No Rest for the Wandering Jew

The Wandering Jew (1905)
Starring: Georges Méliès
Director: Georges Méliès
Rating: Six of Ten Stars

A man (Méliès), who has been cursed to wander the world until Judgement Day, rests and dreams about how he came to suffer this fate.

From a 21st century perspective, "The Wandering Jew" is one of Georges Méliès's lesser efforts. In 1905, I suspect that the audiences were very impressed by elaborately painted sets that give this film an almost three-dimensional look, as well as the way a dream unfolds semi-transparently on the screen and devils and angels appear and disappear in split seconds. To the modern viewer, though, these things are common place... and they way Méliès does it may even seem clumsy. For the time it was remarkable, especially considering that he invented and developed the techniques that. 

One good reason for a modern viewer to watch this short film is for its succinct telling of the 13th century story of the man who was watching Jesus drag his cross through Jerusalem on his way to be executed--and this man not only refused Jesus's plea for water but also mocked him. As a result, he was cursed to wander the earth, without rest, until God renders Final Judgement on all humans who ever lived.

It's been a story that's fascinated me since I first heard it as a little kid, so I am predisposed to liking adaptations of it. This one I enjoyed because it is very literally in its interpretation of the Wandering Jew not ever being able to rest... and that not only do angels enforce the curse, but devils do as well. This is a nicely done adaptation that relates the core of the original story in a clear and straightforward fashion. Another sign of its effectiveness is that it once again made me wonder why the man remains cursed, given the central theme of Jesus's sacrifice and Christianity in general.

As always, you're invited to take a few moments to watch this historic short film right here, from this post.

You can check out another of Méliès' films based in Christian tales--"The Temptation of St. Anthony" by clicking here. The effects in that one are more extensive... and it's also just a whole lot of fun.

Tom & Jerry are Hanging Out 'In the Park'

In the Park (1933)
Starring: Anonymous Voice Actor (although this is basically a silent movie)
Directors: Frank Sherman and George Rufle
Rating: Six of Ten Stars

Tom and Jerry's quiet afternoon in the park is disrupted by a bratty baby.

"In the Park" is another Tom & Jerry adventure that shows those in charge of this series weren't clear on who the target audience for this series was. We have a little mature humor at the beginning and end, framing a series of cute and mildly amusing antics by our heroes and the baby they find themselves suddenly taking care of. I suspect that if I were nine years old, I would find the various visual gags absolute screamers, but at well over five times that age, they just make me smile. It's not that the jokes are bad... they're just juvenile and not set up as effectively as they could be. All that said, the gags come in a steady, constant stream and none drag on past the point of being funny. Even if the baby is annoying.

(The adult in me--and possibly because I'm a 2020s adult instead of a 1930s adult--also kept thinking that our heroes were going to be arrested for kidnapping or for being perverts, since they just started playing with a random baby that showed up. There was also a brief twinge of "don't they see the baby carriage 20 feet their right", but then I decided I was REALLY overthinking things. Plus, the cute squirrels that Jerry was feeding were coming from the opposite direction, so they never really looked that way. [Yeah... still overthinking...])

As with many of the "Tom & Jerry" films, the music is excellent. It's not a mini-musical like some of them are, but rather a silent movie with a great score that's perfectly timed to what unfolds on screen. For all the inconsistencies that plagued this series vis-à-vis tone, possible target audiences, and animation- and story-quality, the musical scores were almost always of the highest quality.

Animation-wise, this is both one of the best AND worst in the Tom & Jerry series. In the positive column, the sequences involving the cute squirrels are well done and very cute. We are also treated to honest-to-god backgrounds throughout most of this episode, something the animators working on "Tom & Jerry" too-often didn't bother with. In the negative column, the characters are sloppily drawn, especially Tom. He literally changes shape more than once and for no reason, with his arms and legs sometimes getting longer or shorter even within the same sequence. Similarly, the obnoxious baby seems to be bigger or smaller from scene to scene. It's distracting, and it's incomprehensible as to why there wasn't a little more quality control going on... especially when the extra effort to draw backgrounds.

And speaking of that obnoxious baby... I wonder if the Van Beuren company wasn't testing out a possible headliner for another series. It's one of only two recurring characters in the series--aside from Tom & Jerry themselves--and it always had a major role. (The Bratty Baby can also be found in "Pots and Pans" and "Puzzled Pals". The other recurring, more minor character, was a horse that appeared in "Rabid Hunters", "In the Bag", and "Hook and Ladder Hokum".)

In balance, "In the Park" isn't a brilliant effort, but it's among the better "Tom & Jerry" installments. It's worth checking out if you have nothing better to do with the next few minutes. Just click below and sit back.

And with this, every installment in Van Beuren's Tom & Jerry series has been reviewed and can be watched here at Shades of Gray. Click here to see an index of all them, as well as easy links through which to check them out.

Fact-Checker inspected, Fact-Checker Approved

After giving up on becoming a ballerina, but before she turned to modeling and acting, teenaged Brigitte Bardot found fame as Paris' only human dart board.

Among the many other unique posts on this blog, you can read about the unknown histories of actresses Bessie Love and Joan Blondell. We here at Shades of Gray are committed to bringing you nothing but the most serious, well-researched posts.

The Avengers: The Murder Market

The Murder Market (1965)

Starring: Patrick Macnee, Diana Rigg, Patrick Cargill, Suzanne Lloyd, Peter Bayless, and Naomi Chance

Directors: Peter Graham Scott and Wolf Rilla

Rating: Nine of Ten Stars

When a string of Britain's most eligible bachelors die through misadventure or outright murder, secret agents John Steed (Macnee) and Emma Peel (Rigg) discover that the dating service they all used is a front for a murder-for-hire operation. Steed doesn't just want to break up the operation--he wants to catch whoever's behind it all. But will he have to sacrifice Mrs. Peel to accomplish that goal?

"The Murder Market" is another excellent episode where drama and comedy coexist in perfect compliment of each other. From the garish, frilly offices of the dating service with its fey and VERY British staff members that are the public face and recruiting arm of the assassination business; through Steed's fake-murdering Mrs. Peel to discover the true identity of the mastermind behind the murder business, which almost turns into a real murder when things go sideways; to the gradual unveiling of who the real operators and masterminds are, this episode is constantly swinging back and forth between dark, hilarious humor, an intriguing mystery, and a sense that the heroes may be in real danger. (And, yes... at one point, it seems perfectly plausible that Steed may have to sacrifice Mrs. Peel's life for real in order to fully unravel the conspiracy. (Watching this episode in the 2020s, it's obvious that Mrs. Peel doesn't die--since Diana Rigg played the character for two seasons of the series--but in 1965, viewers had every reason to believe that she might not make it; until Season Four of the "The Avengers", Steed had worked with a rotating series of partners.)

One thing astute viewers (or those who are binging episodes) may notice is that the character of Emma Peel is not quite as she's been in previous episodes. Her banter with Steed seems out of tune, her mastery of hand-to-hand fighting seems to have declined, and she doesn't seem as cunning and focused as a secret operative as she has been. As amusing as the scene with Mrs. Peel tottering about drunk is, it seems very much out of character with how she's been portrayed previously. In fact, the only major bit that seems in keeping with the character from other episodes, is the scene where she's messing around with a tuba while making plans with Steed. 

The explanation for the sudden change is that the Emma Peel we've gotten to know over the six episodes prior to this one airing didn't yet exist. In fact, the reason the gag with the tuba seems in keeping with the character we know is because it was one of the pieces that brought the character into focus both for the writers and for Diana Rigg.

Although it was the seventh episode aired, "The Murder Market" was actually the first one that was filmed with Diana Rigg. Emma Peel was originally played by Elizabeth Shepherd, but after completing all her scenes on "The Town of No Return" and a few on "The Murder Market", she was suddenly let go and Rigg was hastily hired as a replacement and swiftly put to work in an attempt to get the show back on its production schedule. The reasons for why Shepherd was let go differ, but if Rigg's performance in this episode is any indication, perhaps the Mrs. Peel that was emerging was too similar to Steed's former sidekick, Cathy Gale and the producers wanted something different, both from the character and the actress portraying her. However, after this episode was completed and the producers turned their attention back to "The Town of No Return", everyone had a firm grasp on how to portray the multi-talented, brilliant and charming Mrs. Emma Peel.

 Although I make a big deal out of Emma Peel's character forming in this episode, it really isn't anything that those looking for something to pick at will notice (or, as mentioned, if you're watching several episodes back-to-back). The story here is so strong, and the various supporting characters so amusing and/or well-acted, that Emma's "off-day" is pretty much a non-issue. By the time we get to the obligatory "clowning around tag" at the end of the show, we will have sat through one of the best episodes in Season Four.

Princesses of Mars, Part 35

On this last day of the month originally named for Mars, the Roman god of war, we turn our eyes to Mars, the planet named for the Roman god of war, and the princesses that dwell there.

Actually, we're just going to be checking in with one princess today--Dejah Thoris--as she hangs out with her prince, John Carter. And we've got an all-star line-up of artists capturing the couple's epic likeness!

Musical Monday with Elton John

Elton John has been writing (and co-writing with long-time collaborator Berne Taupin) beautiful and/or energetic pop songs since the late 1960s. He was supposed to be doing his retirement tour in 2020, but the Covid-19 bullshit put a stop to it. John didn't even get to finish the very first concert of the tour, as he lost his voice due to what was diagnosed as walking pneumonia.

John has written and performed some of our all-time favorite songs here at Shades of Gray, including "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road", "Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding", "Candle in the Wind", "Rocket Man", and "I'm Still Standing". To get your week off to a good start, we bring you John straight from 1970 and the original video for "Your Song".

The grace and majesty of Kendo

Kendo Combat (1897)
Starring: A Bunch of Guys With Wooden Swords
Director: Gabriel Vayre
Rating: Eight of Ten Stars

"Kendo Combat" is one of the first known films made of Japan. It was one of several slice-of-life mini documentaries that an associate of the Luminaire brothers made on their behalf, as part of their pioneering efforts to advance the art of filmmaking.

I've embedded it below, for your viewing pleasure. It's a record of what appears to be fast-moving chaos. It looks fun, but I'd hate to be hit with one of those swords if not wearing the proper gear! (For me, watching this film gave me a better understanding of some aspects of Japanese comic book creator Rumiko Takahashi's work...)

The Avengers Dossier, Page Six

It's time for another brief look at a supporting player in a Season Four episode of "The Avengers".

GORDON JACKSON

In "Castle De'Ath" Gordon Jackson portrayed Lord Ian, a gruff Scotsman and master of a remote estate that was the center of many mysteries.

Gordon Jackson was born in 1923 and raised in Glasgow, Scotland. From his first acting job as a young teen on radio and for the rest of his career, he made no effort to affect any accents other than his native Scottish (unlike so many other actors hailing from the various corners of the United Kingdom, such as Ireland or Wales). This did not prove to be a limitation, as he made the leap to film at the age of 20 and spent the next four decades portraying a range of characters.

Jackson is perhaps best remembered for his television roles as Hudson the Butler in "Upstairs, Downstairs" (1971 - 1975) and as George Cowley, the hard-as-stone government agent in "The Professionals" (1977 - 1983), as well as for his roles in films like "Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines" (1965), "The Night of the Generals" (1967), "The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie" (1969), "Madame Sin" (1972), and "Sherlock Holmes and the Masks of Death" (1984). Jackson was also a well-respected Shakespearean actor, and he regularly appeared on London stage productions even while maintaining his busy film and TV schedule.

Jackson worked right up until shortly before his death in 1990.

'Bad Boy' will give you a good time

Bad Boy (1925)
Starring: Charley Chase, Martha Sleeper, Hardee Kirkland, Charles Force, Noah Young, and Eddie Borden
Director: Leo McCarey
Rating: Nine of Ten Stars

Jimmie (Chase), the college educated son of a self-made man (Kirkland), tries to fit in among the working class in order to learn the family business and keep the affections of the woman he loves (Sleeper). His efforts become complicated when he is mistaken for an infamous gangster.

"Bad Boy" is, like most Charley Chase films, a carefully constructed bit of comedy where the main character is carefully established and the situations he finds himself in almost always end up happening due to either a flaw he possesses or a goal he desperately wants to achieve. Further, each gag and joke feeds and builds into one another with a precision and purpose that would make an engineer proud.

In this particular film, it's our hero's desire to please everyone that gets him into trouble or embarrassing situations. First, he tries to fit in with the iron workers at his father's mill, then he tries to please his mother by taking part in a dance performance at a garden party that ends up embarrassing him in front of his girlfriend; and then, while trying to behave like a manly man to win her back, he ends up earning the ire of all the patrons at a nightclub and triggers the brawl that serves as the film's climax.

The film is further ordered by its three very distinct locations--the steel mill, the garden party, and the dance club. In this, the film even manages to fall neatly into the traditional three-act structure, despite being just around 18 minutes in length. It may even go a little further than that, actually. In some ways, the action in each location unfolds almost like a story unto itself, with each featuring a beginning, a middle, and an end. Although each segment could stand perfectly fine on its own, they all feed into each other and combine to not only establish Charley Chase's character as a likable and decent guy who just doesn't fit in easily anywhere. Further, over the course of the film, the supporting characters of the parents, and even the girlfriend, develop in ways that make them more compelling than such figures usually are in these short comedies... and because of the clean breaks between the locations, it's a pleasant surprise to see character development continue across them.

The version of "Bad Boy" that I watched (and which is embedded for easy viewing below) also benefitted from an actual musical score, written by Maurice Saylor and performed by his Snark Ensemble. It's a perfect example of how big a difference it makes when the music is synchronized to what's happening on screen instead of just some random piano music or jazz tune being slapped onto the film.

On this Picture Perfect Wednesday...

 ... Brigitte Bardot has grown sick of winter coats...

... and she's flung open all the windows and doors here at Shades of Gray to let Spring in!