The film opens on a statement that we are about to see the future. The War is over. The Nazis who victimized millions of people are being held responsible for their actions. A trial is being held, and among the accused is Wilhelm Grimm (Alexander Knox). Present in the court are three of his victims who survived: Father Warecki (Henry Travers), the local Catholic priest; Karl Grimm (Erik Rolf), his brother; and Marja Paierkowski (Marsha Hunt), his one-time fiance. The film promises the fate of the criminals: None Shall Escape (1944) I'd not heard of this film until it was aired at the TCM Film Festival last year. A friend went to see it, and suggested I might want to seek it out; unfortunately, it has not been available on any media format, nor has it been aired on any television station. Recently, the film was released to Blu-Ray, and I was able to get a copy. If you've not seen None Shall Escape, try and find a copy (perhaps from your local library). It's a fascinating look into the past. The movies was released in February of 1944 - four months before the D-Day invasion. The Germans had just won two major victories in Italy (at Cisterna and Anzio Beach), and the final outcome of the war was still in doubt. There had been other anti-Nazi films: The Great Dictator (1940), The Mortal Storm (1940), To Be or Not To Be (1942), All Through the Night (1942), but this was the first to attempt to show what was happening to Jews in Europe. It was also doing something else that was unique - looking to the end of the war and assuming the Allies would win - a bold statement in 1943 and early 1944!
The flashbacks which tell the story of Wilhelm Grimm's rise in the Nazi machine begin in 1919. The First World War has ended badly for him: his dreams of German glory have been destroyed, and he has lost a leg. He sees himself as less than a man, not only because of his disability, but also because he has been forced to return to Poland. Grimm despises the people he lived with before the war, including his fiance. He blames his hatred on the fact that the town will only see his injury. That the people of Lidzbark welcome him back, and that a woman like Marja could love him show the audience that, before the war, he seemed a good man. Clearly, he is no longer, and Alexander Knox plays him as one dead inside. The monster that was created by the war is only encouraged by the rise of National Socialism, and Mr. Knox is not afraid to display the evil that must have been buried below the surface.
Marsha Hunt exudes an inner strength as Marja. The man she loved is, for all intents and purposes, dead. And with the beginning of the Second World War, she watches everything that she knows get plowed under by the reign of this horrible man. She plays Marja with dignity; Marja never pities Grimm, but eventually she loathes him, and what he has become. His crimes are horrors, even before he becomes an officer with the Nazis, and Marja must acknowledge that the only way to save herself and her people is to abandon a man she once loved. Also in the cast is Henry Travers as the local priest and Richard Hale as Rabbi David Levin. The two prelates are friends, and work for the good of their populations. It's a nice touch to present the religious leaders as a team, rather than as rivals for converts.
None Shall Escape was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Story (AFI Catalog) for writer Lester Cole (who was later blacklisted as a member of the Hollywood Ten). Columbia chief Harry Cohn wanted Paul Lukas in the part of Grimm, but director Andre de Toth wanted Alexander Knox. It was released as a B movie, and reviews at the time were mixed - Bosley Crowther of the New York Times (of course) hate it, calling it "bombastically directed" and "dishing out thick, dark gobs of anguish;" while the Hollywood Reporter was glowing (TCM article). Regardless, it is an important movie. In her book
Indelible Shadows: Film and the Holocaust, Annette Insdorf
says the film is "revelatory in its inclusion of the genocide of the Jews [and] prescient in its depiction of the postwar trial of an SS leader." As Stan Taffel, in this 2016 interview said "This film is relevant in the 21st Century and it will be relevant in the 22nd Century. As long as people care about who they are and what they are and how they are, this film is relevant."
I'll leave you with a trailer and this discussion of the film by Marsha Hunt:
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This post is part of the Great Villain Blogathon. Go there to read the posts of the #Villains2019 participants.
The arrival of Lady Edwina Esketh (Myrna Loy) and her husband, Lord Albert (Nigel Bruce) in Ranchipur, India creates problems when Edwina becomes attracted to the heir to the throne, Major Rama Safti (Tyrone Power). Though warned to stay away from Dr. Safti by her former lover, Tom Ransome (George Brent), Edwina continues her pursuit, but has the misfortune for fall in love with the handsome doctor. However, everyone is threatened when The Rains Came (1939). The Rains Came feels like it should be longer than it is; so much happens, the characters grow so much, that you think it must be of epic length, but director Clarence Brown packs an awful lot into a running time of 103 minutes. Like so many of the movies from 1939, this is both an exceptional film and one that is not always remembered because it had so much competition the year of its release (how do you get noticed when you are up against Gone With the Wind, The Wizard of Oz, and Ninotchka?). It was nominated for six Academy Awards (winning in the newly created Special Effects category), but none of the marvelous cast were even nominated for their work. Let's start with Myrna Loy. She's cast against type (at least at this point in her career) as a harlot; there was some comment that she was not capable of playing the role (Myrna Loy: The Only Good Girl in Hollywood by Emily W. Leider). It's clear that Edwina lived with Tom Ransome before her marriage, and that she left him. It's also quite clear that marriage is no barrier to her bedding any man that intrigues her, and that Major Safti very much intrigues her. While Marlene Dietrich was considered for the part (TCM notes), Fox head Darryl Zanuck eventually borrowed Ms. Loy from MGM (in exchange for Tyrone Power's appearance in Marie Antoinette (1938)). Mr. Zanuck didn't make her life easy, however - Ms. Loy had been under contract to him and he'd let her go; he apparently resented her success at MGM, and was blatantly nasty to her (TCM article). She found support from director Brown, who told her "I think you're giving the best performance of your career." And she is (though she would later outpace herself in The Best Years of Our Lives). She takes a character who starts as a caricature of an avaricious woman, and as the story progresses matures her into a living, breathing person.
George Brent was also borrowed (from Warner Brothers) for the part that was originally intended for Ronald Colman (AFI catalog). Like Ms. Loy, Tom is a careless individual - the son of a noble (and with the possibility of eventually inheriting the title). He's lazing in India, supposedly painting a portrait of the Maharaja (H.B.Warner), but never getting it done. He's got a (well-deserved) reputation as a roué, and is finally being tested both by the tragedy that strikes Ranchipur, as well as the love that the young Fern Simon (Brenda Joyce) feels for him. Mr. Brent does a good job of turning Tom into a grown-up, and makes it an interesting process to watch. Tyrone Power is exceptional as Major Safti, a dedicated doctor who is next in line for the throne of Ranchipur. Both Charles Boyer and Ramon Novarro were considered for the part (Clarence Brown: Hollywood's Forgotten Master by Gwenda Young). That he is one of the most striking men on Earth doesn't hurt - when he is on screen, you can't take your eyes from him. In the hands of a lesser actor, Rama could be mere eye candy for Edwina to toy with; with a gifted actor like Mr. Power, we respond to him; he uses everything at his disposal to paint a picture of a man who is both attracted to and offended by this obvious - and careless - woman.
This is not just a film of stars. It is an ensemble with a host of gifted character actors. First and foremost is Maria Ouspenskaya (Maharani). An indomitable force, she too is hard to ignore on the screen. Playing a character who is a mix of Eastern and Western habits, she is a powerful woman who has both the strength and determination to lead her people. Born in Russia in 1876, Mme. Ouspenskaya acted with the Moscow Arts Theatre until 1922. While on a trip with the company to New York, she stayed behind, where she worked on Broadway (she ultimately would do 8 Broadway plays) and taught acting and ultimately founded (with Richard Boleslawski) the School of Dramatic Art. When money got tight, she moved to California and opened a dancing school. She also began appearing in films. She was nominated for the Oscar twice, for Dodsworth (1936, her first film), and for Love Affair (1939). She died as the result of a stroke, and a fire - the couch she was on caught fire from her cigarette.
Other notable cast members include Nigel Bruce as Lord Esketh, a totally reprehensible man, and an welcome change from the sweet, befuddled character he was usually forced to play; Jane Darwell as the common sense Aunt Phoebe, loathed by Mrs. Simon (Marjorie Rambeau as the snobby minister's wife), adored by Tom Ransome, and by her husband the Reverend Homer Smiley (Henry Travers as a good and loving man); Mary Nash as nurse Miss MacDaid, who despises Lady Esketh until she is forced to acknowledge her devotion to Rama and the injured of Ranchipur; and Joseph Schildkraut as Mr. Bannerjee, as Westernized India traumatized by the earthquake (and our question - what happened to Mr. Bannerjee??)
The weakest link in the film is probably Brenda Joyce as Fern Simon; she's not a compelling actress, and as a result the character is diminished by the strong performances around her. As a young girl who feels she is being choked by her parents, Ms. Joyce does project the necessary naivety required of Fern. Ms. Joyce worked primarily in B pictures; she succeeded Maureen O'Sullivan as Jane in the Tarzan series, working with Johnny Weissmuller and Lex Barker in that franchise. She retired in 1949 to raise her three children with husband Owen Ward (the marriage ended in divorce in 1960). She would later work in the Catholic Resettlement Office, assisting immigrants in their new country. She died in 2009 at the age of 92. According to this article, which looks at the film (and its remake) in comparison to Louis Bromfield's 1938 novel, the novel focused on the effects of the catastrophe on all levels of Indian life. A Photoplay magazine, however, published an article in which Mr. Bromfield commented on the 1939 version of the film. Not surprisingly, given the venue, Mr. Bromfield praised the film.
As previously mentioned, the film was remade in 1955 as The Rains of Ranchipur with Lana Turner and Richard Burton, with a much different ending. In March 1940, Lux Radio Theatre did a production, which featured George Brent, Kay Francis, and Don Ameche in the main roles. The New York Timesreview by Frank Nugent was not satisfied with the film, calling it "the merest skeleton of the Bromfield work, and that not too well reassembled." When the film was included in TCM's Summer Under the Stars day devoted to George Brent, TCM host Dave Karger provided some commentary on the movie and on Mr. Brent. Regardless of the review, this is a magnificent movie. Sure, it's a romance, but WHAT a romance! We wholeheartedly suggest you give it a viewing. In the meantime, here is the opening of film, with our introduction to Tom, Miss MacDaid, and Rama.
The first World War is ending, but for John Smith (Ronald Colman), it finished prematurely. Wounded in battle, he was discovered by the enemy, and eventually sent back to his country in an exchange. John will never return to the war - he has lost his memory, doesn't know who he is or where he came from, and is virtually unable to speak. But he desperately wants to leave the hospital and resume some kind of normal life. So, when an opportunity presents itself, he walks out of the hospital, and is befriended by Music Hall performer Paula Ridgeway (Greer Garson). We'll be discussing Random Harvest (1942) this week. While we endeavor to keep spoilers to a minimum, Random Harvest has so many twists and turns that it is next to impossible to not reveal something in any discussion of the film. So, if you've never seen it before, you might want to watch it before reading our discussion. Or at least be aware that a number of important plot points occur and characters are introduced because of surprise changes in the storyline.
The movie is based on the novel of the same name by James Hilton, the author of Lost Horizon (that highly successful 1937 film featured Ronald Colman) and Goodbye, Mr. Chips (the film that in 1939 introduced Greer Garson to American audiences). The book is significantly longer than the film, and has a narrative voice that does not appear in the film. And one of the surprises that appears early in the film is saved for the final page of the book. Otherwise, the screenplay is faithful to the book. Ronald Colman (while a bit old for the character) is absolutely amazing. He really has to play three characters in the film: the shell-shocked John Smith, the loving Smithy, and the aristocratic Charles Rainier. While I'm not fond of the scene in which Dr. Jonathan Benet (Philip Dorn) bring Mr. and Mrs. Lloyd (Charles Waldron and Elisabeth Risdon), the parents of a missing soldier, in to see if John might be their son, Colman gives it just the right level of hopefulness. It also establishes John's desperate need to leave the asylum - without a family to go to, it seems likely that he will molder in the hospital until his will to fight is gone. Mr. Colman was nominated for an Oscar for his performance - he lost to James Cagney in Yankee Doodle Dandy - as well as by the New York Film Critics. As two recent pictures had not done well - Lucky Partners (1940) and My Life with Caroline (1941) - this film (along with Talk of the Town (1942) put Mr. Colman back on top of the box office. (TCM article)
Greer Garson is radiant as Paula; like Mr. Colman, she too has to go through several "personalities," though not as drastic as his. With her warm smile and easy grace, it's no wonder that Smithy trusts her instantly. That he could ever forget about her is perhaps the only puzzle of the movie (though we are not at all stunned that even Dr. Benet is in love with her). Ms Garson gets an opportunity to sing in this film (wearing a the shortest kilt on record!). She does an impressive job, and imitates Sir Harry Lauder to boot in the "She's My Daisy" number. Ms. Garson was not nominated for an Oscar for this role, but it's not all that surprising given that she WON that year for her impressive work in Mrs. Miniver. Susan Peters, as Rainier's step-niece Kitty, does an excellent job in a role for which Donna Reed was initially considered (AFI catalog). She has to age from approximately 15 to 25, and also make us understand that her attraction to Charles is more than a schoolgirl crush. She achieves this ultimately when she decides they are not destined for each other. Her sympathy for Charles, combined with her understanding of her own needs as a woman endear her to the viewer. Ms. Peters was nominated for the Supporting Actress Oscar (she lost to Teresa Wright in Mrs. Miniver), and she won the Supporting Actress award from the National Board of Review.
Ms. Peters had a sadly short career, appearing in only 24 films and television shows (much of her early work is uncredited). Three years after the release of Random Harvest, Ms. Peters was out hunting with her husband, Richard Quine and some of their friends. She reached down to pick up a rifle; it discharged into her stomach, the bullet logging in her spine. Though MGM supported her through her hospitalization, the realization that she was wheelchair-bound impelled them to pay out her contract. She did work after that, but rarely. Her most notable roles were in The Sign of the Ram (1948), in which she was the villain, and a television series Martinsville, U.S.A. as a lawyer (years before Raymond Burr was a hit as a wheelchair-bound detective in Ironside). She was also able to get some stage work - Tennessee Williams notably altered The Glass Menagerie to accommodate her injury. However, with her marriage ended (it has been said that she divorced her husband because she didn't want to hinder him), she became more and more depressed. She died at age 31, from starvation and dehydration.
The supporting cast, all in very brief roles is impressive: Una O'Connor as the Tobacconist, Henry Travers as Dr. Sims, Rhys Williams as Sam, Reginald Owen as "Biffer", Margaret Wycherly as Mrs. Deventer, Alan Napier as Julian, and Arthur Shields as the Chemist. Having such impressive talent as support for the leads adds immeasurably to the viewing experience. Though it was not nominated for its cinematography, it should have been. The film makes you believe that it is in color. Some of it is dialogue - discussions of Paula's hair being the "color of a copper penny" and blue beads being the color of her eyes help, but the pink/white tree in front of their house, the warm browns of Biffer's pub, and the lush greenery of the Smith's little town make you forget you are watching a black and white film. It's exquisite work.
Pauline Kael's antipathy towards the film in later years (she said she preferred Carol Burnett's 1973 spoof "Rancid Harvest" because "it was shorter.") nonwithstanding, Random Harvest was a huge hit, earning $4.5
million and breaking attendance records at New York's Radio City Music Hall. It is today #36 on AFI's 100 Years, 100 Passions, and in his tribute to Greer Garson, was cited by Keith Carradine as being his favorite of her films. It was nominated for seven Oscars (including Picture, Director, Screenplay, Black and White Set Direction, and Score). Mr. Colman and Mr. Garson would reprise their roles twice for the Lux Radio Theatre, in January, 1944 and April 1948. Random Harvest is a real treat, and one that you will revisit over and over again. Yes, it is a melodrama, but WHAT a melodrama, with performances par excellence. We'll leave you with the film's trailer:
When Professor Bertram Potts (Gary Cooper) discovers that his seven years of relatively isolated research have led to a complete lack of understanding of current American slang, he ventures out of the confines of his enclave. In his quest, he meets Sugarpuss (Katherine) O'Shea (Barbara Stanwyck), an entertainer who is currently on the lam from the cops - seems her boyfriend, Joe Lilac (Dana Andrews) is suspected of murder and wants her out of the way, since she could link him to the victim. Sugarpuss arrives on Bertram's doorstep, and within an hour has his research colleagues eating out of her hand, as well as a room in their headquarters. Meanwhile, Joe is planning a wedding - since a wife can't testify against her husband. And Bertram is falling in love with his sexy house guest.
Ball of Fire (1941) is another one of those madcap films that show Barbara Stanwyck's gift for comedy, as well as her chemistry with co-star Gary Cooper. They had worked together earlier that year in Meet John Doe, and Cooper suggested her for the part of Sugarpuss when other actresses turned it down - among those approached were Virginia Gilmore (Sam Goldwyn's first choice, as she was under contract to him at the time), Ginger Rogers (who thought the role beneath her), Carole Lombard, Jean Arthur, Betty Fields, and Lucille Ball. Goldwyn and director Howard Hawks were thrilled at having Stanwyck in the role, and their confidence paid off. (This TCM article gives a little more information on the casting woes of the production).
Stanwyck
carefully balances the greedy showgirl against the young woman who
falls in love - against her will - with a man who "looks like a
giraffe", "gets drunk on a glass of buttermilk," and "doesn't know how
to kiss". Without the fine hand of Stanwyck, the film could have easily
imploded, as it did with the remake (A Song is Born). Stanwyck
gives us a Sugarpuss who glows with love and with sexuality, and who is
finally bested by an innocent man who loves her with all of his heart.
She is intelligent, though uneducated, but she is someone who hungers
for love AND for knowledge. And though clearly Joe has gotten her a job
in a classy joint, Stanwyck shows us Sugarpuss' roots - watch her walk on the stage as she performs - Sugarpuss started as a stripper.
As always, Stanwyck is impeccably dressed by her favorite costumer Edith Head. She has some lovely street clothing, as well as a splendid costume for her act, that is both breathtaking and cheesy at the same time. And watch how it sparkles in the dull environs of the professors' apartment house - Head makes Sugarpuss the real bright spot in the lives of these sequestered intellectuals.
Equally perfect is Gary Cooper as Bertram. It would be easy to make Potts merely a jerk, rather than an innocent, but Cooper carefully walks that line. Certainly Potts is naive, but he is eager to learn and to experience new things. His enthusiasm for the slang he is discovering is palpable. He is a man dedicated to his scholarship - though much younger than his scholarly colleagues, he hasn't had the opportunity to interact with the opposite sex, but when he does, his inhibitions take a back seat to his passion.
It's interesting
to see Dana Andrews in a supporting role. His Joe Lilac is an
egomaniac, surrounded by Yes Men, who is quite sure he can tame Sugarpuss with a large diamond and a marriage
certificate. Given that Andrews has very little screen time, he makes the most of what little time he is provided. You don't forget Joe - Andrews makes him just sinister enough to keep the comic background, but still have a character that is a threat to our lovers. This is a film that is blessed with an amazing supporting cast. We have the always excellent Allen Jenkins as the neighborhood garbage man, who wants to enter a "quizzola" (he's got all the boxtops he needs. What he needs are the answers). Dan Duryea as Duke Pastrami, Lilac's lead henchman is delightfully oily, with his rather disturbing laugh is put to good use. Watch for the scene when he licks his thumb to clean his gunsight - thus tipping his hat to co-star Gary Cooper (who did the same maneuver in Sergeant York). "I saw this in a movie," Duryea quips. (Interestingly, a few days after seeing Ball of Fire, I was watching Davy Crockett, King of the Wild Frontier (1955), and my husband noticed that Fess Parker (as Crockett) does the same maneuver while fighting Santa Ana at the Alamo. Coincidence? I think not.)
And let us not forget the "seven dwarfs" (Yes, the film is loosely based on Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs), Professor Potts colleagues in research. Among the superb actors gracing the cast are
Oscar Homolka as
Professor Gurkakoff (Mathematics), Henry Travers as
Professor Jerome (Geography), S. Z. Sakall
as Professor Magenbruch (Physiology), Leonid Kinskey as Professor Quintana, and Richard Haydn as the appropriately named
Professor Oddly (Botany). Sugarpuss calls them a bunch of "squirrelly cherubs", a most apt description. But rather than just have them there for laughs, they are intrinsic to the plot - it is their combined brain power that will save the day for our couple.
One other note of interest, actress Mary Fields, who plays Miss Totten, is the only actor to appear in the remake, A Song is Born. She plays the exact same character in the remake, though there was a seven year gap between the films. Ball of Fire was well received at the time of its release, as is evidenced by this New York Times review. In 2007, it was selected as a TCM Essentials pick (as well as a 2012 Essentials, Jr. selection). AND it is number 92 on the American Film Institute's 100 Funniest American Movies Of All Time list. If you've never seen it, treat yourself to a viewing - and if you have seen it, curl up on a cold evening and watch it again! We leave you with the scene in which Sugarpuss demonstrates "Yum-yum". We'll be back soon with more Barbara!
The Movie Group began in New York City, with weekly meetings to watch a variety of films. Since then, we have continued our meetings virtually. However, occasionally, a member might get to see something that fits into nicely into our discussions, and so it will be added to the blog.
This week, I got to see Born to be Bad (1934) at the AFI Silver Theatre in Maryland, where they are doing a tribute to Loretta Young's 100th birthday. In this film, Ms. Young is Letty Strong, a woman of 22 with a 7 year-old son (Mickey, played by Jackie Kelk). Abandoned by the boy's father before he was born, she was taken in by Fuzzy (Henry Travers). However, she now supports herself as a dress-model and paid escort. She allows her son to skip school, and informs Fuzzy that Mickey will not live life as naive as she - he knows the realities of life. Here's our first glimpse of Letty:
Enter Malcolm Trevor (Cary Grant), the wealthy owner of a dairy, who Letty tries to bilk. Fascinated by her child, he and his wife adopt the boy, in hopes of giving him a better life. But Letty intends to get the boy back, and enough money to support them - preferably at Mal's expense. That the film is pre-code is readily apparent. We get some glimpses of Young in her lingerie (with her legs as bare as they can be!). And Letty is never condemned for her actions, neither her present day lifestyle, nor the fact that she is an unmarried mother. Fuzzy, our bell-weather for Letty's actions, is angry with her for her actions as a mother - the fact that she does not teach her son proper values. Though it is apparent he does not approve of her occupation, he does not censure her for it; he remains her friend, and hopes that he can convince her to be a better mother. He regrets she is compelled to do this, primarily because of the example it sets for Mickey. An article on the TCM website offers some insight into the reception that the film received (it wasn't good). The production code was right around the corner. We see here the last vestiges of the pre-code film. We'll resume our weekly review in a few days.
