The Usual Choices
It Happened One Night (Frank Capra)
It's a Gift (Norman Z. McLeod)
The Scarlet Empress (Joesf von Sternberg)
The Thin Man (W.S. Van Dyke)
Twentieth Century (Howard Hawks)
But how about...
The Lost Patrol (John Ford)
My favourite "lost-in-the-desert" movie. While not a French Foreign Legion film (it's about a WWI British patrol in the Mesopotamia), it might as well be: oceans of dunes; being driven mad by thirst; fortuitously coming across an oasis; a clump of date palms just growing out of nowhere; mizmars fluting away on the soundtrack; accursed Arabs attacking mercilessly in a very non-gentlemanly way; an abandoned fort. Boasting some tense action scenes and a classic performance (by Boris Karloff as a religious zealot, proving that he could be more than just a monster), the film is an early John Ford exploration of sacrifice, duty and courage.
...and what about...
The Man Who Reclaimed His Head (Edward Ludwig)
The absolute definition of the term "lost treasure", this film is crying out to be rediscovered and acclaimed for the work of cinematic art which it is. An anti-war film (specifically: anti-profiteering from war...great target, huh?) it starts with a man (Claude Rains - his greatest performance) walking through the streets of a French town while it's being aerial-bombed, carrying his daughter in one arm and a rather heavy satchel under the other. Finding refuge, he tells his story - lies, betrayal, greed, courage, principles, violence, revenge - all the while, building up to what is contained in the bag. Totally engrossing and a lesson in morality which is relevant to us now, then and forever.
...not to mention...
Our Daily Bread (King Vidor)
...and one personal unmentionable...
The Man Who Knew Too Much (Alfred Hitchcock)
Judging by the 1956 remake, Hitch knew that he hadn't nailed the story right the first time. Keeping the germ of the original (kid gets kidnapped by spies in order to silence the parents), Hitch went out of his way to alter major features (teenage girl > pre-teen boy; starts in the snow > starts in the Middle East; amusing scuffle with a dentist > amusing scuffle with a taxidermist etc). To be fair, this original would be okay if the remake hadn't turned out to be superior in every way. And Peter Lorre, in his first English-language role, merely serves the material rather than contributing to it. To use the ultimate insult for an Alfred Hitchcock film: it is bland.
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| "I love this recliner, but I can never find where I've put the bloody remote." |
#01 A+ It Happened One Night (Capra)
#02 A The Man Who Reclaimed His Head (Ludwig)
#03 A The Lost Patrol (Ford)
#04 A- It's a Gift (McLeod)
#05 A- The Thin Man (Van Dyke)
#06 A- Twentieth Century (Hawks)
#07 A- The Scarlet Empress (von Sternberg)
#08 A- The Count of Monte Cristo (Lee)
#09 A- Viva Villa! (Conway)
#10 A- Mystery of Mr X (Selwyn)
Overflow: More A-/B+ Films
#11 B+ The Affairs of Cellini (La Cava)
#12 B+ I've Got Your Number (Enright)
#13 B+ The Barretts of Wimpole Street (Franklin)
#14 B+ Little Man, What Now? (Borzage)
#15 B+ The Scarlet Pimpernel (Young)
#16 B+ Tarzan and His Mate (Gibbons)
#17 B+ Manhattan Melodrama (Van Dyke)
#18 B+ Our Daily Bread (Vidor)
#19 B+ One More River (Whale)
#20 B+ Dames (Berkeley)
#21 B+ The Black Cat (Ulmer)
#22 B+ Gambling Lady (Mayo)
#23 B+ The Old-Fashioned Way (Beaudine)
Sorry, They Didn't Make It...
> B The Gay Divorcee [it's a Fred & Ginger musical]
> B Imitation of Life [my...it's warm in here, isn't it...]
> B The Girl from Missouri [Jean Harlow on the prowl for a rich husband, but she wants to do it virtuously...drats]
> B Thirty Day Princess [nice little rom-com that is just a little too frothy & light]
> B The Richest Girl in the World [poor little rich girl looking for true love in a convoluted way]
> B Crime Without Passion [shame about the Arty flourishes at the start and finish]
> B Cleopatra [lopsided: Claudette is charismatic as Cleo, but Julius and Mark are played by dullards]
> B Hide-Out [another one of those romantic comedies where a city slicker tries to milk a cow]
> B The House of Rothschild [means to be anti-anti-semitic, but comes across as pro-pro-greed]
> B Fog Over Frisco [breathlessly-paced crime-mystery with comedic touches and Bette Davis in bad girl mode]
> B- The Man With Two Faces [a murder melodrama that probably worked better as a stage play]
> B- Bright Eyes [it's a Shirley Temple movie]
> B- Little Miss Marker [it's a Shirley Temple movie too]
> B- Chained [Joan the Other Woman meets Clark the Hunk. Object: y'know]
> B- Forsaking All Others [a screwball comedy which lacks screwball comedians]
> B- Of Human Bondage [what a pity that Bette has to work with other actors]
> B- Jimmy the Gent [typical Jimmy Cagney role which, for some reason, is atypically irritating]
> B- Kansas City Princess [WB gold-digger comedy that has more silliness than charm]
> B- Now and Forever [mix of comedy & drama which even Cooper, Lombard & Temple can't make palatable]
> B- Charlie Chan in London [creaky but acceptable murder plot with no humour & no #1 Son]
> B- The Man Who Knew Too Much [A Personal Unmentionable]
> C Death Takes a Holiday [a classic example of a period piece which truly sucks now]
> C Babes in Toyland [Health Warning: it's a costume operetta]
> C Evelyn Prentice [a serious Nick & Nora team-up with no sleuthing but a whole pile of soap instead]
"Ah!..Sweet Mystery of Life...": 1934 Films I Apparently Still Need to See
British Agent (Curtiz); Broadway Bill (Capra); The Captain Hates the Sea (Milestone); Fashions of 1934 (Dieterle); Four Frightened People (De Mille); Gallant Lady (La Cava); Heat Lightning (LeRoy); Hi, Nellie! (LeRoy); Judge Priest (Ford); The Key (Curtiz); Lady By Choice (Burton); The Little Minister (Wallace); Little Miss Marker (Hall); Lorna Doone (Dean); Murder at the Vanities (Leisen); Murder in the Private Car (Beaumont); Murder On the Blackboard (Archainbaud); Nell Gwyn (Wilcox); No Greater Glory (Borzage); Now and Forever (Hathaway); Riptide (Goulding); Treasure Island (Fleming); Upperworld (Del Ruth); Wonder Bar (Bacon); The World Moves On (Ford)
Best Performances of 1934
Claudette Colbert in It Happened One Night
Bette Davis in Of Human Bondage
W.C. Fields in It's a Gift
Charles Laughton in The Barretts of Wimpole Street
Clark Gable in It Happened One Night
Myrna Loy in The Thin Man
William Powell in The Thin Man
Norma Shearer in The Barretts of Wimpole Street
But how about...
Margaret Sullavan in Little Man, What Now?
Everything I've read about Margaret Sullavan discusses how volatile she was (prone to temperamental blowups; blunt-talking to the point of being offensive; even able to put Louis B. Mayer on the backfoot!) Her eventual death from a drug overdose after years of mental instability fullstops her troubled life. And yet, onscreen, she has a lightness / vulnerability that is seemingly organic. While this was best presented in her romantic comedies, in a drama such as LM,WN?, these qualities are still apparent. Margaret brings out a need in us to protect her. We care from her first half-smile and soft-spoken sentence. You can't merely act that.
...and what about...
John Barrymore in Twentieth Century
The Great Profile was always at his best on film when doing comedy - his dramatic roles encouraged his tendency towards Ham to come to the fore (exception: Counsellor at Law 1933). TC was the closest John Barrymore got to pure screwball and he lapped it up, showing a flair for the absurd which would give even Groucho a run for his money. As the unscrupulous impresario Oscar Jaffe, John pours his creative energies into the manipulation of his rags-to-riches prodigy (Carole Lombard) so she will agree to star in his latest play. Unabashedly silly, the movie rides on John's coat-tails all the way through one scheme after another; it's a comic masterclass, and you can't tell me that Carole didn't learn from it. Ting-aling-aling-aling.
...not to mention...
Maureen O'Sullivan in The Barretts of Wimpole Street
Usually dismissed as a lightweight, Maureen showed them all with this dynamite performance. Pitched against three giants of the silver screen, she promptly wipes the floor with them (Fredric March is too mushy; Norma Shearer is too floral; Charles Laughton is too much). Maureen presents a strength that I'm not entirely sure was in her character as written - and becomes the eye of the family storm as a result. Even when she momentarily succumbs to her father's emotional brutality, Maureen quickly revives her will to the point of vengeance. And she does all this while looking so, so pretty.
...and one personal unmentionable...
James Cagney in Jimmy the Gent
The word most commonly used to describe Jimmy Cagney's usual persona is "cocky". This unfortunately pushes him close to other descriptions such as "arrogant", "egotistical" and "smart-arse". In JtG, Cagney tumbles over the edge and into these offputting characteristics. I especially dislike the way he slaps, kicks and punches loyal Allen Jenkins (the guy who did the voice of Officer Dibble in Top Cat). I mean...this guy is supposed to be Jimmy's friend! And I'd much rather see Jimmy push a grapefruit into a woman's face than have him belittle and threaten her the way he does to Bette. And I hate his haircut.
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| "Yes, but...how do you get your head down that far?" |
#01 Claude Rains in The Man Who Reclaimed His Head
#03 John Barrymore in Twentieth Century
#04 Fred Astaire & Ginger Rogers in The Gay Divorcee
#05 William Powell & Myrna Loy in The Thin Man
#06 Bette Davis in Of Human Bondage
#07 Boris Karloff in The Lost Patrol
#08 Maureen O'Sullivan in The Barretts of Wimpole Street
#09 Frank Morgan in The Affairs of Cellini
#10 W.C. Fields in It's a Gift
Overflow: More List-Worthy Performances
#11 Pat O'Brien in I've Got Your Number
#12 George Arliss in The House of Rothschild
#13 Sam Jaffe in The Scarlet Empress
#14 Mickey Rooney in Hide-Out
#15 Margaret Sullavan in Little Man, What Now?
#16 Louise Beaver in Imitation of Life
#17 Claudette Colbert in It Happened One Night
#18 Sylvia Sidney in Thirty Day Princess
#19 Walter Connolly in It Happened One Night
#20 Fay Wray in The Affairs of Cellini
#21 Mrs Patrick Campbell in One More River
#22 Jean Harlow in The Girl from Missouri
#23 Raymond Massey in The Count of Monte Cristo
#24 Barbara Stanwyck in Gambling Lady
#25 Robert Montgomery in Mystery of Mr X
Sorry, They Didn't Make It...
> Wallace Beery in Viva Villa! [Wally always gives me a pain]
> Norma Shearer in The Barretts of Wimpole Street [Norma always gives me a pain]
> Carole Lombard in Twentieth Century [obviously still discovering what she is capable of comically]
> Leslie Howard in The Scarlet Pimpernel [makes a far better fop than an action hero]
> Robert Donat in The Count of Monte Cristo [makes a far better convict than a ruthless avenger]
> Marlene Dietrich in The Scarlet Empress [she's just another component in the expressionist art design]
> Charles Laughton in The Barretts of Wimpole Street [a constipated walrus with unnatural feelings]
And so...onto the annual awards (with a nod of appreciation to Danny Peary)...
The Alternate Oscars for 1934 are:
FILM of the YEAR
GOLD: It Happened One Night (Frank Capra)
SILVER: The Man Who Reclaimed His Head (Edward Ludwig)
BRONZE: The Lost Patrol (John Ford)
LEAD ACTOR: PERFORMANCE of the YEAR
GOLD: Claude Rains (The Man Who Reclaimed His Head)
SILVER: Clark Gable (It Happened One Night)
BRONZE: John Barrymore (Twentieth Century)
LEAD ACTRESS: PERFORMANCE of the YEAR
GOLD: Bette Davis (Of Human Bondage)
SILVER: Margaret Sullavan (Little Man, What Now?)
BRONZE: Claudette Colbert (It Happened One Night)
SUPPORTING ACTOR: PERFORMANCE of the YEAR
GOLD: Boris Karloff (The Lost Patrol)
SILVER: Frank Morgan (The Affairs of Cellini)
BRONZE: Sam Jaffe (The Scarlet Empress)
SUPPORTING ACTRESS: PERFORMANCE of the YEAR
GOLD: Maureen O'Sullivan (The Barretts of Wimpole Street)
SILVER: Louise Beaver (Imitation of Life)
BRONZE: Fay Wray (The Affairs of Cellini)
ENSEMBLE or PARTNERSHIP: PERFORMANCE of the YEAR
GOLD: Fred Astaire & Ginger Rogers (The Gay Divorcee)
SILVER: William Powell & Myrna Loy (The Thin Man)
BRONZE: Joan Blondell & Glenda Farrell (Kansas City Princess)
JUVENILE: PERFORMANCE of the YEAR
GOLD: Shirley Temple (Bright Eyes)
SILVER: Mickey Rooney (Hide-Out)
BRONZE: Shirley Temple (Little Miss Marker)
The Alternate Razzies for 1934 are:
CRAP FILM of the YEAR
Death Takes a Holiday (Mitchell Leisen)
CRAP MALE PERFORMANCE of the YEAR
Charles Laughton (The Barretts of Wimpole Street)
CRAP FEMALE PERFORMANCE of the YEAR
Mary Astor (The Man With Two Faces)
The Special Awards for 1934 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]
> W.S. Van Dyke
CAN YOU SPOT?...BEST CAMEO or FLEETING APPEARANCE of 1934
> That's Frank Capra as a singer on the bus in It Happened One Night
NEAR-MISS CASTING of 1934: LUCKILY FOR US...
> Miriam Hopkins missed out on the Claudette Colbert role in It Happened One Night
NEAR-MISS CASTING of 1934: UNLUCKILY FOR US...
> Marion Davies missed out on the Norma Shearer role in The Barretts of Wimpole Street
BLOCKBUSTER!: TOP 3 HIGHEST-GROSSING MOVIES of 1934
> $$$ The Merry Widow distributed by MGM
> $$ The Barretts of Wimpole Street distributed by MGM
> $ Treasure Island distributed by MGM
THE BEST OSCAR DECISION OF 1934
> It Happened One Night won the Grand Slam (Picture/Director/Actress/Actor)
THE WORST OSCAR DECISION OF 1934
> Bette Davis in Of Human Bondage was an unofficial write-in nomination for Best Actress and therefore wasn't considered a serious contender
BEST DID-YOU-KNOW TRIVIA of 1934
> The African elephants which appear in Tarzan and His Mate are actually Indian elephants with fake tusks and false larger ears.
MOST INTERESTING BEHIND-THE-SCENES / BACKSTORY of 1934
> On the 22nd of July 1934, notorious gangster John Dillinger went to see Manhattan Melodrama which was showing at his local cinema (The Biograph in Chicago). When the film ended, Dillinger walked outside and was promptly set upon by a group of federal agents. A gunfight ensued and the criminal was shot dead. He was betrayed and set-up by a brothel-owner who became famous as The Woman in Red. For more information, go HERE.
BEST ONE-LINER of 1934
> "He won't kill himself; it would please too many people."
Walter Connolly as Oliver Webb in Twentieth Century
FADE OUT / SCENE ENDS: GOODBYE & THANKS...
> MARIE DRESSLER (1868-1934) ACTOR First Film 1914 / Final Film 1933
[Personal Fave Performance: Min and Bill (1930)]
> LILYAN TASHMAN (1896-1934) ACTOR First Film 1914 / Final Film 1934
[Personal Fave Performance: Girls About Town (1931)]
