5 Off My Head: Siri Says 1929

Somehow six months have passed since I did an entry in my "Siri Says" series -- shame on me! I had been doing pretty well with them last year but late July was right around the time I went into three straight months of film festivals so it's not too big a shock this series fell off right about then. I can't promise I'll keep up with this (Sundance is in just a couple weeks after all!) but for today I have a minute and the voice that lives inside my telephone was kind enough to give me an easy enough year (since I've seen very few movies from it) -- I was given "29" and so we're talking the Movies of 1929. 

This was an interesting moment in Hollywood -- beyond the fact that many of these movies are among the earliest batches of "Talkies" (The Jazz Singer came out at the end of 1927) 1929 was also the first year of the Oscars! On May 16th of that year Hollywood gathered together at a private dinner at Los Angeles' Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel and awarded statues to their favorite movies of the previous two years, 1927 and 1928. Has anybody ever written about there being any overlap between sound innovation and the awards system? It feels like there must have been something in the air. Anyway right now we're talking the movies nominated and not nominated for the 2nd Academy Awards -- and now for my five faves!

My 5 Favorite Movies of 1929

Lucky Star

(dir. Frank Borzage)

-- released on July 20th 1929 --

Man With the Movie Camera

(dir. Dziga Vertov)

-- released on January 8th 1929 --

Blackmail

(dir. Alfred Hitchcock)

-- released on October 6th 1929 --

Un Chien Andalou

(dir. Luis Buñuel & Salvador Dalí)

-- released on June 6th 1929 --

Pandora's Box

(dir. G.W. Pabst)

-- released on January 30th 1929 --

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Runners-up: Wolf Song (dir. Victor Fleming), Sunny Side Up (dir. David Butler), Untamed (dir. Jack Conway), The Manxman (dir. Hitchcock), The Broadway Melody (dir. Harry Beaumont)

Never seen: The Virginian (dir. Victor Fleming), Diary of a Lost Girl (dir. GW Pabst), Eternal Love (dir. Ernst Lubitsch), The Kiss (dir. Jacques Feyder), The Awful Truth (dir. Marshall Neilan)

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What are your favorite movies of 1929?

Criterion is Made at Night

So I just fiiiiinally got the Criterion Channel a couple of weeks ago and it's truly an astonishment, more content than I could ever come to grips with. My list grows by bounds every day, until finally, one eve, it will topple and crush me and I can't imagine a finer fate. Anyway that's my way of prefacing a complaint, imagine that, that they don't have more Frank Borzage films! It could be a rights thing -- I think a lot of Borzage's movies were for Fox and now Disney owns Fox and we all know how that is going. (Insert barf emoji here.) But what it comes down to is I really want an American boxed-set of the Janet Gaynor & Charles Farrell films...

Watched a collection of Old Hollywood paparazzi footage on TCM that included blessed footage of my man Charles Farrell on a red carpet pic.twitter.com/e3or9JwX52

— Jason Adams (@JAMNPP) January 2, 2021

... all twelve of them! Besides The Devils on blu-ray it's the Movie Thing I want the most of all. And I feel like Criterion is the place where I could get that, at least most respectfully. I do have a foreign set (not this out-of-print one unfortunately, which looks like an absolute dream) that includes a couple of the films -- Street Angel and 7th Heaven, which were in particular directed by Borzage -- but my ass is greedy. Anyway I thought of all this today, here on the grand occasion of our monthly Criterion Announcement Day, because Criterion is indeed releasing a Frank Borzage film on disc. It's not one that stars Farrell & Gaynor though...

... it's the 1937 adventure-romance History is Made at Night, starring Jean Arthur and Charles Boyer. Have any of you seen it? I have not but it sounds grand, and I've never disliked a single Borzage film yet of the several I've seen, even the ones that don't star Farrell & Gaynor, so I've got high hopes for this one. It's also on the Channel right now, it appears, so maybe I'll watch it this weekend! Here's how it's described:

"Suffused with intoxicating romanticism, History Is Made at Night is a sublime paean to love from Frank Borzage, classic Hollywood’s supreme poet of carnal and spiritual desire. On the run through Europe from her wealthy, cruelly possessive husband, an American (Jean Arthur) is thrown together by fate with a suave stranger (Charles Boyer)—and soon the two are bound in a consuming, seemingly impossible affair that stretches across continents and brings them to the very edge of catastrophe. Lent a palpable erotic charge by the chemistry between its leads, this delirious vision of lovers beset by the world passes through a dizzying array of tonal shifts—from melodrama to romantic comedy to noir to disaster thriller—smoothly guided by Borzage’s unwavering allegiance to the power of love. "

That sounds right up my alley. A disaster thriller! Yes please. You can pre-order it (and see all of the usual reams of extra bonus special features) over on Criterion's website. And per usual that's not all Criterion has on tap for the month of April -- they're also dropping a no-doubt gorgeous restoration of Bong Joon-ho's probable-best flick Memories of Murder, they're also also dropping Olivier Assayas' grandly weird Maggie Cheung vehicle Irma Vep, and they're also also also dropping Jean-luc Godard's Masculin Feminin, and they're also also also also dropping Anthony Mann's grand 1950 Western The Furies starring our queen Barbara Stanwyck! This is a fantastic line-up of features...

5 Off My Head: Siri Says 1931

If it seems like I'm always saying this then that's because I am -- heck I haven't done one of these posts in awhile! I woke up this morning with the flavor in my mouth for one though, so let's give her a twirl -- my "Siri Says" series has me asking the little lady who lives inside of my electronic telephone to give me a number between 1 and 100, and when she gives me one I haven't gotten before (this process takes forever now that we're well passed the halfway point in this series) I take that number, like say "31," and I turn it into The Movies of 1931 and then I go through the list of those movies and I pick my favorites. No really let's go with 1931, because "31" was indeed the number Siri gave me today, after about a dozen tries. 

I actually love this time period in Hollywood -- this was one of the most important years in Horror for one, and for another, the sleazier the Pre-Code Movies the better, I says! -- but going through that list I am ashamed to report I've seen far far far less than I'd like to have from this exact year. But that's why I actually do these lists in the first place -- because I have the best goddamned readers on the internet and y'all always come through with reams of suggestions when I am coming up short. I didn't actually come up short -- I had seen enough to make a list today! But there were so many titles that sounded great -- so many terrific actresses being Wanton Women this year! -- that I haven't seen. So I'll show me mine and you show me yours, is my point!

My 5 Favorite Movies of 1931

M

(dir. Fritz Lang)

-- released on May 11, 1931 --

City Lights

(dir. Charlie Chaplin)

-- released on March 7, 1931 --

Waterloo Bridge

(dir. James Whale)

-- released on September 4, 1931 --

Night Nurse

(dir. William A. Wellman) 

-- released on August 8, 1931 --

Frankenstein

(dir. James Whale)

-- released on November 21, 1931 --

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Runners-up: The Man Who Came Back (dir. Raoul Walsh), Dracula (dir. Tod Browning), Mädchen in Uniform (dir. Leontine Sagan), City Streets (dir. Rouben Mamoulian), Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hyde (dir. Rouben Mamoulian)

Never seen: Body and Soul (dir. Alfred Santell), Cimarron (dir. Wesley Ruggles), Tabu: A Story of the South Seas (dir. Fritz Lang), Bad Girl (dir. Frank Borzage), Possessed (dir. Clarence Brown)...

... I Take This Woman (dir. Marion Gering), My Sin (dir. George Abbott), Mata Hari (dir. George Fitzmaurice), The Miracle Woman (dir. Frank Capra), Dracula (dir. George Melford)

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What are your favorite movies of 1931?

5 Off My Head: Siri Says 1932

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When I asked Siri for a number between one and one-hundred this afternoon and she gave me "32" -- meaning I'd now have to list my favorite movies from the Movies of 1932 -- I groaned a little because I thought it'd be a tough one. Last week's edition of my "Siri Says" series was so easy with 1995 -- heading back to the 1930s had me worried it'd be skimpy pickins. I needn't groan though, because once I got to looking it turned out I've seen a ton of 1932 somehow. Which surprised me at first, but then I noticed there's one thread threaded between most of the titles, and that's the Pre-Code thing. 

1932 was riiiiiiight before the MPAA started whittling away all the fun stuff from the movies, all the sex and sleaze and violence, and by 1932 they had gotten real sleazy indeed. It was terrific! Movies were sexy and fun in 1932. I adore movies from this exact moment in time... and it doesn't hurt that the actors they had reveling in the fun-time sleaze were your Gary Coopers, your Charles Farrells, your Joel McCreas and Clark Gables. Ooh your Chester Morrises! (Love me some Chester Morris.) Top tier stud-muffins every one. I mean this was the year that introduced both Cary Grant and Johnny Weissmuller's Tarzan, for goodness sake...

... or should I say badness. Very naughty thoughts indeed, 1932. Very naughty. That said when it came time to whittle my own list down to a favorite five titles it was more violence than sex that floated to the top -- this was a really terrific year for Horror Movies. All but one of my tip top faves is a Horror Movie! It might be a little early to blame this exact Horror boom on what was about to happen in Europe -- although like right now there was probably a fear of Fascism floating in the air. It's maybe more about the economic anxieties of the Great Depression though? Also... like now, haha funny enough. Sigh. On that note I give you...

My 5 Favorite Movies of 1932

Freaks

(dir. Tod Browning)

-- released on February 20th 1932 --

Vampyr

(dir. Carl Theodor Dreyer)

-- released on May 6th 1932 --

Shanghai Express

(dir. Josef von Sternberg)

-- released on February 12th 1932 --

The Mummy

(dir. Karl Freund)

-- released on December 22nd 1932 --

The Old Dark House

(dir. James Whale)

-- released on October 20th 1932 --

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Runners-up: Grand Hotel (dir. Goulding), Red-Headed Woman (dir. Jack Conway), Murders in the Rue Morgue (dir. Robert Florey), Tarzan the Ape Man (dir. W.S. Van Dyke), White Zombie (dir. Victor Halperin)...
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... Devil and the Deep (dir. Marion Gering), Rain (dir. Lewis Milestone), The Island of Lost Souls (dir. Erle C. Kenton), Trouble in Paradise (dir. Lubitsch), Bird of Paradise (dir. King Vidor), Blonde Venus (dir. Von Sternberg), The Most Dangerous Game (dir. Irving Pichel)

Never seen: Scarface (dir. Hawks), Horse Feathers (dir. Norman Z. McLeod), Three on a Match (dir. Mervyn Leroy), Call Her Savage (dir. John Francis Dillon), A Farewell to Arms (dir. Borzage), No Man of Her Own (dir. Wesley Ruggles), After Tomorrow (dir. Borzage), The First Year (dir. William K. Howard), Wild Girl (dir. Raoul Walsh), Red Dust (dir. Victor Fleming), Back Street (dir. John M. Stahl)

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What are your favorite movies of 1932?

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Big Screen Beauties

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Every year the New York Film Festival has two sidebars to the main festival, one called "Retrospective" where they screen some older films connected by some theme of their choosing, and another called "Revivals" where they screen new restorations of classics. Basically it's all just the world's best excuse to watch some great films from the past on one of the greatest screens in the world. Well this year's batch of movies is beyond, just beyond, if you ask me. The "Retrospective" series is highlighting the great cinematographers, and as such they'll be screening masterpieces like Terrence Malick's Days of Heaven, John M. Stahl's Leave Her To Heaven, Robert Altman's McCabe & Mrs. Miller, and my beloved Street Angel from director Frank Borzage, starring my beloved Charles Farrell and Janet Gaynor.

Those are just a few of the titles -- see the whole list here. The Street Angel print they're showing is a brand new 4K restoration, and speaking of, you can also see all of the restored films that NYFF is screening for their "Revivals" series at the above link, a list which includes Bunuel's breathtaking L'age d'or, William Wyler's glorious Dodsworth, and Valerio Zurlini's Le Professeur with Alain Delon...

You Blow My Hair Back, Charlie

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Awhile back I told you about the film series that MoMA is running right now that includes a great big wad of silent film hunk Charles Farrell movies -- well the thing's still going on, thank goodness, and thank double goodness I'm making it out to see another one tonight. 1931's The Man Who Came Back from director Raoul Walsh, which is one of Charlie's many many, many, movies with Janet Gaynor, g'bless. I'll report upon it tomorrow, or probably even sooner than that on Twitter if I can't keep my heart in my pants that long...
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Make Like Chuck

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Well that is that, another week of our lives over and dunzo. Personally this weekend I'll be taking in some Captain Marvel, as well as one of those Charles Farrell movies I told you are playing at MoMA this month -- if y'all see anything good feel free to go and tell me about it in the comments. Bye!

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Melvil Poupaud Ten Times

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After a terribly slow start to the year movie-wise this weekend it's like wham bam blessings left and right -- it's all of a sudden impossible to keep up! For one FSLC's "Rendez-vous with French Cinema" as I have mentioned a couple of times this week is off and running now, through next Sunday -- I'll have some more coverage of it next week but this weekend is no slouch; check out the whole schedule here. Mr. Poupaud seen here has a movie showing tonight called When Margaux Meets Margaux that sounds fun.

Besides that there's also the series of Charles Farrell heavy Fox Restorations at MoMA that I told you about this afternoon, and The Quad has just opened the 1991 film The Hours and Times about the possibly queer relationship between John Lennon and Brian Epstein, which I've always meant to see. (Plus they're still showing Sorry Angel, my beloved Sorry Angel.) And that's all before you even get to what's showing in theaters!!

I reviewed Greta, Neil Jordan's delightful Isabelle Huppert stalker movie, right here, and I reviewed the Icelandic eco-drama Woman at War yesterday, read that here --both of those movies are totally one of a kind and very much recommended. Then there's Transit, Christian Petzold's Karfka-esque oddity starring the Kafka-esque sex oddity Franz Rogowski, also very much recommended. And then then there's Gaspar Noe's dance film Climax, which I haven't gotten a chance to see yet but thanks to its killer trailer very very very much would like to.  Phew! That's a hella lotta movies! 

And as if all this wasn't enough besides all these films I'm also seeing Sea Life / A Wall at The Public this weekend, better known as the play starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Tom Sturridge, and by all accounts Jake has been meeting and greeting fans after the show which, well, I already feel a little queasy with nerves about steeling myself for that particular Mount Olympus. Wish me luck! Who knows, maybe next week I'll have a selfie to share! (And I probably just jinxed myself.) Anyway you should tell us if you see anything good this weekend in the comments, and now you may hit the jump for the rest of this Melvil Poupaud photo-shoot...

Street Angel, Street Angel, Will You Be Mine

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Last May I told you guys about a series that MoMA was running here in NYC of new restorations of old Fox Film Corp. movies -- it caught my eye because they were screening a bunch of restored Charles Farrell movies and he's my number one silent film dreamboat; getting to see him on a big screen last year only further cemented that and then some. So I'm pretty excited they're doing a second part of the series starting tonight, and they're starting it with a Charles Farrell film to boot! And it's Frank Borzage's Street Angel no less, which well if you wanna see what the hullaballoo is about Charles Farrell this is an ace place to get the hint.

Street Angel was the second of twelve (!!!) team-ups between Farrell and super-star Janet Gaynor -- they're one of the most prolific and successful movie teams ever and once you see their chemistry it's not hard to understand why. 

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SAME, GIRL SAME pic.twitter.com/WUiVESDu1E

— Jason Adams (@JAMNPP) February 2, 2019

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They make a killer duo. In fact they're screening another one of their flicks in this very series, one I have never seen -- Raoul Walsh's 1931 wastrel romance The Man Who Came Back. And he's got a stache!

I'll report back after seeing that, methinks. But that's not all - clearly somebody working on this series nurses a Charlie Crush that dwarfs even mine because there are two more of his movies in this series, ones that have nothing to do with Janet Gaynor -- they're screening 1928's The Red Dance (also from Raoul Walsh) starring him alongside Dolores del Rio, which has them in a doomed Communist Russia romance of some sort...

... and they're screening a WWI melodrama called Body and Soul from 1931 that has Charlie in uniform (again) romancing the widow of a fallen comrade played by Elissa Landi. (Landi not pictured, lol.)

Frustratingly I don't think I'll be able to see Body and Soul since the screening times are all weekday afternoons -- won't you think of us employed obsessives, programmers??? Anyway check out the entire series right here, it's full of keepers -- I'm also curious about the 1925 Frank Borzage silent called Lazybones which stars cowboy Buck Jones; I have yet to see a Borzage film I haven't loved and Jones looks like a possible acceptable stand-in for Farrell...

Good Morning, World

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Have any of you seen the 1927 silent film 7th Heaven from director Frank Borzage? When I did my first Gratuitous Charles Farrell post back in 2013 I mentioned it - I hadn't seen Charlie in anything yet at that point but I sure wanted to. Well I finally saw 7th Heaven this past weekend in a Charlie Double Feature (I told you about the series MoMA's running previously) and man it is a terrific one. 

It was his first movie alongside Janet Gaynor, who he made a ton of movies with over the next decade or so and you can see why they became the It Couple of their day (even though they were married to other people) - they've got chemistry out the wazoo. I can't stop thinking about this undressing and re-dressing sequence - it's so freaking charming. You can see all the romantic comedies to come packaged up right here in infant form.

You can see some especially charming gifs from the other Charles Farrell movie I watched this past weekend, a 1929 musical called Sunnyside Up, over here on the Tumblr - unlike the strapping sewage worker Charlie played in 7th Heaven he was a rich-boy fancy-pants in Sunnyside and totally convincing as that type too. I don't know why his name isn't remembered better than it is. PS It's not as fine a copy as what I saw (MoMA restored it so here's to hoping for a good release) but you can watch all of 7th Heaven on YouTube:

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