February 2019 Round-Up
TOTAL FILMS SEEN IN FEBRUARY: 19
(see the film posters at the bottom of the post, arranged in watching order)
NEW-TO-ME: 19
REWATCHES: 0
SEEN ON THE BIG SCREEN: 1
It's no surprise anymore that I get disappointed when there are few screenings of classic films at the Filmoteca. This month shows a sad count of only one film seen on the big screen. Fortunately the film was the acclaimed The Search by Fred Zinnemann about an American soldier (played by Montgomery Clift) helping a lost Czech boy find his mother in post-war Berlin. Zinnemann did a great job directing the children. They really look in shock and numb. Also to hear the children speak in their own language gives the film an authentic feel. Most impressive moment is the scene where the children are being transported in a Red Cross ambulance and think they are being gassed. It's heartbreaking. I found the first part of the film the most powerful, actually before Clift makes his appearance. Some reviewers found the voice-over intrusive and unnecessary and I agree. The images already speak for themselves. I liked the interplay between Clift and the boy, they share a couple of strong scenes. And Clift is beautiful this young (also quite thin). The ending is predictable, the viewer is never in doubt that the search won't have a favourable outcome. Also strong performance from Aline MacMahon, totally believable in her role. I love her!
Apart from only one film seen on the big screen, my total movie count of 19 films is a vast improvement in comparison to last month (when I only watched 8 films). It was a bit of a bummer, though, that I didn't reach 20 films.
Walter Pidgeon is my most watched actor this month. I didn't really plan on seeing so many of his films but one film led to another and in the end I watched a total of 10 films. I used to find him kind of boring, yet not anymore. Admittedly, he's not the most exciting actor in the world but binge-watching his films really made me like him far more than I thought I would.
Walter Pidgeon is my most watched actor this month. I didn't really plan on seeing so many of his films but one film led to another and in the end I watched a total of 10 films. I used to find him kind of boring, yet not anymore. Admittedly, he's not the most exciting actor in the world but binge-watching his films really made me like him far more than I thought I would.
These are the Pidgeon films I saw (in watching order):
The Unknown Man (with Ann Harding)
Society Lawyer (with Virginia Bruce)
Stronger Than Desire (with Virginia Bruce and Ann Dvorak)
Phantom Raiders (with Florence Rice)
Nick Carter, Master Detective (with Rita Johnson)
Sky Murder (with Kaaren Verne)
Design For Scandal (with Rosalind Russell)
The Red Danube (with Peter Lawford, Janet Leigh and Angela Lansbury)
My Dear Miss Aldrich (with Edna May Oliver and Maureen O'Sullivan)
The Secret Heart (with Claudette Colbert and June Allyson)
Society Lawyer (with Virginia Bruce)
Stronger Than Desire (with Virginia Bruce and Ann Dvorak)
Phantom Raiders (with Florence Rice)
Nick Carter, Master Detective (with Rita Johnson)
Sky Murder (with Kaaren Verne)
Design For Scandal (with Rosalind Russell)
The Red Danube (with Peter Lawford, Janet Leigh and Angela Lansbury)
My Dear Miss Aldrich (with Edna May Oliver and Maureen O'Sullivan)
The Secret Heart (with Claudette Colbert and June Allyson)
The courtroom drama The Unknown Man has an interesting and exciting story premise with solid performances from Walter Pidgeon, Ann Harding and Barry Sullivan. But! The plot is contrived and full of holes and Pidgeon's actions are hard to believe. We do see him struggle with the moral dilemma so we can understand his motives but the disturbing twist at the end of the film is really far-fetched. Still, it made for a memorable ending and an engaging watch. So if this makes you curious, go and watch it yourself.
I saw two films with Virginia Bruce as Pidgeon's co-star, Society Lawyer and Stronger Than Desire. I never thought much of Bruce but I did like her in Stronger Than Desire. I was surprised how well she handled her dramatic role. This film is a remake of Evelyn Prentice, and I was glad I knew beforehand, otherwise I would have wondered why the story was so familiar to me. Though it's hard to beat the pairing of Myrna Loy and William Powell, this is an enjoyable and solid remake and both Pidgeon and Bruce give good performances. And it's always a pleasure to see Ann Dvorak play, even though her role is quite small here. Her best scene is the one on the witness stand. Society Lawyer is also a remake (of Penthouse with Myrna Loy and Warner Baxter) but I didn't realise it until the ending. The original is better but I also enjoyed this one. I like Pidgeon this young and Herbert Mundin is endearing as the butler. Sad to read that Mundin died in a car crash after this film.
I also wanted to watch the Nick Carter series starring Pidgeon.
I started with the second instalment in the series (there are 3 films), because it has the best reviews. Phantom Raiders is a standard B-mystery flick, enjoyable and nicely paced, with some nice photography and dialogue. Hadn't expected Pidgeon to be such a smug and smooth womaniser. I didn't like his scenes with Steffi Duna as Dolores but I did like his interactions with Florence Rice and would have liked to see more of that. Good support from Joseph Schildkraut as the slick villain and Donald Meek as Pidgeon's sidekick providing comic relief.
Next up was the first in the series, Nick Carter, Master Detective. I was very sleepy and tired and didn't pay full attention. I did notice there were some exciting aerial scenes, especially the high-speed dive where the test pilot is killed. Pidgeon is chasing skirts in Phantom Raiders but here he controls himself. From what I could see (when I was awake), the female lead Rita Johnson has little screen time but it could be that I just missed her. Her character is a flight attendant, a nurse and even a pilot. A bit far-fetched but these films shouldn't be taken too seriously anyway. Might watch this again, to see what I've missed.
While watching the 3rd and last instalment in the Nick Carter series, Sky Murder, I was again very sleepy and undoubtedly also missed parts of it. Still I can say with confidence it's the weakest of the three Carter films (yet enjoyable). I like Kaaren Verne's face but Joyce Compton is annoying and makes you wonder about Carter's choice in women. Tom Conway has a very small part and Donald Meek stars again as Pidgeon's bizarre sidekick Beeswax. The reason I watched this is Pidgeon of course and I like him this young and so suave. He looks very good in a tuxedo!
More Pidgeon films!
His role in Design For Scandal is one that's usually being performed by the likes of Clark Gable or Melvyn Douglas but I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised how well he pulled off this screwball comedy part. His character is charming, self-confident, very suave. And Rosalind Russell falls for his act. How can she not? The story premise is not new to screwball comedies but it's fun and the leads have good chemistry. I also liked Guy Kibbee as the judge.
The Red Danube is a post-WWII anti-communist drama with a well-known cast. Both Pidgeon and Ethel Barrymore give solid performances. I also liked young Angela Lansbury but was not very impressed with Janet Leigh nor boring Peter Lawford. Nice cinematography and Oscar-nominated for Best Art Direction/Set Direction, Black-and-White.
The Secret Heart is a 1940s melodrama with an unusual role for young June Allyson. I was surprised that her performance is actually quite good. I also like Claudette Colbert in a mature maternal role, like the one she played in Since You Went Away. Pidgeon is especially memorable in the scene where he is doing a funny dance with Colbert. Also the scene where he gives a description to a sales woman of a negligee he'd seen on display in the shop window a decade ago is kind of adorable. The ending is too neat and polished but I didn't mind. There's also some beautiful noirish photography by George J. Folsey.
One more Pidgeon film to mention. My Dear Miss Aldrich is enjoyable fluff, also starring Maureen O'Sullivan and Edna May Oliver. Pidgeon really has a flair for comedy, and it's too bad he didn't do more screwball comedies. Later on in his career he would do mainly drama. I like O'Sullivan and she's really pretty this young. Though this film has its moments and also benefits from May Oliver's presence, it all stays a bit flat.
I also watched two films starring Van Johnson.
Murder in the Big House is a B-mystery starring a young and very blond Van Johnson in his first leading role. It was a nice surprise to see Faye Emerson in a likeable part as a spunky and fast-talking reporter. Chose this film for bedtime watching because of its short running time and it was really enjoyable.
High Barbaree is an entertaining romantic drama with Johnson and June Allyson who have great chemistry and made 6 films together. I didn't like Johnson in Miracle in the Rain but fortunately he's not so annoying here. I liked the childhood scenes with the water tower and the circus bike stunt and the dizzying heights. They reminded me of scenes from silent films. Will definitely check out the other Johnson and Allyson films.
British character actor John Sutton stars in Tonight We Raid Calais, a decent propaganda war movie. He gives a solid performance in one of his few leading roles while under contract to 20th Century-Fox. Bigger actors were away fighting so this was a rare opportunity for Sutton. This film is said to be one of the favourite WWII movies of Quentin Tarantino, one he discovered while doing research for Inglorious Bastards. Tyrone Power's then-wife Annabella plays opposite of Sutton and her (genuine) French accent got a bit on my nerves, it almost sounds fake and makes her acting a bit contrived. Lee J. Cobb and Beulah Bondi are underused in supporting roles. Special mention goes to the beautiful cinematography by Lucien Ballard.
Jim Thorpe – All-American stars Burt Lancaster and he's physically perfect for the part of Jim Thorpe (even though he's too old). Being an acrobat himself he's totally believable as an athlete. I didn't know anything about Jim Thorpe and it is very admirable in how many sports he excelled. It's debatable, though, whether Lancaster is believable as a Native American but apparently Thorpe himself wasn't a full-blooded Native American, his mother being part Irish. Best moments of this (not always accurate) biopic are when Lancaster meets his downfall. Then his performance is the strongest while displaying intense emotions. Special mention goes to Charles Bickford. Such a great actor, here giving a fine performance as Thorpe's coach. I also like Phyllis Thaxter and it was nice to see Steve Cochran in a friendly role.
West Point Widow started promising because I really liked Anne Shirley's playful interaction with Richard Carlson. But I didn't like the story premise with the annulled marriage and the baby and it's not very believable. Also the ending was a bit ridiculous and rushed. Fortunately it's very short and I still enjoyed most of it.
I also watched the following three pre-code films:
After Tomorrow is a pre-code domestic drama by Frank Borzage with Charles Farrell and Marian Nixon as a young couple who wants to get married and has problems saving money for it. The story premise is very simple and the execution is done well, with a good script and good direction. Though there's not much happening, it still made for a compelling watch. I also like how playful Farrell and Nixon are with each other and how they make each other feel better when the other is in low spirits. And Farrell is so very handsome here.
I had high hopes for Pilgrimage by John Ford but it was disappointing. I did like the slow pace of the film's beginning and it suited the beautiful imagery. The story of a mother who is against her son's courtship is executed well in the first part. The drama heightens when she enlists him in the army and he gets killed in action (the son is being played by Norman Foster). But then the film shifts in tone and becomes lighter and I liked it less. Maybe the film would have appealed more to me if the leading role of the mother would have been played by, for instance, Beulah Bondi, but Henrietta Crosman did nothing for me. I also found the ending too sentimental. But yes ... the cinematography by George Schneiderman is gorgeous at times, with images reminiscent of Murnau films.
After Tomorrow is a pre-code domestic drama by Frank Borzage with Charles Farrell and Marian Nixon as a young couple who wants to get married and has problems saving money for it. The story premise is very simple and the execution is done well, with a good script and good direction. Though there's not much happening, it still made for a compelling watch. I also like how playful Farrell and Nixon are with each other and how they make each other feel better when the other is in low spirits. And Farrell is so very handsome here.
I had high hopes for Pilgrimage by John Ford but it was disappointing. I did like the slow pace of the film's beginning and it suited the beautiful imagery. The story of a mother who is against her son's courtship is executed well in the first part. The drama heightens when she enlists him in the army and he gets killed in action (the son is being played by Norman Foster). But then the film shifts in tone and becomes lighter and I liked it less. Maybe the film would have appealed more to me if the leading role of the mother would have been played by, for instance, Beulah Bondi, but Henrietta Crosman did nothing for me. I also found the ending too sentimental. But yes ... the cinematography by George Schneiderman is gorgeous at times, with images reminiscent of Murnau films.
I didn't know anything about The Cabin in the Cotton except for the famous scene where Bette Davis says, "I'd like to kiss ya, but I just washed my hair". Also had expected a comedy but it is far from it. It's a good Curtiz drama with Richard Barthelmess in the lead (it's somewhat distracting when he's wearing makeup). At times his performance is a bit stiff but I found him mostly convincing, especially in his final speech during the planters and tenants meeting. There's also some fine photography by Barney McGill. Noteworthy is that Bette has 3rd billing after Dorothy Jordan, an actress I had never even heard of.
Well .... that rounds it up nicely for February! Stay tuned for next month!
PHOTOS IN THIS POST FROM TOP TO BOTTOM:
*The Search (1948) with Montgomery Clift, Ivan Jandl and Fred Zinnemann on set;
*The Unknown Man (1951) with Ann Harding and Walter Pidgeon;
*Society Lawyer (1939) with Walter Pidgeon and Virginia Bruce;
*Stronger Than Desire (1939) with Walter Pidgeon and Ann Dvorak;
*Phantom Raiders (1940) with Walter Pidgeon, Florence Rice and Joseph Schildkraut;
*Nick Carter, Master Detective (1939) with Walter Pidgeon and Rita Johnson;
*Sky Murder (1940) with Walter Pidgeon and Kaaren Verne;
*Design for Scandal (1941) with Rosalind Russell and Walter Pidgeon;
*The Red Danube (1949) with Peter Lawford, Janet Leigh, Walter Pidgeon and Angela Lansbury;
*The Secret Heart (1946) with Claudette Colbert and Walter Pidgeon;
*High Barbaree (1947) with Van Johnson and June Allyson;
*Tonight We Raid Calais (1943) with John Sutton, Beulah Bondi and Annabella;
*Jim Thorpe – All-American (1951) with Burt Lancaster and Charles Bickford;
*West Point Widow (1941) with Anne Shirley and Richard Carlson;
*After Tomorrow (1932) with Charles Farrell and Marian Nixon;
*Pilgrimage (1933) with Marian Nixon;
*The Cabin in the Cotton (1932) with Richard Barthelmess and Bette Davis.
