Hey, this Renoir kid is pretty good. He’ll go far.
La Grande Illusion. Jean Renoir. 1937.
Retreat
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F&C1938: Room Service
For a Marx Bros film, this has a lot of plot. And it’s really slow paced.
Of course there are hilarious scenes here, but it just seems to lack that spark? Where everything gets funnier and funnier? There are too many pauses between the funny.
It’s totally OK, though.
Room Service. William A. Seiter. 1938.
The Reluctant Tabby Cat
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F&C1939: Only Angels Have Wings
I seem to be having a kinda unfortunate streak here. None of the last few films have been as good as they should have been. I thought that this would be a sure bet, but there’s a lot here that really grates.
It’s very pretty, though.
Only Angels Have Wings. Howard Hawks. 1939.
Pink Gin & Tonic
Spanish Rose
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F&C1940: Juninatten
It starts off as a Swedish Noir film! I didn’t know that that was a thing.
This is a very peculiar film. It careens between overly tautly cut scenes and longer, pensive scenes. I’m not quite sure whether this is because the director and editor want that effect or it’s accidental.
I’m utterly charmed by the 40s Swedish performances. They’re theatrically jolly, but aren’t superficial somehow. The most disturbing thing is the romance between the beautiful Ingrid Bergman and the rather weird looking guy playing the doctor. (See above.)
So it’s a fun, but kinda amateurish film. I’m not sure how to throw the die here. But…
Juninatten. Per Lindberg. 1940.
Petit Zinc
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F&C1941: Mr and Mrs Smith
This is quite funny. I had forgotten that Hitchcock could be this amusing.
The joke goes on for far too long, though.
Mr and Mrs Smith. Alfred Hitchcock. 1941.
One Of Those Things
That’s the problem with getting cocktail recipes off of the net. Most of them aren’t very good. And this one looks gruesome as well.
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