[Jackal P.I.]

Considering that I started my Bucket List a decade ago, it was inevitable that I would eventually see one of them. And indeed, I have, thanks to the short lived Film Club. Coming up, a review of Duck Soup!

[Jackal P.I.]

Duck Soup: 10/10



I will not pay you another dime until you appoint Rufus T. Firefly leader. This quote is spoken by Ms. Teasdale (Margaret Dumont), a widow who is funding the broke country of Freedonia. Well, money talks, and soon enough Rufus (Groucho Marx) is appointed leader even though he almost oversleeps during his inauguration. This appointment secretly pleases Trentino, president of nearby Sylvania who is eager to take over the neighboring country. He sends two spies Chicolini (Chico Marx) and Pinky (Harpo) to gather information. As part of their operation, the two spies set up a peanut shop just outside the leader's headquarters but quickly run afoul of a lemonade salesman (Edgar Kennedy). Chicolini is made Secretary of War by Rufus when he hungers for some peanuts. Rufus's secretary Bob Roland (Zeppo) convinces his boss to insult Trentino enough so he can slap him and force him to leave the country. But the war of words eventually leads Firefly to slap Trentino and push the countries close to war. Also, both are rivals for Teasdale's affections, primarily for her late husband's bank account. Trentino decides to have the spies steal Freedonia's war plans, but that plan backfires and the trial that follows sends the two countries off to war.

It is incredible that I've never seen a Marx Brothers film before a few weeks ago. The rapid fire one liners by Groucho contrasts nicely with the more physical comedy of Chico and Harpo (they really give the lemonade salesman what for, between demolished hats, lemonade that is stomped on, and even a ruined bath. Dumond, Calhern, and Edgar Kennedy as the hapless lemonade salesman offers able support. And the musical numbers! From Just Wait Til I Get Through With It to This Country's Going to War, the numbers add greatly to the comic genius. The Marx Brothers also poke holes in the futility of war as one character wears a sandwich board looking for volunteers to Join the Army and See the Navy. Also, note as Groucho in one scene keeps changing outfits from The Civil War to a British guard uniform (reference to the Revolutionary War) to a Scoutmaster uniform and finally to a coonskin cap (Alamo?)

If anything, they gave Zeppo little to do and Raquel Torres even less. But Duck Soup is a classic from start to its delightful finish complete with fruit and Freedonia themes. If you haven't seen it, do so. If you've seen it and didn't like it, see Horse Feathers. If you disliked both, get in a better mood and try again. The Marx Brothers are comedic geniuses and there should be something to like for everyone.

PS: The NRA at the beginning of the film stands for The National Recovery Act (this film was released during the Great Depression). Wouldn't want you to think that the National Rifle Association had anything to do with it.

[Rock]

Duck Soup is great.

I think I was supposed to do the next instalment of the film club. Oops.

[Jackal P.I.]

Originally Posted by Rockatansky

Duck Soup is great.

I think I was supposed to do the next instalment of the film club. Oops.

Still yet to see the final two films. Talk to DAMU if you're still interested.

[dreiser]

Not much of a Marx Bros. fan, but that one has some great gags. The peanut vendor bit, and Harpo mirroring his brother's movements are pretty hilarious.

[Jackal P.I.]

Frankenstein 10/10

Assistants. You can't kill them, you can't hire them the way you used to. Frankenstein's (Colin Clive) assistant Fritz (Dwight Frye) is slow to dig up graves and reluctant to cut the rope of a hanged man. So it would make perfect sense for the not so good doctor to rely on Fritz to get the right brain. So naturally, the easily frightened Fritz manages to destroy the normal brain and is lucky to acquire the abnormal brain.

Ah, but Dr. Frankenstein and his quest to create life has lead to the troubles in his relationship with his fiancee Elizabeth (Mae Clarke). She and good friend Victor (John Boles) convince Dr. Waldman (Edward Van Sloan) to help them reclaim Frankenstein from his obsession. But when they finally get to the abandoned watch tower, despite the ineptitude of Fritz to stop them, Dr. Frankenstein claims he has found the ray of life (well before Madonna). He invites them to stick around for the floor show, and before you can say something about man shouldn't interfere in evolution, the monster comes to life and the doctor claims to be a success.

The Monster (played by ?, then later the role is now being played by Boris Karloff) seems to be nice and innocent at first, showing he can sit and stretch. But our lovable inept Fritz has to go and torture the monster with lit torches and it all goes downhill from here. It takes two doctors to send the monster to napland. Doctor Frankenstein goes into town to plan his wedding to Elizabeth, while Doctor Waldman sticks behind to experiment on the monster. Big mistake. The monster somehow escapes and meets a farmer's girl who shows him that flowers float when thrown into a lake. Select the black box below with your cursor to view the spoiler text

And the monster returns the favor by tossing her into the water to see if she'll float. But she's not a witch.

He runs away.

Meanwhile, Dr. Frank-n-Furter, er Frankenstein, and Liz are waiting on a party member to show up so they'll be married. But Victor returns with bad news and Elizabeth passes out in the next room. A lynch mob is formed and Frankenstein leads one into the mountains where his fate is revealed. Select the black box below with your cursor to view the spoiler text

No, not revealing everything but fire is involved and King Kong is evoked in one sequence.

This was a phenomenal movie as I told Takoma last night. I really got nothing more to say on it. So many iconic scenes: It's Alive. The whole bringing the monster to life. The sequence between the monster and the girl. The sequence with the monster and the torch. The climax. As I said in my bucket list thread, Rocky Horror used the crux of this plot for their movie. Also, Young Frankenstein did to an extent. But I did spot another classic film reference that was taken 2 years later by another classic film. Igor, by the way, is not to be found until Son of Frankenstein (aka Frankenstein 3). This film deserves an Excellent all the way round.

Frankenstein is the Doctor, not the Monster!

[billtheburger]

Originally Posted by Jackal P.I.

Frankenstein is the Doctor, not the Monster!

The monster is actually called Adam after the first man in biblical mytholgy.

My son, who was 4 last Hallowe'en, went as Frankenstein's Monster. He told everyone he was Adam. The fools thought that was just his real name.

[Jackal P.I.]

Freaks 9/10



The first thing that comes to mind when it comes to Freaks is how do you describe the film. I'd put it to you this way: Imagine Dorothy having a thing for the lead of the Lollipop Guild. But she just wants the money he has inherited and is shtumping The Tin Man on the side, while he is madly in love with her. Let's get on with the review.

In this traveling circus (which I buy as more realistic than the Oscar winning Greatest Show on Earth, probably because the director Tod Browning worked in one for a while), there is a code of freaks as the narration mentions at the beginning. A midget named Hans is smitten with a trapeze artist named Cleopatra while oblivious to the interest being shared by midget Frieda. But Cleo has ulterior motives (she has just found out that Hans has inherited a fortune) and has one eye on Hans's wallet and the other on the strongman Hercules (Hercules! Hercules! Hercules!). Sadly, Herc is about as intimidating as Evan Bourne was in the WWE. Which is to say, not very. But I digress. Anyway, despite some initial misgivings (some of the freaks are naturally suspicious and Cleopatra does more shtumping of both Hercules and Hans), the freaks decide to welcome her as one of their own at the wedding reception:

We accept her. We accept her. One of us! One of us! Gooble-Gobble! Gooble-Gobble!

But before you can say bah-ram-ewe, Cleopatra throws the goblet of wine on the face of the person holding it and calls them freaks (Jerry! Jerry! Jerry!). There are a lot of names we can call you, but Bridezilla works for me. Her husband Hans isn't saying much. Must be that slow acting poison she slipped in his drink. I hear that midgets don't drink alcohol because it rushes up to their head really quickly. Select the black box below with your cursor to view the spoiler text
Anyway, doctor confirms the diagnosis and she slips some more in his medication. Talk about your hypocritic oath as she has no qualms doing the til death do you part portion. Well, the secret gets out and one dark and rainy night, she and her erstwhile boyfriend the strongman has some explaining to do.

This was a very solid film. Browning made some good calls here. The choice of hiring actual circus performers rather than using makeup was the right call. It makes them more sympathetic to their plight. And they seem like nice people as long as you don't reject them and mock their status. Browning lets these performers breathe and doesn't try to make any commentary other than these people have feelings like us. Pretty radical concept for 1932. I also appreciated the little subplots that occurred while the main story was happening. It made it a living, breathing circus. And the climax. Oh. My. God. The climax is something that most horror films botch, but this one really improved things in my eyes.

There were some little flaws I found. Small things, really. Oh, dear. I did it again. I'm probably going to hell now and I'll be punished by the villain of The Terror of Tiny Town. Dang it, not again! I'm messing this up worse than that midget tossing tournament. Aaargh! I keep this up, I swear I'll end up like Basil Fawlty with the German. Let me take a deep breath and start over. The characters could have used more depth overall. You either have people like the circus owner and the clown who are sympathetic towards the "freaks" or you have freakish jerks such as Cleo and Hercules. No middle ground. As for the "freaks" themselves, they're all nice if a bit suspicious to outsiders. Would have appreciated some gray to these characters.

But these are sm...er, minor flaws to this gem of a horror movie. Plenty of good stuff such as the atmosphere, the lighting, and the climax make up for a couple of itt...er, lilliputian details. Aargh! I did it again! Overall, Freaks gets a Good/Excellent. And I'll stop now before my tongue makes another gigantic mistake.

[Jackal P.I.]

On the Waterfront 10/10



This is my church---Father Barry (Karl Malden)

Pity Terry Malloy (Marlon Brando). He leads likable dock worker Joey to a meeting which ends in Joey plunging to his death from a roof. His brother Charley (Rod Steiger) is well-off, being a trusted colleague of union boss Johnny Friendly (Lee Cobb) who has ties to the mob. Terry once had a promising boxing career (I could have been a contendah) but tossed that aside because the union boss had some money riding for him to lose.

But here's the thing. Despite what happened to Joey or anybody else before him for that matter, there is a strict code. Thou shalt not squeal (snitch, etc). Not when the feds come by trying to get some info for the Crime Commission. Not even when Joey's sister Edie (Eva Marie Saint) asks them if anyone saw what happened. Edie takes it upon priest Father Barry (Malden) to help bust open the mob influence in the union. But there's much resistance at first; the workers are interested in remaining D and D (deaf and dumb) in order to keep their employment prospects and themselves alive.

As Terry starts to fall for Edie, his conscience starts to gnaw away at him. He hadn't told her that it was him that led to Joey's death. That he has a cushy job where he doesn't have to do much thanks to his brother. But just like water torture, he feels increasingly compelled to testify thanks to the work of Edie and of Father Barry. The quote above is from the good father upon the death of Dugan, a dockworker who like Joey before him was going to testify to the Crime Commission. Staying silent, according to Father Barry, is just as bad as being active in the corruption which he compares to Jesus's crucifixion. "Are you willing to sell your soul for a day's wages?", questions the reverend. And not even having food or liquor thrown at him will change his mind.

Friendly starts to see that Terry is starting to turn, so he tries using Charley to keep Terry silent. But not a cushy job, nor a gun to his ribs will persuade him. So his brother gives the gun to Terry and tells him that he'll need it. Charley is later on found dead, the victim of a hanging. Now Terry is at the end of his rope. Will he testify in front of the committee? And what kind of price will Terry pay for doing the right thing?

This film won 8 Academy Awards. And I can see why. The actors make this material compelling. The dialogue is first rate and the film has a can't look away quality to it. It all feels like it is going to combust one way or another.



And there is symbolism as well. Terry frequently ends up caged, like in the pigeon coops, a symbol for how the truth has Terry trapped. And for that matter, trapped in the life of a bum. After the testimony, Terry is finding his world more open.

In the end, we never hear the full testimony of Terry in front of the Commission, just like we never hear the confession that Terry gives to Edie (thanks to a well placed work whistle). And it's just as well because the words didn't matter. What matters is the reactions. In the former case, Friendly tells Terry that he is blackballed for his testimony. Judged by his reaction, Terry had betrayed him and there are some things he'd tell him on the street that he can't with the Commission present. In the latter, nothing is said but what we can tell is that Edie is devastated by the news, enough that she would run away from him.

This film deserves every bit of its praise. There's not a wasted motion or word in On the Waterfront.

[Jackal P.I.]

Night of the Hunter 8/10



Children are men at their strongest. They abide. They abide and they endure.---Rachel Cooper (Lillian Gish)

The story opens as we see some kids play hide and seek. One of them decides to hide in the storm cellar until he sees the dead body of a woman. Driving the stolen getaway car is the Reverend Harry Powell (Robert Mitchum), a preacher with love tattooed on his right hand and hate tattooed on his left. He talks to God about his life mission which is to punish the vain, lustful women in the world who attempt to snare men. Supposedly, one of those women was in the cellar. Strangely, the preacher goes to a peep show where he sees one of these women up close. He gets so frustrated that his switchblade rips his coat pocket and he decides to leave. But the cops have caught up to the stolen car and the not so good "Reverend" gets 30 days in the slammer.

Meanwhile, Ben Harper (Peter Graves) heads home in a hurry. Apparently, he's wounded, he's got $10,000 in cash, and the cops aren't too far behind. He makes his son John (Billy Chapin) promise that he'll never reveal to anyone where the money is and that he'll take care of his younger sister Pearl. Ben is arrested and quickly sentenced to death. Fortunately for Harry Powell, Ben ends up in his cell. He won't give up the location, but Harry Powell now has a new widow/victim with a pretty sweet sugar jar ($10,000).

Ostracized by their peers, John and Pearl make their way across town. Meanwhile, their mother Willa (Shelley Winters) sounds like she isn't planning on rushing into marriage again. That night, while John is telling Willa a story about a king, Harry Powell shows up outside singing Leaning on the Everlasting Arms (the first time of several). John shows up the next morning at Uncle Birdie's, a riverman given to drink who plans on fixing Ben's skiff in the near future. Meanwhile at Spoon's, a local ice cream parlor, Harry is entertaining Pearl, Willa, and parlor owner Icey on how he had served as a prison chaplain, but decided to quit the next day for he was tired of death. He shows the struggle between love and hate, with love eventually winning out. They get invited into the town picnic where Harry continues to win over Willa, much to the consternation of John. That night, John finds out that Harry and their mom Willa is to marry. Harry wants to know where the money is. During the honeymoon, Willa is interested in consummating their relationship, but Harry berates her making her look in the mirror. Willa prays to make the marriage work and help her to become clean.

Post honeymoon, we learn that the skiff is fixed as Willa preaches how Rev. Powell had saved her. We find out the hiding location of the money and see that Harry Powell is hounding her children for the money. Willa doesn't stand up for the children; she believes the marriage is on solid ground. But Harry uses his switchblade and decides the marriage could use a trip. The next day, Birdie finds the car and dead body as Harry cries to Iris that she left him. Birdie fears for his life; he thinks that they'll accuse him of murder. Now alone with the kids, Harry cajoles the kids into revealing the truth, first with withholding food and later threatens violence against them. The kids manage to get away, first to Uncle Birdie. He's passed out (he decided to drink when he talked himself out of revealing where the body was). So the kids make a break for the skiff, managing to escape the clutches of Harry Powell. Later on, the kids make their way to the home of Rachel Cooper (Gish), a tough widow with a kind heart who adopts the kids and protects them from the clutches of the Reverend.

Mitchum gives a chilling performance as Harry Powell, the "preacher" who will do anything to get a hold of the money. The shadows and religious symbolism run deep in this film. From the white horse Powell rides in when he's looking for the children to the appearance of the bedroom before Powell takes care of business to the parables told by both Harry and Rachel, it's pretty hard to ignore. The film works as a pretty solid thriller.

But, not entirely. I quibbled with the boy's reaction at the end. A bit shaky, especially when you consider what he had to deal with from the same person earlier. And for that matter, how are they able to Select the black box below with your cursor to view the spoiler text

convict Harry considering that John couldn't point him out in the room

?

Overall, I found it a worthwhile watch. And maybe future re-views can help the grade. I saw it as solid, but a notch below greatness.

[dreiser]

Very creepy film.

[doughboy]

Yay! Love that the other shoe is falling.

[Thief12]

Casually, I also saw Frankenstein and On the Waterfront for the first time last year. Both great films.

[doughboy]

Originally Posted by doughboy

Yay! Love that the other shoe is falling.

...slowly.

[Jackal P.I.]

Originally Posted by doughboy

...slowly.

Sorry, man. Real life (school, work) interferes. But I haven't abandoned this thread. Not yet.

[Jackal P.I.]

Rashomon 8/10


That's not how I remember it---Homer Simpson

In the rainiest day you can imagine, a woodcutter and a priest are waiting inside the roofed gates of Rashomon to keep dry. Along comes a commoner and we learn that the woodcutter found a dead samurai before running to get the police. We learn the story of a noted bandit, the samurai's wife, and the samurai (via medium). You'd think between the three of them that the truth is out there. But is it? So who killed the samurai?

I've seen three films by Kurosawa and I'm convinced now that there's going to be dull patches in all of his films. Not such a surprise with The Seven Samurai (3 and 1/2 hours is a long time, even for an action packed film), but with a film that is just under 90 minutes, Wow. I expect to get flambed for this.

Having said that, Kurosawa's films also have more than enough good moments to make them worthwhile. When we finally get to the truth, it was a powerful moment (no, not spoiling it for you). Select the black box below with your cursor to view the spoiler text

Let's just say that people aren't as brave and noble as they claimed to be.

Which leads us to the ending. Another moment that packs a punch that you weren't quite expecting. I liked the use of rain in this film; it symbolized the priest's questioning of humanity. I won't spoil what happens during the ending, but the sun finally does come out. Rashomon definitely is worth seeing at least once.

[Rock]

Originally Posted by Jackal P.I.

That's not how I remember it---Homer Simpson

[Jackal P.I.]

The Artist 10/10



I won't talk. I won't say a word. George Valentin

I debated whether to go ahead and talk about it or hold off because I hadn't featured it yet in my companion thread (Number 90 on the list). Obviously, I decided to go ahead and review it.

Borrowing the plotline from A Star is Born. George Valentin (Jean Dujardin) is on top of the world in 1927 as the top silent film star in the world. He bumps into Peppy Miller (Berenice Bejo), who is a young ingenue. A front page article makes her a small sensation, allowing her to get her foot in the door. She rises the ranks from extra to supporting actress, thanks in small part to George's decision to give her a beauty mark.

Just in time for the Great Depression, George's studio decides to start doing sound pictures, a decision that upsets George because he thinks it's a fad. In a nightmare, everything (including George's cute dog Uggie) makes sound except for him. George decides to produce a silent epic and fund it himself. He finally gets done and desperately needs it to be a hit, having lost most of his remaining money in the Great Stock Crash. But the film is a flop as Peppy's sound picture thrives. Can George find his way back on the silver screen? Will Peppy show her appreciation to the person who helped her get her start?

This is a film that can best be appreciated by movie lovers. From the scene showing George's marriage gradually growing apart that should remind some of Citizen Kane to the use of 1.33 to 1 ratio, the Artist is a love letter to movies. Valentin's character is based on Douglas Fairbanks, whose career also floundered with the rise of sound pictures. Miller's character is somewhat based on Greta Garbo, who transitioned from silents to talkies successfully. There's also some scenes that those who's seen Singing in the Rain will appreciate. Even if you haven't seen silents, you can enjoy The Artist. And hopefully, it will cause you to want to seek out more silent films.