Category: 1940s

Posted on 2022-07-09 | No Comments |

Cairo (1942)

As a reward for his contributions to the best small town newspaper in America, reporter Robert Young is sent to North Africa to report on World War II. Arriving in Egypt, he gets caught up in silly spy intrigue where he doesn’t know which side is which. It’s quite hokey and didn’t increase my appreciation of Jeannette MacDonald any. What I did enjoy was seeing Ethel Waters in a somewhat meatier role. While still relegated to being a maid, she is given multiple musical numbers and a love interest in the form of Dooley Wilson.

Posted on 2022-07-02 | No Comments |

Waterloo Bridge (1940)

On the eve of World War II, British officer Robert Taylor revisits Waterloo Bridge, the place where he had fallen in love with Vivien Leigh during World War I. A remake of the 1931 film of the same title, it is sad how much of the strength of the previous film was watered down here to fit within the restraints of the Hays Code. The earlier film had a succinct, poignant narrative while this one meanders to show that Leigh’s character was a ‘good’ girl who was just brought down by unfortunate circumstances beyond her control. Of course since she does ‘bad’ things, bad things have to happen to her.

Oscar Nominations: Best Cinematography, Black-and-White; Best Music, Original Score

Posted on 2022-07-02 | No Comments |

A Song to Remember (1945)

The life of Frédéric Chopin is fictionalized in this account that features Cornel Wilde in the role of the well known composer. The film was less dry than I had anticipated touching on Chopin’s patriotic revolutionism in his early years while under the tutelage of Paul Muni’s Józef Antoni Franciszek Elsner to his later success and relationship with Merle Oberon’s George Sand. Whether accurate to the real woman, it is interesting to see Oberon play such a strong-willed, powerful villainous character. The film uses rich colors in set and costumes to convey the time period and complement the music.

Oscar Nominations: Best Actor in a Leading Role; Best Writing, Original Story; Best Cinematography, Color; Best Sound, Recording; Best Film Editing; Best Music, Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture

Posted on 2022-07-01 | No Comments |

Saratoga Trunk (1945)

Years after she and her mother were banished to Paris by her father’s family, Ingrid Bergman arrives in New Orleans, accompanied by her maid Flora Robson and servant Jerry Austin, where she plots revenge schemes sometimes with the assistance of Texan Gary Cooper, whose motives occasionally align. It’s a relatively entertaining work held down by some unfortunate casting choices. Cooper is adequate in his role, but Bergman is as a rogue is extremely against type. Made up with blackface and an extremely heavy brow, Robson is supposed to pass as a Haitian woman when there were actresses of color at the time who could have easily played the part. It’s nice seeing a little person in a role that isn’t as a freak or circus performer, but Austin is still often used in the film for comedic effect based on his stature.

Oscar Nomination: Best Actress in a Supporting Role

Posted on 2022-06-29 | No Comments |

The Picture of Dorian Grey (1945)

Encouraged by the random musings of George Sanders, beautiful Hurd Hatfield wishes that his newly painted portrait could take on the aspects of aging while he remains attractive and youthful. His wish comes true and he is, at least for a time, allowed to engage in his every whim while not exhibiting any of the physical deterioration caused by such. Similar to the messaging of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Hatfield lets his ‘evil’ side out while still being able to initially pass as a ‘good person’ and he does so convincingly. My favorite part of the film is the few uses of color to show off the painting in both its original and later forms.

Oscar Win: Best Cinematography, Black-and-White

Oscar Nominations: Best Actress in a Supporting Role; Best Art Direction-Interior Decoration, Black-and-White

Posted on 2022-06-29 | No Comments |

Stairway to Light (1945)/Quiet Please! (1945)

Part of John Nesbit’s Passing Parade series, Stairway to Light brings to the forefront the work of Dr. Philippe Pinel, a French pioneer in treating mental illness. His work led to more humane ways of caring for patients and also classifying their illnesses. The short is a bit simplistic and hokey, but useful in teaching the work of a lesser known influencer.

Quiet Please! has Spike threatening Tom not to wake him up from his nap, a situation Jerry of course takes advantage of. It’s a pretty standard Tom & Jerry short with a plot that’s so typical for the duo that this particular short does not stand out on its own, though I do generally enjoy when the duo becomes a trio with the addition of Spike and how that changes the dynamic.

Oscar Win: Best Short Subject, One-reel (Stairway to Light); Best Short Subject, Cartoons (Quiet Please!)

Posted on 2022-06-26 | No Comments |

The Woman in the Window (1944)

With his family out of town, nebbish professor Edward G. Robinson all too happily accepts beautiful Joan Bennett’s offer to come to her apartment, only to get himself caught up in a killing of her boyfriend. I continue to dig Robinson in his non-gangster gigs, this being no exception. He is clearly out of his element in trying to gallantly cover up a death, making the most amateur of mistakes and continually digging a bigger hole for himself. The ending is a bit silly, but still works with the narrative so that it doesn’t ruin the film.

Oscar Nomination: Best Music, Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture

Posted on 2022-06-14 | No Comments |

The Devil and Daniel Webster (1941)

Plagued by bad luck, desperate farmer James Craig makes a deal with a devilish Walter Huston to trade his soul for seven years of prosperity. When Huston comes back to collect, Daniel Webster, in the form of Edward Arnold, lends his oratory skills to try to win the soul back. It’s a Faustian tale set firmly on American soil, especially with the role of Webster, placing the famed orator’s inability to succeed in presidential elections firmly on his own unwillingness to make a similar deal. Along with Arnold’s robust portrayal, it’s obvious Huston is having a fabulous time in his role, but that’s about all there is to recommend the film. The farmer’s goody two shoes family members become so sanctimonious that the devil’s deal seems worth it to get away from them.

Oscar Win: Best Music, Scoring of a Dramatic Picture

Oscar Nomination: Best Actor in a Leading Role

Posted on 2022-06-07 | No Comments |

The Palm Beach Story (1942)

Struggling to maintain an upper middle class lifestyle with her inventor husband Joel McCrea, Claudette Colbert decides that her only option is to get a divorce in Palm Beach and find a rich man to marry and support them both. On the train to Florida, she manages to make headway on the second part of that plan when she attracts the attention of the wealthy Rudy Vallée. A bold Mary Astor provides the necessary second female for the foursome. It’s filled with amiable, silly fun with an unexpected ending that doubles back to the frantic, bewildering beginning.

Posted on 2022-06-04 | No Comments |

Kiss of Death (1947)

When his gang fails to look after his wife and family while he’s in prison, Victor Mature turns stool pigeon and agrees to work with the police to take the gang down. His gang, particularly enforcer Richard Widmark, are a particularly brutish lot, so it’s not quite as bothersome to root for the snitch in this case. The part that is a bit off-putting in this otherwise diverting piece of crime drama with a nondescript name is the fact that the love interest of the flick is young baby-sitter of Mature’s children.

Oscar Nominations: Best Actor in a Supporting Role; Best Writing, Original Story