5 Mini Film Reviews

I'm really lax when it comes to writing film reviews, mainly because I don't think I'm very good at them. So, I thought that to get me more used to writing about the films I watch, I'd start doing mini review posts. I think this is also a good way to share with you what I think about the films I watch because this way I get to talk about a few at once! I hope you enjoy reading the reviews :D

Rating System

★★★★★ = watch it immediately because you need this film in your life
★★★★ = watch it soon
★★★ = watch it sometime
★★ = watch it if you must
★ = watch it only if you want to waste a couple of hours of your life

Johnny Belinda, 1948 (Jean Negulesco)

The stars: Jane Wyman, Lew Ayres, Charles Bickford, Agnes Moorehead
The story: A young Doctor arrives at an isolated village in Cape Breton and soon after meets Belinda, the deaf and dumb daughter of a local farmer. He befriends her and helps her be able to more easily communicate with people by teaching her sign language. Everything is going well for Belinda until she is raped by a customer of her father's, the consequences of which are disturbing to say the least.
The verdict: It's rare to see the subject of rape portrayed so candidly in the 1940s because although it's grips on the film industry were loosening, the Hays Code was still in full force (of course, although Belinda's rape is heavily implied, the word itself couldn't be used.). In a lot of classic films, rape is often implied but it's not always accepted as an atrocity - heck, sometimes the victim can even find it "romantic" afterwards, apparently (throwing glances in your direction, Gone With the Wind). The frankness of the film is one of the reasons it's so powerful; it makes quite clear that the man who raped Belinda is scum and that in absolutely no circumstances can rape ever be excused or justified.
The rating: ★★★★★ 

Sullivan's Travels, 1941 (Preston Sturges)

The stars: Joel McCrea, Veronica Lake

The story: A young Hollywood film director, Sullivan, who makes a fortune making light, fluffy comedies decides that he wants to make a serious film about the hardships of the poor. So he dresses as a tramp, puts a dime in his pocket,  and goes out into the world to find out first hand what it's like to be poor. On the way he meets a wannabe actress about the quit the profession because she just can't seem to get a break. They team up and the adventure begins.

The verdict: I'd never seen a Veronica Lake film before this, but I loved her in it. She may not be the best actress but she's charming and funny and captured my attention from the moment she appeared on the screen. Whilst it's without a doubt a comedy, it's also a first class drama too. Preston Sturges bring the harsh realities of life to the screen in a way that Sullivan could benefit from learning from! 

The rating: ★★★★★

Ladri di biciclette (Bicycle Thieves), 1948 (Vittorio Di Sica)

The stars: Lamberto Maggiorani, Enzo Staiola

The story: A poor man in Rome finally lands a job putting up posters around the city, however, on his first day at work his bicycle, a necessity for his job, is stolen. The man and his young son must now search all over Rome to find the precious bicycle.

The verdict: Everything about the film is bleak and desolate, with seemingly no glimmerings of hope anywhere. The man, Antonio Ricci, was finally given and job and then just like that, his chance of finally being able to support his family were cruelly snatched away from him. Everything about him reeks of desperation, even his little son becomes desperate as their quest for the missing bike wears on. It's not a film you want to watch over and over, but there are many things to be taken away from it. I guarantee that you'll be mulling it over in your head for several days afterwards.

The rating: ★★★★★

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, 1945 (Elia Kazan)

The stars: Dorothy McGuire, Joan Blondell, James Dunn  

The story: Francie, a young, sensitive, intelligent girl with a vibrant imagination, is growing up in Brooklyn with her alcoholic, but kind and caring, father, her hard-working mother, and her younger brother. Although the family is very poor, the children are happy and their father encourages Francie to use her intelligence and imagination to the best of her abilities.   

The verdict: To be honest, I'm sold as soon as I seen the name 'Joan Blondell' in the titles, but joking aside, this is a really great film. Elia Kazan is one of my favourite directors and, whilst I don't think this is his greatest film, he adds the touch of truth and humanity that I think is present in all his films.
The rating: ★★★★

Les enfants du paradis (Children of Paradise), 1945 (Marcel Carné)

The stars: Arletty, Jean-Louise Barrault, Pierre Brasseur
The story: It's almost impossible to compress this 160 minute long French masterpiece into a few short sentences without butchering it, but I'll try. Garance, a free-spirited and beautiful French actress, is caught up in a tragic love pentagon. She loves Baptiste, a brilliant theatre mime, and he loves her, but as always happens, tragedy strikes and everything goes pear-shaped.
The verdict: As I said, this is a French masterpiece. It's tragic, melodramatic, overwhelming at times, and just a truly beautiful piece of cinema. It's impossible not to be drawn in by Baptiste's incredible pantomimes; he, who seems to be so weak and almost pathetic at times, is able to command the complete attention of audiences from a couple of dozen to a whole theatre full. It's magical.
The rating: ★★★★★



Thanks for reading! 

Box Set Monday #2: Greer Garson

It was a no-brainer that I was going to choose Greer for the second Box Set Monday post because most people who have read my blog for a while know that she's my favouritest of favourites after Deborah. Greer made just over half the number of films that Deborah did(including the one film they made together, Julius Caesar (1953)), and when picking, I thought it would help having less films to choose from, but all of her films are so fantastic that it took me absolutely ages to select the final two choices.

Glorious Greer Garson's Box Set

Contains:

Mrs. Miniver, 1942

Julia Misbehaves, 1948

Blossoms in the Dust, 1941

Random Harvest, 1942

Adventure, 1945

The Valley of Decision, 1945

Other than it being a wonderful and uplifting film, I think it's fairly obvious why I chose Mrs. Miniver. It's the film Greer is most well known for and it's the role that garnered her an Academy Award.

Greer with the other 1943 Academy Award winners: Van Heflin, James Cagney, Teresa Wright.

Her performance as Kay Miniver, the charming, middle class English housewife who thinks "... it's lovely having flowers named after you.", is one of my favourite performances by any actress. Although Greer thought that Mrs. Miniver was more like her Aunt than herself, she really did something special with the role. I can't think of anyone else who could have been as perfect as she was. It's also the film that got me hooked on the Greer/Walter partnership!

Julia Misbehaves is one of the most ridiculously loveable films ever to be made. Other than Greer hanging from curtains whilst singing, Walter Pidgeon been slapped by a sea lion, and a story about the colour cyclamen pink (which has plot twists to do with Bulgaria and, once again, a sea lion.), there is nothing that would seemingly make this a special film, yet it is still too wonderful for words.

Turn the clock back 4 or 5 years and I was probably watching my first ever film where I consciously knew that the gorgeous red head starring in it was Greer Garson (previously I'd only ever seen her in Julius Caesar and, whilst I thought she was rather stunning, I wasn't hooked just yet). The film was Blossoms in the Dust and after I finished watching it I was possessed with such a longing for the 1940s (even though none of the film actually takes place then... I wasn't very discerning back then ;D ) that I went straight up stairs and tried to curl my hair. I think it was my first ever attempt at a vintage hairstyle and it didn't go well at all. However, I was completely bewitched by Greer and Blossoms is still one of my favourite films. Even though it always makes me cry a little, I feel so encouraged and enlivened whenever I watch it. The film also marked the start of the Greer/Walter partnership; God bless Mervyn LeRoy!

Greer was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress 7 times and won once, yet it still seems incredible that she wasn't nominated for her utterly perfect and heartbreaking performance in Random Harvest. Had she not already been nominated for Mrs. Miniver that year, I feel sure she would still have won the Academy Award anyway. Just watch her eyes and you can see the mental anguish her character is experiencing when she meets "Smithy" several years after the Liverpool incident (I am first class at not giving spoilers away ;D ). It HURTS to see her in so much pain and f;afja;'ldfadfsdk this film is just an essential for everyone.

Gable's back and Garson's got him! Every poster should have a tagline like that. Seriously. I am desperate to get a copy of the poster because I want those words on my wall. ANYWAY, in Adventure, Greer plays a librarian with wonderful librarian glasses...

Clark Gable plays a sailor and Joan Blondell is there for comic relief whilst looking very gorgeous. Do not be fooled by it's low ratings on IMDb because this film has everything. Gable teaches Greer how to hypnotise chickens (she imitates a rooster which is something you cannot miss), Thomas Mitchell loses his soul, and then Harry Davenport comes along to birth some babies like he does in every film. That scene always seems to crop up when talking with my Greer-loving friends, it amuses us so. Joan Blondell actually has more chemistry with Clark than he does with Greer, but that's not the point. The point is that She Who Put the Able in Gable and He Who Put the Arson in Garson* steal chickens and make an otherwise rubbish film wonderful.

The Valley of Decision is included in this box set because two of the most beautiful people ever to grace this earth, Greer and Gregory Peck, kiss in it. Several times. Once on a boat. I'll let Irving Berlin speak for me, "Heaven, I'm in heaven, and my heart beats so that I can hardly speak!". It's wonderful! Greer plays an Irish girl (Yes, Greer with an Irish accent) who takes a job in the house of the local steel mill owner. Then she falls in love with her employers son and he falls in love with her. OH, THE HORROR! What will become of their love? A mess. Otherwise the film wouldn't be 2 hours long.

*Instead of using the tagline "Gable's back and Garson's got him", Greer suggested they use "She put the Able in Gable" and Clark suggested "He put the Arson in Garson". Whilst they are both highly amusing, I do think the original is the best. ;D

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I hope you all enjoyed this week's Box Set Monday post - stay tuned for next Monday! If any of you would like to do a guest post Box Set Monday, either leave me a comment or send me an email (or a twitter message if you're on there) with the actor or actress you'd like to box set (;D) and we can arrange it!