"The HTF 100 Great Films of the 1930's Challenge" - Page 9

Wrapping up a busy weekend

Gunga Din - It starts and finishes with such promise but the middle is boring with bad dialogue. Not a terrible film, I doubt that any on this list are, but a very overated film.

Little Caesar - not as good as the other 30's ganster films I've seen, but those have raised the bar quite hit. Being one of the first ganster films, and if you forgive it that, it is quite enjoyable. I really liked the scenes showing Rico's ignorance of wealth. Especially the two scenes when Rico visits Big Boy and then Joe visits Rico. A good film, corny dialogue and all.

The Public Enemy – A wonderful film. I loved the look of the film, the script, and the acting. A very powerful, pre-code film from the start to the finish. The rise and fall of Tom Powers is very well told. It is interesting that unlike Little Caeser the police are ineffective in this film.

The Invisible Man

Still not up there with Universal's classic monster flicks, but a damn sight better than The Black Cat. I wasn't so much caught up in the horror aspect as I was marvelling at the SFX -- pretty eye-popping for that era.

17 to go.

Rob

I'm wondering if we should revote this list, or maybe add some more movies to it. I noticed there's a fair dearth of westerns on the list, I'm no expert on westerns, but shouldn't there be a few more on a list dedicated to the thirties? now many of them are probably not that great, but even a couple representative ones that are the quality of Black Cat (entertaining but thats it) would be nice. I noticed the Big Trail is coming to dvd in June, letterboxed, as a widescreen film in the thirties I think this should probably be on the list. I'd also like to take a larger sampling of world cinema, especially since each nation was about of equal importance to the United States prior to WWII but the US was the sole developed cinema industry that wasn't devastated by the war, resulting in the dominant influence post WWII in international cinema. 10 or so foreign films doesn't seem quite right (but considering accessibility may be much more realistic!). Another adition that wouldn't have really been possible when the list was probably made (anyone have a link to the original poll, I can't find it under search... probably cause I don't know what the title was) is The Reluctant Dragon, now available in the great disney treasures edition.

Adam

Great list but why not include the following "absolutely terrific great films"? :

Jean Renoir's Night At The Crossroads (1931)
Carl Theodor Dreyer's Vampyr (1932)
Satch Guitry's The Story of a Cheat (1936)
Boris Barnet's & S. Mardanin's By The Bluest of Seas (1936)

Last Great Film Seen From The '30s: The Hunchback of Notre Dame (A)

At bat: Duck Soup, Dr. Smith Goes To Washington

Total Seen = 12: The Adventures of Robin Hood (A), City Lights (A+), Dracula (A), Frankenstein (A), Gone With The Wind (A-), Grand Illusion (A+), King Kong(A), Modern Times (A+), Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs (A), The Wizard of Oz (B), Wuthering Heights (B-)

Total Films Seen Sight & Sound's Greatest Films List: 74
Total Films Seen Roger Ebert's The Great Movies - The First 100 : 66

A revote would be interesting after we have seen all of the films. Something along the lines that Seth Paxton conducted for the AFI Revote. But I think it will be some time before enough of us have seen these 100 before we can be in a position to revote.

I've watched 3 more movies bringing my total to 23:

Public Enemy, The (1931) B-
Stagecoach (1939) B+
Adventures of Robin Hood, The (1938) A

Twentieth Century - This might be my favorite of the 16 films I had not seen since starting this challenge. I can't believe this film is more famous. It ranks right up there with the other screwball comedies. John Barrymore was great as the eccentric producer and the dialogue that Roscoe Karns was gives was very funny.

The Informer - ½

An excellent movie. I have the tendancy of caring too much for characters in movies, so I was pretty frustrated and engaged with the movie throughout, "I didn't know what I was doing" was the most frustrating line for me. Right now I'm thinking of Gyppo as the world's stupidest human. Why he didn't just grab his girl and then lie low until morning when he could get passage I'll never know. But I got a sinking feeling when he spent the first £ on some whisky and slowly loses all his blood money. I think what was more sickening for me was not so much that he sold his friend out, but that he then pissed away the pittance he got for it.
Absolutely beautiful photography and some impressive performances throughout. I love the little silent film touches Ford puts in his films from this period like the way How Green Was my Valley and this film open, filled with silent conventions. Certainly a fantastic film that deserved its four wins, especially for Ford as director.

This weekend I made it through three films that were only mildly enjoyable and ok to sit through once.


Boys Town – very good acting and nice photography but a story that can only be for those that thought “Wonderful Life” was not sentimental enough.

The Good Earth – embodies all the bad qualities of the overblown Hollywood epic. It does have a few good qualities: decent acting and the locusts are fun to watch.

A Midsummer Night’s Dream – great production values but the acting is very over the top and this film drags on a little too long. An average Shakespeare play turned into an average movie.

I've watched 2 more movies bringing my total to 25. Here are my ratings for the first 25:

It Happened One Night (1934)
Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (1936)
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939)
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)
Thin Man, The (1934)
Wizard of Oz, The (1939)
You Can't Take It with You (1938)

39 Steps, The (1935)
Awful Truth, The (1937)
M (1931)
Adventures of Robin Hood, The (1938)
Frankenstein (1931)

Angels With Dirty Faces (1938)
Captains Courageous (1937)
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1931)
Gone with the Wind (1939)
Invisible Man, The (1933)
Lady Vanishes, The (1938)
My Man Godfrey (1936)
Public Enemy, The (1931)
Stagecoach (1939)

Lost Patrol, The (1934)
Mummy, The (1932)

Gunga Din (1939)
Little Caesar (1931)

[font=Arial Narrow,verdana,arial][size=3]Well, seeing that you have a deadline of 6/04 I guess I'll take the challenge. I'm probably biting off more than I can chew as I'm tackling the S&S list too, but hey I have no life anyway and after seeing 150+ 2002 movies, I really want to see good movies for a change.

My count a feeble big fat ZERO ':b' --- yeah I've seen a few, I simply LOVE the thin man series and simply need an excuse to see them again. the others have been too long to remember anymore than "frankly I don't give a damn." you get the drift.

:b

42nd Street - Courtesy of netflix. It's unfair but I can't help but compare it to the revival play, which I like better. Taken on its own this is a nice musical that probably has the right amount of Busby Berkeley numbers so I will still like the film. Compaired to the other musicals on this list, this falls in below Top Hat but above Swing Time.

The writers of Little Women, have little to do with Louisa May Alcott.

This film leaves no tear unjerked, nor no hand unwrung. Nothing but a star turn for Katherine Hepburn, whose acting in this film reminds me of the bon mot about her (in another film), ‘She ran the gamut of emotions from A to B’.

The Lost Patrol - I'd literally been waiting years to see this one, so I was sure to set-up ample reminders of it's 5am TCM broadcast. It's basically the (sound) granddaddy of all "dwindling forces must hold out against an aggressive foe" that's later seen in Sahara, Assault on Precinct 13, etc. It got off to a rollicking start with some pounding Max Steiner and a lone mounted soldier in the desert shot by some unseen foe. Alas, after that, it did not quite live up to my abnormally high expectations (John Ford! Karloff as a religious nut! Guys in the desert being picked off one by one!), though it remained a fun and fast film. The main problem is that, other than Karloff and Victor McLaglen's Sergeant, the soldiers barely even qualify as stereotypes, let alone decent characters. The tension would have been so much greater if we were allowed to care more about the men. Still, I'm making it sound worse than it is--it really is worth checking out. In fact, it'll probably be more liked by those who don't go in with the same astronomical expectations I did.

A Midsummer Night's Dream - A visual phantasmagoria (what a great word ) of sparkly fairy woodlands and great work by James Cagney as Bottom are the main selling points of this all-around spectacular version of Shakespeare's comedy. I've never seen another film that looks like this one--the frame seems permanently covered in all manner of shiny gauze, glistening dingle-dangles, and all sorts of other such things which lend to it the quality of a dream. If someone would just bitch slap Mickey Rooney's Puck and tell him to stop laughing like that after every line, this would be a practically faultless film.

The Good Earth - Great film, and completely opposite of typical 30s-era Hollywood in its depiction of Asian characterizations (no Charlie Chan, or that Red Dust guy here). In fact, on the whole, this doesn't feel like a Hollywood film at all, as Paul Muni and Luise Rainer (in pretty convincing makeup) adopt performance styles to suit the culture their characters live in and as such, they disappear completely. The story is of the "life-and-times, rise-and-fall" sort, but transferred to poor farmers living in a China beset by political revolution (the filmmakers masterfully utilize Eisensteinian montage in this sequence) and natural disaster (famine and the justly famous locust plague). Bottom line: A justified classic, wholly unlike other Hollywood films of the time.

Twentieth Century - Another one I'd been waiting a long time to see and was lucky enough to stumble upon in the public library (thank you, Mr. Carnegie). As this was originally a stage play, it's no surprise that the film does at times retain that feel--practically the whole second half takes place in a few cars of a train. Of course, when your screenwriters were also responsible for The Front Page and your lead performers are John Barrymore and Carole Lombard, you can get away with it pretty easily. Barrymore is hysterically conniving as a down-and-out theatrical producer trying to lure back to his company Lombard, his former lover and greatest discovery, the woman who had left him behind years ago to forge her own successful film career. Hilarious stuff, which never goes where you think it going to go (never underestimate Barrymore's sneakiness).

Boys Town - I'm a great fan of Spencer Tracy. I think he's one of the finest actors to ever work in Hollywood. He's also very good in Boys Town. But he didn't deserve the Oscar for it. His character's demeanor is such that, but for maybe twenty seconds of early conflict with Mickey Rooney, there's nothing that I'd consider a test of his abilities, nothing that stretched his talents. This is a film carried mostly by the knowledge that it's based on a true story. What Father Flanagan did in creating this sanctuary for wayward youths is both admirable and worth telling. The film does this ok, but also adds plenty o' melodramatic pap involving small kids and speeding autos, bank robbers, and pseudo-tough guy Mickey Rooney antics. Eh...it's worth seeing, I guess. Entertaining enough, but nothing special, and certainly nothing challenging or groundbreaking.

Evan

Saw some more -

Alexander Nevsky (A+)
The Awful Truth (A)
Duck Soup (A)
Fury (A)
Grand Hotel(A)
The Hunchback of Notre Dame (A)
Mr. Smith Goes To Washington (A+)
M (A+)
Ninotchka (A+)

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The Adventures of Robin Hood (A), City Lights (A+), Dracula (A), Frankenstein (A), Gone With The Wind (A-), Grand Illusion (A+), King Kong(A), Modern Times (A+), Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs (A), The Wizard of Oz (B), Wuthering Heights (B-)

I also caught The Lost Patrol recently.

And I really can’t add much to Evan’s critique. Overall I thought it very disappointing.

I'm back!! It's been awhile, but I can check off another.

The Informer - I've had this John Ford movie on my list of to-see movies for about 5 years now and finally got around to it, primarily due to this challenge. I enjoyed the movie quite a bit and didn't realize what a giant Victor McLaglen was until I saw this movie. Overall, I really enjoyed the story and the acting, although there were a few parts that seemed a bit hokey that didn't age well. I was also surprised at the prostitute character, since I thought that the code was enforced, by the time that this movie was released. One could easily compare this movie to "M" in the way that the main character ends up being tried by an underworld court.

I saw 3 more this weekend, brining my total to 28:

Bringing Up Baby (1938)
City Lights (1931)
All Quiet on the Western Front (1930)

Fury -
This is one great film. Another film I did not know anything about before this challenge. This story is very powerful and distrubing. I became angry while watching this film, much like my reaction to Do the Right Thing. It also included some great acting by Spencer Tracy and Sylvia Sidney.

Boy, I haven't updated this in a while. Anyway, here is a list of what I have seen recently:
All are out of

Little Caesar
The Good Earth
The Lost Patrol
The Informer
Charge of the Light Brigade

The Lost Patrol -

Not as good as Informer or Stagecoach, but still an excellent film. Considering how bleak the film's outcome is, it seemed quite a cop out to actually have the Arabs and Brigade show up in the final three minutes. Personally I'd have left it ambiguous if the sargeant had seen the Arabs or not, then I'd have had him kill himself (falling amongst the graves of his men of course) and THEN I'd have the cavalry show up moments later. But that's just my bitter cynical modernist streak coming through. I think there's a lot of potential in the premise and that this could actually have a stunning remake be easily made that wouldn't be blasphemous (I actually think this would be a very good film to remake). I wouldn't be surprised if Ford wanted a somewhat bleaker outlook, but the studios--nor the code--would allow it.

What I like most about the film was Ford's effortless capability at drawing characters for us. With a few minutes of dialogue and composition he can tell us more about any of the minor characters in this film than many lesser filmmakers manage in two hours. Sure he relies on caricature, but he makes it an effective tool instead of solely a comedic device or crutch. I thought Karloff was excellent throughout the film, though I was disapointed that the character didn't really go anywhere, but I think that the character got a fairly realistic portrayal, he wasn't overwhelmingly significant, only slightly more important than the other men.

On the whole, I didn't feel that the direction the ending took really hurt the film, and that it had some outstanding characterization and tension throughout, but this is probably one of the weaker Ford films I've seen.

edit: I'd only skimmed Evan's review before, because I knew that I was going to watch this next. I went into the film blind, I knew that it was about a WWI desert troop that gets lost and that's all I knew--apparently I did enjoy it quite a lot more. Interesting that we had such different reactions to the characters, I tend to susbend my disbelief very easily and very generously, so it takes a film to really grate on me for me to actively dislike it or notice things like sterotypes. Thinking back on it for the above post, I recognized the caricatures, but I felt more that we were given brief pencil portraits, and I often find pencil drawings to be very compelling in their own right. Sure I recognized straight off the young rich kid (not 'public' (ie private) school, but tutors instead)who runs off to war for the glory and honor. And if he hadn't been killed so soon (that kinda surprised me actually, I thought they were laying the groundwork for his disillusionment) I would have been frustrated if it stopped there. The Karloff character got essentially the same treatment when he tried to give a service for the first soldier that was killed and the sargeant cuts him off, but he was developed beyond this point. Likewise the guy that was on the boat with the women that's disillusioned about the war and argues with Karloff that was a great scene--"what do I believe in". I don't mind the Irish guy that says "this is better than beer" when they get to the oasis--the initial set up of his character--which is then built on more until his death (and besides this is John Ford, I wouldn't be happy unless there was at least one hard drinking character in the film!). I think I can see Evan's perspective on this, but for the amount of character that were gone through in a 70 minute runtime I think the film was extremely well accomplished. Could it be better, definitely, that's why I think a remake would be fantastic, but I really like this film as well.

Btw, does anyone else think of Seven Samurai when they saw Warning: Spoiler! (Click to show) ?



Adam

Fury - Another great movie that I probably wouldn't have got around to without this challenge. Spencer Tracy stars as a man wrongly accused in a small town and faces a lynch mob. I've never seen Tracy in such a mean & bitter role. This would definitely have been one of very favorite movies of the countdown if it wasn't for the seemingly hokey tacked-on ending. I wonder if the ending had anything to do with appeasing the production code. I think that I'll do a little research on that. 1/2

RE your spoiler Adam, I did not make the connection. Good catch, as it was surely intentional, as Kurosawa was very knowledgeable regarding Ford.

If it wasn’t for us, nobody could have a war

Brave words in 1938, or any other time for that matter, uttered by Lionel Barrymore in Frank Capra’s adaptation of the Kaufman/Hart play, You Can’t Take It With You. For some reason, unknown to me, this is now one of the lesser-known Capra films, even though it won plenty of awards when it was released.

Although it does not quite have the bite of the play, there is plenty to like in the film, including standout performances by Barrymore and Jean Arthur. Jimmy Stewart is also fine as the mostly confused young swain.

One bit that is particularly worth noting, is the homage to Snow White, a raven helping (rather than a cute Disney bird) as Whistle While You Work plays front and center.

Good fun, even if not great.

You can't have a happy married life if you're always suspicious. No. There can't be any doubts in marriage. Marriage is based on faith and if you've lost that, you've lost everything.

The Awful Truth is that both parties are indeed suspicious. And the more awful truth, is that both cannot do without the other. Only the fact that this is a screwball comedy could have saved the plot from the censors. We are never supposed to take the dialogue and events seriously. For example this exchange between Lucy (Irene Dunne) and her voice ‘teacher’:

Armand: I am a great teacher, not a great lover.
Lucy: No one could ever accuse you of being a great lover.

This in front of Lucy’s husband Jerry (Cary Grant).

But all in good fun, as this was the 30s, where no real infidelity (especially by the woman) could go unpunished, so there is just enough smoke to allow a happy ending.

And as with all screwball’s there are many great lines:

Jerry: I tell you, something wonderful went out of my life when I lost her.
Daniel: Oh, I know just how you feel.
Jerry: How do ya know? How can you know how it feels to have used up the best years of a woman's life? (long pause) Well, of course, that's the way it goes.

Perhaps not the best of the genre, but very enjoyable.

Caught Holiday on TCM. I'd give it out of

Freaks - An enjoyable film with some problems. The acting and character development are lacking yet it does have this sense of dread that adds to a creepy ending. While the film itself doesn't exploit them, it seems that most of the attraction of this film is just to see the freaks on screen.

I think I liked The Lost Patrol less than anyone else so far.

Not a horrible film, but not good either, IMO. An interesting premise, dealt with in a most pedestrian way, in terms of writing, direction and acting. And I must admit to cringing a bit at some of the dialogue (e.g., remarks about Arabs and dark Javanese (?) girls).

And frankly, I kept waiting for Boris Karloff to turn into the Mummy and Lawrence of Arabia to lead the final charge of the Arabs over the sand dune. Although, I'm not sure if either would have really improved the film for me.

Watched The 39 Steps (A+) & Lost Horizon (B) last Friday night. Total Seen = 22
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The Adventures of Robin Hood (A), City Lights (A+), Dracula (A), Frankenstein (A), Gone With The Wind (A-), Grand Illusion (A+), King Kong(A), Modern Times (A+), Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs (A), The Wizard of Oz (B), Wuthering Heights (B-), Alexander Nevsky (A+), The Awful Truth (A), Duck Soup (A), Fury (A), Grand Hotel(A), The Hunchback of Notre Dame (A), Mr. Smith Goes To Washington (A+), M (A+), Ninotchka (A+)

I watched Of Mice and Men and it was nothing memorable at all. I think that Lon Chaney, Jr. was given lot of critical praise for his portrayal of Lennie, but John Malkovitch’s effort was far superior.

It’s OK and the B&W fits the plot well, but I find this only of historical interest.