And yet another update from watching old flicks, mostly on Turner Classics. Are we have having fun, or are we having fun?!! Whole lot of silent films this time so hold onto your butts for thrills, chills, and excitement.
Frankenstein – 1910 – what even is a movie anyways? Silent and only 14 or so minutes long. Produced by Thomas Edison. Not a particularly good or accurate version of the old story. Mainly only interesting in that it still exists and was kind of produced before movie making had rules.
Intolerance – 1916 – an epic film in terms of production values and extras. A big movie set in four time periods, each telling a story about cruelty and intolerance of other people’s beliefs. One story set in ancient Babylon, one during the time of Christ, then a 1500s France, and finally a “modern” story about crime and the kind of busy-bodies who tsk tsk at other people’s lifestyles (made a few years before prohibition). Overall, a pretty good film, especially for the time.
The Dream Lady – 1918 – a piffle of a silent era romantic comedy about a young heiress who takes her money and buys a log cabin in the woods so she can become a fortune teller. Life goals, amiright? Romantic entanglements, misunderstanding, gender bending, and con artistry ensues. Not much of a movie but was interesting to see what an early silent era romantic comedy was like.
Daughter of the Law – 1921 – a film about a female government agent who goes undercover in Appalachia to bust a moonshining ring. She runs into a mountain man, they fall in love, but it turns out he’s the lead rumrunner for the gang. Not a bad film for what it was. Most interesting because, as the TCM hosts pointed out, it was directed by a woman which was not uncommon in the early days of film.
Leap Year – 1924 – a silent film starring Fatty Arbuckle. A dippy little romantic comedy about a young, callow rich man who keeps accidentally proposing to women. Some of the setups are amusing and if you like scenes where the guy has to keep hiding women from each other, it’s not terrible.
The Red Mill – 1927 – yet another silent film, this time directed by Fatty Arbuckle. And another romantic comedy. Didn’t care much for this one and can hardly remember what it’s about. Moving on.
Pardon Us – 1931 – a Laurel and Hardy film where they are sent to prison and escape. Basically just an excuse for the usual Laurel and Hardy shtick… I didn’t like this one very much, probably because I was hoping for more story and fewer routines. The funny thing is, once they escape, they cut to a scene of poor black folk working the cotton fields. I started to dread where this was going… I mean, 1931 maybe not the most progressive year. Then the shoe dropped – Stan and Ollie are hiding from the cops dressed in blackface. But it’s not intended to be insulting and leads to a really cool scene where they all just hang out singing old gospel and folk tunes.
Gold Diggers of 1937 – 1936 – the third or fourth in this Gold Diggers series of movie musicals (none of which I’ve seen). Apparently this is the least of them and, yeah, it was only just ok. It starts with a group of young ladies on a train dreaming of landing rich men… aka gold diggers. Then it switches to a story about a couple of older men who want to get a life insurance policy on their business partner who they then hope will die so they can get the money for the business. The REAL gold diggers. I guess it was alright.
The Flying Deuces – 1939 – another Laurel and Hardy movie, this one quite a bit better than Pardon Us. It still gives ample time for the two men to pull their comedy routines, but the overall story was better and, in my estimation, funnier. To get over a broken heart, the two idiots decides to join the French Foreign Legion, not realizing that it’s a real thing and they can’t just quit whenever. OK, not the best story but the film worked.
The Bank Dick – 1940 – A classic W.C. Fields comedy… that I kind of hated. Never seen a W.C. Fields movie and a lot of it seemed to be based on what audiences at the time would have recognized and loved. It didn’t work for me, even if I did recognize the shtick from pop culture. Anyhow, Fields plays an idiot who lucks into a job as a bank security officer and almost immediately gets caught up in an investment scam. I dunno. Next.
December 7th: The Movie – 1943 – a wartime film / propaganda piece filmed by John Ford working for the War Department. The first part is a discussion set on Dec 6 1941 between the personified Uncle Sam and another man. They have a long talk about the history of Hawaii and the danger of all the Japanese Americans living on the island (it was uncomfortable but interesting on a historical basis). The second part is a retelling (semi-documentary style, no characters or plot) of the raid on Pearl Harbor. The third part is a call to action and a response to Japanese propaganda. I rather enjoyed this film on a historical level… not in terms of learning about Pearl Harbor but as a representation of propaganda film making and the government stance on the war.
The Best Years of Our Lives – 1946 – an academy award winner and in the AFI top 100… a film about three soldiers returning home from WW2. Very good, very thoughtful, and dramatic film. I highly recommend this one. Not just as a good drama but also as a movie of it’s time, only a year or so out from the end of the war.
Attack of the 50 Foot Woman – 1958 – a classic 50s monster movie that was supposed to be good but I found tedious. Part of its fame is due to the feminism angle as the woman in the story is disbelieved and disrespected by her philandering, abusive husband. And then attacked by the military because, you know, she turns into a 50 foot giant out for revenge.
Send Me No Flowers – 1964 – a dippy romantic comedy starring Rock Hudson and Doris Day. They are a married couple and he’s a hypochondriac who misunderstands his doctor and thinks he’s got six months to live. So he goes about finding a new husband for his wife without telling her what he’s doing or why. She starts to think he’s having an affair, then finds out his diagnosis, then she finds out he’s not dying so thinks he’s having an affair again, etc. Not a terrible movie but it did run too long.