Monday, November 16, 2009

Biopic of Goebbles paints him as an 'Enemy of Women'

Enemy of Women (aka "The Mad Lover") (1944)
Starring: Paul Andor, Claudia Drake, Donald Woods, H.B. Warner, Robert Barrat Gloria Stuart and Crane Whitely
Director: Alfred Zeisler
Rating: Seven of Ten Stars

Failed playwright and chief Nazi propagandist Dr. Paul Joseph Goebbles (Andor) uses his power to first build then destroy the career of an actress he has desired since they first met (Drake).


"Enemy of Women" traces both the rise of the Nazi regime and one of its cheif image-makers, Joseph Goebbles. The film mixes facts--Goebbles failed literary ambitions; Goebbles spearheading the Nazi-grip on German media, culminating with the breaking of any outlet that didn't agree with Hitler and the Nazi philosophy; his power-struggles with Himmler (including the time when Goeblles himself almost fell victim to one of Himmler's purges) and snippits of speeches that Goebbles actually gave--with the fictional tale of a young actress who resists Goebbles romantic overtures. In the process, the film delivers a message about how the tyranny of dictatorial regimes and the destruction of indvidual freedoms allow unsavory characters to engage in the worst of excesses... excesses that will eventually doom the tyrant and everything he touches.

The film is well-written and decently acted, with Paul Andor giving an especially remarkable performance as Goebbles. There is absolutely nothing likable about the man--and this is also something that's based in historical fact... he was such a narssacistic egomaniac that he had his own children murdered as the Russians overran Berlin, because he couldn't stand them carrying on after he had failed--yet Andor still manages to bring some touches to his performance that make him human. A prime example of this comes in the film's closing moments when Goebbles' is sitting in the bombed-out wreckage of his home, everything he has strived for destroyed. The viewer still hates and is disgusted by him, but one also can't help but feel a little empathy for him--and sorrow for the lives we've just witnessed him destroy because of his monstrous ego.

And this is where one of the strengths of this film comes from. It treats its main subject fairly and with as much respect as someone like Goebbles deserves. He is not portrayed as a cartoonish ogre or bufoon--as is how many films portrayed the Nazi leades--but as a intelligent, manipulative and utterly evil man who like all of us had hopes and dreams.

The director was further insightful enough to eshew the put-on German accents that were so common in movies of this type. Instead, the actors speak as they normally would, with a few German words thrown into the dialogue for good measure. Only Andor speaks with a German accent, but that's because he did have a German accent. (Andor immigrated to the United States in 1933, just as the character he portrays in this film was rising to his perch of power.)

Finally, the film is beautifully shot. Cameraman John Alton really had a talent for framing a scene and for using shadows and light to emphasize mood. The film's final scenes onboard the train and in Goebbles' Berlin home would not have been as effective as they are if they hadn't been so expertly filmed.

Interestingly, while the film ends with the full story of Goebbles incomplete as it was produced and released while WW2 was still raging, there wouldn't have been much more to tell: This film was released in November of 1944, and in May of 1945, Goebbles would be dead and the Nazi regime ended for all time.

"Enemy of Women" may have been made as a wartime propaganda film, but it holds up nicely some 64 years later, thanks to an excellent cast and superior craftsmanship on the part of the director and cinematographer. It's also quick-paced and straight-to-the-point. Someone should send Oliver Stone a copy; maybe his next psuedo-biography film won't be a crushing bore if he takes some pointers from this one. (If someone still has to buy him a Christmas present, why not get him a copy of this movie? It costs less $8 at Amazon.com, and they'll even send it straight to his house and gift-wrapped if you ask them to.)

'Young and Innocent' is classic, if overlooked, Hitchcock



Young and Innocent (aka "The Girl Was Young")
Starring: Nova Pilbeam and Derrick DeMarney
Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Rating: Nine of Ten Stars

"Young and Innocent" is not one of Hitchcock's best-known films, and this is a shame. It is one of his most entertaining films from the 30s, featuring suspenseful situations, charming characters portrayed by excellent actors, snappy, witty dialogue, and fabulous camera work. This under-appreciated film deserves more viewers!

The story revolves around a destitute writer who is accused of murdering a truly bitchy movie star. Locating his missing raincoat seems to be the key to proving his innocence and finding the real killer, but between an incompetant attorney and policemen wanting a quick end to the case, he seems destined to hang. But that is until he slips from the courthouse during a moment of confusion. He is joined in his mad dash for evidence by the domestic, yet-tomboyish and strong-willed daughter of the local chief of police. Will the unlikely pair manage to clear our hero's name before he is recaptured by the police?


This film shares a number of similar elements with the better-known "The 39 Steps." However, unlike that film, in which the modern viewer is able to see the end coming about twenty minutes before it arrives, "Young and Innocent" keeps the viewer on the edge of his seat up to the very end. The climactic nightclub sequence is particularly well-done, thrilling, and one of the most Hitchcockian Hitchcock scenes of them all.

Additionally, Nova Pilbeam gives a stellar performance in this film. She was a successful child star whose career faded as she grew older, with work pretty much having dried up completely for her by the end of the 1940s.




Sunday, November 15, 2009

'Night Tide' is as mysterious as the sea

Night Tide (1961)
Starring: Dennis Hopper, Linda Lawson, Gavin Muir, and Luana Anders
Director: Curtis Harrington
Rating: Seven of Ten Stars

When Johnny, a young U.S. Navy sailor on leave (Hopper), meets Mora (Lawson) in a coffee house, it's love at first sight. But is the air of mystique that seems to hover thickly around her the result of her lonely childhood and curious job as a sideshow attraction, or is it as her guardian (Muir) claims--she's not human, but is in truth a sirine, and sooner or later she will lead Johnny to a watery death.


"Night Tide" is an atmospheric, low-key film that straddles the boundary between horror and suspense. Although a bit on the slow side, it is carried along by the wide-eyed naivete of Hopper's pure-hearted character as he is constantly contrrasted with the friendly yet strange attraction operators on a Venice Beach amusement pier. The ever-growing mystery of Mora will also keep viewers watching. It's also interesting to see Luana Anders in a part that's a bit different than the creepy sort of characters she usually plays. In fact, I have nothing but praise for all the actors that appeared in the film... everyone comes across as very natural and believable.

The only real complaint I can muster with the film is that I don't like the ending. It's in keeping with the rest of the film, but I would like to have seen something stronger and a little more definate. Heck, to be perfectly honest, I think I would have liked to have seen a happier ending. Still, it's an interesting film.


'The Mistress of Atlantis' is a stylish early fantasy film

The Mistress of Atlantis (aka "The Lost Atlantis") (1932)
Starring: Brigitte Helm, John Stuart, and Mathias Weimann
Director: G.W. Pabst
Rating: Seven of Ten Stars

French Legionaires on a mapping and intelligence gathering expediton in the sandy wastes of Africa's Sahara desert find themselves trapped in the last vestiages of the ancient Atlantean civilization and at the mercy of the mysterious Antenia (Helm) and the strange people who inhabit the hidden village and underground kingdom she rules.



"The Mistress of Atlantis" is a fascinating, suspenseful fantasy film from the eariest days of talking picutres. It's the sort of film that usually annoys me--it's a film with far more style than substance, and when it's over, you will be reflecting on the coolnest of the camera-work, the quirky characters, and the great settings, costumes, and sets... but you'll may be finding yourself wishing there had been a little more to the story.

However, in the case of this movie, the acting is so impressive, the setting so exotic, and the presentation of events and characters so sucessfully dreamlike that I think any lover of the strange and creepy movies will enjoy it. (The one major mistake the filmmakers make is set the movie up so it's being told in flashback... that undercuts some of the suspense.)




'Maciste in Hell' is one of the best fantasy movies ever made

Maciste In Hell (1925)
Starring: Bartolomeo Pagano, Franz Sala and Lucia Zanussi
Director: Guido Brignone
Rating: Nine of Ten Stars

When a group of devils decide to leave Hell to spread temptation and misery on Earth, they make the mistake of approaching the pure-hearted, strong-willed and just plain strong country gentleman Maciste (Pagano) in the hopes of tempting him to cause of evil. Maciste, who doesn't take guff from terrestial nobles and who cares even less for the supposed Lords of Hell, refuses their offer and promises to beat them senseless. The devils respond by sending Maciste to Hell... but they soon regret their choice. Even the hordes of Hell can't stop Maciste when he sets his mind to dishing out an ass-kicking!

There is a word that perfectly sums up my reaction to this film: Wow.

Although a silent movie, with all the emoting and Snidely Whiplash costuming that entails, "Maciste in Hell" features some of the most amazing sets and tableaus featuring hundreds of extras writhing in demonic costumes that have ever been committed to films. This film features visions of Hell more impressive and mindblowing that anything I've seen in any other film, despite the fact that this film is over 80 years old, and they didn't have nearly the level of technical sophistication we have now when it comes to effects.


Yes, the score is irritating and wildly inappropriate at times. Yes, sometimes the acting is overly melodramatic. However, turn the volume down, put Mike Oldfield's "Five Miles Out" and "Tubular Bells II" in the CD player, crank up the volume, and sit back and watch one of the greatest movies EVER unfold before your amazed eyes.

The presense of "Maciste in Hell"--which is fairly rare on DVD near as I can tell--makes "Nightmare Worlds" boxed set worth owning almost by itself. It's a MUST SEE for anyone who enjoys horror and fantasy movies


'Murder by Television' is sad example
of wasted potential

Murder By Television (aka The Houghland Murder Case) (1935)
Starring: Bela Lugosi, Charles Hill Mailes, Huntley Gordon and June Collyer
Director: Clifford Sanforth
Rating: Two of Ten Stars

In the mid-30s, the promise of television had captivated the imagination of Americans. Experimental broadcasts were being conducted, and science fiction and fantasy writers of all stripes were inventing all sorts of adventures about the wonders and dangers that this amazing new media would present.

And that brings us to "Murder By Television", a 1930s techno-thriller that uses the fantastic new medium of televison as its jumping-off point. Sadly, the film doesn't live up to its promise, especially given the cast of noted mystery/sci-fi genre players.

In "Murder By Television", independently wealthy, eccentric, and independent-minded inventor James Houghland (Mailes) has created the perfect television broadcast system. Every corporation that has has been working to commercialize the new technology, and an array of governments ranging from the United States to certain sinister foreign powers want to have control of Houghland's wondrous invention, but he has rebuffed them all. The air is thick with plots and schemes as Houghland gathers friends and fellow inventors--among them criminologist and medical pioneer Dr. Scofield (Gordon)--demonstrates the power of his creation by receiving and rebroadcasting images from around the world, without the use of broadcast towers. His triumphant demonstration is cut short, however, as he is murdered during his live broadcast, for all viewers to see. It seems one of the many factions trying to get their hands on the invention deciced to end the compeition by eliminating the prize.

As a police commissioner who had been among Houghland's guests investigates the murder--which is made all the more mysterious by the fact that Houghland simply dropped dead--all suspicion stars to fall on Arthur Perry, Houghland's newly hired assistant (Lugosi). But when Perry is found murdered, it seems that the detective has been outwitted... at least until members of Houghland's household start seeing Perry's ghost.



"Murder By Television" has at its heart a great idea, and it could actually have been a neat cross between a murder mystery and a sci-fi thriller... if only the filmmakers had shown even the slightest idea of how to enliven a film, or perhaps even the slightest grasp of how to approach the visual medium that the story revolves around.

Instead of being an exciting, "Murder By Television" plays like a bad radio play that someone made a halfhearted attempt at translating into film. Most of the film consists of the actors standing around delivering bad expository dialogue, and it seems that only the comic relief characters (a wide-eyed black cook/maid (played by future Oscar winner Hattie McDaniel), and a self-parodying Chinese houseboy (with secrets of his own) seem to be the only actors who are putting any energy into their parts. Even Lugosi--who can usually be counted on to chew every bit of scenery into tiny pieces--seems to have phoned in his performance.

It also doesn't help the film that one of the story's twists is set up in such a ham-fisted way that it ends up not being a twist at all. I kept hoping for a double-reversal, but it never came. Worse, there's an ongoing nonsensical bit with a comic relief character who is constantly trying to break into the house, but it's never explained why.

In fairness to the film, the copy I viewed was severely degraded, with many missing frames and at least one scene that seems to be missing almost entirely. Perhaps that is where the "I've got business in the house" character is explained. But, even allowing for that, "Murder By Television" is a dull, badly done B-movie... and I say this having wanted to like it alot. There was so much potential here, and I think it a shame that it was wasted so badly.


They don't make them like
'A Walking Nightmare' anymore

A Walking Nightmare (aka "Lend Me Your Ear" and "The Living Ghost") (1942)
Starring: James Dunn, Joan Woodbury, Paul McVey, Jan Wiley and Norman Willis
Diretor: William Beaudine
Rating: Six of Ten Stars

Detective Nick Traynor (Dunn) comes out of retirement to help find a banker who has vanished without a trace. While investigating the assortment of quirky family members and freeloaders that live in his house, the missing man reappears in a strange, zombie-like state and one of the permanent house guests is murdered. With the mystery deepeing and the murderer lurking in the shadows, Nick joins forces with the old man's live-in secretary (Woodbury) to uncover the truth.

"The Living Ghost" is a fast-paced, lighthearted mystery comedy of the kind they simply can't make anymore. Woody Allen came close with the 2001 movie "The Curse of the Jade Scorpion", but he mostly managed to demonstrate how important the acting styles of the 1930s and 1940s was to this genre of films. Today's actors and directors seem incapable of mounting the patter-running-at-a-mile-minute scenes that, as demonstrated in Allen's movie, are such an important part of what makes the old movies so much fun.

In this case, the scenes between James Dunn (as the wise-cracking detective) and Joan Woodbury (as the give-as-good-as-she-gets secretary) where they fire jokes and insults back and forth at rapid pace are what makes this movie entertaining. The mystery is so-so (although there are some surprises and the way Nick tricks the murderer into revealing himself is more clever than it initially seems), but Dunn and Woodbury are great fun as they bicker and goad each other through the story.

Director William Beaudine' was renowned for his speed, and he has grown infamous for the high percentage of truly bad movies that are among the 350+ films he worked on. While Beaudine did indeed crank lots of crap, "The Living Ghost" stands out as a neat little film that should provide equal enjoyment to fans of old fashioned comedy/mysteries and the "dark old house" genre of films. (The one part that will probably be annoying to everyone is the way Nick Traynor keeps picking on and insulting the butler, who does nothing except be helpful.)