In brief, April 2008

It’s a Wonderful World
1939, WS VAN DYKE
11 April

Some swear by this screwball comedy, so my words should hardly dissuade fans of Colbert and Stewart, but on the whole I have to say I found it unfunny and tired. Maybe I’ve been watching too many of these too quickly. Stewart is surprisingly aggressive in his role as a framed detective — in fact the whole film comes on strong where it could be light — and Colbert is possibly getting too old to play this cute. High point for me was the typically brilliant and always oddly hilarious Cecil Cunningham in a small part.

Marked Woman
1937, LLOYD BACON
10 April

Strong Warner’s crime drama, with a young (and frankly gorgeous) Bogart in the rare straight-arrow role, an assistant district attorney crusading against crime boss Johnny Vanning. Bette Davis is a “hostess” at one of Vanning’s clubs, strong-minded but basically willing to keep her mouth shut until she makes enough money to get out, but decides to testify against Vanning when he hits too hard and too close to home. Billed as a girl’s gangster flick, the film says as much about young women getting along in the ’30s as, say, the honest gals of Our Blushing Brides, with several great supporting characters & interesting interaction among them.

Dangerous
1935, ALFRED E GREEN
8 April

Plot is above average and Bette Davis is absolutely electric in her first Oscar-winning role as a talented actress jinxed to destroy her every break and all who come near her. Franchot Tone takes a chance, is soundly seduced, and almost undone. Bette’s an absolute wild-child in this, an early opportunity to show the range of her talent but without all the self-restraint and understanding she would soon develop. An exciting film, mostly due to its star, whose havoc and sort-of reformation are equally satisfying to watch.

Boudu Saved from Drowning [Boudu sauvé des eaux]
1932, JEAN RENOIR
8 April

Nearly in a league with Renoir’s best for visual mastery and human-subject savagery, but in a strain of brutal physical comedy that does little for me to start and wears very thin when prolonged. Others who enjoy the sort of thing will find much to love as well as admire in the sometimes-shocking story of homeless Boudu who, well, is saved from drowning by a well-meaning and good-hearted bookseller who nevertheless is absolutely a product of his society; he gets much more than he bargained for from his good deed.


The Ex-Mrs Bradford
1936, STEPHEN ROBERTS
8 April

Jean Arthur steps in for Myrna Loy in this undisguised Thin Man knockoff with great results. She and William Powell have a similar bright & acerbic chemistry and the script pulls off a similar urbane-wit humor — the convoluted murder mystery is not worth playing along with (hours later I honestly can’t recall who committed the crime); happily there are plenty of good laughs at which to redirect your attention. If you’ve exhausted the Thin Man set (which I haven’t, surprisingly!) and don’t know what to do with yourself, look here to prolong the magic.


Hold Back the Dawn
1941, MITCHELL LEISEN
7 April

People who call this Leisen’s masterpiece must have it in mind that every director has a masterpiece. Famously, this is the film that sent Wilder & Brackett off to direct and produce their own films, in such high contempt did they hold Leisen. It’s a good film — intermittently involving — a romantic drama about an immigrant (Boyer) who marries a naive school teacher (de Havilland) to fast-track his entry to the US. Plot skirts some issues of political hypocrisy and red tape but essentially becomes a run-of-the mill romance built on a lie, which is uncovered, then resolved hastily; Paulette Goddard is around to fuel the fire, delightfully.

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