The Usual Choices
Freaks (Tod Browning)
Grand Hotel (Edmund Goulding)
I am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang (Mervyn LeRoy)
Scarface (Howard Hawks)
Trouble in Paradise (Ernst Lubitsch)
But how about...
Island of Lost Souls (Erle C. Kenton)
I love mad scientists; I love it when mere mortals tamper with Nature's laws; I love it when the creations go out of control and righteously destroy their creator; I love the hysterical screams, the intellectual passion, the "playing God" motif, the genius = insanity & the common man = common sense. IoLS is the grandson (Frankenstein being the grandfather, natch) of such scientific melodrama, and has never been surpassed. Taken from the H.G. Wells 1896 novel "The Island of Dr Moreau", it has been remade twice, grander, slicker, and crappier. Charles Laughton cracking a whip and Bela Lugosi as a manimal? It just can't get any better than that. (P.S. The film is sorry about Devo.)
...and what about...
The Most Dangerous Game (Merian C. Cooper & Ernest B. Schoedsack)
How many times has this story idea been used?: Experienced and bored hunter decides to hunt the ultimate game - Man. Without much head-scratching, I can think of episodes of Star Trek, Get Smart, Criminal Minds, Lost in Space and Gilligan's Island. (Hey! It was on in the background while I was doing the dishes, okay?) Spider-Man's Kraven the Hunter is a clone. The Hunger Games is a direct descendant. The game of Paintball was inspired by it. Hell, even the appalling Zodiac serial killer references it in his letters to the police. This nifty little thriller of a movie was the very first to use Richard Connell's 1924 short story "The Hounds of Zaroff". Turned out that this was just a warm-up. Afterwards, the production crew stayed around to make next year's King Kong.
...not to mention...
The Old Dark House (James Whale)
A virtual blueprint for all subsequent creepy-old-house movies: constant howling wind; shutters and curtains which slap and flap; two-or-more storeys with big staircases; lights go out so the big open fire creates big open shadows; a family secret in the upstairs room; alcohol; servants; food. This one is a hoot, with comedic passages and interesting characters who have since become cliches. Boris Karloff wordlessly portrays a sexually-driven drunkard and stands out as the only actor who doesn't even attempt a comic touch or hammy flourish.
Absolutely great fun. The Femms...definitely a party family.
...and one personal unmentionable...
Love Me Tonight (Rouben Mamoulian) & One Hour With You (George Cukor / Ernst Lubitsch)
Confession time again: I haven't seen either of these films all the way through, and it is highly unlikely that I ever will. I know that LMT has been called one of the greatest musicals of all time, and that OHWY was nominated for an Oscar as Best Picture. Why all the negative vibes then, you may ask? Maurice Chevalier + Jeanette MacDonald: can't stomach either of them. Maurice exhibits everything about the stereotypical Frenchman which irks me (smug; talk-singing; sleaze-obsessed; faux-superior; supports nuclear-testing in the Pacific; and scuppered the Rainbow Warrior) and Jeanette warbles pop-opera (a music I can't abide) in a voice that sounds like a castrato-canary. I tried; I gave up. I regret nothing.
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| The employees' entrance at McDonalds |
My Top 10 Films of 1932
#01 A Shanghai Express (von Sternberg)
#02 A I am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang (LeRoy)
#03 A Island of Lost Souls (Kenton)
#04 A The Old Dark House (Whale)
#05 A- Red Dust (Fleming)
#06 A- Two Seconds (LeRoy)
#07 A- Murders in the Rue Morgue (Florey)
#08 A- Scarface (Hawks)
#09 A- Trouble in Paradise (Lubitsch)
#10 A- The Mouthpiece (Flood; Nugent)
Overflow: More A-/B+ Films
#11 A- American Madness (Capra)
#12 A- The Most Dangerous Game (Cooper; Schoedsack)
#13 A- Three On a Match (LeRoy)
#14 A- Blessed Event (Del Ruth)
#15 A- The Mummy (Freund)
#16 B+ What Price Hollywood? (Cukor)
#17 B+ The Greeks Had a Word For Them / Three Broadway Girls (Sherman)
#18 B+ Freaks (Browning)
#19 B+ Horse Feathers (McLeod)
#20 B+ One Way Passage (Garnett)
#21 B+ The Hatchet Man (Wellman)
#22 B+ 20,000 Years in Sing Sing (Curtiz)
#23 B+ Rome Express (Forde)
#24 B+ High Pressure (LeRoy)
#25 B+ Virtue (Buzzell)
#26 B+ The Beast of the City (Brabin)
Sorry, They Didn't Make It...
> B Jewel Robbery [dated style which I need to work at to appreciate, but who can be bothered?]
> B Grand Hotel [Greta & Wallace are awful; stories are too stodgy; far outshone by Dinner at Eight]
> B Forbidden [supremely silly soapie about self-sacrifice & suffering, but Stanwyck shines again]
> B Taxi! [too formulaic with too many unintentional laughs]
> B Back Street [racy but moving love affair melodrama that isn't so racy in 2017...but is still fairly moving]
> B State's Attorney [John Barrymore as an alcoholic lawyer who seeks his soul and outacts the rest of the cast]
> B The Crowd Roars [prehistoric car-racing drama boosted by Cagney and some good crashes]
> B Thirteen Women [a 1932 version of a psychological serial killer movie. RIP Peg]
> B- Night Court [Walter Huston as a corrupt judge who has thrown away his soul and outacts the rest of the cast]
> B- Rain [as soon as I saw that cigarette jutting obtusely out of Joan's mouth, I knew I wasn't going to enjoy this]
> B- Tiger Shark [Eddie G as a Portuguese (or is it Swedish?) fisherman with a hook-arm and an earring, by jeh-vil]
> B- Three Wise Girls [Married Men: can't live with them, can't live without them, may as well drink poison]
> B- The Mask of Fu Manchu [truly stupid, racially offensive and uncontrollably amusing]
> B- Lawyer Man [a lawyer film where you don't see the lawyer do any lawyer stuff]
> B- A Passport to Hell [aka Scarlet Woman Drives Men Wild With Desire, Then Ruins Them]
> C The Sign of the Cross [a couple of memorable scenes separated by miles of o-so-serious dribble]
> D Emma [enough milk of human kindness to open a chain of dairies]
"Ah!..Sweet Mystery of Life...": 1932 Films I Apparently Still Need to See
Arsene Lupin (Conway); Big City Blues (LeRoy); Blonde Venus (von Sternberg); Cynara (Vidor); Doctor X (Curtiz); Downstairs (Bell); A Farewell to Arms (Borzage); Flesh (Ford); Guilty as Hell (Kenton); The Half-Naked Truth (LaCava); Hell's Highway (Brown); If I Had a Million (Lubitsch et. al.); The Kid from Spain (McCarey); Lady With a Past (Griffith); Law and Order (Cahn); The Lost Squadron (Archainbaud); Madame Racketeer (Gribble; Hall); Me and My Gal (Walsh); Merrily We Go to Hell (Arzner); Million Dollar Legs (Cline); Movie Crazy (Bruckman); Once in a Lifetime (Mack); Payment Deferred (Mendes); The Penguin Pool Murder (Archainbaud); The Phantom of Crestwood (Ruben); The Phantom President (Taurog); The Purchase Price (Wellman); Rasputin and the Empress (Boleslavsky); Red-Headed Woman (Conway); Silver Dollar (Green); Skyscraper Souls (Selwyn); So Big (Wellman); Strange Interlude (Leonard); The Wet Parade (Fleming); White Zombie (Halperin); Winner Take All (Del Ruth)
Best Performances of 1932
Marie Dressler in Emma
Kay Francis in Trouble in Paradise
Greta Garbo in Grand Hotel
Miriam Hopkins in Trouble in Paradise
Herbert Marshall in Trouble in Paradise
Paul Muni in I am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang
Paul Muni in Scarface
But how about...
Walter Huston in American Madness
There is something about Walter that you just trust. No-nonsense, ethical without being stuffy, a corporate American who isn't just in it for himself: a fantasy figure. Long before the admirable Dodsworth, Walter in AM plays the banker as hero (doesn't that sound silly now?) and put-upon victim (even sillier?). While Frank Capra lays it on a bit thick in this movie (even in 1932, would any banker hire an ex-crim as Chief Teller, even if it was Pat O'Brien?), Walter sticks his chin out and deftly wades through the melodrama. Rewarded by friends coming to his aid (a banker who generates loyalty...too silly), Walter is both a powerful boss and an ordinary worker. Not many actors could make that potential hypocrisy believable.
...and what about...
Marlene Dietrich in Shanghai Express
Don't you want this woman? I'm not even talking about anything particularly carnal (although I'm sure that would be grand - she could arouse a corpse); just to gaze upon and listen to and breathe in her smoke, enthralled by her sheer presence. Her hushed speech and conversational eyes hypnotize everything which has a pulse. I know she is "bad" and "experienced" and "morally questionable", but I swear it's just a passing phase. Deep down, under those feathers and veils and lacy bits, Marlene wants to have and raise children, wear an apron and cook meatloaf, attend Neighbourhood Watch meetings and be the nominated driver after every party. Doncha think so, fellas?
...not to mention...
Joan Crawford in Grand Hotel
Never much of a Joan fan (I never saw the talent; only the determination), this performance is the only one of hers which ever impressed me (oh...okay...maybe 1931's Dance, Fools, Dance and 1949's Flamingo Road as well). I know that she is supposed to be a girl-of-easy-virtue in this movie, but that just never seems to come across to me. I see sweetness and charm, a young lady who is starting out in life after a tough childhood, and is seeking true love and someone who can help her discover her potential. Am I reading too much into it? Yeah, probably, but for Joan Crawford to bring out the gallantry in me, there must be some real acting going on. An upwards blip in an otherwise merely competent career.
...and one personal unmentionable...
Greta Garbo in Grand Hotel
Without a doubt, Garbo is the single most overrated actress in the entire history of Hollywood. Ever seen the original photo of Louis B Mayer's discovery? - all picket-fence teeth, a forest of hair and the clothing sense of a squatter. After some makeover magic...a GREAT DRAMATIC ACTRESS was born. All heavy-lidded eyes and tilted face, her silent films were entirely era-appropriate. Then she spoke...the Swedish Sphinx told us not to be stingy baby, and was lauded even more. In GH, she hammed it up so much that even John Barrymore was forced to underplay. Pouting, pursing and pained, Garbo's version of a ballet diva needs to be told to bugger off rather than mollycoddled just because she is a weary Artist. "I vant to be alone": your vish is my command.
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| Charlie Laughton often overrated his performances. |
My 10 Favourite Performances of 1932
#01 Herbert Marshall & Miriam Hopkins & Kay Francis (Trouble in Paradise)
#02 Constance Bennett (What Price Hollywood?)
#03 Paul Muni (I am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang)
#04 Edward G. Robinson (Two Seconds)
#05 Walter Huston (American Madness)
#06 Lee Tracy (Blessed Event)
#08 Ina Claire & Joan Blondell & Madge Evans (The Greeks Had a Word For Them / Three Broadway Girls)
#09 Marlene Dietrich (Shanghai Express)
#10 Aline MacMahon (One Way Passage)
Overflow: More List-Worthy Performances
#11 John Barrymore (State's Attorney)
#12 William Powell (High Pressure)
#13 Joan Crawford (Grand Hotel)
#14 Ann Dvorak (Three On a Match)
#15 Eva Moore (The Old Dark House)
#16 Barbara Stanwyck (Forbidden)
#17 Ruth Donnelly (Blessed Event)
#18 Paul Muni (Scarface)
#19 Carole Lombard (Virtue)
#20 William Powell (One Way Passage)
#21 Anna May Wong (Shanghai Express)
#22 Ernest Thesiger (The Old Dark House)
#23 Irene Dunne (Back Street)
Sorry, They Didn't Make It...
> Marie Dressler in Emma [heart-warming...enough already]
> The Marx Brothers in Horse Feathers [Zeppo]
And so...onto the annual awards (with a nod of appreciation to Danny Peary)...
The Alternate Oscars for 1932 are:
FILM of the YEAR
GOLD: Shanghai Express (Josef von Sternberg)
SILVER: I am a Fugitive From a Chain Gang (Mervyn LeRoy)
BRONZE: Island of Lost Souls (Erle C. Kenton)
LEAD ACTOR: PERFORMANCE of the YEAR
GOLD: Paul Muni (I am a Fugitive From a Chain Gang)
SILVER: Edward G. Robinson (Two Seconds)
BRONZE: Walter Huston (American Madness)
LEAD ACTRESS: PERFORMANCE of the YEAR
GOLD: Constance Bennett (What Price Hollywood?)
SILVER: Marlene Dietrich (Shanghai Express)
BRONZE: Ann Dvorak (Three on a Match)
SUPPORTING ACTOR: PERFORMANCE of the YEAR
GOLD: Lionel Barrymore (Grand Hotel)
SILVER: Ernest Thesiger (The Old Dark House)
BRONZE: Charles Laughton (The Old Dark House)
SUPPORTING ACTRESS: PERFORMANCE of the YEAR
GOLD: Aline MacMahon (One Way Passage)
SILVER: Eva Moore (The Old Dark House)
BRONZE: Joan Crawford (Grand Hotel)
ENSEMBLE or PARTNERSHIP: PERFORMANCE of the YEAR
GOLD: Herbert Marshall & Miriam Hopkins & Kay Francis (Trouble in Paradise)
SILVER: Ina Claire & Joan Blondell & Madge Evans (The Greeks Had a Word For Them / Three Broadway Girls)
BRONZE: Clark Gable & Jean Harlow (Red Dust)
JUVENILE: PERFORMANCE of the YEAR
GOLD: Our Gang / The Little Rascals (various shorts)
SILVER: TBA
BRONZE: TBA
The Alternate Razzies for 1932 are:
CRAP FILM of the YEAR
Emma (Clarence Brown)
CRAP MALE PERFORMANCE of the YEAR
Wallace Beery (Grand Hotel)
CRAP FEMALE PERFORMANCE of the YEAR
Greta Garbo (Grand Hotel)
The Special Awards for 1932 are:
DIRECTORS HALL OF FAME: THIS YEAR'S INDUCTEES
[at least three A-List films in their oeuvre; awarded in the year of their greatest film]
> Mervyn LeRoy :: Josef von Sternberg
CAN YOU SPOT?...BEST CAMEO or FLEETING APPEARANCE of 1932
> That's Betty Grable as the Hat Check Girl in The Greeks Had a Name for Them
NEAR-MISS CASTING of 1932: LUCKILY FOR US...
> Greta Garbo missed out on the Jean Harlow role in Red Dust
NEAR-MISS CASTING of 1932: UNLUCKILY FOR US...
> Myrna Loy missed out on the Olga Baclanova role in Freaks
BLOCKBUSTER!: TOP 3 HIGHEST-GROSSING MOVIES of 1932
> $$$ Shanghai Express distributed by Paramount
> $$ The Kid from Spain distributed by United Artists
> $ Grand Hotel distributed by MGM
THE BEST OSCAR DECISION OF 1932 CINEMA
> Shanghai Express won the Best Cinematography Oscar
THE WORST OSCAR DECISION OF 1932 CINEMA
> Not nominating Scarface, Red Dust or Trouble in Paradise for ANYTHING
BEST DID-YOU-KNOW TRIVIA of 1932
> The character of Sir Roderick Femm in The Old Dark House is actually played by a woman (the actress Elspeth Dudgeon, who is listed as John Dudgeon in the credits)
MOST INTERESTING BEHIND-THE-SCENES / BACKSTORY of 1932
> The 1928 murder trial and subsequent execution (by electric chair) of Ruth Snyder has been referenced in quite a number of novels which were later made into movies (Double Indemnity; The Bad Seed; The Postman Always Rings Twice). But none more blatant than 1932's Blessed Event. During the actual execution, a reporter who was permitted to observe the killing (!?!) smuggled in a camera strapped to his ankle. When the executioner's switch was thrown the journalist covertly took a photo and this was published within hours on the front page of the Chicago Tribune.
In Blessed Event, Lee Tracy shows Allen Jenkins a photo of someone in an electric chair. The photo used is that very one of Ruth Snyder.
BEST ONE-LINER of 1932
> "It took more than one man to change my name to Shanghai Lil."
Marlene Dietrich as Shanghai Lily in Shanghai Express
FADE OUT / SCENE ENDS: GOODBYE & THANKS...
> PEG ENTWISTLE (1908-1902) ACTOR
Sadly most famous for her suicidal leap off the 'H' in the HOLLYWOODLAND sign. R.I.P. Peg
