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#23 - Once Upon A Honeymoon (1942)
Viewed on April 2, 2016
Viewing Format: MOD DVD-R (Warner Archive)
The first pairing of Cary Grant and Ginger Rogers, working under director Leo McCarey, is a strange but enjoyable movie. Contemporaneously set during World War II, Rogers plays burlesque dancer masquerading as a socialite who is about to marry an Austrian Baron (played by Walter Slezak). Grant plays a reporter who is convinced that Slezak's character is actually a Nazi agent, and is determined to prove it. He meets Rogers, but she does not initially believe what he says. But Slezak is indeed helping the Nazis, and is instrumental in helping them annex Czechoslovakia and Poland. When Rogers finds out that Grant was indeed correct, the two flee, and fall in love as they seek passage back to America. The film mixes some almost screwball comedic moments with some serious war drama. The blending of styles is at times a little strange, though not necessarily offputting. There will be very serious scenes (for instance, in one, Rogers decides to give her papers to her Jewish maid so that the maid and her family can escape the country before they are identified and placed en route to the gas chambers), and then the film will swing back to the more comedic. The movie works, but the drama at times is undercut by the comedy, and the comedy at times loses momentum because of the dramatic scenes. Grant has made other films that have attempted to straddle the line between the serious and the ridiculous, and some of those other attempts were perhaps more successful at it than Once Upon A Honeymoon was. Still, don't get me wrong - it's an enjoyable movie.
The transfer on Once Upon A Honeymoon was better than those for Crisis and Dream Wife, but is still clearly an older master. Nonetheless, it's completely watchable, and generally more pleasing than those other titles to watch. (In terms of the picture quality on the Warner Archive discs, I may have watched the very worst of the bunch first.) I didn't have any trouble understanding the audio either. While it would be nice to have these titles in better shape, given the choice between the current WA discs or nothing at all, it's a no brainer (they're worth watching).
Despite the at times uneasy blending of comedy and drama, Once Upon A Time has a lot to recommend. Grant and Rogers have excellent chemistry here, ten years before Monkey Business. (Is there anyone that Grant does not have good chemistry with?) Leo McCarey's direction is strong, and the film keeps moving along. If it works better than it sounds, it's because the director and stars work so well together. This still comes recommended, especially if you're able to catch it during a Warner Archive sale. It probably goes without saying, but I would happily buy a Blu-ray version of this movie.
Viewed on April 2, 2016
Viewing Format: MOD DVD-R (Warner Archive)
The first pairing of Cary Grant and Ginger Rogers, working under director Leo McCarey, is a strange but enjoyable movie. Contemporaneously set during World War II, Rogers plays burlesque dancer masquerading as a socialite who is about to marry an Austrian Baron (played by Walter Slezak). Grant plays a reporter who is convinced that Slezak's character is actually a Nazi agent, and is determined to prove it. He meets Rogers, but she does not initially believe what he says. But Slezak is indeed helping the Nazis, and is instrumental in helping them annex Czechoslovakia and Poland. When Rogers finds out that Grant was indeed correct, the two flee, and fall in love as they seek passage back to America. The film mixes some almost screwball comedic moments with some serious war drama. The blending of styles is at times a little strange, though not necessarily offputting. There will be very serious scenes (for instance, in one, Rogers decides to give her papers to her Jewish maid so that the maid and her family can escape the country before they are identified and placed en route to the gas chambers), and then the film will swing back to the more comedic. The movie works, but the drama at times is undercut by the comedy, and the comedy at times loses momentum because of the dramatic scenes. Grant has made other films that have attempted to straddle the line between the serious and the ridiculous, and some of those other attempts were perhaps more successful at it than Once Upon A Honeymoon was. Still, don't get me wrong - it's an enjoyable movie.
The transfer on Once Upon A Honeymoon was better than those for Crisis and Dream Wife, but is still clearly an older master. Nonetheless, it's completely watchable, and generally more pleasing than those other titles to watch. (In terms of the picture quality on the Warner Archive discs, I may have watched the very worst of the bunch first.) I didn't have any trouble understanding the audio either. While it would be nice to have these titles in better shape, given the choice between the current WA discs or nothing at all, it's a no brainer (they're worth watching).
Despite the at times uneasy blending of comedy and drama, Once Upon A Time has a lot to recommend. Grant and Rogers have excellent chemistry here, ten years before Monkey Business. (Is there anyone that Grant does not have good chemistry with?) Leo McCarey's direction is strong, and the film keeps moving along. If it works better than it sounds, it's because the director and stars work so well together. This still comes recommended, especially if you're able to catch it during a Warner Archive sale. It probably goes without saying, but I would happily buy a Blu-ray version of this movie.