Mildred Pierce 1945 Directed by Michael Curtiz This was a fun one. I have never watched a soap opera but I imagine it would be something like this. There is a love triangle, murder, self sacrificing heroine, and a brat. It is all good fun; maybe you won't be intellectually enhanced by the end but you will enjoy a juicy two hours. Best to be watched with a box of chocolates.
The film centers on Joan Crawford, who I normally hate but I have to admit, was spectacular in this movie. She has an absolutely horrible, selfish daughter who makes Teresa Giudice's kids look like sweet, obedient children. It is in film noir style but it certainly isn't your typical noir; in fact, it is really like nothing I have ever seen before.
Michael Curtiz certainly brings us some weird ones that are either horrifically awful or surprisingly good. Luckily, this one falls in the latter category.
RATING: *****
Interesting Facts:
Joan Crawford was secretly having her costumes altered to be more flattering. Yeah, I was right; she was a bitch.
Joan Crawford faked an illness so she wouldn't have to attend the Academy Awards because she was convinced she wouldn't win. When she heard she did, she immediately jumped out of bed and began to put on make up to meet the press. God, she was just the worst.
Yankee Doodle Dandy 1942 Directed by Michael Curtiz Well, the US had officially entered World War II at this time so you can expect that there is going to be a bunch of propaganda films like this. I did not expect, however, for the book to include movies like this. I guess it is historically significant?
James Cagney sings and dances. Yep, you read that correctly. The man that starred in all those gangsters films is performing cheesy musical numbers. I had a similar reaction when I saw Hugh Jackman perform. I mean, there is nothing wrong with pursuing your musical dreams if you are so inclined but it is just vaguely unsettling after they have been acting like such bad asses. Anyway, this is the story of George Cohan and it is over two hours long.
I believe that it takes a special kind of director to direct musicals and I am not sure Michael Curtiz had the experience or expertise to pull it off. It just comes across as a middle school production of Yankee Doodle Dandy for veterans' day or something. Not impressed.
RATING: **---
Interesting Facts:
Fred Astaire turned down the role of George.
Not a very accurate portrayal of George Cohan's life.
Ranked #98 in AFI's top 100 movies. Oh come on.
James Cagney's performance was ranked #6 in Greatest Performances of all time by Premiere magazine.
Casablanca 1942 Directed by Michael Curtiz I think it was Roger Ebert that said that most people would think Casablanca if someone said the word "movie". I have always sort of wondered why. Don't get me wrong; it is a great movie. But it is not my favorite; not even my favorite Bogart. Maybe I should ask Harry and Sally.
If you haven't seen this, shame on you. To Have and Have Not is actually pretty similar, which is another movie I like better. I think this is definitely a movie that should be watched. However, it is not as overwhelming as you might think it is going to be.
RATING: ***--
Interesting Facts:
Angels With Dirty Faces 1938 Directed by Michael Curtiz First of all, I want to be honest here and confess that I did not pay that much attention to this film. It was pretty boring and I got caught up playing quizzes on sporcle.com (an incredibly addicting site; I would not recommend it). I think, though, that even if I had watched the movie with strict attention, I still wouldn't have liked it. This movie is about two friends who took fairly different paths. One became a priest and the other became a criminal. The priest tries to prevent the criminal from corrupting some "street kids". Oh yeah, and Humphrey Bogart plays a minor role somewhere in there. Anyway, the ending is pretty cool but the film felt a little too preachy to me. I hate movies with intense moral messages; I feel like I am being talked to like a second grade teacher talks to her students. Overall, good but not very interesting. RATING: ***-- Interesting Facts: The Dead End Kids bullied people on set during filming and stole Humphrey Bogart's trousers after cornering him. James Cagney set them straight though by hitting one of the actors above the nose. Trailer:
The Adventures of Robin Hood 1938 Directed by Michael Curtiz This is the first movie on the list that is truly in color. I say that because there were a couple of clips in previous silent films that had snatches of color. I also watched Things To Come in color but it was remastered that way, something that Woody Allen would greatly disapprove of. I have always loved the story of Robin Hood; it is a timeless, romantic fairy tale. I especially love the novel Ivanhoe but we will wait until the book review for that. Errol Flynn was a great choice for Robin Hood because he is the ultimate swashbuckler and he is not complete without his other half, Olivia de Hailland. Of course, with the over the top acting, visually striking sets, and romantic story, you kind of watch it like a stage production. This is one of those movies that you just have to have fun with. It may not be the best film to study or examine, but it is entertaining and light. RATING: ****- Interesting Facts: James Cagney was originally offered the role of Robin Hood. He is just in every movie; like the 30s version of Tom Cruise. The sound of Robin's arrow was used in most of the Star Wars films. Errol Flynn thought the role of Robin Hood was boring. In one of the jousting scenes, one of the swordsmen accidentally jabbed Errol Flynn with his sword. Flynn asked the guy why he didn't have a guard on and the swordsman said "Curtiz said it would be more exciting without it." Flynn then proceeded to grab Curtiz by the throat and ask him if "that was exciting enough for him?" Everyone just take it easy!
Captain Blood 1935 The great movie streak continues with Captain Blood. This is a spectacular adventure story that includes everything you could possibly want in a swashbuckling movie: a sexy pirate, a beautiful damsel, sword fights, and an exotic location.
Errol Flynn is a magnificent dreamboat. I don't know why I never knew about him (although I am still true to you, Clark Gable). He plays a doctor who is wrongfully convicted of treason and sent to Port Royal to be a slave. He is bought by a lady and so begins the sexual tension. That is another thing I loved about this movie; these kinds of films usually end up having a completely idiotic woman blunder around while the hot hero saves her. However, she is able to save him as much as he saves her.
I am a huge Michael Crichton fan (RIP buddy). A manuscript of his was published posthumously titled Pirate Latitudes which is a thrilling novel that takes place in Port Royal. This movie reminded me of it and consequently reminded me of all of Crichton's novels so I teared up a bit. This film is just plain fun and exciting if a little bit shallow.
RATING: *****
Interesting Facts:
I was all excited to learn more about Errol Flynn. Apparently he slept with everything that moved, including lots of underage girls and Ross Alexander. He also would play awful pranks on costars (i.e. putting a dead snake in Olivia de Hailland's underwear). Okay, so maybe I don't like him that much...
The scenes with the ships were filmed with miniatures. They also used footage from Sea Hawk.
