mmtoucan

Ebert characterized films with "idiot plots" as those "containing problems that would be solved instantly if all the characters were not idiots." Clair seems to love the Parisian types he depicts, though they are barely functional and knee-jerk belligerent. There's never an attempt at resolving a misunderstanding or solving a problem - well, perhaps sometimes, but only as a last resort. And yet Parisian life and love perseveres, and this is Clair's big statement. One that I found aggravating, as the film is overloaded with loud, stupid noise and senseless arguing. Ha Ha. Meanwhile, the thin thread of a romantic plot is overwhelmed by Clair's exaggerated focus on Parisian cultural dysfunction leaving me annoyed and dissatisfied. Clair's drunken millionaire is clearly borrowed from Chaplin's City Lights (1931), and this was made before Modern Times (1936), often cited as being Clair-inspired. Coincidentally, Paul Ollivier, with white hair and a black mustache is the spitting image of Chaplin's stage character in Limelight (1952).

In 1931, at Columbia, Buck Jones sang a song before becoming "The Avenger," outfoxing the villian and his two henchmen and orchestrating thier doom, one by one. The backstory is quite different here, as Jones played an adult Mexican who witnesses his brother's brutal murder and Dick Foran is a singing cowboy who witnessed his pioneer father's murder as a child. Before this, Ken Maynard, Bob Steele, Johnny Mack Brown and others had also used this kind of childhood preface. The audience has a strong emotional stake in the hero's quest for vengence and at the same time can't condone his out-right murder of the villians. Buck Jones as a Mexican couldn't get justice in white man's California, and our singing cowboy can't because "It happened too long ago" and he has no proof. Like Buck, though, he writes the three villians names on a wall, to be checked off. As in The Avenger, their fates are are almost identical. So this Warners' B+ western qualifies as an unofficial remake, getting no points for originality. But in the B's especially, "it ain't what you do, it's the way that you do it," and Song of the Saddle does it very well. I loved best Charles Middleton, dark-souled and merciless as ever. Too frail for fights and lassoing, but larger than life in the scarey man dept.

Someone, perhaps veteran B director Phil Rosen, created okay, one-scene moments for former A stars, Dorthry Lee (Wheeler and Woolsey pics), Evelyn Knapp and Betty Compson. Someone also just saw His Girl Friday, so lots of pressroom reporter comraderie with one a star reporter with marriage issues. There's too much battle of sexes, verbal sparrage between reporter Ford and wifey Parker. Unfortunately, instead of capable, adult feminest Roz, we have the beautiful, but insipid Jean Parker, at home twiddling her thumbs and fuming. She complains he's missing dinner. He whines and lies.

Not fascinating.