A Farewell to Arms (a J!-ENT Blu-ray Disc Review)

“A Farewell to Arms” is a tragic melodrama that showcases Frank Borzage’s attention to details.  May it be visual details or to extracting the best emotional performance from the film’s talents.  While the film may not be a perfect adaptation of Ernest Hemmingway’s classic novel, this is the best film adaptation thus far.  And with this remastered version for HD, this Kino Classics Blu-ray release is the definitive version of the film on video by far!  Definitely recommended!

Images courtesy of © 2011 Kino Lorber, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

TITLE: A Farewell to Arms

FILM RELEASE: 1932

DURATION: 89 Minutes

BLU-RAY DISC INFORMATION: Black and White, 1:33:1, LPCM 2.0 Mono

COMPANY: Kino Classics/Kino Lorber

RATED: Not Rated

Release Date: December 20, 2011

Directed by Frank Borzage

Based on the novel by Ernest Hemingway

Screenplay by Benjamin Glazer, Oliver H.P. Garrett

Produced by Edward A. Blatt, Benjamin Glazer

Cinematography by Charles Lang

Starring:

Helen Hayes as Catherine Barkley

Gary Cooper as Lt. Frederic Henry

Adolphe Menjou as Major Rinaldi

Mary Philips as Helen Ferguson

Jack La Rue as Priest

Mary Forbes as Miss Van Campen

A ravishing adaptation of Ernest Hemingway’s legendary novel, A FAREWELL TO ARMS stars Gary Cooper (High Noon) as Lt. Frederic Henry, a young ambulance driver for the Italian army in WWI, more interested in chasing women than the enemy. When seeking cover during an air raid, he encounters Nurse Catherine Barkley (a radiant Helen Hayes), and the world shifts under his feet. They fall in love, but the war keeps wrenching them apart. These painful separations force Frederic to choose between love and battle, a decision that tests him morally and spiritually, and leads to one of the most rapturously romantic endings of all time.

Directed by the great Frank Borzage, winner of Best Director Oscars for 7TH HEAVEN (1927) and BAD GIRL (1931), A FAREWELL TO ARMS was a Best Picture nominee, and one of the crowning achievements of the studio system.

Ernest Hemingway will be forever known for creating classics in American literature.  “The Torrents of Spring”, “The Sun Also Rises”, “For Whom the Bell Tolls”, “The Old Man and the Sea”, “True at First Light”…a few of the novels that would influence generations.

But one semi-autobiographical novel remained true to his heart and that novel is “A Farewell to Arms”, a novel published in 1929 that would feature experiences by Hemingway, who joined the Red Cross in 1918 and became an ambulance driver in Italy.   Hemingway was seriously wounded by mortar fire after making a delivery to soldiers in the front line.  And while recuperating, he met a Red Cross nurse and fell in love with her.  Unfortunately, the relationship was short-lived as she became engaged to an Italian officer and eventually devastated Hemingway.

Needless to say, the doomed romance inspired his third novel, “A Farewell to Arms” and the novel would spawn two film adaptations of Hemingway’s novel.  One in 1932, starring Gary Cooper and Helen Hayes and directed by Frank Borzage (“7th Heaven”, “Street Angel”, “Lucky Star”, “The Mortal Storm”).  And a remake by producer David O. Selznick in 1957, starring Rock Hudson, Jennifer Jones and Vittorio De Sica and directed by Charles Vidor.  The latter which was panned by critics because they felt Selznick was trying to create a Hollywood “Gone with the Wind” style of film with the remake.

Meanwhile, the original film adaptation would be nominated for four Academy Awards including “Best Picture” and winning two for “Best Cinematography” and “Sound-Franklin Hansen”.

But with the original 1932 film adaptation having been released in the public domain for years, many wondered if the film would receive a proper release on video.  And Kino Lorber will be releasing the classic 1932 film, featuring an authorized edition from the Estate of David O. Selznick from the collection of George Eastman House on Blu-ray in Dec. 2011.

While the 1957 film is probably what Selznick is best known for (the film would be his last), because he did purchase the rights to remaking the film, the original classic is part of the Selznick Collection.

If there is one thing that can be said about the first film adaptation, as Hemingway’s original story was literally five books long, there is only so much story that can be fit into an 89-minute film.  The film received mixed reviews from film critics but for those who are fans of Frank Borzage’s work, Borzage has always been instrumental in capturing young lovers facing true adversity but also incorporating a visual influence which he learned from F.W. Murnau.

“A Farewell to Arms” revolves around an American named Frederic Henry (played by Gary Cooper, “Seargeant York”, “Mr. Deeds Goes to Town”), an ambulance driver in the Italian Army and one day, while delivering wounded soldiers to a hospital, he meets his friend, Major Rinaldi (played by Adolphe Menjou, “A Star is Born”, “Paths of Glory”).

Major Rinaldi is a doctor, but if there is one thing to say about the man, he works hard and plays hard.  Often drunk at nights and loves having fun with the women, Rinaldi is excited because he can introduce some of this fun to his good friend Frederic.

As the two are eating dinner, there was a bombing raid and everyone takes off running.  For a drunken Frederic, he takes up shelter with Red Cross nurse Catherine Barkley (played by Helen Hayes, “Airport”, “The Sin of Madelon Claudet”).  Her first impression of him is that he was a crazy man but naturally, the two meet with each other once again as Rinaldi and Frederic go on a double date.

Originally, Rinaldi was to be with Catherine and Frederic with Her friend Helen Ferguson (played by Mary Philips) but immediately, Frederic immediately goes after Catherine as Rinaldi goes to get some alcohol.  Needless to say, Rinaldi is a bit annoyed that Frederic went for his date but he accepts it.

While spending time with Catherine, Frederic finds out that she had been engaged to a soldier, but he was killed in battle.  While the two are alone together, he tries to seduce her but she is resistant, mainly because she is a virgin.  But she gives into the passion and both spend time together and for both individuals, they fall in love with each other.

But Helen warns Catherine that Frederic is no different from any other man, he will just use her and she will never see him again.  But Catherine hopes that Frederic is not that kind of man, because she loves him.

Meanwhile, as the two have a relationship together, Rinaldi is not too happy about their relationship because it is against army regulation.  Also, Rinaldi likes his friend when he is drunk and joins him to find other women around town.  So, Rinaldi has Catherine transferred to Milan in order to end their relationship.

But one day, Frederic is wounded and is taken to the hospital where Catherine is working and immediately, both continue their relationship and try to prolong their time together.  But with Frederic having to be sent back to battle, Catherine who has had nightmares of her or Frederic dying in the rain, decides that she wants to do all she can to keep relationship with Frederic ongoing.  And the fact that she is pregnant (which Frederic is unaware of), she wants to take the baby to a safe place and moves to Switzerland.

But Rinaldi is still angered that the two are continuing their relationship and doesn’t like seeing his friend so focused on one woman, so behind Frederic’s back, Rinaldi rejects every letter that Catherine has sent him, and because Frederic is unaware that Catherine has moved to Switzerland, he worries that something bad must have happened to her in Milan.

So, Frederic makes a decision to escape from the Italian military during the heat of war in order to search for Catherine.  But will he survive the ordeal?

VIDEO:

“A Farewell to Arms” is presented in 1080p High Definition and is mastered in HD from an original nitrate 35 mm print, preserved by George Eastman House Motion Picture Department.

With that being said, let me first preface with my personal viewing of “A Farewell to Arms”.  The film has been available via in public domain for many years and was also released on the DVD “Love Scenes: The Romance Classics Collection” from Passport back in 2007. While the film has been shown on TCM (Turner Classic Movies), the public domain copies that were available were not in the greatest shape.

Bare in mind, this film was made in 1932 and the PD versions that were released were blurry, had many scratches and white specks and major flickering which made the picture quite dark.

With that being said, “A Farewell to Arms” on Blu-ray looks much better than the previously released PD versions on prior video formats.  It helps that the film was mastered in HD from the original 35mm nitrate and while the Blu-ray release does have white specks, scratches and occasional flickering, for one, it’s not as much as the PD versions and second, there is much more clarity and detail that can be seen in the HD version.  For example, when Frederic is trying to escape for desertion and jumps into a river. In previous version, you really couldn’t make out the detail of what was in the lake. The log, looked like some black clump but now, you can actually see the details.

Whenever the camera focuses on close-ups of Gary Cooper and Helen Hayes faces together, there is much more detail, especially in clothing.   You can see the rain-soaked Frederic much more clearly than previous video versions and for the most part, it’s that extra clarity and detail that makes a big difference.  Contrast is very good as the grays and whites are strong, black levels are deep and for the most part, it’s the best looking version of the film that I have seen thus far.

Granted, the picture quality is not pristine but for the most part, I did not see any artifacts or DNR applied to the video.  Grain is present and overall, this Blu-ray release is possibly the best looking version of the film at this time.

AUDIO & SUBTITLES:

“A Farewell to Arms” is presented in 2.0 LPCM Monaural. In the original public domain videos and DVD that I own, there was a bit off hissing and crackle and I generally figured that was how many films of the early Talkies era generally were.

But I did not notice this problem on the Blu-ray version of “A Farewell to Arms” during my viewing.  Dialogue was clear, music was clear, planes bombing the area and people screaming were all audible and clear.  No problems whatsoever.

SPECIAL FEATURES

“A Farewell to Arms” comes with the following special features:

• Trailers – Featuring trailers for “Nothing Sacred”, “A Star is Born” and “Pandora and the Flying Dutchman”.
• Stills – Featuring various images from the film and lobby cards and posters of the film.

Considered by many as Hemmingway’s most bleakest novel and considered by many classic film fans as a wonderful, but yet tragic melodrama, “A Farewell to Arms” is a film that showcases Borzage’s visual style and also showcasing the performance of both Gary Cooper and Helen Hayes.

“A Farewell to Arms” is a rather interesting film for me because I know many people are driven towards this film because it stars two legendary Hollywood talents but for me, the original draw was the fact that Frank Borzage was directing the film.

As a big fan of the work of F.W. Murnau, Frank Borzage for me was a technical master when it comes to capturing space, emotion and doing things his way when it comes to making another’s screenplay and honing it to his own personal style and he is known for his melodramatic film such as “7th Heaven” and “Lucky Star”.  For me, I have always watched his films, paying attention to shot composition and how he would try to extract the most natural performances from his talents.

In “A Farewell to Arms”, may it be the closeup of Helen Hayes and Gary Cooper’s face, capturing sensuality or may it be the close-up of their hands and showing the love and determination of each wanting and yearning for each other, but also trying to capture the suffering of people during wartime.  “A Farewell to Arms” manages to be a visual and one of the better, well-acted emotional films of the early Talkies era and I believe that having Frank Borzage as the filmmaker definitely gave the film that extra edge through that slight does of expressionism.

But what hampers this film is the fact that Hemmingway’s novel was large and it’s a novel that was crafted in a way, that each chapter built upon each character’s development.  So many storyline plots were left or minimized such as Frederic and his talks with the Priest, the novel also goes into more detail about Catherine’s fiance which only had a quick blurb in the film.

A lot of film adaptations tend to have this issue of how much of the book can be made into a full-length film.  In the case of “A Farewell to Arms”, it was something that both Benjamin Glazer and Oliver H.P. Garrett had to work with and for those who have never read the novel, I would imagine that they were pleased with the pacing of the film.  Personally, this film could have been longer to extend certain scenes and build upon character development but if you watch the 1957 film and see how much more they tried to make things better, in a way, it made things a bit worse.

So, I can understand those who have read the book first, especially Hemmingway purists at the time not liking the film because so much story was left out.  But I would imagine that people who did enjoy the film and have never read the book, would probably be more open to reading the book for its additional storyline plots and details.

As for the Blu-ray release of “A Farewell to Arms”, this is the best version I have seen of this film-to-date.  Public domain versions of this film were in terrible quality and the only time people had seen a very good version was when Turner Classic Movies aired the film with its original casting credits nearly a decade ago.  But this version was mastered in HD from the original nitrate 35 mm and the Paramount logo and credits are all included in this HD version and this is the best looking version of the film-to-date.

While I wish there were special features included such as audio commentary or even a short featurette on the making of “A Farewell to Arms”, you do get a gallery featuring the artwork for the promotion of the film via its included gallery and you get three trailers.

Overall, I find it quite fitting for “A Farewell to Arms” to be released on Blu-ray in the best presentation possible.  I know that there are so many people who either viewed this film in the worst way possible via public domain or were fortunate to catch it on TCM but finally, people can experience this film in HD and enjoy it!  In fact, I can only hope that Kino Lorber continues in bringing more of these classic films to Blu-ray as they have proven with their silent classics lineup, there are a good number of fans who would love to see more classics on Blu-ray!

In the end, “A Farewell to Arms” is a tragic melodrama, a war film that showcases Borzage’s visual flair but also showcasing a fine performance by its two talents, Gary Cooper and Helen Hayes.  A classic worth revisiting over and over again!

Definitely recommended!

Nothing Sacred (a J!-ENT Blu-ray Disc Review)

 ”Nothing Sacred” is a delightfully, fun Hollywood classic that showcases Carole Lombard’s comedic brilliance but also a screwball comedy that was the first to be filmed in Technicolor and a comedy film that was not afraid to satirize American life and society.  A wonderful performance by Carole Lombard, a clever screenplay by Ben Hecht and a film that still has its relevance today.

Images courtesy of © 2011 Kino Lorber, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

TITLE: Nothing Sacred

FILM RELEASE: 1937

DURATION: 73 Minutes

BLU-RAY DISC INFORMATION: Technicolor, 1:33:1, 1080p High Definition, 2.0 Mono

COMPANY: Kino Classics/Kino Lorber

RATED: Not Rated

Release Date: December 20, 2011

Directed by William A. Wellman

Screenplay by Ben Hecht

Suggested by a story by James H. Street

Producer: David O. Selznick

Music by Oscar Levant

Cinematography by W. Howard Greene

Edited by James E. Newcom

Art Direction by Lyle R. Wheeler

Set Decoration by Edward G. Boyle

Costume Design by Travis Banton, Walter Plunkett

Starring:

Carole Lombard as Hazel Flagg

Fredric March as Wally Cook

Charles Winninger as Dr. Enoch Downer

Walter Connolly as Oliver Stone

Sig Ruman as Dr. Emil Eggelhoffer

Frank Fay as Master of Ceremonies

Troy Brown Sr. Ernest Walker

Max “Slampsie Maxie” Rosenbloom as Max Levinsky

He’s an unscrupulous newspaperman eager to exploit the story of a young woman’s death by radium poisoning. She knows she’s not really dying but can’t pass up a free trip to New York with all the trimmings. So begins William Wellman’s wonderful black comedy NOTHING SACRED, starring Frederic March and Carole Lombard.

Legendary screenwriter Ben Hecht’s sharply satirical screenplay, depicting the morbid nature of the scandal-hungry public, is more relevant than ever – with such wonderfully comic lines as “Doctor, I want to know the worst… we go to press in fifteen minutes!”

Wellman keeps the comic pace frantic in one of the screen’s cleverest screwball comedies. With a supporting cast featuring some of Hollywood’s funniest character actors, including Margaret Hamilton, Charles Winniger and Walter Connolly, NOTHING SACRED is nothing less than hysterical.

What happens when you bring together famous Hollywood producer David O. Selznick (“Gone with the Wind”, “Rebecca”, “Spellbound”, “King Kong”), talented filmmaker William Wellman (“The Public Enemy”, “Battleground”, “A Star is Born”) and popular screenwriter Ben Hecht (“Notorious”, “Wuthering Heights”, “Spellbound”)?

The result of their collaboration produced “Nothing Sacred”, a 1937 screwball comedy starring comedic actress Carole Lombard (“My Man Godfrey”, “To Be or Not to Be”, “Made for Each Other”) and Fredric March (“A Star is Born”, “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde”, “The Best Years of Our Lives”).

Most importantly, the film is historically known for being the first screwball comedy filmed in color (via Technicolor) and also the first film to use color film for effects, montage and rear screen projection.  And also a film which many screwball comedy fans believe to be one of the best “screwball comedies” made in the 1930′s and a film which earned Lombard the title of “Queen of Screwball Comedy”.

“Nothing Sacred” is a film which Ben Hecht adapted from a story titled “Letter to the Editor” by James H. Street (published in Hearst’s “International-Cosmoplitan”) and was originally written by Hecht for his good friend John Barrymore.  Unfortunately, Selznick was not interested in hiring Barrymore (because of his bouts with alcoholism) and created a rift between Hecht and Selznick.  Needless to say, there are several uncredited writers who contributed to the film but it’s lasting reminder is it’s clever screenplay, making it the first screwball comedy to make scathing observations about American life and society.   And where many comedies including romantic comedies have looked at New York City as a place of love, “Nothing Sacred” is a heartless and corrupt city in which people react to whatever the fad is of the day created by writers of newspaper publications.

And having been in the public domain for years, Kino Lorber has now obtain the rights to the film and will be releasing “Nothing Sacred” in HD on Blu-ray in Dec. 2011.

“Nothing Sacred” is a film that begins with star reporter Wally Cook (played by Fredric March), a writer who is being honored at a celebration among New York City’s social elite by his boss Oliver Stone (played by Walter Connolly) of the Morning Star newspaper publication for bringing a sultan, a guest of honor to New York City who has pledged to donate money to the proposed new arts center, the “Morning Star Temple”.

But unfortunately, it was all a sham and the sultan happens to be a shoeshiner.  The “exclusive” story which the Morning Star had promoted in their newspapers turned out to be a hoax and now the newspaper has become ridiculed.  And as for Wally, he has lost his status as a reporter, shamed to the point where he has become an obituary writer.

But Wally would do anything to get his position back from his reluctant boss, but he is given one last chance to find an major exclusive that would bring prestige back to the Morning Star.

Wally finds one lead and it happens to be in a small town of Warsaw in Vermont.  A town that doesn’t take too kindly too New York City folks.  They can tell New Yorkers by the way they look, moreso, how journalists look and they absolutely despise them.  The kids throw trash towards Wally, one even bites him.  And the adults are not to helpful as well as Wally tries to ask them if they know who Hazel Flagg is.

Wally is looking for Hazel (played by Carole Lombard) because she is a woman who is diagnosed with radium poisoning and is dying.

What Wally doesn’t know is that Hazel is perfectly fine.  She was misdiagnosed but her doctor (and also an alcoholic), Enoch Donner (played by Charles Winninger) tells her that she is healthy.  But because those who live in Warsaw receive a $200 bonus if they die in the city (courtesy of the watch company which owns the city), she wanted to use the money to visit New York City.  And now, it will never happen, so she leaves the doctor’s office in tears.

But Wally recognizing the photo of Hazel now has found her and before she can even say many words, Wally invites her to New York City as a guest of the Morning Star.  But instead of telling Wally the truth, this can be the only chance she can leave Warsaw to visit NYC and because Wally knows her story can be the “feel good” exclusive that would be great for his career, he keeps adding more ice to the cake and entices Hazel.

And as Hazel questions Wally of why a city would care if she was dying, he tells her that she would become a symbol of courage and heroism.

So, Hazel along with Dr. Donner are taken to New York City and immediately, New Yorkers fall in love with Hazel and the Morning Star newspaper’s circulation numbers increase.  She is given a key to the city and people cry and applaud her as they believe she is facing death.

But the longer she keeps up the charade, she starts to feel guilty when Wally starts to fall in love with her (and she with him), and Wally would do all it takes in order to help her become healthy, which includes bringing one of the best doctors in Europe to check up on her.

Knowing that the doctor would reveal her lie, Hazel contemplates of how she can continue the charade or at least end it.  But can she?

VIDEO:

“Nothing Sacred” is presented in 1080p High Definition and is mastered in HD from an original Technicolor nitrate 35 mm print, preserved by George Eastman House Motion Picture Department.  With that being said, let me first preface with my personal viewing of “Nothing Sacred” in the past and up to this Blu-ray release.

It’s important to note that this film is a very early Technicolor film and having owned this film on DVD via a variety of sources, I have to admit that when I first heard that “Nothing Sacred” was coming out on Blu-ray, I was surprised.   Mainly because with previous public domain and DVD releases, while the film looked good on DVD (especially for a film of its age), many copies suffered from an abundance of white specks, scratches, color fluctuations and frankly, the film although watchable, I didn’t know if there were any original film negatives and sources to make an HD print.

So, when one approaches this film on Blu-ray, bare-in-mind, this is an early Technicolor film and even for us who watched it via public domain, it was not the great of quality when it was featured on DVD, despite a remastering by the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA), those remasters were not released on DVD.

“Nothing Sacred” is a film that looks much better than its DVD counterparts.  For one, a lot of those constant white specks are nearly gone, but as one can expect from HD, the noise is enhanced much more than its DVD counterpart.  The film is demonstrated very well via its Technicolor glory but for those not familiar with early color films, some who are just now watching classics on Blu-ray may wonder why a black and white film created in the teens or ’20s and released on Blu-ray looks better than this film.  And the fact is that this is a Technicolor film and not black and white.  And Hollywood would eventually get better with technology when it came to their approach to using Technicolor that one should not think a Technicolor film shot in the 1930′s will be as colorful as the Technicolor films of the ’60s.  It’s not the same.

No, this Blu-ray release is not going to look pristine.  For fans of the film who saw how things were before, will notice the details and how much things look better on Blu-ray, will be pleased with the picture quality upgrade in HD.  Small details such as seeing the fabric on hats, on clothing is much more visible but at the same time, as mentioned, noise is evident.  Where on the DVD, DNR was applied and things look a bit blurry, Kino Lorber has been a company that is known not to obtain something different or better than its original film source that it was taken from.  Kino Lorber is a small company and restorations are quite expensive, but the company has been good with choosing films that they believe would look better on Blu-ray and with “Nothing Sacred”, it looks better than any previous public domain video or DVD that I have seen by far.

AUDIO & SUBTITLES:

“Nothing Sacred” is presented in 2.0 LPCM Monaural.    In the original public domain videos and DVD that I own, while dialogue (and other ambiance such as the train whistling when Wally arrives in Warsaw) is clear and understandable, those older videos do showcase audio with a bit off hissing.  I didn’t have this problem with “Nothing Sacred” on Blu-ray. Although the opening musical scene for the intro. sounds OK,  fortunately, for the majority of the film, there is a good balance with the two mono tracks to hear the dialogue clearly as well as the overall ambiance, especially during moments of larger crowds.

SPECIAL FEATURES

“Nothing Sacred” comes with the following special feature:

• Trailers – Featuring trailers for “Nothing Sacred”, “A Star is Born” and “Pandora and the Flying Dutchman”.

I first discovered “Nothing Sacred” not long after I graduated from high school.  During my very early college years, as a collector of early cinema, I made a purchase of an older 8×11 photo of Carole Lombard from “Nothing Sacred” and from that moment on, it would introduce me to the work of Ben Hecht, William Wellman, Fredric March but moreso, the acting of Carole Lombard.

While “My Man Godfrey” will always be my favorite Lombard film of all time, her performance in “Nothing Sacred” is what defines the actress as “The Queen of Screwball Comedy”.  “My Man Godfrey” made Lombard a star, while “Nothing Sacred” re-affirmed to everyone that she was no one-hit wonder.  As I felt that Lombard had shown her comedic side since her early silent years, there was something about her that showed wonderful potential in “My Man Godfrey” (1936) but moreso, in “Nothing Sacred” (and she goes even deeper as actress in her next film “True Confessions”).

But “Nothing Sacred” was a film that showed that Lombard can be crazy, fun and infectious.  And this film was a perfect vehicle for the actress.

Actor Fredric March absolutely compliments her emotional transformation from a woman who is surprised, a woman who is drunk, a woman who is emotional and a woman who eventually gets slugged in the face.  It’s sort of a pre-cursor to a Lucille Ball-type of acting but in this case, Lombard was among the first leading ladies to champion “Screwball Comedy”.  I think about what author James Harvey wrote in his book “Romantic Comedy in Hollywood” about Carole Lombard and that unlike other actresses who transform to the role, what we see in a Lombard film is her.  An intelligent woman who can laugh, who can have fun, who can play dumb for amusement but for the most part, “straightforward, delightful and no-nonsense”.

While Fredric March has this knack of playing these type of roles of men wanting to save women (as he did in Lubitsch’s 1993 film “Design for Living”), what you don’t expect to see onscreen is a leading man slugging the woman she loves in the face and seeing a strong-willed woman returning it right back.  An interesting juxtaposition to the grapefruit scene in Wellman’s 1931 film “The Public Enemy” with James Cagney and Jean Harlow.

As for the Blu-ray release from Kino Lorber, while I can foresee some people who are not familiar with the film, possibly expecting a pristine 1937 film, “Nothing Sacred” from what I have seen in the past, had never looked perfect. But I will say that this Blu-ray release does look much better than the public domain videos that I have watched on video and DVD.  Early Technicolor, even watching earlier versions of color films via “Process 4″ Technicolor  or earlier versions than that, have not looked great on video.  But in the context of those familiar with the earlier technology, “Nothing Sacred” does look quite impressive.  Especially to see New York City in color during the late ’30s, that was fun!

While I do wish there were more special features other than the three trailers (perhaps I have been spoiled by the older public domain DVD’s of “Nothing Sacred” as certain companies have tried to capitalize by adding Carole Lombard public domain silent films as special features), overall as a Blu-ray release, for one, I’m very grateful that Kino Lorber has brought a significant screwball comedy to Blu-ray and second, to finally see a Carole Lombard film in HD.  I can only hope there are more plans of bringing more Szelnick films to Blu-ray in the near future.

“Nothing Sacred” still maintains its humor over 70-years later, some parts are actually quite dated.  From the opening scene with Black actor Troy Brown in a stereotypical role to the tabloid-style newspaper references that were popular America around that era, sensationalism still has relevance in today’s media.  Where we see how far newspapers would go in order to gain readership, even praising a “hero” without fact-checking, it’s no different from today’s Kardashian-filled news headlines to Oprah’s Book Club debacle that happened years ago.

But while society sees it as part of today’s world, back then, in the ’30s,  I can only imagine how things were manufactured for the point of entertainment and sales.   “Nothing Sacred” was rather interesting to see NYC’s portrayal as corrupted and to see a woman like Hazel, so wanting to go to New York City but then to experience it and see that perhaps, that small town of Warsaw, was not as bad as it is compared to the soul-sucking few days of life that she had while in New York.

It’s one thing to watch a film about a lie but it’s Hazel’s relationship to a city that she dreamed of visiting and now experiencing was what I found quite intriguing.    While the movie is about a lie in relation to a faking of death, “Nothing Sacred” is a film that probably had more to do back then of showing viewers the possibility of hope for people to remain true to themselves, despite a collective becoming lemmings to insincere media.  A message still relevant to our society more than ever.

Yes, the film has a message but at the end of the day, this is a comedy.  A film where people came out to see the vibrant and colorful Carole Lombard doing what she does best and that is to make people laugh.

And for the most part, it’s a clever screenplay to come from Ben Hecht who has always been instrumental in his legendary writing career in bringing the most out of a film’s characters.  He may have originally written the film for John Barrymore, but it was producer David D. Selznick that wanted to capitalize on Lombard.  Selznick wanted to capitalize on Carole’s sexiness, her humor and overall brilliance and that is the efficacy of what “Nothing Sacred” will be remembered for… a film that showcases Carole Lombard’s comedic brilliance.

“Nothing Sacred” is recommended for fans of early American cinema.

The Living Ghost (a J!-ENT DVD Review)

Monogram Pictures “The Living Ghost” receives its American DVD release via MGM’s Made-on-Demand (MOD) Limited Edition Collection.  A fun detective film with humor and suspense starring two talents who would go on to bigger films, James Dunn and Joan Woodbury.  Exiting, fun and definitely enjoyable!

Images courtesy of © 1942 Metro Goldwyn Mayer Studios, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

DVD TITLE: The Living Ghost

FILM RELEASE DATE: 1942

DURATION: 61 Minutes

DVD INFORMATION: Black and White, Full Frame (1:33:1), Monaural

COMPANY: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer/Twentieth Century Fox

RELEASE DATE: September 22, 2011

Directed by William Beaudine

Original Story by Howard Dimsdale

Screenplay by Joseph Hoffman

Produced by A.W. Hackel

Cinematography by Mack Stengler

Edited by Jack Ogilvie

Starring:

James Dunn as Nick Trayne

Joan Woodbury as Billie Hilton

Paul McVey as Ed Moline

Vera Gordon as Sister Lapidus

Norman Willis as Cedric, the Butler

J. Farrell MacDonald as Police Lt. “Pete” Peterson

Minerva Urecal as Delia Phillips

George Eldredge as Tony Weldon

Jan Wiley as Tina Craig

Edna Johnson as Helen Craig

Gus Glassmire as Walter Craig

Howard Banks as Arthur Wallace

James Dunn stars as Nick Trayne, a retired detective, hired to look for missing banker Walter Craig.  During the investigation, Craig shows up in a zombie-like state and murders his brother-in-law.  But is the banker the killer or is someone controlling him?  The trail leads Nick to the real culprit, a mad scientist, who has been conducting experiments on Craig.

From 1931 through 1953, Monogram Pictures Corporation was known to create films in Hollywood on low budgets.  But from their films, there were a few that became big stars.  Two of those stars went on to bigger projects, James Howard Dunn (“Bad Girl, “A Tree Grows in Brooklyn”, “Society Girl”, “Hello, Sister!”) and Joan Woodbury (“Chan on Broadway”, “Brenda Starr, Reporter”, “The Ten Commandments”).

Both talents starred in the 1942 film “The Living Ghost”.  Directed by William Beaudine based on the original story by Howard Dimsdale and a screenplay adaptation by Joseph Hoffman.

And the film “The Living Ghost” has been selected for release under Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer’s “Limited Edition Collection” which is the company’s MOD (Made-on-Demand) series, similar to Warner Bros. has done with Warner Archive and Sony’s Columbia Classics.

The films usually do not have special features, nor have they been remastered, fixed-up or gone through any expensive restoration work.  If anything, a lot of these films are targeted to a nice group of movie fans and collectors and are typically not the big giant titles that movie studios would want to promote.

And because Monogram Pictures films were low-budget films and the fact that interest in classic Hollywood is waning, fortunately, there is a niche group of movie fans, such as myself who value these films, high-budget or low-budget, just the opportunity to watch them brings happiness to us.

But with that being said, because these films are not sold for cheap and are sold typically under $20 with no special features and nothing but the film, this group expects a good print with no major problems with the disc.

So, before I go on with my review for “The Living Ghost”, the question many will want to know first is… “Does it play without problems?”.  I played this DVD on my Sony PS3 and on my Mac with no problems whatsoever.  No stalling, no shadowing, no errors.  It played perfectly.

The hour-long film begins with millionaire Walter Craig (played by Gus Glassmire) having disappeared from his home.   The worried family has contacted authorities but one of the family friends, Ed Moline (played by Paul McVey) knew a former detective who was very good at his job.  That detective’s name is Nick Trayne (played by James Dunn).

Nick quit the police force because he was growing tired of dealing with murderers and thieves but Ed believes he’s the best man to help the family.

Unfortunately, it’s going to take some cajoling as Nick now has a business “listening” to people’s problems and charging money to them for listening.  Ed and Walter Craig’s secretary Billie Hilton (played by Joan Woodbury) try their best to convince Nick by telling him that the family will pay him $25,000 if he solves the case.  But Nick isn’t interested.

But to get him to do it, Ed told Billie that there is one weakness that Nick has and that is anyone telling him that he has done a bad job as an investigator.  So, Billie uses degradation tactics of Trayne’s character to anger him and eventually Nick decides to take the case.

And of course, everyone in the Craig family is assumed as guilty at first and Nick has a suspicion towards each of them, because they are all acting unusual.

After staying with the family and questioning each of them, as all of them are asleep, a family member begins screaming.  As the family and Nick rush to see what happened, they are all shocked to see Walter Craig sitting on the couch.  Non-responsive but alive.

The Dr. tells Nicke that Walter Craig  is alive, he can eat, he can walk…but part of his brain has been destroyed somehow.

So, Nick with the help of Billie Hilton try to look for clues and solve the case.

But one night, as Nick tries to investigate the action at night outside the garden, he sees a dead George Phillips (played by J. Arthur Young), a family friend, on the ground and standing over him is Walter Craig.  But Walter doesn’t have the mental capacity to kill anyone?  Or does he?

Nick and Billie race against time as they try to solve the case before someone else is killed.

MOD PLAYABILITY:

Part of the worry of viewers who had bad experiences with MOD DVD’s are the printing quality of the discs. There are some who can’t get them to play on various DVD players or on their computers and unfortunately, they literally become table-top coasters.

With “The Living Ghost”, I can tell you that these discs are printed quite well with actual printing on top of the DVD (it’s not a plain silver disc with letters). If you didn’t know the disc was an MOD DVD, you would think it was an actual DVD release.

As for playability, I played it on my Sony PlayStation 3 with no problems. I then played it on my Mac, no problems whatsoever.

VIDEO AND AUDIO:

As far as picture quality goes, the film has been manufactured using the best source available.  But its important to remember that Monogram Pictures Corporation films were created with a low budget and these films have not gone through any major restoration.  With that being said, you can see the dust and scratches on the film, as well as mild flickering but other than that, the film is watchable and I personally had no problems watching this film, considering some Monogram Pictures films that I have seen were also not in the greatest shape, but compared to those films, “The Living Ghost” is watchable, no blurring, no ghosting.  Just scratches and dust primarily.

As for audio, the film is presented in Dolby Digital. Dialogue is clear as well as the sounds of thunder cracking and wind.  I actually chose to listen to this film with stereo on all channels activated on my receiver and for the most part, the film sounds very good and didn’t hear any major hiss or crackle while watching.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

MOD’s or Video on Demand DVD’s most often don’t carry special features.

There is something about Monogram Pictures that I love.  These films were literally, low-budget films that were made to fill theaters up with movie content during a time there was no television.

The films were an hour long or sometimes longer but they were primarily popcorn action or popcorn comedy films.  “The Living Ghost” is a mix of comedy and suspense.   James Dunn does a great job playing the detective Nick Trayne, and while he is busy solving cases, he’s also busy trying to win the affections of Billie Hilton.

And while the film does have the banality of the “who done it?” mystery films, what makes “The Living Ghost” quite fun is the pairing of James Dunn and Joan Woodbury.  For me, their relationship reminds me of an early version of “opposites attract” individuals who are trying to solve a case, similar to today’s “Castle” or “Moonlighting” from the ’80s.  Two people who have chemistry, who love flirting with each other, getting angry towards each other but they work quite well with each other.

So, for the most part, “The Living Ghost” is a fun Monogram Pictures film from the early ’40s and it looks quite well for a film nearly 70-years-old.

As for the DVD, while the picture quality is much better compared to a Monogram Pictures film “Campus Rhythm” (released on the same day as “The Living Ghost” via MGM’s Limited Edition Collection), there is one scene where a few frames are missing as the music suddenly stops abruptly during the investigation but it’s nothing major. Nothing that would ruin one’s viewing of the film.

I also noticed that the beginning does not start out with the Monogram Pictures logo but starts out with the British company Anglo-Amalgamate (which is a UK company that specializes in low-budget films).  So, I wonder if the original U.S. film elements were destroyed?  But still, if this is all that is left in terms of film elements for “The Living Ghost”, I’m not going to complain as this movie looks good for its age and I was definitely entertained.

With the release of “The Living Ghost” and “Campus Rhythm” on DVD via MGM’s MOD (Made on Demand) “Limited Edition Collection”, I can only hope for more Monogram Pictures releases because they may not have the top box office stars of the 1940′s but still, the movies are entertaining and fun to watch!

Another MOD film on DVD worth recommending!

Campus Rhythm (a J!-ENT DVD Review)

“Campus Rhythm” is one of those rare low-budget gems from early 1940′s Hollywood that is fun, hilarious and enjoyable.  The comedy showcases the talent of Gale Storm but also stars future up-and-coming talents Robert Lowery, Johnny Downs and Candy Candido.  A fun comedy worth checking out!

Images courtesy of © 1943 Metro Goldwyn Mayer Studios, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

DVD TITLE: Campus Rhythm

FILM RELEASE DATE: 1943

DURATION: 61 Minutes

DVD INFORMATION: Black and White (1:33:1), Monaural

COMPANY: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer/Twentieth Century Fox

RELEASE DATE: September 22, 2011

Directed by Arthur Dreifuss

Screenplay by Charles R. Marion

Original Story by Ewart Adamson and Jack Palmer White

Produced by Lindsley Parsons

Cinematography by Mack Stengler

Edited by Richard C. Currier

Starring:

Johnny Downs as “Scoop” Davis

Gale Storm as Joan Abbott/Susie Smith

Robert Lowery as Buzz O’Hara

Candy Candido as Harold

Gege Pearson as Babs Marlow

Douglas Leavitt as Uncle Willie (William Aloysius Smith)

Herbert Heyes as J.P. Hartman

Tom Kennedy as Police Sergeant

Marie Blake as Susie Smith – Hartman’s Secretary

Johnny Duncan – Freshie, the Freshman

Claudia Drake as Cynthia Walker

A radio songstress runs away from her sponsor and guardian to enroll in a college under an assumed name.

From 1931 through 1953, Monogram Pictures Corporation was known to create films in Hollywood on low budgets.  But from their films, there were a few that became big stars.

One of those stars was a singer named Gale Storm, once an actress for RKO Radio Pictures, but when she moved onto Monogram Pictures, although not a big name in Hollywood, because of her musical vocals and her acting, she would catch the attention of moviegoers.

One of those films from Monogram Pictures that would showcase the up-and-coming starlet was the 1943 “Campus Rhythm” and from then on, after several films later, she would become an American icon in the 1950′s, starring in the TV series “My Little Margie” (which lasted from 1952-1955) and then her own show, “The Gale Storm Show” which aired from 1965-1960.

While probably known for the Monogram Pictures film “Swing Parade of 1946″, there is no denying that her talent as an actress had gotten better since making her acting debut in 1940.

And the film “Campus Rhythm” has been selected for release under Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer’s “Limited Edition Collection” which is the company’s MOD (Made-on-Demand) series, similar to Warner Bros. has done with Warner Archive and Sony’s Columbia Classics.

The films do not have special features, nor have they been remastered, fixed-up or gone through any expensive restoration work.  If anything, a lot of these films are targeted to a nice group of movie fans and collectors and are typically not the big giant titles that movie studios would want to promote.

And because Monogram Pictures films were low-budget films and the fact that interest in classic Hollywood is waning, fortunately, there is a niche group of movie fans, such as myself who value these films, high-budget or low-budget, just the opportunity to watch them brings happiness to us.

But with that being said, because these films are not sold for cheap and are sold typically under $20 with no special features and nothing but the film, this group expects a good print with no major problems with the disc.

So, before I go with my review for “Campus Rhythm”, the question many will want to know first is… “Does it play?”.  I played this DVD on my Sony PlayStation 3 with no problems whatsoever.  No stalling, no shadowing, no errors.  It played perfectly.

As for the film, “Campus Rhythm” begins with popular NYC radio singer Joan Abbot (played by Gale Storm) performing.  But while she is singing, which is supposed to be her last performance for her sponsor, company owner, J.P. Hartman (played by Herbert Heyes) wants to resign Joan under a new sponsor for six months.

But her Uncle Willy (played by Douglas Leavitt), who has power of attorney over Joan doesn’t think it will happen.  But because he owns Hartman $5,000, Hartman tells him that he has two choices, to pay the $5,000 back or if not, he can go to jail…unless he signs Joan to a new 6-month sponsorship deal.

So, Uncle Willy has no choice and signs the contract without consulting Joan.

When Joan finds out, she is livid.  She has been saving her money to go to a college because all she has done during her young life is perform and now it’s time for her to get away from the business and go to college.  Of course, Hartman reveals what is at stake for her Uncle Willy.

While upset about the situation, when she runs into Hartman’s secretary Susie Smith (played by Marie Blake), Susie tells her about graduating high school and having dreams to go to college.  And immediately, Joan gets an idea.  Why not leave and go to a college under a different name…Susie Smith.

So, Joan…now going by the name of Susie Smith enrolls at Raleigh College and the first person she meets is Buzz O’Hara (played by Robert Lowery, who would later play Bruce Wayne/Batman in the 1949 serial), who is smitten with her.  But with the big dance coming up and already having a date, he tries to get his bass player Harold (played by the well known radio performer, bass player Candy Candido) to bring her to the dance, but Harold is dating Babs and the only one that Harold can think of bringing Susie to the dance is the school reporter and frump frat member “Scoop” Davis (played by “Our Gang” star Johnny Downs).

The first meeting between Scoop and Susie was not that great because he perceives her as your regular girl just wanting to be with any guy but when she starts taking interest in journalism, he begins to warm up to her.

Meanwhile, sorority member Cynthia Walker (played by Claudia Drake) is not so thrilled that Susie is getting the attention of Buzz and the guys.  So, she starts to look at Susie with disdain.

While Susie is enjoying college life at Raleigh, in NYC, her Uncle and J.P. Hartman are stressing out because Joan Abbott left and worry they will lose their sponsors and radio listeners.  So, knowing that she wanted to go to college, they come up with an idea by having a release printed in newspapers across the country that the popular singer Joan Abbott has attended college and a “Crunchy Wunchy Thrush” contest if one can write in of what college that Joan has attended, and it turns out to be true, they can be a winner.

Needless to say, Susie Smith becomes popular among the men and women at college but when she shows her musical and singing skills, she becomes to go to gal!

And hearing her voice, Cynthia Walker who has read the article on Joan Abbot wonders if Susie Smith is actually her, going to college with an assumed name.  And because Cynthia is so jealous of her, she decides to enter the contest and notify J.P. and Uncle Willy that Joan Abbott is possibly attending Raleigh College.

MOD PLAYABILITY:

Part of the worry of viewers who had bad experiences with MOD DVD’s are the printing quality.  There are some who can’t get them to play and are literally now just coasters.

With “Campus Rhythm”, its printed quite well with printing on top of the DVD, it’s not a plain silver disc with letters.  If you didn’t know it was MOD, you would think it was an actual DVD release.

As for playability, I played it on my Sony PlayStation 3 with no problems.  I then played it on my Mac, no problems whatsoever.  .

VIDEO AND AUDIO:

As far as picture quality goes, the film has been manufactured using the best source available.  But its important to remember that Monogram Pictures Corporation films were created with a low budget and these films have not gone through any major restoration.  With that being said, you can see the dust and scratches on the film, as well as mild flickering but other than that, the film is watchable and I personally had no problems watching this film, considering some Monogram Pictures films that I have seen were also not in the greatest shape, but compared to those films, “Campus Rhythm” is watchable, no blurring, no ghosting.  Just scratches and dust.

As for audio, only in the beginning of the film’s opening credits is where the audio sounds its worst, with a lot of crackle but after those credits are over, the majority of the film sounds good.  Dialogue and music is clear and had no problems after the opening credits.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

MOD’s or Video on Demand DVD’s most often don’t carry special features.

Charming, fun and hilarious, “Campus Rhythm” is a short 1940′s film that showcases the talent of Gale Storm, before she became the American 1950′s TV icon.

“Campus Rhythm” has elements of what people enjoyed back in 1940.  Young adults in college, having a good time.  There is plenty of music and also cool dancing showcased in the film.  But for those of us who grew up with the young adult, college 1980′s frat films… “Campus Rhythm” is quite interesting as you can see how frat and sororities were displayed in American cinema back then.

Although Monogram Pictures was known for its action films, for a short time, they knew how to entice viewers with music and dance and this film surely displays that.  Gale Storm has a beautiful voice and the music throughout the film is actually quite entertaining and fun.  And possibly the most hilarious part of the film is seeing Candy Candido play the role of Harold.

Candido is known for his low voice, but in the film, he talks with a super high voice, which changes to a normal voice and then to a very low voice.  It’s his signature voice that made him a star and I just found his scenes so funny and his songs so hilarious to listen to.

Granted, the film is quite short at 61-minutes long and of course, it is a bit farfetched as a popular radio singer would be able to attend college without one recognizing her, but once again, it’s a low-budget film and you can only hope the overall film is good and I can easily say that I had a fun time watching it!

And you also have other fun supporting actors in the film, from future talent Johnny Downs and Robert Lowery who would go on to big things.  Also, one of the few films starring veteran radio actress Gege Pearson who is best known on “The Red Skeleton Show” as Sara Drew back in 1945.  Everyone in this film contributed to the overall fun of the film.

Granted, none of these talents were huge stars at the time, but as mentioned earlier, that is what I love about watching classic Monogram Pictures because there are a lot of films that are actually enjoyable gems.  And part of the fun with “Campus Rhythm” is its music, dance and crazy characters.  The storyline is also quite enjoyable and for the most part, I had a great time watching this film.  Even my eight-year-old who watched was having fun and laughing at Candy Candido’s voice whenever he spoke.

Overall, “Campus Rhythm” is an enjoyable Gale Storm film.  If you are a big fan of her, “My Little Margie”, “Swing Parade of 1946″ or just looking for a fun comedy from the early ’40s, I recommend “Campus Rhythm” a try!

And for those who are open to watching Hollywood low-budget films, in this case, a Monogram Pictures comedy, just because it’s not made by a major studio doesn’t mean it’s terrible.  In fact, I’ll go far to say that this is one of those rare low-budget gems from the past and call it a “popcorn comedy”, I had an enjoyable time watching it!

classic hollywood: The Maltese Falcon (1941)

Another photo with Humphrey Bogard that I do have ala 8×11 is this still from the 1941 film “The Maltese Falcon”.  In the photo are Humphrey Bogart, Peter Lorre, Mary Astor and Sydney Greenstreet.

“The Maltese Falcon” (1941)  is actually a remake of a film of the same name from 1931 which starred Bebe Daniels and Ricardo Cortez.   With the 1941 version being written and directed by John Huston.

The film is considered one of the greatest American films of all time, considered as the first film to inspire film noir and was selected for inclusion in the Library of Congress’ National Film Registry back in 1989.

classic hollywood: Errol Flynn in “The Adventures of Robin Hood” (1938)

Another 8×11 photo I have in my collection of Errol Flynn is from the film “The Adventures of Robin Hood” from 1938.  The film was originally planned for James Cagney, but he walked out and the role was given to Flynn and it would be a blessing for the actor as it was the second highest earning film of 1938 and it led to two more Warner Bros. color epics featuring Flynn.

Also, the film would win three of its four nominated Academy Awards and has appeared in various rankings as one of America’s top films of all time, as well as making AFI’s #18 heroes on “AFI’s 100 Years… 100 Heroes and Villains” list and #11 on AFI’s “100 Years of Film Scores” list.

The Good Fairy (as part of the “Glamour Girls” DVD Box Set) (a J!-ENT DVD Review)

Charming, fun and absolutely delightful!  Margaret Sullavan shines in William Wyler’s “The Good fairy”.  A worthy addition to Kino’s “Glamour Girls” DVD Box Set!

Images courtesy of ©2002 Kino Intl. Inc. All rights reserved.

DVD TITLE: The Good Fairy

DATE OF FILM RELEASE: 1935

DURATION: 97 Minutes

DVD INFORMATION: B & W, Full Frame (1:33:1)

COMPANY: Kino Video

RATED: NOT RATED

RELEASE DATE: 2002

Directed by William Wyler

Based on the Ferenc Molnar Play “A jo tunder”

English Translation of Play by Jane Hinton

Written by Preston Sturges

Produced by Carl Laemmle Jr.

Associate Producer: Henry Henigson

Music by Heinz Roemheld

Cinematography by Norbert Brodine

Edited by Daniel Mandell

Art Direction by Charles D. Hall

Costume Design by Vera West

Starring:

Margaret Sullavan as Luisa “Lu” Ginglebuscher

Herbert Marshall as Dr. Max Sporum

Frank Morgan as Konrad

Reginald Owen as Detlaff, the Waiter

Eric Blore as Dr. Metz

Beulah Bondi as Dr. Schultz

Alan Hale as Maurice Schlapkohl

Cesar Romero as Joe

Luis Alberni as the Barber

June Clayworth as Mitzi (on-screen actress)

From director William Wyler (Wuthering Heights, Counsellor at Law, The Love Trap) comes a buoyant romantic fable laced with clever wordplay and ribald comedy, written by legendary screenwriter Preston Sturges (Sullivan’s Travels).

When a brash movie theater owner needs usherettes for his Budapest cinema, he recruits young Luisa Ginglebusher (Margaret Sullavan) from a nearby orphanage. Encouraged by her kindly guardian (Beulah Bondi) to “spread your wings,” Lu naïvely embarks on her quest to live the life of a fairy tale angel. Quickly encountering the debonair wolves that roam the sidewalks of Hungary, Lu randomly chooses a man to play the role of her husband: Dr. Max Sporum, a humble and idealistic lawyer (Herbert Marshall).

As Lu’s simple ruse grows hopelessly complicated, the dreamy-eyed girl refuses to abandon the charade, determined to evade one suitor’s wily grasp (Frank Morgan), provide Max the prosperity he so deserves, and allow the opportunity for true love to enter her life.

Charming, fun and absolutely delightful!  Margaret Sullavan shines in William Wyler’s “The Good fairy”.  A worthy addition to Kino’s “Glamour Girls” DVD Box Set!

“The Good Fairy” remains a classic film for fans of Preston Sturges and William Wyler’s work, as well as those who are fans of Margaret Sullavan and Herbert Marshall.

The film would be one of Sturges’ early works preceding hits such as “The Great McGinty”, “The Lady Eve” and “Sullivan’s Travels” and for filmmaker William Wyler, “The Good Fairy” would be one of the many string of hits for the director who would go on to direct “Jezebel”, “Wuthering Heights”, “The Best Years of Our Lives”, “Roman Holiday”, “Ben-Hur”, “Funny Girl” to name a few.

“The Good Fairy” was Sturges onscreen adaptation of the Molnar play “A jó tündér and the film was tailored by Sturges for actress Margaret Sullavan, a Broadway actress who had just made two films prior and would eventually gain recognition from this film and would later star in hits alongside Jimmy Stewart in “The Shopworn Angel”, “The Shop Around the Corner” and “The Mortal Storm”.

Although not a comedienne, for Sullavan, it was a chance to show her diversity as an actress and being the serious actress that she was, she and director William Wyler would clash on set but yet somehow, during the filming of the movie, the two fell in love and before the movie was even completed, both Wyler and Sullavan were married.

The film would receive its theatrical debut in February 1935 through Universal Pictures and for many film critics, the film is considered a classic romantic comedy.

The DVD of this film is currently available from Kino Video by itself or as part of their “Glamour Girls” DVD box set featuring five movies featuring Sullavan, Ava Gardner, Marlene Dietrich, Lucille Ball and Jeanette Macdonald.

“The Good Fairy” begins in an asylum (note: Not mental asylum but an orphanage)  in Budapest where Luisa “Lu” Ginglebuscher (played by Margaret Sullavan) is the oldest person at the Asylum who tends to entertain the other children with her stories.  One day, an owner of a movie palace visits the orphanage to find an orphan who can be an usherette at movie theater.

Because of Luisa’s antics, she often gets in trouble and of all days to get in trouble, she is caught breaking dishes (accidentally) and catching the attention of the theater owner.  Luisa is instantly hired and begins working as an usherette and where she meets Detlaff (played by Reginald Owen) for the first time.

The two somewhat clash during Luisa’s first day on the job but for Luisa, this new life is still better than what she had at the orphanage.  While leaving work, she is hit on by a man who wants to take her out.  Scared and not knowing what to do or say, she comes up with an idea to pretend that Detlaff is her husband and manages to get away from the guy who bothered her.

As Detlaff takes Luisa out to a club, he feels sorry for her when he finds out that she is from the asylum and really doesn’t have a clue about life.  So, since Detlaff is a waiter, he invites her to a high class party and tells her to dress up nicely but not to talk so much and draw attention.  All Detlaff would like for Luisa to do is experience the party.

But as soon as Detlaff gets back to work, Luisa is hit on by Konrad (played by Frank Morgan), a meat-packing millionaire who very much is smitten with Luisa.   As Konrad is very strong (and also much older) in terms of how he talks to women,  once again, in fear Luisa uses the “I’m married” routine to try to get out of it.  But instead of escaping from Konrad, Konrad wants to meet her husband and also share his wealth with him.

Shocked by this, Luisa who is caught up with her lie of being married, randomly picks out a name from the phone book and  the lucky man is a poor doctor named Max Sporum (played by Herbert Marshall).  Konrad offers him a 5-year contract and Max has no idea why Konrad is interested in him but thinks it’s because of his ethnics, hard work and integrity. But for Luisa, she just wants to be “the good fairy” and do something positive for someone in need but using Konrad’s wealth to make it happen, so she continues her lie of being married to Max.

Meanwhile, for Konrad, he sees this as an opportunity to get closer to Luisa as he intends to ship Max (who Konrad thinks is Luisa’s husband) to South America, so Max would not be in the way of him trying to get some alone time with her.

But what happens when Luisa meets Max and with Konrad hot for Luisa’s attention, Detlaff also feels he needs to do something about it.

What will happen to these four individuals?

VIDEO & AUDIO:

“The Good Fairy” is an older release from Kino Video (from 2002) but the picture quality for the film is actually pretty good considering it’s nearly 80-years-old.  The print was surprisingly good and noticed no flickering or major scratches that prevented my enjoyment of the film.  It was a very good print and I was pleased with that.

As for the audio, audio is monaural and for the most part, audio is clear.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

“The Good Fairy” comes with the following special features:

• Trailer – (2:44) The original theatrical trailer for “The Good Fairy”
• A Galler of Rare Personal Photographs from the William Wyler Estate -  Private photos of William Wyler, Margaret Sullavan and friends. Photos can be moved by using your remote or keyboard.

“The Good Fairy” is a fun and hilarious film that really does show that Sullavan can definitely play a comedic role.  Known for her work on Broadway and her two previous films showcasing her acting, “The Good Fairy” puts Sullavan in a role of a pure hearted and very naive individual.

Granted, although Sullavan as an older orphan looks more like a woman in her ’20s versus a woman in her teens (at the time, Sullavan was 24-years-old), once you get past that, its more or less Sullavan stealing the show as her mannerisms in a new location, in the city and how she behaves towards men was quite fun to watch and also very interesting.

And as fun as the film was to watch, it’s hard to believe that behind-the-scenes, there was turmoil.  Sturges, a perfectionist who kept revising his adaptation, Wyler who was frustrated with Universal and also working with Sullavan and of course, somehow during their intense verbal spats, the two manage to fall in love during the making of this film and marry (and their rocky marriage is another story on its own).

But while Wyler, Sturges and Sullavan were major forces of the film, you have to give credit to Herbert Marshall, Frank Morgan and Reginald Owen for their performance.  The three gentlemen who are close with Luisa are opposites, Detlaff is more or less a stuffy individual who feels he must help Luisa, Konrad is the older man who will do all he can to get Luisa and Dr. Max Sporum, the intellectual who has no clue what’s going on and together with Sullavan, they were able to make Sullivan’s character much more appreciated and lively.

I have to admit at first, I was a bit hesitant to watch “The Good Fairy”, mainly because I have read so many things about Margaret Sullavan and her diva-ish attitude as an actress.  From her antics which she did to get her own way on the set, to alienating the director (which both would get in heated arguments before and after their marriage), it’s quite similar to a lot of demanding talent, may they be method actors or egotistical, if they can perform and make us believe they are that character, then you can’t help but respect that talent’s style of acting.  For Sullavan, she definitely carried this film and she would eventually because one of America’s top actresses in the ’30s and early ’40s.

And it is no surprise that among the DVD’s release by Kino Video, that Margaret Sullivan and her film “The Good Fairy” would be included in the “Glamour Girls” DVD Box set and also part of the William Wyler Collection of films released by Kino (along with Wyler’s 1929 film “The Love Trap” and the 1933 film “Counsellor at Law”).

The DVD doesn’t come with a lot of special features but aside from the trailer, you do get personal photos shared by Wyler’s estate included old photos with Wyler and Sullavan together.  But I was quite pleased with the DVD quality for this film as I was expected to see some PQ issues but for the most part, this is a pretty good transfer for a DVD release.

Overall, “The Good Fairy” is definitely a film that is worth checking out (especially if you enjoy romantic comedies) on its own or enjoyed among the other wonderful films included in the “Glamour Girls” DVD box set.

classic hollywood: Our Gang (Unknown Photo – 1930′s)

One of the few “Little Rascals” 8×11′s that I have.    This one appears to be somewhere from the 1930′s as Spanky McFarland, Carl “Alfalfa” Switzer, Willie “Buckwheat” Thomas and Darla Hood are not that old.  In my mind, I have seen so many “Little Rascals” images that I know I’ve seen this scene before but I just can’t put my finger on it at the moment.  If anyone knows, please let me know!

Classic Hollywood: Ava Gardner (Image year unknown)

An image I own in my Classic Hollywood photo collection of Ava Gardner (Dec. 24, 1922-January 25, 1990) is the following picture above.  I’m not sure what date this image was taken but I would  guess that it is anywhere between 1953-1964.

Ava Gardner is listed in AFI’s “Greatest Female Stars” at #25 and she is best known for her Academy Award nominated (Best Actress) performance in the film “Mogambo” (1953).  She is known for her work in “The Killers” (1946), Bhowanji Junction (1956), “On the Beach” (1959), “The Night of the Iguana (1964), “Earthquake” (1974) and “The Cassandra Crossing” (1976).

Ava was married to Mickey Rooney (her first), then to Howard Hughes, Artie Shaw, Frank Sinatra and Luis Miguel Dominguin.

Ava who smoked all her life, passed away from pneumonia in 1967.

Classic Hollywood: Elizabeth Taylor in “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof” (1958)

 

I have a few photos of Elizabeth Taylor in my collection and one of my favorites is of her from the 1958 film “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof”, which she appeared with Paul Newman and Burl Ives.  There are actually a good number of awesome photos (non-still) from this film featuring Dame Elizabeth and Paul Newman.

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