Reviews

This movie has it all: good history, great acting, superb special effects, a Stellar cast (Gable, Tracy, and McDonald, all top stars at the time), and a great story line. You get so wrapped up in the lives of these people that you even forget that there's an earthquake a' comin', until it HITS, and right in the middle of the human drama... Remember the first time you saw it? The timing was SO good that I'm sure most audience members felt the same confusion and sense of impending doom that the characters on-screen were experiencing at the same time. It's a real jaw-dropper...

In addition, there's a string of occurrences in this film which often go overlooked by all of the above: the INCREDIBLE singing of Jeanette McDonald, which punctuates the film at several key moments. When she sings, on demand, "Love Me and the World is Mine", the audience, just like Blackie Norton, can't help but be stunned by her voice, seeing that this woman has a set of PIPES! Whether it's opera, hymns, or the title song, her singing is the thread that ties all the parts of this film together, and, considering sound recording in 1936, it's stunning. Next time you visit this film, make a note to yourself: focus on her singing. She had an amazing talent that no one in film has matched, before or since. Her singing alone makes this film worth the price of admission.

So, rent the film and enjoy one of the greats... can't wait until it comes out on DVD.

This movie takes the touching, sincere tear-jerker into another world: men, growing old, making new friends, and dealing with the problems of aging. As time goes by, it is disclosed that the two main characters are both gay, from vastly different backgrounds, who are delighted to discover a true friend so late in life. One, Phillipe, owned a successful antiques business, the other, Victor, was never well off, and has to deal with being deserted by his grown children. Both suffer from disabilities brought on by aging, and initially meet when Phillipe moves into the same nursing home as Victor (but in a much nicer room). From this start a true and loving friendship blossoms, to the delight of both men (and the audience). Then, as happens in real life, things take a turn for the worse and you better have some tissues available. A glowing, loving celebration of the human spirit which I will remember fondly for the rest of my life. Find this film (French-Canadian) and Watch It!

She's gorgeous, she sings, she dances, she flirts, she even speaks two languages... With a great supporting cast and a PERFECT casting for the lead actress, Gilda is one of the most surprising movies I have ever seen. I was completely caught off guard by the action, tension, humor, and romance that blend so perfectly. Film noir was never so glamorous. The evil-husband is a great another great performance, along with the men's room attendant (a great mixture of comedy, drama, and action). One great scene after another, never a chance to stop and catch your breath, ending with a superb climax. This one deserves a 10 in my book... and should be included in the top 250... in my opinion.

It's been awhile since I saw this... It's a fun, harmless Warner Bros. musical of the '30's, with Dick Powell as an American crooner who moves to Italy to be a Gondolier, then (of course) gets discovered by a whacky American rich-lady, out to provide a "real" Singing-Gondolier for her husbands radio show... You get the idea. He falls for an adorable Joan Blondell while trying to hide his real identity... the movie's a lot of fun if you're not looking for great depth or meaning. Typical of the Warner Bros. musical machine of the day, but still fun.

Although I'm a big fan of Dick Powell and Ginger Rogers, I think Warner Baxter (as Julian Marsh) really steals this film. The movie is the original from which so many others have borrowed, but Baxter's portrayal of the world-weary, burned-out producer still stands as both complex and outstanding. He could easily have gone over the top with this part, but I found Julian Marsh to be very real person with very real problems. The rest of the movie is lots of fun, with plenty of gritty, behind the scenes wisecracks and a very adult outlook, especially for 1933. Busby Berkeley, Guy Kibbee, Una Merkel... lots to look at and enjoy, but the film really turns on a great performance by Warner Baxter...

Brown of Harvard is a hard movie to pin down. We expect a lot more from our movies these days, so it helps to remember that audiences in the 20's were a bit more innocent. William Haines is charming as the rogue who has to stumble through pain and humiliation to find success and, even, glory. All of the relationships in the movie feel very stilted EXCEPT for the homoerotic tie between Billy and Jack Pickford, the town nerd. The movie has everything, romance, tears, love, death, and even sports... It's a great education in how society has changed in the 20th century.

A great movie, full of fascinating characters, ingenious plot twists, and one of the most dysfunctional three-ways you ever saw: beautiful woman, southern-gentry boyfriend, and AUNT of beautiful woman.

A true Hollywood slice-of-life for the rich of New York that never existed: no group of people could be that beautiful and/or fascinating all at the same time.