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francescafay11
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An error has ocurred. Please try againThis list includes some live-action films with animation (ie- 'Who Framed Roger Rabbit?') and stop-motion animation sequences (ie- 'King Kong')
Published on April 10th, 2013
I included my scores of the films and television programs I have seen more recently, with brief explanations where needed. I did not factor in the accuracy of the facts on the case, unless it was meant to be a documentary.
List published by The Playlist staff on March 19th, 2015.
Honorable Mentions: Dorothy Dandridge, Vivien Leigh, Betty Hutton, Janet Leigh, Nina Mae McKinney, Helen Chandler, Mae Clark, Jane Greer, Gene Tierney, Ava Gardner, Lauren Bacall, Rita Hayworth, Lillian Gish, Kim Novak, Veronica Lake, Jane Russell, Nancy Carroll, Rosalind Russell, Grace Kelly, Joanne Woodward, Simone Simon, Jane Wyatt, Eleanor Parker, Ina Claire, Josette Day, Louise Brooks, Patricia Neal, Leslie Caron, Anita Ekberg, Bibi Andersson, Mae West, Hedy Lamarr, Merle Oberon, Luise Rainer, Harriet Andersson, Gloria Stewart, Marie Windsor, Margaret Lindsay, Marisa Pavan, Priscilla Lane, Rosemary Lane, Clara Bow, Natalie Wood, Olive Thomas, Maureen O'Sullivan, Betty Compson, Karin Dor, Jeanne Crain, Laraine Day, Carole Lombard, Greer Garson, Mary Astor, Anne Baxter, Pola Negri, Madeleine Carroll, Lana Turner, Maureen O'Hara, Ursula Jeans, Colleen Moore, Judy Garland, Geraldine Fitzgerald, Paulette Goddard, Thelma Todd, Mary Pickford, Joan Bennett, Constance Bennett, Norma Talmadge, Cyd Charisse, Ann Blyth, Norma Shearer, Shelley Winters, Fay Wray, Jennifer Jones, Angela Lansbury, and Kay Francis
Reviews
Sing, You Sinners (1938)
Bing's Move Towards Family Audiences
~~~7/10~~~
I liked this film a lot, but I can't claim that I loved it. This film, released in 1938, reflects the new image Bing was moving towards after the pre-code era ended.
I must confess a liking for his light, romantic comedies, which often featured more adult comic relief and innuendo. Bing went from being green and enduring in films like 'College Humor', to the man-of-the-world crooner of 'Going Hollywood', 'We're Not Dressing', and 'Here Is My Heart'. This pre-code sophisticated ladies man image, which happens to be my favorite Bing Crosby incarnation, continued for a few films past Hays Code enforcement, but it was eventually replaced with the lovable outsider present in films like 'Mississippi'.
The Bing Crosby we get here began in the likes of 'Mississippi' and 1936's 'Pennies from Heaven', but in 'Sing, You Sinners' the romantic backdrop is replaced with family melodrama. Now obviously he continued to do comedies, such as the "Road" pictures, and he still had romantic leading roles after this film, but I believe this film is a precursor to his great films for family audiences, the religion-themed dramas of the 1940's, for which he is so known for. While films like 'Going My Way' and 'The Bells of St. Mary's' are great classics of the era, I can't help but lament the passing of the pre-code ladies man crooner I love so much in his earlier films.
Now, I guess I should get to the film at hand! 'Sing, You Sinners' is a lovable little family comedy-drama about the Beebe family that features two leading men in their prime and one future leading man, a pre-teen Donald O'Connor, in what I consider a breakout role. Fred MacMurray, while occasionally being a bit one-noted, still brings a great deal of feeling into the role of the responsible older brother looking out for his widowed mother and two younger brothers. Bing Crosby once again plays a lovable screw-up, but I think you can find hints of depth and pathos that were later realized in his supreme acting achievement, 1954's 'The Country Girl'. In particular, the scene where Fred MacMurray's character takes a drunken Bing home after a fight between them plays with enough seriousness that Bing gives you a sense that his character's devil-may-care exterior is hiding genuine issues. Of course the drama is lightened with a few typical drunken 'comedy' relief moments that, in my opinion, takes away from the scene.
Elizabeth Patterson and Donald O'Connor both add their fair share to this film. Elizabeth plays 'Mother Beebe' and she definitely gets the viewer to relate to her, with both her character's strength and humor. Donald O'Connor plays the only minor child of the Beebe family and while he hasn't quite honed his acting skills in this film, he plays it with enough subtlety that his shortcomings as an actor are easily overlooked. He particularly adds a lot to the musical numbers. There is also Ellen Drew, playing Fred MacMurray's love interest, but although she looks pretty her role could have been handled by any competent ingénue.
The musical numbers in the film were supremely entertaining, even if most were a bit unnecessary to the plot. But one can forgive that when it is Bing Crosby singing! I particularly liked the song heard throughout, "I've Got a Pocketful of Dreams" and also Bing's solo song, sung in the 'jazz' club scene, "Don't Let That Moon Get Away". While I thought the "Small Fry" song was funny and cute, it did sort of grind the story to a halt. But I only noticed this the second time I saw the film because I was too busy enjoying it the first time around.
~MAJOR SPOILERS IN THIS PARAGRAPH~ My main complaint with the film is the whole race track subplot that occurs after about two-thirds of the film is over. While I understand there needs to be a last dramatic occurrence to finally bring the Beebe's together, the whole thing just seemed so contrived. And I was very confused as to why the happy ending involves them staying at a night club where their boss was involved in bribing O'Connor's character and then tried to trick Bing's character out of 10 weeks pay! But I guess maybe he learned his lesson and actually paid them the $2000 that Bing won in the bet. Obviously I'm not expecting gritty realism from a musical comedy from 1938, but that had to seem a bit odd even upon release. I wish they could have been offered $100 a week for singing at a nicer club or on the radio or something; that seems a bit more of a happy ending. But these minor plot holes don't really take away from the enjoyment while actually watching the film, so they are easily ignored.
This film is mainly meant to be a comedy, but I think it could have been a really good and original film, had it been more of a straight family drama, with perhaps a few comedy situations, with say Donald O'Connor. But I guess the audiences of 1938, weren't quiet ready for a drama on family dynamics from their crooner Bing Crosby and leading man of light romantic comedies, Fred MacMurray. And that's OK! The comedy angle works well enough and this film is very fun to watch.
For me, it is only the perhaps missed opportunity of exploring the family dynamics further and the few plot contrivances that kept this film from being an 8 or 9. But that doesn't make it a bad movie in the slightest. 'Sing, You Sinners' works on many levels, the actors do a good job and interact well, the story is fun and heart-felt at the same time, and the singing from Bing Crosby is great as usual. A thoroughly enjoyable film reflecting Bing's changing image of the late-1930's.
The Great Gatsby (1949)
Not a Bad Film. Especially if you haven't read the novel!
~~~6.5/10~~~
It has been a while since I read the novel, so I was able to detach myself from the source material enough to watch the film from that vantage point. And I have to say, I believe this greatly aided in my enjoyment of the picture. I'm not saying it is a perfect film by far, but as a stand alone film, it is better than the average B melodrama of the period.
However, once I finished the film I began to make comparisons to the novel, which is definitely in my personal all-time top 10 books, and that's where the film went from an 8 to a 7 or 6. Like many of the previous posters mentioned, the film does drastically diminish Gatsby's mystery by laying out his background early on in the story. And this does detract from what most people love about the book. Also, the script does not take enough advantage of it's source material and the wonderful prose of Fitzgerald.
I personally did not find the film extremely miscast and the leads were not a problem for me. Granted they are not what I envisioned Gatsby and Daisy being like when I read Fitzgerald's work, but in my opinion they are able to make the roles work. I thought the secondary leads and the character parts were for the most part well cast and that the actors each made the roles their own.
The problem with the film is that it IS based on the novel. And contrary as to how I was able to watch the film, one should be able to critique this film based on the vantage of comparing it to the novel. If this weren't the case, then the film should never have been titled "The Great Gatsby". So, if one is able to watch the film without constant comparisons to the novel, I think they will better enjoy the viewing experience, but that doesn't excuse the film's shortcomings when it comes to living up to its source material.