December 2019 Round-Up
TOTAL FILMS SEEN IN DECEMBER: 31
(see the film posters at the bottom of the post, arranged in watching order)
NEW-TO-ME: 21 (20 features & 1 short)
REWATCHES: 10
SEEN ON THE BIG SCREEN: 2
CHRISTMAS FILMS: 18 (9 new-to-me & 9 rewatches)
CHRISTMAS FILMS: 18 (9 new-to-me & 9 rewatches)
MOST WATCHED ACTOR: James Stewart (8 in total)
MOST WATCHED ACTRESS: Barbara Stanwyck (7 in total)
MOST WATCHED ACTRESS: Barbara Stanwyck (7 in total)
Can't believe another year has passed and we are entering a new decade. Time has really flown and I will soon be doing a round-up post of 2019. But let's see what I watched this December. Again a figure that I'm happy with, one film a day on average.
Besides the two films seen at the Filmoteca, my main focus this month were Christmas films and left-over films of the filmographies of Tyrone Power, Barbara Stanwyck and James Stewart. As you can read in my round-up post of 2018, I was very dissatisfied with the fact that I had completely neglected the work of these favourite actors of mine and I had plans to make up for it this year. Well, until this month I had only seen two Stanwyck films (The Plough and the Stars in March and Red Salute in October), only one Jimmy Stewart rewatch on the big screen (Vertigo in March) and no Tyrone film at all. The left-over films of Stanwyck's and Stewart's filmographies are quite a few still and fortunately there are some nice ones left to see. (I finally watched Bell, Book and Candle with James Stewart and Kim Novak this month!) With Tyrone there were only 5 films left and I wasn't actually looking forward to watching them (there was a reason why I had put off watching them in the first place). But I managed to see all 5 films this month and I'm proud to say that I FINISHED THE FILMOGRAPHY OF TYRONE POWER!!!
So let's first start with the two films seen on the big screen. I have been living in Barcelona since February 2017 and there have been months that the program at the Filmoteca was absolutely wonderful. Like in 2017 with the Howard Hawks and John Ford retrospective and this year with the amazing musical special which ran from July till September. But there are months that there are hardly any Hollywood classic films scheduled (it seems to get slower with the winter months).
So let's first start with the two films seen on the big screen. I have been living in Barcelona since February 2017 and there have been months that the program at the Filmoteca was absolutely wonderful. Like in 2017 with the Howard Hawks and John Ford retrospective and this year with the amazing musical special which ran from July till September. But there are months that there are hardly any Hollywood classic films scheduled (it seems to get slower with the winter months).
In any case, I went to see a Laurel and Hardy movie, The Flying Deuces, something I would normally not seek out to watch since I'm not a fan. But because there was not much else programmed in terms of Classic Hollywood and I had missed the screening of High Noon in the same week because of work, I decided to go and watch Laurel and Hardy. The Flying Deuces was part of the student program Aula de Cinema and was introduced in Castellano (fortunately not in Catalan which I don't understand) by someone who was clearly passionate about the couple. At first I didn't really think this film was funny, with some tedious repetitive shots of Laurel bumping his head. But then they join the Foreign Legion and it gets funnier. I like the scene where they do the laundry as punishment and there's a nice shot of washing lines with the laundry waving in the wind and Laurel looking for an empty spot to hang a piece of clothing. This is also with Jean Parker but unfortunately she has not much to do here.
The Kid is the other film I saw on the big screen (in a digital print) and it was such a delight. Normally I would have welcomed live piano music but I was happy it was shown with the original orchestral score. It's beautiful. This film is close to perfect, the only sequence I don't love as much as the rest of the film is the dream scene. But watching it on the big screen made me even appreciate that more. Endowed with a good dose of pathos Chaplin is known for, this film is funny and sad at the same time.
King of the Khyber Rifles is a big bore. I think the worst of the Tyrone Power films I have seen. Everything about this is pretty bad but probably the worst is Terry Moore and her insufferable character. It might not come as a surprise that there's zero chemistry between her and Power and it has nothing to do with the 15-year age gap.
Like I already said, I finished Tyrone Power's filmography (YAY!), in total 47 films. I saw the following five films that I still hadn't gotten around to watch: Pony Soldier, I'll Never Forget You (or The House in the Square), King of the Khyber Rifles, Tom Brown of Culver and Lloyd’s of London. Tom Brown of Culver I will also list in the new-to-me Christmas films later on in this post since part of it is set at Christmas time.
Pony Soldier was hard to get through. There's not much of a story and it's low in action and except for Power none of the actors appealed to me, not even the little boy. Both Cameron Mitchell and Thomas Gomez annoyed me a bit, even though Mitchell is quite believable in his Indian role. The female lead Penny Edwards has really nothing to do, she barely speaks. It looks like she shares a happy ending with Power but the actress must have been less than amused to be playing opposite Power in such a negligible role. The film at least benefits from beautiful Technicolor and some nice photography with stunning scenery.
Time travel never was as easy as it is displayed in I'll Never Forget You! Just make up your mind that you want to go back to the 18th century, it doesn't matter that you have no idea how to go about it, and then wait for lightning to strike. Power does exactly that in this film which I only watched because of him. Besides Power's silly time travel ways and the weak plot there was nothing special about the performances either and I just thought it was a bit boring. I did like the ending, though, taking place in the present time with Ann Blyth being the sister of Michael Rennie. And the graveyard scene is kind of touching.
King of the Khyber Rifles is a big bore. I think the worst of the Tyrone Power films I have seen. Everything about this is pretty bad but probably the worst is Terry Moore and her insufferable character. It might not come as a surprise that there's zero chemistry between her and Power and it has nothing to do with the 15-year age gap.
In Tom Brown of Culver Power has a very small part with some lines. It was his film debut and he was only eighteen years old upon the film's release. Apparently Alan Ladd is in this one as well but I haven't spotted him so should revisit this some day to look for him. Apart from my two idols, this film was — surprisingly — not as bad as I had imagined. Tom Brown as Tom Brown joins the military academy and finds out his father, whom he thought to be a war hero, is really a deserter. Brown gives a decent performance as well as Richard Cromwell as Brown's roommate. Much of the film was shot at Culver Military Academy which gave it an authentic feel.
Lloyd’s of London was the last film in Tyrone's filmography for me to see! Watched it on a plane ride from Barcelona to Amsterdam. More entertaining than I thought it would be, despite the fact that it concerns insurances. I like the initial scenes with Power and Madeleine Carroll on the boat. Actually most noteworthy here are Tyrone's plucked eyebrows which make him look too pretty and he has very long eyelashes too.
So that completes Tyrone's filmography. I have to say that unless you are a Tyrone Power completist, I wouldn't really recommend any of these films.
Besides Tyrone Power I also wanted to explore the filmographies of Jimmy Stewart and Barbara Stanwyck further. Some of these new-to-me watches also involved Christmas so it was like killing two birds with one stone since I wanted to watch Christmas films this month as well (I will conclude this post with all the Xmas viewings, the new ones and the rewatches).
I watched a total of 8 Jimmy Stewart films this month, the 3 Christmas films I will mention in my Christmas list. The 5 non-Christmas Stewart films seen are:
The Murder Man (with Spencer Tracy and Virginia Bruce)
Important News (short with Charles 'Chic' Sale)
Made for Each Other (with Carole Lombard)
Carbine Williams (with Jean Hagen and Wendell Corey)
Born To Dance (with Eleanor Powell, Virginia Bruce and Una Merkel)
In The Murder Man we see Stewart in his feature film debut. Even though his part is disappointingly small, his acting style is already recognisable and we see Jimmy Stewart as we've come to know him. Spencer Tracy plays the lead and he's good. In his grumpiness he reminds me a bit of Pat O'Brien. The final part of the film changes tone and gets quite bleak with a twist ending that I hadn't seen coming. Virginia Bruce gives nice support as the co-worker in love with Tracy. Love the newspaper setting and the fast-talking reporters.
So that completes Tyrone's filmography. I have to say that unless you are a Tyrone Power completist, I wouldn't really recommend any of these films.
Besides Tyrone Power I also wanted to explore the filmographies of Jimmy Stewart and Barbara Stanwyck further. Some of these new-to-me watches also involved Christmas so it was like killing two birds with one stone since I wanted to watch Christmas films this month as well (I will conclude this post with all the Xmas viewings, the new ones and the rewatches).
I watched a total of 8 Jimmy Stewart films this month, the 3 Christmas films I will mention in my Christmas list. The 5 non-Christmas Stewart films seen are:
The Murder Man (with Spencer Tracy and Virginia Bruce)
Important News (short with Charles 'Chic' Sale)
Made for Each Other (with Carole Lombard)
Carbine Williams (with Jean Hagen and Wendell Corey)
Born To Dance (with Eleanor Powell, Virginia Bruce and Una Merkel)
In The Murder Man we see Stewart in his feature film debut. Even though his part is disappointingly small, his acting style is already recognisable and we see Jimmy Stewart as we've come to know him. Spencer Tracy plays the lead and he's good. In his grumpiness he reminds me a bit of Pat O'Brien. The final part of the film changes tone and gets quite bleak with a twist ending that I hadn't seen coming. Virginia Bruce gives nice support as the co-worker in love with Tracy. Love the newspaper setting and the fast-talking reporters.
Important News is a Stewart short which I just discovered while making a still-to-watch list of his films. It's an enjoyable and really really short film, only 10 minutes long, about a small town newspaper man giving precedence to small town stories over national sensational ones. Stewart plays the editor's assistant and is the only reason to watch this.
Made for Each Other is a melodramatic film with appealing leads Carole Lombard and Jimmy Stewart who make a nice couple. I would have preferred to see them together in a screwball comedy, though. This film is a bit uneven in tone and in the beginning seems to go into comedy territory, then shifts gears and gets very dramatic near the end. Still worth a watch, also because it's the only film Stewart and Lombard made together.
Carbine Williams is a pretty straightforward biopic of David Marshall Williams with good performances and I especially like the relationship between Stewart as Williams and Wendell Corey as the mild-mannered prison's warden. Love Jean Hagen as the loving wife too. I read the Wikipedia page on Williams and apparently this biopic is pretty faithful to Williams' actual life story. Convicted for murder, he invented and developed an automatic rifle after being sent to a prison farm and being allowed to work in the tool shop. The weapon became the famous M-1 Carbine automatic rifle used in WWII.
Born to Dance is weak in plot and script and Eleanor Powell is pretty boring and not a good actress. It was nice to see Jimmy sing and dance but I'm glad he realised it wasn't his forte and in the future steered away from musicals. I love Una Merkel and would have liked to see her and Jimmy end up together but just like in Speed they are meant to be with someone else. The musical numbers didn't impress me much, although I love Porter's I've Got You Under My Skin and Easy To Love but here the renditions of these classic songs are totally forgettable. (Not so surprisingly since the performers are Jimmy Stewart and Virginia Bruce.) I like the finale with Powell dancing and twirling but prefer to see her dancing in duets with Astaire.
This month I watched a total of 7 Barbara Stanwyck films, the 5 Christmas films will be mentioned in my Christmas list. The 2 non-Christmas Missy films seen are:
Mexicali Rose (with Sam Hardy)
Banjo on My Knee (with Joel McCrea and Walter Brennan)
Mexicali Rose isn't very good. And the copy I watched online was pretty bad so that didn't help either and affected my enjoyment as well. The male actors are not memorable at all and of course the only good thing here is Stanwyck. I watched it for her in the first place so when she disappeared in the middle part, there is not much else to like.
This month I watched a total of 7 Barbara Stanwyck films, the 5 Christmas films will be mentioned in my Christmas list. The 2 non-Christmas Missy films seen are:
Mexicali Rose (with Sam Hardy)
Banjo on My Knee (with Joel McCrea and Walter Brennan)
Mexicali Rose isn't very good. And the copy I watched online was pretty bad so that didn't help either and affected my enjoyment as well. The male actors are not memorable at all and of course the only good thing here is Stanwyck. I watched it for her in the first place so when she disappeared in the middle part, there is not much else to like.
Banjo on My Knee is a bit of a strange one. Don't know what I had expected but not a musical/comedy/drama with Stanwyck dancing and singing in her own voice. It's a mixed bag for sure but somehow still manages to entertain and Barbara looks really lovely. Joel McCrea's character is poorly developed, though, and not very interesting and he disappears for periods of time. Walter Brennan makes the most of his screen time and is fun to watch. There's some nice photography by Ernest Palmer and I also liked the songs.
And now on to the Christmas films!
In total I watched 18 Christmas films. A lot of them are really Christmassy but some are only set at Christmas time and have not much to do with Christmas at all (like Tom Brown of Culver). Of these 18 films 9 are new-to-me films and 9 are rewatches. Normally I only rewatch films at the Filmoteca but this month I rewatched Christmas classics at home and at my mum's place in the Netherlands while being in my native country for the holidays. There were Christmas rewatches that are among my absolute favourite movies, but there were also two disappointing rewatches (Holiday Affair and Holiday Inn). Some of the 9 rewatches I had seen more than once before and 6 of them feature on My 10 Favourite Christmas Films (my previous post). The rewatches are:
The Shop Around the Corner (with James Stewart and Margaret Sullavan)
Holiday Affair (with Janet Leigh, Robert Mitchum and Wendell Corey)
Bachelor Mother (with Ginger Rogers, David Niven and Charles Coburn)
We're No Angels (with Humphrey Bogart, Aldo Ray, Peter Ustinov and Joan Bennett)
Holiday Inn (with Bing Crosby, Fred Astaire, Marjorie Reynolds and Virginia Dale)
It Happened on Fifth Avenue (with Don DeFore, Ann Harding, Charles Ruggles, Victor Moore and Gale Storm)
Christmas in Connecticut (with Barbara Stanwyck and Dennis Morgan)
Remember the Night (with Barbara Stanwyck and Fred MacMurray)
It's a Wonderful Life (with James Stewart, Donna Reed and Thomas Mitchell)
I chose to watch The Shop Around the Corner on my plane ride from Barcelona to Amsterdam. Have seen this already a couple of times but every time I love it completely and it's an absolute gem. James Stewart and Margaret Sullavan make such an amazing couple. Quintessential Xmas classic!
And now on to the Christmas films!
In total I watched 18 Christmas films. A lot of them are really Christmassy but some are only set at Christmas time and have not much to do with Christmas at all (like Tom Brown of Culver). Of these 18 films 9 are new-to-me films and 9 are rewatches. Normally I only rewatch films at the Filmoteca but this month I rewatched Christmas classics at home and at my mum's place in the Netherlands while being in my native country for the holidays. There were Christmas rewatches that are among my absolute favourite movies, but there were also two disappointing rewatches (Holiday Affair and Holiday Inn). Some of the 9 rewatches I had seen more than once before and 6 of them feature on My 10 Favourite Christmas Films (my previous post). The rewatches are:
The Shop Around the Corner (with James Stewart and Margaret Sullavan)
Holiday Affair (with Janet Leigh, Robert Mitchum and Wendell Corey)
Bachelor Mother (with Ginger Rogers, David Niven and Charles Coburn)
We're No Angels (with Humphrey Bogart, Aldo Ray, Peter Ustinov and Joan Bennett)
Holiday Inn (with Bing Crosby, Fred Astaire, Marjorie Reynolds and Virginia Dale)
It Happened on Fifth Avenue (with Don DeFore, Ann Harding, Charles Ruggles, Victor Moore and Gale Storm)
Christmas in Connecticut (with Barbara Stanwyck and Dennis Morgan)
Remember the Night (with Barbara Stanwyck and Fred MacMurray)
It's a Wonderful Life (with James Stewart, Donna Reed and Thomas Mitchell)
I chose to watch The Shop Around the Corner on my plane ride from Barcelona to Amsterdam. Have seen this already a couple of times but every time I love it completely and it's an absolute gem. James Stewart and Margaret Sullavan make such an amazing couple. Quintessential Xmas classic!
Holiday Affair I didn't like so much on this rewatch. The reason was Robert Mitchum's cocky character. The way he kissed Janet Leigh in the kitchen bothered me this time and his speech at the Christmas dinner table was embarrassing. On the other hand, Wendell Corey's nice guy deserves better. I like Corey in general, though he may be a bit on the dull side. The little boy is cute but annoyed me some with this viewing, yet his chemistry with Leigh is great. Probably my fave scene is the courtroom scene with Harry Morgan. It's still a nice Christmas film but with so many other classic Christmas films around, and really good ones, I won't be seeing this next year. Oh ... Leigh's bullet bra is distracting.
Bachelor Mother is a delightful comedy and manages to entertain every single time. The leads Ginger Rogers and David Niven have really great chemistry. Rogers is such a good comedienne, her facial expression when admitting to Niven she's the baby's mother is priceless. With so many wonderful scenes and waggling ducks all over the place, this is an essential holiday film.
We're No Angels is a great film set at Christmas time with an unusual comedy role for Humphrey Bogart and he pulls it off splendidly. Too bad he didn't do more comedy. The film has a good script, wonderful cast and performances, and a feel-good quality. Oh ... and I love Ray's husky voice!
Like Holiday Affair I didn't enjoy Holiday Inn so much with this rewatch. The blackface routine really bothered me and I liked Fred Astaire's character even less than the last time I saw this. Fortunately he makes up for his character with the wonderful firecracker dance sequence. Also noteworthy for Bing Crosby and Marjorie Reynold performing the song White Christmas at the piano.
I did enjoy It Happened on Fifth Avenue again, a lot! Especially Charlie Ruggles and Ann Harding are wonderful. Will probably watch it next year too.
Christmas in Connecticut was even better this time than on previous viewings. Could have something to do with the fact that I really like Dennis Morgan now and I didn't at first so much. This is a delightful Christmas comedy with a sparkling Barbara Stanwyck. She really seems to be having fun and has good chemistry with Morgan. The scene with the bathing of the baby is great and her facial expressions in that scene are wonderful. Also love the ending.
Christmas in Connecticut was even better this time than on previous viewings. Could have something to do with the fact that I really like Dennis Morgan now and I didn't at first so much. This is a delightful Christmas comedy with a sparkling Barbara Stanwyck. She really seems to be having fun and has good chemistry with Morgan. The scene with the bathing of the baby is great and her facial expressions in that scene are wonderful. Also love the ending.
Remember the Night is my fave Stanwyck film and one of my fave films ever. Have seen this many times already but I never get tired of it. Great story, script and performances, and superb direction by Mitchell Leisen. Stanwyck looks so beautiful and I love her in the scenes where her sparkling eyes are just quietly observing. MacMurray is handsome here and I love his character. Especially the scene at the place of Stanwyck's mother with the cold reception and MacMurray saying they'd better go would make any woman fall in love with him. I still would have preferred another ending than the bittersweet one provided here but I'm okay with it now and it's a perfect film nonetheless.
I ended the month with one of my all-time favourite films, It's a Wonderful Life. Not much to say about this Capra classic, in any case not something that hasn't been said many times already. In terms of Christmas classics, it doesn't get more Quintessential (with a capital Q) than this.
Regarding the new-to-me Christmas films, they are mostly non-quintessential classics and not real Christmas films either but merely set around Christmas time (with maybe the exception of Three Godfathers and Hell's Heroes):
Bell, Book and Candle (with James Stewart, Kim Novak and Jack Lemmon)
The Bride Wore Boots (with Barbara Stanwyck and Robert Cummings)
Tenth Avenue Angel (with Margaret O'Brien, Angela Lansbury, George Murphy and Phyllis Thaxter)
Three Godfathers (with Chester Morris, Walter Brennan and Lewis Stone)
Hell's Heroes (with Charles Bickford)
These Wilder Years (with Barbara Stanwyck and James Cagney)
Our Vines Have Tender Grapes (with Edward G. Robinson, Margaret O'Brien and Agnes Moorehead)
His Brother's Wife (with Barbara Stanwyck and Robert Taylor)
Tom Brown of Culver (with Tom Brown and Tyrone Power) — already commented on, when discussing Tyrone Power films earlier in this post
Bell, Book and Candle is a very enjoyable magical story with a leading role for Kim Novak. She's the highlight of the film. I never really liked her before but love her here, also her looks and clothes. Great cinematography in Technicolor by master James Wong Howe with Novak beautifully photographed, and that famous close-up of her and the cat is stunning. Novak teams up again with James Stewart after the very successful Vertigo from the same year, and despite their age difference they do have chemistry. Jack Lemmon, Hermione Gingold and Elsa Lanchester provide solid support. I love the score by George Duning. Oh ... that horrible liquid that Gingold makes Stewart drink made me gag as well. This is not really a Christmas film but it's set around Christmas time and there is snow and a Christmas tree! Seen this on the return plane journey from Amsterdam to Barcelona and will definitely watch it again.
Three more new-to-me films starring Barbara Stanwyck have Christmas scenes in them.
I ended the month with one of my all-time favourite films, It's a Wonderful Life. Not much to say about this Capra classic, in any case not something that hasn't been said many times already. In terms of Christmas classics, it doesn't get more Quintessential (with a capital Q) than this.
Regarding the new-to-me Christmas films, they are mostly non-quintessential classics and not real Christmas films either but merely set around Christmas time (with maybe the exception of Three Godfathers and Hell's Heroes):
Bell, Book and Candle (with James Stewart, Kim Novak and Jack Lemmon)
The Bride Wore Boots (with Barbara Stanwyck and Robert Cummings)
Tenth Avenue Angel (with Margaret O'Brien, Angela Lansbury, George Murphy and Phyllis Thaxter)
Three Godfathers (with Chester Morris, Walter Brennan and Lewis Stone)
Hell's Heroes (with Charles Bickford)
These Wilder Years (with Barbara Stanwyck and James Cagney)
Our Vines Have Tender Grapes (with Edward G. Robinson, Margaret O'Brien and Agnes Moorehead)
His Brother's Wife (with Barbara Stanwyck and Robert Taylor)
Tom Brown of Culver (with Tom Brown and Tyrone Power) — already commented on, when discussing Tyrone Power films earlier in this post
Bell, Book and Candle is a very enjoyable magical story with a leading role for Kim Novak. She's the highlight of the film. I never really liked her before but love her here, also her looks and clothes. Great cinematography in Technicolor by master James Wong Howe with Novak beautifully photographed, and that famous close-up of her and the cat is stunning. Novak teams up again with James Stewart after the very successful Vertigo from the same year, and despite their age difference they do have chemistry. Jack Lemmon, Hermione Gingold and Elsa Lanchester provide solid support. I love the score by George Duning. Oh ... that horrible liquid that Gingold makes Stewart drink made me gag as well. This is not really a Christmas film but it's set around Christmas time and there is snow and a Christmas tree! Seen this on the return plane journey from Amsterdam to Barcelona and will definitely watch it again.
Three more new-to-me films starring Barbara Stanwyck have Christmas scenes in them.
With The Bride Wore Boots I had more fun than I thought I would have. Yes, Barbara Stanwyck and Robert Cummings bicker a lot but I thought Stanwyck's performance was lively and sparkling, and as a horse-lover in real life she seemed in her element being around horses here and riding horseback as well. Cummings is well cast in this comedy role, he has this dorky quality (he also dresses up as Santa). I found Diana Lynn increasingly annoying, though. The best role is given to Peggy Wood as Stanwyck's mother. Love her sarcasm and her interaction with Stanwyck, even though she is a bit too young to be playing her mother. The part where she and Robert Benchley as Uncle Todd let the kids overeat themselves in order for their estranged parents to meet again is very dubious, to say the least. Still, I love how Natalie Wood rolls her eyes, takes her brother by the hand and announces she needs to throw up.
These Wilder Years is a solid drama set around Christmas time with Stanwyck and James Cagney — Cagney also a favourite of mine — in the only film they made together. Too bad they didn't make a film together in their younger days, in the 1930s or 1940s. A screwball comedy or a film noir would have been so great. Walter Pidgeon is well cast here as the lawyer friend and Betty Lou Keim as the pregnant teenager gives a good performance. The film has a feel-good quality and concludes with an open ending for Stanwyck and Cagney. Not their best performances but they are still the best thing this film has to offer.
His Brother's Wife has a silly plot with Robert Taylor lacking credibility playing an epidemiologist. I love the sparkling chemistry between Stanwyck and Taylor who in real life just started their romance which would result in marriage three years later. And Stanwyck is always watchable for me, especially when she is this young and has stars in her eyes.
I watched two films starring Margaret O'Brien, (partly) set around Christmas time.
I watched two films starring Margaret O'Brien, (partly) set around Christmas time.
Tenth Avenue Angel is a bit sentimental but I like O'Brien a lot and her crying made me teary-eyed too. I love her interaction with the blind newspaper man and how she moved through her street on the one roller skate.
Our Vines Have Tender Grapes is a film with a heart. It doesn't really tell a story, it's basically just a slice of life, following the day-to-day-life of a Norwegian-American family and focusing on the 7-year old daughter (O'Brien) and her 5-year old cousin (Jackie 'Butch' Jenkins, who gets a bit annoying). It moves slowly forward without any conflict at first and I was really waiting for something bad to happen (because life at the farm seemed too perfect despite the fact that there was no money for a new barn). Edward G. Robinson and Agnes Moorehead, both playing against type and great in their performances, are O'Brien's parents and they make a genuine happy family. I love the interactions between the three. There is a lot of affection and love (very well illustrated in the scene where they unwrap the Christmas presents) and the actors know how to get this warm feeling across. O'Brien's recital of the Christmas story in church is lovely and there are so many other charming scenes with her, like the one with the elephant and her scenes with the calf. At the end of the film there is more tension, with the kids going on a boat trip in a bathtub and most notably the barn fire. The screenplay is written by Dalton Trumbo, who would be blacklisted during the McCarthy witchhunt due to Communist ties. I read in reviews that the scene where O'Brien makes a generous gesture and offers her cow to the misfortunate owner of the burned barn (and as a consequence the other townspeople join her in offering part of their possessions), was seen as an act of communism. I think it's merely an act of humanity where people just want to help their fellow man. Really loved this film and will definitely watch it again.
Two more new-to-me films which I think can both be classified as quintessential Christmas classics due to the biblical parable and strong redemption theme: Three Godfathers and Hell's Heroes.
It took some time to get into Three Godfathers, the 1936 version, because of the slow pace. Still, I think the pace is necessary to really get to know the characters. My favourite bit is the relationship between Lewis Stone and Walter Brennan. I choked up twice with both of them saying goodbye to the world. It was sad and beautiful. The third time I got teary-eyed was with Chester Morris' attempt at praying. I had seen the Ford/Wayne remake a while back which ends on a much happier note, while here Morris redeems himself with the greatest sacrifice a human being can make — giving one's life. Great cinematography by Joseph Ruttenberg and a beautiful music score by William Axt.
Hell's Heroes was a film I had never even heard of until having seen its 1936 remake Three Godfathers, and I decided to watch it immediately. A bit grittier than the 1936 film, maybe because the men look more dirty and sweaty and the desert looks more bleak. Charles Bickford is the bad guy and most unlikeable in his treatment of the women in the bar, but being in the desert with his two fellow robbers he seemed more mellow than Chester Morris in the 1936 film. The biggest difference between the two films is that here the baby hasn't been born yet and one of the men is helping with the delivery of the child which seemed a bit unbelievable. The new-born baby is tiny and really cute and I love the baptism scene with the sand sprinkled over his little feet. There's also some nice photography by George Robinson and at the film's ending the spirit of Christmas is very much present with the choir singing Silent Night beautifully. Not as good as Three Godfathers but it comes very close. Oh ... and as an added bonus Bickford walks around with his shirt half open.
Well, on that last note I've come to the end of this post which means the end of the last round-up of this year. Stay tuned for an overview of 2019 with stats and all. And here's to another year filled with classic films. Happy New Year!
PHOTOS/GIFS IN THIS POST FROM TOP TO BOTTOM:
*Bell, Book and Candle (1958) with Kim Novak and cat; (gif by me)
*The Flying Deuces (1939) with Stan Laurel; (gif by me)
*The Kid (1921) with Charlie Chaplin and Jackie Coogan;
*Pony Soldier (1952) with Tyrone Power;
*I'll Never Forget You (or The House in the Square) (1951) with Tyrone Power and Ann Blyth; (screenshot by me)
*King of the Khyber Rifles (1953) with Tyrone Power; (screenshot by me)
*Tom Brown of Culver (1932) with Richard Cromwell (middle) and Tyrone Power (right);
*Lloyd’s of London (1936) with Tyrone Power and Madeleine Carroll;
*The Murder Man (1935) with James Stewart;
*Important News (1936) with James Stewart and Charles 'Chic' Sale; (screenshot by me)
*Made for Each Other (1939) with Carole Lombard and James Stewart;
*Carbine Williams (1952) with James Stewart and Jean Hagen;
*Born to Dance (1936) with Eleanor Powell and James Stewart;
*Mexicali Rose (1929) with Barbara Stanwyck and Sam Hardy;
*Banjo on My Knee (1936) with Barbara Stanwyck and Joel McCrea;
*The Shop Around the Corner (1940) with James Stewart and Margaret Sullavan;
*Holiday Affair (1949) with Robert Mitchum, Gordon Gebert, Janet Leigh and Wendell Corey;
*Bachelor Mother (1939) with Ginger Rogers and David Niven;
*We’re No Angels (1955) with Humphrey Bogart, Aldo Ray and Peter Ustinov;
*Holiday Inn (1942) with Bing Crosby, Marjorie Reynolds, Fred Astaire and Virginia Dale;
*It Happened on Fifth Avenue (1947) with Ann Harding, Don DeFore, Gale Storm and Charles Ruggles;
*Christmas in Connecticut (1945) with Barbara Stanwyck and Dennis Morgan; (screenshot by me)
*Remember the Night (1940) with Barbara Stanwyck and Fred MacMurray;
*It's a Wonderful Life (1946) with James Stewart, Donna Reed and Karolyn Grimes;
*It's a Wonderful Life (1946) with James Stewart and director Frank Capra behind the scenes;
*Hell's Heroes (1929) with Charles Bickford; (screenshot by me)
*Holiday Inn (1942) with Bing Crosby, Marjorie Reynolds, Fred Astaire and Virginia Dale.
Hell's Heroes was a film I had never even heard of until having seen its 1936 remake Three Godfathers, and I decided to watch it immediately. A bit grittier than the 1936 film, maybe because the men look more dirty and sweaty and the desert looks more bleak. Charles Bickford is the bad guy and most unlikeable in his treatment of the women in the bar, but being in the desert with his two fellow robbers he seemed more mellow than Chester Morris in the 1936 film. The biggest difference between the two films is that here the baby hasn't been born yet and one of the men is helping with the delivery of the child which seemed a bit unbelievable. The new-born baby is tiny and really cute and I love the baptism scene with the sand sprinkled over his little feet. There's also some nice photography by George Robinson and at the film's ending the spirit of Christmas is very much present with the choir singing Silent Night beautifully. Not as good as Three Godfathers but it comes very close. Oh ... and as an added bonus Bickford walks around with his shirt half open.
Well, on that last note I've come to the end of this post which means the end of the last round-up of this year. Stay tuned for an overview of 2019 with stats and all. And here's to another year filled with classic films. Happy New Year!
PHOTOS/GIFS IN THIS POST FROM TOP TO BOTTOM:
*Bell, Book and Candle (1958) with Kim Novak and cat; (gif by me)
*The Flying Deuces (1939) with Stan Laurel; (gif by me)
*The Kid (1921) with Charlie Chaplin and Jackie Coogan;
*Pony Soldier (1952) with Tyrone Power;
*I'll Never Forget You (or The House in the Square) (1951) with Tyrone Power and Ann Blyth; (screenshot by me)
*King of the Khyber Rifles (1953) with Tyrone Power; (screenshot by me)
*Tom Brown of Culver (1932) with Richard Cromwell (middle) and Tyrone Power (right);
*Lloyd’s of London (1936) with Tyrone Power and Madeleine Carroll;
*The Murder Man (1935) with James Stewart;
*Important News (1936) with James Stewart and Charles 'Chic' Sale; (screenshot by me)
*Made for Each Other (1939) with Carole Lombard and James Stewart;
*Carbine Williams (1952) with James Stewart and Jean Hagen;
*Born to Dance (1936) with Eleanor Powell and James Stewart;
*Mexicali Rose (1929) with Barbara Stanwyck and Sam Hardy;
*Banjo on My Knee (1936) with Barbara Stanwyck and Joel McCrea;
*The Shop Around the Corner (1940) with James Stewart and Margaret Sullavan;
*Holiday Affair (1949) with Robert Mitchum, Gordon Gebert, Janet Leigh and Wendell Corey;
*Bachelor Mother (1939) with Ginger Rogers and David Niven;
*We’re No Angels (1955) with Humphrey Bogart, Aldo Ray and Peter Ustinov;
*Holiday Inn (1942) with Bing Crosby, Marjorie Reynolds, Fred Astaire and Virginia Dale;
*It Happened on Fifth Avenue (1947) with Ann Harding, Don DeFore, Gale Storm and Charles Ruggles;
*Christmas in Connecticut (1945) with Barbara Stanwyck and Dennis Morgan; (screenshot by me)
*Remember the Night (1940) with Barbara Stanwyck and Fred MacMurray;
*It's a Wonderful Life (1946) with James Stewart, Donna Reed and Karolyn Grimes;
*It's a Wonderful Life (1946) with James Stewart and director Frank Capra behind the scenes;
*It's a Wonderful Life (1946) with Thomas Mitchell, Donna Reed, James Stewart and Beulah Bondi;
*Bell, Book and Candle (1958) with James Stewart and Kim Novak; (gif by me)
*Bell, Book and Candle (1958) with James Stewart, Kim Novak and Janice Rule; (gif by me)
*Bell, Book and Candle (1958) with James Stewart, Kim Novak, Hermione Gingold, Elsa Lanchester, Jack Lemmon and Ernie Kovacs; (gif by me)
*The Bride Wore Boots (1946) with Barbara Stanwyck;
*The Bride Wore Boots (1946) with Barbara Stanwyck, Natalie Wood and Gregory Marshall;
*These Wilder Years (1956) with Barbara Stanwyck, James Cagney and Betty Lou Keim behind the scenes;
*His Brother’s Wife (1936) with Barbara Stanwyck and Robert Taylor;
*Tenth Avenue Angel (1948) with Margaret O'Brien and George Murphy;
*Our Vines Have Tender Grapes (1945) with Margaret O'Brien, Edward G. Robinson and Agnes Moorehead;
*Three Godfathers (1936) with Chester Morris, Walter Brennan and Lewis Stone;*Hell's Heroes (1929) with Charles Bickford; (screenshot by me)
*Holiday Inn (1942) with Bing Crosby, Marjorie Reynolds, Fred Astaire and Virginia Dale.