jpb58 Reviews

Mushi-Shi (2005–2014)

The Thinking Person's Japanese Anime

[4 December 2009]

Mushi-Shi (2005) from Japan is a brilliantly written and thought-provoking anime series, with lots of surprises in store for you if you are patient and open minded.

With Mushi-Shi you will refreshingly NOT see your typical anime cutesy big-eyed girls having crushes on boys, shallow harem sex stories that get old fast, or violent, senseless samurai blood letting. Mushi-Shi is in a class by itself, a gentle show with class and poignancy. As the teachers used to tell us in school, "You will need your thinking caps for this one."

At first you think you are watching a series about a life force called "mushi", and a traveling man named Ginko who is studying them, but the episodes all have moral tales to teach that transcend the outline of the basic stories. Most episodes are really about the relationships between human beings. The mushi are really incidental and act as catalysts to the dynamics of personal relationships.

For instance, in the incredible "A String from the Sky" episode the story isn't really about the mushi string that captures the girl, flinging her into the sky; the real lesson being taught is the essential trust that has to exist between a man and woman who claim to love each other. The relationship will not survive without that trust. In "One Night Bridge" the episode really isn't about a mushi bridge that appears once every twenty years; rather the story is about a love so powerful between a young girl and boy that even the experience of death cannot truly break the devotion of their relationship.

There are also surprising touches of humor in the stories and the main character of Ginko, both of which help bring some levity to serious situations taking place in most of the episodes.

I watched in both Japanese with English subtitles and then all over again in the English dub, and I ended up liking both equally. Also special mention should go to the beautiful music soundtrack, which was perfect for the series. If only all anime were of such superb quality! Each episode is basically a stand alone segment, with different characters interacting with Ginko, who is the traveling "Mushi Master" out to help them, if he can, extricate themselves from the mushi's influences.

I rented the series from Netflix. Although the rating there is TV-14 I disagree with this completely. There is nothing in Mushi-Shi that children ten years of age or older couldn't watch. No sex, hardly any violence, the language is clean except for a "damn" once in a blue moon. Compared to most other anime out there Mushi-Shi is very clean.

I have watched my share of anime series by now, but I could easily throw all the others out after watching Mushi-Shi. It's that phenomenal. It deserves its high rating on the IMDb. It is intelligent and boasts beautiful animation. Don't miss this wonderful series!

Broken Blossoms (1936)

Mediocre

[4 November 2009]

You have two film choices for this story of The Chink and The Girl: the American silent film masterpiece by DW Griffith, made in 1919, and this British sound remake (1936), starring Dolly Haas in the Lillian Gish role, Emlyn Williams in the Richard Barthelmess role, and Arthur Margetson in the Donald Crisp role.

It was interesting to compare versions, but I'm afraid I didn't think much of this sound version. The direction and script left a lot to be desired -- and proved to me once again that DW Griffith was a pure genius and master of cinema.

I sat there and watched and thought of 1000 things I would have done differently. Poor Dolly seemed adrift and needed firmer direction. Her best scene was the closet scene, but her moment of death was ridiculous -- she woke up after being beaten by Battling Burrows and she died with a song on her lips, embracing her Chinky! Egad! I hope Lillian Gish never saw this film, she probably would have collapsed onto the theater floor with laughter.

Emlyn Williams as Chen didn't talk for the first 15 minutes, even when people in the story addressed him directly, and I was beginning to think he was playing the Chinaman mute, when all of a sudden he started to talk in a crowd scene -- in a thick English accent without a shred of Chinese inflection to his voice at all.

After months of watching Oriental films I couldn't help but grimace at his lame attempts to be Chinese. Richard Barthelmess looked the part much much better! Arthur Margetson probably gave the best performance as Battling Burrows, though some of his moments didn't ring true. For instance, when he was first told about his daughter being with the Chinaman, he laughed uproariously. Then suddenly he got angry. That wasn't in keeping with his criminally insane and evil character. I think Donald Crisp was far far scarier in the silent version, so much so that I often had to turn my head away.

The sound was often muffled on this version (Alpha Video) and I couldn't understand a lot of the words. Thankfully I don't think it much mattered, because I knew the story already, but if this was my first introduction to this story I don't think I'd bother checking out the vastly superior silent masterpiece and that would be a shame! It's definitely an interesting relic and I'm glad I saw it, but now I feel like I want to cleanse myself and watch the Griffith silent all over again.

I gave this Broken Blossoms a 5 out of 10 on the IMDb and I believe that's being generous.

My Beautiful Girl, Mari (2002)

It grows on you

[20 September 2009]

This was my first-watched Korean anime, from director Seong-Kang Lee, called My Beautiful Girl, Mari (2002). The artwork and the music are truly beautiful. This looked different from much Japanese anime I've seen. In many of those anime they seem to try and hide Japanese facial features (i.e. minimize slanted eyes). In this film the children look Korean. I think it's refreshing.

The story is about a withdrawn boy named Nam Woo whose father committed suicide. His mother is starting to date again and he's feeling neglected and ignored; even when the mother tries to arrange outings for her and her son and her new love interest Nam Woo has to be cajoled into going. He'd rather stay home and play with his cat.

The boy has one close male friend; they are almost like brothers, however this friend is about to go away to boarding school, leaving Nam Woo feeling even more deserted by the people he loves. His grandmother has a heart attack and is sent to the hospital. Possibly another death in the family.

Dealing with all the angst of growing up is never easy and so begins the strange adventure, whether real or imagined - it's never fully revealed, between Nam Woo and a beautiful voiceless girl who appears before him whenever he visits the top of the local lighthouse and rubs a marble with a tiny female image inside. Mari lives on the back of a giant white-pink dog who appears in the sky like a cloud. She takes Nam Woo on beautiful journeys and helps him to heal from his loneliness and sense of abandonment.

Nam Woo's friend's father owns a charter boat and one day he's out doing an extra run to make money for his son's school tuition, when a huge storm appears over the water and shoreline. Nam Woo implores his friend to come with him and they run to the lighthouse, hoping that Mari can stop the storm and prevent the man's death. But Mari won't come when Nam Woo rubs the marble. The lighthouse is breaking up and it looks like a tidal wave is about to hit. Suddenly a bolt of lightning hits the lighthouse and Mari descends from on high, spreading a veil of peace, light, and beauty around everyone, calming the sea. The friend's father is saved.

The friend goes off to his new school on the train, and as a parting gift Nam Woo hands him a little box. Inside is the treasured marble.

Several years pass and Nam Woo and his friend are grown men. They have jobs in different parts of the country. The friend makes an effort to visit Nam Woo however -- and at the train station where they say goodbye the friend hands Nam Woo back the little box with the marble inside.

Perhaps My Beautiful Girl Mari was a little slow at the start, but it's a dreamy, relaxing picture and so you should be prepared to be in a quiet room when you watch it, without disturbances, so you can enjoy its particular style of magic. 9 out of 10. If you love anime, don't miss it.

Kabei: Our Mother (2008)

A Sublime Beauty!

[19 September 2009]

Kabei: Our Mother (2008) is a poetic and sublime beauty from Japan. A real weeper! I had heard great reviews for the film and rented it from Netflix. Am I glad I did! In many ways this film reminded me of the old style of Japanese classic film-making from the 1940's and 1950's that I've come to love so much, such as seen in Yasujiro Ozu pictures -- the title credits even begin in the same way, with the Japanese letters (characters) in red against neutral color burlap material. I immediately thought: this director loves Ozu. The same style was used too: mostly indoor sets with only a few outdoor scenes. Even a couple of "pillow shots", as Roger Ebert calls them. The strength of the film is built on the love of the characters for one another.

The story follows the lives of a Japanese family before, and during, and after, World War Two. The mother takes care of her growing girls the best she can after the father (a University professor) is arrested for anti-war sympathies. He's never freed and only has a few brief meetings with his wife in prison before he dies of starvation and disease. Meanwhile a former student of the professor comes by often to help take care of the mother and two girls. He begins to fall in love with the mother and is a substitute father for the two girls. But war starts and he's drafted and they have to say an abrupt farewell. Will they ever express their love for one another? Will he ever return from the war?

There is so much heart and gentle spirit in the performance of the lead actress, Sayuri Yoshinaga. She's almost a Madonna type, she's so beautiful! Big soulful eyes and flawless skin. The actor who plays the student is phenomenal as well: his name is Tadanobu Asano. What a sensitive performance. There is no macho in him at all; he's gentle and kind. I'd certainly love to see both of these two in other movies. I think I'll check to see what's available for them. The two little child actresses are wonderful too.

The film is just released on NTSC DVD for American audiences, with very easy to read English subtitles. I gave it a 10 out of 10 on the IMDb. I cried almost as much as with the Japanese film classic Twenty-Four Eyes (1954). Don't miss this film!

Un duello allo schrapnell (1913)

Hilarious, find it on the European Film Archive Website

[30 July 2009]

An Italian comedy short, Shrapnel Duel, is about two homely men who rescue a chubby lady on a mountaintop and both want to marry her.

She tells them to fight over her and so they have an unusual duel with pointy bombs strapped to their behinds (if they had strapped them in the front it would have looked like something else, but we won't go into that). ;)

The "duel" is hilarious and will have you in stitches. And you thought Saturday Night Live was funny? LOL!

One friend vaporizes the other only to find out that the woman has given her hand in marriage to someone else.

Fickle, thy name is woman!

5 Centimeters per Second (2007)

Beautiful to look at, but required more cohesiveness of plot

[22 June 2009]

I watched 5 Centimeters Per Second (2007), another anime by Makato Shinkai who directed The Place Promised In Our Early Days and Voices of a Distant Star. The graphics on this one were very detailed and vibrant and beautiful, and once again the music was haunting and lovely, but the story -- how do I say this diplomatically? Shinkai really needs improvement in this area if he wants to even remotely compete with a Studio Ghibli film. I think he knows it too, judging by interviews I've seen from him lately.

It's about an hour long story, split into three "acts", following a young boy and girl who develop an attachment in grade school but then are separated and drift apart, even though still holding their past friendship and early teen romance as a precious memory.

With that kind of story Shinkai could easily have created a bittersweet masterpiece, but his scenes are too long-winded. He needs to tighten things up on his storyboards. I'm sorry, but I lose patience with a scene running 20 minutes in length (for a film only lasting 1 hour) where the male character does a stream of consciousness thing while stuck on a train. I was dozing off! Maybe 5 minutes could be devoted to a scene like that, but not 20!

The ending is frustrating, at least to me. As children they had no choice but to follow their parents, but as adults, if these two people REALLY wanted to get back together they would have found some way to do it.

Maybe someday Shinkai will find that cohesiveness within himself and turn out a superior feature anime film like Miyazaki, but so far all three of his main feature anime films have been disappointing in some way. I'm surprised the reviews for this film have been so gushing. Beautiful graphics and music are fine, I enjoy them; but a film needs a more fleshed out story that works if it's going to be considered a masterpiece.

Someday's Dreamers (2003– )

Very sweet

[30 May 2009]

Mahô tsukai ni taisetsu na koto (What Is Important To A Mage), or Someday's Dreamers (English title), was an anime series that was popular on Japanese television. It has received a pretty decent English dub for Western audiences on DVD, although much is left to the imagination through gaps in dialogue. The quality of the animation is very good and the music is very pretty, especially the title and end songs, which are very catchy songs to hum.

The story is about a young mage who comes to Tokyo to learn her craft. She's a junior in high school and lives on campus, away from her family. She meets various attractive young men who take an interest in her, but the sensuality in this series is very subdued and non-threatening. There is no bad language and very little violence. One character smokes too much but that's about it.

There are segments on YouTube from Someday's Dreamers but I suggest you track down the DVDs. You will enjoy it a lot more than watching on a 2 inch screen. They come in 3 separate volumes, 12 episodes in all, and you can choose original Japanese with subtitles or the English dub.

My 12 year old daughter really enjoyed this series so I can recommend it for pre-teens. It's a wholesome, loving show.

I Lived with You (1933)

Hilarious! I laughed like a hyena!

[28 March 2009]

Oh, this movie was funny, funny, funny! My family was asleep as I watched it late at night and I tried so hard not to laugh out loud so as not to wake them but all my efforts were in vain.

I Lived With You is utterly hilarious. In fact it is the best Ivor Novello film I've seen, silent or sound, or at least the one I enjoyed the most. Like a Noel Coward play, but if anything even more daring; zingers and risqué moments galore! Novello plays the illegitimate son of a Russian woman who had an affair with Czar Nicholas before he and his family were executed (or at least that's his story). His mother is no longer living either and he has to fend for himself in exile in England, penniless and starving, hanging out in parks like Hampton Court Park in London.

Here he meets working girl Ursula Jeans who is lost in the maze of the park and can't find her way out. She takes pity on the handsome "prince" and invites the homeless fellow to stay overnight in her parents' home. He immediately warms to the family and they to him. He gives the father of the house, a jewel merchant, a locket studded with diamonds, with an engraving by the Czar to his mother. It is examined by the incredulous father and the diamonds are determined to be real. To show how much he loves his new family the prince gives them diamonds one by one out of the locket so they can sell them and live a more plush life and put on airs to the neighbors. The family members all start to get swell heads. Herein lies the comedy, as the family seeks to impress outsiders although the fabric of their lives begins to rip apart. The father of the house starts to have an affair with a prostitute, the son disappears, another sister (an early role for Ida Lupino) displeases her mother and runs away, the older sister loses her job because she oversleeps and goes in too late. The Prince at first doesn't realize how his poor influence is hurting the family. All he wants to do all day is lay on the settee eating chocolates, not taking a bath, and flirting with the ladies in the household.

Then the Prince begins to reform when he realizes he has fallen in love with the older daughter. He does what he can to heal the family in his own unique way, such as handily getting rid of the blackmailing prostitute so the father can be reunited with the mother, and then he is persuaded by the cook to leave so the family can be happy again. But the oldest daughter runs after him and says she will happily starve if they can only be together.

My review doesn't remotely cover all the funny bits and pieces, the laugh out loud dialog such as "I smell fish. If I don't have fish now I will start to throw up in many inconvenient places!" and "I'm not angry! I'm just gay!" (coming from Novello that has a not so hidden meaning). ;)

So, see if you can track down this delightful film. If you love witty British humor this is your romantic comedy. Ivor Novello was a great entertainer.

The Three Passions (1928)

The Three Passions is not lost

[12 March 2009]

The silent The Three Passions is not only not lost, it's in very good condition.

Rex Ingram's The Three Passions (1928) stars Alice Terry, Ivan Petrovich, Shayle Gardner, Clare Eames, Leslie Faber, and in a bit part in a nightclub scene a very young Merle Oberon!

The film boasts solid cinematography, sets, and excellent performances by everyone involved! The "three passions" in the film are stated to be 1) ambition, 2) greed, 3) lust for power.

Rex Ingram was a stickler for creating an impressive film style, paying attention to the smallest details other directors would have missed.

The story is about a tycoon (Shayle Gardner) who had worked his way up from the docks of a ship building factory to actually owning the factory. It was his whole life's work and he looks forward to turning it over to his beloved son when he retires. His marriage is a sham. His wife openly plays around with younger men and so the tycoon's only happiness is in his relationship with his son, which is strong and loving. Ivan Petrovich plays the son very well, if a bit stoically.

There is a tragedy in the factory and a worker dies, leaving a wife and child. The tycoon's son blames himself for the death because the workers were protesting for better job conditions and not receiving them.

In his guilt he chooses to leave his jazz era life going to dances and sipping champagne with his fiancé and become a priest! His father is distraught. He tells his son's fiancé to do all she can to try and win him back.

Alice Terry plays the fiancé and does an excellent job with her character. She shows magnificently the torn emotions of a woman who wants her man back but who grudgingly admits that he is happy serving the poor and God. She starts to help out at the "mission" where he works, at first to lure him, but then to honestly help out as she herself softens and changes, admiring his new dedication.

However one night she is alone with a scar faced brute who tries to rape her. Her fiancé rescues her just in time, knocking the guy out cold. This scene has tremendous suspense because of the way Alice Terry plays it, strong yet frightened at the same time. Usually women play these kinds of scenes with simple terror, but Terry's character is so strong she fights back and uses her brain to try and outwit him.

There is a combination sad but happy ending that I won't reveal. Hopefully the film will be seen by more people soon.

Still not as great as Mare Nostrum, but a worthy endeavor by Rex Ingram with some very fine performances by the principals, especially Shayle Gardner as the father.

And no, Harpo Marx is not in the film. His footage was obviously cut. In a way it's a shame, it would have been great to see him, but he probably would have been distracting to the flow of the story.

Asphalt (1929)

Unbelievably sexy, move over Bow and Brooks!

[28 January 2009]

This late German silent film, Asphalt, was incredibly fun! It's an amazing treasure and treat for the eyes (and ears: it boasts a marvelous jazz score on the DVD that is perfect for the film!). No spoken dialogue needed in Asphalt to communicate sensuality, and in fact dialogue would ruin the intensity of this incredible film. An added plus is seeing Berlin in 1929, with all its decadence before National Socialist Hitler moved in and spoiled things in 1933.

Starring the adorable, funny, and sensual Betty Amann, and the handsome Gustav Fröhlich from Metropolis, Asphalt tells the story of a puritan traffic cop (Gustav) who is tempted to sin with a jewel thief (Betty). His devoted parents trust him entirely and maybe that's part of his problem: he's been pampered and treated like a pet more than a son, obviously cushioned from much unpleasantry in life. In fact the father of the cop has his own pet, a little canary in a cage, and the mother of the cop has her son for her pet! In the art of silent film the director can emphasize small things like these and keep the audience's interest perked through symbolism. In sound films there rarely seems to be time devoted to this kind of creativity.

My favorite scene is the long one where the cop has arrested the jewel thief and she cries and cries and cries (with the music making moaning sounds that are hilarious) and she tries to win his sympathy. She tries every trick in her book to keep from being taken to the police station. She begs him to take her to her apartment so she can get her papers. Exasperated with her, he does so. Once there the poor cop doesn't stand a chance. The climax of that scene really stunned me. I could swear Betty Amann said the F word, though of course I could be wrong because the film is German. ;) There's a somewhat predictable ending but it's how the director, Joe May, spins it all together, with artful, passionate camera-work, that keeps you on the edge of your seat.

The two leads give incredible performances, especially Betty Amann. She had even more fire and intelligence in her portrayal of the jewel thief than any performance I've seen given by Clara Bow or Louise Brooks. Her career should have been better. The only other film I've seen her in is an early Hitchcock sound film Rich and Strange (1931). Gustav Fröhlich also shows a more tender side here than in Metropolis.

A marvelous late German silent that must be seen to be believed. If you haven't watched it yet you are REALLY missing out! Don't get turned off by the unromantic title. Get it today!

Julia (1968–1971)

You catch more flies with honey!

[29 November 2008]

I can't believe some of the vapid comments about this wonderfully gentle and sweet ground-breaking show! I remember watching Julia when I was young and being very impressed by its cast and storyline; they were both very creative. Why do you make fun of it because it wasn't about angry, bitter black people with chips on their shoulders, but about a young black mother who was a nurse and her little son trying to live upbeat, positive, fulfilling lives while the male head of the family was serving his country in Vietnam. This was a landmark show for America and deserves more respect! This show was like a Serenity Prayer for race relations! Not all "progress" is made by angry, bitter, or violent people protesting in the marketplace. Real progress is often made one by one by individuals who can see past the divides to reach out on a daily basis to people of different races and religions, with a sense of goodwill and humility.

So it was with Julia. You catch more flies with honey instead of vinegar and I'm sure this show did more to increase understanding among whites for the everyday concerns of black folk than all the Jesse Jacksons and Malcolm X's in the world!

The White Sister (1923)

The White Sister Improves With Clarity

[30 April 2007]

I just spent the last 6 weeks of my life painstakingly going through a rare clear and vibrant digital 35mm print of this film The White Sister, which is now in the public domain and ripe for restoration, digitally improving title cards and frames with artifacts on them, multi-tinting several scenes, and I added a gorgeous custom musical soundtrack with a few sound effects like foghorns and church bells. Finally I could see the real beauty of this classic silent film, and trust me, it's one of Lillian's best, right up there with The Scarlet Letter and The Wind and Broken Blossoms.

It's the story about a girl of privilege in Naples, Italy whose father dies and her sister, played remarkably and intensely by Gail Kane, out of jealousy burns the will and inherits the father's money, then casts her sister out of her home. Lillian's soldier boyfriend goes on a mission faraway and is reported dead. Lillian's character Angela takes the veil in order to do something positive in his memory. However her soldier lover is not dead after all, and returns to find her wedded to Jesus Christ! What results after this must have been a logistical nightmare for Henry King to accomplish on location but he does an outstanding job.

I am only sharing my custom work with a handful of trusted friends who I know will never make copies of my beautiful work on this film because I simply don't want bootleggers to get a hold of it, but rest assured there really IS a better source print out there for this moving early Lillian Gish - Ronald Colman vehicle than the poor quality VHS tapes which have been floating around for 20 years. Just because a film is in the public domain does not mean it should get such shoddy treatment from others. In the PD prints that are out there on tape you literally cannot see Lillian and Ronald's faces, even in closeup. It's a terrible insult to the memory of Lillian Gish and Ronald Colman, not to mention director Henry King.

Most likely someday TCM America will air the better source print of this film with some kind of a decent soundtrack and more silent film fans will eventually be able to see its real beauty shine forth.

The Cossacks (1928)

A raw, violent, yet elegant MGM silent

[21 April 2007]

I was given a copy of this incredible film, The Cossacks, on disc from an archive and I improved it by multi-tinting it and adding an excellent Slavic-flavored musical soundtrack. All for my own pleasure, of course, since the film is copyrighted MGM. This film is even strangely topical today, especially after 9/11, but that's all I'm going to say on that matter, except I think it will be a long time, or never, that TCM will broadcast this silent because of political correctness.

The Cossacks is a similar story to the Tony Curtis - Yul Brynnur 1960's film Taras Bulba, but with several important twists in plot. An Orthodox Cossacks chief (played magnificently by Ernest Torrence in what I consider to be his best silent performance) is ashamed of his only son (played passionately by John Gilbert) because he will not fight and kill the hated Muslim Turks who are their community's arch enemies. He prefers to lounge around in the fields and be a lazy dreamer. He's in love with beautiful Maryanna (played exquisitely by Renee Adoree) but she finds it hard to justify his unwillingness to be a man in the mold of the other Cossacks, so she tries to shun him, but all the while the audience knows she's crazy about him.

The Cossacks community shames Lukashka publicly and there is a huge fight between father and son. When Turkish prisoners happen to escape from their village Lukashka's latent violence deep within himself erupts and he changes in one night to a violent warrior and killer. Father is now pleased with his son.

While the men are away to do battle with the Turks a representative of the Czar (Nils Asther) arrives. He's been ordered to tell the Cossacks that the Czar wants peace with the Turks, and also he is told to find himself a wife among the Cossack girls. Naturally his eye falls on Maryanna. When Lukashka returns a jealous battle ensues for the love of Maryanna. Maryanna, publicly humiliated too many times by Lukashka, decides to marry the Czar's representative and to leave the village. While Lukashka and his father chase after the newlyweds' carriage the carriage is also attacked by the Turks and Nils' character is murdered on the road. Lukashka and his father are also ambushed by Turks. They are all brought back to the Turks' stronghold and tortured.

I won't reveal the ending but it is bittersweet and profound. This film has to be the most violent silent film I've ever seen and boasts one of the best performances from John Gilbert I've ever seen, second only to The Big Parade.

I do hope that TCM eventually airs this film but quite honestly I doubt they will in any timely fashion, it might stir up potential political problems for the station by its visual imagery against Muslims.

Ladies of Leisure (1930)

I've got both sound and silent versions

[11 April 2007]

The sound version of Ladies of Leisure is immeasurably better than the silent version which has floated around for years. I suspect the silent is easily available because it is public domain and the sound version is copyrighted and being hoarded.

A friend in Europe sent me a rare copy of the sound version on PAL disc which I converted to NTSC for myself. The silent version I've had a few years.

It was a delight to actually SEE the sets in the sound version, first of all. Clarity is so much better! In the silent version the artist's (Ralph Graves) dwelling looks like a slimy, dirty hovel because the print is so lousy. In the sound version it looks just what it was supposed to be: a very rich guy's penthouse apartment in Manhattan. What a contrast!

In the sound version Marie Prevost gets many more scenes; in the silent version her part is cut to practically nil. However in both versions I did get a little ticked off at the script constantly harping on her weight. We all know how Marie died and it's terrible to hear lines constantly like: "If you gain another 10 pounds no one will look at you." Poor dear Marie. It wasn't bad enough she had to hear it in real life, she had to hear it on screen as well! The big problem is she does NOT look fat! She looks NORMAL! Just not a skinny stringbean like so many other actresses. She was a delight no matter what she weighed; why didn't someone help that woman instead of knock her down? She made a lot of money for the studios in her day and then they dumped her when she needed help. Cruel Hollywood!

In the sound version the music is MUCH better, more sophisticated. The silent version has a rather horrid piano soundtrack as I recall which made me think of fingernails being scraped against a chalkboard.

There are also more scenes with Lowell Sherman in the sound version as well but that didn't make much difference because his part wasn't substantial and neither was his character's personality; just another wolf after the girls for cheap sex.

If there is anything that is better in the silent version it is the key scene where the two people, the artist (Graves) and the model (Stanwyck) finally admit they are head over heels in love with one another. That's such a bittersweet scene. Because there are no words spoken in the silent version Ralph and Barbara had to communicate more with their eyes and body language, and that made this key scene more powerful and far less awkward than in the sound version. So for all you readers who have only seen the silent version rest assured you at least can enjoy this beautiful love scene in its best framework.

A pleasant precode for the early Barbara Stanwyck fan and interesting to study the differences in the two versions.

8 out of 10

The Right of Way (1930)

You people don't get it, this is a comedy!

[1 April 2006]

I am giving The Right of Way (1930 copyright date on the opening credits, not 1931) a perfect 10. Never have I laughed so hard and so prolonged through any motion picture. This movie is completely priceless and proves you don't have to see anyone slip on a banana peel in order to laugh until you are breathless and giddy from lack of oxygen.

Conrad Nagel got his start in silent pictures and was a romantic lead in many B and A pictures over the years. Because of his politics Louis B. Mayer disliked him and often put him in silly vehicles which didn't show off his acting talents to their best advantage. Conrad is obviously hamming it up through this picture, maybe to get even with Louis B., maybe because he just wanted to have some fun with a deadly dull and stupid early talkie script.

Conrad makes this picture. He's the funniest thing I've ever seen in my life. Forget Chaplin and Laurel and Hardy and WC Fields. Conrad in The Right of Way is the right way to go for complete belly laughs until you drop.

See this movie! But don't take it seriously or you'll miss the point!

The Red Lily (1924)

Engrossing, packs an emotional wallop

[26 March 2006]

TCM premiered this Ramon Novarro - Enid Bennett silent film, The Red Lily, on March 26, 2006. The print was very good to excellent, switching from black and white to an orange tint for night scenes. The new musical score by Scott Salinas, who did the new score for Lon Chaney's Laugh, Clown, Laugh was very fine, and appropriate for the mood of the film.

It was a pleasure to see a silent film with Enid Bennett. She was married to the director, Fred Niblo, and she obviously worked well with him. Not too many of her silent films survive or are available for viewing. Her performance was exceptional here and reminded me of Lillian Gish in The Scarlet Letter. Ramon Novarro had a real juicy part he could sink his teeth into, and he gave an outstanding performance, one year before his starring role in 1925's Ben-Hur, A Tale of the Christ. Wallace Beery does well with a supporting role as a gambling friend of Ramon's character.

The plot revolves around a couple who had been childhood sweethearts. When the girl's father dies she is sent to live with relatives who abuse her. Rushing back home to a deserted house she meets up with her young lover and they fall asleep in front of the fireplace together. When confronted the next morning by the townsfolk they flee to Paris. A set of ironic circumstances separate them and life takes its toll on both of them.

I definitely recommend that you see The Red Lily. I wish all silent films could receive such nice restorations and musical treatments.

Spy of Napoleon (1936)

Interesting period piece

[24 September 2005]

This British film, about Napoleon the Third and his estranged, illegitimate daughter who becomes a spy for his court, stars Richard Barthelmess and Dolly Haas and surely has its suspenseful moments, despite being an overall slow-moving period piece. It was based on a novel by the author of The Scarlet Pimpernel, Baroness Emmuska Orczy. The international tensions between the French and Prussian empires in the 1860's are depicted very clearly. This film features one of the best attempted assassination scenes of a major figure that I have ever seen, if not the best. It makes any film showcasing John Wilkes Booth shooting Abraham Lincoln look tame by comparison.

This was Richard's first and only British film; he was soon to return to America to make a few more films before joining the Reserves in World War Two and after that retiring from pictures to live on his many investments. Dolly Haas was born in Germany, made quite a few films there, and then eventually left Germany and became an American citizen, marrying the caricaturist Al Hirschfeld. As a coincidence, the same year (1936) that this film was made Dolly made a remake of Broken Blossoms, the silent film that made Richard Barthelmess a star back in 1919, playing Lucy Barrows, the part originated by Lillian Gish. And here was Dolly playing opposite a much older Richard Barthelmess in Spy of Napoleon.

This film is recommended for history buffs and Richard Barthelmess' fans.

Shepperton Babylon (2005 TV Movie)

Fascinating!

[11 September 2005]

Like the classic book Hollywood Babylon, about the scandals of early Hollywood and its stars, this book and film Shepperton Babylon delves into the sex and murder and suicide scandals, and the professional ups and downs of the most popular British performers and directors of the 1920's through the 1940's.

The narration is sly and rather inflammatory and we even get a look at some cheap vintage peep shows put on film. The documentary seems to emphasize the ugliness of the film business in this era, and even deprecates classics like Korda's Private Life of Henry the Eighth, and ridicules famous directors like Alfred Hitchcock. It's all so superficial but such fun. My friend in the UK sent me his recording of the documentary broadcast on BBC and I was able to view it in my region free player and record it to NTSC format on my own disc. Hooray for today's technology!

Hand in Hand (1961)

An unforgettable gem

[21 August 2005]

This is a film for your childhood and your children's childhood. It is a love story between a little Jewish girl and a little Roman Catholic boy. I think adults viewing it will have different perceptions of it, since they've had decades of prejudices to deal with before they can come to this film openly and honestly, with a child's vision and perception.

I first saw Hand in Hand when I was a child in the 1960's and I remember being so moved by the children reaching out to one another despite the prejudice that surrounded them, and learning crucial lessons about God's love. The film is clever in that the prejudices are not stated overtly, but are more subtle (i.e. the mother of the little Catholic boy saying to her husband about Rachel, the little girl, "You wouldn't think she was Jewish, would you?"). Other things that strike me about this 1960 film are that 1) Michael the little boy says to an adult that their parents will not be worried about them as long as they are home before dark. Today you can't let your children out of your sight for 15 minutes, much less an entire day! and 2) Michael goes running to his priest for comfort and understanding and not his parents, and throws himself into the priest's arms! In today's world, with today's headlines of abuse, parents would not be comfortable with that action either! How the world has changed since 1960, and not for the better.

I would recommend that this film be made more available to families with young children. If they can see it before age 10 it will leave an indelible impression. I have an excellent digital transfer of this film in my collection, with none of the defects that are seen in that crummy bootleg tape that's floating around the internet. It makes all the difference in the world to see a nice print.

The Scarlet Letter (1926)

Should be required viewing in high schools along with the novel

[18 July 2005]

Victor Sjöström's The Scarlet Letter is a masterpiece. It should be put on DVD for all to enjoy, even if parts of the film have to be supplemented with 16mm dupes. TCM hasn't shown it in years, yet they show The Wind several times every year. It makes no sense. The Scarlet Letter is even better than The Wind. It should be shown in high school classes along with the required reading of the classic novel by Nathanial Hawthorne. It makes my head spin to think of how many thousands of children would fall in love with silent film if they were only exposed to this classic. I hate to think of them being exposed to that horrific Demi Moore version instead.

Lillian Gish is radiantly beautiful as the demure but sensual Hester Prynne. Lars Hanson makes an exceptionally wonderful minister Dimmesdale, fighting his romantic feelings for the lovely Hester. Henry B. Walthall makes a very believable and threatening Roger Prynne. Karl Dane adds some wonderful comic relief as Master Giles. The M-G-M production values here are exceptional and the cinematography by Henrik Sartov glows. I love the tracking shots of Hester and the Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale walking together in the woods, and the lovely shot of their reflections in the lake as they confess their love for one another. Poetry on screen. The musical score for the film is quite beautiful, commissioned by TCM in 2000. The only parts that got on my nerves were the harpsichord sections. The flute, piano and violin parts were the best.

Your silent film viewing is not complete without seeing this classic. It's Lillian Gish's best film. Don't miss it.

Central Airport (1933)

Absolutely Delicious Pre-Code

[29 June 2005]

How can this possibly have only a 5.4 average out of 10? This was one of the most intense and delightful and fascinating pre-code films I've ever seen! Former silent star Richard Barthelmess does a superb job playing this down and out, daredevil airplane pilot. Sally Eilers is very modern and natural as his girlfriend. Tom Brown is perfectly gentle and sweet as the younger brother who falls in love with his brother's girl. Watch the sparks fly between them all. This movie is very frank about sexual attraction. Richard's character sleeps with Sally's but doesn't want to marry her. Younger brother innocently comes between them but is smart enough to propose marriage and get the girl his brother has a yen for.

Excellent atmospheric aerial stuntwork. My favorite scene, when Sally's character parachutes to safety after a crash and Richard's character saves her from the tree. The parachute falls on top of them and when they get out Richard is quite obvious about admiring certain aspects of her derriere. I was laughing like crazy. Totally wonderful.

Don't miss this one when it next airs on TCM. It's great. I give it a 10 out of 10!

Three Loves Has Nancy (1938)

Hysterically funny screwball comedy

[23 June 2005]

Three Loves Has Nancy with Janet Gaynor may not be on the same level as Lady Eve with Barbara Stanwyck but it comes close. I was laughing so hard that my son in the next room yelled out to me, "What's going on in there?" Franchot Tone simply stole the picture and Bob Montgomery was a close second. I couldn't believe the scene in which they were in bed together, stealing the one cover back and forth from each other. It had me in stitches. How could the Hollywood production code state that a married couple on screen couldn't sleep in the same bed yet these two men were allowed to do so? Did the censors simply miss out on the innuendo in 1938? Just too funny for words, perhaps even funnier than a similar scene made today, because this film was made in the age of innocence in Hollywood.

Janet delivers her lines flawlessly, and she is very sweet, but Tone and Montgomery made more with their material here. I rate this delightful film 9 out of 10. Don't miss it when next it airs on TCM.

Heart o' the Hills (1919)

DVD released, the print looks terrible!

[22 May 2005]

What in the world happened in the transfer of this film to DVD? The print looks terrible, like someone used a sharpener filter over it so that it has all these little dots around everyone's faces and against objects like trees and such. The musical score sounds monotonous and annoying, all these violins constantly playing the same tunes over and over again! I had to turn the sound off.

What a disappointment. I was looking forward to seeing this on DVD so much because I really like Mary Pickford and John Gilbert. The other feature on the disc M'liss was more enjoyable even though the musical score was mostly a boring piano and it was only in black and white, not tinted nicely as it should have been.