modern_maiden Reviews

Tess (1979)

Perfect homage to Hardy's novel

[9/10 · 30 November 2004]

This film was an almost exact replication of Thomas Hardy's novel "Tess of the d'Urbervilles". It's so rare to watch a film after reading the novel and not be disappointed by it, but this film didn't disappoint in any way.

Details, such as the whiteness of the maids' dresses, the sound of milk squirting into a bucket, the sloshing mud of a wet English turnip field, and the glint of adoration in the eyes of the young lovers -- all came gloriously to life as if fresh off the pages of the book.

I highly recommend this film for anyone who enjoys a good old fashioned Victorian love story.

Paid (1930)

Gritty and dynamic performance by Crawford

[9/10 · 28 July 2004]

This is one of Joan Crawford's best pre-code films. It is very hard to find, but worth the effort! Through her character's evolution, Joan is able to show off a wide variety of emotions, proving she did have good acting skill early in her career.

Typical of the early Talkies, most of the acting style is a bit theatrical, so viewers not used to watching early classics may feel it has a dated quality. But if that doesn't bother you, you will find that the story is riveting, the characters are colorful, and the performance by Crawford is fabulous.

Crawford's character, Mary Turner, is by far the most fascinating, and commands attention. We see her begin as a confused, frumpy simple girl unjustly imprisoned for a crime she didn't commit. Then we watch her grow into a hard-boiled, intelligent, sophisticated criminal, hellbent on revenge. She grew to become what she had been wrongly accused of. You can't help but pity her lost innocence and respect her determination, despite its criminal intent.

A must-see for anyone who loves pre-code film, gangster films, or Joan Crawford.

Above Suspicion (1943)

Overly simplistic, lacking suspense

[3/10 · 27 July 2004]

Even though I am a big fan of classic film and Joan Crawford, "Above Suspicion" left me very disappointed. This Nazi era spy film has is complete with secret codes, disguises, evil-doers and international intrigue -- all normally very fascinating stuff, except that in this case it is presented in a simplistic, juvenile way that fails to impress...in fact fails to even keep you awake at times.

It's impossible to believe that the British "Foreign Office" would select Joan's character (a perky soon-to-be housewife) and her husband (played by Fred MacMurray) to carry out an urgent, covert spy operation in Nazi Germany. Crawford and MacMurray jaunt casually through their mission as if it were dinner theater instead of a serious life-threatening mission. They appear to be playing a second-string version of Nora and Nick Charles from "The Thin Man" series, but their sad attempts at lighthearted humor only detract from the potential danger and suspense that could have made this film so much more sophisticated and interesting.

As far as suspense, plot, and general interest is concerned, I give this film a 3 out of 10. But it would be a great choice if you ever had to choose an unoffensive family film for people who do not have discerning taste. It would easily entertain kids, as it's only one step removed from a Scooby Doo Mystery.

Piccadilly (1929)

Film's shortcomings more than redeemed by Anna May Wong

[6/10 · 27 July 2004]

An enjoyable film with some great characters and an interesting story. The version I saw has an inappropriate and often irritating score that sounds about forty years too modern, and drastically takes away from the flapper-age energy and dance scenes. The beginning of the film is tedious, choosing to dwell a bit long on setting the scene, but once the main characters are introduced and the story begins to unfold, it captures and holds your attention.

Anna May Wong contributes the film's best performance. She has that rare, powerful aura that illuminates the screen, like Greta Garbo or Louise Brooks. When her character, Sho-Sho, is in a scene, you can only focus on her, and she carries you away with intensity conveyed by only the merest subtle expression.

The other actors were "okay" but nothing special. The characters of Victor and Mabel, presumably popular and adored dancers, failed to convince me that they had any charisma whatsoever. Sho-Sho's scenes with Valentine, the club owner who wants to make her a star (and his lover) are mesmerising, showing passion and titillating innuendo. But the really interesting relationship is that of Sho-Sho with "Jim", a Chinese fellow who seems to live with her -- is he a brother? a lover? it is unclear, but he is totally submissive to her and proud and jealous at the same time. She treats him like a dog, but they obviously have a close bond and need each other.

As a film in general, "Picadilly" is lacking on a few levels, but it is completely redeemed by Anna May Wong's presence. I can't give it a high rating overall, but I highly recommend it to Anna May Wong fans.

The Missing (I) (2003)

Bleak, chilling suspense on the frontier.

[8/10 · 25 November 2003]

The premise of this film that the main character (played by Cate Blanchett) is a rancher and doctor living in the wilds of New Mexico. Her daughter is kidnapped by a group of outlaws led by a psychopathic witch doctor. At the same time, her estanged father (played by Tommy Lee Jones) enters her life, and she is faced with her deep hatred of him, weighed against her need for his help. The rest of the story I won't give away.

I've read whisperings of Oscar nominations, which may be a fair statement, but although these rumors have been directed towards Blanchett, I would say that Jones had the stronger performance. Blanchett was excellent as well though, depicting a hard-laboring no-nonsense rancher perfectly, not trying to inject any glamour into her role whatsoever, as might have been the case if certain other big name actresses had played the role. I am forever amazed by Blanchett's versatility! The girls playing the daughters were excellent

too, specially the youngest one, who had a number of intense emotional scenes.

I liked the bleak feeling presented in the film...the raw climate, the hopelessness combined with determination that the characters portrayed. The heroic rescue attempts were not without their screw-ups, making the story much more realistic than a typical Western shoot-em-up hero movie.

I also enjoyed the element of mysticism, which was pulled off without being too corny. The main villain in this film was quite possibly the creepiest, ugliest villain to grace the screen in years! Yet somehow it wasn't too trite either.

My personal beef with most Hollywood epics is that friggin' annoying sweeping soundtrack music, which practically spells out to you how you are supposed to feel, replacing the emotion that should have been created by the acting and directing. Thankfully, the soundtrack didn't overwhem this film. Just some well placed ambient music which supplemented the scenes nicely.

Definitely one of the better films I've seen lately. I rate it 8/10.

Moulin Rouge! (2001)

Missed the mark.

[4/10 · 1 April 2003]

I love musicals. I love Nicole Kidman. I love Ewan McGregor. But in my opinion this film was a dull let-down.

Why was I so disappointed?

For a film that literally cries out for extravagant dance numbers, this film merely had a lot of action that through trick editing was merely *pretending* to be extravagant dance numbers. The scenes switch so quickly that you can never really see anyone truly dance, probably because they're not truly dancing. The exception is the final dance number where the Argentinian and one of the ladies tango and re-enact the lovers' story. However, that episode is so long drawn out and full of triteness that it becomes tedious.

On the subject of editing, I felt that the editing failed to provide the awe, energy and pizzazz that some of the dance numbers required. It left the actors looking awkward and ridiculous in parts, in particular the scene in which the group is demonstrating the ideas for the new show to the Baron.

Although Nicole Kidman is beautiful and talented, I didn't think she was warm and sensual enough for the role of Satine, and although she's not a "bad" singer, I felt that most of her big songs lacked the "oomph" required to give proper effect.

Overall, the feel of the film was very juvenile. I felt like the director was "dumbing down" the sophistication of what should/could have been a smart, naughty story about love, lust, envy and greed in the underworld. Instead, it felt sanitized, and because of that became nothing more than a typical Hollywood date movie in lingerie.

But the most painful of all were the dialog and the music. 90% of the film steals lines from contemporary pop music. And the lines are so brief and ecclectic it had me feeling like it was targeted towards people with Attention Deficit Disorder. I can only guess that it was an attempt to appeal to the masses -- and since I'm one of the few who didn't like this film, I guess it succeeded in that regard.

Clever appropriation of well known music and words can be very effective, but in my opinion "Moulin Rouge!" missed the mark, choosing to totally saturate the film with line after line of quotes from mainstream pop music...not even something cleverly obscure, only the most obvious and mainstream so that the most unworldly of viewers was likely to "get it". I found myself thinking "If they utter one more quote from Elton John I'm going to puke!".

So what did I love about the film?

The costumes and sets were fun, fantastical and lush. They created a magical atmosphere that promised more than the rest of the film could deliver.

And Ewan McGregor was by far the shining star of the film. He's a strong singer and absolutely brilliant actor. Too bad his performance couldn't eclipse the rest of the film's shortcomings for me.

In summary, it's a cute film, great for a family with kids, but don't expect anything too deep or original. Sadly, it suffers from "over-Hollywoodization". It's just too corny and trite.

Velvet Goldmine (1998)

A titillating pan-gender adventure!

[8/10 · 1 April 2003]

Forget the comparisons between the film's characters and Iggy Pop and David Bowie. The irony that some viewers have missed, is that the film itself echoes its own message, daringly stealing the images of retro pop idols and re-inventing them as its own original creations.

This film is like a dream of an intergalactic cabaret whorehouse on Hallowe'en...except it's actually the early 1970s, and it's about young Earthlings in Manchester making music and living free. It's a story of a desperate need for identity, interlaced with a driven desire of self-expression and hedonism.

"Velvet Goldmine" is lush, colourful and could be decribed as vaguely disturbing eye candy. Much of it is a barrage of music, costumes and glitter, presented in a way that blends modern music video with retro investigative reporting.

The actors are all superb. Ewan McGregor is excellent as the tormented Curt Wild -- really outstanding, mesmerising in fact. Johnathan Rhys-Myers is the perfect Brian Slade, a bisexual image-obsessed glam rock star whose rise to fame and fall from glory is being revisited by a young journalist played by Christian Bale. Toni Colette has come a long way from "Muriel's Wedding" as Slade's glamour-queen wife, expertly dropping in and out of American and English dialect as the situation requires.

I certainly envy the actors for being able to live out their rock star fantasies in this film, and to wear the most fabulously glitzy costumes throughout. Hats off to Todd Haynes for creating a rich fantasy that is close enough to reality to be all that much more fascinating.

Beloved Enemy (1936)

A story of Love and Intrigue.

[7/10 · 13 March 2003]

This is a fine film depicting the fictitious love affair between an English Lady and an Irish rebel leader in the 1920s. Merle Oberon gives an endearing performance as Lady Helen, who coincidentally meets Dennis Riordan (played by Brian Aherne) under false pretenses. They should have been enemies. She represented everything their respective sides were fighting against. But her charms beguiled him and when they each realize they are falling in love with the enemy, it is too late.

This is a story of star-crossed lovers, each having to decide between their moral convictions and a true love that may never come again. Brian Aherne is charismatic as the clever rebel leader. Henry Stephenson is perfect as Lord Athleigh, Helen's tough but wise father, sent to Dublin to settle the Irish uprising one way or another. David Niven is splendid in a supporting role as Gerald Preston, assistant to Lord Athleigh, only a year before he is to wow audiences as Captain von Tarlenheim in "The Prisoner of Zenda".

Although this is a love story, there is plenty of action and intrigue involving the hunt for Riordan and the rebels by the English.

If you like Merle Oberon, don't miss her in "The Divorce of Lady X" or "Wuthering Heights", both with Sir Laurence Olivier.

Vagabond Violinist (1934)

A Must-See for Merle Oberon Fans

[7/10 · 13 March 2003]

Paul (John Garrick) and Germaine (Merle Oberon) are young friends, working to make ends meet. Germaine works in a cafe while Paul struggles to make it as a composer. Germaine encourages Paul to write popular music instead, assuring him that it will make him more money than serious classical compositions. In her heart she wants him to succeed because she is in love with him, but he's too engrossed in his music to notice.

Germaine's advice proves fruitful when Paul plays his music at the cafe, and is noticed by Simone St. Clair, a famous stage actress (Margot Grahame) who is dining there. Margot takes him under wing and they quickly develop a relationship, much to Germaine's disappointment. After many ups and downs, Paul begins to question whether his life has really unfolded in the way he wanted it. Revisiting his old stomping ground brings Germaine back into his life. The emotional last few scenes bring the story to its bittersweet end.

This is a fine film, with interesting characters and high quality acting. It's not one of Oberon's strongest performances, but enjoyable nonetheless and a must-see for Oberon fans. Neither John Garrick or Margot Grahame went on to very impressive things, but it was just the tip of the iceberg for Merle Oberon, who went on to many fantastic projects such as "Wuthering Heights", " These Three" and "The Divorce of Lady X".

Dance, Fools, Dance (1931)

Crawford and Gable sizzle!

[9/10 · 13 March 2003]

This is one of Joan Crawford's best Talkies. It was the first Gable-Crawford pairing, and made it evident to MGM and to audiences that they were a sizzling team, leading the studio to make seven more films with them as co-stars.

The film convincingly depicts the downward slide of a brother and sister who, after their father loses everything in the stock market crash, must fend for themselves and work for a living. Life is hard in the Depression, and soon even their attempts at finding legitimate work prove futile, and they resort to underworld activity.

Joan Crawford is excellent as the socialite-turned-moll. She's smart, complex, and believable. She even tempers the theatrical stiffness of the other actors' early Talkie acting style. Clark Gable is a diamond-in-the rough, masculine and gruff as the no-nonsense gangster who becomes involved with Crawford's character. The same year he would play a similar and even more successful role opposite Norma Shearer in "A Free Soul", securing his position as top male sex symbol at MGM.

If you like Crawford in this type of role, don't miss "Paid", which she did a year earlier, which is also among her best early Talkie performances.

The Pianist (2002)

A powerful depiction of the unconquerable human spirit.

[9/10 · 26 February 2003]

"The Pianist" is the first film I've seen that comes close to depicting the utter destruction of war. The scenes of the aftermath of the bombings struck me particularly hard. When you see those scenes, remember that the same destruction occurred accross most of central and eastern Europe, by Allied bombs as well as Axis. Few cities were left unscathed, yet they all rebuilt themselves, brick by brick, a testament to the power of the human spirit.

The first half of the film was so full of horrible acts of cruelty, that I began to wonder if I really needed to see all this. Polanksi more than succeeded in making a statement about the horrors of war and genocide. It's not a film for the feint of heart. The second half of the film, though showing the terrible ravages and suffering of the survivors of war, also revealed the hope and determination, the resiliency of human beings and their desire to survive.

The acting and directing was superb. Every action was meaningful and powerful, the cinematography breathtaking. Adrien Brody was impressive. The music and piano-playing scenes were so beautiful that I could forgive the fact that it was unlikely that a perfectly tuned piano would be found in a bombed-out building in sub-zero weather.

My only other criticism would be that I feel Polanski was a bit too obvious with the good vs. evil characterizations. For example, the evil Germans were all scowling and ugly, except for the lone friendly officer, who was handsome. The same stereotypes apply to the protagonists: heroic underground rebel Jews were either handsome or jovial, and the gentiles who helped them were beautiful and fair-haired and looked like angels. Maybe it was symbolism, but it seemed a little too simplistic to me.

However, that's a small complaint, because overall the whole film was incredible, both technically and emotionally. It's great to see a war film that is not from a military point of view. Oscar, Oscar, Oscar!

Paid (1930)

One of Crawford's best performances

[9/10 · 5 July 2002]

Addmittedly, I'm a big Crawford fan. That's why I was thrilled to see her in PAID. Her role in this film is one of the most diverse of her entire career. She begins as a downtrodden, simple girl, wrongly accused of a crime, and she depicts this very believably. Then prison life hardens her, and she learns more than just street smarts, resulting in a sassy, savvy woman on a mission.

Crawford shines above all the other actors in this film. Her character is complex and interesting. The film overall may seem too "quaint" for anyone who is not already a fan of early talkies, but those who love this genre will love this film, and will love Crawford's performance. It's unfortunate that it is so difficult to find PAID on video, or more classic film fans would be able to see one of Crawford greatest early performances.

A Woman's Face (1941)

She's a `cold-blooded, ruthless little Galatea' - or is she?

[8 October 2001]

This film may surpass even Joan Crawford's Oscar-winning performance in `Mildred Pierce' as the best of her career. `A Woman's Face' is part courtroom drama, part mystery, and unfolds in the form of flashbacks through the eyes of no less than half a dozen questionable characters. Crawford plays Anna Holm, a facially scarred woman whose disfigurement has led her to an embittered life of crime.

Melvyn Douglas is perfectly cast as the handsome and heroic Dr. Segert, and Conrad Veidt plays Torsten Barring, the despicable charmer. Crawford's interpretation of a genuinely mean-spirited and heartless Anna develops into a complex character who wins our sympathy despite her evil intentions. It's a breath of fresh air to see Crawford not made up glamorously. There are no dazzling gowns or mascara-ed lashes to distract the viewer from Crawford's fabulous performance.

With a brilliant supporting cast (including the adorable Richard Nichols as the 4 year-old Lars-Erik, and Marjorie Main as the suspicious housekeeper), `A Woman's Face' ranks among the best Crawford films of all time. It is a must-see for anyone who wishes to see a well-made, fascinating tale of intrigue, love and human frailty.