Ruggles Of Red Gap (1935) :
Brief Review -
Laughton with tons of laughs! Never saw any American comedy using British characters to prove American propaganda for righteous virtue. Leo McCarey hasn't just been good with comedies, but he has also made good, meaningful dramas. It's hard to believe that the man who has made nice comedies like "Duck Soup" (1933) and "My Favorite Wife" (1940), or even this film, Ruggles Of Red Gap, that I'd like to add to the list now, has made meaningful and painful dramas like "Make Way For Tomorrow" (1937), "Love Affair" (1939) and " Going My Way" (1944) too. His social sense in comedies made them more believable and logical. This film has too many factors working correctly, but moreover, it has some social calls made from some ends, which lift it from the regular bar. Like I said, propaganda. Well, that's my way of looking at it. Others may differ, and I don't think that'll make any difference until you are enjoying the storyline and its motive. That Abraham Lincoln part made me like the propaganda, and it's not necessary that every time the propaganda has to be termed as an offensive adjective. A disciplined and loyal English valet is brought to the American west after his owner has lost him in a gamble. Obeying the order of the boss, he assimilates into the American way of life and finds himself for his own good. Charles Laughton as the valet is terrific. Loved his expressions and the transformation his character goes through. The real fun statue is Charlie Ruggles. Every wild action of his, every quirky dialogue of his, makes you go crazy for him. Mary Bolland's chaotic and that's what the character needed, while ZaSu Pitts's simple, according to her character. Leo McCarey makes a decent screenplay look better and more exclusive with his additional humour, but all I wanted was a positive, thought-provoking process, and he gave me that - adding another superb movie to his legitimate filmography.
RATING - 7/10*
By - #samthebestest.
Laughton with tons of laughs! Never saw any American comedy using British characters to prove American propaganda for righteous virtue. Leo McCarey hasn't just been good with comedies, but he has also made good, meaningful dramas. It's hard to believe that the man who has made nice comedies like "Duck Soup" (1933) and "My Favorite Wife" (1940), or even this film, Ruggles Of Red Gap, that I'd like to add to the list now, has made meaningful and painful dramas like "Make Way For Tomorrow" (1937), "Love Affair" (1939) and " Going My Way" (1944) too. His social sense in comedies made them more believable and logical. This film has too many factors working correctly, but moreover, it has some social calls made from some ends, which lift it from the regular bar. Like I said, propaganda. Well, that's my way of looking at it. Others may differ, and I don't think that'll make any difference until you are enjoying the storyline and its motive. That Abraham Lincoln part made me like the propaganda, and it's not necessary that every time the propaganda has to be termed as an offensive adjective. A disciplined and loyal English valet is brought to the American west after his owner has lost him in a gamble. Obeying the order of the boss, he assimilates into the American way of life and finds himself for his own good. Charles Laughton as the valet is terrific. Loved his expressions and the transformation his character goes through. The real fun statue is Charlie Ruggles. Every wild action of his, every quirky dialogue of his, makes you go crazy for him. Mary Bolland's chaotic and that's what the character needed, while ZaSu Pitts's simple, according to her character. Leo McCarey makes a decent screenplay look better and more exclusive with his additional humour, but all I wanted was a positive, thought-provoking process, and he gave me that - adding another superb movie to his legitimate filmography.
RATING - 7/10*
By - #samthebestest.