We begin our latest film festival with The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex.
It's true, our guest for this film festival has only a small part in
it, but it is such a good movie, we decided to start with Ms. de
Havilland in a supporting role. She plays Lady Penelope Gray,
lady-in-waiting to Queen Elizabeth (Bette Davis). Madly in love with
the Earl of Essex (Errol Flynn), it is her manipulations that help bring
about his downfall. We did a little reading after the movie. Ms. D.
did NOT want to be in this film - after all, it really isn't much of one
for her (though she is still wonderful in it). The movie is all about
Bette Davis' Elizabeth and Errol Flynn's Essex. When they are on the
screen, you watch them. When they are NOT on the screen, you wait for
them to come back. Lady Penelope is just window dressing to propel the
action forward. But when you have an actress of the caliber of Olivia de
Havilland doing it, the part becomes memorable as well. (And, is this
the only movie in which she appeared with Flynn, in which she DIDN'T end
up with him in one way or another?) We were able to find a scene with Davis and de Havilland:
Again, our reading reminded
us of the story that I heard on TCM some time ago. That Davis loathed
Errol Flynn, feeling he was not an actor worthy of her talent. But that,
years later, she re-saw the movie (in fact, with Ms. D. in attendance)
and admitted that it was, in fact, a wonderful movie and that Flynn was
excellent in it. Just the final scene, as he goes to the block,
demonstrates the subtlety of his acting.
We also enjoyed seeing
the very young Nanette Fabray as Mistress Margaret Radcliffe, another
lady-in-waiting who is yearning for the return of her lover - a soldier
in Ireland. She is delightful; it is a treat to see her in a very
different part from the musicals we were used to.
On a recommendation, we broke up our festivals with a foreign film, Babette's Feast.The
story of two sisters in a remote Danish village, who give up their
chances at love to work with their father in his religious ministry.
The sisters, at the request of a soldier who once loved one of them,
take in a refugee from France, Babette Hursant (Stephane Audran), who
becomes their housekeeper. The sisters begin by teaching Babette how to
cook THEIR way (and it is pretty revolting-looking), but gradually,
Babette begins to cook her way, making their simple fare that much
better. Years pass, and Babette comes into a sum of money. The sisters,
sure Babette is about to leave, accede to her request to cook them one
great meal to celebrate the 100 anniversary of their late father's
birth. The entire ministry is invited, and Babette prepares a meal-to-end-all meals.
This is a lovely movie; we felt very sorry for
the sisters, who seem to almost have no choice than to stay buried in
this barren wasteland of a village. Their food is atrocious - salted
fish and bland bread. Only Babette's presence adds a little spice to
their culinary life. Contrast the scene where Babette makes their first
meal, per their instructions, to the feast she later prepares - and the
looks on the attendees faces as they sample these delicacies for the
first (and possibly last) time in their lives.
Certainly a movie worth a viewing. We heartily recommend it. And here's a trailer to introduce you to the film:
Next week, we start a new festival of Hollywood movies.
This week, we watched Nothing Sacred, a screwball comedy
which stars Carole Lombard as Hazel Flagg, a young woman from Warsaw, a
tiny New England town, who is diagnosed with radium poisoning. When
reporter Wally Cook (Frederic March) is looking for a story to get him
back on top, he hits on Hazel's misfortune as a means to re-ingratiating
himself with his boss. Only problem is, Hazel has since found out that
her doctor (Charles Winninger) was mistaken. She's fine. Hazel however,
wants her free trip to New York City (the gift promised by Wally), and
to get out of Warsaw, so she conceals her health, and goes to town as
the Martyr Who is About to Die. (My favorite line: "It's kind of
startling to be brought to life twice - and each time in Warsaw!")
In
some senses, it feels as though the writers wrote themselves into a
corner, and couldn't get out. They need a way to end it, so they do,
but whether it exactly works, is a matter of opinion. However, this is
screwball comedy, so on some levels it doesn't really matter. Ms.
Lombard is adorable as Hazel; loving the attention she is getting, but
horrified because people seem to so genuinely care that she is dying.
And, of course, falling in love with Wally who ALSO thinks she is about
to die. Here's a trailer:
There is also a great deal of wonderful character support
here. We were particularly tickled by a brief, uncredited appearance by
Hattie McDaniel, as the wife of a man pretending to be a Middle Eastern
potentate. One word from her, and we were laughing. You can't miss
that voice. Even without the closeup that we never got, we knew it was
her! Another delightful surprise was Margaret Hamilton as a local
neighbor of Hazel. She doesn't have a huge part, doesn't even have a
lot of dialog, but again, she is hysterically funny. We loved it.
Interesting to note is that both actresses were 2 years from their
breakthrough 1939 performances in Gone with the Wind and The Wizard of Oz.
The poster that we have attached to the posting is misleading, as is much about this movie. First of all, Now and Forever is
not REALLY a Shirley Temple movie. Miss Temple gets third billing
behind her co-stars, Gary Cooper and Carole Lombard, and doesn't appear
in the movie until about 15 minutes into the action. And while she
sings one little song (to entertain her little friends at a party),
there is no dancing to speak of. This movie is really about Gary Cooper,
who plays Jerry Day, a ne'er-do-well who supports his fancy lifestyle
by running small-time cons. Carole Lombard is his wife, Toni, who has
willingly taken the ride with Jerry, but is beginning to find it
wearing. When she discovers that Jerry has a small daughter, Penelope,
and that he is willing to "sell" her to support their lifestyle, she is
horrified. One look at little Penny, though, and Jerry is smitten. He
takes his daughter back from his in-laws, heads to Paris to reunite with
Toni, and begins to attempt an honest life. But temptation comes in the
form of Felix Evans (Sir Guy Standing), a jewel thief who wants Jerry
to work for him.
We said before that much about the movie was
misleading. As it opens, we get happy, bouncy music, some of it from
other Shirley Temple movies. Would an audience, already familiar with
Temple's films from earlier that same year Stand up and Cheer and Baby, Take a Bow
be stunned by this very serious movie, which is really about Jerry, NOT
Penny. Would they expect our little heroine to dance (not just tap her
feet)? Would they expect to get a few songs? As we mentioned, they
don't get that at all, for Penny is merely the catalyst to complicate
Jerry's life and force him to re-evaluate his choices.
Lombard,
too, has a minor part to Cooper. Her one lovely scene is when she is
alone in Paris, trying to decide on her life with Jerry. The emotions
that play across her face tell you everything in just a few moments, and
point out her power as a dramatic actress. We have some interplay
between her and Temple, as they struggle to become mother and daughter,
but otherwise, Carole is just there to look attractive. Here's a scene with the three of them; if you can take your eyes off little Shirley, you are a stronger person than we are:
The ending
says it all. It is, again, about Jerry - he will have to pay for what
he has done (after all, this is code movie). Little Penny will be happy
(he has made sure she will be cared for); even Toni (it seems) will have
a place in life. But Jerry, who just cannot find a way to be honest,
must make recompense for what he has done.
One more Carole Lombard movie to go. See you next week.
This week, we watched True Confession, with Ms. Lombard,
Fred MacMurray, and John Barrymore. It is surely interesting to see her
reunited with not one, but two of her prior co-stars, and, at least for
MacMurray, in such different parts. Lombard's Helen is nothing short
of a compulsive liar. There isn't a problem she won't try to fix with a
lie. Her husband, Ken, is the total reverse - a lawyer who despises
liars, and won't take on a guilty client (which makes him a very
underemployed lawyer indeed). When Helen is accused of murder, Ken's
insistence that she own up to her guilt ends in another lie, and in
creating a celebrity couple. And, when John Barrymore enters the
picture, hijinks ensue. Watch Carole lie her way out of a creditor repossessing a typewriter:
Certainly this movie easily fits into the screwball mode, and while it is no Love Before Breakfast, it isn't My Man Godfrey
either. Our group had rather mixed reactions to Ms. Lombard - one
person describing her performance as "shrill". But all were agreed that
it was at times quite amusing. Though, we did want to take Ken and
launch him into outer space. He is rather a self-absorbed piece of work.
Insisting his wife not work, because it will look like he can't support
her. And of course, he can't. His ethics won't allow him to represent a
guilty client. One can feel for Helen's predicament being married to
such a prig. As for Barrymore, his Charley is just weird. Not as manic
as the character he played in Twentieth Century, but certainly cut from the same eccentric cloth.
Next week, we visit Carol in the land of another star. Much smaller,and with curlier hair. Tune in then.
This week's movie was The Princess Comes Across. After
last week's odd outing, this was a welcome relief. Our Carol is the
Princess Olga, on her way from Sweden to become an actress in Hollywood.
Except, we quickly find out she is actually Wanda Nash from Brooklyn, a
wannabe actress who will do anything to get her Hollywood break - even
pretending to be a bargain-basement Greta Garbo. On the cruise ship,
our little princess meets King Mantell, a successful concertina player,
who is eager to get better acquainted. It doesn't take too much
convincing for the Princess to decide that she really rather likes
concertinas (despite the disgust of her traveling companion, Lady
Gertrude, aka Gertie, played with great verve by Alison Skipworth).
It
appears we are in line for a boy-meets-girl, boy-almost loses girl
story, but no. Wanda and Gertie are being blackmailed by Robert Darcy
(Porter Hall, at his unctuous best). He'd already tried to pry some
money out of King (who has served time in prison), but King isn't
interested in paying for his silence, so Darcy goes after Wanda. And
then ends up dead. In Wanda's room. And, so King decides to join the
search to find the murderer.
We loved Carole Lombard's phony
Swedish accent ("ney, ney") - an obvious nod to MGM's most famous Swede,
the ever wonderful Ms. Garbo. And it was a pleasure to see Fred
MacMurray paired with William Demarest (many, MANY years before they
became a TV "couple"). MacMurray seems to be having a lot of fun with
the part, as is Ms. Lombard. The murder plot is rather convoluted, but
who really cares. I don't think you will even remember who committed
the murder (or why), but you'll have a good time regardless.
A big thumbs up for this one. Here's a scene of Fred MacMurray singing (and playing a concertina. Not bad for a saxophonist!) Join us next time for True Confessions.
Our Carole Lombard focus this time is 1936's Love Before Breakfast. In the spirit of honesty, let's just start by getting it out in the open - we just DIDN'T
like this movie! Try as they might, this trio of excellent actors
(Carole Lombard, Preston Foster, Cesar Romero), could not make this mess
of a script into a cohesive whole. First off, the title - just WHERE
did they pick this title from? It made no sense, bore no relation to the
movie at all. Next, there is the relationship between Kay Colby (Carole
Lombard) and Scott Miller (Preston Foster). All they do is fight. And
fight to the point where it is ridiculous. I won't go into the ending
here, but just watch it. It makes no sense, and is just plain stupid.
Compare it to a similar ending in My Man Godfrey, where the ending is
handled brilliantly. Though it has been a long time since I've seen it
(and one of my viewing companions has not see it at all), we wondered if the screenwriters
were trying to recapture the screwball silliness of Twentiety Century. Regardless, it doesn't succeed.
Another
problem with the film is that it brings in elements, and then doesn't
use them. For example, very early in the film, Scott discovers that
Bill Wadsworth (Cesar Romero - here, for a change, not playing a Latin
lover or Indian houseman) is seeing another woman, though he is engaged
to Kay. So, to get rid of Bill, Scott ships Bill abroad (Bill works for
him), and tells Kay that he did it purposely, but NEVER tells her that
Bill is not faithful to her. WHY? Scott blabs everything else. Why not
that? And if he is not going to use the information, why do we need to
know it? It's dropped out there like some kind of time bomb, then turns
out to be a dud that never goes off.
And then there is Kay. She is stubborn beyond belief! Trapped in a small boat that is about to be
swamped by a storm, she refuses to come aboard Scott's large, warm, DRY
yacht. Bill (who has returned from his work abroad) is so drunk he can't stand up. The pair can't hide below decks
because it is already full of water. So, all they can do is sit on the
main deck, getting drenched and wait to be swept overboard. Could anyone
be that antagonistic towards someone that they would die for it?
So, not exactly one we can recommend. I'm sure we will find The Princess Comes Across much more enjoyable!
This week's movie is Hands Across the Table (1935), with Carole
Lombard playing Regina "Regi" Allen, a manicurist who longs to marry
up. When she meets Theodore Drew III (Fred MacMurray) she thinks she
has found the love of her life - he is funny, he is from an old family,
she is instantly attracted to him. Only problem is, he has no money, no
job, and no inclination to work. Oh, and he also is planning to marry
up - and in fact has found his "dream girl" - the wealthy Vivian Snowden
(played by Astrid Allwyn). When Ted gets drunk on a date with Regi, he
misses a cruise ship to Bermuda. With no money, and unable to go home -
since he is living with his finance's family, and they were the one's
who sent him away - he rooms with Regi while he waits for his wedding
day.
We were intrigued by this look into the past - a world were
MEN are the ones getting the manicures, not women! It's pretty clear
that Regi is working as a manicurist so that she will meet wealthy men.
And while we see several male clients in the shop (and on Regi's client
list), we only see one woman (and she doesn't want a manicure). And
while men still do get manicures, how many men do you see as you walk by
the nail salon in your neighborhood?
Fred MacMurray is always an
interesting actor to watch. His career has been so varied, it is nice
to be able to discuss him within the context of his entire body of
work. His early work (like this film) generally cast him as the
romantic hero; sometimes serious (as in Alice Adams), sometimes goofy (like here). But then he segwayed into slick villain roles (like The Caine Mutiny and The Apartment). And finally, becoming the family's favorite father in a string of Disney movies and the long-running TV series My Three Sons. An amazing amount of excellent work, and a tribute to his versatility an actor!
We
have another male lead - Ralph Bellamy as Allen Macklyn, a flyer
crippled in an accident. The film opens with him hiring Regi to relieve
his boredom and misery. Regi brings a joy to his life that he has not
known since his accident. And while Regi wants to marry a rich man, and
Allen is QUITE wealthy, it never seems to occur to her that she should
be pursuing Allen - who has become her best friend and confidante.
There's is a lovely relationship, and we quite liked Allen. We wanted
Allen to have a happy ending too, and we were mentally writing the
sequel where Regi and Ted find a girl for Allen!
And finally,
there is the every glorious Ms. Lombard. There is no way you can
dislike Regi. She is honest in her pursuit of a wealthy man, and she
seems to want to love whomever she finds. Ultimately, love triumphs for
our pair of opportunists. And Ted WILL be learning to work for a
living!
Made for Each Other (1939) is a delightful little melodrama. Carole
Lombard and James Stewart star as Jane and John Mason, a young couple
who meet while he is on a brief business trip, fall in love, and marry,
as they say, in haste. Jane returns to John's New York City apartment,
to find she has inherited a mother-in-law who is horrified that her son
has passed up marriage to the boss' daughter for this precipitous union.
Instead of winning a partnership in his law firm, John finds himself
and his bride crammed into an apartment too small for his wife, mother,
and new baby - the result of a salary cut that quickly plunges the new
family into debt. His frustration, the pain of his wife as she
struggles to keep them together, and the travails that must face make us
hope they are indeed "made for each other".
As with the film last
week, we spent a lot of time discussing the character performances.
Again, Charles Coburn shone. His role this time is that of Judge
Doolittle, the head of the law firm for which John Mason works. At once
humorous and infuriating, we watch this man, whom we originally think
is an ogre, morph into a human being - and one we begin to love. The
same is true for Lucile Watson as John's mother. The picture of the
mother-in-law from hell, we wait for her to come through in a crisis,
and she does. The thing that is wonderful about their performances, is
that we don't find either change out of character or unrealistic. Both
Coburn and Watson are such pros that understand exactly why we see a
change. Here, the happy couple let Ms. Watson in on their future:
Finally, a word about Louis Beavers as the supportive maid,
Lily. Her warmth and affection for Jane, which Jane reciprocates, make
for a lovely respite to all the troubles Jane faces. The New Year's
Eve scene where Lily visits as she is on her way to a party is
delightful, and says so much about the goodness of this enchanting woman.
We discussed Ms. Beavers at some length, eventually touching on her 1934
turn as Delilah Johnson in Imitation of Life and as Gussie in Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House. A wonderful actress, she brought great strength of character to every role she played.
We'll be back soon with Ms. Lombard in Hands Across the Table.
We decided to keep looking at Carole Lombard's more serious movies, so we went what I suspect is her most melodramatic role - In Name Only (1939).
Carole plays Julie Eden, a widow, supporting herself, her young
daughter, and her sister, by working as a free-lance artist. Chance
meetings with Alec Walker (Cary Grant) result in attraction, until she
discovers he is married. But, she soon realizes that Alec's marriage
to Maida (Kay Francis) is a marriage of convenience. Well, convenient
for Maida anyway - she has his name, his money, and the love of his
parents. Alec tells Maida that he wants out to marry Julie, but she
manages to stall any activity until Julie leaves him in despair. And
then, the movie gets complicated.
I'm a fan of Kay Francis. I love
her lisp and her elegance, and she certainly is elegant here. She is
also a total witch. I think this is the only movie in which I've seen
her that she is just SO nasty. And to Cary Grant! Unthinkable! But she
is terrific. We (the audience) know how terrible she is but she still
has the charm and smarts to make everyone around her believe she is
nearly a saint.
We were pleased to see a very young Peggy Ann
Garner as Julie daughter, Ellen. She is quite appealing. The scene in
which she calls Alec to get him over the the house for Christmas is
lovely. Another delight was the always wonderful Charles Coburn as
Alec's father. We had just seen him in The Devil and Miss Jones,
and were amazed to learn that he has not been in movies before the age
of 60. He contributes so much to every film in which he appears, one
would think he had been doing it his entire life.
But let us not
forget our romantic leads. Carole Lombard and Cary Grant are a joy together. Julie and Alec's love is simple and sweet. One can see Alec
falling into the mode of father and husband, in a gentle, loving
relationship. Certainly, Julie is lovely. But unlike Maida, she is not
elegant or part of the social elite. The life Alec wants is what he
didn't get with Maida - a simple home, a little girl pestering him to
discover what her Christmas present is, and a wife who loves him for
himself, not his family, position, or bankroll.
And for those of you who would like a glimpse of this gem, here is a small preview:
Join us again soon for our next Lombard movie: Made for Each Other.
