Post by Salzmank on May 2, 2017 4:03:36 GMT
Well, no one has responded, but I just finished re-watching it, and it's a swell picture, much better than I first thought.
I love the dark-and-stormy night atmosphere, Ricardo Cortez is a fine detective (especially for a gangster--Farnsbarns!), and the much-praised wipe-pans flashback gimmick is indeed superb.
I suppose I was disappointed at first because I was expecting a surprising puzzle-plot--not that I expect it with every mystery film, by any means (to the contrary!), but rather because so many puzzle-plot fans have praised it. Well, it doesn't have one, but that's OK.
The characters are delightful, particularly Karen Morley's gold digging Jenny Wren (and the very pretty Anita Louise is a peach--I think she's my early-'30s movie crush!); Cortez's assistants are also very funny.
The picture is very well-filmed and entertaining--and appropriately eerie, with shadows everywhere. The fog-draped exteriors at the end are wonderful
I highly recommend it.
I love the dark-and-stormy night atmosphere, Ricardo Cortez is a fine detective (especially for a gangster--Farnsbarns!), and the much-praised wipe-pans flashback gimmick is indeed superb.
I suppose I was disappointed at first because I was expecting a surprising puzzle-plot--not that I expect it with every mystery film, by any means (to the contrary!), but rather because so many puzzle-plot fans have praised it. Well, it doesn't have one, but that's OK.
(The murderer's identity isn't particularly surprising, and there aren't many clues, but there is some decent detective work, especially regarding the dart. The motive, connected to the one in the Death in Paradise episode "Wicked Wedding Night" and the Ellery Queen episode "The Sinister Scenario," is absolutely brilliant, also. Unfortunately, though, it's more glossed over than in those examples, where it supplies the main puzzle.)
The characters are delightful, particularly Karen Morley's gold digging Jenny Wren (and the very pretty Anita Louise is a peach--I think she's my early-'30s movie crush!); Cortez's assistants are also very funny.
The picture is very well-filmed and entertaining--and appropriately eerie, with shadows everywhere. The fog-draped exteriors at the end are wonderful
--and the murderer's demise equally so.
I highly recommend it.