MAY 2023 ROUND-UP
TOTAL FILMS SEEN IN MAY: 25
(see the film posters at the bottom of the post, arranged in watching order)
NEW-TO-ME: 24 (14 features & 10 shorts)
REWATCHES: 1
SEEN ON THE BIG SCREEN: 2
WWII FILMS: 5
MOST WATCHED ACTOR: Errol Flynn, William Powell & Neil Hamilton (2 in total)
Peggy Cummins and John Dall in Gun Crazy
Well, they say, nothing is more unpredictable than the weather. Thinking summer was here to stay already, May had other plans. Finally the rains came (DANA, gota fría)! Some places had it really bad, while here in our village the rains were not too heavy and we were spared the worst. Furthermore I had my birthday in May and my brother and family came to visit.
I watched 25 films in total. Had meant to see more but I also watched and finished two Korean dramas (Call It Love and Itaewon Class, both 16 episodes) and I'm still watching the ongoing series The Good Bad Mother.
There were three actors with two films watched: Errol Flynn (Northern Pursuit, Don’t Bet on Blondes), William Powell (Street of Chance, Ladies’ Man) and Neil Hamilton (Why Be Good?, Blind Date). Kay Francis is my most watched actress with two films: Street of Chance and Ladies’ Man.
I had planned to watch WWII films, in celebration of Dodenherdenking (May 4th) and Bevrijdingsdag (May 5th) in my native country. On 5 May 1945 The Netherlands was being freed from Nazi occupation. There are plenty of WWII films that I still want to see but in the end I only watched 5 WWII films: Reunion in France, Paris Underground, Northern Pursuit, So Proudly We Hail and Battleground. I was a bit disappointed with the small amount but was most happy I watched Battleground, which was high on my watchlist.
This month I discovered classic Russian animation and loved it. I watched The Scarlet Flower, Sister Alyonushka and Brother Ivanushka and The Tale About the Dead Princess and Seven Strong Men. I also watched 4 other animation films, 4 entries in the Tom and Jerry series: The Night Before Christmas, Fraidy Cat, Dog Trouble, Puss n’ Toots. In total I watched 7 animation films.
I watched 4 silent films in total, 2 features (College, Why Be Good?) and 2 shorts (The Kingdom of the Fairies, The Marathon).
Apart from the two silent shorts, I watched 8 talkie shorts (7 animation shorts mentioned above and 1 Crime Does Not Pay short (Think First!).
There were 4 foreign films: the 3 Russian animation films (The Scarlet Flower, Sister Alyonushka and Brother Ivanushka, The Tale About the Dead Princess and Seven Strong Men) and the French silent short The Kingdom of the Fairies.
I watched two films at the Filmoteca on the big screen, College and Gun Crazy, and Gun Crazy was my only rewatch. There were more classic films programmed that I wanted to see but unfortunately I couldn't make their screening dates: The African Queen, Moonfleet, The Three Musketeers, They Live by Night, Detour, The Hitch-Hiker and The Treasure of the Sierra Madre. Incidentally, I've already seen The African Queen, Detour and The Hitch-Hiker at the Filmoteca in Barcelona but I wouldn't have minded seeing them on the big screen again.
My highest rated film is Gun Crazy, followed closely by Battleground, The Scarlet Flower, The Kingdom of the Fairies and The Night Before Christmas. I also thoroughly enjoyed So Proudly We Hail, Sister Alyonushka and Brother Ivanushka, The Tale About the Dead Princess and Seven Strong Men, The Spy Who Came in from the Cold, Why Be Good?, Dog Trouble and Puss n’ Toots.
The Marathon is my lowest rated film of the month.
The Marathon is my lowest rated film of the month.
Screen couples I enjoyed the most: Peggy Cummins and John Dall in Gun Crazy, William Powell and Kay Francis in Ladies’ Man, and Colleen Moore and Neil Hamilton in Why Be Good?.
Breaking the 25 watched films down in decades:
1900s - 1
1910s - 1
1920s - 2
1930s - 6
1940s - 9
1950s - 5
1960s - 1
1910s - 1
1920s - 2
1930s - 6
1940s - 9
1950s - 5
1960s - 1
NOW LET'S MOVE ON TO THE FILMS!
(read notes with caution as they might contain spoilers; with ratings going from ½ to ★★★★★ and watched date)
BLACK HAND (MGM, 1950) is a film noir with Gene Kelly taking the lead as a man who wants to avenge the murder of his father. To me Kelly is not believable as an Italian, but he grows in his role and in the last act he's actually pretty good (during the scenes where he's caught and his face is molested, and he looks good too — pictured, bottom photo, screenshot by me). There are some surprisingly gritty moments and the black-and-white cinematography of Paul Vogel is top-notch and moody throughout. I'm not familiar with Kelly's leading lady Teresa Celli, an American actress with Italian roots, but she's good and believable. J. Carrol Naish (pictured with Kelly and Celli, top photo) gives the best performance of them all as the inspector. Overall an enjoyable watch. Directed by Richard Thorpe. ★★★ / 01.05.2023
REUNION IN FRANCE (MGM, 1942) is a WWII drama which I've been meaning to see for a while and I decided to prioritise it now since I want to watch WWII films in May. Joan Crawford (pictured, bottom photo) plays a French socialite, not interested in the war in Europe at all. When the Nazis invade Paris and confiscate her house, she has to take notice of what's going on. I love how Crawford gives the Nazis a piece of her mind and shows them contempt. It gets more interesting as Crawford's fiancé Philip Dorn (both pictured, middle photo) sympathises with the Nazis and when all of a sudden John Wayne (young and handsome — pictured with Crawford, top photo) as a wounded RAF pilot enters Joanie's life. She gives Wayne shelter, and before she knows it she's the object of his affection. The way he romances her is too swift and not very believable (they are a very strange pair!) and his self-assurance is a bit annoying. Also, Wayne is very much out of place here, he seems to be in a different movie. I think without him this could have been a better film. I saw the twist with Dorn coming a mile away, but I was glad Dorn and Crawford ended up together. Reginald Owen, John Carradine, Henry Daniell and Howard Da Silva round out the rest of the cast, and I missed Ava Gardner in a tiny part as a salesgirl. The often beautiful cinematography is courtesy of Robert H. Planck and Irene did the costume design. Jules Dassin directed. ★★½ / 04.05.2023
PARIS UNDERGROUND (United Artists/ Constance Bennett Productions, 1945) is another WWII film set in Paris, produced by Constance Bennett who's also taking the lead. I enjoyed this war film where Bennett and her friend Gracie Fields (both pictured, top photo) help airmen escape Nazi-occupied Paris. The best thing about this flick is the chemistry and buddy relationship between the two female leads. George Rigaud as Bennett's estranged husband (portrayed with Bennett, bottom photo) is a bit dull (yet likeable, working for the Resistance) and doesn't stand a chance next to Fields. Some great black-and-white photography by Lee Garmes and costumes by Adrian and uncredited Travis Banton. Directed by Gregory Ratoff. ★★★ / 05.05.2023
Watched COLLEGE (Joseph M. Schenck Productions, 1927) because it was showing in my most beloved film theater Filmoteca and it was great to see beautiful Buster Keaton (pictured with Florence Turner, bottom photo) on the big screen again. There was a decent turnout with a mix of younger and older people. In this 65-minute feature silent Buster is trying to impress the girl he loves (Anne Cornwall — both pictured, top photo) and has to transform the student with brains into a college athlete. Needless to say, this doesn't go without the necessary obstacles (it's noteworthy that Buster himself is quite muscular whereas his nerdy character is not supposed to be). Though the laughs are few, I enjoyed this film, especially the finale where Buster tries to save his girl and he manages to execute everything flawlessly for which he has exercised extensively. But the funniest scene is the one where Buster is being launched in the air in a large cloth in front of the bedroom window of an older lady. This actually had me laughing out loud, and the slow motion shot with Buster holding an umbrella and slowly coming down is beautiful. Directed by Buster Keaton and James W. Horne. ★★★ / 06.05.2023
NORTHERN PURSUIT (Warner Bros, 1943) is an unexciting WWII drama set in snowy Canada, starring Errol Flynn as a Mountie fighting the Nazis. The plot is convoluted and it actually bored me a bit. I stayed for the appeal of Flynn because I love that man and he looks very good in the black turtleneck (pictured, bottom photo, screenshot by me). Yet Flynn's somewhat lighthearted performance takes the drama out of this already lackluster production and there's little suspense. Probably the most exciting moment is the chase sequence on skis with some impressive jumps. Julie Bishop plays Flynn's love interest (both portrayed, top photo) and there's support by Helmut Dantine as the evil Nazi, Gene Lockhart and John Ridgely. Also with some nice photography by Sidney Hickox. Directed by Raoul Walsh. ★★½ / 12.05.2023
I watched GUN CRAZY (King Brothers Productions/United Artists, 1950) at the Filmoteca in Valencia, my second time of watching this film on the big screen. First time was at the Filmoteca in Barcelona. It was nice to see an almost full theater. What can I say about this masterpiece? Peggy Cummins and John Dall (both pictured, middle and bottom photo) are so good together and have sizzling sexual chemistry, while they get sexually aroused by pulling off a heist. Their characterisations are done really well and sweet-faced Cummins (pictured, top gif) is such a great femme fatale. Not a minute is wasted in this fast-paced and exciting noir. The film also benefits hugely from the outstanding black-and-white photography by Russell Harlan. Every shot is carefully framed, and the camera work from the back seat of the car is amazing. Also praise for Russ Tamblyn as the younger version of John Dall. With assured direction by Joseph H. Lewis, this ranks among the best noirs out there and is a must-see! ★★★★½ / 21.05.2023 (rewatch)
William A. Wellman's BATTLEGROUND (Loew's Incorporated/MGM, 1949) is an acclaimed WWII film about a squad of the 101st Airborne Division trapped by the Germans in the besieged city of Bastogne, Belgium, during the Battle of the Bulge in December of 1944, and I can see why this is highly praised. It's an unusual war film, really one of a kind. Somebody on Letterboxd named this a slice-of-life war film and that's what it is. Though there are battle scenes, they're not big in scope and it's not an action-packed film. It just tells a simple story about ordinary men trying to stay alive, and it feels very real and authentic. It's actually more of a character study. There's also a lot of humour and I love the camaraderie between the soldiers. The superb black-and-white photography by Paul Vogel with its many close-ups heightens the intimacy. Van Johnson (pictured, top photo) has top-billing and is accompanied by a great cast of actors: John Hodiak (he has such beautiful eyes — pictured with Johnson, bottom photo), Ricardo Montalban, George Murphy, Marshall Thompson, Don Taylor, Bruce Cowling, James Whitmore, Douglas Fowley, Leon Ames, James Arness and Scotty Beckett. All give good performances. Denise Darcel has the only female role but doesn't have a lot to do, which can be expected. Though there was some location filming, the majority of the film was shot in a large MGM studio. This is quite amazing since the sets look pretty real. Glad I finally watched this great film. ★★★★ / 22.05.2023
I saw the Russian animation film THE SCARLET FLOWER (Soyuzmultfilm, 1952) mentioned on a film blog and was charmed by the beautiful screenshots and colour palette (pictured are three screenshots by me). I looked it up online and found a clear print on YouTube with English subtitles (at times the subs left a lot to be desired). Still, I could follow this fairytale perfectly (based on the story of the same name by Sergei Aksakov), it's actually an adaptation of The Beauty and the Beast. When a merchant father wants to bring gifts from his travels for his three daughters, the youngest asks for a scarlet flower. The father gets stranded on an island where he finds the scarlet flower, yet a monster rules the kingdom. The scenes taking place on the enchanting island and in the castle look gorgeous. The animation is executed with rotoscoping technique (where almost all of the character animation was first performed by live actors/animals, then traced by the animators) and (what looks like) a two-strip colour palette. The use of colours is dazzling and the backgrounds look exquisite. With a runtime of 42 minutes I'll treat this film as a short, as it's classified as such on IMDB. Directed by Lev Atamanov. (I found a couple of other Russian animation fairytales from the 1950s online and will definitely watch them!) ★★★★ / 22.05.2023
SISTER ALYONUSHKA AND BROTHER IVANUSHKA (Soyuzmultfilm, 1953) is a 11-minute short which I really wanted to see but I could only find a version in Russian without any subtitles. Since it's so short I decided to watch it anyway and read up on the folktale first so I knew beforehand what was going to happen. It's about a sister and brother who are orphans, with the little brother turning into a little goat after drinking water from a puddle. I love the style of animation and the beautiful colours (pictured are three screenshots by me). Directed by Olga Khodatayeva. ★★★½ / 23.05.2023
THE TALE ABOUT THE DEAD PRINCESS AND SEVEN STRONG MEN (Soyuzmultfilm, 1951) is another lovely Russian animation film, based on the 1833 poem by Aleksandr Pushkin, a retelling of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Here the seven dwarfs are seven brothers, knights, who all fall in love with the tsarevna (daughter of the tsar — pictured), cast out by her stepmother. But she is promised to a prince, who kisses her back to life after he finds her in a crystal coffin placed in a cave. Too bad he didn't kiss the dog back to life, as the animal also died after taking a bite from the poisened apple. I love the animation and colours again. Saw this in the original version with English subtitles. Directed by Ivan Ivanov-Vano and Aleksandra Snezhko-Blotskaya. ★★★½ / 25.05.2023
THE DOORWAY TO HELL (The Vitaphone Corporation/Warner Bros, 1930) is a slow-paced and talkative gangster film, low in action. Baby-faced and handsome Lew Ayres seems miscast as a violent gangster, looking more like a freshman. The part where he wants to go golfing and wears a sports outfit suits him more. But he's quite good, and really grows in his role. Especially near the end when he looks dishevelled and unshaven and there's a cold look in his eyes, he's very believable. Dorothy Mathews as the female lead doesn't leave much of an impression. James Cagney (pictured with Ayres and Mathews in two photos) is sixth-billed, at the start of his career (this being only his second film), but he's so self-assured and charismatic and already shows great promise. There's no music score but there's some great photography by Barney McGill. Though I was a bit disappointed with this film, overall I enjoyed it and it has a great and satisfying ending. Archie Mayo directed. ★★★ / 25.05.2023
Saw William Powell and Kay Francis together a while back in One Way Passage (1932) and Jewel Robbery (1932) (also in For the Defense (1930) but that one is totally forgettable). I love both One Way Passage and Jewel Robbery (One Way Passage is King among their collaborations). Powell and Francis have amazing chemistry (second best to Powell and Loy) and so much style and class, it's almost ridiculous. Prior to their best work came STREET OF CHANCE (Paramount, 1930), where Powell plays a gambler, while Francis as his wife wants to divorce him because of his gambling addiction (both pictured, top photo). Things start to get complicated when Regis Toomey as Powell's brother comes to New York (also to gamble and score big) with Jean Arthur as his new bride (both pictured with Powell, bottom photo). Arthur (with her natural brown hair but with the oh-so recognisable voice) doesn't have a lot to do but I love seeing her work before she would get her big break into stardom with Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (1936), and she shares a good scene here with Powell. The film takes its time to get going but don't give up just yet, because the last act is the best part and is pretty grim, as these things often are in pre-codes. By the way, I love the shots of New York (cinematography by Charles Lang) and there's also a great tracking shot at the apartment where Powell looks for Francis from room to room. Costume design by Travis Banton and John Cromwell directed. ★★½ / 27.05.2023
Another William Powell and Kay Francis pre-code film (both pictured, top and bottom photo), LADIES' MAN (Paramount, 1931), this time also starring Carole Lombard. Needless to say the women look stunning and glamorous, in gowns designed by Travis Banton (both pictured with Powell, middle photo). Especially Francis looks luminous. Powell plays a society gigolo and his performance is rather subdued, not so lively, almost emotionally detached. But he looks good and debonair. Lombard has a drunken scene where she's overacting and it goes on forever. I love her initial scenes with Powell. SPOILER AHEAD: Unfortunately it didn't end well for Powell in this film either. Poor Kay, again she's cheated out of a happy ending, like in Street of Chance. Too bad this isn't any better but just to see the three stars together and looking beautiful made my day. Glad to have watched such a clear print. Photography by Victor Milner and Lothar Mendes directed. ★★½ / 28.05.2023
Martin Ritt's THE SPY WHO CAME IN FROM THE COLD (Salem Films Limited, 1965), based on the novel of the same name by John le Carré, is a bleak affair. Superbly shot in black-and-white by Oswald Morris, nothing is glamorised in this British film adaptation. I have to say that it didn't have my full attention at first (watching this with my sister). The pace is too slow for a thriller, the plot is difficult to follow (I also had problems following the dialogue at times because of the sound) and I had to get some help from Wikipedia's synopsis. But in the final act, starting with the tribunal, it gets truly engrossing and the ending is very grim. Richard Burton and Claire Bloom give good performances as the leading couple and their romance is realistic (both pictured in two photos). Burton is a bit too intense to my taste, but it's what this role needs and the speech he gives to Bloom in the car at the end really shows his intensity: "What the hell do you think spies are? Moral philosophers measuring everything they do against the word of God or Karl Marx? They're not. They're just a bunch of seedy squalid bastards like me, little men, drunkards, queers, henpecked husbands, civil servants playing "Cowboys and Indians" to brighten their rotten little lives. Do you think they sit like monks in a cell, balancing right against wrong? Yesterday I would have killed Mundt because I thought him evil and an enemy. But not today. Today he is evil and my friend." Glad I finally watched this famous spy film and that it can be added to my watched 1960s films. ★★★½ / 28.05.2023
WHY BE GOOD? (First National Pictures, 1929) is a very enjoyable silent film with the leads Colleen Moore and Neil Hamilton having great chemistry (both pictured, top and bottom photo). I love their courting and kissing, it happens so organically, and I also love that Moore is the one to give the first kiss. I've only seen her in one film before, Lilac Time (1928), and I like her. She is cute but I loved her best in her sad moments with tears in her eyes. She plays a flapper girl, crazy about dancing and parties and having fun, but she's a good girl and not frivolous and irresponsible. She's a working girl, contributing money to the household, and she's proud and independent. I love her healthy relationship with her mother, played by Bodil Rosing (pictured with Moore, middle photo). I also like Hamilton's character. He's rich and the boss's son but never a snob, and he looks freakin' handsome! Some memorable quotes to prove how feminist this silent is:
Pert Kelly: "You men! You insist on a girl being just what you want, and then you bawl her for being it!"And this wonderful interaction between father and daughter:
Pa Kelly: "And what's more, no decent girl would wear a dress like that."
Pert Kelly: "Well, I'm wearing it — and I'm decent!"
Pa Kelly: "I've got half a mind to put you in a reform school. You're headed straight for perdition!"
Pert Kelly: "Pop, listen to me! This is 1929, not 1899 — I contribute as much money to this house as you do — and as long as I think it is harmless, I'm going to wear what I like, and do what I like! I want to go out, and dance, and have fun, as long as I can, as much as I can."
Good stuff! William A. Seiter directed. ★★★½ / 28.05.2023
THE KINGDOM OF THE FAIRIES (Star-Film, 1903) — original title: Le Royaume des Fées — is a 17-minute imaginitive and inventive wonder of colours and compelling storytelling. A prince and princess are about to marry when a witch appears and later abducts the princess with the help of demons. A rescue party with the prince goes in search of the princess who's been taken away to a strange kingdom. Just incredible how this fantasy voyage is executed and the underwater sequence is amazing (pictured, screenshot by me). I prefer this to the famous A Trip to the Moon (1902). Directed by Georges Méliès. ★★★★ / 29.05.2023
THE MARATHON (Rolin Films, 1919) is a 14-minute silent short, one of Harold Lloyd's lesser work. I didn't really find it funny and there's also an unnecessary use of blackface that's cringeworthy. The most appealing scene is the mirror gag with Lloyd and his look-alike. Harry 'Snub' Pollard and Bebe Daniels (pictured with Lloyd) are here as well, like in several other Lloyd films, but couldn't save this short either. ★★ / 29.05.2023
BLIND DATE (Columbia, 1934) is a romcom starring Ann Sothern where she can choose between family friend/poor automechanic Paul Kelly and rich boy Neil Hamilton (he plays again the son of a department store owner like in Why Be Good? and daddy also fires the shopgirl, in this case Sothern, in order to keep her away from his son — Hamilton and Sothern pictured). The film is entertaining but is rather meek. I didn't like Hamilton's character as much as the one he plays in Why Be Good?, and to be honest, I wasn't rooting for Kelly either (but in the end his character became more likeable and he had my preference vote). Actually, the best thing here is little Mickey Rooney as Sothern's kid brother. He has a few scenes and I really like him this young. I also like Jane Darwell as the mother and the whole family dynamics. Directed by Roy William Neill. ★★½ / 29.05.2023
THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS (MGM Cartoon Studio/Rudolf Ising Productions/MGM, 1941) is the third in the series of Tom and Jerry cartoons during the Hanna-Barbera period (1940–1958). I've seen lots of Tom and Jerry shorts when I was growing up, but I'm listing them all as first watches here as I can't remember which ones I've seen, though I must have seen this one before. I want to watch them in chronological order, otherwise I would have waited for Christmas to come around (but I know I'll be rewatching this with the holidays!). With only 9 minutes of runtime, this is so much fun and has so much heart! Tom and Jerry chase each other around the Christmas tree, and everything looks gorgeous. But when Tom finally gets Jerry out of the house in the freezing cold, he starts to feel guilty and finds the little mouse covered in frozen snow, like a mouse popsicle. The scene where Tom defrosts Jerry in front of the fire melted my heart (both pictured in two photos). Befitting of the season's spirit, it's such a heartwarming moment of truce. Though I love them as enemies with Jerry outsmarting Tom, I also love them a lot when they're pals. Nominated for an Academy Award. Directed by Joseph Barbera, William Hanna and Rudolf Ising. ★★★★ / 29.05.2023
FRAIDY CAT (MGM/ MGM Cartoon Studio, 1942) is the fourth cartoon in the Tom and Jerry series, where Tom is spooked by a ghost story on the radio and Jerry seizes the opportunity to torment Tom some more by pulling pranks to scare him (both pictured, screenshot by me). There's a great nine lives gag (that I didn't recognise as such at first) and I also like the scene where Jerry is covered in flour. Enjoyable but not as good as the previously watched The Night Before Christmas. Directed by Joseph Barbera, William Hanna and Rudolf Ising. ★★★ / 30.05.2023
Continuing with the fifth cartoon in the Tom and Jerry series, DOG TROUBLE (MGM Cartoon Studio/MGM, 1942) is a lot of fun. Tom is chasing Jerry around the house but when they are being chased by Spike, the bulldog, they decide to team up to trick the dog. I absolutely love it when they play buddies (both pictured in three screenshots by me) and I LOVE the animation and the music. By the way, Spike the dog would become a recurring character in the cartoons. Directed by Joseph Barbera, William Hanna and Michael Lah. ★★★½ / 30.05.2023
PUSS N' TOOTS (MGM Cartoon Studio/MGM, 1942) is number 6 in the popular Tom and Jerry series. It's not only good fun but also very funny. I chuckled my way through the short runtime. Tommy is playing with Jerry and teasing him, when a cute cat lady is delivered at their house so Mammy can take care of her. Tommy is immediately smitten with the cute cat and tries everything to impress her (top photo, screenshot by me). I thought the funniest scenes were the ones where he's doing all kinds of magic tricks using Jerry (middle photo, screenshot by me). But Jerry wouldn't be Jerry if he wouldn't retaliate. He even gets to kiss the cute lady cat (bottom photo, screenshot by me). Directed by Joseph Barbera, William Hanna and Michael Lah. ★★★½ / 31.05.2023
THINK FIRST! (MGM, 1939) is episode 24 from the Crime Does Not Pay series. I've already seen a couple of episodes and like them. They're short and easy to digest (preachy, though). I chose this one because it stars a young Laraine Day (pictured, two screenshots by me). She plays a waitress at a drive-in restaurant, earning a salary of $18 a week, and gets recruited by glamorous thief Ann Morriss to join a shoplifting gang (with her colleague friend Jo Ann Sayers). Marc Lawrence is the leader of the gang. Things go wrong, of course, and the girls get caught. And the message is: Think first before .... It's an enjoyable fast-paced entry in the series, also with some nice forensics, and the girls look pretty. With an introduction by Phillip Terry, small supporting part by Sara Haden and directed by Roy Rowland. ★★★ / 31.05.2023
So that's another round-up! Happy that I'm still on track with watching the classics and hope to score more than 25 films next month. See you then!