This is probably the most violent film on the list so far. I suppose that they got away with it because bad guys get their comeuppance. Still, I was shocked; I mean, a man does gets his face steamed off. This film is about Cody Jarrett who has some serious mommy issues, as psychopaths usually do. He does psychotic things, gets put in jail, breaks out, and then proceeds to do more psychotic things. We haven't seen a good gangster film in awhile and this brought me back to the glory days, in the early thirties, where we had one every five movies. Besides the sheer shock value, this is actually a really good movie; exciting to the end with really excellent lines. Just goes to show that you don't have to watch a Scorsese movie to have a bad guy blood bath. RATING: ***** Interesting Facts: The bizarre relationship between Cody and his mother was based on the relationship that bank robber Kate Barker had with her sons. Ranked #4 in AFI's top 10 gangster films.
High Sierra 1941 Directed by Raoul Walsh So I have been saying this in all my blogs so I might as well mention it in this one. I just got back from a glorious trip to London. Check it out!
But this is actually relevant to this blog because I saw the house where Alfred Hitchcock lived. It was awesome!
Anyway, back to Bogie. Well, this certainly isn't my favorite Bogart film, but of course, that doesn't mean it is bad. We are right in the midst of the strict Production Code and this movie did an excellent job of making a likable criminal even with the codes. This film is about Roy Earle, who gets out of prison to pull off another heist. There is a love triangle here; Bogie falls for a good girl while another criminal loves old Humphrey (kind of like Trouble in Paradise). Of course, it has a really predictable ending because it is a gangster movie.
I am really not a big fan of gangster movies, but it is a pretty good film regardless. Check it out.
RATING: ***--
Interesting Facts:
Last movie Bogie made that he did receive top billing.
This movie is extremely difficult to find. I seriously thought that I would never find this movie and that would be the end of my 1001 films journey. Here is what I did: 1. I checked Netflix, YouTube, eBay, Amazon, and eMule. 2. I asked my brother to...um...download an alternative version from online. He accidentally downloaded For Me and My Gal, which is a red herring. 3. I asked the film teacher at the local high school if he had ever heard of it. He hadn't, and asked if it was a Harold Lloyd in 1932! That was disappointing. 4. I begin to weekly check FMC because I read in another blog that it plays about once a year on that channel. 5. My mom, who has a Facebook and Twitter, heard about my woes. She tweeted about it and got a response. She ordered it online. I don't know how this site existed, because I thought I had really checked out the internet for this. 6. We both got so excited that we ordered three copies. We will probably end up selling them.
So I finally got to watch this movie. If anyone out there wants to see this film, I can give you the website. For the first time since I started this monumental 1001 task, I finally feel like it is actually going to happen. Anyway, onto the hard earned review.
Spencer Tracy is so young in this movie that you will be amazed (that is, if you ever actually see this movie which in all likelihood you will not). He is a cop and falls in love with a waitress who reminded me of the thief in Trouble in Paradise. This movie was filmed before Prohibition was repealed and they were pretty risque with how much drinking they showed. It was a fun movie and pretty witty at times, but it certainly wasn't worth all this trouble.
RATING: ***--
Interesting Facts:
I can't find any trivia for this film but here is a quote:
Oh, he kissed me. I am so thrilled but I will pretend to be mad.
Didn't I just tell you this movie is basically nonexistent? There are no videos!
The Thief of Bagdad When I was trying to think of how to start this post, only one word came to mind. Sexy. Out of all the movies on the list so far, this one is by far the most erotic. The previous stars have been either virginal beauties or men in make up. However, Douglas Fairbanks has his shirt off for the whole movie and he actually has a lot of sex appeal (at least to me). The female lead certainly is no Lillian Gish which truthfully was quite refreshing.
This movie is the classic Aladdin type story that we are all familar with complete with flying carpets and dragons. As you probably know, I am going through the book list as well. Arabian Nights was one of the first on the list so I read it relatively recently. I personally did not really like it because of how racist and sexist it was but this movie closely mirrors the kind of erotism that can be found in the book.
This movie is not politically correct (but come on, what silent film is?) but it is an exciting fairy tale nevertheless, and a definite must-see.
RATING: ****-
Interesting Facts:
They actually had a few sound effects like when the man is stabbing a basket with swords.
The Prince is played by a woman. I was taken aback when I learned this, because you always hear about men playing women's roles. I think that is pretty cool...
The movie poster for this was ranked number nine in best movie posters. Totally random but fun list.
As you may know if you are doing research on this movie, the sets are absolutely incredible. Reminded me of Intolerance.
Do not confuse this with the 1940 edition. This edition is available to watch on YouTube or Netflix. First part:
