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richard-camhi
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When a Man Loves (1927)
Phenomenal by any standards
Everything about this film, from the writing, to the sets and costumes, to the cinematography, to the acting by all concerned, to the unbelievable musical soundtrack, is astonishing. This was the epitome of the silent film era, in which creative geniuses had the upper hand and the means to realize their visions. Watch this film, and take note of the musical accompaniment - if you think Max Steiner and Korngold were the first real film composers, you will have to think again! If you can, boost the bass and treble, and what you will hear totally belies what you thought musical reproduction was capable of in 1927.
Good Morning, Miss Dove (1955)
Brainwashing, American Style
I agree with most of the reviews rated 5 stars or below, but would like to add something they haven't mentioned: this film makes it very obvious that "education," then and now, was about memorizing useless information and passing tests, and being obedient to authority. Miss Dove is a geography teacher whose whole purpose in life is to drill textbook facts and figures into her charges, information that is not only irrelevant to their lives, but also is outdated within a few years. What is my idea of proper education? Developing the curiosity, intuition, spontaneity, creativity, and joy that is already there in most kids. If this sounds radical to you, it means the Miss Doves of the world have done a great job.
Die Fledermaus (1980)
Satisfaction guaranteed
This is arguably the best sung version you will find anywhere. Look at the cast: Lucia Popp AND Edita Gruberova! And Bernd Weikl, although a genuine baritone, does not cheat his way through the tenor part of Eisenstein like Wächter or Prey, but actually sings it as written, and beautifully. Pros Walter Berry and Erich Kunz likewise accomplish the incredibly difficult task of singing all of the music they are given accurately, while maintaining an almost improvised style of comedy in their respective roles. Likewise Josef Hopferwieser. Theodor Guschlbauer, the conductor, stays glued to the proceedings, so that there is never a slip between the goings on onstage and the orchestra, and conducts with admirable verve. And the cherry on top is Otto Schenk's famous staging, with dialog and "shtick" personalized for the specific talents of each performer. And it's all live! This and the Covent Garden performance of 1984 are my all time favorites, with honorably mentions for the other two Schenk versions (1972 and 1987).
The Matrix Resurrections (2021)
A wake up call
It's too bad that so many people called this movie a dud. It is far from that! The first Matrix movie caught on as an action film, but was so much more -- it has since been recognized as essentially a documentary. But it seems the fans were only interested in the punchups and bullets, and couldn't follow the allegory. So when at the end of Matrix 3, the "happy end" came, they could crawl back into their cocoons. But hey, gang, it's not over! Niobe, like most people, has sold out her freedom for the "safety" of her extended family, and we're all back to being batteries. We all have been saddled with fake identities, even Neo and Trinity, and the hypnotism is kept in place via authority figures like the boss, the psychiatrist, the police, the fake media, the pharma industry's endless supply of blue pills ... We can't even recognize ourselves in the mirror. Matrix Resurrections is a most potent wake-up call to those who can see behind the (Covid) masks.
Death on the Nile (2022)
Misunderstood
Amazed at how many people didn't get this movie! It moves at a much deeper level than the usual retelling of this story, which might perhaps explain why, given the intricate nature of the script, the acting, and the atmosphere, all working together, people looking for an amusing romp were disappointed. It may take some time, but we're talking now about a future cult classic, in the best sense. There isn't a wasted word of dialog, movement, or composition in the whole picture, and the acting is exemplary.
Brigadoon (1954)
Scottish Shangri-La
Just want to add my two cents here to the other reviews. Yes, the filming was done in the studio instead of in Scotland. But I think this works out to be the best choice they could have made. First of all, the sets are gorgeous in themselves. I doubt if they could have found locations as photogenic and as readily suitable to the needs of the cast and crew. And above all, the story is a fantasy. The sets contribute to that fantasy -- it's a Never-Neverland for adults, and need have only a dreamlike connection to the real world. I think they succeed admirably in conveying that. We are not in any real Scotland, after all.
The Prisoner of Zenda (1979)
Far better than the ratings suggest
This film is a tremendous parody. To enjoy it in the way it was meant, you have to watch either the 1937 version or the 1952 remake first. Both are exciting, entertaining, and full of the things we love about movies. But then, when you see the Sellers version, and hear some of the same dialog in its new context, you get how hysterically the later film plays with the genre. It was obviously a labor of love, and in no way does a disservice to the earlier films. Sellers' Rudolf must have been modelled on Terry-Thomas, and his cabbie Syd is pretty close to his Michael Caine impressions. Both work splendidly. Jeremy Kemp does the Doug Fairbanks Jr. laugh to the manner born. Production values are topnotch. A gem!
Kästner und der kleine Dienstag (2016)
If words are important ...
Just watched this, having recently watched the five or so brilliant Kästner films about children (and animals) made between 1931 and 1954 plus the animated 1969 "Konferenz der Tiere." All those films have children and adults speaking intelligently and enunciating the dialog, which is of course the whole point, Kästner being one of the great writers of the 20th century. I've lived and worked in a German-speaking country for 44 years. Watching this film made me feel like all those years were erased, and I was hearing a foreign language for the first time. Not one sentence could I understand. At least half of the words were garbled, mumbled, slurred over, or spoken with such a thick Berlin accent that they were undecipherable. I believe the film had something important to say, and I'll probably try again with the German subtitles turned on.
Pünktchen und Anton (1953)
Delightful trip into Kästnerland
Here we have a film that entertains while slyly introducing us to role models we'd be well advised to take to heart. The two kids are wise souls who can turn adversity into joy. No one gets hurt, misunderstandings are mended, and everyone is the better for having them in their lives. There are many laugh-out-loud moments, lots of wonderful shots of '50s Vienna, and even some great moments for animal lovers.
The Pinky Lee Show (1950)
Kids are the goofiest kids, especially the adult ones
I remember this show as a kid. Mainly because Pinky Lee was hysterically running around the whole time, out of breath but still wheezing out his songs and banter as if he were an overwound toy mouse. He never stood still for a second. I also had a board game spinoff, called something like "Pinky Lee's Hidden Treasure Chest," which turned out to have little plastic wieners in it -- somehow very appropriate. He actually collapsed onstage during one of the shows, and for a long time people believed he had gone to his reward on camera. It was around the time that Jackie Gleason slipped and broke his leg on his live show, which I also happened to see.
Die blonde Carmen (1935)
One of her best
Martha Eggerth gets full opportunity here to show her comic talents, which are just as considerable as her vocal ones. Leo Slezak, the father of Walter Slezak, is the ideal foil for her, with his over-the-top pomposity. The dialog is studded with laugh-out-loud lines, and Martha's body language is a treat in itself.
Mein Herz ruft nach dir (1934)
Great fun!
Three years before the Marx Brothers made "Night at the Opera," this gem came along, with amazing parallels, including the stowaway onboard the ship, the rival opera companies, the tenor who can't get an engagement, and much memorable slapstick. There is also a lot of great singing, mostly by Kiepura in his absolute prime. Martha Eggerth hardly gets a chance to sing in this one, but she's still adorable, and positively glows when Kiepura is there. Marischka has written yet another fun-filled screenplay, and Theo Lingen, Paul Hörbiger, and Paul Kemp know just where the laughs are. There are juicy portions of "Tosca" performed, surprisingly in Italian, and Kiepura also does a splendid "Nessun Dorma," although in German. Wonderful entertainment for those who like comedy mixed with wonderfully performed music.
Regine (1935)
Entertaining for fans of this type of film
This film, although it does not tread any new ground, even for 1935, has a lot going for it. There is the talented Wahlbrook, then still billed as Adolf Wahlbrück, who has good opportunities and makes the most of them. There is Olga Tschechowa, the archetypal nasty bitch, who even gets to recite her philosophy of dirty tricks to a charmed party of her invited guests. And there is the very young Luise Ulrich, who could be Judy Holiday's twin sister, just as charming, dizzy, and delightful. On top of that, we get quite a bit of scenery along the Rhine of 1935 and in the villages and towns, all historic stuff. Also the ship "Bremen" and a vintage Lufthansa airplane being boarded (complete with a swastika on the tail, in case you're squeamish about such things). Social manners of the day are also highlighted. In short, there's plenty to see. And hear, too -- the composer has done quite a bit of inventive scoring. Schubert's Unfinished also makes a brief but welcome appearance. Certainly worth a watch.
Bringing Up Baby (1938)
Great, wonderful, funny, but ...
This is a classic film, one of the very best screwball comedies. It's always a treat to watch Cary Grant in anything he does, and there were very few actresses that could hold a candle to Hepburn. And yet, and yet ...
I can't help wondering what the film would have been like if they had gone ahead and used the real Harold Lloyd instead of Cary Grant's imitation of him. Let's face it, Grant was playing very much against type, so much so that even he had strong reservations about his own performance. Lloyd, on the other hand, played this type of character often and brilliantly, in the talkies as well as the silents. He'd have been much more believable, and was a very fit man in his mid-forties when this film was made. A comic genius, as opposed to an actor who could play comedy.
And while we're at it, I'd have given anything to see what Jean Arthur would have done with Hepburn's role. Hepburn pulled off an almost impossible feat in playing a ditzy character. But again Arthur was a natural for this kind of role, whereas Hepburn was playing against type, and needing all the help she could get, as other reviewers have pointed out. My futile pastime is to imagine the sparks flying between Jean and Harold in an alternate reality version of this movie.
Double Wedding (1937)
Misfire
I don't usually write reviews, although I do tend to read them. All I can say about this film is that there's a decent enough premise, and plenty of onscreen time for Powell and Loy, if that's what you want. But the whole thing is lacking in anything like focus, timing, plot progression, or even good gags. The director seems not to know what to do, but just stands back and lets the script do the work, which it doesn't. A Sturges might have been able to make something out of it, but it would have involved a huge rewrite. And may I blaspheme here and say that Powell and Loy are way off form, too. Neither manages to generate much sympathy for their characters. Loy is a cold stick, even at the end, and Powell's attempt at Bohemianism is unconvincing. Pacing is slow, dialog is redundant, and the tacked on slapstick at the end is strictly by the numbers. I guess we can be charitable and lay the blame on Jean Harlow's demise.
Playhouse 90: Eloise (1956)
If wishes was fishes ...
Don't know if this episode still exists somewhere somehow, but LOOK AT THAT CAST!!! And the little girl, Evelyn Rudie, appeared on "You Bet Your Life" a couple of years later and knocked everybody out with her sophistication, charm and smarts. So this show must have been a real prize. Talk about the Golden Age of Television -- a 90 minute show, probably live, with all those stars, who wouldn't tune in? Even 62 years later, it still looks like a hidden gem. Anybody know who to ask for the chance to see it?
Die Blume von Hawaii (1933)
Poor Martha!
I love Martha Eggerth films. "Die Blonde Carmen" is priceless, and so are several others which are currently on YouTube. But this one --- cringe inducing from the first frame to the last! From the hideous black-face number in Paris, through to the equally atrocious depiction of native Hawaiians, it's too abysmal to be believed! Her male partner in the film can't sing at all, but he doesn't let that stop him. The stereotypes, the imitation jazz, the sleazy costumes, the embarrassing second banana's shtick, the brainless plot ... But there's no point in going into detail here. If you want to see my personal candidate for the world's worst musical, then this is it. But don't say I didn't warn you!
Carmen (1915)
Bizet is bizarre!
As some of the other reviewers have said, Geraldine Farrar is quite extraordinary in this film. She is most evidently having the time of her life, freed from the shackles of the operatic stage and the tyranny of those conventions which demand conformity. Her instincts were obviously spontaneous, and her body language and facial expressions go far beyond what was expected in an operatic performance, in those days and even now. "You have killed me, but I am free!" You can sense this freedom in every frame of the movie. The restored film is beautiful, amazingly clear and vibrant, with the tinting adding greatly to the effect. The one thing I found jarring, however, was the music! Gillian Anderson (the conductor, not the actress) performed a labor of love in resuscitating Hugo Riesenfeld's original orchestral score, complete with vocal soloists, but for all that, frequently the music is at odds with the film, despite -- or perhaps because of -- being excerpted from Bizet's opera. There are too many episodes in the film that have no direct counterpart in the music, and I feel it would have been better to give a Carl Davis or his brilliant equivalent the freedom to write a totally new score, especially since the film is based on Merimee's novel rather than the opera libretto of Halevy. Until that happens, I'll prefer to watch the film without sound, but watch it I will!
Bleak House (1985)
Long, but short
This and the 2005 version can be regarded as complimentary to each other, as each contains elements of the story not present in the other. In general, the 1985 version is strong on BLEAK, and the 2005 version is strong on characterizations. But there is so much more to the novel than even both versions together have given us. For example, the character in the book who is most central to the story is NOT Lady Dedlock, but Esther Summerson -- in the novel, much of the story is told by her in the first person, and it is her goodness, her wisdom, and her selflessness that set up the needed perspective to the victim vs. victimizer nature of many of the other characters. But really, the problem is that the book is on such a vast scale, that watching either version is like listening to a 15-minute version of a Bruckner symphony. Ideally, some day someone will just go ahead and take the entire novel as it is and use it as the screenplay.
NBC Television Opera Theatre: Don Giovanni (1960)
Hidden Treasure!
I remember watching this on TV, and being so thrilled with it that I rigged up a way to record the sound off the TV speaker when it was rerun a few months later. (Unfortunately, I no longer have that tape!)
My God, Leontyne Price, and Cesare Siepi! I think Leporello was played by James Pease, but I'm not sure. Note that they performed the piece in English, in front of live cameras, in a studio. There could be no second takes, a fact that was brought home by the Donna Elvira miscounting a couple of phrases in her first aria. Siepi's English was as perfect as his singing and acting. Around the same time, he recorded an LP of Cole Porter songs which was beyond praise -- he would have been the ideal casting in "Kiss Me, Kate"!
Anyway, wouldn't it be great if the videotape of this production could be found and resuscitated?