Tuesday, August 18, 2020

Fun with Religion and Trick Photography

The Temptation of St. Anthony (1898)
Starring: Georges Méliès and Jeahanne d'Alcy
Director: Georges Méliès
Rating: Nine of Ten Stars

Spirits try to make St. Athony (Méliès) to give into lustful, and even blasphemous, desires.


I've seen "The Temptation of St. Anthony" described as the first religious film. I don't know if that is factually accurate, but given the innovative filmmaker who made it, as well as the time at which it was made, it makes sense. 

Although this is one of Georges Méliès' early films, and he was still perfecting his techniques, it is also among his best. The pacing is perfect and the trick photography involving spirits appearing and disappearing is very well done. The bit where Christ is replaced on the cross by one of the tempting spirits is particularly impressive--and I can only imagine what the reaction of audiences must have been ca. 1900.


This is one of the best Méliès pieces I've seen yet--and if all religious films were as much fun as this, they'd be more popular both with their target audience and the population at large. There are only two things that make me give it a rating of a Low Nine, and one may just amount to nit-picking.

First--and most nitpicky--while I love the excitement and enjoyment of creation that oozes from every frame of many of these early Méliès films, actress Jeahanne d'Alcy (as the primary spirit trying to lead St. Anthony astray) almost seems to be having too good a time. She got such a big grin on her face at times that it seems like she's trying keep from laughing. It runs a little contrary to the whole temptress role that she is playing.

Second, as the film comes to a close, I feel that it's unclear exactly where the spirits that were tempting St. Anthony came from. My natural assumption is that they were evil in nature, but the final few moments of the film seem to indicate they may well have been angelic in nature. While Divine Mysteries are all fine and good, I'm not a fan of them in movies, not even religious ones.

How about you take a minute--because that's about all it will take--to watch "The Temptation of St. Anthony" and let me know what you think. Were angels trying to set up the pious man, or was he staving off demons? It's embedded below, right here in this post.



Monday, August 17, 2020

In Memory of Yvonne Craig


Today, it's five years since the great Yvonne Craig passed away at the age of 78. In memory, here are a few photos of her being where we all wish would be could be this time of year--young and hanging out on the beach.

Yvonne Craig at the beach
Yvonne Craig at the beach
Yvonne Craig at the beach


Actress and dancer Yvonne Craig

Musical Monday with Phantogram



Phantogram is a New York City-based musical duo who creates beautiful, multi-layered synth-rock tunes. Today's offering was the single off their 2011 debut album, "Eyelid Movies". The song, "When I'm Small" is haunting and the video supporting it is visually striking, full of stark black and white contrasts and a highly effective use of unexpected splashes of color.

That said, my favorite parts of the video are still the ones where singer and keyboardist Sarah Barthel shakes her boobs at the camera.



Saturday, August 15, 2020

Saturday Serial: Jenna of the Jungle

Continuing Don Hudson's "Jenna of the Jungle" (and including a random bonus jungle girl afterwards). Click on any panel for a larger version, and come back next Saturday for Part Fourteen.


JENNA OF THE JUNGLE: PART THIRTEEN
By Don Hudson

To Be Continued...




Girls of the Jungle
By Frank Frazetta


Thursday, August 13, 2020

The good and the bad balance each other in the second Perry Mason film

The Case of the Curious Bride (1935)
Starring: Warren William, Margaret Lindsay, Allen Jenkins, Owlin Howland, Donald Woods, Thomas E. Jackson, Claire Dodd, and Barton MacLane
Director: Michael Curtiz
Rating: Six of Ten Stars

Famed defense attorney Perry Mason (William) must uncover the truth buried beneath lies and police corruption when a former lover (Lindsay) comes to him for help with a blackmail case but ends up being accused of murdering the blackmailer.
"The Curse of the Curious Bride" was the second Perry Mason film produced by Warner Bros. during the mid-1930s. Reportedly, although film reviewers said nice things about it at the time, and it did well financially, Perry Mason's creator, Earl Stanley Gardner strongly disliked it. And I think it's clear why.

Although the film is fast paced, features an engaging mystery with stakes that keep getting raised as it goes, and a suspect pool that keeps getting larger instead of smaller as the story unfolds, it spends too much time trying to be a comedy. From banter that isn't entertaining, to scenes that are supposed to be funny but are mostly just dumb, and renaming and reshaping of Paul Drake into the third-rate comic relief Spudesy Drake, just about every attempt at humor in this film falls flat and just lays there on the floor, stinking like a dead fish in the sun. They only supposed-to-be-funny bits that come close to working is when Perry Mason is being overly dramatic and flamboyant in front of newspaper reporters.

It's a shame that the filmmakers decided to lean so heavily on badly done comedy in this picture, because, unlike so many other Perry Mason tales, this one gives a lot of insight into what he does for fun and who he spends time with outside of the law offices and courtrooms. In some ways, Mason feels like a more fully rounded character in this film than he did even after the total of two decades of television series and made-for-TV movies starring Raymond Burr. This aspect, combined with the fact that the film features a great cast, which could have made this a great Perry Mason movie is why I'm giving it a Six instead of the Five it probably deserves.

Another quirk of the film is that it never enters a courtroom; in fact, the case at the center of the film never even makes it to trail. While the concluding "action" doesn't always take place in a oourtroom in Perry Mason stories, there's at least some sort of legal proceeding at some point. Here, the closet we get is Mason meeting with the District Attorney, in a scene that's more there to underscore the corruption of the D.A. and the police department more than anything else.

And speaking of the corrupt police department... corruption is another aspect of this film that's unusual when compared to other Perry Mason screen adventures I've seen. While the police and prosecutors are often shown as either dimwitted, lazy, or just unwilling to look beyond their initial conclusions when it comes to getting their convictions, they aren't usually out-and-out corrupt like they are here. For example, the police detectives don't just go where the evidence takes them here--they all but frame their prime suspect for murder while the prosecutor prevents Mason from seeing her. (On the other side of the coin, however, Mason engages in corruption to a degree that I've also not seen any screen incarnations do up to this point. While I'm used to Mason playing a bit loose with the spirit of the law or bending procedural rules, and even the law, almost to the breaking point, he goes well beyond that in this film.)

Some of the elements which seemed out of place to me probably did not appear that way to audiences in 1935. Corrupt police and prosecutors were the norm in detective films of the day, and the Perry Mason Formula didn't have 85 years of development behind it like it does now. (And, for that matter, the corruption of the justice system that exists everywhere in this movie might be something that will allow newcomers to Perry Mason--via the excellent series that recently ran on HBO.)

"The Case of the Curious Bride" in included with five other Perry Mason films that were produced by Warner Bros. in the 1930s. It's a reasonable priced set, and I think it's worth checking out for Perry Mason fans, old and new.


Wednesday, August 12, 2020

Wonder Woman Wednesday

By George Perez

As we all continue to wait for the new Wonder Woman movie to arrive in movie theaters--hopefully in October!--everyone's favorite Amazon has gone Art Nouveau!

By Mark Brooks


















By Frank Cho
By Al Rio
By Michael Peters

Tuesday, August 11, 2020

'Grampy: The Candid Candidate' still resonates

Grampy: The Candid Candidate (1937)
Starring: Jack Mercer (voice of Grampy) and Mae Questel (voice of Betty Boop)
Director: Dave Fleischer
Rating: Nine of Ten Stars

After narrowly winning at election for Mayor, various citizens groups invade Grampy's office and insist he deliver on his promises. Grampy comes up with innovative ways to meet their demands (and more)!


Although this is ostensibly a Betty Boop cartoon, the fact that it's headlined by a member of what is generally viewed as her supporting cast, says a lot about the standing of the Betty Boop character in the late 1930s. Her adventures lost much of their edge when production companies became obligated to adhere to the MPPC, and Betty grew up, put away the tiny flapper dress, and became a domesticated homemaker. Meanwhile, characters like Grampy, who was introduced into the series in 1935, took more and more of the spotlight. In some ways, Betty Boop was following the same path that her one-time boyfriend Bimbo had followed: Betty began her existence as a supporting character to Bimbo, but she quickly came to overshadow him.

While the "The Candid Candidate" is a solid sign that Betty's days as the reigning Queen of Cartoon Comedy were coming to an end, it is an item that has stood the test time--with humor that is as fresh now as it was in 1937, and probably still will be in 2103. Not only does it feature a rapid-fire stream of sight gags, but it's a fun-filled send-up of politicians who over-promise and who then, when called to deliver, fail at truly fixing  problems they campaigned on while going so overboard in other areas to the point where there are going to be unintended consequences down the road. Shots taken at the media here also shows that "fake news" isn't new, and that politicians pandered just as hard back then as they do today. There is so much in this cartoon that remains relevant that it's funny and depressing at the same time.

Whether you watch "The Candid Candidate" for its social commentary or just for the crazy and innovative ways Grampy goes about being the Greatest Mayor Ever, you're going to enjoy every moment of its  six-minute running time. I've embedded it below so you can check it out now--I'm sure it will brighten your day.

 
(In fact, I enjoyed this cartoon so much that I think I shall have to focus my meanderings through the history of Betty Boop on just the ones featuring Grampy. He made ten appearances between 1935 and 1937, and if they're all as good as this, I'll be glad I did!) 

Monday, August 10, 2020

Musical Monday with A Perfect Circle


Do you like rock music with a big, metalish sound? Do you like dystopian sci-fi that carries a promise that everything may work out happily in the end? If so, this video from A Perfect Circle is just what you need to get your week off to a great start! (Don't be frightened by the color sections!)

Saturday, August 8, 2020

Saturday Serial: Jenna of the Jungle

Continuing Don Hudson's "Jenna of the Jungle" (and including a random bonus jungle girl afterwards). Click on any panel for a larger version, and come back next Saturday for Part Thirteen.


JENNA OF THE JUNGLE: PART TWELVE
By Don Hudson
To Be Continued...




Girls of the Jungle
By Bryan Baugh

Friday, August 7, 2020

Firearms Friday with Claudine Auger


Born in 1941, Claudine Auger is a French actress who came in international prominence when she played Domino, opposite Sean Connery in "Thunderball" (1966). Both before and after her turn as a Bond Girl, however, Auger appeared in top-notch thrillers and action films, mostly for the French and Spanish markets. 

Throughout the 1970s and into the 1980s, Auger was one of Europe's busiest actresses, logging screen and television roles while also appearing live in stage plays. In 1991, she gave birth to her daughter, and she eased back on her work schedule to focus on her family. She continued to accept at least one part every year until 1997 when she retired from the industry completely.


Claudine Auger passed away in December of 2019.