Daily Archives: October 18, 2014

This Is the Army
Directed by Michael Curtiz
Written by Casey Robinson and Claude Binyon
1943/USA
Warner Bros
First viewing/Netflix rental

[box] This is the Army, Mister Jones/ No private rooms or telephones/ You had your breakfast in bed before/ But you won’t have it there anymore. — “This Is the Army”, lyrics by Irving Berlin [/box]

Variety show movie musicals were all the rage in 1943.  This might be the most patriotic of them all, with its chorus of soldiers and tunes by Irving Berlin.

The story is centered around two musical reviews Berlin wrote for the Broadway stage, Yip, Yip Yaphank (1918) and This Is the Army (1942), both largely casted with active-duty servicemen, of which Berlin was one in 1918.

Jerry Jones (George Murphy) is a talented singer and dancer.  He and his buddies are all drafted while they are putting on a show.  They go on to star in Yip Yip Yaphank as a morale-building exercise before being shipped off to France.  Jerry loses a leg but keeps his spirits up and becomes a successful businessman.

We segue to 1942 and Johnny Jones (Ronald Reagan) is preparing to head overseas.  A running theme is his reluctance to marry long-time girlfriend Eileen (Joan Leslie), fearing that would be unfair as he might be killed.  Instead of combat, however, Johnny’s active duty is as stage manager of This Is the Army.  With Alan Hale as a drill sergeant during both wars and specialty numbers by Frances Langford and Kate Smith and Berlin croaking out “Oh, How I Hate to Get up in the Morning”.

I suspect This Is the Army was a bit old-fashioned even for 1943.  A cast member says as much about the blackface ministrel number performed to “Mandy”.  We also have a strictly segregated show with the black soldiers all tapping in the number “That’s What the Well-Dressed Man in Harlem Will Wear”.  There is much too much drag for my taste as well.  I enjoyed a few of the numbers any way.

This Is the Army won the Academy Award for Best Music, Scoring of a Musical Picture (Ray Heindorf).  It was nominated in the categories of Best Art Direction-Interior Decoration, Color and Best Sound, Recording.

Clip – finale

Phantom of the Opera
Directed by Arthur Lubin
Written by Eric Taylor, Samuel Hoffenstein, and John Jacoby from the novel by Gaston Leroux
1943/USA
Universal Pictures
Repeat viewing/Netflix rental

[box] Enrique Claudin: They’ve poisoned your mind against me. That’s why you’re afraid. Look at your lake, Christine. You’ll love it here when you get used to the dark. And you’ll love the dark, too. It’s friendly and peaceful. It brings rest and relief from pain. It’s right under the Opera. The music comes down and the darkness distills it, cleanses it of the suffering that made it. Then it’s all beauty. And life here is like a resurrection.[/box]

This film could have benefited from more phantom and less opera.

Erique Claudin (Claude Rains) is a violinist with the Paris Opera.  For years he has supported the singing lessons of soprano Christine DuBois (Susanna Foster) incognito. Arthritis has affected Claudin’s playing and he is fired.  He pins his hopes on a concerto he has spent years writing.  When he believes that has been stolen by a music publisher, he attacks the man and is stopped by a woman who throws acid in his face.  Disfigured and hunted by the police, Claudin, now clearly insane, takes refuge in the bowels of the Opera.  He continues to “support” Christine’s career by threatening horrible revenge against anyone that stands in its way.

In the meantime, the opera’s star baritone (Nelson Eddy) and an aristocratic policeman vie for Christine’s affections.   They may be wasting their time as Claudin definitely plans to have her as his own until the end of time.

This “horror” movie just isn’t scary.  Claude Rains is the best thing about it but, according to the commentary, he was largely responsible for the lack of thrills.  He was so concerned about his image and future prospects that he refused to be very disfigured or menacing. The few clear shots we get of his unmasked face were taken in secret.

If we forget that this is supposed to be a horror movie, it has its points.  The production values are splendid and the music is beautiful.  Rains has some truly touching moments.  I loved the resolution of the love triangle.

Phantom of the Opera won Academy Awards for Best Cinematography, Color (Hal Mohr) and Best Art Direction-Interior Decoration, Color.  It was nominated in the categories of Best Sound, Recording and Best Music, Scoring of a Musical Picture (Edward Ward).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sCYhLLbAKx4

Trailer