Mister 880 (1950) :
Brief Review -
Emerich Juettner :- perhaps, the most honest con you'll ever hear of. An unbelievable true story from both ends, positive and negative. I have never felt sympathetic towards any con since Charlie Chaplin's 'Monsieur Verdoux' (1947). That film depicted how the Depression era compelled ordinary people to commit crimes. Mister 880 is sort of similar to that theme, but it may shock you when you realise that it is based on a true story. You might not believe it for a moment, but I'm saying it from both ends, positive and negative. The positive is that it's a sensational story. But the negative looks heavier as it falls right there at the climax. You can't believe that such a big counterfeit went away with a minimum sentence. The sympathetic touch looks good in a fictional drama, but in real life, it's harmful to society, and that's why Mister 880 left me with mixed feelings. It is based on the true story of Emerich Juettner, an elderly man who counterfeited just enough money to survive, was careful where and when he spent his fake dollar bills, and was therefore able to elude authorities for ten years. How he was caught and the secret service agent's love affair are two additional fictional parts in the film. It's a pacy film of around 89 minutes, with no useless moments at all. The performances of Edmund Gwenn, Burt Lancaster and Dorothy McGuire definitely make it a good watch. It may lose the main context for some time with the charming romance between Lancaster and McGuire, but it still manages to keep the game interesting. You wonder why the guy has not been caught for years, and you have your answer lying right there in front of you throughout the film. Indeed, it makes sense. Another good film from Edmund Goulding that could have been better, but the question is how, if the true story itself is so? You can't blame Goulding for that, right? Watch it to know why.
RATING - 6.5/10*
By - #samthebestest.
Emerich Juettner :- perhaps, the most honest con you'll ever hear of. An unbelievable true story from both ends, positive and negative. I have never felt sympathetic towards any con since Charlie Chaplin's 'Monsieur Verdoux' (1947). That film depicted how the Depression era compelled ordinary people to commit crimes. Mister 880 is sort of similar to that theme, but it may shock you when you realise that it is based on a true story. You might not believe it for a moment, but I'm saying it from both ends, positive and negative. The positive is that it's a sensational story. But the negative looks heavier as it falls right there at the climax. You can't believe that such a big counterfeit went away with a minimum sentence. The sympathetic touch looks good in a fictional drama, but in real life, it's harmful to society, and that's why Mister 880 left me with mixed feelings. It is based on the true story of Emerich Juettner, an elderly man who counterfeited just enough money to survive, was careful where and when he spent his fake dollar bills, and was therefore able to elude authorities for ten years. How he was caught and the secret service agent's love affair are two additional fictional parts in the film. It's a pacy film of around 89 minutes, with no useless moments at all. The performances of Edmund Gwenn, Burt Lancaster and Dorothy McGuire definitely make it a good watch. It may lose the main context for some time with the charming romance between Lancaster and McGuire, but it still manages to keep the game interesting. You wonder why the guy has not been caught for years, and you have your answer lying right there in front of you throughout the film. Indeed, it makes sense. Another good film from Edmund Goulding that could have been better, but the question is how, if the true story itself is so? You can't blame Goulding for that, right? Watch it to know why.
RATING - 6.5/10*
By - #samthebestest.