What classics did you see last week, Mar 21 to Mar 27?
Mar 29, 2021 12:15:55 GMT
spiderwort, teleadm, and 4 more like this
Post by marianne48 on Mar 29, 2021 12:15:55 GMT
Broadway to Hollywood (1933)--Clunky, contrived melodrama of a family vaudeville act starring Frank Morgan and Alice Brady. In the same year that the Warner Brothers studio was putting out fast-paced, Busby Berkeley-fueled musicals, and RKO was beginning its series of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers musicals, MGM was still finding its way with this throwback to the early talkies--the few sequences of musical numbers are unremarkable and shot from a distance, as if being viewed from the back of the theater, and the story itself is already hackneyed--the parents' act is overshadowed by the more talented son (although, judging by his lackluster dance routine, that's a stretch). He eventually leaves the act, and tragedy ensues (his eventual disappearance from the story is literally blink-and-you'll-miss-it; it seems to have been partially edited from the print). The grandson left behind becomes
part of his grandparents' vaudeville act, and eventually the same thing happens. The grandson gets into trouble along the way, while the grandparents gradually fade away. Not an enjoyable watch; the film is of interest mainly to old movie fans who get a glimpse of then-current child star Jackie Cooper and future film stars Mickey Rooney, Jimmy Durante, Moe and Curly Howard as clowns before they became 2/3 of the Three Stooges, and Nelson Eddy, who gets to sing about four or five words of a song before the story cuts away to the bickering husband-and-wife team. Not much to enjoy here.
Never Steal Anything Small (1959)--As a James Cagney fan, I was excited to come across this film, about which I'd heard very little. Having seen it, I can guess why. It's as if someone in Hollywood watched On the Waterfront and thought, "Wow, this would make a great musical comedy!" If your idea of a great comedy is watching Shirley Jones and James Cagney narrowly escape serious injury after being splashed with acid, this movie's for you. Otherwise, don't expect anything like Guys and Dolls, West Side Story, or Pocketful of Miracles, because this film isn't fun and it isn't very musical; the three or so musical bits seem inserted into the film as an afterthought. One of Cagney's worst films.
Music Box (1989)--Attorney Jessica Lange learns that her elderly father, Armin Mueller-Stahl, has been accused of being a member of the Hungarian SS during WWII and decides to defend him. Interesting courtroom drama which sometimes stretches credibility--of course there's last-minute evidence, surprise witnesses, and would a defendant's own child be permitted to represent a parent's criminal case in such a way to begin with? Worth watching as a record of how at least some of these accused war crimes defendants were not just the "only-following-orders" pawns they pretended to be.
The Man Who Never Was (1956)--Gripping WWII intrigue, based on a true story, about a plan to fool the Nazis about the Normandy invasion by planting the corpse of a dead man, carrying phony plans about the site of the invasion, where it could be found in order to misdirect defending enemy troops. Clifton Webb, as the commander in charge of the plot, gets to use his suave persona in the role of a
resolute, clever hero instead of the officious, prissy villainous types he usually played. Stephen Boyd is appropriately smarmy as the Irish enemy agent who attempts to undo the plan. A riveting story, with a poignant ending.
part of his grandparents' vaudeville act, and eventually the same thing happens. The grandson gets into trouble along the way, while the grandparents gradually fade away. Not an enjoyable watch; the film is of interest mainly to old movie fans who get a glimpse of then-current child star Jackie Cooper and future film stars Mickey Rooney, Jimmy Durante, Moe and Curly Howard as clowns before they became 2/3 of the Three Stooges, and Nelson Eddy, who gets to sing about four or five words of a song before the story cuts away to the bickering husband-and-wife team. Not much to enjoy here.
Never Steal Anything Small (1959)--As a James Cagney fan, I was excited to come across this film, about which I'd heard very little. Having seen it, I can guess why. It's as if someone in Hollywood watched On the Waterfront and thought, "Wow, this would make a great musical comedy!" If your idea of a great comedy is watching Shirley Jones and James Cagney narrowly escape serious injury after being splashed with acid, this movie's for you. Otherwise, don't expect anything like Guys and Dolls, West Side Story, or Pocketful of Miracles, because this film isn't fun and it isn't very musical; the three or so musical bits seem inserted into the film as an afterthought. One of Cagney's worst films.
Music Box (1989)--Attorney Jessica Lange learns that her elderly father, Armin Mueller-Stahl, has been accused of being a member of the Hungarian SS during WWII and decides to defend him. Interesting courtroom drama which sometimes stretches credibility--of course there's last-minute evidence, surprise witnesses, and would a defendant's own child be permitted to represent a parent's criminal case in such a way to begin with? Worth watching as a record of how at least some of these accused war crimes defendants were not just the "only-following-orders" pawns they pretended to be.
The Man Who Never Was (1956)--Gripping WWII intrigue, based on a true story, about a plan to fool the Nazis about the Normandy invasion by planting the corpse of a dead man, carrying phony plans about the site of the invasion, where it could be found in order to misdirect defending enemy troops. Clifton Webb, as the commander in charge of the plot, gets to use his suave persona in the role of a
resolute, clever hero instead of the officious, prissy villainous types he usually played. Stephen Boyd is appropriately smarmy as the Irish enemy agent who attempts to undo the plan. A riveting story, with a poignant ending.