The Invisible Man (1933)

If you stop to think about it, the power of invisibility would be extremely useful, yet highly overrated.  With enough tact, you could easily eavesdrop on any conversation, give the slip to anyone, take what you want or pull some great scares with little chance of being caught.  What a dream for a sneak!  Yet there are so many technical hangups that can ruin even the simplest plans.  Rain and fog give you a faint outline, mud and snow leave tracks.  Not only do you have to be completely naked to be invisible, but you better be squeaky clean as well. And if you do want to be seen, it requires quite a bit of clothing, but perhaps one of those spandex whole-body suits would be helpful this day and age.

When a man wrapped from head to toe walks out of the harsh snow into an inn, it causes a stir.  He doesn’t remove any of the wrappings from his face and is very mysterious about his whereabouts.  Before he is even given a key, people are making accusations: a thief on the run, escaped convict.  It is none other than Dr. Griffin (Claude Rains), who has turned himself invisible in his experiments.  At the inn, he desperately searches for a way to reverse the effect, but with all the commotion going on about him, it’s hard to concentrate.  And being invisible is starting to drive him a little mad and fill him with greed.  Before his collegue, Dr. Cranley (Henry Travers) and his girl, Flora (Gloria Stuart) can help him, The Invisible Man gives the people what they want, a good scare and runs amok invisible through the town.

The invisibility gags do not get old and will often leave viewers believing or wondering how such feats were filmed in the early 1930s.  The most fantastic moment is when Rains is taking off the wraps from his head, revealing little by little his invisibility.  As a kid, I always marveled at this moment, wondering how it was done.  Apparently, director James Whale filmed Rains wearing a black velvet mask in front of a black velvet background to achieve the effect.

I would consider The Invisible Man one of the least scary or the Universal Monsters, but the film is one of the most entertaining and best written.  It was closely based off of the H.G. Welles novella.  While it is a bit violent (murder!) the scariest images are the fact that there is no image of our monster at all, which is more intriguing than frightful.  This film could be a great introduction for children to old monster movies, as well as classic film.  And with a superb cast, boasting Claude Rains in his first lead role, any film fan is in for a treat.

“The fools wouldn’t let me work in peace. I had to teach them a lesson.”

Notorious

Premiering in 1946, Notorious was Hitchcock’s second film starring Ingrid Bergman.  It is a spy thriller and a dramatic love story all at once, with Bergman forming a complicated love triangle with Cary Grant and Claude Rains.

After her father is convicted for being a Nazi spy, Alicia (Bergman) is sought out by a young government agent, Devlin (Grant).  With her familiarity with some Nazis that have moved to Brazil, he hopes that she can infiltrate their organization.  While waiting for details of her mission in Rio de Janeiro, the two fall in love.  When Devlin gets word that Alice is to seduce a friend of her father’s and past admirer, Alexander Sebastian (Rains), he tries to convince the others that Alicia isn’t right for the job, but to no avail.  He chooses their mission over their love and pushes Alicia to seduce Sebastian.  But how far can Alicia go along with this false love, and worse, what will happen to her if Sebastian realizes she is a spy?

One of the most memorable scenes, that literally pushed some boundaries, is a love scene between Bergman and Grant.  In the height of their romance, it seems the two can hardly stand to part when Devlin is called to get information on Alicia’s assignment.  For two and a half minutes, Hitchcock uses a long shot, focusing on the two kissing and nuzzling in between a few lines and slowly moving Devlin towards the door.  Since this film was made while the Hays Code was in charge of censoring film, kissing could not last for more than three seconds.  To get around this, Hitchcock had Bergman and Grant break off kissing after exactly three seconds only to start up again and again between breathless lines.

While the film was not nominated for Best Picture, it was not completely forgotten at the Academy Awards.  Notorious was nominated for Original Screenplay and Claude Rains was nominated for Supporting Actor.  His portrayal of a secretive man seduced by an old flame and then realizing her true motives is startling and wonderfully believable.

In the grand scale of Hitchcock films, Notorious may not be one of the most essential films, but I believe that is an important one in Hitchcock’s filmography.  While it’s a taught spy thriller, the element of romance is mixed in stronger than ever.  There are smaller moments of mounting suspense, like Devilin and Alicia’s discovery in the wine cellar, that may not built to big moments, but keep the story moving in a more placid manner.  Still, Notorious is an enjoyable and intriguing film perfect for any fan of Hitchcock, Grant, Bergman or Rains.

“A man doesn’t tell a woman what to do. She tells herself.”

Anthony Adverse

Anthony Adverse is based off the novel by Hervey Allen about the trials of an orphan that only get more intense in his adulthood.  Before we can meet the little orphan Anthony, the details surrounding his unfortunate circumstances must be made clear.  The film begins as a young woman is leaving on her honeymoon with a much older, and conveniently injured husband, Marquis Don Luis (Claude Rains).  While his leg heals in a cast, she meets her young lover, a soldier, and they pledge to run away together before her husband’s leg has healed.  But time runs out, she watches her husband kill her lover in a sword fight and soon she dies in childbirth.  Rather than raise the lovechild on his own, the husband leaves the crying baby at a convent, and lies to his father-in-law, Mr. Bonnyfeather (Edmund Gwenn), saying that the child died as well.  The lines between good and evil are obviously drawn between Don Luis’s cold indifference and Mr. Bonnyfeather’s heartbreak.

The film moves forward ten years, showing us young Anthony (Billy Mauch) at the convent.  Since it is an all girls school, he is only allowed in a small part, surrounded by high walls.  The boy is obviously lonely, but thankful for Father Xavier (Henry O’Neill), who serves as the boy’s teacher and main parental figure.  The nuns seem to be the type that simply don’t like boys and say it’s high time Anthony leaves the convent and become an apprentice.  Father Xavier sets Anthony up to work for Mr. Bonnyfeather, who senses immediately that the boy is his lost grandson and gives him the last name Adverse.  His speech about the boy’s adversity is only slightly cheesy.

From here out is supposed to be the meat of the film.  Anthony grows to a smart, well-rounded young man (Fredric March) with eyes for the beautiful Angela (Olivia de Havilland).  Their life seems perfectly sweet and simple for only a moment, then Angela is taken away when her father wins the lottery.  Next thing we know, Anthony finds her singing in a show and they’ve secretly gotten married.  While Anthony is supposed to meet her, he’s detained by Bonnyfeather, who wants him to leave for Havana the next morning and Angela doesn’t get the message to sail with him.  Thus beings Anthony’s adventures sailing the world, becoming part of the slave trade and finding exotic women in the jungle.

Honestly, that whole chapter goes way too fast and seems like it should have more focus.  Once Anthony attempts to get his old life back in order in Europe, it seems to slow down to a decent pace again, but things are still convoluted with the Angela’s marital status and old villains trying to cheat Anthony out of Bonnyfeather’s will.

For me, the first half hour of the film was more exciting than the rest.  Forbidden love, a sword fight, murder and dumping babies off at the convent, it’s good and juicy.  Then everything turned very flat, rushed and boring.  Even when Anthony is traveling the world, conveniently running away from the possibility of loving his love, everything seems a bit watered down.  Perhaps because this is the part of the story where Anthony is supposed to have a positive life change that propels him back to Europe.  Unfortunately, it starts to feel like unstable mush and never lets us find more solid ground.

While I have complaints about the story and its pacing, many of the technical film aspects help made this film more enjoyable.  Anthony Adverse won the Oscar for Best Cinematography and Best Editing.   Visually, this film is lovely and can bring out the sense of adventure the story tends to lack.  While my heart wasn’t hanging on why Anthony was running through the jungle in the rain, my eyes were hooked and soaking it in.

“Those who are destined to live during times of war and social upheaval are victims of cruel fate, unable to find comfort in the past or peace in the present.  They are the spiritual orphans of the world.”

Mr. Smith Goes to Washington

When a vacancy in the senate pops up, there is a mad dash to fill the seat with the right kind of person.  Under the thumb of James Taylor (Edward Arnold), the corrupt political boss, the governor looks for their new senator to be someone who won’t get in their way.  They find a young man who leads the Boy Rangers, Jefferson Smith (James Stewart), and send him off to Washington with the senior senator and friend of his late father, Joseph Paine (Claude Rains).

Once in Washington, Smith acts like a typical starry-eyed newcomer, wondering off to see all the monuments, fumbling with his hat around the pretty girls and naively thinking he can quickly make a difference with his new senate seat.  For Clarissa Saunders (Jean Arthur), Smith’s chief of staff, it’s almost too much to bear seeing such an innocent guy sent straight to the lions den without even realizing it.  She is well aware of the corruption going on between the men who hired Smith and has lost her faith in the government because of it.  But when Smith wants to propose a new bill for a National Boys Camp, he finds out about and sees how he could possibly take down the whole corrupt machine.  Saunders ends up coaching Smith and cheering him on as he does one of the craziest things that can happen on the senate floor, a filibuster.

Stewart’s performance is just wonderful as the innocent Mr. Smith.  From the very beginning, when we hear the governor’s sons going on about Mr. Smith, we know he’s going to be a special kind of person.  The earnest way he is so amazed by all the monuments and history of Washington is cute and refreshing compared to all the bleak corruption around him.  Even if you find his innocent fascination goofy, we see that he’s very kind, especially to the boys who run errands on the senate floor.  I’d wear that Boy Ranger pin with pride.  And when it comes time for Smith to filibuster, which seems like a hopeless cause for quite a while, Stewart does a wonderful job making his long-winded bravery something to admire.

I first saw this film in high school US government class, my teacher thought it was perfect for illustrating some of the aspects of senate processes.  That one scene where Saunders explains the entire process that a bill goes through is quite educational, if you can keep up with her.  A filibuster isn’t something you see very often, but the film also explains the rules behind that as well.  We see that being a senator can be a crafty business, even if you’re not dealing with any corruption.

Mr. Smith Goes to Washington is a really great film that hold up well to a twenty-first century audience. I believe this is Frank Capra at his best and Stewart at his sweetest.  It’s smart, patriotic with honest values that doesn’t get too sweet or cute.  The balance is just right.

“All you people don’t know about lost causes.  Mr. Paine does.  He said once they were the only causes worth fighting for.”

Here Comes Mr. Jordan

When Joe Pendleton (Robert Montgomery), a good hearted boxer, looks like he is about to die, Messenger 7013 (Edward Everett Horton) acts too quickly removing his soul from his body to spare him the agony.  This is a huge mistake, as it turns out that Joe was supposed to live for fifty more years.  When Mr. Jordan (Claude Rains), the guy running this foggy afterlife world, hears of the mishap, he sets out to find Joe a new body to inhabit for his allotted fifty years.

Joe is pretty picky over the bodies Mr. Jordan shows him and with good reason.  He had worked hard to get himself into peak physical condition, which he calls “in the pink” and does not want to give up on his boxing dreams.  When Mr. Jordan shows him Mr. Farnsworth, a millionaire who is about to be murdered by his wife, he sees an opportunity to help a young woman in need, Bette Logan (Evelyn Keyes).  Joe goes into Farnsworth’s body, saying that it will only be temporary and starts using the money at his disposal for good.  When sparks start flying between Joe and Bette, it’s hard for him to move onto a permanent body, but Mr. Jordan assures Joe that he will achieve everything in his original destiny.

While Joe’s soul is transported from one body to another, certain things remain constant that make him recognizable.  To us, the viewer, he does not change physically but we understand that his new body has not, but to he characters who knew Farnsworth the personality strangely has.  He still retains his personality and memories from his life as Joe. This comes in handy when he seeks out his old trainer, Max Corkel (James Gleason).  One physical object of his follows him from body to body, his lucky saxophone.  To the people originally around Farnsworth before his death, this saxophone is a mystery, especially when they see Farnsworth playing it.  I guess as Joe’s soul is transported, so is his knowledge and ability to play.

Underneath this quirky story is an attempt to understand the unknown journey of a soul.  Individually, we all have different ideas on what happens to us after death, but it’s hard to find one universal outlook without getting into a messy philosophical debate.  In the film, we are not shown or told about heaven, hell or angles, the only concrete terms used are soul and body.  Mr. Jordan and Messenger 7013 are just shown to be men in suits, pretty un-mystical despite the fact that they transport souls of the recently deceased.  Even more humbling is the fact that even they can make mistakes, like taking Joe away before he has even crashed.

The philosophies men have created over time are simplified to a modern understanding: each person has an allotted time in their life then their soul is transported out of their body, which is simply a physical shell for the soul.  And when a mistake has been made, Mr. Jordan and his messengers will see to it that you get the time and all you were destined for.  These ideas may not satisfy the deeply religious, but it’s not such a bad gig to find yourself caught in, considering the fiery alternatives.

“I’m following that saxophone!”

Four Daughters (Found!)

Music professor Adam Lemp (Claude Rains) has four lovely, musically inclined daughters.  They all live happily at home and form a band.  There is Thea (Lola Lane) at the piano, Emma (Gale Page) at the harp, Ann (Priscilla Lane) playing the violin and Kay (Rosemary Lane) sings.  As suitors start showing up and marrying the daughters, the house becomes quieter and drama starts to take center stage.

There is some good fun in the beginning between all the sisters.  They all get along well and do the typical sisterly things, sharing clothes, brushing each other’s hair and dreaming of boys.  As Thea starts to get serious with her boyfriend, Ben (Frank McHugh), the youngest sister, Ann, questions the cost of their growing up and getting married.  She is afraid of the sisters separating and finding a man to replace them.  She even daydreams with Emma about the two of them becoming old maids together.

Each sister starts pairing off with a young man, except for Kay who wants to pursue a singing career.  But soon, Ann finds herself between two musically inclined men.  There is free spirited Felix (Jeffrey Lynn) who enjoys swinging on the Lemp’s front gate and annoying Mr. Lemp with his new aged jazz music.  Then there is Felix’s morose friend, Mickey (John Garfield), who through his tough life has formed an idea that the fates are against him.  Ann becomes close friends with both men, loving Felix’s happy-go-lucky attitude and feeling sorry for Mickey’s self indulged pity-party.  Once Mickey starts thinking that he and Ann have a chance together, she becomes engaged to Felix.  That just brings Mickey lower than ever.  When Ann tries to console Mickey, he says that he always thought Felix and Emma were in love, which gives Ann reason to marry Mickey.  She thinks she’s allowing Emma and Felix their happiness, but she just leaves the family shocked and heartbroken.

As you can imagine, visiting for the holidays just months after that fiasco can be a bit awkward.  Nonetheless, the sisters are glad to be together again and Mr. Lemp is happy to have a full house.  It seems to be a happy occasion, with family letting the past stay in the past, but Mickey is noticing some looks between Felix and Ann.  By the end of the night, there will be tragedy.

This could be a fun family flick, especially if you’ve got a pack of girls.  Then again, there is a bit of tragedy that would just make little girls cry.  And I know how kids can get, they start assigning each other to the different characters.  The independent one gets to be Kay, but who gets stuck being lonely Emma or last-minute-groom-changing Ann?  Be careful or there could be some hair pulling.

“I was under the impression that only trombone players drank.”

The Adventures of Robin Hood

Ah, now this is classic Robin Hood.  It’s not gritty action and realistic CGI arrows whizzing by, nor is it overtly cute and turned our heroes into singing cartoon animals.  The Adventures of Robin Hood is probably the best story told on film featuring the legendary outlaw of Sherwood Forrest.  The thrill of adventure, romance and action are in perfect harmony here, while still keeping the legend in tact.

The film tells the classic story of Robin Hood.  While King Richard the Lionhearted (Ian Hunter) is off fighting in wars and becomes captured in Vienna, Prince John (Claude Rains) takes advantage of his absence and taxes the Saxons to no end, claiming it will pay for Richard’s release.  When Saxon Lord, Sir Robin of Locksley (Errol Flynn) learns of Prince John’s plan to seize the throne he begins a rebellion against Prince John and his Norman supporters who prey on the Saxons.  Robin gathers and protects all who support King Richard and along the way meet timeless characters like Friar Tuck (Eugene Pallette), Little John (Alan Hale), and Lady Marian (Olivia de Havilland) who becomes lover and a great help from the inside to Robin.

There is, of course, the classic archery tournament, set up as a trap by Prince John.  It’s one of the most iconic scenes in any Robin Hood story.  It’s here the the award for art direction was won.  From Marion’s elegant dress to Robin’s thrifty disguise the costumes in this scene are very detailed and beautiful.  All around are brightly colored banners and tents that make me really appreciate the early film in color.  And somehow, there is that unbelievable shot where Robin splits an arrow down the middle.  I don’t think there was a special effects award yet, but that shot would have wont it.

I believe this film has some of the biggest and best action scenes you will find in the 1930’s.  Director Michael Curtiz, who took over for William Keighley at times, became the man behind the great action sequences.  It’s amazing to watch whole castle halls suddenly turn into epic sword fights with hundreds of extras clanging metal.  There’s even a wonderfully ingenious shot where a sword fight goes off camera, but the shadows are projected onto a wall until they come back into the frame.  And it’s not all swords and arrows, there’s a horse chase and a moment where Robin releases a gate, rides the pulled rope up and scales the wall to slow his enemies down.  It’s a wonderfully simple mechanic idea that we’ve seen in countless films, but here it just seems grander without any CGI.

If you want to see any Robin Hood film, I strongly suggest The Adventures of Robin Hood over all the others out there.  You won’t find a better mix of fun, action and romance in any others.  And you certainly won’t find a more charismatic Robin than Errol Flynn.

“Where’s your sense of adventure?”

Kings Row

Four childhood friends grow up an a typical American small town in the early 1900’s.  Paris (Robert Cummings) is raised by his grandmother, pursues his dreams of becoming a doctor and studies under Dr. Tower (Claude Rains), father of his sweetheart, Cassandra (Betty Field).  Paris hasn’t actually seen Cassy since they were kids, her father has mysteriously kept her in their house these past years and now Paris tries to reconnect with her.  Meanwhile, Drake (Ronald Reagan) is Paris’s best friend and hopes to become a businessman, but until then he’s taking all the girls out to ride in his buggy.  Everything seems small town hunky-dory until an unbelievable tragedy strikes, motivating Paris to study psychiatry in Europe and leaving Drake to discover more startling secrets within their happy little small town of Kings Row.

Things change on a dime every act or so in this film.  That’s good news if you get bored, bad news if you’re attached to anything.  Parts of this film feel like a mystery, we find clues and can piece them together at the end, but other than that it’s a straight up drama.  I don’t want to give away any of the surprises, so we’ll just keep that air of mystery.

Oh, by the way, Drake is played by Ronald Reagan.  He’s really enjoyable in this film, but I’ve got to admit I was a little distracted.  The whole time I kept thinking, “This guy taking all the girls out on a buggy, no one suspects him to become President.”  All in all, he was my favorite actor in Kings Row, he’s lively and uplifting, especially toward the end.

Honestly, I liked these people better as kids.  When little Cassy is crying because no one showed up at her party, I was honestly sad, never again did that feeling return through the entire film. Later when she’s been a recluse for years I don’t understand her and her wild eyes don’t convince me of anything other than paranoia.  Same with Paris and Drake, when the boys run scared of the doctor I understand their fear, but as grown men trying to overcome their circumstances I don’t believe a word they’re saying.  Are they trying to convince me or themselves?

Kings Row has a little bit of everything: drama, romance, mystery, small town secrets, so it should appeal to a wide audience.  On the flip side, it can seem too spread out and thin.  Then there’s that whole psychiatric notion thrown in that Paris has to deal with that tries to make everything make sense, but can just confuse some viewers.  All in all, I enjoyed the film enough but was able to poke some holes through, so I don’t encourage trying to over think this film.  Just relax and enjoy a Reagan film.

“Where’s the rest of me?”