MGM producer Irving Thalberg promised the Marx Brothers that he could make a film that would have half of the laughs of their Paramount films, but would have bigger box office returns. They were reluctant, but trusted the boy wonder. The gambled paid off, and the result, A Night at the Opera, was their highest-grossing [...]
Teachers of film 101 classes always prattle on about D.W. Griffith and Cecil B. DeMille as the creators of the great early cinematic epics, but I will take Frank Capra’s Lost Horizon over them any day. Lost Horizon is not the first adventure drama film, but is one of the best. There is no swashbuckling [...]
For some reason I had thought that Bette Davis was not much of an actress in the early days of her career, and only came into her own when she was playing somewhat older women with fading looks, such as All About Eve, which she starred in when she was 42 in 1950. I might [...]
After the disappointment of Splice yesterday, I wanted to watch something that I knew would be good. Since I have been quite taken with Carole Lombard recently, in True Confession and To Be or Not to Be, I finally got around to seeing Nothing Sacred, which has been on my “to watch” list for a [...]
Since I live in Tokyo, I am constantly being asked how many times I have been to Tokyo Disneyland, which is something of an obsession with many Japanese people. Whoever asks me this question never fails to be surprised that I have never been to Tokyo Disneyland, or any Disneyland for that matter, and hate [...]
I found this film on the Internet Archive (www.archive.org), and decided to watch it right away in order to see Helen Mack in a leading role. Mack left a lasting impression in a small, but pivotal role in His Girl Friday (1940), as the girlfriend of the man condemned to execution, who jumps out of [...]
I had never heard of True Confession before today, and was happy I found it, because Carole Lombard is incredibly funny in this screwball comedy. Lombard grew up with two older brother in Fort Wayne, Indiana and developed into something of a natural tomboy. It was this image that was carried over to the screen [...]
Year in Film: 1937
A Day at the Races
MGM producer Irving Thalberg promised the Marx Brothers that he could make a film that would have half of the laughs of their Paramount films, but would have bigger box office returns. They were reluctant, but trusted the boy wonder. The gambled paid off, and the result, A Night at the Opera, was their highest-grossing [...]
Lost Horizon
Teachers of film 101 classes always prattle on about D.W. Griffith and Cecil B. DeMille as the creators of the great early cinematic epics, but I will take Frank Capra’s Lost Horizon over them any day. Lost Horizon is not the first adventure drama film, but is one of the best. There is no swashbuckling [...]
Marked Woman
For some reason I had thought that Bette Davis was not much of an actress in the early days of her career, and only came into her own when she was playing somewhat older women with fading looks, such as All About Eve, which she starred in when she was 42 in 1950. I might [...]
Nothing Sacred
After the disappointment of Splice yesterday, I wanted to watch something that I knew would be good. Since I have been quite taken with Carole Lombard recently, in True Confession and To Be or Not to Be, I finally got around to seeing Nothing Sacred, which has been on my “to watch” list for a [...]
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
Since I live in Tokyo, I am constantly being asked how many times I have been to Tokyo Disneyland, which is something of an obsession with many Japanese people. Whoever asks me this question never fails to be surprised that I have never been to Tokyo Disneyland, or any Disneyland for that matter, and hate [...]
The Wrong Road
I found this film on the Internet Archive (www.archive.org), and decided to watch it right away in order to see Helen Mack in a leading role. Mack left a lasting impression in a small, but pivotal role in His Girl Friday (1940), as the girlfriend of the man condemned to execution, who jumps out of [...]
True Confession
I had never heard of True Confession before today, and was happy I found it, because Carole Lombard is incredibly funny in this screwball comedy. Lombard grew up with two older brother in Fort Wayne, Indiana and developed into something of a natural tomboy. It was this image that was carried over to the screen [...]