Category Archives: 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die

Vampyr
Directed by Carl Theodor Dreyer
Written by Christen Jul and Carl Theodor Dreyer from a book by Sheridan Le Fanu
1932/Germany/France
Tobis Filmkunst
IMDb page
Repeat viewing/Criterion Collection
One of 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die

Title Card: This is the tale of the strange adventures of the young Allan Gray, who immersed himself in the study of devil worship and vampires. Preoccupied with superstitions of centuries past, he became a dreamer for whom the line between the real and the supernatural became blurred. His aimless wanderings led him late one evening to a secluded inn by the river in a village called Courtempierre.

Probably Dreyer’s most inexplicable movie but one of his most beautiful.

A susceptible young man runs into vampires at a country inn. It is not all that easy to identify the vampire or the other elements of a conventional story even after multiple viewings. It is more in the nature of the protagonist’s dream. The images are the thing here. Dreyer and his cinematographer Rudolph Maté have created a film full of some of the most exquisite, spare, and evocative black and white photography ever. It is as if Dreyer thought up every symbol of death there is, made it beautiful, and put it on screen to gently creep us out. Recommended.

Me and My Gal
Directed by Raoul Walsh
Written by Arthur Korber
1932/US
Fox Film Corporation
One of 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die
Repeat viewing/Amazon Prime rental

Pop Riley: Another bank robbery yesterday.
Danny Dolan: Oh? Who’d the bank rob now?
Pop Riley: Nobody, someone robbed the bank.
Danny Dolan: Ah, turned the tables on ’em, eh? Smart!

I liked this better on a second viewing but I still don’t understand why I needed to see it before I die.

A rookie Irish-American policeman (Spencer Tracy) falls for a wisecracking lunch counter waitress (Joan Bennett) while solving crime on the waterfront.

There is nothing wrong with this movie that elimination of the looong unfunny “comedy” drunk schtick by Will Stanton could not fix. Fortunately, he only mars the first half of the movie. On the other hand, the two leads acquit themselves admirably and Joan Bennett makes a beautiful blonde.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=APZkxvu96w0

Freaks
Directed by Tod Browning
Written by Willis Goldbeck and Leon Gordon suggested by “Spurs”, a story by Tod Robins
1932/US
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
IMDb page
Repeat viewing/Amazon Prime rental
One of 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die

Cleopatra: You dirty, slimy, freaks! Freaks, freaks, freaks! You fools! Make me one of you, will you?

On the one hand, this is certainly a powerful film.  On the other hand, it leaves me feeling kind of dirty.

The film is mostly taken up with slice of life views of the backstage goings on of a variety of circus sideshow “freaks”.  In addition, there are two plot lines.  In the first, a midget (Hans Eiler) becomes obsessed with a beautiful full-sized trapeze artist (Olga Baclanova).  She finds out he has a large inheritance and plots with her strong man boyfriend to marry him and murder him for his money.  The freaks exact a cruel revenge.

The second concerns the budding romance before Phrodo the clown (Wallace Ford) and Venus (Leila Hyams), who has been dumped by the aforementioned strong man.  Both these characters treat the “freaks” with kindness and humanity.

I may never sort out my reaction to this. The wedding banquet scene and the revenge sequence are powerful film making by any standard. On the one hand, the presentation of the deformed performers is unashamed and human. On the other hand, the whole thing is fundamentally exploitative and disturbing.  There is a perverse interest in how these people have sex which is pretty icky.  So much so that exploitation king Dwain
Esper re-released it for his target auditence.  Despite it all, this is probably essential.

Love Me Tonight
Directed by Rouben Mamoulian
Written by Samuel Hoffenstein, George Marion Jr., and Waldemar Young from a play by Leopold Marchand and Paul Armont
1932/US
Paramount Pictures
IMDb page
Repeat viewing/My DVD collection
One of 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die

Maurice Courtelin: Jeanette, you know what I think? I think I’m mad. And that you are mad. And that the whole world is mad. But I’m the luckiest man of all. And the happiest. Listen, my beautiful Princess. I love you. I love you! And whatever comes tomorrow, love me tonight. Love me tonight.

In my opinion this is the most perfect musical until 1939, possibly until 1952

Maurice (Maurice Chevalier) is an up-and-coming tailor in Paris, France.  His biggest customer is Viscount Gilbert de Varèze (Charlie Ruggles) who has ordered 50,000 francs worth of clothing.  Maurice has talked his friendly hatmakers, glove makers, etc. into also extending the Viscount credit.  Too late, Maurice finds out that Gilbert never pays anybody. He travels to the chateau where Gilbert lives with his irascible father the Duke d’Artelines (C. Aubrey Smith) and greedy man-crazy sister Valentine (Myrna Loy). Gilbert introduces Maurice to his family as his friend, a baron.

Also occupying the castle is the Princess Jeanette (Jeanette MacDonald). She is the young widow of an old man and is beyond bored. Her problem is that there are no suitably noble candidates for her hand between the ages of 12 and 86. She meets cute with the baron and, after the requisite amount of bickering, finds him quite intriguing.

Inevitably Maurice is found out for the tailor he is. The aristocracy is appalled. Can the lovers find a way to stay together?

The high points include the opening to the sounds of the Paris streets, the “Isn’t It Romantic?” sequence (which still gives me chills no matter how often I see it), and the reprise of “Mimi” by all the various characters. All the supporting cast is fantastic and Myrna Loy is the best of all. A silly story rendered sublime by its director. Highly recommended.

I’m not kidding about those chills!

Queen Christina
Directed by Rouben Mamoulian
Written by H. M. Harwood and Salka Viertel from an original story by Viertel and Margaret P. Levino
1933/US
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
IMDb page
Repeat viewing/Amazon Prime rental
One of 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die

Antonio: There’s a mystery in you.
Christina: Is there not in every human being?

Director Mamoulian and MGM provide beautiful staging, lighting, camerawork, costumes, and art direction to this biopic/costume drama.  Some of the acting not so much.

After her father was killed in battle, Christina assumed the Swedish throne as a child.  She had been raised as a boy, leaving her decisive, independent, and fearless.  She grows up to be Greta Garbo.  The throne weighs heavy on Christina’s head.  All her courtiers are urging her to marry her cousin, a military hero.  They are also in favor of continuing to fight after a major victory in the 30 Years War.  Christina refuses to grant either wish.

One fine day she goes off riding through the snow disguised as a young man with her faithful servant Aage (C. Aubrey Smith).  She meets a group of Spaniards who are stuck in the snow and helps them with their carriage.  Later they meet at an inn.  Christina has booked the best room in the packed inn.  When the Spaniards arrive they try to outbid Christina for the room.  But the Spanish envoy Antonio (John Gilbert) finds the “young man” fascinating and the two agree to share the room.  Nature takes its course and the lovers spend a blissful three days together.

Antonio had been coming to deliver King Philip of Spain’s marriage proposal and is not amused to find Christina is actually the Queen.  They make up though.  Now Christina must choose between duty and freedom.   With Lewis Stone as a pompous courtier and Ian Keith as a jilted suitor.

My opinion of this has changed with each viewing. There is no denying that the staging, lighting, art direction and costumes are stunning. The problem is I am hit or miss with Garbo. This is a miss in my book. She is unnaturally dramatic which may have worked well in her silent films but is not so effective when she has to deliver dialogue. She does look absolutely gorgeous, however.