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jhill8
Reviews
The Naked Kiss (1964)
Entertaining, but not on purpose
"The Naked Kiss" is a film which explores themes of redemption, abuse, and exploitation. And it's kind of a mess. Never quite sure of where it's headed, "Kiss" seems to be writer- director Samuel Fuller's attempt to cram as many risqué (for the time) ideas into a single film as humanly possible. Starting out as a prostitution parable, the film wanders in every direction imaginable, from "Miracle Worker" style humanitarian melodrama to sensationalized ham, and the tone of the film suffers because of it.
Aesthetically, the film is flawed. While "Kiss" never strives to look like an "A" film, it doesn't do itself any favors with its shoddy editing and lighting. Both thematically and technically, this movie is totally cut-and-paste. Not that it isn't entertaining. Scenes like the one in which disabled children recite a song in a hospital are unintentionally funny and totally out of place, and it's constantly a guessing game as to where Fuller will go next. (Did anyone see the child molestation thing coming?)
I guess you could call this movie ahead of its time, but with better movies cropping up around the same time exploring similar ideas, "The Naked Kiss" seems a desperate attempt to make a quick buck on shock value alone.
I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang (1932)
"They're the ones who should be in chains!"
"I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang" is a 1932 pre-Hay's Code crime drama and an arresting denouncement of the American penal system. The film explores themes of freedom and justice by way of a man who is constantly imprisoned by a society which claims to be "free." Questioning the roles of morality in the world while never coming off as preachy, "Fugitive" works for two reasons: the screenplay, which uses an interesting symmetrical structure and is rife with symbolism, numerology, and amusing one-liners and double entendres, and actor Paul Muni, who bleeds emotion in every scene.
The film utilizes some classic "bad to worse" storytelling devices which have made works from the Book of Job to "The Big Lebowski" so entertaining. Namely, a series of wrong place, wrong time coincidences, a corrupt and apathetic authority, and a femme fatale with a hidden agenda. Never becoming melodramatic, the film contains plenty of clever, lighthearted dialogue to ease the mood.
The cinematography and lighting is striking throughout, especially during the final scenes. The post-production sound design is ambitious while still amateurish and experimental (screeching tires on a dirt road?). Other than those notable exceptions, the film is solid from a technical standpoint.
Muni's portrayal of wrongfully accused convict James Allen is the strongest aspect of the film. Muni turns in an honest, heartfelt performance which slowly crushes the audience as the character himself is crushed by The Powers That Be.
The General (1926)
An entertaining silent film.
The General is a silent comedy which deals mostly with themes of determination, pride, and the motivation of love.
I found the cinematography to be fluid and direct, with no shot lingering too long or too short. The train-chase scenes are particularly well cut, with nary a continuity error to be found. Michael Bays of the world, take note. The film chugs along at a steady pace much like The General itself, never spending too long on any one part.
The film has wonderful period authenticity. Even in black and white, you can tell time went into crafting the wartime atmosphere.
As with The Unknown, I found the stock score to be intrusive. I took my headphones off after twenty minutes and found the film to be much more enjoyable. The film stands on its visual merits alone and does not require musical accompaniment. Which is a compliment to the engaging screen presence of Keaton.
Keaton plays perfectly the role of good-hearted goof, pioneering a screen persona that many comic actors have adapted since. He is not so much laugh-out-loud funny as he is a great vaudevillian performer in general. He is a physical wonder on screen, especially considering he didn't use a stunt double.
The film is flamboyant and stylized, relying heavily on Looney Toons-style sight gags, with most of the plot devices acting simply as setups for Keaton to perform another slapstick routine, which, thankfully, he does wonderfully.
Overall, I found The General to be a very tight production, with each shot carefully composed so that the viewer gets the maximum impact of whatever Keaton is doing at the moment.
The Unknown (1927)
A solid silent film with some issues.
"The Unknown" deals with themes of trust, jealousy, and sacrifice while tying the three together with a tragic, while predictable, sense of irony. This predictability can make some scenes drag, even with the film's meager 63 minute running time. The film also covers the topic of amputation, something I'm sure many post-WWI moviegoers had an interest in.
I found the cinematography to be the strongest aspect of the film. Shots of the carnival are beautifully constructed and lit with a warm, inviting glow.
The score was lacking, especially considering how recently it was recorded. Every cue is a horror soundtrack cliché.
I was a bit confused with the pacing and editing of the film, as it doesn't explain everything outright and could have benefited from more exposition (what is the history between Alonzo and the surgeon?, who or what is the titular "unknown"?). Between the lack of explanation and the length of the film, I am led to believe a reel of the film might have gone missing somewhere along the way. Considering every other point is made perfectly clear, I doubt the ones I mentioned were meant to be open to interpretation.
The acting was solid all around, with Chaney being the obvious standout. He brought a very modern level of emotion and depth to a role that could have been a caricature in the hands of a lesser talent.
The film utilizes a stylized, fantastical visual approach in the earlier scenes, which slowly devolves into a more realistic style as we see Alonzo's fantasies fall apart, culminating in a shot of an operating room whose fluorescent lights and white walls stand in stark contrast to the darker, more romantic lamp-lit scenes inside caravans earlier in the film.
The film uses a pretty straightforward narrative, with almost every scene containing Alonzo as he executes his plan one step at a time.