Wednesday, March 13, 2024

THE DIVINE LADY

 







For the last few weeks Turner Classic Movies has been showing a marathon of Oscar-nominated features. Most of these are films that I have seen over and over again, but TCM did happen to sneak in an obscure title: the 1929 THE DIVINE LADY, about the famous love affair between Lady Emma Hamilton and British military icon Horatio Nelson. THE DIVINE LADY was made by First National, and while it has no dialogue, it does have a music track that also features songs and sound effects. 

The most famous film about Lady Hamilton and Admiral Nelson by far is Alexander Korda's THAT HAMILTON WOMAN, starring Laurence Olivier and Vivien Leigh as the notorious couple. THE DIVINE LADY has Corinne Griffith as Lady Hamilton and Victor Varconi as Nelson. Griffith was nominated for a Best Actress Oscar, while Frank Lloyd won for Best Direction. Cinematographer John Seitz was also nominated. 

The storyline of THE DIVINE LADY is almost exactly the same as THAT HAMILTON WOMAN. The movie charts the rise of Emma Hart from maid to society darling, due to her beauty and her attachments to rich, powerful men. Emma marries the much older British Ambassador to Naples, Sir William Hamilton (H.B. Warner), and encounters Captain Horatio Nelson when he arrives on naval business. Later when Nelson's squadron is desperate to stop at Naples to replenish much needed supplies, Emma intervenes with the city-state's queen to help the British fleet. Emma and Nelson fall more and more in love, but both are married to others, and the now-Admiral's rise in fame and glory doesn't help matters. The Battle of Trafalgar brings the couple's relationship to a close. 

THE DIVINE LADY is now what would be called a Hollywood big-budget spectacular. Nothing was done on the cheap with this production. The costumes, sets, art direction, and photography are all excellent, and there's plenty of extras swarming about. The story is more about Lady Hamilton than Nelson, but there are a few impressive battles at sea, and the death of Nelson is adequately dramatized. 

This is a very well-made picture....but it's also rather stately and even stuffy at times. I felt it lacked a certain spark, that certain something to set it apart from other historical epics. Corinne Griffith is certainly attractive enough to be Emma Hamilton, but she's much kinder and gentler than the Emma of Vivien Leigh. Victor Varconi is generically handsome enough, but he doesn't have the commanding presence one would expect from one of the greatest naval heroes of all time. Griffith and Varconi lack the fire and passion displayed by Leigh and Olivier in THAT HAMILTON WOMAN. The Lady Hamilton and Nelson of THE DIVINE LADY are portrayed in a sentimental and sympathetic manner--they moon over each other like a couple of teenagers. (Notice also how the difference in the titles reflect the attitude of each movie: in one Emma is a divine lady, while in the other she's "that Hamilton woman".) The fact that Emma and Nelson's affair produced a child is not even mentioned in this film. 

There is a notable supporting cast here, with H.B. Warner, Ian Keith, and Montagu Love as Captain Hardy. Marie Dressler plays Emma's mother, but she doesn't have much screen time (in the latter part of the film her character disappears). Despite not having a lot of scenes Dressler still manages to steal the ones she is in. 

THE DIVINE LADY is an above-average epic for its time, but there's more romance in it than historical adventure. Corinne Griffith was quite popular in the 1920s, but she wasn't able to make a successful transition to sound, while Victor Varconi became a steadily-working character actor. 


Sunday, March 10, 2024

THE IMPATIENT MAIDEN

 





THE IMPATIENT MAIDEN, released in 1932 by Universal, is the next film James Whale directed after he made the 1931 FRANKENSTEIN. 

According to James Curtis' biography of Whale, Universal executive Carl Laemmle Jr. bought the rights to a salacious novel called THE IMPATIENT VIRGIN as an intended vehicle for Clara Bow. Laemmle hoped to make a lurid box-office hit with the material and the notorious actress. Numerous problems with the Hays office made Universal rename the property THE IMPATIENT MAIDEN and downplay the more extreme aspects of the story. James Whale wound up attached to the project, even though it appears he wasn't too enthusiastic about it. 

THE IMPATIENT MAIDEN deals with a young woman named Ruth Robbins (Mae Clarke), who works as a secretary to a successful divorce attorney. Due to the people she deals with coming into her boss' office every day, and the low-rent neighborhood she lives in, Ruth is cynical and suspicious about getting married. Ruth falls in love with a young doctor named Myron Brown (Lew Ayres). Myron doesn't want to get married because he's just starting out his medical career and he doesn't have a lot of money. Their refusal to totally commit to one another causes Ruth and Myron to draw apart. Ruth's boss (John Halliday) tries to set her up as his mistress, but she still loves Myron. The doctor becomes angry over Ruth's situation with her employer, but a medical emergency brings the couple together for good. 

THE IMPATIENT MAIDEN might have been better if it had been made according to its original intentions. It's not an example of Pre-Code naughtiness--the characters of Ruth and Myron are too decent for that. The script lays on its bad attitude over marriage with a trowel--nearly everyone Ruth and Myron deal with has a bad relationship. There's also a lot of weird humor in the story that one assumes was put in by Whale. Ruth has a ditzy friend and roommate named Betty (Una Merkle), while Myron has his own ditzy friend in the form of Clarence (Andy Devine), a male nurse. (Of course Betty and Clarence get together, and they have a smoother relationship than Ruth and Myron do.) At one point Clarence puts Betty into a new type of straitjacket he has invented, and she gets stuck and put into a psychopathic ward. While that's going on, Myron gives Ruth a fluoroscopy--a bizarre way for the two main male characters to romance the two female leads. 




Lew Ayres and Mae Clarke in THE IMPATIENT MAIDEN



James Curtis states that James Whale wasn't all that interested in THE IMPATIENT MAIDEN. One can understand why, especially after what Whale went through on the production of FRANKENSTEIN. Whale and cinematographer Arthur Edeson do try to give some life to the material visually with an opening sequence set at Los Angeles' Angel's Flight mini-railway, and a camera that occasionally sweeps thru rooms. The climatic operating sequence is filmed in almost a documentary-like matter (Whale had an actual doctor on set to guide the actors). There's no Frankenstein-like stylistics to this sequence, or dramatic editing or music, but because of this, the ending isn't as gripping as it should be. 

Mae Clarke is very good as Ruth. She's not a conniving golddigger, she's just a woman unsure of marriage and true love. Lew Ayres seems unsure of himself as Myron--the actor stated in interviews that he felt James Whale didn't like him, and wasn't interested in giving him any direction. Una Merkle and Andy Devine get the showiest roles (one can debate on whether that was a good or bad thing). Hattie McDaniel has a cameo as a woman Myron is treating--she and her husband beat each other up. (It's another example of the story's--or Whale's--attitude toward marriage.) 

I watched THE IMPATIENT MAIDEN on YouTube, and the print was in bad shape (the audio quality was mediocre as well). Kino Lorber has recently released early James Whale Universal pictures such as THE KISS BEFORE THE MIRROR and BY CANDLELIGHT on home video, so perhaps THE IMPATIENT MAIDEN will soon get a restoration as well. It's not prime James Whale, but any film by the director is worth watching, and it marks the very last time Whale and Mae Clarke worked together. 


Saturday, March 9, 2024

TEPEPA

 








TEPEPA is a 1969 Euro Western, directed by Giulio Petroni (DEATH RIDES A HORSE) and co-written by Franco Solinas (THE BATTLE OF ALGIERS). 

The movie is set during the Mexican Revolution of the 1910s. A dynamic rebel leader named Jose Maria Moran, also known as Tepepa (Tomas Milian) is sentenced to be executed under the supervision of a military colonel named Cascorro (Orson Welles). Tepepa is saved and spirited away by an English doctor named Henry Price (John Steiner). The reason the doctor saved Tepepa is that he wants to kill the rebel himself. As the story progresses, a series of flashbacks reveals how Tepepa became a vaunted figure in the revolution, and why the doctor wants to kill him. 

TEPEPA is a cut above the average spaghetti western. It's over two hours long, and it has an epic scope and feel to it (mainly due to director Petroni's excellent eye for widescreen compositions). While it does feature some fine action sequences, TEPEPA is more about plot and characterization. It also has another fine score from the Maestro, Ennio Morricone. 

While watching TEPEPA those familiar with the Euro Western genre will be reminded of such other films set during the Mexican Revolution as A BULLET FOR THE GENERAL and THE MERCENARY (two other scripts that Franco Solinas also worked on). TEPEPA also anticipates Sergio Leone's A FISTFUL OF DYNAMITE in a number of ways. TEPEPA examines the whole point of revolutions, and what those who are involved actually get out of them (Tepepa was sentenced to die by the very government he fought to establish). 

The movie also examines the influence a charismatic revolutionary leader can have. Tepepa is certainly committed to the cause of his people, the poor rural folk of Mexico, but he's no saint, and when it is revealed why Dr. Price wants to kill him, the viewer has to re-examine their thoughts about the title character. TEPEPA asks what's more important--a revolution that supposedly will help many or the lives of individuals--and it doesn't offer up any easy answers. 

Tomas Milian played many similar roles to Tepepa in his long Euro Western career, but he had the screen presence to make these characters engaging and interesting. Milian as an actor also had an element of danger about him--you never could predict what he was going to do, and that certainly applies to Tepepa, who can be charming, philosophical, or crude at the snap of a finger. 

One would expect that a Mexican military strongman played by Orson Welles would have all sorts of flamboyant braggadocio, but Welles underplays the role (either that or he wasn't very happy with being involved in this sort of production). I have to say that Welles looks more Chinese than Mexican here. John Steiner also underplays the role of Dr. Price--instead of seething for vengeance against Tepepa, he calmly allows events to take their course. Usually the main gringo in a Mexican Revolution story made in Europe is either a bounty hunter or a mercenary who is a weapons expert, but Dr. Price is nothing of the sort--he has no interest in politics or money, his matter with Tepepa is personal. 

TEPEPA was much better than I thought it would be. I assumed it was just going to be Tomas Milian driving bad guy Orson Welles crazy all over Mexico, but it's much more than that. TEPEPA, as far as I know, doesn't have an official North American home video release, but it assuredly deserves one. (It is available uncut on the Plex streaming channel.) TEPEPA doesn't have the wild excesses of other spaghetti westerns (well, there is that sequence with the exploding goats....) so that might be one reason it doesn't have a bigger reputation. It is a film that fans of the genre should seek out. 

Sunday, March 3, 2024

DUNE (Part Two)

 








The second part of Denis Villeneuve's mammoth screen adaptation of Frank Herbert's famous novel is a true serious science-fiction/fantasy epic, and a welcome respite from the many Marvel clones clogging up today's theaters. 

DUNE Part Two deals with Paul Atreides (Timothee Chalamet) becoming a leader of the Fremen race on the planet of Arrakis, and using these people as warriors against those who destroyed his family and his legacy. Part Two also introduces characters such as the Emperor of the Universe (Christopher Walken), his daughter Princess Irulan (Florence Pugh), Lady Fenring (Lea Seydoux), and the psychopathic Feyd-Rautha (Austin Butler). 

The main advantage that Villeneuve has is the time (and the budget) to closely adapt Herbert's sprawling saga. In the 1984 DUNE, it seemingly takes Paul a few minutes to unite the Fremen under his banner. Here Paul's journey is much more complicated, with even his lover Chani (Zendaya) worried about what he will do with the power that he covets. 

DUNE Part Two isn't a tidy tale about good and evil. As I've stated before, Paul Atreides is more Anakin Skywalker than Luke. Part Two deals with such elements as religious fundamentalism, military insurgency, and the danger of giving oneself completely over to charismatic leaders. 

In DUNE Part One I felt that Jason Momoa as Duncan Idaho made the biggest impression. In Part Two, it's Javier Bardem as Fremen chieftain Stilgar, but the cast is excellent overall. I had some worries about whether the baby-faced Timothee Chalamet could properly portray the "chosen one" version of Paul, but he did much better than I expected. (It needs to be pointed out that the character arc of Paul would be a major challenge to any actor.) 

The major reason that this new DUNE saga is effective is the rich visual qualities it possesses. As in Part One, Villeneuve, cinematographer Greig Fraser, and the entire production team create a fully-fledged  universe that is believable, impressive, and intriguing. There are plenty of breathtaking shot compositions here, but they are smoothly integrated into the story being told--they're not just an example of the filmmakers showing off. 

DUNE Part Two might be even better than Part One. Together the films form a 5+ hour spectacular that presents how classic science-fiction should be adapted for the big screen. Denis Villeneuve hasn't just done a great service for Frank Herbert's novel, he's done a great service for 21st Century genre cinema. 

Saturday, March 2, 2024

THE PLAYGIRLS AND THE VAMPIRE On Blu-ray From Vinegar Syndrome

 








Vinegar Syndrome has released another title from the classic era of Italian Gothic horror. THE PLAYGIRLS AND THE VAMPIRE (original title L'ULTIMA PREDA DEL VAMPIRO) makes its Blu-ray debut. 

This movie forms an unofficial trilogy with fellow early 1960s Italian flicks THE VAMPIRE AND THE BALLERINA and THE VAMPIRE OF THE OPERA. All three films are in black & white and set in contemporary times, and all three feature a bevy of curvy dancing girls under threat by the undead. In THE PLAYGIRLS AND THE VAMPIRE, it's five dancing girls (along with their manager and accompanist) who are stranded at a creepy castle inhabited by one Count Kernassy (Walter Brandi). The Count happens to have a lookalike centuries-old vampire ancestor (also played by Brandi), and one of the girls happens to be a dead ringer for the undead's lost love. 

I wrote a blog post on THE PLAYGIRLS AND THE VAMPIRE a while ago, and I noted that it wasn't as good as the two other films linked to it. What hurts it the most is that none of the actors are particularly charismatic or interesting (Brandi is underwhelming in both his roles). It does have some notable elements, such as the fact that one of the dancing girls who has been turned into a vampire cavorts about in the nude.

Vinegar Syndrome states that THE PLAYGIRLS AND THE VAMPIRE has been scanned & restored in 4K from its 35mm fine grain master. The movie looks better than the many versions one finds on the internet and YouTube, but the image appears soft at times and the visual quality is rather flat. I think this is more due to the source material--THE PLAYGIRLS AND THE VAMPIRE isn't as cinematic as most Italian Gothics made during this period. The film is presented in a 1.66:1 aspect ratio.This Blu-ray features Italian and English audio tracks, along with newly translated English subtitles. The disc is region-free. 

The main extra is a 26 minute featurette with Mark Thompson-Ashworth, who mentions the unofficial "Dancing Girls and Vampires" trilogy, along with going into some background about the cast & crew. including writer-director Piero Regnoli. Unfortunately there is no audio commentary.  

The disc also has three alternate title sequences for the film, an original trailer, and a still gallery. If you order the movie direct from Vinegar Syndrome, you get a wraparound sleeve with vintage ad artwork for the film, and the disc case sleeve is reversible as well (see above). The artwork is more energetic than just about anything in the movie!

THE PLAYGIRLS AND THE VAMPIRE isn't one of the best Italian Gothics, but it's perfect late-night viewing for old monster movie buffs. It's nice that Vinegar Syndrome has given it an official release. 

Sunday, February 25, 2024

SPEED (1936)

 








No, this isn't that movie with Keanu Reeves. This SPEED was made in 1936, and it was the very first leading role for James Stewart. The actor was under contract to MGM at the time, and the studio put him in a low-budget B-type of picture for his first starring turn. 

In SPEED Stewart plays Terry Martin, a mechanic-test driver for Emery Motors. Terry is a cynical type who has a grudge against the front office, and he's also trying to invent a new type of carburetor. Terry gets distracted by his interest in Jane (Wendy Barrie), who has just gotten a job in the publicity department. But Jane is also being wooed by Frank (Weldon Heyburn), an Emery engineer who is assigned to work with Terry on the carburetor idea. Terry and Frank test the carburetor out at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and on the Muroc Dry Lake, and after a number of crashes and romantic mix-ups, everything is resolved at the end. 

SPEED isn't so much a James Stewart movie as it is a promotional film for the American automobile industry. The viewer is shown plenty of footage of cars being made on an assembly plant and being tested in all sorts of ways (this footage was filmed by MGM at a Chrysler plant in Michigan). We also get a lot of stock footage of racing at the Indy 500 and high-speed auto testing at the Muroc Dry Lake in California. The viewer is also constantly reminded by the characters that all this racing & testing is for the safety and comfort of the average American driver (I wonder if some MGM executives got some nice deals on new cars because of this production). 

James Stewart had only been at MGM for about a year when he worked on SPEED, but he already shows a natural likability and notable onscreen presence. It's a good thing he does, because the character of Terry Martin does him no favors. Terry has a chip on his shoulder, and he's bullheaded--a lesser actor would have wound up just annoying the audience. I don't want to give away the ending of SPEED, but in it Terry becomes the one in need of rescue, an unusual circumstance for a leading character in a film like this. 

Wendy Barrie does a competent job as June, but she and Stewart don't seem to have a lot of chemistry together. Weldon Heyburn (there's a name for you) was one of the many generic-looking, dull actors during this period who played second leads and romantic rivals who never got the leading lady. Former Stooge leader Ted Healy plays the comic relief role of Terry's buddy Gadget (you can tell he's supposed to be comic relief because he has a "funny" moniker). It appears as if Healy is ad-libbing dialogue in every scene he's in. 

The real surprise in this film is Una Merkel. She plays an executive of Emery Motors, and we are told that she worked her way up from being a secretary. This time Merkel is not playing a flighty or zany lady--her character is actually somewhat disappointed in her white collar life, and she has eyes for Frank. I felt that the story of Merkel's character would have been much more interesting than what goes on in SPEED. Something else about Merkel here--she has only a few moments of screen time with Jimmy Stewart, but the two of them have way more chemistry than Stewart did with Wendy Barrie (it would have been more fitting if Stewart and Merkel wound up as a couple at the end of this film). Ralph Morgan plays an Emery vice-president. 

SPEED was directed by low-budget veteran Edwin L. Marin, and it is only about 70 minutes long. The film will be of interest today to James Stewart fans and classic car and racing buffs. This was one of the very few Jimmy Stewart films I had never seen. It's not a major part of the actor's resume, but it is historically notable as his first lead in a film. 

Saturday, February 24, 2024

THE HORRIBLE DR. HICHCOCK On Blu-ray From Vinegar Syndrome

 









Vinegar Syndrome has released a super special edition of the famed Italian Gothic horror film THE HORRIBLE DR. HICHCOCK on 4K and Blu-ray. (For the purposes of this blog post, I will be reviewing the Blu-ray on this set, since I don't even have a 4K player. If there's anyone out there who would like to buy me a 4K player, go right ahead!) 

Vinegar Syndrome's release contains  two discs, a 4K and a Blu-ray. The 4K and Blu-ray discs have both the Italian and American cuts of the film, and the Blu-ray has all the extras as well. 

THE HORRIBLE DR. HICHCOCK is famed due to its starring Barbara Steele, and due to its rather lurid subject matter. For those who have not seen this film, let's just say that the main character, Prof. Bernard Hichcock (Robert Flemyng), likes his women passive--very, very passive. In 1885 London, the good doctor secretly subjects his wife to one of his kinky experiments, and the woman dies. The distraught Hichcock goes into exile for 12 years, and returns with a new wife, Cynthia (Barbara Steele). The doctor tries to go back to his old life, but that also includes his perverse hobbies....and is the first Mrs. Hichcock still alive, roaming the grounds of the estate? The innocent Cynthia soon realizes that there's a lot more to this marriage than she expected. 

THE HORRIBLE DR. HICHCOK (originally titled L'ORRIBILE SEGRETO DEL DR. HICHCOCK) was directed by Riccardo Freda and written by Ernesto Gastaldi, two important names in Eurocult cinema. Despite the main character's unusual tastes, the movie has very little gore and no nudity. It's a true 19th Century Gothic tale with luxurious color cinematography by Raffaele Masciocchi and opulent-looking production design by Franco Fumagalli (who in the main credits goes by the name Frank Smokecocks!) There's all sorts of stories about how little time it took to make this movie, but the visual aspects of it are right up there with the best Hammer horrors made during that company's golden period of the late Fifties and early Sixties. 

The name Dr. Hichcock was obviously a nod to Alfred Hitchcock, but there's more to the title than just a blatant name drop. THE HORRIBLE DR. HICHCOCK will remind viewers of such films by Sir Alfred as REBECCA, UNDER CAPRICORN, and SUSPICION. There's also a heavy influence from JANE EYRE. 

Despite Barbara Steele getting top billing, this is Robert Flemyng's film all the way. The English character actor was a strange choice for Dr. Hichcock (Flemyng wasn't even a major name in his native country). Flemyng plays the doctor in an unexpected manner--the man is quietly sinister instead of mad or outrageous (Hichcock does go off the rails during the climax). I think Flemyng's portrayal works very well, though some might want a mad scientist in the Bela Lugosi-Lionel Atwill mode. As for Barbara Steele, this is the only time in her Italian Gothic career where she played a truly generic damsel in distress. The role of Cynthia doesn't take advantage of Steele's ability to play dual characters, or at least characters with a dual nature, but she does make an extremely attractive scream queen. Harriet Medin offers up fine support as Hichcock's creepy housekeeper, a role the actress would inhabit in a number of other Italian Gothics. 

The original Italian 87 minute version of THE HORRIBLE DR. HICHCOCK is included on the Blu-ray, along with the 76 minute American cut. (Both versions are also on the 4K disc.) Vinegar Syndrome states that the full-length Italian version has been restored from its original 35mm camera negative, and the results are simply stunning. The American cut has also been restored from a 35mm negative, and it looks very impressive as well (though not as fantastic as the Italian version). Both versions have a 1.85:1 aspect ratio. The Italian version has Italian and English mono voice tracks with available English subtitles. The sound quality on the Italian version is much better than other home video releases of DR. HICHCOCK. The American version has an English mono voice track which is slightly different from the one on the Italian version, and this track also has some distortion on it. 

Vinegar Syndrome has filled this release with plenty of extras. There's a 40 page illustrated booklet with essays by Alexandra Heller-Nicholas, Erica Shultz, and Nathaniel Thompson. Heller-Nicholas and Shultz focus mainly on the depraved desires of Dr. Hichcock, while Thompson discusses the film's production and its themes. Nathaniel Thompson also takes part in a brand new audio commentary which is on both the 4K and Blu-ray discs. Thompson is joined by Troy Howarth and Eugenio Ercolani. It's an excellent discussion, with the trio talking about the careers of Riccardo Freda and Ernesto Gastaldi. They also bring up the intriguing idea that Barbara Steele should have played both of Dr. Hichcock's wives. 

The Blu-ray also has a audio track featuring Barbara Steele and Russ Lanier. It is referred to as a scene select commentary track on the back of the disc case, but it's mainly a nearly half-hour interview in which Steele voices a number of opinions (at times it sounds as if she's reading from something she has already written down). It would have been much better if Steele had been able to do a full-length proper audio commentary. The Blu-ray also has three short featurettes. Two spotlight Marcello Avallone, who was an assistant director on DR. HICHCOCK. One has Avallone relating his memories about his relationship with Riccardo Freda, and the other has him discussing Italian horror films in general. The other featurette has an interview with Ernesto Gastaldi. Gastaldi is one of the few important names of Italian cult cinema still with us, and due to this he has been featured on the extras for many home video releases. If you buy the same time of cult movies as I do, you've no doubt heard most of the stories Gastaldi tells in this program from the other disc extras he has been on. I must point out that the three featurettes have very little discussion of DR. HICHCOCK. There's also an alternate English main title sequence, an original Italian trailer, and a still gallery. 

Vinegar Syndrome has put the Region A 4K and Blu-ray discs inside a slipcase with advertising art inside an overall case with new artwork. 






This is an outstanding release from Vinegar Syndrome, giving one of the great Italian Gothics the spotlight it deserves. Candelabras, negligees, sumptuous color, large portraits of dead wives, secret crypts, Barbara Steele.....it's all here, along with a very disturbing fetish. This is by far the ultimate version of THE HORRIBLE DR. HICHCOCK.