Under Two Flags (1936)
“Seeing a lady like that makes a fellow feel sort of… homesick, doesn’t it, sir?”
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Night Must Fall (1937)
“You want adventure, don’t you? And it’s here — here in this house.”
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Green Pastures, The (1936)
“In my own image, let there be man.”
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TCM’s article also points out criticism of the movie by black film historian Donald Bogle, who notes that it “rests on a cruel assumption: that nothing could be more ludicrous than transporting the lowly language and folkways of the early twentieth-century Negro back to the high stately world before the flood.” With that said, it’s refreshing to see a rare mainstream 1930s movie centering black individuals’ lives, experiences, dreams, and fears; it’s too bad the film’s trailer was literally dominated by white actor Dick Powell (though at least this gives crucial historical context to the film’s release and reception). Redeeming Qualities and Moments:
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Treasure Island (1934)
“We’ll always be mates, won’t we?”
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One Night of Love (1934)
“You must work, work, and work.”
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The resulting film is a fairly standard “I wanna be a star and will do whatever it takes!” romantic musical melodrama, with the twist that Carminati — having recently ended an affair with an untalented but wealthy ingenue (Mona Barrie) — sets strict “work only” guidelines despite Moore living with him. Will Carminati and Moore fall for one another, even though he works her like a dog and doesn’t appear to have much charisma? I’ll leave that to you to find out. Moore’s musical numbers are a treat, so at least this is a good opportunity to see and hear her in action. Note: It’s especially touching and timely to see the impromptu balcony concert taking place during the beginning of the film, as Italians join together across apartments to make collective community music. Redeeming Qualities and Moments:
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King Steps Out, The (1936)
“I’ll look you in the eye later; I’m too busy now.”
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I can’t say I blame him. Redeeming Qualities and Moments:
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Tale of Two Cities, A (1935)
“There is a sickness these days which labels itself humanitarianism.”
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… and notes that another highlight is “Blanche Yurka steal[ing] the film as the vengeful revolutionary Madame Defarge”:
… who engages in a “wrestling match with Miss Pross (Edna May Oliver).”
Having never read this particular novel by Dickens, I found it a bit challenging to dive into the complex tale and care about the characters — but as soon as Colman entered the scene, I was more engaged: it actually took me a moment to recognize him, given how deeply immersed he is in his performance as “a crooked, heavy-drinking, politically apathetic English lawyer”:
… who undergoes a significant change of heart. His role, as well as the fine cinematography and period sets, make this worth a look by those who are curious, but it’s not must-see for all film fanatics. Redeeming Qualities and Moments:
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Theatre of Blood (1973)
“They’re not going to start killing critics for giving bad notices, are they?”
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Oblong Box, The (1969)
“Tell me — what really did happen in Africa?”
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Review: Note: Price and Lee appear together on-screen near the end, but only for a brief moment, and they don’t exchange dialogue. Redeeming Qualities and Moments:
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Masque of the Red Death, The (1964)
“Famine, pestilence, war, disease, and death — they rule this world.”
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Response to Peary’s Review: SPOILER ALERT “… that the denouement will contain the standard triumph of good over evil, but this is not the case” — rather, “the Death that claims victims does not choose according to whether one believes in God or Satan”. He argues that the “film is in its way as philosophic as Bergman’s picture; Corman’s characters are as hopelessly confused and terrified, because the God in whom they had faith abandoned them”. He points out that this movie, “filmed in England, in Technicolor” is “the most handsome of Corman’s films”, with “the set design by Daniel Haller and photography by Nicholas Roeg” “exceptional”. I chose to (re)-watch The Masque of the Red Death as part of my ongoing revisit of all the Poe-inspired films made by Roger Corman, not quite realizing exactly how timely this tale would feel during our COVID-19 pandemic. This film about an evil nobleman and his willing compatriots denying refuge to plaintive villagers provides a potent cautionary tale about the need to continuously support one another through the hardest of times, across all boundaries: social, economic, racial, and religious. The “Red Death” can come at any time, to anyone, and no amount of denial or cruelty can stop its path. Viewers should be prepared for some surprisingly disturbing scenes — such as Price nastily ordering his guests to act like beasts (“How like a worm you are. Be one.”); Magee openly leering at a young woman (Greenlaw) who looks like a girl (and was actually performed by a child); Court orgiastically bonding herself to the devil through self-branding an upside-down cross onto her bosom; and Price voicing countless creepy lines (“The way is not easy, I know, but I will take you by the hand and lead you through the cruel light into the velvet darkness.”) Redeeming Qualities and Moments:
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