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The Wolf Man (1941) - 6.5 / 10
Larry Talbot (Lon Chaney Jr), the long estranged son of Sir John Talbot (Claude Rains) returns home to Britain, from America, after the death of his brother.
While exploring the local village Larry meets Gwen Conliffe (Evelyn Ankers) who works in an antique shop. To get to know her better Larry purchases a silver headed cane in the shape of a wolf and arranges a date to go and see a troop of Gypsies who have recently set up their carnival outside the village.
Along with a female friend, Jenny (Fay Helm), Larry and Gwen go to the Gypsy camp and Jenny goes to see the fortune teller Bela (Bela Lugosi) who scares her with his attitude towards her.
Jenny runs away into the woods and is suddenly attacked by a savage wolf.
Vainly trying to save the doomed girl Larry beats the wolf to death with his new cane but is bitten in the fight and passes out.
Awakening the next morning the head of the local Police, Colonel Montford (Ralph Bellamy), informs Larry that they only found the bodies of Jenny and the Gypsy Bela (who suffered a crushed skull), but no dead wolf.
Learning about the legends of Werewolves from Bela's mysterious mother, Maleva (Maria Ouspenskaya), and how a person bitten by one will become a Weerwolf themselves, Larry is convinced that he will turn into a bloodthirsty beast at the next full moon....
Chronologically coming last in the line of 'classic' Universal monsters (Dracula, Frankenstein's Monster, The Mummy and The Invisible Man), The Wolf Man soon joined his already established brethren of icons to become an influential part of horror film history.
Thanks to the truly superb scripting by Curt Siodmak (taking over from, and completely re-writing, an abandoned original script) "The Wolf Man" has in fact become the most culturally influential of all Universal's monsters.
Siodmak's famous 'folklore' prose...
'Even a man who is pure in heart and says his prayers by night,
may become a wolf when the wolfbane blooms
and the autumn moon is bright`,
...has become almost mythic in itself and was often wrongly thought to be an actual European folk saying and would be repeated in numerous films over the following decades.
What Siodmak also famously gave us is the belief that only silver can kill a Werewolf, something that would become so deeply implanted into any Werewolf entertainment that it almost took on scientific validity!
But it's not only mythic folklore that Siodmak offers up here, he also delivers a tight plot, interesting characters and effective set-pieces.
We can indeed bemoan the fact that another 5 minutes could not have been added, to the typically short Universal running time, to give us one or two more attack sequences (certainly The Wolf Man is underused compared to Dracula and the Invisible Man, but is given vastly more to do than The Mummy) but there is so much going on in the film that it holds the interest we can overlook, if not forget, this rare fault in the otherwise effective screenplay.
A screenplay that, as he covers the tragedy of a man fated and cursed for no reason, owes much to Siodmak's flight from Nazi Germany where, as a Jew, he was similarly fated to have his life suddenly changed as his very DNA became a curse upon him as far as being able to live his life peacefully in Germany would go.
Claude Rains yet again does a wonderful job as the intelligent, caring, grounded father, Bellamy is great value as the delightfully no nonsense Colonel (his clipped orders, while looking at the bodies of Bela and Jenny, to his scared assistant are a hoot, "Take a note Twiddle"!), the unforgettable Maria Ouspenskaya helps to create one of Universal's most iconic non-monster characters as the wise but mysterious foreteller of doom and a sadly underused Bela Lugosi (now obviously being pushed out of any kind of leading man status) does an enjoyable job as the first Werewolf.
As for Lon Chaney he does everything that needs doing as far as essaying a likeable character caught in a web of tragedy. But his general hulking physicality and distinctive drawl do not remotely work as far as him being a credible, (estranged or not) son of the slight, very English, very sophisticated, Claude Rains. He basically seems like the son that was dropped on his head at birth. It is telling that this relationship to Rains was not actually in Siodmak's original script.
As The Wolf Man though, Chaney does a wonderful job and his bulk and physicality, that are ill-suited to him being the son of an English Sir, are a bonus here.
Larry Talbot/The Wolf Man is perhaps the most tragic of all Universal's monsters as he is basically a good man who, while doing a good deed, gets cruelly inflicted with a curse that will see him (throughout the sequels, with Chaney always playing him) desperately trying to die, to finally give himself peace.
This tragic desperation and suicidal quest of the character must have been pretty strong stuff for audiences at the time, and the bleakness of such a tragic existence for someone who is basically a human being for much of his screen-time (unlike, the still tragic, Frankenstein's Monster who is always just that...a monster) means that The Wolf Man films become perhaps the most consistently serious of all the Universal cycles.
For all it's classic status I have to say though that the design of The Wolf Man is for me the least successful of make-up legend Jack Pierce's creations.
Pierce does manage to keep some nice facial expression in the Wolf Man for Chaney to work with, but the dog snout nose and rather comical bouffant hairdo that the Werewolf sports have dated badly and take away some of the viciousness of the creature, despite the effective looking fangs. The obvious one piece boots used for the feet are also a letdown as we can clearly see that Talbot's toes are all connected with no gaps between each of them.
Although not as influential or popular the more simplistic looking Werewolf make-up, used on Henry Hull in the earlier "Werewolf of London", makes for a more savage and scary beast.
So we have some faults, and a few logic holes in the plot, but basically thanks to the otherwise effective screenplay, wonderful monster lore, generally very fine acting, good support characters, wonderfully atmospheric sets and cinematography, tight direction (by the great silent German cinematographer George Waggner) and genuinely effective and tragic lead character, "The Wolf Man" manages to retain much of its classic status historically speaking, and also manages to be an enjoyable fright film in its own right.
I'd still put this behind "Dracula", "Frankenstein", "Son of Frankenstein" and especially "The Invisible Man", but Larry Talbot/The Wolf Man manages a very respectable placing in Universal's classic monster canon.
The Universal DVD is a fine release with some great extras, including a wonderfully entertaining, gossip filled, commentary track by Tom Weaver.
Thanks Martin.
I watched HAUSU earlier this year and really didn't know what to make out it. Part of me respected it but my sense of humor was rather dry when watching it and that's what put me off in the end. It's one of those movies where I'm fully aware that I missed the "point" of it. It seems to be gaining a big cult following since IFC showed it earlier in the year.
30 for 30: The Legend of Jimmy the Greek (2009)
Fritz Mitchell
Another winning episode in the impressive 30 for 30 series from ESPN. This time out we take a look at CBS's The NFL Today show, which was an original when it first aired and it also featured a character known as Jimmy the Greek, a professional gambler, who would take sports gambling to a whole new level. After becoming one of the best known faces in the country, Jimmy would eventually give an interview about black players and this would lead to his downfall as many found it to be too much even if he didn't really mean for it to come out the way it did. Apparently director Mitchell started as an intern on this show so he certainly knows the material well and the entire life of Jimmy Snyder makes for an interesting fall from grace type of story. I'm sure many would make a documentary about the evils of sports gambling but this film takes a look at Jimmy under a different point of view. It looks at him very highly and shows how much good he did and why betting in sports has caused the sport to get even bigger. We also have the other three talking heads from The NFL Today show, which included Brent Musburger, Phylis George and Irv Cross. It's interesting to see the stories these three have about the man because it's clear he went after George many times because, she felt, he didn't think women should be doing sports. Cross, an black man, also has some interesting opinions on Jimmy's racist comments and what he thought should have happened. Dan Rather and Frank Deford are also on hand to give their opinions on the man who started gambling at a young age and eventually grew to be something great. Being a 30 for 30 episode, there's also plenty of tragedy to be found, which includes the sudden deaths of several of his kids as well as Jimmy eventually ending his life with nothing to his name. I wish the documentary had given more time to his lack of a career after The NFL Today show because that's pretty much wrapped up in a brief three minute slot.
Pest Control (1948)
Dave O'Brien
Funny Pete Smith short has him talking about those pests we all hate and the best way to take care of them. We get four brief stories including the man who thinks he's a wolf, the annoying kid touching everything in an antique store, the weird woman who does nothing but look at you while eating and of course the pen that never writes when you need it to. Considering this film is only nine-minutes long, there's really nothing to build up to with the exception of cheap laughs and there are plenty of them here to make it worth your time watching this. The best sequence was the first one with the annoying man trying to pick up women. Dave O'Brien, shamefully overlooked today, plays all the main characters and does a very good job. His turn as the wannabe ladies man is very funny as is the payoff to the woman who won't quit looking at him. As usual, Smith's narration is very charming and brings a few laughs as well.
Calling All Pa's (1942)
Will Jason
Mildly entertaining short from MGM and Pete Smith has Dave O'Brien playing Joe Thunderstruck, a happy new father who learns the hard way that there's a lot of pain in becoming a dad. I ended up watching five days after the birth of my own child so I expected a lot of the humor to hit home with me but it actually didn't. I'm a big fan of these Smith/O'Brien shorts but this one here was filled with way too many easy jokes and in the end it didn't end up as funny as I was hoping. There were a few nice jokes including the whole passing out cigars, which end up going from one father to the next and so on until the point it gets back to the original owner. The entire joke with the mother-in-law stepping over your grounds didn't get the type of laughs that you'd expect nor did the entire trying to put on a diaper sequence. The one gag that did end up working was entire gag of which parent was going to get up in the middle of the night to feed the crying kid. Speaking of crying kids, whoever played the kid here certainly appears to have gone through quite a bit as she is constantly crying and appears to be incredibly upset so I hope the studio paid her well.
Game Warden (1955)
Harry W. Smith
Another entry in RKO's Sportscope series with this one taking a look at game warden Brian Bergen of upstate New York. We see Bergen heading out in the morning to do his job, which is to protect nature's creatures from folks who might not have their best interest in mind. We see Bergen as he makes sure fishermen have their license, beavers don't build up dams that could cause the water to ruin roads and finally illegal poachers are caught. As with many Sportscope shorts, this one here has a few interesting moments but there are also some pretty bad ones. While the actual film is silent with just the narrator telling us what's going on, the acting going on during the film is pretty bad and there are countless sequences where you'll want to reach out and slap the actors because their facial gestures are so bad that you can't help but have bad feelings towards them. The overall tone of the film is a tad bit too patriotic and they try to make this game warden appear to be some sort of hero coming back from WW2. The over sentimental aspect of the film wasn't needed but there are some good moments including seeing some of the damage done by a beaver, which is eventually caught. Another mildly entertaining sequence is when the warden tries to track down the poacher. There's nothing here that would make for a good feature film but if you have eight-minutes to kill then you might want to check this out.
Goofy Movies Number Six (1934)
Another entry in Pete Smith's "Goofy Movies" series, which has him narrating over silent film footage. Here we get various forms of "survival tips", which gets us scenes where cars race across tracks to beat a train, cars going off cliffs and various dangerous acts. This takes up the first five minutes then the final four are left with a fake movie with a character known as Mad Mike. I believe this is my third or fourth film from this series and to say they're hit and miss would be an understatement. The episode here really doesn't work because the narration is poorly written and none of it is very funny. I'm a big fan of the work of Smith but this here isn't one of his better moments. What worked best was seeing all the film clips from the silent movies and that's especially true during the first half when we see all these amazing stunts. I wish I knew what movies some of this stuff was from because I'm sure they're even more entertaining watching them on their own. The scene with the train going across the bridge that collapses is pretty interesting but the narration added to it does nothing.
Symthony of Swing (1939)
Joseph Henabery
Turner Classic Movies recently had a documentary on the career of Johnny Mercer and played this short as well. The film features the then popular Artie Shaw and his swinging band performing four songs including "Jeepers Creepers" with Tony Pastor and "Deep Purple" with Helen Forrest. This was my first time seeing a short with Shaw but he certainly lived up to some of the hype I had heard about him. I'm sure this short wouldn't fly too well if shown on MTV today but if you're a fan of these old swing bands then you're in for a real treat. On the technical side of things we're really not given anything overly special as director Henabery makes the right decision in just staying out of things and letting the band do all the work. Shaw's orchestra is extremely entertaining as they jam one number after another and Pastor does a very good job with "Jeepers Creepers".
Dipsy Doodler, The (1940)
Lloyd French
Another winning Vitaphone short from Warner where we get to hear some of the hit music from back in the day. This time out Larry Clinton is leading his orchestra through a list of hits including "Powerhouse", "Get Happy" and "You Took Advantage of Me". It was my first time hearing these songs but there wasn't any problem getting into their vibe as Clinton delivers a pretty good performance. I prefer this music to be a little faster but I still enjoyed the more laid back approach by Clinton. My favorite song of the group was probably "Get Happy" as it also featured The Six Philharmonicas, which was a pretty rocking little group that had some great harmonica work. Bea Wain does the vocal work on "Dancing in the Dark" and manages to be quite catchy as well.
Whisperin' Bill (1933)
Ben Holmes
Decent short from MGM has a Congressman visiting an elderly farmer (Charles 'Chic" Sale) and asking for his vote. The farmer then wants to make sure the man knows his son and begins to tell him the famous "Whisperin' Bill" poem. This short certainly has its heart in the right place but I must say that it really didn't hit me as I'm sure it was meaning to. I had to look up the actual poem, which was apparently a very famous one released shortly after the Civil War. The poem is certainly brought up to date in this film but it just didn't work for me. I think the biggest problem is the rather bland and lackluster direction, which results in a pretty tame looking film that falls flat in terms of anything interesting on the technical level. It appears even the supporting actors is falling asleep as he's walking around without much to do and the scenery didn't work either. Sale's does a pretty good job as he really digs into the poem and turns in a fine performance but his soul alone isn't enough to make the short work.
Thanks Martin.
I watched HAUSU earlier this year and really didn't know what to make out it. Part of me respected it but my sense of humor was rather dry when watching it and that's what put me off in the end. It's one of those movies where I'm fully aware that I missed the "point" of it. It seems to be gaining a big cult following since IFC showed it earlier in the year.
30 for 30: The Legend of Jimmy the Greek (2009)
Fritz Mitchell
...
It's interesting to see the stories these three have about the man because it's clear he went after George many times because, she felt, he didn't think women should be doing sports.
...
"2012" - 2 /10
****HERE BE VARIOUS SPOILERS****
The CGI FX went from the ho hum to the outstanding and 'fun in destruction' time was had. But even that felt strangely 'local'. The film basically just followed the main characters around so we only saw destruction when they saw it, as such this 'global' apocalypse was almost entirely shown to have just hit America, a patch of India and a monk on a mountain in Tibet!
Much of the action is very very silly and unlikely and was also very repetitive, with a vehicle/plane escape sequence then being followed directly by another vehicle/plane sequence. Elsewhere all was pretty much dire. And as hypocritical, two-faced and confused on what its stance is as you could imagine.
Cookie cutter characters made less than compelling cinema and anyone could have written this stuff as we have seen it all before.
We have on the roll call of tedium......
Ex-Spouses still in love.
Short end of the stick new love/step dad.
Angst-ridden kids.
Comedy kids.
Ruthless (White American only) politicians.
Ruthless and contemptible rich people.
Noble and perfect anyone who wasn't a white American politician.
A self-sacrificing 'people's President' (seems disaster only strikes when America has a Black President as well!)
An eccentric profit of doom.
A dumb, heart of gold, blonde.
A cute dog.
A Government guy (Black) who sees the wrong and ensures those naughty White people come to their selfish senses.
All dull, all very predictable and full of hypocrisy. Some of which it takes on but only unintentionally I think.
Much is made of not being selfish...and yet the 'Ark' and all the thousands on it are nearly destroyed because a bunch of good guys tried to sneak on and thus mess the door up!
And as for all the bleating about people being chosen...well many people would indeed have to be certain types of people with certain skills and knowledge to rebuild things.
The screenplay though throws cheap shots at this actually understandable plan by mentioning the picking of 'best breeding types' (where did THAT come from?) and people who have paid to get on.
But then it also back tracks on these criticisms....
Oliver Platt's much maligned character takes all this criticism but in a throwaway line he states that actually NO ONE would be going anywhere if those 'rich scum' had not paid billions to get on the 'Arks' and thus fund them.
And when the achingly hand-wringing Chiwetel Ejiofor moans that all the 'Ark' builders are being left behind (the good honest working Communist Chinese man) Platt, wonderfully, declares that he is free to give away his pass TO one of those good honest Chinese Communist working men if he so wants...he does not want!
So much for that bit of bleeding heart posturing then.
And really it does (in a film full of it) go too far into Capitalist, Western self-loathing when the rooms on the 'Ark' are shown to have enough room to house far more than just the one person allocated to them (they even include silver goblets!).
Sorry, but I find it offensive (and not remotely backed up in any way) that the makers assume that those evil White, Western, Capitalist pigs would care about the silverware having room than people having room!
Where and when was this film written, on a 60's Hippie commune?
Hypocrisy, racism, blatant socialism and confusion rule everywhere.
The film has anyone in positions of power or authority who are deeply religious (the one and only get out clause for White authority figures) be braver and more noble and yet then proceeds to wipe them all out with great gusto!
The Pope/Vatican scene is a hoot!
It then has ALL non-White characters ALL be the most honest, noble and correct (from Tibetan monks, Chinese workers, betrayed by the Americans Indian scientists, mixed marriage sons with racist white Fathers, Black Presidents, and Black Government workers) and has ALL White characters (with any real screen-time) in any position of authority be scheming, self-serving and always wrong.
That (like poor picked on Mexico and The Middle East being the one and only places left for those Western Imperialists to live in"The Day After Tomorrow") the only place in the entire world left above water in "2012" is Africa seems telling!
So civilisation returns to its cradle as all that was decadent and corrupt is wiped away and so dear people...at last...we are ALL Africans now.
The final shot in the film looks like a poster Robert Mugabe and the Black Panthers would have on their walls.
And oh yeah...For all it's oh so noble and caring stance for film does the most ruthlessly cynical, down right immoral, thing out... It makes sure the now unwanted other man and love rival (the BEST "I've only had 2 lessons" pilot in the World!) is routinely killed off before the 'we're a loving family again now' finale! oh, very nice and noble!
If this is the end of the world...count me out.
"2012" - 2 /10
...and has ALL White characters (with any real screen-time) in any position of authority be scheming, self-serving and always wrong.
Johnny Mercer: The Dream's on Me (2009)
Bruce Ricker
Extremely well-made and highly informative documentary about the life and career of Johnny Mercer who became one of the best known and most loved songwriters for Hollywood and would end up winning four Oscars. Not only that but he wrote for some of the biggest legends including Fred Astaire, Judy Garland and Bing Crosby to name just a few. Clint Eastwood served as executive producer and is also featured in some of the interview clips as Mercer played a big part in terms of music in his film MIDNIGHT IN THE GARDEN OF GOOD AND EVIL. As a whole, this documentary offers up pretty much everything as we get some nice stories told via the talking heads (including Leonard Maltin), concert clips, interview footage and current singers doing their versions of some classic songs. The documentary features quite a bit of footage and we're constantly learning about Mercer either through the footage or from his own words, which was taken from an interview before his death. The movie for the most part stays focus on his rise in Hollywood but it does briefly talk about his personal life including his relationship with Judy Garland, which started during his work on THE HARVEY GIRLS. Outside of that everything's pretty much on the music which discusses why his lyrics were home made for jazz and how various stars, including Ray Charles, used his songs to gather fame. If you're rather new to Mercer as I was then I'm positive you're going to learn quite a bit as this is an all around great look at him and his music.
Courtship of the Newt, The (1938)
Roy Rowland
Robert Benchley has turned in some very funny shorts and some not so funny shorts and sadly this one here is quite painful to sit through. He plays a rather dimwitted zoology professor who talks about the mysterious "newt" creature and why we the viewer should be interested in it. Benchley has an extremely dry humor to him, which can be quite funny with the right material but I must admit that I was ready to pull out my eyes a few minutes into this 8-minute short. I've never seen a truly horrid short as the small running time doesn't leave the viewer to have to sit and torture himself for too long butt his one here came close to being one of the worst I've seen. What we basically have is Benchley acting as if he doesn't know what he's talking about and talking about items that just aren't interesting. The type of humor includes a drawing of the "newt" on a chalkboard when Benchley comes back with the "photo" doesn't look too good. Not very funny. The entire running joke is that he's teaching us about this creature yet nothing he says makes any sense so in the end, we really don't learn anything. That's the entire joke of the film but it's not funny.
Madero of Mexico (1942)
Edward L. Cahn
The thirty-seventh episode in MGM and John Nesbitt's Passing Parade series takes a look at Don Francisco Madero, perfectly played by actor Paul Guilfoyle. The film opens up with a disclaimer that "some" of the history has been changed in order for the spirit of Guilfoyle to be told but we see him as a rich land owner who decides to fight the government so that poor people will be able to live in a land of democracy. Villa and Zapata are probably better known due to their feature films but this short manages to be pretty entertaining even if all three pretty much featured the same story. The main reason to watch this film is for the performance of Guilfoyle. He was a pretty well known character actor in his time and he perfectly captures the spirit of his character even though he doesn't get a single line of dialogue. Like the other films in this series, we only get the narration by Nesbitt to tell the story. The story itself is pretty familiar stuff as we get the lone man willing to stand up for what he believes to be right.
Mild West, The (1933)
Joseph Henabery
Typical Musical/Western from Vitaphone has some decent music numbers with your typical wild, wild west story. The film focuses on a saloon singer (Janet Reade) who marries a gambler (Paul Keast) and then must fight off a seducer (Olive Borden). I think the amount of entertainment you take from this thing will depend not on the actual film itself but your own tolerance of these early "everything must go" musicals. I say everything must go because it seems when talkies came into play, everything could be turned into a musical. Reade never really hit it off in the movies but I had heard her name before actually ever getting to see her. She alone made this film worth watching as she certainly had the looks but she also had a pretty good voice, which gets put to good use in several numbers including "Broadway Bubble", which was my favorite. Keast was mildly entertaining but I think a stronger male could have added more to the film. The rest of the numbers are average at best and the same could be said for the cast. There's also a running gag of piano players getting killed, which includes a scene where one of them kills himself. That's certainly not something you'd see very often back in 1933 so this too sets the film apart in that manor. Again, if you're a fan of these types of musicals then I'm sure you'll be entertained by this one. Others might want to stay with the more better known titles.
I Love Children, But! (1952)
Dave O'Brien
Another funny entry in the O'Brien/Pete Smith "I Love ___, But" series with this one looking at a parents worst nightmare. A father (Dave O'Brien) takes his brat kid to a poker game hoping the child will fall asleep. Of course, since this is a comedy, that doesn't happen and soon the brat is destroying everything in the room. We then get a shorter second story where a father (O'Brien again) arrives home from a long trip only to notice that his son doesn't seem to care. The second story really doesn't work, which is probably why it seems rushed and cut down so there's really no use in paying too much attention to it. The real focus is the first story, which manages to get a few good laughs including an extremely funny one where the bachelor friend of the father is constantly going crazy because daddy doesn't punish the brat. The physical comedy is pretty bland as most of it happens off screen but Smith's narration is as good as always and will at least put a smile on your face. O'Brien is also good in his role with that never ending supply of facial expressions.
Slapsie Maxie's (1939)
Noel M. Smith
Pleasant two-reel comedy from Warner has former light-heavyweight champ Max "Slapsie Maxie" Rosenbloom playing himself, fresh in retirement and running a restaurant. The new champ (Frank Faylen) comes in for dinner but accidentally gets knocked out by a dumb waiter (Johnnie Davis), which means the two must now fight it out in the ring. The waiter does have Max to train him but it's not going to be easy. I'm not going to lie and call this a great comedy, a good one or even a funny one but I will admit that it kept me entertained throughout its 17-minutes. The movie never really made me laugh because we've seen this type of story countless times before. The idea of a nobody knocking out a champ is nothing new and there's really not much of a spin to it here with the exception being that a former boxer is in the cast. Rosenbloom would end up having a pretty good career in Hollywood and he's certainly a natural. He does a pretty good job with all the dialogue and I've always enjoyed him in the films I've seen.
United States Navy Band, The (1943)
Jean Negulesco
Musical short from Warner was another in their series of WWII films that showed our men not fighting but instead creating music. I've seen three or four of these shorts and they're all fairly simple with stock footage being used with the music playing in the background. There's really nothing ground breaking here but it is nice seeing some of our soldiers doing other things rather than just fighting. We get several songs here being led by Charles Brendler and some of the highlights are "Anchors Aweigh", "Don't Give Up the Ship" and "V Calls for Victory". The band, which apparently toured the country, is pretty good in their own right and turn in good renditions of the songs.
Johnny Mercer: The Dream's on Me (2009)
Bruce Ricker
Extremely well-made and highly informative documentary about the life and career of Johnny Mercer who became one of the best known and most loved songwriters for Hollywood and would end up winning four Oscars. Not only that but he wrote for some of the biggest legends including Fred Astaire, Judy Garland and Bing Crosby to name just a few. Clint Eastwood served as executive producer and is also featured in some of the interview clips as Mercer played a big part in terms of music in his film MIDNIGHT IN THE GARDEN OF GOOD AND EVIL. As a whole, this documentary offers up pretty much everything as we get some nice stories told via the talking heads (including Leonard Maltin), concert clips, interview footage and current singers doing their versions of some classic songs. The documentary features quite a bit of footage and we're constantly learning about Mercer either through the footage or from his own words, which was taken from an interview before his death. The movie for the most part stays focus on his rise in Hollywood but it does briefly talk about his personal life including his relationship with Judy Garland, which started during his work on THE HARVEY GIRLS. Outside of that everything's pretty much on the music which discusses why his lyrics were home made for jazz and how various stars, including Ray Charles, used his songs to gather fame. If you're rather new to Mercer as I was then I'm positive you're going to learn quite a bit as this is an all around great look at him and his music.
I wish I had more time to dive into the work of Mercer that TCM has been showing all month but that will have to wait for a better time. I did find that CD they talked about at a local Best Buy so I might just pick it up at some point.
Dylan finally managed to sleep most of the night so I was able to get quite a few films on last night since I was watching him from midnight till six in the morning. These were the first features I had watched since he was born but tonight I asked his mom to watch him so I could get on ANTICHRIST since I had been wanting to catch it since hearing all the fuss from Cannes. IFC On Demand is showing it and since I didn't think it would play around here I went ahead and ordered it. I'm be glad when some others see this thing because I'm interested in hearing some other opinions on what the film was.
Antichrist (2009)
Lars von Trier
Thought provoking but highly controversial film from von Trier has a husband (Willem Dafoe) and wife (Charlotte Gainsbourg) making love while their young son gets out of his crib and falls from a window to his death. After the grief sets in the couple head off to a cabin in the woods to try and cure the wife from her state but once there things take a turn for the worse. This film has a prologue, an epilogue and four chapters in between. Three of the chapters deal with grief, pain and despair. What the director was trying to say or do with this film is going to be in the mind of the viewer watching and I'm positive you could show this film to a hundred people and fifty would probably walk out. The other fifty would each have a different idea on the events in the film and that's probably why von Trier continues to be one of the most interesting directors out there. You might love him or you might hate him but no matter how you feel you're going to be feeling something, which is a lot more than most directors could have said about their work. This movie will certainly bring on debate and I'm sure it's going to bring on some strong feelings of hatred among those who see it but at the end of the day there's no doubt that the film will leave people thinking and questioning their own thoughts.
Writing this minutes after finishing the film, my mind is still all over the place on what exactly it was that I watched. I do feel disturbed, which is saying quite a bit considering some of the films I've seen in my life. The atmosphere created by von Trier is extremely disturbing and this is before we get to any of the controversial stuff. That stuff I won't ruin but all the hype you've read is certainly lived up to and von Trier takes on a new form of sexual violence that most people haven't seen. The bizarre sex scenes are never erotic but at the same time there's a level of love to them. This will leave people will more things to debate but I think the title refers to nothing here as the movie isn't about the antichrist but instead about human emotions to one level or another. Another thing I do know is that the two actors turn in incredibly brave performances and they're names should certainly be remembered at Oscar time but I have a feeling they won't be. Both are challenged physically to be brave because of the nudity, sex scenes and some extremely bizarre situations both are put in. You applaud them for that but they also take it to another level and deliver complete and haunting characters. The pain both actors display is quite amazing to watch but at the same time you almost hate to watch because of how painful they make it. There isn't another actor in the film so it's up to these two to carry everything and they pull that off without a problem. The visual style of von Trier is something else that people love and he turns in another real beauty here. The opening prologue is in B&W and it's perhaps one of the most haunting, tragic and beautiful images I've seen from a film in quite a while. The masterful music score playing over this sequence makes it even more haunting but there are other great visual touches throughout the film.
Some have made people believe that this is a porn film hidden behind the label of art but I think that's quite unfair. While there are hardcore sequences I think most people still look at them as being taboo. I, on the other hand, have become very familiar with this type of stuff since I'm a fan of the likes of Jess Franco so I don't mind this type of thing. I think it does add a lot of realism to the movie but people shouldn't think it's non-stop sex and torture from start to finish. The first few minutes feature some sex and then the rest of the movie is pretty clean up to the final thirty-minutes. In the middle is a lot of dialogue, which is perfectly written and delivered by the actors. You'll certainly have a lot to take in as, again, we're asked countless questions about what's going on but then your senses will be attacked when the actual torture does set in. This isn't an easy movie to watch and I'm sure many will walk away needing a shower but it does bring out emotions, feelings and thoughts, which is something not too many films can do. Love it or hate it this is a pretty unique movie.
I'd certainly love to hear your opinions on it. I was hoping there would have been more people to have seen the film but it appears to not be doing so good at the box office but I guess that's to be expected since I'm sure many theaters won't show it. I'd like to know how many just ordered it like I did.
I really do need to watch more of von Trier's films though. I've only seen three and I've loved them all so I might try and track more down next year.
Her Private Affair (1929)
Rollo Lloyd, Paul L. Stein
Based on a failed Broadway play, this early talkie features Ann Harding as the wife of a judge (Harry Bannister) who has an affair with a lawyer (John Loder) who then begins to blackmail her. She's willing to pay and goes to his house to do so but he forces himself on her so she kills him. An innocent man is eventually arrested and the woman must fight her conscience on what to do. It always amazes me when I watch these early talkies that so many were taken from plays that either bombed on stage or were forgotten about by the time sound films came into play. Perhaps their rights were cheap? Either way, this isn't the worst early talkie out there but I doubt very many, if any, will find any true charm or need to view this. I think the only groups this film could be recommended to are fans of Harding or those who want to see all the early films to use sound. There are many problems with this film but we'll start with the most obvious, which is the bad sound quality. It's funny but after the first five minutes the film was already starting to bore me but I kept myself going by looking for the items that were hiding the microphones that the actors were speaking into. In a lot of cases they were quite obvious. Back to the actual film, the story itself is rather bland and predictable as this type of moral tale was popular in countless silent movies. It's rather obvious how everything is going to play out, although I'll give the film some credit for throwing in a nice little twist at the end. As far as the performances go, they're all rather bland and that includes Harding. I had heard from a few people that they liked her here but I found her to be all over the place with some of the blame probably deserving to go to the director. There are moments where it appears she has no idea where to turn so she just fidgets on screen. Bannister comes off rather weak and too laid back for his role, which doesn't help things. The movie runs a brief 71-minutes but there are plenty of sluggish moments that make it hard to sit through. Those curious about the early sound techniques might want to give the film a look but others should stay clear.
Behind the Mask (1932)
John Francis Dillon
Columbia action picture has Jack Holt playing Secret Agent Jack Hart who goes undercover in a prison and befriends the henchman (Boris Karloff) of a maniac passing off various narcotics on the street. Hart isn't able to find his identity but he begins to grow suspicious of a doctor (Edward Van Sloan) who seems to be hiding a few things. Footage from the same studio's THE CRIMINAL CODE was used here as well as several sets from that film so fans of that film might be curious to check this one out, which turns out to be fairly entertaining even though a stronger director probably would have gotten more out of it and raised it beyond its "B" movie roots. What works best is the cast, which also includes Constance Cummings as the lose interest for our main hero. She's pretty good in the film and has wonderful chemistry with Holt whose as stiff as ever but still manages to turn in a good performance. It appears people either love Holt or hate him but I'm somewhere in between. I have often been put off by his stiffness but I think it actually suits his character here quite well. Karloff gets a pretty good role and manages to be in the majority of the first half of the picture. He too makes the film worth checking out as he proves once again that he could do a wide range of roles and didn't require make up to do them. Fans of FRANKENSTEIN will certainly like seeing him and Van Sloan together again. The story itself is pretty simple and straight forward and really doesn't add too many twists or shocks that can't be spotted from a mile away. The film runs a fast paced 68-minutes, which doesn't leave the viewer too many dull moments. Again, I think a stronger director could have rises the material up some but fans of the cast will certainly want to check this one out.
Parole Girl (1933)
Edward F. Cline
Silly but extremely entertaining drama from Columbia has Mae Clarke once again taking "C" level material and raising it a notch. This time out she plays a troubled but smart woman in a con game with a man (Hale Hamilton) who pretty much owns her. She ends up in jail after getting caught ripping off shopping stores and once behind bars she swears vengeance on the insurance man (Ralph Bellamy) who refused to give her a break and demand that she go to jail. This is an extremely bizarre and strange little gem that will certainly keep fans of "B" movies entertained because you'll never quite know where the thing is going. For starters, the story itself is downright stupid as we're never really given a good reason as to why this woman would be so angry with this man. Why not the judge, store owner or the con man who got her into the racket? You also have to consider the fact that she's never seen this man so how she actually manages to do her thing is never quite clear. Another funny thing with the story is that it of course has to have a few twists and turns, which includes the woman eventually falling for the man but soon her scam backfires once again with a twist that I won't ruin here. Clarke turns in a very good performance and it certainly ranks as one of the best I've seen from her. She's very believable in the early scenes of fear as she begs not to be sent to jail. She's also believable as the hell bent femme fatale out for revenge. She plays both sides of the coin perfectly and her chemistry with Bellamy is very realistic and makes for an interesting 65-minutes. Bellamy, one of my favorite character actors from this period, manages to have all the charm and dignity that we've come to expect from him. Marie Prevost is quite annoying but that's the way her character was meant to be. This film has certainly been forgotten throughout the decades and I'm sure not too many were overly interested in it back when it was released. I'm sure most people, like myself, will be drawn to it because they're fans of FRANKENSTEIN and want to see Clarke in another role. Those people will certainly want to check this film out but fans of "B" movies will as well as the movie goes fast enough to not have any dull moments and in the end it's the perfect filler if you're up late at night and need something quick to watch.
Vagabond Lover, The (1929)
Marshall Neilan
Early talkie from RKO helped introduce Rudy Vallee to the world. In the film, which was apparently based partly on his life story, he plays an unknown musician who breaks into a famous musicians house and is mistaken for said musician by a rich socialite (Marie Dressler). Soon Vallee begins to fall for her niece (Sally Blane) but he still has this secret to work around. This is a pretty mixed film because on one hand the music itself is pretty good but at the same time the story, acting and directing are all rather bland at best. I think the biggest problem with this film is that RKO didn't want to spend too much on the budget so they really didn't try overly hard to cover up various mistakes in the film. There are at least two scenes that I can think of off the top of my head where the actor messing up their lines but they just correct themselves and move on. It's also rather obvious in a few scenes that the actors miss their marks, which cause them to make sudden stops and throwing off the actor in the scene with them. The performance are a mixed bag as Vallee comes off likeable enough but he's way too stiff and his line delivery is pretty weak. Dressler manages to turn in a fine performance but she isn't given a whole lot to do. Blane, Loretta Young's sister, seems to be in love with Vallee but her acting leaves a lot to be desired. She's certainly cute like her sister but she really doesn't deliver much in terms of a performance. The main reason to watch this thing is for the music and songs that include "You're Nobody's Sweetheart Now", "If You Were the Only Girl in the World" and "I'm Just a Vagabond Lover". Vallee and The Connecticut Yankees do fine work in regards to the music but I'd say a CD would be better fit than going through the entire movie.
Crash, The (1932)
William Dieterle
Decent if nothing overly special melodrama from First National has Ruth Chatterton playing a woman who seduces men so that she can give their stock tips to her husband (George Brent) who then makes them money. When the stock market crashes in 1929, the two lose everything so the wife decides to try out other men who might keep her away from poverty. This drama features way too much sugar but there are a few good performances that make it worth watching. I think the film, running a brief 58-minutes, does a good job at telling a simple moral story but I think the overall message is just a tad bit too simple and in the end you can't help but think you're being fed a bunch of sugar without any real meat to back up anything you're watching or being told to believe. The pre-code elements of the husband pretty much pimping his wife out for tips is an interesting angle and there's some more darker tones that help keep this film going. The main reason to watch this film is for the performance of Chatterton who really gives it her all and delivers a full and deep character. Whenever Chatterton talks about her fears of being poor, you can't help but feel for her and understand why she is so scared of going back into the streets. Brent is also good as her husband and Paul Cavanagh offers up good support. Fans of Chatterton will certainly want to give this one a try but the final film will leave most scratching their heads as to why it was even made. At just 58-minutes, the thing is incredibly short and one will wonder why it didn't contain more.
Serpent of the Nile (1953)
William Castle
Sam Katzman used his low budget skills to bring forth this decent telling of the Cleopatra/Mark Anthony tale, which certainly can't hang with bigger productions but you somewhat have to admire what they were able to do here. The film focuses on Cleopatra (Rhonda Fleming) who is loved by Anthony (Raymond Burr) but her eyes are on Lucilius (William Lundigan), a man who soon begins to think she's not the best thing for Egypt. I really wasn't expecting too much out of this film but I actually found myself enjoying it to a certain level. This certainly isn't the greatest version of the film but then again that's not saying too much as all of them have been all over the place in terms of quality and entertainment. My hat certainly goes off to both Katzman and Castle as they took their low budget and delivered a campy little film that won't please history buffs but it might appeal to those who want a little cheese with their films. The best thing this film has going for it is its beautiful color that really jumps off the screen. I loved the colorful look of all the cheap costumes and sets. The non-stop changing of clothes by Cleopatra really makes great use of the color and just check out that lime colored dress she wears towards the end. Fleming makes for an interesting Cleopatra as in some ways she appears more like a bratty teenager expecting the impossible out of her lovers. I thought Fleming brought some sexuality to the role, which was nice but I wouldn't go as far as to say she's great in the role. Burr certainly doesn't sound the part but he's not too bad. Lundigan ends up stealing the film with his charm. The low budget nature somewhat helps the film focus on the love triangle but this low budget also hurts especially during some of the painting scenes, which look incredibly bad.
