Segundo de Chomon

Today is the anniversary of the death in 1929 of Spanish film director Segundo de Chomón. Weird Wild Realm has an overview of his career. His works, at least most of them, must be in the public domain now, but I'm having trouble finding much online.

UbuWeb has an anthology of selected works:

It includes The Cigar Box; Bob's Electric Theatre (there's fencing in that one, about 13 minutes into the video); Down in the Deep, or The Pearl Fisherman; Nicholas and Tonto and La Valse des Asiattes; Modern Sculptors; Satan at Play; The Electric Hotel; Les Lunatiques; The Hen That Laid the Golden Eggs.

Youtube has Les Kiriki online:


io9 has Voyage à la planète Jupiter (1907) and Excursion en la Luna (1908).

Searching for Bobby Fischer

Searching for Bobby Fischer is a 1993 film about the beginning of the chess career of Joshua Waitzkin. The Husband and I hadn't seen this in years, and The Younger Son had never seen it. It is #96 on the AFI list of America's Most Inspiring Movies.

Strangely, I can't find a trailer of this online except for one that's from a hand-held camera copying from a screen:


Roger Ebert calls it "a film of remarkable sensitivity and insight". Rolling Stone says, "writer Steven Zaillian (Awakenings), in his directing debut, turns Josh's story into a riveting screen adventure." EW has a review. The New York Times closes its positive review with this:

What Bobby Fischer took away, dashing the hopes and the innocence of his acolytes when he spurned chess, may never truly be recaptured. But some of it has found its way to the screen.

The Thief of Baghdad (1961)

This 1961 version of The Thief of Baghdad stars Steve Reeves and is directed by Arthur Lubin.

It is in one piece but with Spanish subtitles here:


or in 9 pieces beginning here.

The New York Times begins its review by saying,

You might not think "The Thief of Baghdad" could be so completely hacked that this fixture of fantasy fiction would come out a dull and ponderous film. Well, you haven't estimated the genius of the hacks of producer Joseph E. Levine, whose Italian-made version of the classic arrived in neighborhood theatres yesterday.

Moria says it is "dreary and impoverished of imagination" and

The problem with the film is that, despite the lavishness afforded to it, it befalls director Arthur Lubin. Arthur Lubin was primarily a comedy director who had made a number of Abbott and Costello films, as well as directed the entire Francis the Talking Mule series
...
Arthur Lubin has a thoroughly workmanlike pedestrianness of approach and resolutely refuses to allow the fantasy in the film here to fly in any way.

The Last Days of Pompeii

The Last Days of Pompeii stars Steve Reeves as Glaucus in this 1960 adaptation of the Bulwer-Lytton novel. Sergio Leone is the uncredited director. Reeves sustained a shoulder injury during filming which eventually forced his retirement.



The New York Times calls it "a typical Reeves showcase". Stomp Tokyo has this comment on Reeves' acting ability: "Although Reeves is no Olivier, he gets the basic emotions right in each scene." 10,000 Bullets compares this with the 1913 version, preferring the Reeves release: "Overall The Last Days of Pompei is a thrilling action adventure and one of the best Peplum ever made."

The Giant of Marathon

The Giant of Marathon is a 1959 Steve Reeves film directed by Jacques Tourneur and an uncredited Mario Bava.

You can watch this online from the Internet Archive:


Ferdy on Films (dead link as of 4/28/2012) gives it a nice treatment, including some photos, and says,

I enjoyed it just as much on viewing it now as I did as a kid. ... this film is a solid genre piece filled with pleasures I was happy to experience again.

Time Out closes with this: "Pretty ordinary (not to say ludicrous), but some inventive and brutal underwater sequences." DVD Talk says, "All the cliches and more are present" but notes Bava's work: "The film has good photography and some impressive matte work by Bava".

Hercules Unchained

Hercules Unchained is the 1959 sequel to the Steve Reeves Hercules movie.

The Internet Archive has this one online, too:


Moria has a review. Million Monkey Theater has a lengthy plot description and some photos. The New York Times says, "Taken good-naturedly—and how else?—the picture is harmless, simple-minded fun."

Hercules (1958)

Hercules is a 1958 Steve Reeves movie. Mario Bava did the cinematography.

youtube has this online:


Moria says, "The spectacle – the swordplay, the wrestling, the romance – all has its own naively earnest charm". DVDTalk opens by saying, "Hercules is one of the more important trend-setting Italian pictures of the sound era" and notes "the film's strongest asset is the remarkable camera work of Mario Bava". 10,000 Bullets reviews the film and a DVD release.

Steve Reeves

I remember Steve Reeves with great fondness from watching his films on television when I was a child. Today is the anniversary of his death from complications while undergoing treatment for lymphoma in 2000. The New York Times has a nice obituary. Stomp Tokyo has an overview.

There is information on his career as a bodybuilder here and here. His acting career is best remembered for his roles in various "sword and sandal" movies. There's not much in the way of film criticism about him online -that I can find, anyway.

As I blog the films I'll link them here:

Hercules (1958)
Hercules Unchained (1959)
The Giant of Marathon (1959)
The Last Days of Pompeii (1960)
The Thief of Baghdad (1961)

The image at the top of the post came from the Meeker Museum ("Dedicated to the pursuit of inner peace through movie stars") tribute page.

Sons of the Desert, County Hospital and Busy Bodies

Tonight we watched the remaining 3 films on the Laurel and Hardy disc.

The first was the 1933 Sons of the Desert, as sexist and dated a piece as you could ever want to see, Sugar. I can't find this online, though there's a severely edited version here. The New York Times says,

Let it be said at once that the new Laurel and Hardy enterprise has achieved feature length without benefit of the usual distressing formulae of padding and stretching. It is funny all the way through.

DVDTalk reviews this disk, calling both County Hospital and Busy Bodies "inspired". County Hospital is from 1932. I can't find it online, but somebody has put the first half of Busy Bodies (1933) at youtube today:

My guess is that part 2 will soon follow.

I found all 3 of these to be slow and labored.

THX 1138

I know I saw this film years ago, but watching THX 1138 again I don't remember any of it. Odd. THX 1138 is a 1971 science fiction film. It is the first film directed by George Lucas and stars Robert Duvall in the title role, Donald Pleasence, Ian Wolfe (who has a Star Trek connection from TOS) and Sid Haig (also with a ST:TOS connection). We watched the director's cut. I think that's the only way the movie is available on DVD.

trailer:


The Cinemated Man offers it online:


Veoh has the film available online, but you have to download their horrible player.

Moria says, "Symbolically, THX 1138 is a film about finding human individuality inside an impersonal and automated world." Roger Ebert says, "... as a work of visual imagination it's special". SciFi.com has a review. The New York Times says, "Mr. Lucas's film looks like a slightly old-fashioned anxiety dream—but if you can accept that (and you should), it becomes very potent material indeed." The Rolling Stone review gives it one star and calls it a "ponderous period piece". SFSignal likes it. Christianity Today has discussion questions. DVDTalk regrets that the original release is unavailable, saying,

THX 1138 was a superior product of its day, and it's too bad that we can't see it any more. In its place, George Lucas has given us his revised version, adding visuals and augmenting scenes.

.

The Queen of the Swords

The Queen of the Swords is the 2nd book in the Michael Moorcock trilogy featuring Corum, the Prince in the Scarlet Robe. This is the edition I have. I bought it at my favorite local used book store. It wasn't as much fun as the first one, but then I didn't expect it to be. I'll be reading the 3rd one next.

from the back of the book:

The realm of Chaos was cast into disorder, for the Vadhagh Prince Corum -last of his ancient race- had slain the Knight of Swords. Thus the dreaded Queen turned upon Corum, and Mankind began its bloody march across the Earth. All that was gracious and beautiful stood in peril. And so Corum set out upon his fateful odyssey...

Moorcock has a Facebook page.

The Lady Vanishes (1938)

The Lady Vanishes is a 1938 Alfred Hitchcock movie starring Margaret Lockwood, Michael Redgrave, Dame May Whitty and Cecil Parker. There is a Criterion edition of this film, but the DVD we have is a no-frills version.

The Internet Archive has this one online:


The New York Times says, "If it were not so brilliant a melodrama, we should class it as a brilliant comedy." Slate has a lengthy treatment with video clips. Films de France declares that it is "Considered to be the best of Alfred Hitchcock’s British films (or, at the very least, a close second to his The Thirty Nine Steps)". Slant Magazine says, "The film is a comic satire on British blindness to Germany's rising threat, standing now as Hitchcock's cleverest statement on the war" and closes with this: "Hitchcock's film shines both as the bold technical achievement it was in Britain in 1938 and as a charming and relevant production today."

7/6/2009: FilmFanatic has a review.

Sabotage

Sabotage is a 1936 Alfred Hitchcock film.

The version of this that's available at Google Video is missing the last 20 minutes or so, so be warned. It's available elsewhere, though, including through hulu.com:


The New York Times calls it "a masterly exercise in suspense". Salon.com describes it as "psychologically shattering" and says, "This film is as wrenching as it is eruptive."

12/5/2009: Only the Cinema has a review.

Dial M for Murder

Dial M for Murder is a 1954 Alfred Hitchcock film starring Ray Milland, Grace Kelly and Robert Cummings.

this should be the film (if it shows up...):


The New York Times likes it. DVDTalk says, "With its fine set of star performances, this is one of the best entertainments from the Master of Suspense." Films de France opens with this:

Alfred Hitchcock’s faithful screen adaptation of Frederick Knott’s hugely successful stage play Dial M for Murder is one of the director’s most confined works - virtually all of the story takes place in just one set – yet it is also one of his most compelling thrillers, and a practically flawless piece of direction.

Strangers on a Train

Strangers on a Train is a 1951 Hitchcock film based on the novel by Patricia Highsmith. The movie stars Farley Granger, Robert Walker and Leo G. Carroll.

trailer:


Roger Ebert includes this film on his list of "great movies" and says, "its appeal is probably the linking of an ingenious plot with insinuating creepiness." BBC calls it "one of Hitchcock's most efficient and ruthlessly delicious thrillers." Variety says it's "a gripping, palm-sweating piece of suspense." The New York Times has a negative review. DVDTalk's review is positive. Slant Magazine opens its review by describing the movie as "undoubtedly effective as a classic Hitchcock thriller" but "also nothing more complicated than one elongated gay cruise joke-cum-horror story."

6/10/2009: Film Fanatic considers the opinion expressed in Danny Peary’s Guide for the Film Fanatic.

Shadow of a Doubt

Shadow of a Doubt is a 1943 Alfred Hitchcock movie written by Thornton Wilder. It stars Teresa Wright, Joseph Cotten, Henry Travers and Hume Cronyn in his first film.

googlevideo has this one online:


Slant Magazine and the New York Times have reviews. DVDTalk takes special note of Teresa Wright, saying her "radiant and textured performance is possibly the best by an actress in Hitch's entire filmography" and closes by saying that "Hitchcock's most subtle and least sensational film is also one of his very best." Images Journal says,

Shadow Of A Doubt slanders that most cherished of American landscapes, the small town. That such a thorough critique of American mores appeared during World War II, a time when other directors were enshrining rather than embalming these standards, seems nothing short of incredible.

Notorious

Notorious is a 1946 Alfred Hitchcock movie starring Ingrid Bergman, Cary Grant and Claude Rains. Claude Rains is one of my special favorites.

Youtube has this film online in 11 parts:


Notorious is on Roger Ebert's "great movies" list. Salon.com and the New York Times have reviews. DVDTalk opens with this:

Probably the best of the Selznick Hitchcocks, and still the most dramatically satisfying, Notorious is a fascinating film. Besides being a superior romance, it's a model of suspense construction.

Alfred Hitchcock

Today is the anniversary of the death in 1980 of Alfred Hitchcock. Senses of Cinema has a lengthy, foot-noted article. The BBC has excerpts from audio interviews. PBS devotes part of its American Masters site to him. Images Journal has several articles. Bright Lights Film Journal has photos highlighting Hitchcock's recurring themes. FilmReference.com has an article and extensive resource lists. BFI has a print interview from 1967. Salon.com takes a contrarian view, saying he "may be the prime example of a film legend whose reputation has come to overpower any realistic view of his work." There's a big Alfred Hitchcock Facebook page. FilmStudiesForFree has embedded a 1973 6-part video interview with Tom Snyder and Hitchcock.

I have blog posts on the following Hitchcock films, many of which are viewable online:

Number Seventeen (1932)
The Man Who Knew Too Much (1934)
The 39 Steps (1935)
Secret Agent (1936)
Sabotage (1936)
The Lady Vanishes (1938)
Jamaica Inn (1939)
Rebecca (1940)
Shadow of a Doubt (1944)
Lifeboat (1944)
Notorious (1946)
Strangers on a Train (1951)
Dial M for Murder (1954)
Psycho (1960)

Boudu Saved From Drowning

Boudu Saved From Drowning is a French film from 1932 and is directed by Jean Renoir.

This can be viewed online, compliments of LikeTelevision:

LikeTelevision Embed Movies and TV Shows



Bright Lights Film Journal reviews the Criterion release. The Oldest Established Really Important Film Club selected this, and the discussion can be read here. Slant Magazine has a review.

12/18/2009: Filmsquish ends by saying, "Explain to me again why I needed to see this before I died? Just because it's Renoir? Please!"

Anna-Liisa

Anna-Liisa is a 1922 Finnish silent film directed by Tuevo Puro and Jussi Snellman. Wikipedia says this was the "First Finnish film to get "restricted" (unsuitable for children) rating". The IMDB listing has this one at 88 minutes, so I'm not sure what happened to the rest of the film. The one at the Internet Archive is only 48 minutes long.

The film below does not have English intertitles, but here's a summary from Internet Archive:

Anna-Liisa is a farmer's daughter, about to marry Johannes, who comes to visit her at the farm. The god-fearing family is happy for her, but Anna-Liisa has a dark secret, which is revealed in flashbacks. We are moved to a lake where Mikko, the former farm-hand, is working as a log-floater. He remembers when he met Anna-Liisa at a dance. They row home in the moonshine, the girl is seduced beneath a birch tree by the shore - while the rowing-boat drifts away. She gets pregnant, Mikko runs away and she kills the child. Mikko's mother helps her to clear the traces. Now the farm-hand's mother has a hold on the farmer's daughter, and when she hears about the marriage with Johannes three years later, she threatens the girl. Mikko comes home and wants to marry Anna-Liisa. She tells her relatives everything. When she tries to drown herself, Johannes saves her. She finds salvation. When the wedding is announced, Anna-Liisa declares that she has deciced to serve her penalty. End.

Internet Archive has this online:


There are certainly some sad tales from the early days of film.