The Informer (1935)

Posted on May 9, 2013 | 3 comments

The InformerInformer Poster
Directed by John Ford
1935/USA
RKO Radio Pictures
Repeat viewing

 

Gypo Nolan: And now the British think I’m with the Irish, and the Irish think I’m with the British. The long and short of it is I’m walkin’ around starving without a dog to lick my trousers!

Gypo Nolan (Victor McLaghlen) is a big lug who is down on his luck.  He got bounced from his local IRA unit for failing to kill a prisoner.  He is broke and his girl has turned to prostitution.  One fine night he notices a poster promising a 20 pound reward for the capture of his friend, Frankie.  Shortly thereafter, he sees an advertisement for a sea voyage to America for 10 pounds.  He meets Frankie at a pub and, without much thought, is off to the British soldiers who patrol the streets.  Only problem is everything Gypo does is on impulse, he is mighty fond of the bottle, and the IRA will stop at nothing to root out the informer.

Informer 1

You can almost feel the dampness and cold of the foggy streets of Dublin when you watch this movie.  This is more “stage-bound” somehow than other Ford films but is nonetheless excellent.  Victor McLaghlen is wonderful.  You believe all the bewilderment, bluster, and violence of the character.  Whether this was a match of actor with role or a specific characterization I don’t know and it doesn’t really matter.  I have read, though, that John Ford was really rough on McLaghlen (making him perform without notice and hung over, etc.) to get the performance out of him.

The Informer won Oscars for Best Director, Best Actor, Best Screenplay and Best Score and was  nominated for Best Picture and Best Editing.  Is the first film and only film to win the New York Film Critics Circle award for Best Picture by a unanimous vote on the first ballot.

Re-release trailer

 

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Triumph of the Will (1935)

Posted on May 9, 2013 | 5 comments

Triumph of the Will (“Triumph des Willens”)Triumph of the Will Poster
Directed by Leni Riefenstahl
1935/Germany
Leni Riefenstahl-Produktion/Reichspropagandaleitung der NSDAP
Repeat viewing
#82 of 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die

 

 

Rudolf Hess: [addressing Hitler] You were our guarantor of victory. You are our guarantor of peace. Heil Hitler! Sieg Heil, Sieg Heil!

This is a propaganda film documenting the 1934 Nazi Party rally in Nuremburg, Germany. It features many mass demonstrations and parades as well as speeches by Hitler and other Nazi party leaders.

Triumph of the Will 1

It is of course impossible to view this film outside the context of history. I kept thinking throughout of the fates that would befall the people pictured and their victims. From this distance, a lot of the Nazi rituals would have looked comic if they had not been carried out with such deadly seriousness.  Obviously, I could not possibly feel the emotions the film makers intended to evoke in the audience. Only someone viewing around the time of its production could judge whether the film did achieve its intentions.  Hitler was reportedly pleased and the movie played in cinemas almost until the end of the “1000-year” Reich, ten years later.

No one, I think, could deny that the film is very artfully photographed and edited. True, Riefenstahl had an unlimited budget and lot of help from whoever choreographed the ceremonies and the settings provided by Albert Speer.  Nevertheless, many of the shots could only have been achieved by a master. They are especially impressive considering the state of technology at the time.

Clips to a background of “Sonne” by Rammstein

 

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Posted in 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die, 1935

Les Misérables (1935)

Posted on May 8, 2013 | Leave a comment

Les Misérablesles miserables poster
Directed by Richard Boleslawski
1935/USA
20th Century Pictures
First viewing

 

Jean Valjean: Remember to love each other, always. There’s scarcely anything else in life but that.

Hollywood adaptation of the Victor Hugo novel starring Fredric March as Jean Valjean and Charles Laughton as Inspector Javert with Cedric Hardwicke as the Bishop, Rochelle Hudson as Cosette and Francis Drake as Eponine.  The film makers managed to fit the plot into a 108-minute feature film by completely eliminating the Thenardiers, the innkeepers who mistreated little Cosette and went on to hound Jean Valjean.  The film, which benefited from cinematography by Gregg Toland, was nominated for Academy Awards for Best Picture and Best Editing.

Les Miserables 1

Two more different interpretations of Jean Valjean could not be seen than those of Fredric March and Harry Bauer, who played the role in the 1934 French film.  Bauer says very little and March can scarcely stop talking.  That is not to say March is bad, he is very good.  Laughton is outstanding and restrained, playing Javert as a neurotic seeking to compensate for his low birth by a rigid adherence to the law.  I could have done without the celestial choir when Valjean has his redemptive revelation.  On the whole, I can recommend this film, though if you are going to pick just one I would say to definitely go for the 1934 version directed by Raymond Bernard.

Here is a very interesting article on film adaptations of Les Miserables.  I was surprised there have been quite so many!  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adaptations_of_Les_Mis%C3%A9rables

Clips from the film available at TCM:  http://www.tcm.com/mediaroom/video/253377/Les-Miserables-Movie-Clip-Emile-Javert.html

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David Copperfield (1935)

Posted on May 8, 2013 | 2 comments

David CopperfieldDavid Copperfield Poster
Directed by George Cukor
1935/USA
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Repeat viewing

 

Mr. Micawber: Copperfield, you perceive before you, the shattered fragments of a temple once call Man. The blossom is blighted. The leaf is withered. The God of Day goes down upon the dreary scene. In short, I am forever floored.

An MGM adaptation of the Dickens novel, this film follows the life of David Copperfield from his posthumous birth to a childlike widow, to the cruel treatment by his stepfather, friendship with the Micawbers, eventual home with his aunt, and young adulthood.  This was one of those productions that allowed the studio to show off its vast resources of talent in the many character parts.  With Freddy Bartholomew as the young David, Edna May Oliver as Aunt Betsey Trotwood, Basil Rathbone as Murdstone, Jessie Ralph as Peggoty, Lionel Barrymore as Dan Peggoty, W.C. Fields as Micawber, Elsa Lanchester as Clickett, Roland Young as Uriah Heep, Margaret O’Sullivan as Dora and many, many more.

David Copperfield 2

It is impossible to convey the story of the novel in a two hour movie and so the ending, in particular, seems rushed.  Freddie Bartholomew can be very touching at times and a little too much of a good thing at others.  That said, there are some wonderful performances here.  Basil Rathbone is absolutely chilling as Murdstone, quite different from his swashbuckling villains, and Edna May Oliver is hilarious as the intimidating but tender Aunt Betsey.  Finally, it’s a treat to see W.C. Fields as Micawber playing quite the devoted husband and father to his brood!  I enjoyed this.

Trailer

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Top Hat (1935)

Posted on May 7, 2013 | 10 comments

Top Hat
Directed by Mark Sandrich
1935/USA
RKO Radio Pictures
Repeat viewing
#93 of 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die

 

 

[box] Dale Tremont: How could I have ever fallen in love with a man like you! [Dale slaps Jerry, then storms off]

Jerry Travers: She loves me.[/box]

Jerry Travers (Fred Astaire) is a famous song and dance man who is scheduled to star in a show produced by Horace Hardwick (Edward Everett Horton) in London.  Fashion designer Alberto Beddini (Erik Rhodes) has hired lovely Dale Tremont (Ginger Rogers) as a sort of social mannequin to show off his gowns.  Jerry and Dale meet and Jerry is immediately smitten.  Horace’s wife Madge (Helen Broderick) is in Venice and wants to try her hand at a little matchmaking.  The sparks fly when Dale mistakes Jerry for Madge’s husband and the two arrive in Venice.

“Cheek to Cheek”

The silly comedy of errors is a structure on which to hang some glorious dancing, art deco sets, gorgeous gowns, and snappy dialogue.  Most of the cast of The Gay Divorcee comes back and is funnier than ever.  I particularly like Erik Rhodes’s conceited Beddini, who always refers to himself in the third person.

Fred Astaire was Irving Berlin’s favorite interpreter of his songs and he sings plenty of them here.  “Cheek to Cheek” is the standard coming from this film but I have a huge soft spot for “Isn’t This a Lovely Day”.  The dance to that one, in which Rogers starts out by mimicking Astaire’s movements, is the essence of joy.  In my view, a practically perfect picture.

“Isn’t This a Lovely Day”

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Posted in 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die, 1935

Being John Malkovich (1999)

Posted on May 7, 2013 | 8 comments

Being John Malkovichbeing_john_malkovich poster
Directed by Spike Jonze
1999/USA
Gramercy Pictures/Propaganda Films/Single Cell Pictures
First viewing
#961 of 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die
IMDb users say 7.8/10; I say 7.0/10

 

[box] Craig Schwartz (in John Malkovich): You see, Maxine, it isn’t just playing with dolls.

Maxine: You’re right, my darling, it’s so much more. It’s playing with people![/box]

This was a well made picture but it just wasn’t for me.  Puppeteer Craig Schwartz (John Cusak) lives a vaguely eccentric but unexciting life with his wife Lotte (an unrecognizable Cameron Diaz) and a menagerie of animals.  Craig starts work at a strange company owned by Dr. Lester (Orson Bean) and located on the 7 1/2 floor of an office building where the ceilings are about four feet high.

While working there, Craig becomes infatuated with Maxine (Catherine Keener), who is definitely not interested.  Then Craig discovers a portal that will take anyone into the mind of actor John Malkovich for 15 minutes.  Craig and Maxine parlay this into a paying business but the enterprise doesn’t last long after Lotte discovers she can’t get enough of being inside the actor, especially when he is inside of Maxine.  Craig finds a way to win Maxine and fulfill his ambitions, while Lotte bides her time.

Being John Malkovich 2

I must start out by saying that I would pay money not to spend any time in another person’s head, so the concept of the film was not too intriguing to me.  I have to admit the story was very inventive, with oddball characters and situations at every turn, but I kept having the feeling that it was a big joke on the audience.  I hate movies that laugh at me.  After watching the supplements on the Blu-Ray, I feel I may have a better handle on what the film makers were possibly trying to communicate about celebrity and escapism.  The most reassuring point was in the interview with Malkovich in which he said that Generation Xers tend to respond to the movie while baby boomers (me) do not.

I was very impressed by the acting in this film, especially that of John Malkovich, who was required to play several different parts while also playing himself.   Everybody else was also very good.  I like John Cusak in almost everything he is in.  The music was nice.

Trailer

 

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Posted in 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die, Movie Reviews

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Captain Blood (1935)

Posted on May 6, 2013 | 6 comments

Captain BloodCaptain Blood Poster
Directed by Michael Curtiz
1935/USA
Warner Bros
Repeat viewing
#88 of 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die

[box] Dr. Peter Blood: Up that rigging, you monkeys! Aloft! There’s no chains to hold you now. Break out those sails and watch them fill with the wind that’s carrying us all to freedom![/box]

Captain Peter Blood (Errol Flynn) is living peacefully as a physician when he is called on to tend a wounded rebel.  For his trouble, he is convicted of treason and transported to Jamaica as a slave.  Arabella (Olivia de Havilland), the niece of a wealthy landowner (Lionel Atwill), admires Blood’s defiant spirit and buys him.  Blood mightily resents this.  His medical skills make him a favorite of the gouty Governor of the island and allow him to plan his escape and that of his comrades.  The men soon turn pirate but Arabella and her uncle seem part of Blood’s fate.  Also starring Basil Rathbone as the French pirate Levasseur and a host of Warner Brothers character actors.

Captain Blood 1

This movie was the first pairing of Errol Flynn and the 18-year-old Olivia de Havilland and made them both stars.  It drags a bit in spots but basically is an exciting romantic adventure with thrilling sword fights and sea battles and dynamite chemistry between the two leads.  The magnificent score by Erich Wolfgang Korngold adds to the fun.

Trailer

 

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Posted in 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die, 1935, Movie Reviews

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Rio Grande (1950)

Posted on May 5, 2013 | Leave a comment

Rio Granderio-grande poster
Directed by John Ford
1950/USA
Republic Pictures/Argosy Pictures
Repeat viewing
#227 of 1001 Films You Must See Before You Die

 

Mrs. Kathleen York: To my only rival, the United States Cavalry.

Colonel Kirby York (John Wayne) commands a cavalry troop fighting Apaches.  His son Jeff, who has just flunked out of West Point and enlisted as a soldier, joins the company.  Kirby has not seen the boy in 15 years – neither expect the boy to get special treatment. Soon, Kirby’s estranged wife Kathleen (Maureen O’Hara) arrives, determined to buy her son out of his enlistment.  The couple split after Kirby followed orders to burn his wife’s plantation during the Civil War but it is clear they still have feelings for each other.  With Victor McLaughlen as a comic drill sergeant; Harry Carey Jr. and Ben Johnson as Jeff’s fellow recruits; and the Sons of the Pioneers to provide some songs.

John_Wayne - rio grande - & Maureen O'Hara

It’s 1001 Movie Sunday, and the Random Number Generator picked a good one.  This is the third in John Ford’s Apache Trilogy.  Was there ever a better director at filming wide open spaces?  Monument Valley doesn’t really need color in Ford’s hands — it looks gorgeous.  I find that the older I get the more John Wayne grows on me.  He is excellent in this film – his eyes registering pride, love, and concern for his son and love for his wife as well as quiet courage and determination.  O’Hara and Wayne are another of the great screen couples and are touching here.  Don’t go into this one expecting a lot of action, though there is a battle with the Indians near the end, but if you are looking for a classic character-driven drama you could do worse than to try this.

Re-release trailer

 

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Posted in 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die, 1950

Mad Love (1935)

Posted on May 4, 2013 | 4 comments

Mad LoveMad Love Poster
Directed by Karl Freund
1935/USA
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Repeat viewing

 

 

Doctor Gogol: [despairingly] I, a poor peasant, have conquered science! Why can’t I conquer love?

Brilliant surgeon Dr. Gogol (Peter Lorre) has become obsessed with love for grand guignol actress Yvonne Orlac (Frances Drake).  Her husband is great concert pianist Stephen Orlac (Colin Clive).  When Steven’s hands are mangled in a train wreck, Gogol attaches the hands of an executed knife-throwing murderer.  Maddened by Yvonne’s continuing rejection of him, Gogol then conceives an insane plan to get Stephen out of the way.

Mad Love 1

When this movie works, it works very well.  Peter Lorre is always interesting in this and sometimes simply brilliant.  The climactic scenes are unforgettable.  There is also some excellent expressionist camera work by Gregg Tolland.  The problem is, once again, that the film is bogged down by unnecessary comic relief by Ted Healy (ex of Ted Healy and his Stooges) as a reporter and May Beatty as the doctor’s drunken housekeeper.  Despite its flaws, this is well worth seeing just for Lorre’s performance in this, his U.S. screen debut.

Trailer

 

 

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A Tale of Two Cities (1935)

Posted on May 4, 2013 | 2 comments

A Tale of Two Citiestale_of_two_cities Poster
Directed by Jack Conway
1935/USA
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Repeat viewing

 

 

Knitting woman (tricoteuse): [the guillotine strikes once more] I lost a stitch. Cursed Aristocrats!

This is a fairly faithful adaptation of the Dickens novel.  The evil Marquis St. Evremonde (Basil Rathbone) denounced Dr. Manette and had him imprisoned without trial in the Bastille for 18 years.  Manette is finally freed through the efforts the seditious De Farges and is reunited with his daughter Lucie.  Lucie and Manette travel by ship to England and meet Charles Darnay on the journey.  Darnay is the free-thinking nephew of the Marquis who has arranged that he be framed and arrested for treason upon arrival.  Darnay is a acquited through the efforts of barrister Stryver and his associate, the dissolute but clever Sidney Carton.  Carton and Darnay both fall in love with Lucie, while Lucie’s heart belongs to Darnay whom she marries.  A few years later after the French Revolution, Darnay is in danger of the guillotine due to his aristocratic ancestry and the ills done by the Marquis to a number of poor people.

Tale of Two Cities 2

1935 was quite the year for big-budget literary adaptations and this is a fine one.  It is rescued from an excess of sentiment (also present in the novel) by the fantastic performance of Ronald Colman as Sidney Carton.  His eyes are wonderfully expressive and he delivers his dialogue with just the right touch of irony.  Among the supporting players, I particularly like Basil Rathbone as the supercilious Marquis and Edna May Oliver as Lucie’s maid, Miss Pross.  Oliver has a really touching and funny scene near the end in which she the interests of her mistress.  MGM spared no expense on the settings or costumes.  Recommended.

Re-release trailer

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