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dstenhouse
Reviews
Plane Nuts (1933)
Live Act minus Audience equals Flat Performance
This is easily the weakest Three Stooges film I've seen: it is a straightforward filming of their stage act, but it wasn't filmed in front of a live audience. Watching Ted Healy struggle to sell the act to a camera is painful - the lack of audience reaction saps his confidence, and his lack of confidence destroys his timing: the whole film sags as a result. There isn't any canned laughter to ease the tension, either (the Three Stooges never used canned laughter - their films were meant to be shown in a cinema, where you'd be surrounded by a laughing audience). I don't mind the Busby Berkeley-style dance numbers: for me, they're a relief from the ordeal of watching Ted floundering. The Stooges themselves seem more at ease, so this film may have helped influence the Columbia executives toward offering the Three Stooges a contract - without Ted.
L'Inferno (1911)
The world's first (non-Aussie) feature film still packs a punch
When did this film first make its appearance in America? The notes in the DVD say that the film was not widely released until after the First World War, but I've found the following quote in "The Warner Bros. Story" by Clive Hirschhorn, telling what the Warner brothers did after Edison's infamous Trust had "persuaded" them to sell their film exchange business, which would have been in 1911 or 1912, "It was only a matter of months, however, before Sam Warner returned from a trip to New York having bought the rights for a five-reeler called Dante's Inferno based on the famous poem. Sam's idea was to take the film on the road, together with a narrator, who, while the movie unspooled, would read extracts from the original poem. The idea worked. The film opened in Hartford, Connecticut, and, according to Jack Warner, you could hear the cash registers ringing all the way to Ohio. The tour netted them $1,500 which Sam and Jack blew on a crap game in New York." The 2004 DVD release actually follows in Sam's footsteps by having some of the words sung, with music by Tangerine Dream. The music creates a dreamlike atmosphere which helps to overcome the creaky aspects of the film. I feel that an over-the-top, heavily dramatic orchestral soundtrack wouldn't work, as the creakiness would undermine the music. The credits at the start and end of the film were in keeping with those I've seen on other silent movie DVD's, except that they put some fuzzy stills behind them, so I found myself wondering if the entire movie was going to be that indistinct. The film turned out to be in pretty good condition overall, but it did vary a bit, as you'd expect in a film this old. This very important movie is easily worthwhile for any fan of silent film, and it is interesting enough to show to others as well, with the modern soundtrack providing a cushion of familiarity for those who aren't used to silent film. Highly recommended!
The Kid (1921)
Chaplin Plays 'Spot the Easter Egg'
An Easter Egg is a hidden joke or reference in a movie, and Chaplin put one in 'The Kid'. How many of you have seen the movie and wondered why Chaplin put in a title card referring to the doctor as 'The Country Doctor'? The entire movie takes place in a city, so why should the doctor be a country doctor? The answer is this: in 1909 D.W. Griffith made a movie called 'The Country Doctor', and Chaplin was making an ironic comparison between the doctors in the two films! Griffith's film is hard-hitting, unforgettable and a superb piece of cinematic artistry. It's sentimental theme would have appealed to Chaplin, and I'm sure he was right in thinking that his audience in would remember the movie, despite the fact that it was made twelve years earlier: once seen, never forgotten! So there you have Chaplin's Easter Egg in 'The Kid'.
Custer's Last Fight (1912)
Running Time
My copy of this film (a Grapevine VCD) runs for 54 minutes. I agree with the previous reviewer's comments - this is a surprisingly vigorous western, very easy to watch, except for Custer being portrayed as a saintly hero.
Mater dolorosa (1917)
Hard to believe this is French
This is a very serious movie which is driven by the heroine's overdeveloped sense of honor. A moment's candid conversation with her husband would have cleared up the situation instantly, but no - she has to put her marriage in jeopardy by trying to keep an ill-considered promise. There is no sense of fun in this movie, and the fact that no modern person would act as the heroine does keeps the viewer from sympathizing with her. There is one scene late in the movie which is an exception, and for me it points the way to Abel Gance's future greatness. How can I put this without giving anything away? It is the "Where are we going?" scene. If you regard the bulk of the movie as nothing more than a lead-up to that scene it is a successful exercise, but if you are looking for light entertainment, look elsewhere.
Bad Bascomb (1946)
Oh, for a colorized version!
This movie inspired Anthony Mann to make his own western using one of its themes (bad guy hides in/leads wagon train) in 1954, "Bend of the River". He uses the opening scene to pay homage to "Bad Bascomb", by having James Stewart ride up to a wagon and receive a piece of food from a little girl. This points to another theme which is actually dropped from Mann's movie - father hunger in action. This theme is handled well in "Bad Bascomb", without it being overplayed. I could especially identify with the scene where the kid overreacts to the adult's supposed lack of interest in what he thinks is a trivial moment. Margaret and Wallace both sparkle in this - if only they had made more movies together! The only disappointment to me is that there is so much wonderful scenery, and it is in black and white! Finally, what's the best way to attack a wagon train in a circle? Watch this movie and find out!