My life at the movies.
Directed by George Melford. Starring Carlos Villarías, Lupita Tovar, Barry Norton, and Pablo Álvarez Rubio.
A Spanish-language production shot on the same sets as the more famous version. The English production worked days, the Spanish production nights. Some critics consider the Spanish version superior. I disagree. Continue reading...
Directed by Charles Chauvel. Starring Arthur Greenaway, Mayne Lynton, Errol Flynn, Victor Gouriet, John Warwick, and Patricia Penman.
Errol Flynn’s debut. Barely a narrative feature versus a travelog covering Pitcairn, a south seas island settled by survivors of the HMS Bounty. The film opens with a pub patron recounting the tale of the Bounty mutiny. Flynn plays Fletcher Christian in these flashbacks. He’s stiff and awkward, standing ramrod straight and mistaking volume for emotion as he recites his lines without the faintest trace of charisma. Flynn’s performance amounts to maybe ten minutes of footage, with the film devoting much of the flashback to shots of topless Tahitian women sliding into pools of water.
Directed by Zack Snyder. Starring Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, and Jesse Eisenberg.
While still frustrating, the Ultimate Edition proffers a more coherent film. Continue reading...
Directed by John Carpenter. Starring Austin Stoker, Darwin Joston, Laurie Zimmer, and Martin West.
John Carpenter’s second feature. A terrific action thriller set in a desolate police precinct pitting Howard Hawks archetypes against a gangland siege. Continue reading...
Directed by Frank Tuttle. Starring Roland Young, Thelma Todd, Cary Grant, and Lili Damita.
Cary Grant’s debut. He strides onto the screen flashing the suave, charming, confident, continental personality that defined his career. He outshines everyone on screen and even towers over them physically. Continue reading...
Directed by Rowland V. Lee. Starring Constance Bennett, Vincent Price, Charles Ruggles, and Helen Broderick.
Vincent Price’s debut. He plays a henpecked inventor hoping to sell his plan for a new tractor. Constance Bennett plays the owner of a company of female concierges who manage wealthy men’s lives. She longs for an independent man. He longs for a submissive woman. You can see where it’s going. Continue reading...
Directed by Lucio Fulci. Starring Franco Nero, Virna Lisi, Fernando Rey, and John Steiner.
Opens strong, with great location photography featuring a pair of wolves running through a snowy forest. Then a jarring cut to an obvious soundstage resets our expectations. Continue reading...
Directed by Rouben Mamoulian. Starring Barbara Stanwyck, Adolphe Menjou, William Holden, and Lee J. Cobb.
William Holden’s debut. He plays a violin protégé turned boxer, egged on by his manager’s mistress, played by Barbara Stanwyck. Lee J. Cobb plays Holden’s disappointed father. Continue reading...
Directed by Ingmar Bergman. Starring Maj-Britt Nilsson, Birger Malmsten, Alf Kjellin, and Annalisa Ericson.
Maj-Britt Nilsson plays a dancer reflecting on a coming-of-age summer romance with Birger Malmsten. A small, quiet film buoyed by fearless performances, beautiful cinematography, and a script that conveys the joy of young love without feeling reductive. The ending underwhelmed, but I respect the choice.
Directed by Tim Whelan. Starring Michèle Morgan, Jack Haley, Frank Sinatra, and Leon Errol.
Frank Sinatra’s debut. Not his first screen appearance, but his first proper role. Granted, he’s playing a fictionalized version of himself, but this proves for the best. Continue reading...
