Archive for November, 2011
Sunday, November 27th, 2011
Inspired Lunacy
I had a difficult time compiling my Top 20 Screwball Comedies list. The biggest challenge was where to put Bringing Up Baby (1938). In the end, I gave it the number two spot, right behind Duck Soup (1933). Andrew Sarris referred to Bringing Up Baby as the screwiest of the screwball comedies. In an article [...]
No Comments » - Posted in Cable and DVD by DavidE
Sunday, November 27th, 2011
You’ve Got Comedy
Some stories are so good, they’re worth telling over and over again. Take, for example, The Shop Around the Corner (1940), Ernst Lubitsch’s romantic comedy starring Margaret Sullavan and James Stewart. It was remade in 1949 as In the Good Old Summertime, with Judy Garland and Van Johnson. In 1963, it was converted into a [...]
No Comments » - Posted in Cable and DVD by DavidE
Sunday, November 27th, 2011
The Forgotten Man
While the screwball comedy is a byproduct of the Great Depression, not every screwball comedy reflects the era head-on. My Man Godfrey (1936) is both a spoof of — and a commentary on — the financial inequities at the time. The movie-going public was well aware the Depression was hitting the poor much harder than [...]
No Comments » - Posted in Cable and DVD by DavidE
Sunday, November 27th, 2011
Give ‘em the Dickens
The novels of Charles Dickens should be ripe for film adaptation. The plucky heroes, sentimental plots, and rich background characters would be instantly recognizable if translated to the screen properly. That’s the problem. What film could possibly live up to the novels, which often run a thousand pages or more? (Dickens was usually paid according [...]
No Comments » - Posted in Cable and DVD by DavidE
Sunday, November 27th, 2011
Born on the 4th of July
Many people are surprised that James Cagney’s only Oscar was for his role in Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942). One reason is that the Academy doesn’t tend to reward performances in genre films, such as gangster, adventure, or science fiction films. It also doesn’t tend to reward performances in musicals, though Yankee Doodle Dandy was an [...]
No Comments » - Posted in Cable and DVD by DavidE
Sunday, November 27th, 2011
A Bit Cold Around the Heart
It’s interesting to note that the two best film noirs of the 1940s — Double Indemnity (1944) and Out of the Past (1947) — also have the two best femme fatales (Barbara Stanwyck and Jane Greer). Which one is the deadliest? If both were in the room, I would say keep your eye out for [...]
No Comments » - Posted in Cable and DVD by DavidE
Sunday, November 13th, 2011
Strength in Unity
The second film in John Ford’s cavalry trilogy, She Wore a Yellow Ribbon (1949) is best viewed as a companion piece to Fort Apache (1948). Where in Fort Apache, ritual and duty are questioned and even challenged, She Wore a Yellow Ribbon affirms ritual and duty as both necessary and honorable. As a result, Captain [...]
No Comments » - Posted in Cable and DVD by DavidE
Sunday, November 13th, 2011
Individuals, Not Stereotypes
In the 1930s, just about everyone went to the movies. That didn’t mean every movie was targeted to the widest possible audience. In fact, many films were aimed at mature audiences seeking intelligent and restrained drama. Few films, however, dealt with the complexities of middle age and the day-to-day difficulties of maintaining a marriage. Dodsworth [...]
No Comments » - Posted in Cable and DVD by DavidE
Sunday, November 13th, 2011
Deep-Dish Movie
Many comedies include dramatic elements that tag along for the ride, just as many dramas provide comic relief to sweeten an otherwise hard-to-swallow message. Yet only a few films blend comedy and drama as effortlessly as Sullivan’s Travels (1941). Preston Sturges, the film’s writer and director, was the best comedy writer of the 1940s. He [...]
No Comments » - Posted in Cable and DVD by DavidE
Sunday, November 13th, 2011
No Man’s Land
Though the two films are worlds part, Paths of Glory (1957) has a lot in common with Dr. Strangelove (1964). Both were directed by Stanley Kubrick, both are hard-hitting anti-war films, and both attack the folly of those who send others off to die. Yet Paths of Glory is the stronger anti-war film. Where Strangelove [...]