Category Archives: 1931

Sons of the Desert (1933)

Posted on June 9, 2022 | 6 comments

Sons of the Desert
Directed by William A. Seiter
Written by Frank Craven
1933/US
Hal Roach Studios
IMDb page
Repeat viewing/Amazon Prime rental
One of 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die

Oliver: Do you have to ask your wife everything?
Stan: If I didn’t ask her, I wouldn’t know what she wanted me to do.

Is this the funniest of the Laurel and Hardy features? Quite possibly.

Stan and Ollie are members of a crazy sort of lodge called The Sons of the Desert. The leader of their group makes everyone swear to attend the national convention in Chicago. But Ollie’s wife refuses to let him go in the most vehement way possible. Stan’s wife is more lenient.

So Ollie fakes an illness and gets a doctor (actually a veterinarian) to recommend a sea cruise to Honolulu. His wife is persuaded to let him go without her since she doesn’t like water. The boys, of course, head straight to Chicago. They are in trouble throughout. Most especially when they get home.  With Mae Busch as Hardy’s wife and Dorothy Christy as Laurel’s.

I loved the “two peas in a pot/pod/pod-ah” gag, all the broken crockery, and the “Honolulu Baby” number and reprises. A whole lot of fun.

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Posted in 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die, 1931

Five Star Final (1931)

Posted on June 6, 2022 | Leave a comment

Five Star Final
Directed by Mervyn LeRoy
Written by Byron Morgan and Robert Lord from a play by Louis Weitzenkorn
1931/US
First National Pictures (Warner Bros.)
IMDb page
Repeat viewing/Amazon Prime rental

Miss Taylor: I think you can always get people interested in the crucifixion of a woman.

Mervyn LeRoy and company deliver a hard-hitting social consciousness film about the gutter press.

Joseph Randall (Edward G. Robinson) is managing editor of a tabloid rag.  The paper’s owners are concerned about declining circulation and come up with the loony and heartless idea of resurrecting a 20-year-old murder case.  A jury acquitted a young woman named Nancy Voorhees after she killed her employer who had impregnated her.  Randall is ordered to find out what happened to the woman and her baby.  He sends out unscrupulous reporter T. Vernon Isopod to dig up the dirt.

Voorhees married a man named Thompson (H.B. Warner) and the couple raised her daughter Jenny (Marian Marsh) as their own.  They have had a happy life and now Jenny is engaged to marry the son of a high society family.  Isopod poses as a preacher and the Townsends assume he has come to call about the wedding.  This gives the paper enough to print a story with lurid headlines.  Much tragedy ensues.  With Aline MacMahon in her film debut as Randall’s adoring but disgusted secretary.

This is heavy on the melodrama but is saved by the excellent performances of Robinson, MacMahon and Marsh.  Worth seeing.

Five Star Final was nominated for the Best Picture Oscar.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a0qL1fs1c6k

Spoilerish

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Posted in 1931, Pre-Code Reviews

The Three Penny Opera (1931)

Posted on June 2, 2022 | 8 comments

The Three Penny Opera
Directed by G.W. Pabst
Written by Bertold Brecht
1931/Germany
Tobis Filmkunst/Nero Film AG/in association with Warner Bros.
IMDb page
Repeat viewing/Criterion Channel

You know when that shark bites with his teeth, babe
Scarlet billows start to spread
Fancy gloves, though, wears old Macheath, babe
So there’s never, never a trace of red — English lyrics to “Mack the Knife” as performed by Bobby Darin

G.W. Pabst serves up a great film adaptation of the Brecht/Weill musical play.

The setting is London, England.  A street singer  (Ernst Busch) bookends the story with a gruesome rendition of “Mack the Knife”.  Mackie Messer (Rudolf Forster) is a master criminal and gang leader that gets away with his evil deeds due to his friendship with the Chief of Police Tiger Brown.

Mackie spots Polly Peachum, daughter of the King of Beggars Peachum (Fritz Rasp), on the street and woos her.  They have a lavish wedding featuring all stolen finery and wedding presents in an abandoned warehouse at 2 a.m.

Polly’s father is not happy to say the least.  Neither is Mackie’s favorite prostitute Jenny (Lotte Lenya).  Peachum threatens to let loose 2,000 beggars during the coronation parade Tiger is in charge of unless Tiger does something about Mackie.  Mackie goes on the run.  Polly figures it is easier and less risky to steal through a legitimate bank.  The gang rises to the occasion.

Oh, I love this version of the Brecht/Weill operetta. It just drips Weimar decadence, corruption and forboding. The acting is fantastic and the production is so stylish the frames could leap out from a German expressionist painting. Highly recommended.

Bobby Darin sings “Mack the Knife” on the Ed Sullivan Show

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Posted in 1931

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1931)

Posted on June 1, 2022 | Leave a comment

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
Directed by Rouben Mamoulian
Written by Samuel Hoffenstein and Percy Heath from the novel by Robert Lewis Stevenson
1931/US
Paramount Pictures
IMDb page
Repeat viewing/Amazon Prime rental

Dr. Lanyon: We have to accept certain things…
Dr. Jekyll: I don’t want to accept them! I want to be clean – not only in my conduct; but, in my inner most thoughts and desires.

A very pre-Code and terrifying version of the novel.

The story takes place in London, England. Dr. Henry Jekyll (Fredric March) has risen through the ranks to become a lecturer at the medical school.  He has high ideals and is dedicated to healing the poor.  He is in madly in love with Muriel Carew (Rose Hobart) and wants to marry her immediately.  Her father insists that they wait eight months and marry on his own wedding anniversary.  Then dad takes Muriel away for a few months to keep her out of temptation.

One night, Jekyll spots a woman being beaten in the street.  This is Ivy Pearson (Miriam Hopkins), a music hall singer and by implication a prostitute.  She is more than happy to be examined by the good doctor, revealing plenty of skin in the process.

Muriel’s absence gives Jekyll plenty of time to work on his pet project.  He has the theory that every man has two souls, one good and one evil.  His experiment is designed to separate the good and evil sides.  It works too well and Jekyll transforms into an ape-like creature, Mr. Hyde (also March), that indulges every evil impulse freely.  Mr. Hyde begins by terrorizing Ivy and by implication forcing her to perform unspeakable acts.  Eventually, Dr. Jekyll does not need his chemical cocktail to spontaneously transform.

I must read the book because I really could not figure out what possible constructive purpose Dr. Jekyll’s experiment was designed to achieve. What I got out of the movie was that it allowed the otherwise saintly Jekyll to act on his sexual desires when he was not allowed to marry – though of course that goes wrong too. Jekyll had the idea that the evil side would fade away once the impulses were acted out. Of course, evil just keeps seeking worse and worse thrills.

The camera work and special effects were ahead of their time, though I found the sporadic use of the Jekyll/Hyde POV was distracting. March was wonderful and the gusto with which he portrayed Hyde made it seem like two actors were portraying the parts.  Miriam Hopkins was very good as poor Ivy save for her execrable Cockney accent.   Recommended.

Fredric March won the Oscar for Best Actor in a tie with Wallace Beery for his performance in The Champ (1931).  The film was nominated for Oscars in the categories of Best Writing, Adaptation and Best Cinematography.

The first transformation scene

Nothing could be more pre-code

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Posted in 1931, Pre-Code Reviews

Kameradschaft (1931)

Posted on May 30, 2022 | Leave a comment

Kameradschaft (Comradeship)
Directecd by G.W. Pabst
Written by Leon Worth et al from a novel by Carl Haensel
1931/Germany
Nero-Film AG/Gaumont-Franco Film-Aubert (G.F.F.A)
IMDb page
Repeat viewing/Criterion Channel

The sole and basic source of our strength is the solidarity of workers, peasants and the intelligentsia, the solidarity of the nation, the solidarity of people who seek to live in dignity, truth, and in harmony with their conscience. — Lech Walesa

The film takes place in villages on either side of the Franco-German border and in two coal mines extracting from the same large seam of coal that runs under the border. As the film begins, German unemployed men are trying to cross the border into France. They are turned away. Then we see three German miners who are trying to enjoy drinks at a dance hall on the French side of the border. They are welcomed until they try to dance with the French girls. This is not appreciated by the French men and they are summarily thrown out. We learn that there is a fire on the French side of the mine but everybody assumes it will soon be put out.

But the situation on the French side just gets worse and worse. Fires break out everywhere and beams collapse crushing miners. Over 600 miners are trapped by fire and cave-ins on the French side and the “cage” that would take rescue brigades down stops working. German miners spontaneously form a rescue brigade. Even the three German miners who were snubbed by the French in the dance hall decide to break through the underground border gate and come to the aid of their comrade at great peril to themselves.

This is a picture about the brotherhood of workers. There is also an anti-war theme.  As such I expected it to be heavy on the message.

This movie would have been excellent without any message. It is very suspenseful, the script is first-rate, and the special effects down in the mine are incredible. The ensemble cast speaks both French and German and is excellent. You feel like you are down there with the trapped men and I had tears in my eyes at many places. Quite an achievement considering the year it was made. Highly recommended.

Fan trailer

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Posted in 1931

Dracula (1931)

Posted on May 29, 2022 | 6 comments

Dracula
Directed by Tod Browning
Written by Garrett Fort adapted from a play by John L. Balderson and Hamilton Dean and the novel by Bram Stoker
1931/US
Universal Pictures
IMDb page
Repeat viewing/Amazon Prime rental
One of 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die

Count Dracula: [hearing wolves howling in the distance] Listen to them. Children of the night. What music they make.

Iconic film is perhaps the worst of the classic Universal films.  Nonetheless, it continues to entertain all these years later.

Count Dracula (Bela Lugosi) lives in a remote castle in Transylvania with his undead brides. He wants to expand his horizons and calls real estate agent Renfield (Dwight Frye) from London so he can buy an estate there.  Between Dracula and his brides Renfield becomes Dracula’s abject slave.  Renfield is installed in the insane asylum next to the estate where the staff have a hard time preventing him from eating flies and spiders.

Doctor Seward, director of the asylum, has a lovely daughter named Mina (Helen Chandler) who is engaged to handsome John Harker (David Manners).  Dracula first attacks her friend Lucy, whose corpse is found drained of blood.  Then Dracula begins a slow attack on Mina, draining her blood gradually over several days.  Esteemed scientist Van Helsing (Edward van Sloane) is called in to help identify Mina’s mysterious illness.  Fortunately, Van Helsing is a vampire specialist and he instantly knows the cause.  We spend the rest of the movie following Van Helsing’s attempt to save Mina and slay the vampire once and for all.

By all rights this movie just shouldn’t be a classic. The acting is over the top when it isn’t wooden and the effects are laughable (I am especially fond of the armadillos in Dracula’s crypt and the rubber bats).  It isn’t even scary. So why is it so darned entertaining??? Beats me. Every time I watch it I enjoy it all over again.

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Posted in 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die, 1931, Pre-Code Reviews

Le million (1931)

Posted on May 28, 2022 | 2 comments

Le million
Directed by Rene Clair
Written by Rene Clair from a play by Georges Berr and Marcel Guillemaud
1931/France
Films Sonores Tobis
IMDb page
Repeat viewing/Criterion Channel
One of 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die

The Lottery, with its weekly pay-out of enormous prizes, was the one public event to which the proles paid serious attention. It was probable that there were some millions of proles for whom the Lottery was the principal if not the only reason for remaining alive. — George Orwell, 1984

Another fun musical soufflé from Rene Clair.

A penniless young Parisian artist’s (Rene Lefevre) creditors are all breathing down his neck when he wins a million in the lottery. Only problem is the ticket is in the pocket of his jacket, which he gave to his ballerina girlfriend (Annabella) to mend, and his girlfriend gave the jacket to a bum, and the bum sold the jacket and … you get the picture.

The story also follows the on-again-off-again romance of artist and ballerina.  His rival for her attentions believes he should have half or all of the winnings and he pursues the ticket as well.

I find these things enchanting, though I’m not convinced the film will remain on my top ten list for its year after seeing some new movies.

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Posted in 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die, 1931

Frankenstein (1931)

Posted on May 27, 2022 | 4 comments

Frankenstein
Directed by James Whale
Written by Garett Fort and Francis Edward Faragoh from the novel by Mary Shelley
1931/US
Universal Pictures
IMDb page
Repeat viewing/Amazon Prime rental
One of 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die

Henry Frankenstein: Look! It’s moving. It’s alive. It’s alive… It’s alive, it’s moving, it’s alive, it’s alive, it’s alive, it’s alive, IT’S ALIVE!
Victor Moritz: Henry – In the name of God!
Henry Frankenstein: Oh, in the name of God! Now I know what it feels like to be God!

This one never gets old.  The definition of a true classic.

Do I really need to explain the plot?  Surely not but I want to squeeze in two photos.

The setting is a village in some unnamed country of Central Europe.  As the story begins, Henry Frankenstein (Colin Clive) and his assistant Fritz (Dwight Frye) are grave robbing in furtherance of Frankenstein’s experiments to try to bring dead humans back to life.  He is working in strict secrecy and his fiancee Elizabeth (Mae Clark) is worried.  So is his old professor Doctor Waldman (Edward van Sloane).  The two set off for Frankenstein’s castle/laboratory accompanied by Henry Moritz (John Boles), who is sweet on Elizabeth.   They break in on the Creation/Monster (Boris Karloff) coming to life.  He has been given an abnormal criminal brain, which explains his violent tendencies though I have never felt anything but sympathy toward him.

The Monster awakens to a confusing new life filled with torment.  All hell breaks loose.

I’ve seen this one many times before. Each time I am moved all over again by Boris Karloff’s timeless performance as the monster. It is amazing that Universal considered for even one second giving the part to Bela Lugosi.  I had forgotten how few of the scenes Karloff appeared in.  They are what sticks with the viewer long after the movie is over.

Then, too, the images are just wonderful. Some of the performances are over the top but they seem to fit right into the Gothic story.  For a movie that is so easily parodied, this plays it surprisingly straight.  Essential.

 

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Posted in 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die, 1931, Pre-Code Reviews

La Chienne (1931)

Posted on May 25, 2022 | 2 comments

La Chienne
Directed by Jean Renoir
Written by Jean Renoir from a novel by Georges de La Fouchardière and a play by André Mouëzy-Éon
1931/France
Les Établissements Braunberger-Richebé
IMDb page
Repeat viewing/Criterion Channel
One of 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die

Le juge d’instruction Desrumaux: You know, Mr. Legrand, liaisons like that are dangerous at our age and as a rule they end badly. It’s best to just stay quietly at home.

The first time I saw this film it ranked as a top favorite of its year.  I can’t see it coming off anytime soon.

A mild-mannered henpecked cashier and Sunday painter (Michel Simon) falls head over heels for a woman he rescues on the street. She and her pimp set out to take him for every sou he can steal from his employer. Then they find out that his paintings have a market and cash in.


The film is introduced by puppets in a Punch & Judy show. One says the story is a morality play, a second says it is a comedy of manners, the third that it is about ordinary people and has no point. In fact, it is all three but I found it predominantly to be a pitch black comedy. Simon is wonderful and the direction, of course is superb. I love the way Renoir plays with art dealers and the way he uses music. Most highly recommended.

Fritz Lang remade this film as “Scarlet Street” in 1945.   I reviewed that film here.

Trailer (no subtitles)

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Posted in 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die, 1931

The Marseille Trilogy – Marius (1931), Fanny (1932) and César (1936)

Posted on May 23, 2022 | Leave a comment

Marius
Directed by Alexander Korda
Written by Marcel Pagnol from his play
1931/France
Les Films Marcel Pagnol
IMDb page
Repeat viewing/Criterion Channels

“When everything goes to hell, the people who stand by you without flinching — they are your family. ”
― Jim Butcher

Fanny loves Marius (Pierre Fresnay). Marius loves Fanny (Orane Demazis) but longs for a life of adventure on the sea. Marius’s father, César (Raimu) loves them both. This is a richly human film, filled with marvelous character parts and emotion. The dialogue is wonderful without being too stagy.

Favorite exchange: Wealthy widower who wants to marry young girl – “I have plenty of money.” Girl’s mother – “Nightgowns have no pockets.”

This is the first of three films collectively known as the “Marseilles Trilogy” or the “Fanny Trilogy” based on plays by Marcel Pagnol, who also wrote the source material for “Jean de Florette”, “The Baker’s Wife”, and other films. This trilogy is a great favorite of mine and I highly recommend it. I found that watching the films on three consecutive days only added to the impact.

Fanny
Directed by Marc Allegret
Written by Marcel Pagnol
1932/France
Les Films Marcel Pagnol/Les Établissements Braunberger-Richebé
IMDb page
Repeat viewing/Criterion Channel

When you grow up in an extended family, or in a stable neighborhood with two or three generations of families who live there, you feel seen. Not just the good things you’ve done, the stuff you put on your resume. You know they’ve seen you in your dark times, when you’ve messed up – but they’re still there. – Dean Ornish

Warm, witty, and poignant second part of Marcel Pagnol’s Marseille Trilogy.

At the end of Part I “Marius” (1931), Marius has fulfilled his dream of seeing far-off places by shipping off for five years leaving a devastated Fanny behind. Shortly after this film starts, poor Fanny finds herself pregnant. What would be a melodrama in other hands becomes a literate, surprising, and deeply human story here. Highly recommended.

 

Restoration Trailer (no subtitles)

César
Directed by Marcel Pagnol
Written by Marcel Pagnol
1936/France
Les Films Marcel Pagnol
IMDb page
Repeat viewing/Criterion Channel

Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage. – Lao Tzu

After 20 years have passed, the story comes full circle. I’ve reviewed this film here.

 

 

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Posted in 1931, 1932, 1936