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Reviews
Water & Power: A California Heist (2017)
A great documenatary on the water situation in California
The documentary views the practices of 'The Wonderful Company', aka Paramount Farms, a mega-agribusiness that uses large quantities of water to irrigate acre upon acre of almond trees (a luxury crop that uses lots of water) while in a nearby town the residents have no water. Whole counties, such as Kern County are in their pocket.
Nothing like it has been seen here since the (debated) Southern Pacific Railroad running of California State politics pre-1910. Or seen here since the film "Chinatown" was released in 1974, which documented a previous water theft, but is still relevant today.
Three Comrades (1938)
An unsuccessful sequel to "All Quiet on the Western Front"
"Three Comrades" could be summed up as a sequel to "All Quiet on the Western Front". "Western Front" being about WWI from the German side (written by a German serviceman), this film starts with the day the war is over and three surviving airmen must get on with civilian life.
Unfortunately, in comparison with the classic "All Quiet on the Western Front", "Three Comrades" is pretty bad. It has no "A" actors, it feels rushed through, and only the dialogue sparkles, the result of being written by F. Scott Fitzgerald.
Margaret Sullavan's character in the film is to personify the health of Germany, with her health deteriorating as Germany deteriorates. The film is perceptive in diagnosing what will be the outcome of things from a 1938 perspective. But the film feels muddled nonetheless.
An interesting sidenote: Eric Maria Remarque, who wrote the novels upon which both above mentioned films were based, had to leave Germany because of his views. Later, during the war, his sister was beheaded by the Nazis as punishment for Remarque, who they could not reach.
All Quiet on the Western Front (1930)
One of those works of art that come only once every few years
In the early 20th century, war changed from a game of professionals to an all-out contest of whole nations. Generations of young men were fed into the meatgrinder that was WWI; the first really technological war on a mass scale. No general staff understood what modern weapons would mean. These weapons created a war of stalemate and trench warfare, both sides evenly matched, and no breakthrough possible, with the ordinary soldier suffering the most. That is the story that 'All Quiet on the Western' Front tells.
It tells it from a German perspective because it was adapted from Eric Maria Remarque's novel based on his experiences as a combat soldier in the German Army. The book is itself a testament to the grueling fate of soldiers of both sides. Interestingly, another book came out of Germany about the war, Enst Junger's "Storm of Steel" which paints the same bleak picture of the war, but concludes with patriotic pride that the millions of dead were worth it as a test of strength.
The film 'All Quiet on the Western Front' is one of those works of art that come only once every few years. The reasons are several. 1. It follows the book fairly closely, and the book was good. 2. The realism was first rate for a film of that or any other period. 3. The acting, while not always modern, is well done in the major parts. The actor who plays 'Kat' dominates the film and the film's hero, 'Paul', played by Lew Ayres, although his performance is also good. 4. The direction was superb, and the movement of the camera during the battle sequences is amazingly good for that era. 5. The sound effects of the warfare scenes are quite good, as good as I've ever heard in that kind of film.
It's also interesting that America was able to produce a film from the standpoint of what was an enemy nation only 12 years before. But is seems less an accomplishment when you consider that the soldiers in the film question the war and all wars. If they'd been in the American Army, there would have been censorship problems about those sentiments coming from American soldiers. Nevertheless, the film is an admiral anti-war statement-- the futility of war at all times and for all nations. Hitler and Goebbels certainly knew the film's power-- it was banned from showing in Germany after the Nazis took power there in 1933.
It's not banned anymore. If you feel a film that old will be too dated, you will come to understand that really good filmmaking happens in all eras. If you haven't seen this film yet, you have a remarkable experience ahead of you.
Have people learned the lessons of this film? I hope so, for the weapons of war are much more terrible than before. That fact is what has stopped war. But this film, and the knowledge it imparts played a small part too.
Marie Antoinette (1938)
When films were for adults
I'm won't give a play-by-play of the plot. The film follows history fairly closely. An Austrian girl of royal birth becomes queen of France, only to run into the French Revolution and it's Terror.
Norma Shearer gives an excellent performance as Marie Antoinette. Her real-life husband, Irving Thalberg, one of the top producers at MGM, had died at age 37, only a year before this film began production. That Ms Shearer was able to bring off such a performance at such a time was a testimony to her professionalism.
Another great performance was that of John Barrymore as King Louis XV. It's so good to see these wonderful actors of the Golden Age do their stuff. Every facial tic says so much. Most of the actors of today can't do it, only a very few.
I reserve my highest praise for the man who plays the Duc de Orleans, Joseph Schildkraut. When you first see him in the film, with his makeup, painted eyebrows, lipstick, and mouche (beauty patch), you know you're in the 18th century.
That's only the beginning of his portrayal. His body is supple and he bows before royalty with such grace, he must've had many lessons in 18th century comportment. His dancing is wonderful, as he circles the queen, his body arches toward her and his head leans in her direction. He plays a bad guy, but as in many films, the bad guy steals the show.
Tyrone Power as Swedish Count Axel von Fersen, (a real historical character who was a possible lover of the queen), is on the other hand, a bit too goody- goody for this film. His real-life character, von Fersen, a Swedish count who fought in the American Revolutionary War, did try to save the queen's life during the French Revolution, so to leave him out would have been regrettable. The film ends with the death of the queen, but the real Count Fersen also met a violent death twenty years later in Sweden during a riot.
As a contrast, I saw the 2006 version of 'Marie Antoinette' the same week and it did not move me. It was a throw-away of no consequence. The 1938 MGM version, available on Amazon, on the other hand, was fabulous. It cost a fortune to make, used hundreds of extras, the costumes must've cost a fortune, the script is well done, and the acting superb. Sometime these big budget films were dead on arrival, but not this one. Score one for the Golden Age.
Perhaps we should bring back Royalty. After all, it was France who supported the American Revolution and bankrupted herself - leading to the end of the French Royalty.