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="539" data-original-width="713" height="242" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG3VBJuE0ENM9Sub2fqZOSPY1ITgR1XB4gBCBviJ1BLbwC3sJGRFA4WVFjoAzEU7TnR8sbO6bL2MtdQMCXeOUBA79pEoXqgkYNT--5fCkEuxNTRiGaS1ZSu2uMpV4OcaCTmjQ4sGcSHkW3VxPrXla4OQSLPN5WTjAy3rJBFt2vRqpvllTVp35ZCrHDSgE/s320/Phantom%20of%20Chinatown4.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>The story is quite good but I found the ending to be just a bit of a letdown.<br /><br />Grant Withers once again plays Captain Street of the Homicide Squad but he’s a very different character to the one we saw in the previous movie. He’s much more easy-going and much less hardbitten.<br /><br />Casting a relatively unknown Chinese male lead was a commercial risk and just as risky was the decision to have an Asian female lead. Lotus Long plays Dr Benton’s Chinese secretary although the actress was in fact half-Japanese and half-Hawaiian. She’s OK but her performance is just a little flat.<br /><br />Once you get past the fact that this is not the Mr Wong of the earlier films Keye Luke’s performance is pretty good. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvufi3o20TAqPYHtcHuIYz5YjLZzAnRxTZDPcmrASdK9BI0vHXPibMJ2TIoXQHRlVQeVB-2wto_uHvAmzSCICBckBH8rj5DU1HwlyehAaUFlUv8G7LT0StT75ohA2MmTJbb-GdVvZzlX7uqox1QHJuOJ9llviod1CVpXkCFCqqwwsd_FGe3Z0gavzUalk/s707/PhantomOfChinatown2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="707" height="244" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvufi3o20TAqPYHtcHuIYz5YjLZzAnRxTZDPcmrASdK9BI0vHXPibMJ2TIoXQHRlVQeVB-2wto_uHvAmzSCICBckBH8rj5DU1HwlyehAaUFlUv8G7LT0StT75ohA2MmTJbb-GdVvZzlX7uqox1QHJuOJ9llviod1CVpXkCFCqqwwsd_FGe3Z0gavzUalk/s320/PhantomOfChinatown2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>VCI’s Mr Wong Collection offers all six movies on two DVDs. <i>Phantom of Chinatown</i> gets a pretty decent transfer.<br /><br /><i>Phantom of Chinatown</i> is lightweight but quite enjoyable although Karloff’s star power is sorely missed. Recommended.<br /><br />I’ve reviewed the Mr Wong short story collection by Hugh Wiley, <a href="https://vintagepopfictions.blogspot.com/2018/11/murder-by-dozen.html" target="_blank">Murder by the Dozen</a>. I’ve also reviewed most of the earlier Mr Wong movies - <a href="https://dfordoom-movieramblings.blogspot.com/2015/06/mr-wong-detective-1938.html" target="_blank">Mr Wong, Detective</a> (1938), <a href="https://dfordoom-movieramblings.blogspot.com/2019/10/the-mystery-of-mr-wong-1939.html" target="_blank">The Mystery of Mr Wong</a> (1939), <a href="https://dfordoom-movieramblings.blogspot.com/2018/10/mr-wong-in-chinatown-1939.html" target="_blank">Mr Wong in Chinatown</a> (1939), <a href="https://dfordoom-movieramblings.blogspot.com/2021/06/the-fatal-hour-aka-mr-wong-at.html" target="_blank">The Fatal Hour</a> (AKA <i>Mr Wong at Headquarters</i>, 1940).<br />dfordoomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02306293859869179118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7185482420929995617.post-17001383962787677602024-02-11T16:12:00.000+11:002024-02-11T16:12:44.272+11:00The Treasure of the Silver Lake (1962)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioUQWdOgnt5qhgQFGy8BB3GnQUl4rnVngpzj6jNqS4S9RjBEt34o1JRw6ZUGwxLnHU6OR6Dr-kUrjcsDJI3-qp2BBKZFsKAjEXgA1iggsD8qQ34rYG-N9YqDKyNiBR8g7A2Z1v997neg3y7Xxii6LhL5zKlkmg3d_lAldHvRAZX0VpDGiUHX-bGzBxNSg/s538/Treasure%20of%20the%20Silver%20Lake1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="538" data-original-width="350" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioUQWdOgnt5qhgQFGy8BB3GnQUl4rnVngpzj6jNqS4S9RjBEt34o1JRw6ZUGwxLnHU6OR6Dr-kUrjcsDJI3-qp2BBKZFsKAjEXgA1iggsD8qQ34rYG-N9YqDKyNiBR8g7A2Z1v997neg3y7Xxii6LhL5zKlkmg3d_lAldHvRAZX0VpDGiUHX-bGzBxNSg/s320/Treasure%20of%20the%20Silver%20Lake1.jpg" width="208" /></a></div>Karl May became a pop culture phenomenon in Germany in the late 19th century and is best remembered for his westerns. When he started writing westerns May had never set foot in North America. His books deal not with the Wild West of reality or even with the Wild West of the American imagination, but with the Wild West of the German imagination. I think that’s cool and interesting.<br /><br />I also like the fact that <i>The Treasure of the Silver Lake</i> (<i>Der Schatz im Silbersee</i>), the first movie in Rialto’s very successful 1960s Karl May film franchise, was made by a German director, written by a German screenwriter and shot on location in what is now Croatia. This is a western with practically no American connection whatsoever. So again it’s the Wild West of the German imagination.<br /><br />Karl May’s westerns deal most famously with the friendship between a German immigrant trapper known as Old Shatterhand and an Apache chief, Winnetou.<br /><br />I’ve only read one of Karl May’s westerns and I have to say it was heavy going. The Treasure of the Silver Lake is much much better. It’s much less stodgy. In fact it isn’t really stodgy at all.<br /><br />The Old Shatterhand of the novels is a very devout Christian and that aspect gets a lot of emphasis. The film makes no mention at all of religion. The film also dispenses with the slight mystical overtones of the books.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8LHwXW00Zj7Ag68nZg7Nhyphenhyphen2jxJyq97t-xldZZFTyULRkQ6j3xOqtEb6wljGFbAFSyhN70PNxO37VuRwMQ6ehzhthuGmzjl7lXP16sgl28_dCLwnhVEjN-bxF0Zj5hDMwYuM4dBiXIEtQYElCRHbxnzP9qyryU768AMSfoK4KRXikSSSIKuLHdZr7tkwI/s791/TreasureOfTheSilverLake1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="339" data-original-width="791" height="137" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8LHwXW00Zj7Ag68nZg7Nhyphenhyphen2jxJyq97t-xldZZFTyULRkQ6j3xOqtEb6wljGFbAFSyhN70PNxO37VuRwMQ6ehzhthuGmzjl7lXP16sgl28_dCLwnhVEjN-bxF0Zj5hDMwYuM4dBiXIEtQYElCRHbxnzP9qyryU768AMSfoK4KRXikSSSIKuLHdZr7tkwI/s320/TreasureOfTheSilverLake1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>The movie begins with a gang of bandits holding up a stagecoach. The gang is led by a man known as the Colonel and he’s played by Herbert Lom. Herbert Lom as the chief villain is a promising start. The bandits don’t appear to have stolen anything but they did kill a man named Engel. Their reasons for staging the holdup become clear later - the Colonel wanted a map in Engel’s possession. It’s actually half of a map. The map shows the location of the famous fabulous treasure hidden somewhere in the vicinity of the Silver Lake. <br /><br />Engel’s son Fred (Götz George) wants to avenge his father’s death single-handedly. Old Shatterhand, famous for his wisdom and honesty and courage, persuades him that he will need help. Old Shatterhand will provide that help.<br /><br />Fred, Old Shatterhand, Old Shatterhand’s blood brother Winnetou (Pierre Brice) and a few trusted friends set off to hunt down the Colonel’s gang.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBNXpxFOtp8zsLiS9pw3Mf0iufxZFxUvi6kuXD-Dte0Hz3xxbIu6USmxrqV2l6-lwjqS4s0UueOYLn4DfeSvW-RLlwztuydmH9Jsb0ezXn49BUkNIMQB3mk40zDSRe8Mm1uQXNjPQK7BbyJccuLb8XqR5UZa6Lzbf7Sw2pT_Yv4lqndVAKXcSFE8c-7OE/s789/TreasureOfTheSilverLake3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="337" data-original-width="789" height="137" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBNXpxFOtp8zsLiS9pw3Mf0iufxZFxUvi6kuXD-Dte0Hz3xxbIu6USmxrqV2l6-lwjqS4s0UueOYLn4DfeSvW-RLlwztuydmH9Jsb0ezXn49BUkNIMQB3mk40zDSRe8Mm1uQXNjPQK7BbyJccuLb8XqR5UZa6Lzbf7Sw2pT_Yv4lqndVAKXcSFE8c-7OE/s320/TreasureOfTheSilverLake3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>The Colonel is now after the other half of the map, in the possession of a man named Patterson and hidden at Butler’s Farm. He will stop at nothing to obtain it. For no particular reason he slaughters an entire village of Utes. The Utes blame Old Shatterhand, so now Old Shatterhand and his friends are the hunted as well as the hunters. <br /><br />Lots of action follows including some full-scale battle scenes, among which are an all-out assault by about a hundred of the Colonel’s bandits on the heavily fortified Butler’s Farm. Our heroes encounter other hazards, they are put on trial by the chief of the Ute people, there are more battles. The Colonel holds Patterson’s beautiful daughter Ellen (Karin Dor) hostage, which upsets Fred since Ellen is his lady love. There are narrow escapes from danger.<br /><br />It becomes a race to find the treasure.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWkGGGEVBhBd8L_s5fJgbqfFdFQp0glf9s0nkAoqf_MDIceYdQ6Y6nh1sDwKgVXK0baian_sn1rslCKoZ7kb1QIvbCr_8tmW1MXKjbVQEfboLIg46jWY97yID04R4EJjGknmUzm8wYiATVfybs7UPKbQzOzDpchdyuwJEfRSNTaey4-Sx-VuFXoEy7fJo/s792/TreasureOfTheSilverLake2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="337" data-original-width="792" height="136" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWkGGGEVBhBd8L_s5fJgbqfFdFQp0glf9s0nkAoqf_MDIceYdQ6Y6nh1sDwKgVXK0baian_sn1rslCKoZ7kb1QIvbCr_8tmW1MXKjbVQEfboLIg46jWY97yID04R4EJjGknmUzm8wYiATVfybs7UPKbQzOzDpchdyuwJEfRSNTaey4-Sx-VuFXoEy7fJo/s320/TreasureOfTheSilverLake2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>This movie does not have the feel of a Hollywood western, nor does it feel like a spaghetti western. It’s a genre on its own (I have heard the term sauerkraut western used). To me it feels more like an old-fashioned adventure movie than a western. It’s closer in feel to movies like King Solomon’s Mines than to a conventional western.<br /><br />Lex Barker is reasonably good as Old Shatterhand. Casting Herbert Lom as an outlaw gang leader in a western was nothing if not interesting. Karin Dor is very good, as she usually was. I liked Götz George as the brave well-meaning but over-impulsive Fred.<br /><br />Eddi Arent provides comic relief as a pith-helmeted big game hunter. The game he is hunting is - butterflies!<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHsb0mJ_lYEb-J3CxBCY3IZ8f2V-ctxvxBEVCf4NSqzPRte4yfKR5wFCp19Z-t9MRkNXjz9pMPC4eYKlkWt1ve5YP5FD_jcsBImTvmYUQOOltarJDUVNps2IJKBWWKMNc6DlqhjpwkS-cBFYMY8s87SkVO2lrnPUFbnDc9mxwZBQDKu_maWm6bZApAepc/s789/TreasureOfTheSilverLake4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="338" data-original-width="789" height="137" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHsb0mJ_lYEb-J3CxBCY3IZ8f2V-ctxvxBEVCf4NSqzPRte4yfKR5wFCp19Z-t9MRkNXjz9pMPC4eYKlkWt1ve5YP5FD_jcsBImTvmYUQOOltarJDUVNps2IJKBWWKMNc6DlqhjpwkS-cBFYMY8s87SkVO2lrnPUFbnDc9mxwZBQDKu_maWm6bZApAepc/s320/TreasureOfTheSilverLake4.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>This is a very impressive movie visually. If the objective was to prove that a German studio could match Hollywood when it came to spectacle then that objective was certainly achieved.<br /><br />A fairly entertaining adventure saga. Recommended.<br /><br />The German Tobis DVD (part of a Karl May boxed set) provides a superb anamorphic transfer. Options are provided to watch The Treasure of the Silver Lake in English or in German with English subtitles.<br /><br />I’ve reviewed the first of Karl May’s Winnetou novels, <a href="https://vintagepopfictions.blogspot.com/2023/09/karl-mays-winnetou-i.html" target="_blank">Winnetou I</a>.<br /> dfordoomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02306293859869179118noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7185482420929995617.post-49730685755828117382024-02-08T09:27:00.000+11:002024-02-08T09:27:19.465+11:00This Man Is Mine (1934)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrvJeibxWxI1W2sPgQVy-j2nEefiRuH6nWKOB9vwe-DiSvEHDn6_iTvDuh5xV7_8-WyhI8nT6ONtMbDdl-k_2G_XUUM4BzkICT3jblXZwvr3nG9TdxI_F-vJR-8B7ZlC7ILLvDOTBYM4HRvrWn0qN6Xj9Ua56SI1VCHL-8sntUwl28shxjsCeHSo8X97s/s600/This%20Man%20Is%20Mine2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="471" data-original-width="600" height="251" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrvJeibxWxI1W2sPgQVy-j2nEefiRuH6nWKOB9vwe-DiSvEHDn6_iTvDuh5xV7_8-WyhI8nT6ONtMbDdl-k_2G_XUUM4BzkICT3jblXZwvr3nG9TdxI_F-vJR-8B7ZlC7ILLvDOTBYM4HRvrWn0qN6Xj9Ua56SI1VCHL-8sntUwl28shxjsCeHSo8X97s/s320/This%20Man%20Is%20Mine2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><i>This Man Is Mine</i> is a 1934 pre-code RKO melodrama with an impressive cast headed by Irene Dunne.<br /><br />It actually belongs to a distinctively pre-code genre - the comedy melodrama.<br /><br />Jim and Tony Dunlap (Ralph Bellamy and Irene Dunne) are very happily married. There are no clouds on their horizon until Fran (Constance Cummings) arrives back in town. Six years earlier Fran walked out on Jim just as they were about to get married. She married another man. Jim was devastated at the time. There was also a scandal. Scandal seems to follow Fran around.<br /><br />Now Fran has divorced her husband. Jim isn’t worried. He’s over Fran by now. At least he’s sure he’s over her.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji-ZNcC06shP3355taR0etZ2Lri9S8jmK-19AWHfjQEWi4Ej3QdfVtSgsYMQPfKlkCb1oKLhPU4VBabuE2NgHCMINXKQIj_1HD3i5uUBJQn3qEdRINWvHQ2llzCQ_Rv4P1SQRQw3p_tWZVscCZ8H5b5_r4wkIFNwnTRcW6jFQFld2E0bHM6iadKnfSV5M/s601/ThisManIsMine1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="463" data-original-width="601" height="247" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji-ZNcC06shP3355taR0etZ2Lri9S8jmK-19AWHfjQEWi4Ej3QdfVtSgsYMQPfKlkCb1oKLhPU4VBabuE2NgHCMINXKQIj_1HD3i5uUBJQn3qEdRINWvHQ2llzCQ_Rv4P1SQRQw3p_tWZVscCZ8H5b5_r4wkIFNwnTRcW6jFQFld2E0bHM6iadKnfSV5M/s320/ThisManIsMine1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>As soon as we meet Fran we know she’s a schemer and she’s trouble. She starts scheming right away. <br /><br />What upsets Fran is that Jim, rather than falling apart after she dumped him at the altar, got over her and then got happily married. That offends Fran. Men are not supposed to get over her. She doesn’t want to win Jim back, she just wants to prove that she could do so if she chose. And she wants Tony to know that she could steal her husband without any difficulty.<br /><br />Tony’s best friend Bee (Kay Johnson) does her best to frustrate Fran’s plans but Fran is unstoppable when she decides to enslave a man. Poor Jim doesn’t stand a chance, and the sap really thinks that Fran loves him.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCJrdZ24Y2HZq-Is2C263a8PNZfRAQG_u-V5csqlBdp-zJzSlMxV1-yEbztShQFqLgi0hquTRvBuJ521qxiA0wq9VTxyoydj3gZ7GMnXda7kxItrX5yQTC8MwqBOCeZaEcha57l1wvngk1e7GqVnJNWr6CJLfcbu7jdrUUpjOCTIkEp7JXddEY7plfimE/s600/ThisManIsMine2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="462" data-original-width="600" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCJrdZ24Y2HZq-Is2C263a8PNZfRAQG_u-V5csqlBdp-zJzSlMxV1-yEbztShQFqLgi0hquTRvBuJ521qxiA0wq9VTxyoydj3gZ7GMnXda7kxItrX5yQTC8MwqBOCeZaEcha57l1wvngk1e7GqVnJNWr6CJLfcbu7jdrUUpjOCTIkEp7JXddEY7plfimE/s320/ThisManIsMine2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Tony doesn’t really know how to deal with the situation. She’s too proud to take drastic steps. Jim is increasingly under Fran’s spell and matters come to a head at a party.<br /><br />It’s not uncommon for a movie to start out as a comedy and then slowly become more and more of a melodrama. This film starts out as a melodrama and becomes more and more of a sophisticated sex comedy.<br /><br />It’s definitely pre-code, with adultery being dealt with very openly.<br /><br />One thing I love about pre-code movies is that the endings were less predictable. Once the Production Code was introduced such a movie could only end one way, with the adulterers suffering horrific punishment (preferably death for the adulteress). In the pre-code era people who broke the moral laws might well get away scot-free. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh99ya_llZJJcGBlUFAD0NexoG2D1oKvYjgcU3-vd_5iDzQ0ETgvmlnuPSX4DGt7p5E-6s4vCMb-hyIVXFOh6I0iU9dZuJwpkXn3AEObHD66AwnKhs8c1UmhW0uqmDlMprkLDmDUW8iR5zQzf0hHcbpS1syosVsV88jX6CIiLaDgF14edND6PyOfy7X5PA/s601/ThisManIsMine3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="462" data-original-width="601" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh99ya_llZJJcGBlUFAD0NexoG2D1oKvYjgcU3-vd_5iDzQ0ETgvmlnuPSX4DGt7p5E-6s4vCMb-hyIVXFOh6I0iU9dZuJwpkXn3AEObHD66AwnKhs8c1UmhW0uqmDlMprkLDmDUW8iR5zQzf0hHcbpS1syosVsV88jX6CIiLaDgF14edND6PyOfy7X5PA/s320/ThisManIsMine3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Ralph Bellamy is very good as the hapless Jim but this movie belongs to the women. Irene Dunne is good but she has the least fun role. Constance Cummings makes an absolutely wonderful sexy scheming bad girl. Kay Johnson is terrific as the cynical but realistic Bee.<br /><br />Once the comedy really starts to kick in this is a very amusing movie. This is sophisticated pre-code humour at its best. Not as naughty as some pre-code films, but it has a cynical tone that would not have been permitted under the Code.<br /><br />John Cromwell, who went on to a pretty distinguished career, directed.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdGAiMOCd7FUwWxh9q6-4HizBUaT8yaXV0w2EPtlTNG1_OA_SgbPxqSK1YnlJ07WWhhICnPoJPBnSnB-b6sD7eegn6-CeIX4og_pSx8d_SVKOiYYrw2lX-8KdZHD1ZTZOR3BjWJA0qTPlWfpwiAg3cduBLHg17lVkrlEzetsovg_i146XeN2Nek-YMHf4/s599/ThisManIsMine4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="452" data-original-width="599" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdGAiMOCd7FUwWxh9q6-4HizBUaT8yaXV0w2EPtlTNG1_OA_SgbPxqSK1YnlJ07WWhhICnPoJPBnSnB-b6sD7eegn6-CeIX4og_pSx8d_SVKOiYYrw2lX-8KdZHD1ZTZOR3BjWJA0qTPlWfpwiAg3cduBLHg17lVkrlEzetsovg_i146XeN2Nek-YMHf4/s320/ThisManIsMine4.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Of course, this being 1934, the women get to wear fabulous gowns.<br /><br /><i>This Man Is Mine</i> is one of those pre-code movies that seems to have continued to languish in obscurity even during the revival of interest in pre-code cinema a few years back. That’s unfair. It’s a rather delightful movie. Highly recommended.<br /><br />This movie is included in the five-movie Spanish Verdice Irene Dunne Pre-Code DVD boxed set, in English as well as Spanish. The transfer is very good.<br />dfordoomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02306293859869179118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7185482420929995617.post-23351489589373003352024-02-05T00:35:00.000+11:002024-02-05T00:35:58.928+11:00The Life of Vergie Winters (1934)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_8FtjS5g6_THgKYwsrnEz-x2cQq2U-JnO3lETZBv80GzC27AjWqsRvE6Fg7qKgBG-QUcWrEX96OZBPqDfMXwFr8g_tjRX66DQwagqNKlfYHrX17fs_H90Cq1gYROTzZBJXLNmjwx34PK610KCG1ooTDl6FZkubUtUyZqKnRmQkol6RIf0dPzHzQuIo2o/s612/Life%20of%20Vergie%20Winters2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="470" data-original-width="612" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_8FtjS5g6_THgKYwsrnEz-x2cQq2U-JnO3lETZBv80GzC27AjWqsRvE6Fg7qKgBG-QUcWrEX96OZBPqDfMXwFr8g_tjRX66DQwagqNKlfYHrX17fs_H90Cq1gYROTzZBJXLNmjwx34PK610KCG1ooTDl6FZkubUtUyZqKnRmQkol6RIf0dPzHzQuIo2o/s320/Life%20of%20Vergie%20Winters2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><i>The Life of Vergie Winters</i> is a 1934 pre-code RKO melodrama and it’s a bit of a tearjerker. And it’s certainly very pre-code.<br /><br />The story begins in 1912 in the small American town of Parkville. It’s a town that thrives on gossip.<br /><br />There’s a prologue, with a funeral and a woman in prison although we have not the slightest idea what could have led up to this.<br /><br />And the story proper begins with a romance that has unfortunate complications. Aspiring politician John Shadwell (John Boles) is all set to marry milliner Vergie Winters (Ann Harding) until some very unpleasant people put a spanner in the works. A rich man who wants his own daughter to marry Laura (Helen Vinson) to marry Shadwell bribes Vergie’s father to tell Shadwell a scandalous lie, that Vergie will have to marry young Hugo McQueen (Lon Chaney Jr.) because he’s managed to get Vergie pregnant. In fact Vergie is not and never was pregnant and has never had any involvement all all with Hugo.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh582xEH34eewlsnkYytXlVlV0TPSLBhjf6FR_6DNn7CNQP-tpyvBD-GoRO6GTdXqBzrtClYUUVpcwUO4_CNyLtyy8aKkoW71obfh2dg7pkrJy7GIpHhBW1NbjWqVZ2tZj7FhOxQrl55sKrOiCZc7KMKzRh4SgdGZ57HWI_l6Gk7mzJ3b3WDkDBZo5c4Lc/s606/LifeOfVergieWinters1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="465" data-original-width="606" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh582xEH34eewlsnkYytXlVlV0TPSLBhjf6FR_6DNn7CNQP-tpyvBD-GoRO6GTdXqBzrtClYUUVpcwUO4_CNyLtyy8aKkoW71obfh2dg7pkrJy7GIpHhBW1NbjWqVZ2tZj7FhOxQrl55sKrOiCZc7KMKzRh4SgdGZ57HWI_l6Gk7mzJ3b3WDkDBZo5c4Lc/s320/LifeOfVergieWinters1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>But Shadwell believes the lie and breaks the engagement to Vergie. An up-and-coming politician could not possibly marry such a scandalous woman. Shadwell heads off to Washington and what promises to be a glittering political career.<br /><br />All this has happened before the real story gets going. That story kicks in when Shadwell, on an electioneering visit to Parkville, finds out what a horrible mistake he has made. He is now married to Laura, a woman he does not love. He has lost the chance of marrying the woman he really loves, Vergie, and all because he believed a terrible lie and never thought at the time to find out if there was any truth in the accusation. Now Shadwell and Vergie are doomed to unhappiness.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisgAi1o1CG5ABeY6l2R7E8hPs4Q9RxYqLhApu_wtZsWm3_Ob8b2AvZxe39ChBN0SofOSTJAd5LIqx4T_ApqZmQMMHrP3VM8ursZh37oIunCjltTFfIT2jFpIhw3rm-JV3jbNZZqw4KXgiOt2s0XTtDgQF_KHOsDPknpWlwA9z9uxm8c1UzlRAr8nIycEs/s607/LifeOfVergieWinters2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="467" data-original-width="607" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisgAi1o1CG5ABeY6l2R7E8hPs4Q9RxYqLhApu_wtZsWm3_Ob8b2AvZxe39ChBN0SofOSTJAd5LIqx4T_ApqZmQMMHrP3VM8ursZh37oIunCjltTFfIT2jFpIhw3rm-JV3jbNZZqw4KXgiOt2s0XTtDgQF_KHOsDPknpWlwA9z9uxm8c1UzlRAr8nIycEs/s320/LifeOfVergieWinters2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>They are not however prepared to accept this unhappiness. They begin a clandestine affair, an affair that lasts for twenty years. And Vergie has his child, a daughter. <br /><br />In outrageous melodrama style Shadwell persuades his wife that they should adopt this child as their own. Of course he isn’t crazy enough to tell Laura that the child is his, and Vergie’s. He spins her a story about the child’s parentage which she accepts.<br /><br />Of course you’re not going to be able to appreciate this movie unless you accept that it takes place in a very different society, a society in which divorce was a career-ending scandal for a politician and in which adultery was slightly more shameful than murder. If you don’t accept this then you’re just not going to understand why Shadwell and Vergie are prepared to go on with their clandestine affair, a love that they must keep forever hidden.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYrQr0Yd509_BxKpV4K0KxA54FNmbflwC6OYLQyDlFJsvQwV8ymRF3KmPzRls4n8K8-aSqQi3baoedaK6acC2iGcn0bIAcJLgwiWW5gy9hwhoYLqGcVIfFW_XS52HIBnqgxiIjSoFuiUOPAg9CKvaik5FE98sgeea-Wt9TgMvzBUjvKFzCWgjaQu94ir4/s607/LifeOfVergieWinters3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="465" data-original-width="607" height="245" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYrQr0Yd509_BxKpV4K0KxA54FNmbflwC6OYLQyDlFJsvQwV8ymRF3KmPzRls4n8K8-aSqQi3baoedaK6acC2iGcn0bIAcJLgwiWW5gy9hwhoYLqGcVIfFW_XS52HIBnqgxiIjSoFuiUOPAg9CKvaik5FE98sgeea-Wt9TgMvzBUjvKFzCWgjaQu94ir4/s320/LifeOfVergieWinters3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>That secret affair is enough for Shadwell and Vergie but there were a couple of things they had overlooked. One was the sheer viciousness of the gossip-ridden town of Parkville. The second was that Laura is both intelligent and suspicious. Keeping a clandestine affair clandestine is not necessarily something that can be done indefinitely.<br /><br />The ending is perhaps rather contrived but melodrama has its own genre conventions and contrived endings that would never be acceptable in other genres are quite acceptable in melodrama. I think the ending works satisfactorily enough.<br /><br />There’s plenty of emotional suffering in this movie but there is an extraordinary love that makes such suffering bearable.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmGWU6nslKA0jPYh9QnugaS1dot2MYeUhEPdae2JxE9Myl3lG7xzNGf7E5wsXlxt0Hd3ULTG2pLWl0iuMH8V61trxY2Pj8nAHaxnQqbXUyqDjEqU7yHthl2d2oIX9f9e1ypvjL_AMQEWnwBtXaclBy-h4F6J2QTUfWrChxgVIYQIgk8afeHtTreQmJEUc/s607/LifeOfVergieWinters4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="467" data-original-width="607" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmGWU6nslKA0jPYh9QnugaS1dot2MYeUhEPdae2JxE9Myl3lG7xzNGf7E5wsXlxt0Hd3ULTG2pLWl0iuMH8V61trxY2Pj8nAHaxnQqbXUyqDjEqU7yHthl2d2oIX9f9e1ypvjL_AMQEWnwBtXaclBy-h4F6J2QTUfWrChxgVIYQIgk8afeHtTreQmJEUc/s320/LifeOfVergieWinters4.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Ann Harding is OK as Vergie although she is just a tad on the insipid side. John Boles is convincing as the ambitious politician. The script doesn’t do Helen Vinson any favours - it isn’t easy to make Laura sympathetic but we do at least understand her motivations.<br /><br /><i>The Life of Vergie Winters</i> is a reasonably entertaining melodrama and it’s worth a look.<br /><br />This movie is included in the five-movie Spanish Verdice Pre-Code RKO Volume 1 DVD boxed sets. All five films are in English with removable Spanish subtitles and the transfer are fine. From this set I’ve previously reviewed <a href="https://dfordoom-movieramblings.blogspot.com/2023/09/states-attorney-1932.html" target="_blank">State’s Attorney</a> (1932), <a href="https://dfordoom-movieramblings.blogspot.com/2023/04/the-common-law-1931.html" target="_blank">The Common Law</a> (1931), <a href="https://dfordoom-movieramblings.blogspot.com/2022/12/kept-husbands-1931.html" target="_blank">Kept Husbands</a> (1931) and <a href="https://dfordoom-movieramblings.blogspot.com/2023/03/lonely-wives-1931.html" target="_blank">Lonely Wives</a> (1931). All these films are worth seeing. The set is still in print and it’s very much worth grabbing.<br />dfordoomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02306293859869179118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7185482420929995617.post-52865866440238984952024-02-01T21:06:00.000+11:002024-02-01T21:06:44.263+11:00Charlie Chan at the Opera (1936)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin5ne7pu_3gYt1u7hg6ZKfRE6zm4a-chQSsquRCS9UfdmMJu_74xiAC7w7j7-bNwhDlq8sdY4umUUrTPnXnpyJRs0z9IZQ43vMZR6UzWvBJg9cx7Q4lehYEKjJKor8V71kDT1UeotMBU7MtAsD3iZWZNxnTf5VvYw9NjM0joM8MO_jDIJk53WV2FhjPwk/s550/Charlie%20Chan%20at%20the%20Opera2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="550" height="279" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin5ne7pu_3gYt1u7hg6ZKfRE6zm4a-chQSsquRCS9UfdmMJu_74xiAC7w7j7-bNwhDlq8sdY4umUUrTPnXnpyJRs0z9IZQ43vMZR6UzWvBJg9cx7Q4lehYEKjJKor8V71kDT1UeotMBU7MtAsD3iZWZNxnTf5VvYw9NjM0joM8MO_jDIJk53WV2FhjPwk/s320/Charlie%20Chan%20at%20the%20Opera2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><i>Charlie Chan at the Opera</i> is a 1936 entry in 20th Century-Fox’s Charlie Chan B-movie series. At this point Chan was still being played by Warner Oland. The big selling point for this one was having Boris Karloff (a huge star in 1936) heading the guest cast.<br /><br />Charlie Chan is supposed to be a Honolulu cop but in the many Chan movies he spends almost no time in Hawaii. He investigates cases in a wide variety of exotic locales (all created in the studio of course) and for a while in the mid-30s his cases had extremely interesting settings (circuses, race tracks, etc). In this film it’s murder at the opera, in San Francisco.<br /><br />Personally I just adore murder mysterious in theatrical or similar settings (such as film studios). Murder in an opera house - that’s right up my alley.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA--OPmnWOqMz5mB0t0PtYF3oBLU-k1LdNCnyYMPjgSU2VV7bIX0A7EPPmZMaxvWpyj7mnj8p4SZkiRtnVAF0DTqdgHDF2f_zc5Df-GhjoKuzyrVQq3fpAZj3_vjEtmxuqAx-KHgS7XYfhgvY04iLL-X0x6ZzaHobvhsUkrwFIRxydBWPehf9qM993aXg/s625/CharlieChanAtTheOpera1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="467" data-original-width="625" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA--OPmnWOqMz5mB0t0PtYF3oBLU-k1LdNCnyYMPjgSU2VV7bIX0A7EPPmZMaxvWpyj7mnj8p4SZkiRtnVAF0DTqdgHDF2f_zc5Df-GhjoKuzyrVQq3fpAZj3_vjEtmxuqAx-KHgS7XYfhgvY04iLL-X0x6ZzaHobvhsUkrwFIRxydBWPehf9qM993aXg/s320/CharlieChanAtTheOpera1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>We start with a maniac (you won’t be surprised to know he’s played by Karloff) escaping from a lunatic asylum. He’s suffering from amnesia and nobody has ever figured out his identity. He spends most of his time singing and he’s obviously a trained singer, and obviously operatically trained.<br /><br />Charlie Chan’s assistance is requested when a threat is made on the life of a famed soprano, Lilli Rochelle (Margaret Irving).<br /><br />No murder has yet been committed but it soon becomes clear that there are romantic triangles and professional jealousies in the opera company that could very easily lead to murder.<br /><br />Of course they do lead to murder. Two murders in fact.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwvtPtCEaNNCemRAVNAjSD7BTiDhLwHwYPYmcYxoY3pBjSEA5SK5m2luL72ziYdofBurYYiUZvxgX1zfddu1sDlcOmTQaluokfDOvEn53Kue1OPjEesk_k1TgJBq8NWvRLsVS1E289nm0MuoRClKWnzJEy3GB7dJ28zx_UB3GBsa0XcfQocgYiPqe7DaU/s626/CharlieChanAtTheOpera2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="467" data-original-width="626" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwvtPtCEaNNCemRAVNAjSD7BTiDhLwHwYPYmcYxoY3pBjSEA5SK5m2luL72ziYdofBurYYiUZvxgX1zfddu1sDlcOmTQaluokfDOvEn53Kue1OPjEesk_k1TgJBq8NWvRLsVS1E289nm0MuoRClKWnzJEy3GB7dJ28zx_UB3GBsa0XcfQocgYiPqe7DaU/s320/CharlieChanAtTheOpera2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Several suspicious characters have been hanging around the opera house and one of them is suspected of being the escaped maniac. Naturally the police make the perfectly logical assumption that the maniac is the murderer, and the evidence points that way.<br /><br />Chan’s son Lee (Keye Luke) goes undercover as an extra in the latest opera production. As usual he does dig up some clues, and as usual he fails to draw the right conclusions.<br /><br />The plot is pretty solid with several plausible suspects, all with convincing motives. Charlie eventually comes up with a risky plan to bring the murderer into the open.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgru-BBhmM9i7EJh5wzkKlIR-DwItFws2V1jKtb4nGhCx4T2JLY2_KCWRNKBUC0WF7UW3NKQTIhLtVuxmleeoOHVEnu8SUUYXQl-q3s8cIsOIHDCYt3t5fOl6QVaPPFqU41sy16XL1e8VTa1n0FrXNpy1RjvViGRfXVfG1t7LIbZyl2v2CKi3lDWBYf8l4/s625/CharlieChanAtTheOpera3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="467" data-original-width="625" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgru-BBhmM9i7EJh5wzkKlIR-DwItFws2V1jKtb4nGhCx4T2JLY2_KCWRNKBUC0WF7UW3NKQTIhLtVuxmleeoOHVEnu8SUUYXQl-q3s8cIsOIHDCYt3t5fOl6QVaPPFqU41sy16XL1e8VTa1n0FrXNpy1RjvViGRfXVfG1t7LIbZyl2v2CKi3lDWBYf8l4/s320/CharlieChanAtTheOpera3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Warner Oland is his usual self but it’s no surprise that Karloff totally and effortlessly steals the picture. This role allows Karloff to play to his strengths as an actor, particularly his ability to switch seamlessly from being kindly and sympathetic to being menacing and obsessed. It’s actually a pretty decent somewhat ambiguous role.<br /><br />The opera house setting is used skilfully and director H. Bruce Humberstone does a competent job. <br /><br />This movie does have some very slight hints of horror, with horror icon Karloff playing a madman. And the opera house setting gives it a slight Phantom of the Opera vibe.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheMSaoeHIhQXBkfPId54guUtOIQaUjHDpSWKIUsH-R2nD8Y7fbJrk0wdMwMYlC9na5_P4xYEMv0TFwjNqjCc8-vFgrNAvsf5alezMltNBo9v8hug736ENLXHEDcfnTE5Dpvq7kvEVGcF_m58AK2AG3FYOqk1n1wTT45kakmUeRs6qsn64rXJfZqytQESw/s627/CharlieChanAtTheOpera4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="467" data-original-width="627" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheMSaoeHIhQXBkfPId54guUtOIQaUjHDpSWKIUsH-R2nD8Y7fbJrk0wdMwMYlC9na5_P4xYEMv0TFwjNqjCc8-vFgrNAvsf5alezMltNBo9v8hug736ENLXHEDcfnTE5Dpvq7kvEVGcF_m58AK2AG3FYOqk1n1wTT45kakmUeRs6qsn64rXJfZqytQESw/s320/CharlieChanAtTheOpera4.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>So this is a Charlie Chan movie with a subtly different flavour. It’s a B-movie with no pretensions to being anything more than that but it’s pretty enjoyable. The Chan movies varied widely in quality but this one is quite satisfying. Karloff’s presence bumps this one up into the highly recommended category.<br /><br /><i>Charlie Chan at the Opera</i> is included in Fox’s Charlie Chan volume 2 DVD boxed set and it gets a very nice transfer with a few extras thrown in.<br /><br />I’ve reviewed lots of other Charlie Chan movies including <a href="Charlie Chan at the Opera (1936)" target="_blank">Charlie Chan at the Circus</a> (1936), <a href="https://dfordoom-movieramblings.blogspot.com/2012/09/charlie-chan-in-shanghai-1935.html" target="_blank">Charlie Chan in Shanghai</a> (1935), <a href="https://dfordoom-movieramblings.blogspot.com/2015/09/charlie-chan-at-treasure-island-1939.html" target="_blank">Charlie Chan at Treasure Island</a> (1939) and <a href="https://dfordoom-movieramblings.blogspot.com/2014/07/charlie-chan-in-reno-1939.html" target="_blank">Charlie Chan in Reno</a> (1939).<br />dfordoomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02306293859869179118noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7185482420929995617.post-59920505352665940222024-01-28T02:02:00.000+11:002024-01-28T02:02:24.973+11:00The Adventurous Blonde (1937)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghK5BEX7LsJxSS_Odh9seabyIDT8ugfZleVfbIykmk2L6sfsG0xVOJXQbmQrWHV_MpkuTAJ8qwEwXl1Fzia82gvESZEDGEbUQOxBfvPJsbPphbc4uO8I8SZeFtoefDAB1OcFl6GSam37pcSppG6ReRniTBNX1vu_hg5X1zY3wOLsLTIgXocQnbRM2m0nQ/s500/Adventurous%20Blonde1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="500" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghK5BEX7LsJxSS_Odh9seabyIDT8ugfZleVfbIykmk2L6sfsG0xVOJXQbmQrWHV_MpkuTAJ8qwEwXl1Fzia82gvESZEDGEbUQOxBfvPJsbPphbc4uO8I8SZeFtoefDAB1OcFl6GSam37pcSppG6ReRniTBNX1vu_hg5X1zY3wOLsLTIgXocQnbRM2m0nQ/s320/Adventurous%20Blonde1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><i>The Adventurous Blonde</i> was the third of the nine Torchy Blane B-movies made by Warner Brothers between 1937 and 1939. Glenda Farrell played the title rôle and Barton MacLane played her boyfriend and partner in crime-solving, Lieutenant Steve McBride, in all but two of these films.<br /><br />Feisty girl reporters were a regular feature of Hollywood B-movies of that era but it was something that Glenda Farrell did particularly well. She’s one of the two big assets in this movie, the other being the delightful chemistry she has with Barton MacLane. In this movie Torchy and McBride are about to get married. In fact it seems like they’re about to get married in every one of the Torchy Blane movies. It becomes a kind of running gag. Every time they’re about to walk down the aisle somebody gets murdered. There’s only one thing McBride loves more than Torchy, and that’s a good murder case. And there’s only one thing Torchy loves more than McBride, and that’s the chance of getting a scoop on a murder case. So the marriage keeps getting put off.<br /><br /><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6HZhJYP9yamBrjyc72av2PvVA9t6JuyDVn6lCNToWpwRgX8WliMYbaLkRiDEF3z94F5_4GTC2jAXratUm7EzKx4wFDtASddsNweNgWXE0BS6bFipltD39-S1xGPaTPPOlypW-a8tHhV0Yn5AYQ8LL5_Gs3zBsTIuxQg1aGKdeNCaFJD-NOtBqcq6XjrE/s618/AdventurousBlonde3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="470" data-original-width="618" height="243" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6HZhJYP9yamBrjyc72av2PvVA9t6JuyDVn6lCNToWpwRgX8WliMYbaLkRiDEF3z94F5_4GTC2jAXratUm7EzKx4wFDtASddsNweNgWXE0BS6bFipltD39-S1xGPaTPPOlypW-a8tHhV0Yn5AYQ8LL5_Gs3zBsTIuxQg1aGKdeNCaFJD-NOtBqcq6XjrE/s320/AdventurousBlonde3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>The Adventurous Blonde</i> begins with a joke. Due to her connection with Lieutenant McBride Torchy keeps scooping her rivals. Several of those rival reporters decide to teach her and McBride a lesson - they’ll set up a phoney murder, Torchy will think she’s got another scoop, then when her story gets printed they will reveal (in a rival newspaper) that it was a hoax and that there never was a murder.<br /><br />A once-famous actor whose career is on the downslide agrees to further the hoax by faking his own murder.<br /><br />Of course things don’t turn out as those jealous reporters had hoped. The fake murder turns out to be all too real, and Torchy gets her scoop.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV8jHEo-xf853I23HiOrfIzYCobBrg6mfe8VT7nWY4cDyIiCInLzaQ2BmlQmbr1sFdjc4JIo2D0ue4FrmG6Xye8G8ymuJtupj8LYm3jLpKNvUwj4onxU4sezmf76-5tSIPvQnWkbVKipG-luEqMrGRxdVBpEO4ljzKkpsnjU-Bhh3_zU_iEZ1oZoEwosM/s629/AdventurousBlonde2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="470" data-original-width="629" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV8jHEo-xf853I23HiOrfIzYCobBrg6mfe8VT7nWY4cDyIiCInLzaQ2BmlQmbr1sFdjc4JIo2D0ue4FrmG6Xye8G8ymuJtupj8LYm3jLpKNvUwj4onxU4sezmf76-5tSIPvQnWkbVKipG-luEqMrGRxdVBpEO4ljzKkpsnjU-Bhh3_zU_iEZ1oZoEwosM/s320/AdventurousBlonde2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Now Torchy and Steve McBride have an actual murder to solve.<br /><br />McBride follows the obvious leads while Torchy suspects there’s more to this case. The plot gets quite involved with some good twists. It’s hard to keep up with the games Torchy is playing, and that of course is her intention - to mystify and then trap the real killer.<br /><br />Naturally you don’t want to take any of the plot seriously. No reporters would ever pull a stunt as crazy as the murder hoax. No reporter would trample journalistic ethics quite so thoroughly as Torchy does in this movie. But this is not real life, it’s a movie. Things happen in movies that could never happen in real life and the characters in movies take those things for granted. Actual murder investigations involve huge amounts of incredibly boring routine police work. Nobody would ever watch a movie that approached police work in a realistic manner.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4dekV-eltHdm2calQW8QEweORJhkjvW6AWZf6FtKpxAqJhibhFd_6RMDmpHkFJeR1God0c2_HTAYsBNoJDAl3F9zv59dTXXVrkATvTXubTqiOqT53yvOZtoZ_RC4SV2Pm37PQwb7gLt3MefNHyORzEigINW97u8UeKzlij0WWKxfv4cQisw_2TUMq52U/s616/AdventurousBlonde7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="469" data-original-width="616" height="244" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4dekV-eltHdm2calQW8QEweORJhkjvW6AWZf6FtKpxAqJhibhFd_6RMDmpHkFJeR1God0c2_HTAYsBNoJDAl3F9zv59dTXXVrkATvTXubTqiOqT53yvOZtoZ_RC4SV2Pm37PQwb7gLt3MefNHyORzEigINW97u8UeKzlij0WWKxfv4cQisw_2TUMq52U/s320/AdventurousBlonde7.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>This is movie escapism and you just have to enjoy the ride.<br /><br />The Torchy-McBride romance doesn’t feel like a mere tacked-on gimmick. While the murder investigation is wildly unrealistic the Torchy-McBride relationship does feel at least partly grounded in reality. A relationship between an ambitious cop and an ambitious reporter is going to be tempestuous and filled with tensions. But they’re both likeable and we want them to work things out. We just don’t want them to work things out yet - we want to see more fireworks between them in the next movie in the series.<br /><br />I’ve already mentioned Glenda Farrell and Barton MacLane as the movie’s biggest assets. Homicide cop Gahagan (Tom Kennedy) is a comic relief character but he’s kept in the background and never becomes irritating. The other cast members are perfectly competent.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi8gChrHPzmHSEAWJr3m5vUJ3cCDvVLJkNJJ49KVeIL3gUVfMqAxxopxi-dM8OPCtkiPcmN0EovjzEZfmv8ObN6DmVF3mRb7qp10Ns0fgEKhWbT-Mzxg14elM8yOMjwk7HISPEi0sfoyIiy4tgmmro2e7XIdajNBXvzsX7BB_YdjlVS6qS8gNhxL6h7Fg/s621/AdventurousBlonde8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="469" data-original-width="621" height="242" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi8gChrHPzmHSEAWJr3m5vUJ3cCDvVLJkNJJ49KVeIL3gUVfMqAxxopxi-dM8OPCtkiPcmN0EovjzEZfmv8ObN6DmVF3mRb7qp10Ns0fgEKhWbT-Mzxg14elM8yOMjwk7HISPEi0sfoyIiy4tgmmro2e7XIdajNBXvzsX7BB_YdjlVS6qS8gNhxL6h7Fg/s320/AdventurousBlonde8.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>The 61-minute running time is a plus - it demands rapid pacing and that’s what the movie delivers.<br /><br />The ending is quite satisfactory, both in terms of the mystery and the romance angles.<br /><br />This movie is light breezy fun. If you accept it for what it is, a B-movie with no ambitions to be anything more than a B-movie, it’s highly recommended.<br /><br />All nine Torchy Blane movies are included in the Warner Archive DVD boxed set. The transfers are quite acceptable.<br /><br />I’ve reviewed the two earlier Torchy Blane movies, <a href="https://dfordoom-movieramblings.blogspot.com/2020/12/smart-blonde-1937.html" target="_blank">Smart Blonde</a> (1937) and <a href="https://dfordoom-movieramblings.blogspot.com/2021/07/fly-away-baby-1937.html" target="_blank">Fly-Away Baby</a> (1937).<br />dfordoomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02306293859869179118noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7185482420929995617.post-2646823468099325492024-01-25T16:18:00.000+11:002024-01-25T16:18:30.748+11:00Doomed to Die (1940)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmpx_L59XWxlsPd_x3tAyG3hwpOdR_VDPF7swfu-j6yDaY0b31FFm3rP8-qYucXJqwy5GYOxAzjTSyVJt5l5ynZ6k36mp4V3VwVK4HjhExRnxbbyAk5AO4hNxDViFd-YM-IXkTPzpllenr9Ftr_DWAZSEU7EaxcWXwoJFmAQ4O0wHyzl4cDGFFpa853_w/s2908/Doomed%20to%20Die1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2275" data-original-width="2908" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmpx_L59XWxlsPd_x3tAyG3hwpOdR_VDPF7swfu-j6yDaY0b31FFm3rP8-qYucXJqwy5GYOxAzjTSyVJt5l5ynZ6k36mp4V3VwVK4HjhExRnxbbyAk5AO4hNxDViFd-YM-IXkTPzpllenr9Ftr_DWAZSEU7EaxcWXwoJFmAQ4O0wHyzl4cDGFFpa853_w/s320/Doomed%20to%20Die1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><i>Doomed to Die </i>(AKA <i>Mystery of the Wentworth Castle</i>) was the fifth of the six Mr Wong crime B-movies made by Monogram Pictures from 1938 to 1940. It was the last to star Boris Karloff as Mr Wong. Keye Luke took over the role for the sixth and final movie. The five Boris Karloff Mr Wong movies were all directed by William Nigh.<br /><br />The character was created by Hugh Wiley in a series of 1930s short stories. The James Lee Wong of Wiley’s stories bears almost no resemblance to the character as portrayed in the films. In the stories Wong is a young Chinese-American man, Yale-educated and very Americanised, and he is a Treasury agent. In the movies Mr Wong is a middle-aged Chinese gentleman, English-educated and very English in outlook (although still quite comfortable with his Chinese cultural heritage), and he’s a private detective.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOQgjd4-O7jI85MIHdWxSA2Gjbsl0Ea3r9r-gsPz43l2IxTbHrc28q7oBeyfN9sOpXMNiXDSAIOCdvoAOZ3lCIKlrm0n514oK0xJI1qWP0u9wzghsyWV2e8WHvXGB7pWePDHj54NJVJqQKSzEyytl_ELuvlrGby7BqUaN3cpj1KS2OD4PKYvwJTQJDMiU/s709/DoomedToDie1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="709" height="244" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOQgjd4-O7jI85MIHdWxSA2Gjbsl0Ea3r9r-gsPz43l2IxTbHrc28q7oBeyfN9sOpXMNiXDSAIOCdvoAOZ3lCIKlrm0n514oK0xJI1qWP0u9wzghsyWV2e8WHvXGB7pWePDHj54NJVJqQKSzEyytl_ELuvlrGby7BqUaN3cpj1KS2OD4PKYvwJTQJDMiU/s320/DoomedToDie1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>In <i>Doomed to Die</i> shipping tycoon Cyrus Wentworth (Melvin Lang) has a lot of problems to deal with. One of his ships, the Wentworth Castle, caught fire resulting in the loss of 400 lives. There was a certain item of cargo aboard which could be considered contraband and Wentworth knew about it. His business arch-rival Paul Fleming (Guy Usher), whom he hates and despises, is trying to force a merger on him. And Fleming’s son Dick (William Stelling) wants to marry Wentworth’s daughter Cynthia (Catherine Craig), a match Wentworth is determined to prevent.<br /><br />When Wentworth is shot Dick Fleming is the very obvious prime suspect. Cynthia’s best friend, feisty girl reporter Bobbie Logan (Marjorie Reynolds), tells her not to worry. She has persuaded the famous detective Mr Wong to take the case.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgck6idDw2fuVpgfI-V9_lReQpVdyyc_hL79oslirlRYDIp-36ie0ZnAykF4J_xWyqJz6yzGOuOSI35eYMM9Y1IlxaKJFmabtFyuSMgzYNJBQ36Zrf9YFBm8siF5nskWer1Q0NADlGKNtPtRRzVFXjuECasZXayyaNwzLNQMW37EEcGWEhzMIXasxPfv20/s707/DoomedToDie2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="707" height="244" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgck6idDw2fuVpgfI-V9_lReQpVdyyc_hL79oslirlRYDIp-36ie0ZnAykF4J_xWyqJz6yzGOuOSI35eYMM9Y1IlxaKJFmabtFyuSMgzYNJBQ36Zrf9YFBm8siF5nskWer1Q0NADlGKNtPtRRzVFXjuECasZXayyaNwzLNQMW37EEcGWEhzMIXasxPfv20/s320/DoomedToDie2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>The Homicide cop investigating the case, Captain William Street (Grant Withers), is as loud and confident as he is stupid. Having jumped to the conclusion, based on flimsy circumstantial evidence, that Dick Fleming was the killer he has no desire to do any real investigating.<br /><br />Mr Wong has a few leads he’d like to follow up. He’s very interested in the passenger list for the Wentworth Castle’s ill-fated final voyage. He’s also interested in Wentworth’s chauffeur. And he finds a clue. It’s a document stolen by a man who has cracked the safe in Wentworth’s office. The man managed to burn the paper but Mr Wong doesn’t despair. That paper can still give up its secret, thanks to infra-red photography (which in 1940 would have seemed like cool high-tech forensic technology). <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj11wvhifF4UzWa5bqBhtW_R2YvRg5i-_JIbZNY6H5XFo1uO2i0yinXxvDDApzT4mztJ7e1Z0ZZ18cE9guBMU6ToB_8wIPCJj0JSrDRXaqVgIL8UGZIBc1B3Jo59Q86RshVQqGunXWaE7ToHCWL7nQZEUPogoKHvtOXSHRacD33gI_N4I9xASv_kwh5fnA/s710/DoomedToDie3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="710" height="243" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj11wvhifF4UzWa5bqBhtW_R2YvRg5i-_JIbZNY6H5XFo1uO2i0yinXxvDDApzT4mztJ7e1Z0ZZ18cE9guBMU6ToB_8wIPCJj0JSrDRXaqVgIL8UGZIBc1B3Jo59Q86RshVQqGunXWaE7ToHCWL7nQZEUPogoKHvtOXSHRacD33gI_N4I9xASv_kwh5fnA/s320/DoomedToDie3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>The plot is quite serviceable and there are enough suspects to keep things interesting.<br /><br />Karloff is all avuncular charm and is fun to watch. <br /><br />Marjorie Reynolds makes a fine feisty girl reporter. I imagine that in real life feisty girl reporters are probably quite annoying but in 1930s/40s American B-movies they’re always great fun.<br /><br />This is a Monogram movie so production values are pretty basic. William Nigh spent most of his career churning out B-movies, being the kind of director who was totally lacking in inspiration but could bring a low-budget movie in on time and on budget. And this movie is pretty well paced.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis0MSX3aDnUxsLtc6Am-oN5bBzU_NtDK2YYz8poNLUUAmevKfJB0JiR1mmZuijL___4NYMDvCd_hIA2tALspd6P3-knCOXzzcI80sDjuziAzvLgOFoPcwxX9JAJSE6V2EK93Ro_1GEsB6stftPvjp6X_csYw5-5Y0-PbxKH8EySmzY2ia7kBlwhv2GfSg/s710/DoomedToDie4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="710" height="243" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis0MSX3aDnUxsLtc6Am-oN5bBzU_NtDK2YYz8poNLUUAmevKfJB0JiR1mmZuijL___4NYMDvCd_hIA2tALspd6P3-knCOXzzcI80sDjuziAzvLgOFoPcwxX9JAJSE6V2EK93Ro_1GEsB6stftPvjp6X_csYw5-5Y0-PbxKH8EySmzY2ia7kBlwhv2GfSg/s320/DoomedToDie4.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>The best thing about this movie is that there is no comic relief. It’s an absolute joy to watch an American B-movie of this era that isn’t saddled with lame irritating comic interludes.<br /><br /><i>Doomed to Die</i> is a perfectly competent B-movie which provides decent entertainment and Karloff makes anything worth watching. Recommended.<br /><br />VCI’s Mr Wong Collection offers all six movies on two DVDs. The transfers are far from pristine but they’re acceptable.<br /><br />I’ve reviewed Hugh Wiley’s Mr Wong short story collection <a href="https://vintagepopfictions.blogspot.com/2018/11/murder-by-dozen.html" target="_blank">Murder by the Dozen</a>. I’ve also reviewed other Mr Wong movies - <a href="https://dfordoom-movieramblings.blogspot.com/2015/06/mr-wong-detective-1938.html" target="_blank">Mr Wong, Detective</a> (1938), <a href="https://dfordoom-movieramblings.blogspot.com/2019/10/the-mystery-of-mr-wong-1939.html" target="_blank">The Mystery of Mr Wong</a> (1939), <a href="https://dfordoom-movieramblings.blogspot.com/2018/10/mr-wong-in-chinatown-1939.html" target="_blank">Mr Wong in Chinatown</a> (1939) and <a href="https://dfordoom-movieramblings.blogspot.com/2021/06/the-fatal-hour-aka-mr-wong-at.html" target="_blank">The Fatal Hour</a> (AKA <i>Mr Wong at Headquarters</i>, 1940).<br />dfordoomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02306293859869179118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7185482420929995617.post-60339971553758351082024-01-21T12:04:00.000+11:002024-01-21T12:04:17.131+11:00The Spanish Dancer (1923)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRebayFh0skG4tqcaNscre0-yNIlLltf98-O5wLMM_ls7FmLwopHdz1thaos9v1LE-VeCFYuoanUF6lViwJSq2Bocv825bp9fHgwrH7BgrdEM7S_fOAjOTKjq7teNMmcZaI-qxlMz2gYOIb71YLPNDXf9T5V05zM1x3FXQk1vfYeE1t5rVJWxK8BpVTeE/s1000/Spanish%20Dancer1.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="794" data-original-width="1000" height="254" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRebayFh0skG4tqcaNscre0-yNIlLltf98-O5wLMM_ls7FmLwopHdz1thaos9v1LE-VeCFYuoanUF6lViwJSq2Bocv825bp9fHgwrH7BgrdEM7S_fOAjOTKjq7teNMmcZaI-qxlMz2gYOIb71YLPNDXf9T5V05zM1x3FXQk1vfYeE1t5rVJWxK8BpVTeE/s320/Spanish%20Dancer1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><i>The Spanish Dancer</i> is a 1923 romantic melodrama made by Famous Players-Lassky (about to become Paramount Pictures). It’s a starring vehicle for Pola Negri. It was based on a hugely successful play.<br /><br /><i>The Spanish Dancer</i> was one of two adaptations of the play made in Hollywood in 1923, the other being <i>Rosita</i> starring Mary Pickford.<br /><br />The setting is Spain during the first half of the 17th century. Cardinal Richelieu is trying to negotiate a treaty with King Philip IV of Spain. There is strong opposition to this at the Spanish court and plots are being hatched to sabotage the treaty. Philip’s French-born queen will be manipulated in order to achieve this, either by having a courtier (the treacherous Don Salluste played by Adolphe Menjou) seduce the queen or by convincing the queen that the king is sharing another woman’s bed.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmbRF23pCZcSshulM6CF3lHNqPk6EK2k4R1T0o0dFUgH8WUSEfoH2s-gVBYrCRhFQdRV_KBRqu0jTQEWH_hTFJwIMsQ_XDtRQDSuh99onoH74HRUkHvgV9cYfR0es42sIVqtEalW9URQJbzBAwUJR9iEqBf5Xg4gpS7XzpexYhY67ywZQCQiHuC4ATJkc/s615/SpanishDancer1.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="461" data-original-width="615" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmbRF23pCZcSshulM6CF3lHNqPk6EK2k4R1T0o0dFUgH8WUSEfoH2s-gVBYrCRhFQdRV_KBRqu0jTQEWH_hTFJwIMsQ_XDtRQDSuh99onoH74HRUkHvgV9cYfR0es42sIVqtEalW9URQJbzBAwUJR9iEqBf5Xg4gpS7XzpexYhY67ywZQCQiHuC4ATJkc/s320/SpanishDancer1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>While this is happening a band of gypsies is in the neighbourhood. This band includes the beautiful dancer and fortune-teller Maritana (Pola Negri).<br /><br />Maritana encounters Don Cesar de Bazan (Antonio Moreno), a rich nobleman who has run up debts he cannot pay. He is about to lose everything. He cannot however lose his pride or his good humour.<br /><br />Maritana reads his fortune in the cards. The predictions come true, but in very unexpected ways.<br /><br />It’s clear that Don Cesar’s fortune has been dissipated on wine, women and song and especially gambling. He is irresponsible and proud, which can be a dangerous combination. He’s also handsome, charming and dashing with an irrepressible lust for life and pleasure. He’s Maritana’s kind of man.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCMqzmjShiWWqxFdI7FApO-zmyMjdZ_WLOC-TFcUcKcd4WCJitgYRvpbAKQX9jVwMN8pqb5LKFb4T2uGvPB_-ayXhKdayQJqYuQiahh3U_nvI4iRGlkBGtBL4k4hz--XQrIMhEUR4NPJRAwExbtMJhFqd7HgoJR3ZTIkvzs3PNdHD1UbZS1Yrm95gXDag/s621/SpanishDancer2.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="453" data-original-width="621" height="233" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCMqzmjShiWWqxFdI7FApO-zmyMjdZ_WLOC-TFcUcKcd4WCJitgYRvpbAKQX9jVwMN8pqb5LKFb4T2uGvPB_-ayXhKdayQJqYuQiahh3U_nvI4iRGlkBGtBL4k4hz--XQrIMhEUR4NPJRAwExbtMJhFqd7HgoJR3ZTIkvzs3PNdHD1UbZS1Yrm95gXDag/s320/SpanishDancer2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Maritana is fiery and passionate. She’s like a stick of dynamite in the shape of a woman. She’s Don Cesar’s kind of gal.<br /><br />Unfortunately both Don Cesar and Maritana will get caught up, much against their will, in those court intrigues. They will both be used as pawns in a game they know nothing about.<br /><br />Herbert Brenon was not the most inspired of directors but he was competent and in this film he has the advantage of having James Wong Howe as his cinematographer. Any movie photographed by Howe is going to look good, and the sumptuous sets help as well. This was a lavish production.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3_kC6kM9IMoa_fKJYd76eNUIeyVvKIfBtoYg1uDViIUARXYq80hoc36BtkVbRetCys17Vs2cIWdZdboFIe2-Okpbvm23kUoNSwYLg_4tCLyUGfrtQYcu-rY7NL_7CQVq00cwREB_zQ68MvxNdJVwwxA1V4b5JElu1tdq31VbsEX4vHA3DxRCt78Q5w4U/s613/SpanishDancer3.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="451" data-original-width="613" height="235" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3_kC6kM9IMoa_fKJYd76eNUIeyVvKIfBtoYg1uDViIUARXYq80hoc36BtkVbRetCys17Vs2cIWdZdboFIe2-Okpbvm23kUoNSwYLg_4tCLyUGfrtQYcu-rY7NL_7CQVq00cwREB_zQ68MvxNdJVwwxA1V4b5JElu1tdq31VbsEX4vHA3DxRCt78Q5w4U/s320/SpanishDancer3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>June Mathis (who had written hits for Rudolph Valentino) worked on the script which was originally intended as a star vehicle for Valentino. Valentino dropped out and the movie was retooled as a star vehicle for Pola Negri which meant that the focus would now be on Maritana rather than Don Cesar.<br /><br />Pola Negri was so dynamic that she needed a leading man with enough charisma not to be totally overshadowed and Antonio Moreno fits the bill perfectly. Their chemistry is superb.<br /><br />Pola Negri had been a huge star in Germany (making a series of extraordinary movies with Ernst Lubitsch). She then set out to conquer Hollywood, which she did, becoming one of the biggest stars of the 20s. She had her own unique style which this movie showcases nicely.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFjBI7zvPiVaPnhrNpaT9KTUdNuP2hEEcZ9c_RK2Gc_FL4SpD0r-U_0aQQbenHYB_yh35M7IrkiaeZidMB6Ie_w8V75l0dhsdNia2YWKPZDqUFoVbxfDzVyYzIgYrxAsAe4g17Yuy1CDaZXtesQ2vBS-nseBGTlv13ps2gWaOAuRQ2TsSi772keX2_dto/s614/SpanishDancer4.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="459" data-original-width="614" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFjBI7zvPiVaPnhrNpaT9KTUdNuP2hEEcZ9c_RK2Gc_FL4SpD0r-U_0aQQbenHYB_yh35M7IrkiaeZidMB6Ie_w8V75l0dhsdNia2YWKPZDqUFoVbxfDzVyYzIgYrxAsAe4g17Yuy1CDaZXtesQ2vBS-nseBGTlv13ps2gWaOAuRQ2TsSi772keX2_dto/s320/SpanishDancer4.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Surprisingly the movie at least makes an effort to capture the formality of the Spanish court and it’s quite successful in portraying the pride and sense of honour of the Spanish nobility.<br /><br />This is pretty much straight romance, without the touches of swashbuckling adventure one might have expected. But that’s fine. It’s a great love story and it’s engrossing.<br /><br />The source materials were in bad shape. The restoration had to be made by piecing together bits of the fur surviving very incomplete prints. The movie is now basically complete but there’s a lot of print damage in places. Given how many silent films have been lost we’re lucky this one has survived at all.<br /><br />A great romance movie and a chance to see Pola Negri at the top of her game. Highly recommended. And it’s now available on Blu-Ray.<br />dfordoomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02306293859869179118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7185482420929995617.post-25778459253636900222024-01-17T00:11:00.001+11:002024-01-17T00:14:54.303+11:00Experiment in Terror (1962)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9UoGrl13NRVREWSNYNknl2ZJsuB-vYwXZ1D0V0940W0tIkRj09M4p4eMNssSVm_f09VsPmEWpEoUIaHpjSL1QwFZ8khcTPgjWtZbkS2JGiu2Whx8CoZ7vH74RpYathAjUFVuBd3X4cTk7yzqAyNsb3JbOh6uYZNEO9MCKvQdOh_jxGSZqK-2r3epMu0M/s550/Experiment%20in%20Terror1.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="415" data-original-width="550" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9UoGrl13NRVREWSNYNknl2ZJsuB-vYwXZ1D0V0940W0tIkRj09M4p4eMNssSVm_f09VsPmEWpEoUIaHpjSL1QwFZ8khcTPgjWtZbkS2JGiu2Whx8CoZ7vH74RpYathAjUFVuBd3X4cTk7yzqAyNsb3JbOh6uYZNEO9MCKvQdOh_jxGSZqK-2r3epMu0M/s320/Experiment%20in%20Terror1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><i>Experiment in Terror</i> is a 1962 psychological thriller produced and directed by Blake Edwards.<br /><br />I have mixed feelings about Blake Edwards. I regard him as very much a hit-or-miss film-maker but he made some interesting movies. If you’ve seen his 1958-1961 TV series <a href="https://cult-tv-lounge.blogspot.com/2014/09/peter-gunn-season-two-1959-60.html" target="_blank">Peter Gunn</a> you know that Edwards had some fondness for the look and feel of classic film noir. Experiment in Terror is not film noir and it’s not neo-noir but it does display plenty of film noir stylistic influences. There are lots of Venetian blind shots!<br /><br />The opening is extraordinarily harrowing and it’s a fine example of terror being much more effective without the use of blood or overt violence. Edwards relies on a sense of overwhelming menace and madness. A pretty young woman, Kelly Sherwood (Lee Remick) is attacked in the garage of her house by a man whose face she cannot see. She thinks she is going to be raped. The viewer will make the same assumption. That’s not what happens. Not quite. What happens is a violation, but it’s a violation of her whole life, her sense of herself, her sense of living in a sane ordered society. Her attacker is not motivated by lust for sex but by lust for money. He intends to force her to help him to rob a bank.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjflw5RELlZwZSzlrxqVBOXtt3uK0KIhFuRFwsswZE8hNQ8UrW45nM7-xACWQnCeJ6JaXqzgTkI-odie78Un38EE7yGhJxkkiFhQrO2E4OZr_0_hhbrMC3NzHXnGy_rPTKCV1EQjqTBLhmIEZkze4VBoWh32DDRXUavNegO9eURlGM4JYVg6JJUSPDD0FU/s817/ExperimentInTerror0.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="445" data-original-width="817" height="174" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjflw5RELlZwZSzlrxqVBOXtt3uK0KIhFuRFwsswZE8hNQ8UrW45nM7-xACWQnCeJ6JaXqzgTkI-odie78Un38EE7yGhJxkkiFhQrO2E4OZr_0_hhbrMC3NzHXnGy_rPTKCV1EQjqTBLhmIEZkze4VBoWh32DDRXUavNegO9eURlGM4JYVg6JJUSPDD0FU/s320/ExperimentInTerror0.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>It’s not a rape, but there is a sense of sexual menace. There is an implied threat that if she doesn’t play along she might be raped or murdered, or both. And there is an overt threat that her kid sister Toby will suffer a similar fate.<br /><br />Kelly decides to call the F.B.I. and now she discovers that her attacker is watching her constantly and knows every move she makes. She’s now in even more danger but the F.B.I. is now involved, in the person of Special Agent John Ripley (Glenn Ford).<br /><br />The planned heist plays little part in the movie. The focus is on Kelly being the prey for the psycho (we later find out his name is Red Lynch), while Red Lynch is the prey being hunted by Special Agent Ripley. Two cat-and-mouse games are going to be played out and they’re played out in an effectively suspenseful way.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji1nWNSmuEMVaa4po8tgitKkXUGy70YdcQ0J40OEN-hPUsAiHiXgAnDWG2hJRJgp4lOEzxR7DAj_YnlA_xwV5hiVpBhcRi3iZn4LgplmxNqzj3o9DIMrvqC79UQmDE0a8PGTLyVusTtZDvhXYF_P1cndIz2UXRXeIWUNQjZBEhXqINH0wJAzFXxKc9DUs/s817/ExperimentInTerror2.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="431" data-original-width="817" height="169" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji1nWNSmuEMVaa4po8tgitKkXUGy70YdcQ0J40OEN-hPUsAiHiXgAnDWG2hJRJgp4lOEzxR7DAj_YnlA_xwV5hiVpBhcRi3iZn4LgplmxNqzj3o9DIMrvqC79UQmDE0a8PGTLyVusTtZDvhXYF_P1cndIz2UXRXeIWUNQjZBEhXqINH0wJAzFXxKc9DUs/s320/ExperimentInTerror2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>One thing that’s interesting is the relentless minimalism of the characterisation. We get no backstory whatsoever on Ripley. We get absolutely no backstory on Kelly Sherwood. More surprisingly, we are never given any backstory on Red Lynch. Everything we know about these three key characters we know from their reactions to the events of the movie. It’s obvious that Ripley is very professional but his concern for Kelly’s safety is genuine. <br /><br />We can see that Kelly is tougher than she appears on the surface - she doesn’t fall apart in situations in which she could be forgiven for doing so. We know she’s raised her kid sister and she seems to have done a good job. The bank trusts her to handle large amounts of cash. She’s obviously sensible and responsible. We see a guy at the bank ask her out and clearly the two of them date regularly. She has a normal emotional and social life. It’s the very normality of her that makes Red Lynch’s violation of her life so shocking.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil_I5qtxpRf8SJUUg5oDcTfCSRkIodO4TW7BrcUqZK0FYHdBqi3jsp9PCFoPzL5vSdqOQLSJX7f7_pQlaNd_08Y-SUH_p3oyhxW-IGpbgs7EgklwIFeEq9Kc9y0zz0OdbZuoQj4MByGt97QgMJm4XqQ3oDEnXvpto8PBLPcCnZ6-MY-6QJHyATwiS9zq8/s816/ExperimentInTerror3.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="444" data-original-width="816" height="174" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil_I5qtxpRf8SJUUg5oDcTfCSRkIodO4TW7BrcUqZK0FYHdBqi3jsp9PCFoPzL5vSdqOQLSJX7f7_pQlaNd_08Y-SUH_p3oyhxW-IGpbgs7EgklwIFeEq9Kc9y0zz0OdbZuoQj4MByGt97QgMJm4XqQ3oDEnXvpto8PBLPcCnZ6-MY-6QJHyATwiS9zq8/s320/ExperimentInTerror3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>As for Red Lynch, we get lots of tantalising hints. We know he’s a ruthless killer but he’s paid all the hospital bills for Lisa Soong’s sick son. We don’t know why. Does he have a sentimental side, or is this action driven by guilt of some sort? He may have a relationship with Lisa Soong, and possibly with mannequin artist Nancy Ashton. But are these normal sexual relationships? The fact that he has the opportunity to rape both Kelly and Toby and that he enjoys making them think they’re going to be raped but he doesn’t actually do it leads us to suspect some severe sexual dysfunction, and we suspect that that is his major motivation, but all we have are hints. We’d like to know more. <br /><br />It’s possible that Blake Edwards was worried that over-explaining the character would lessen the movie’s impact (which had been a slight problem in Hitchcock’s Psycho two years earlier). I do suspect that this characterisation minimalism must have been a deliberate choice. The movie has a relentless focus on the dynamic between Kelly and Red Lynch and there’s nothing to distract us from it. That’s presumably why there is no hint of any romantic attraction between Kelly and Ripley. That would have resulted in a totally different movie.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt8VnQtl2cWJT9B1OrA-IOf8HQJMrd0kBTCZcEqOT3W8aLemWCMFjPfV5-Gyw4G9a-_MPdZ-hYIZjBs8XRcbVVFiqwBO9xC-kClS4pXm7NBI3IshfXWd_WzglyPr87ek0IRwQYLKjSf0K9KdzWmMbr7pQCS_i7KQ7l0kdBzurtgUpahf4MQITQIxjgpgw/s817/ExperimentInTerror4.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="442" data-original-width="817" height="173" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt8VnQtl2cWJT9B1OrA-IOf8HQJMrd0kBTCZcEqOT3W8aLemWCMFjPfV5-Gyw4G9a-_MPdZ-hYIZjBs8XRcbVVFiqwBO9xC-kClS4pXm7NBI3IshfXWd_WzglyPr87ek0IRwQYLKjSf0K9KdzWmMbr7pQCS_i7KQ7l0kdBzurtgUpahf4MQITQIxjgpgw/s320/ExperimentInTerror4.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>I think it’s reasonable to see some Hitchcock influences on this movie (and in 1962 it was pretty difficult to make a thriller without being influenced to some degree by Hitchcock. The themes of surveillance and voyeurism suggest a Hitchcock influence, the San Francisco setting calls to mind <a href="https://dfordoom-movieramblings.blogspot.com/2021/12/vertigo-1958-hitchcock-friday-7.html" target="_blank">Vertigo</a> and I think there are touches of both <i>Psycho</i> and <a href="https://dfordoom-movieramblings.blogspot.com/2021/11/dial-m-for-murder-1954-hitchcock-friday.html" target="_blank">Dial M for Murder</a>.<br /><br />This is a beautifully shot movie (Philip Lathrop did the black-and-white cinematography). The visual style is not quite film noir, but with strong noir affinities.<br /><br />I don’t think there’s any other movie quite like this one in Blake Edwards’ filmography. It’s a very effective slightly noir-inflected slightly Hitchcockian thriller and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Highly recommended.<br /><br />The Powerhouse Indicator Blu-Ray looks lovely and includes a number of extras.dfordoomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02306293859869179118noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7185482420929995617.post-79297087400579822232024-01-13T01:07:00.000+11:002024-01-13T01:07:23.146+11:00Dick Tracy (serial, 1937)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuIKBzDfVX6-7ajwB37i3JIrdYZ72wnMcBB4tz-QY-BAzNkqEzPHhGTRbpLC5wLzS57d6slnH-FUzUMCb1oZtwDGxr1TVW33EF6Am31Qp7Uo3uhfx4__L3-gPyyTt54ec4rUFBMHCFNHKNr1DR_xHOylBs60jQJJWdu6nmwOPsscho_7EW33-hRlfYMV0/s666/Dick%20Tracy%20serial%201937_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="666" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuIKBzDfVX6-7ajwB37i3JIrdYZ72wnMcBB4tz-QY-BAzNkqEzPHhGTRbpLC5wLzS57d6slnH-FUzUMCb1oZtwDGxr1TVW33EF6Am31Qp7Uo3uhfx4__L3-gPyyTt54ec4rUFBMHCFNHKNr1DR_xHOylBs60jQJJWdu6nmwOPsscho_7EW33-hRlfYMV0/s320/Dick%20Tracy%20serial%201937_1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Chester Gould’s <i>Dick Tracy</i> comic strip was immensely popular back in the 1930s (it began is run in 1931). Inevitably Hollywood took an interest. Four serials were made by Republic with Ralph Byrd as Tracy and four feature films from RKO followed. The two-way wrist radio that later became such a recognised trademark of the strip did not put in an appearance until 1946 and therefore does not feature in either the serials or the movies.<br /><br />At the moment we’re concerned with the first of the serials, <i>Dick Tracy</i>, made in 1937.<br /><br />The enemy of ace G-Man Dick Tracy in this story is the Spider Gang, led by a sinister lame man. The Spider Gang have kidnapped Dick’s brother Gordon and have performed brain surgery on him, turning him evil. The gang has plans to destroy the Bay Bridge in San Francisco (the famous bridge had been opened in 1936).<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI10K3QrT3Gk0ebyLGWvrP-5Ke26NU5QvuGiov8zQMPAFmWZSf3DQfhHp-bBPca9PcSMaf0jX_H7QaYW9pH1T3F8MEjQkXRSHX03srQ_lGEdBG__nlZ1cVoBgiJpEcBn3hUOlTzzkOHGI45ztFbVqfUjnZ9frt46FQphyRdN8HtX_C_JvWBNHCdYXict8/s624/DickTracy1937serial1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="460" data-original-width="624" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI10K3QrT3Gk0ebyLGWvrP-5Ke26NU5QvuGiov8zQMPAFmWZSf3DQfhHp-bBPca9PcSMaf0jX_H7QaYW9pH1T3F8MEjQkXRSHX03srQ_lGEdBG__nlZ1cVoBgiJpEcBn3hUOlTzzkOHGI45ztFbVqfUjnZ9frt46FQphyRdN8HtX_C_JvWBNHCdYXict8/s320/DickTracy1937serial1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>The Spider Gang have some high-tech weaponry at their disposal, such as a disintegrating sound gun and a huge flying wing aircraft (which looks extremely cool).<br /><br />The Lame One comes up with a host of sinister plans involving everything from jewel thefts to counterfeiting to espionage. Much to his disgust Dick Tracy keeps thwarting those plans.<br /><br />Dick’s biggest problem is that his kid brother Gordon (also a G-Man) has fallen into the hands of the Spider Gang and the Lame One’s outrageously malevolent hunchbacked mad scientist accomplice has performed brain surgery on him. Gordon Tracy has been turned into a ruthless conscienceless killer.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV1SfZ01-TIyVZNTAABRXUlBtvxqyHUYN4vFOpwzKRW8DxK75PE01RhlkDNhug2SWc7w-XxVbddesVSsMqCqAICX0wGiEnHugwJaPuObYFG-Tyyc42mahXLYcxiDGUlGUhmn30fSSNcIwP7ex7aw2qk9LLqS1oRHR_aiWIJu90nZ_xxIj2VHOU53gQogg/s624/DickTracy1937serial2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="460" data-original-width="624" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV1SfZ01-TIyVZNTAABRXUlBtvxqyHUYN4vFOpwzKRW8DxK75PE01RhlkDNhug2SWc7w-XxVbddesVSsMqCqAICX0wGiEnHugwJaPuObYFG-Tyyc42mahXLYcxiDGUlGUhmn30fSSNcIwP7ex7aw2qk9LLqS1oRHR_aiWIJu90nZ_xxIj2VHOU53gQogg/s320/DickTracy1937serial2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>The cliffhangers are not as inspired as the ones you’ll find in William Witney-directed serials such as <a href="https://dfordoom-movieramblings.blogspot.com/2019/05/daredevils-of-red-circle-serial-1939.html" target="_blank">Daredevils of the Red Circle</a> (1939) or <a href="https://princeplanetmovies.blogspot.com/2014/07/spy-smasher-1942.html" target="_blank">Spy Smasher</a> (1942) but they’re competent. And nobody ever got close to matching Witney’s skills when it came to cliffhangers.<br /><br />On the plus side there’s a lot of aviation stuff, and I love 30s aviation serials. And there’s a zeppelin! The aerial stuff is done pretty well, with a mix of real aircraft and miniatures. Today it would all be done with CGI and would probably look less convincing.<br /><br />In 1937 everything in this serial would have seemed ultra-modern. Aircraft, zeppelins, powerboats, submarines, two-way radios, a miniature radio transmitter. And Dick’s young ward records radio programs off the air onto phonograph records. Cool stuff in 1937.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUF4VmZWw_n1BwlRU-YUAdlblyb656OU62NZABxKuKEdUhDHGaETtotpzdXF0YVzB35DjqIM6Hl-lZzD36iwdO1sXj3QegKUArzu1jUeT9HORFTMZ2Qh5dpkGBTXzwJJrwS1c-yH_oKyhp0Titks32UjbXkumHrMX8JiiRYOe-5Jh3ZJ8elLG4tukeKss/s624/DickTracy1937serial3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="460" data-original-width="624" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUF4VmZWw_n1BwlRU-YUAdlblyb656OU62NZABxKuKEdUhDHGaETtotpzdXF0YVzB35DjqIM6Hl-lZzD36iwdO1sXj3QegKUArzu1jUeT9HORFTMZ2Qh5dpkGBTXzwJJrwS1c-yH_oKyhp0Titks32UjbXkumHrMX8JiiRYOe-5Jh3ZJ8elLG4tukeKss/s320/DickTracy1937serial3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Ralph Byrd is a perfect square-jawed Dick Tracy. The acting of the other cast members is mostly bad, but it’s bad in a really fun B-movie way. The villains are sinister melodrama villains. Dick Tracy’s assistant are fairly incompetent but that’s OK because it keeps the focus on the main hero. His only competent assistant is Gwen, who runs his forensic science laboratory.<br /><br />When considering the fairly minor flaws in this serial you have to bear in mind that serials were pitched at a young audience. Dick Tracy’s young ward Junior is mildly annoying at times but having a kid in the cast (who provides the hero with some vital clues) gave the kids in the audience someone with whom to identify. Smiley Burnette as Mike McGuirk, one of Tracy’s G-Man, provides excruciating comic relief but kids like that sort of obvious comedy. Kay Hughes as Gwen has little to do. She would have made an obvious love interest for Dick Tracy but presumably it was felt that younger viewers wouldn’t have gone for all that soppy love stuff.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTo4EOPRPMYSuXIOdjT5ZKcqY1EJUpoS-L7eWLbUhpSOW4G4XXi8lPzR5Bz8nCuRTRztQUnbGzh0BSQFgl7Mxzq_9I2cHRK0BRS0L36lYK7TDylzjq1FYC22pUFNkqznX2O3hcCYqu1WA7_B7luAlQXK9aKwNUmEhtBFs131TFXhgllgVT1Z43--t6iv4/s624/DickTracy1937serial4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="460" data-original-width="624" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTo4EOPRPMYSuXIOdjT5ZKcqY1EJUpoS-L7eWLbUhpSOW4G4XXi8lPzR5Bz8nCuRTRztQUnbGzh0BSQFgl7Mxzq_9I2cHRK0BRS0L36lYK7TDylzjq1FYC22pUFNkqznX2O3hcCYqu1WA7_B7luAlQXK9aKwNUmEhtBFs131TFXhgllgVT1Z43--t6iv4/s320/DickTracy1937serial4.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>There are plenty of pluses to compensate. There’s no shortage of action and excitement. The action scenes are well executed, the stunt-work is good and the flying wing aircraft really does look impressive. There’s stacks of cool 1930s technology. There are hair’s-breadth escapes from danger. There’s a decent mystery involving the true identity of the Lame One. There’s some mad scientist stuff. And there’s suspense involving the final fate of Dick’s brother Gordon - can the brain surgery that turned him evil be reversed?<br /><br />Overall this is a very entertaining serial and it’s recommended.<br /><br />VCI’s DVD release (in a boxed set containing all three Dick Tracy serials) offers quite acceptable image and sound quality.<br /><br />I’ve also reviewed a couple of the RKO movies - <a href="https://dfordoom-movieramblings.blogspot.com/2019/08/dick-tracy-1945.html" target="_blank">Dick Tracy, Detective </a>(1945) and <a href="https://dfordoom-movieramblings.blogspot.com/2019/08/dick-tracy-vs-cueball-1946.html" target="_blank">Dick Tracy vs Cueball</a> (1946).<br />dfordoomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02306293859869179118noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7185482420929995617.post-64391241417223126292024-01-09T01:15:00.000+11:002024-01-09T01:15:43.683+11:00Quai des Orfèvres (1947)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjvaau3NzeZpUi4exgtmCzKOAJj4uZbIcm7PF7VfX8lfT5ZONd35_iGsKPcUZ8izknu1krZFdudLMNHDb-Lxo2AaZcXmrs4LpveVMJm1ROUeBW8REB0ELrKo6wTEYC5Stw372A5_uZHsdRKAar6nHnzUm6LiU7HAxMJtGrPrp4sBWUyn9OTULCFBzVm_A/s2048/Quai%20des%20Orfevres1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1447" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjvaau3NzeZpUi4exgtmCzKOAJj4uZbIcm7PF7VfX8lfT5ZONd35_iGsKPcUZ8izknu1krZFdudLMNHDb-Lxo2AaZcXmrs4LpveVMJm1ROUeBW8REB0ELrKo6wTEYC5Stw372A5_uZHsdRKAar6nHnzUm6LiU7HAxMJtGrPrp4sBWUyn9OTULCFBzVm_A/w283-h400/Quai%20des%20Orfevres1.jpg" width="283" /></a></div><i>Quai des Orfèvres</i> is a 1947 movie directed by Henri-Georges Clouzot, best known for <i>The Wages of Fear</i> and <i>Diabolique</i>.<br /><br />Henri-Georges Clouzot doesn’t really fit neatly into a particular genre. There is a bit of a film noir vibe. Surprisingly perhaps it doesn’t have all that much in common with the French poetic realist movies of the 30s which are generally regarded as important precursors of film noir. Quai des Orfèvres is also a police procedural, and it’s a showbiz movie.<br /><br />It’s a showbiz movie with the emphasis on the seedy sleazy side of the business. If you want to get ahead you might not have to be willing to sell your soul but you certainly have to be willing to sell your body. Getting ahead means making producers and promoters happy in the bedroom.<br /><br />Jenny Lamour (Suzy Delair) is a popular singer in a theatre that appears to be a French equivalent of British music hall. Jenny is very ambitious. She intends to use her sex appeal to get to the top. How far she is prepared to go is debatable. She probably doesn’t know herself. She hopes not to have to go as far as actually sleeping her way to the top but we get the feeling that it’s an idea she wouldn’t dismiss out of hand. She’s certainly more than willing to be groped.<br /><br />Jenny is married to her musical accompanist, Maurice Martineau (Bernard Blier). He’s extremely jealous and possessive and it has to be admitted that he has some justification for not trusting his wife.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYdJpnMv82NttSzsM_-F3IccFRevHb8LFamaUZChRogn_a4EJfB1r2QD6oalXHwESoZ-gUWuYZzOJj9V5LQc7YuWKgeiLDcrfsSvO1chtGc27QeLieiGMnr0Z6Z33Of1zZSk-kKfIw6dNB-prMP0SrVdIRtF5TXVRXVoh9Refb9Ct81jLETD43jEAW6RI/s720/QuaidesOrfevres1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="720" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYdJpnMv82NttSzsM_-F3IccFRevHb8LFamaUZChRogn_a4EJfB1r2QD6oalXHwESoZ-gUWuYZzOJj9V5LQc7YuWKgeiLDcrfsSvO1chtGc27QeLieiGMnr0Z6Z33Of1zZSk-kKfIw6dNB-prMP0SrVdIRtF5TXVRXVoh9Refb9Ct81jLETD43jEAW6RI/s320/QuaidesOrfevres1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Their friend Dora lives in the same apartment block. There’s some kind of romantic triangle going on between these three but the nature of that triangle does not become clear until later. Dora is a photographer.<br /><br />Jenny is hoping to sign a contract with movie producer Georges Brignon. It’s obvious that Jenny hopes to get the contract without actually sleeping with Brignon (although she’d be willing to do everything short of having actual sex with him). It’s also obvious that Brignon has no intention of giving her the contract unless she does have sex with him. Jenny gets herself into a very awkward situation.<br /><br />There’s a murder. Jenny, Maurice and Dora will all be suspects at some stage. Inspector Antoine (Louis Jouvet) is shabby and seedy and doesn’t give the impression of being over-competent but he’s been a cop for a lot of years and he can be dogged.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD5a4q1YbRkPq-Xw46Ck6IbS37QmSINPCl-_oZwS70V4sopCAhkg4qNUFrD6Ctn-F6QVNCOJgssDus6AmMbosGQQ0xfhnXDGxZIJAFXAFet4sjeAKq0qWnOB04qzJUyKM4SK3NrbD1wzf1c7gffWVn1obGwmFeNVL8MXH3Ho1c6UaI7zOFAVJRKmpvQ0U/s720/QuaidesOrfevres2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="720" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD5a4q1YbRkPq-Xw46Ck6IbS37QmSINPCl-_oZwS70V4sopCAhkg4qNUFrD6Ctn-F6QVNCOJgssDus6AmMbosGQQ0xfhnXDGxZIJAFXAFet4sjeAKq0qWnOB04qzJUyKM4SK3NrbD1wzf1c7gffWVn1obGwmFeNVL8MXH3Ho1c6UaI7zOFAVJRKmpvQ0U/s320/QuaidesOrfevres2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>The script will eventually throw a few curve balls at us.<br /><br />The three key characters are neither overly sympathetic nor overly unsympathetic. They have their faults but they have their good points and when they behave badly their actions are usually at least understandable. Jenny is cheerfully amoral. Dora seems oblivious to conventional morality. Maurice is much more moral, but that doesn’t make him better than the two women.<br /><br />There are several things that sharply distinguish this movie from Hollywood films of the same era. The endings of Hollywood movies of this era were very predictable since usually there was only one ending that the Production Code Authority was going to permit. But in a French film, unconstrained by the Production Code, you can’t make any assumptions about the ending.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPV0qW2BeIdH9cYCoAvBcUoySsQSt4lfOalCEbwro4T4ev8OfEKwUimpn3UEAln5DS7XIEJRV9SApHLONKdFojo5auS9E_WSZhX0wHV06Hk8n_A5iU5rQyyTHnME_RA2l2o9QpwB-J8dqPuZ9eCUYYAAasXjowtn9EPgFVUg88CKJLD6T1eHLV8EuERNY/s720/QuaidesOrfevres3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="720" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPV0qW2BeIdH9cYCoAvBcUoySsQSt4lfOalCEbwro4T4ev8OfEKwUimpn3UEAln5DS7XIEJRV9SApHLONKdFojo5auS9E_WSZhX0wHV06Hk8n_A5iU5rQyyTHnME_RA2l2o9QpwB-J8dqPuZ9eCUYYAAasXjowtn9EPgFVUg88CKJLD6T1eHLV8EuERNY/s320/QuaidesOrfevres3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>It’s also much more sexually open than any Hollywood offering of that period. There are very strong hints that Dora wants to be more than just good friends with Jenny. The movie is quite open about the fact that Jenny slept around before her marriage. The movie does not suggest that this makes her a wicked woman. Dora is quite unembarrassed by the fact that much of her income comes from taking nudie photos of girls. There is no suggestion that there is anything shocking or shameful about this. All of these things are pretty much taken for granted.<br /><br />There’s plenty of sexual tension without any actual sex, which is of course a very sound approach for the movie to take. Sex, sexual jealousy and thwarted desire drive the actions of the characters.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJjZMtxRCUm6XbnXVD1ZIEEnTBz020wM3TdXx_McaWK-UNz0Mo2q0DRSl-6akrk9Y7xUw3C-ex5HEOyJ75NZmZkdCLBZJluiKTteM5iXzTtdW5iw8BOZytQkYxIEogrDrrDfUHEdrf_o765UK65v2q_0MzgBhJFCBdB5puIhjE2-XxbgC-bBkTgz6YYp4/s720/QuaidesOrfevres4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="720" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJjZMtxRCUm6XbnXVD1ZIEEnTBz020wM3TdXx_McaWK-UNz0Mo2q0DRSl-6akrk9Y7xUw3C-ex5HEOyJ75NZmZkdCLBZJluiKTteM5iXzTtdW5iw8BOZytQkYxIEogrDrrDfUHEdrf_o765UK65v2q_0MzgBhJFCBdB5puIhjE2-XxbgC-bBkTgz6YYp4/s320/QuaidesOrfevres4.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>The police are also portrayed less sympathetically than in Hollywood movies. They’re unethical and sneaky and brutal and generally unpleasant.<br /><br />The acting is uniformly excellent. I was particularly impressed by Suzy Delair whose performance is both vibrant and nuanced.<br /><br /><i>Quai des Orfèvres</i> does not turn out in quite the way you might expect although there are certainly clues that point towards the actual ending. A very good movie. Highly recommended.<br /><br />Kino Lorber’s DVD (they’re released it on Blu-Ray as well) offers an excellent transfer. This release confirms the company’s formidable reputation for atrocious audio commentaries. In this case we get endless lists of film credits for every bit part actor and assistant hairdresser involved in the movie. <br /><br />But it’s a fine movie and the disc is worth buying for that reason.dfordoomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02306293859869179118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7185482420929995617.post-22395145539945413882024-01-05T02:07:00.000+11:002024-01-05T02:07:19.427+11:00Carny (1980)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGBXB7RoIqn4gkByAvDtQ3R4h9tbj5361EtUO-SUwDnYme0NFB_saKi631DWcpqj9HncXNM3tLpLGaDXeeE_Z77tMvDcvcb-I61FyBKFWoAeesdtfvhh1oGycnpres94nogvonulwJgsph-QqXGEHVO32xGxQ81nGdx1tIy5gs6hHBL9eVw5rrNT-1NHM/s1065/Carny%20poster2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1065" data-original-width="695" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGBXB7RoIqn4gkByAvDtQ3R4h9tbj5361EtUO-SUwDnYme0NFB_saKi631DWcpqj9HncXNM3tLpLGaDXeeE_Z77tMvDcvcb-I61FyBKFWoAeesdtfvhh1oGycnpres94nogvonulwJgsph-QqXGEHVO32xGxQ81nGdx1tIy5gs6hHBL9eVw5rrNT-1NHM/s320/Carny%20poster2.jpg" width="209" /></a></div><i>Carny</i> is a movie that seems to have fallen through the cracks somewhat. It’s a terrific movie but it’s easy to see why it’s so often overlooked. It’s an oddball movie and it that doesn’t fit neatly into a particular genre. Such movies don’t go down well in Hollywood, or with mainstream critics. Studios are left wondering how to promote such movies and too often solve the problem by not promoting them at all. <br /><br />There’s some comedy, almost enough darkness to qualify it as film noir, there’s an unconventional love story, at times it flirts with both the crime and horror genres. And it’s a bit of an oddity in Jodie Foster’s filmography.<br /><br />This movie seems to have been a labour of love for Robbie Robertson, better known as the guitarist and main songwriter of The Band. He produced the movie, he co-wrote the story, he plays one of the three lead roles and he contributed some of the music. He had been a carny in his younger days and that is undoubtedly one of the things that gives this film an air of authenticity.<br /><br />Foster plays Donna, an 18-year-old waitress who goes to a travelling carnival with her boyfriend. She’s starting to realise the boyfriend is a jerk. She meets Frankie (Gary Busey). Frankie is more or less the carnival’s geek. He wears clown makeup and calls himself Bozo and sits in a cage insulting the patrons who throw baseballs at a target. If they hit the target Bozo gets dumped into a pool of water. The more Frankie/Bozo insults them the keener they are to pay their money to try to dunk him. He’s a weird guy but Donna takes a liking to him.<br /><br />Donna dumps her boyfriend and sleeps with Frankie.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbDgBAANDO3AuZqPtB2S75SOnzJ_vo39Mulx0iFlZdCuuIjpTNTrLY6HHiV18aSY2XesT0GpySWwQyag3ToPDdH8mu9W12cpZEKkDlus7xA0yC_ey42GIaA71g2EjS_9rj_1TMyB6mff8kJlV5nXskipTnUnY3UIV2yFDW3v5EGq_Yi8jnd4Be2jEckhg/s797/CarnyCap1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="447" data-original-width="797" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbDgBAANDO3AuZqPtB2S75SOnzJ_vo39Mulx0iFlZdCuuIjpTNTrLY6HHiV18aSY2XesT0GpySWwQyag3ToPDdH8mu9W12cpZEKkDlus7xA0yC_ey42GIaA71g2EjS_9rj_1TMyB6mff8kJlV5nXskipTnUnY3UIV2yFDW3v5EGq_Yi8jnd4Be2jEckhg/s320/CarnyCap1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Frankie shares a caravan with his buddy Patch (Robbie Robertson). Patch is suspicious of Donna. She’s not a carny. He thinks it’s a bad idea for Frankie to get involved with her.<br /><br />Various dramas disrupt the life of the carnival. The carnies are used to that. They’re used to having to deal with corrupt cops and city officials. They’re used to irate marks causing trouble. Donna’s arrival is another disruption, threatening the friendship between Frankie and Patch.<br /><br />Donna tries to become a carny. She gets a job in the girlie show. That causes more dramas.<br /><br />There isn’t really a strong central plotline. The focus is on the three lead characters. That puts a lot of pressure on the three leads but they’re than equal to the challenge.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1O7Ew5P_jh8qipGyKYEXqYTwMFwNWrQPJmJq9t4rERX6njnV0w8YtXDwAVc1d9oI12fw0GQpiU0LYu9SmNmSWuM_083UweabwFWHG6H6E2qB-5KVbABiwhaTI59HWqc3ZUZdKedLDoCV9PxBSBJBdYcPb2kYAL5QQCtOnq74cRZNATgyDi9m2fn9fHSc/s797/CarnyCap2%20(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="447" data-original-width="797" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1O7Ew5P_jh8qipGyKYEXqYTwMFwNWrQPJmJq9t4rERX6njnV0w8YtXDwAVc1d9oI12fw0GQpiU0LYu9SmNmSWuM_083UweabwFWHG6H6E2qB-5KVbABiwhaTI59HWqc3ZUZdKedLDoCV9PxBSBJBdYcPb2kYAL5QQCtOnq74cRZNATgyDi9m2fn9fHSc/s320/CarnyCap2%20(1).jpg" width="320" /></a></div>I see this movie as playing a part in Jodie Foster’s career similar to that played by Sky West and Crooked in Hayley Mills’ career. In both cases you have successful child actresses starting to make the move into grown-up roles. This is really Foster’s first romantic leading lady role. Both movies are coming-of-age movies of a sort. Both deal with girls who are outsiders. Both deal with girls trying to cope with making the move into womanhood and finding the transition difficult. In both cases the result was superb performances by the actresses in question in very fine movies.<br /><br />Donna is a nice girl but she’s a teenager and she’s a bit unpredictable, as all teenagers are. Foster makes her likeable and charming. One doesn’t normally think of Jodie Foster as a sex symbol but she has her moments in this movie.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzUEaaPQqmISdycm_V53TDyu2d_ngLdTy_oKBypNc4hSA7YiRCmbTIjwmryVWVqW8jaHhxAFy0viDptHvkF-jMLyznQ0DJRH2xiKmP5qsAwz0j-6TMwFviaJA-Kr5Rb979CAAUv5JQXSjS8DnKAUBB51oASBeRFoLARCI067v3f4PjsP03X0PtIfvpKzE/s797/CarnyCap3%20(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="447" data-original-width="797" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzUEaaPQqmISdycm_V53TDyu2d_ngLdTy_oKBypNc4hSA7YiRCmbTIjwmryVWVqW8jaHhxAFy0viDptHvkF-jMLyznQ0DJRH2xiKmP5qsAwz0j-6TMwFviaJA-Kr5Rb979CAAUv5JQXSjS8DnKAUBB51oASBeRFoLARCI067v3f4PjsP03X0PtIfvpKzE/s320/CarnyCap3%20(1).jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Donna is an outsider who desperately wants to find her place in the world but she knows she’s never going to fit in to conventional society. She dislikes that world and has deliberately chosen to reject it. But she needs to fit in somewhere. She has to decide if the carny world is the world for her. She is also aware that she will have to prove her ability to be part of the world. The carny world is based on fierce in-group loyalty. In the scene that was undoubtedly responsible for the movie’s X rating she has to decide if she is capable of that absolute loyalty. She has to decide is she is prepared to whore herself out to a crooked local official in order to save the carnival.<br /><br />Gary Busey goes over-the-top but that’s the right way to play his role.<br /><br />Robbie Robertson strike the right note of cynicism, but while Patch is cynical he has a fundamentally decent side that he tries to hide. The carnival is Patch’s whole life. He is initially hostile to Donna because she’s not a carny. He doesn’t dislike her as a person. She’s just not a carny. If Donna can persuade Patch to accept her as a carny then everyone else will accept her but the sexual attraction between them complicates things. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUsszbpj3AkM6HvN4G-Ls_9LOVFtbHfcYcre0iSYBgYb8yKWdZUE9MOlDCG99R84G2LhxA5IdQueu2PRMOhWj5592cy2_nGap_UkWlub0smyctWmA-EgvZ_DzgcOD6R4oYmwJEBbCDB8ChvNJLQ1TLR9SNb1ioRck1Xz841JdYGoynXlBLZVxNtkXPnRU/s797/CarnyCapb%20(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="447" data-original-width="797" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUsszbpj3AkM6HvN4G-Ls_9LOVFtbHfcYcre0iSYBgYb8yKWdZUE9MOlDCG99R84G2LhxA5IdQueu2PRMOhWj5592cy2_nGap_UkWlub0smyctWmA-EgvZ_DzgcOD6R4oYmwJEBbCDB8ChvNJLQ1TLR9SNb1ioRck1Xz841JdYGoynXlBLZVxNtkXPnRU/s320/CarnyCapb%20(1).jpg" width="320" /></a></div>What really makes the movie work is the three-way chemistry between Foster, Busey and Robertson. They work together beautifully.<br /><br />This movie is an odd mix of romanticism and cynicism. The carny world is amoral and not overly honest but they are loyal. The movie doesn’t try to push the viewer into making a judgment on them. By the end of the story you will have to make up your own mind. It's also refreshingly free of moralising about sex.<br /><br />There have been quite a few movies dealing with the outsider world of the carnival. I wouldn’t necessarily say Carny is the best of them but it is the one that feels most honest and authentic. And I think it offers the most complex look at that world. It is a bit episodic but this is a movie that is character and relationship-driven rather than plot-driven. And the characters and relationships are fascinating. The relationships cover the whole gamut of human relationships - friendship, group loyalty, love and sexual relationships.<br /><br /><i>Carny</i> really is a movie that should get a lot more attention. I love this movie. Very highly recommended.dfordoomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02306293859869179118noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7185482420929995617.post-90645307455965285842024-01-02T14:48:00.000+11:002024-01-02T14:48:01.273+11:00best classic movie viewings 2023<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6btZc-CTqZlhU-01ws7RWrQ-TQT7tOmp9Hr58-Cav5yhjgTxSRp7KoTKqNoWfBaSBUA8yb5Ow18MSDY8rf_n66gKBmSal7NKFd4pd0ObKtsexyMACF0Z5sSgToARFbKjKnVHE9HDdnw-YTVGU4Mctm05euFzxRt3Dn9WGsN5qJhxOwmkWoeNTHv6njCw/s708/best%20classic%20movies%202032.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="708" data-original-width="470" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6btZc-CTqZlhU-01ws7RWrQ-TQT7tOmp9Hr58-Cav5yhjgTxSRp7KoTKqNoWfBaSBUA8yb5Ow18MSDY8rf_n66gKBmSal7NKFd4pd0ObKtsexyMACF0Z5sSgToARFbKjKnVHE9HDdnw-YTVGU4Mctm05euFzxRt3Dn9WGsN5qJhxOwmkWoeNTHv6njCw/w265-h400/best%20classic%20movies%202032.jpg" width="265" /></a></div>I watched 254 movies in 2023. Some first-time watched and some re-watches.<br /><br />The most pleasant surprises among the first time classic movie watches were:<br /><br /><a href="https://dfordoom-movieramblings.blogspot.com/2023/02/hangmans-knot-1952.html" target="_blank">Hangman’s Knot</a> (1952) written and directed by Roy Huggins. Randolph Scott is excellent as always. He's stolen a gold shipment but it's much more complicated than that.<br /><br />Ernst Lubitsch's wild crazy visually flamboyant 1921 silent comedy/romance <a href="https://dfordoom-movieramblings.blogspot.com/2023/12/the-wildcat-1921.html" target="_blank">The Wildcat</a> (Die Bergkatze) starring the one and only Pola Negri.<div><br /></div><div><div>Of the re-watches the standouts were:</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://dfordoom-movieramblings.blogspot.com/2023/03/the-beast-of-city-1932.html" target="_blank">The Beast of the City</a> (1932), an extraordinarily hard-hitting gangster movie with a cop hero who is as brutal as the worst gangster. Based on a story by W. R. Burnett and stars Walter Huston and Jean Harlow.</div></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://dfordoom-movieramblings.blogspot.com/2023/05/raw-deal-1948.html" target="_blank">Raw Deal</a> (1948), the most admired of Anthony Mann’s films noirs, and with good reason.</div>dfordoomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02306293859869179118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7185482420929995617.post-71299709952280597182023-12-28T16:15:00.000+11:002023-12-28T16:15:51.851+11:00Warning Shot (1966)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxYuGpzrUxMXWvQGtRkNf6rWlA_9C493-Z_aQDEE2N_zfRCGzViBb6PeJ8kBGDC7o_AfeKOJc3cChEi2yOabhzCLCn80jG7A4TLUiv_cN66Ufk9Ok4GgG5qOf_hVPvn-dvcSLDqiGO2EFAfefvhaXrSjSs2RQqT8UropMJpnO-VojD2l6fbvQlVEh9POA/s663/Warning%20Shot2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="362" data-original-width="663" height="175" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxYuGpzrUxMXWvQGtRkNf6rWlA_9C493-Z_aQDEE2N_zfRCGzViBb6PeJ8kBGDC7o_AfeKOJc3cChEi2yOabhzCLCn80jG7A4TLUiv_cN66Ufk9Ok4GgG5qOf_hVPvn-dvcSLDqiGO2EFAfefvhaXrSjSs2RQqT8UropMJpnO-VojD2l6fbvQlVEh9POA/s320/Warning%20Shot2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><i>Warning Shot</i> is an all but forgotten 1966 crime thriller that really does not deserve to be forgotten. It’s not a masterpiece, it wasn’t ground-breaking, but it’s a well-crafted movie with the feel of a good B-movie. Although it’s a stretch (and quite a big stretch) I guess you could just about get away with seeing this movie as having a very slight hint of film noir. Very slight.<br /><br />David Janssen (a huge star at the time thanks to <i>The Fugitive</i>) headlines and the supporting cast is extraordinary - Stefanie Powers, Ed Begley, Joan Collins, Keenan Wynn, George Sanders, Lillian Gish, Eleanor Parker, Carroll O’Connor, Walter Pidgeon.<br /><br />The basic setup is hardly dazzlingly original. Janssen is Detective Sergeant Tom Valens. He’s staking out an apartment building (trying to catch a psycho killer) on a very foggy night. A guy leaves the apartment house. He’s acting furtively and when he sees Valens he runs, Valens gives chase, the guy draws a gun and Valens shoots him dead. It would be an open-and-shut case of a cop shooting in self-defence except for one thing. The guy’s gun cannot be found, leading to the suspicion that there was no gun. Now Tom Valens is facing a manslaughter charge.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8ZZwNSE97ShUOldPoZZUaL55roVv7m11gwr7pLUow8bVNjkZD1DsUmzjBTr8tqLNr97SvxCPuJE9Xm02SLMvRf4aCv8uUQ2axdCB5WDkUPAKJLmV1dnyJTlob6DUOmCSyjtXC573raPXzW3Z60rVt00bGx6WuJ-ThD6J5s0qr35LADOGaq_Ev0vnM0lY/s795/WarningShot1%20(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="451" data-original-width="795" height="182" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8ZZwNSE97ShUOldPoZZUaL55roVv7m11gwr7pLUow8bVNjkZD1DsUmzjBTr8tqLNr97SvxCPuJE9Xm02SLMvRf4aCv8uUQ2axdCB5WDkUPAKJLmV1dnyJTlob6DUOmCSyjtXC573raPXzW3Z60rVt00bGx6WuJ-ThD6J5s0qr35LADOGaq_Ev0vnM0lY/s320/WarningShot1%20(1).jpg" width="320" /></a></div>What makes things really sticky for Valens is that the guy he shot turns out to have been not just a doctor, but a doctor with a reputation for being just about a living saint. The public and the press are baying for Valens’ blood. The icing on the cake is that the D.A. has a personal dislike for Tom Valens.<br /><br />As invariably happens in such stories Valens decides that the only way to save his career is to find out what really happened that night. He’s on suspension but he’s going to investigate the case anyway.<br /><br /><div>He has a suspicion that maybe the doctor wasn’t such a saint after all. He comes up with a couple of theories that might explain the doctor’s suspicious behaviour (the most obvious being that he was visiting his mistress).<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjdLvT4PCJ7eltS3EIh31IA-4krn19xnv8N00fVvnRMtbchzx6fLErT956WxJ2l-f78Vu6UavMX04HnzXXPOFrQDeF915-bVhg63CSzvzS5_Z-n8YNqeCQnrXU7Mv_8GFvXcmWpwNbjFDmCFvnLI2Ynh0eSHfawQdgeVWXPQOloUd1888V8WH9nPUKd6E/s795/WarningShot2%20(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="451" data-original-width="795" height="182" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjdLvT4PCJ7eltS3EIh31IA-4krn19xnv8N00fVvnRMtbchzx6fLErT956WxJ2l-f78Vu6UavMX04HnzXXPOFrQDeF915-bVhg63CSzvzS5_Z-n8YNqeCQnrXU7Mv_8GFvXcmWpwNbjFDmCFvnLI2Ynh0eSHfawQdgeVWXPQOloUd1888V8WH9nPUKd6E/s320/WarningShot2%20(1).jpg" width="320" /></a></div>These theories don’t quite pan out but Valens has to keep digging.<br /><br />So in its essentials it’s a routine story. That doesn’t matter. What matters is not the originality of a story but how well it is told, and in this case it’s told pretty well.<br /><br />Tom Valens makes a good hero. He’s sympathetic without being too sympathetic, he’s smart but not too smart, he’s a good cop but not a perfect one. He makes mistakes. He follows the wrong leads. But he keeps trying. Janssen was good at playing imperfect heroes and he does a fine job. <br /><br />He makes mistakes in his personal life as well. His divorce from his wife Joanie (Joan Collins) is about to become final. Joanie is still willing to try to save the marriage. She’s a nice lady. She loves him. He’d be a fool to push her away. But he does.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8qoMjiu8DnDGGibDXszLLPWM7vTaZG2wxq68xAOP-6545-WBUE2bvfBwGDNc2qX_ffmFQmGWk0JtdPg45wkWv6pvGSS1sX8q_iFfG-tMDUZRCi9ITdCvNbjUIgpXdR-zuMbMMOIglJJdI-KDqatWo-Zn7fGtPl5ckw81GPi19HJ_ypQ5xk-PGosvm71M/s795/WarningShot3%20(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="451" data-original-width="795" height="182" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8qoMjiu8DnDGGibDXszLLPWM7vTaZG2wxq68xAOP-6545-WBUE2bvfBwGDNc2qX_ffmFQmGWk0JtdPg45wkWv6pvGSS1sX8q_iFfG-tMDUZRCi9ITdCvNbjUIgpXdR-zuMbMMOIglJJdI-KDqatWo-Zn7fGtPl5ckw81GPi19HJ_ypQ5xk-PGosvm71M/s320/WarningShot3%20(1).jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Those extraordinary supporting players mostly get limited screen time but Lillian Gish and Eleanor Parker make the most of their opportunities. Joan Collins is good and looks stunning.<br /><br />The plot setup is standard but there are some nice twists.<br /><br />The most significant thing about this movie is the timing. It came out in 1966. A year later Bonnie and Clyde was released. The tone and the style of crime movies changed dramatically overnight. The tone and style of movies in general changed at that time. 1967 was a pivotal year. As far as crime movies are concerned 1967 also saw the release of Point Blank but it was Bonnie and Clyde that had the biggest impact. Almost overnight movies like Warning Shot seemed hopelessly old-fashioned. And were quickly forgotten.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibQNXRpK-Ikr5b4x1iGytdGri7zC3M2Kppwfmbg58B2G_ueqqYzy7WEdfkaB6Qdz_43pZRQKrXz4arCdKJ5gxpXGr0twZq5-uIk8231E4JUH2cwkB6Nl8D18kmKPky9ZEMwB7IrnbJvmVFYb79PYY4NZEI5tDGpdl2M4-W_2KIljFZhdZUtD2CL8hwyt4/s795/WarningShot4%20(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="451" data-original-width="795" height="182" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibQNXRpK-Ikr5b4x1iGytdGri7zC3M2Kppwfmbg58B2G_ueqqYzy7WEdfkaB6Qdz_43pZRQKrXz4arCdKJ5gxpXGr0twZq5-uIk8231E4JUH2cwkB6Nl8D18kmKPky9ZEMwB7IrnbJvmVFYb79PYY4NZEI5tDGpdl2M4-W_2KIljFZhdZUtD2CL8hwyt4/s320/WarningShot4%20(1).jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Seeing it now it’s <i>Warning Shot</i>’s old-fashioned vibe that gives it its appeal. It’s like a classic 1950s crime B-movie.<br /><br />Another movie that suffered the same fate as <i>Warning Shot</i> and was also unfairly forgotten is <a href="https://dfordoom-movieramblings.blogspot.com/2013/02/the-money-trap-1965.html" target="_blank">The Money Trap</a> from 1965 which is an actual classic film noir, not a neo-noir.<br /><br /><i>Warning Shot</i> is extremely well-crafted (and superbly shot with some great atmosphere) <br /><br />in the classical Hollywood style and that classical style has a lot to be said for it. I personally prefer it to the new style that emerged post-1967. This is a thoroughly entertaining movie and it’s highly recommended.<br /><br />The Kino Lorber release offers a very good transfer and there’s an audio commentary.<br /></div>dfordoomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02306293859869179118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7185482420929995617.post-50319357310465505552023-12-23T18:03:00.000+11:002023-12-23T18:03:35.420+11:00The Spider and the Fly (1949)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVh0K5IuGF9NBYmIK-WmJJXTJvg-jnF0jXRm4iV4I6qmzjUWWNrkyHymgUI-La-9RipK1JD1trBL5tJoPlUkOVUF5WOVt84wTT05wDzGAXV0qphC5_L7waAT6KFEMxIJ9cR-NvvCz5_MEkEKzwb6dcPS3ixm2Ht3hPXZCMg58EELPGWUJ3P8JBLraW3YQ/s456/Spider%20and%20the%20Fly1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="456" data-original-width="303" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVh0K5IuGF9NBYmIK-WmJJXTJvg-jnF0jXRm4iV4I6qmzjUWWNrkyHymgUI-La-9RipK1JD1trBL5tJoPlUkOVUF5WOVt84wTT05wDzGAXV0qphC5_L7waAT6KFEMxIJ9cR-NvvCz5_MEkEKzwb6dcPS3ixm2Ht3hPXZCMg58EELPGWUJ3P8JBLraW3YQ/s320/Spider%20and%20the%20Fly1.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><i>The Spider and the Fly </i>is a 1949 British crime thriller directed by Robert Hamer.<br /><br />The setting is France in 1913, the last days of La Belle Epoque. Fernand Maubert (Eric Portman) is a senior police detective and he’s a man wth an obsession. That obsession is Philippe de Ledocq (Guy Rolfe), a brilliant criminal. Maubert is convinced that Philippe has been behind a series of daring robberies but somehow Philippe always has an unbreakable alibi.<br /><br />After a recent bank robbery Maubert did manage to detain Philippe’s accomplice, the very pretty Madeleine Saincaize (Nadia Gray). Madeleine is Philippe’s mistress. Maubert had no real evidence against her. He had hoped that she might betray Philippe but Madeleine is hopelessly in love with the master criminal.<br /><br />Maubert and Philippe are on quite friendly terms. In fact the two men like each other. Maubert disapproves of criminals and is therefore determined to convict Philippe but mostly what annoys Maubert is that Philippe was born into privilege and power. Maubert cannot understand why such a man would betray his family and his upbringing and turn to crime.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2K3XAPlRsLxIMirxuBCnQToiMkuqAKxL0ofBpaw1upkVBvucmy80jl90rGlXzi0uSzixtkUY9nb3G32ZIMiocmxtXSGqo2k8aNx5ZYyFwdU7hIfboYi7rqjuH_3eYo11v9fJUn8s70ATSBZgiuUmIM-1Eep1B8EJMoDFF2tyyB3s3hMFSIYinK94FKOA/s613/SpiderAndTheFly1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="470" data-original-width="613" height="245" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2K3XAPlRsLxIMirxuBCnQToiMkuqAKxL0ofBpaw1upkVBvucmy80jl90rGlXzi0uSzixtkUY9nb3G32ZIMiocmxtXSGqo2k8aNx5ZYyFwdU7hIfboYi7rqjuH_3eYo11v9fJUn8s70ATSBZgiuUmIM-1Eep1B8EJMoDFF2tyyB3s3hMFSIYinK94FKOA/s320/SpiderAndTheFly1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Philippe likes and admires Maubert as a man but he strongly disapproves of policemen.<br /><br />The first two-thirds of the movie is a cat-and-mouse game between Maubert and Philippe. Philippe is clever but Maubert is dogged.<br /><br />Madeleine provides a complication. She has been Philippe’s mistress but Maubert is falling for her. Maubert is also hoping to use her in order to trap Philippe, so Maubert’s motivations are rather murky.<br /><br />Then the movie switches gears and becomes a slightly different (and in my opinion less satisfactory) kind of movie but I can’t say any more without revealing spoilers.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCaWL7ylevdLRh_-Moeg1ERg6XzE6kifdaxxj1VY6JBk6AZe7xzVsD44jxQWyZDtdN5d0auCmOV7PLS1rWp_psF5I0XrduPsLpu9YGuCowhCTiHjTMBzoSPkbJeXJlI844CpsD7DQYqcFDiNC18hrdIfSv-qwldy2VGZYoY1XxOwSDaMmtpxpUMalNN9c/s613/SpiderAndTheFly2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="470" data-original-width="613" height="245" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCaWL7ylevdLRh_-Moeg1ERg6XzE6kifdaxxj1VY6JBk6AZe7xzVsD44jxQWyZDtdN5d0auCmOV7PLS1rWp_psF5I0XrduPsLpu9YGuCowhCTiHjTMBzoSPkbJeXJlI844CpsD7DQYqcFDiNC18hrdIfSv-qwldy2VGZYoY1XxOwSDaMmtpxpUMalNN9c/s320/SpiderAndTheFly2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>We’re presumably expected to see Maubert as a noble dedicated policeman and that’s certainly how he sees himself. I’m afraid that to me he came across as smug and self-righteous, and not at all honourable. Maybe I’m just not so tolerant of policemen using lies and emotional manipulation to achieve their ends.<br /><br />Eric Portman’s performance is solid enough but he was unable to persuade me to feel any sympathy at all for his character.<br /><br />Guy Rolfe is much much better as Philippe - charming and not particularly trustworthy, a likeable rogue. Rolfe is able to make a somewhat over-the-top character fairly believable.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0d-vqjkbxkVArTUdEJZoPI1Gc8KqIfhnpdIOhtEh6rrweEQ_Qxm8DpeOLDfcboCcCGz3_MqcGB658hjuFWCNerkRaPD1YMxJ2ZiubRbOS1LbujqPhgJnDe0qnzTOXQbVAEWA4XZ7gv47oZLzfqFXeCrQ4cAfjy3-Ozrtt3sdh22QSeDE84wSW1UrsIws/s613/SpiderAndTheFly3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="470" data-original-width="613" height="245" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0d-vqjkbxkVArTUdEJZoPI1Gc8KqIfhnpdIOhtEh6rrweEQ_Qxm8DpeOLDfcboCcCGz3_MqcGB658hjuFWCNerkRaPD1YMxJ2ZiubRbOS1LbujqPhgJnDe0qnzTOXQbVAEWA4XZ7gv47oZLzfqFXeCrQ4cAfjy3-Ozrtt3sdh22QSeDE84wSW1UrsIws/s320/SpiderAndTheFly3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Nadia Gray is fine although in some respects Robert Westerby’s script did her no favours.<br /><br />George Cole as a detective makes a reasonably effective sidekick to Maubert.<br /><br />The surprise ending really does come as a surprise but I felt that it came out of left field and was contrived and unconvincing. It required the characters to behave in ways that seemed to me to be inconsistent with what we had earlier learnt about their personalities. But perhaps it’s an ending that would appealed to audiences in 1949. There’s also an epilogue which I detested but I imagine audiences in 1949 would have lapped it up.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwGTBFMAOhiEIi8yxniIfKV4HUdEUQPirtfxBuBM2Nqg9i0wqEN01PXFcC958fX6ZUSASZHaCfmIrbJqtFO-HNt0wtTfOer-g3Y_w4fP314VFAkIut61XqSkbG3ENyQGevElWZLqjkoD3zk3hh1FJrIaGYHzjU4QXnz2tWNNaEh41AhznguCzErGKaiJM/s613/SpiderAndTheFly4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="470" data-original-width="613" height="245" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwGTBFMAOhiEIi8yxniIfKV4HUdEUQPirtfxBuBM2Nqg9i0wqEN01PXFcC958fX6ZUSASZHaCfmIrbJqtFO-HNt0wtTfOer-g3Y_w4fP314VFAkIut61XqSkbG3ENyQGevElWZLqjkoD3zk3hh1FJrIaGYHzjU4QXnz2tWNNaEh41AhznguCzErGKaiJM/s320/SpiderAndTheFly4.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Robert Hamer as director does a perfectly competent job with a couple of effective suspense scenes.<br /><br />The movie was of course shot in black-and-white.<br /><br /><i>The Spider and the Fly</i> is enjoyable enough and it’s worth a look.<br /><br />This movie is a bit hard to find but there is an Italian DVD which offers the original English soundtrack as an option and the transfer is satisfactory if less than pristine.<br />dfordoomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02306293859869179118noreply@blogger.com2