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Daily Archives: April 20, 2013

Music Land (1935)

Posted on April 20, 2013 | 1 comment

Music Land
Directed by Wilfred Jackson (uncredited)
USA/1985
Walt Disney Productions
Second viewing

Music Land is one of the Disney “Silly Symphony” animated cartoon shorts. The Princess of the Land of Symphony (a violin) and the Prince of the Isle of Jazz (a saxophone) fall in love, much to the disapproval of their parents. A war ensues. Peace is achieved through the wedding of the Queen of Symphony (a viola) and the King of Jazz (an alto saxophone) on the Bridge of Harmony. The story is told in music. There is no dialog. This is fun and shows Disney’s build up to what would take flower in Fantasia.

Music Land

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5bpPmVtUR9g

Complete cartoon short (10 min.)

1 Comment

Posted in 1935, Movie Reviews

Tagged 1930s, animation, Disney, Hollywood

The Thin Man (1934)

Posted on April 20, 2013 | 8 comments

The Thin Man
Directed by W. S. Van Dyke
1934/USA
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)
Umpteenth viewing
#138 of 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die
IMDb Users say 8.0/10; I say 9.0/10

Nick Charles: I’m a hero. I was shot twice in the Tribune.
Nora Charles: I read where you were shot 5 times in the tabloids.
Nick Charles: It’s not true. He didn’t come anywhere near my tabloids.

An inventor mysteriously disappears and is blamed for the murder of his girlfriend and her possible paramour. His daughter (Margaret O’Sullivan) appeals to retired detective Nick Charles (William Powell). Charles would prefer to enjoy the high life with his rich, beautiful, and witty wife Nora (Myrna Loy) but she thinks it would be exciting for him to pursue the case.

Having a Merry Christmas

I have seen this many times and I always forget who the murderer is. That is because the mystery is just a vehicle to showcase the fantastic repartee of Loy and Powell. They make the perfect married couple, playfully bickering but obviously in love. It is also the ideal escapist fare when one has, say, spent a whole day watching a manhunt in Boston and thinking about people who have lost their lives and limbs.