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Reviews
Elephant Walk (1954)
"Rebecca" Meets "The Letter"
I watched "Elephant Walk" for the first time in about 30 years and was struck by how similar the story line is to the greatly superior "Rebecca." As others have said, you have the sweet young thing swept off her feet by the alternately charming and brooding lord of the manor, only to find her marriage threatened by the inescapable memory of a larger-than-life yet deeply flawed relative. You have the stern and disapproving servant, a crisis that will either bind the couple together or tear them irreparably apart, climaxed by the fiery destruction of the lavish homestead.
Meanwhile, "Elephant Walk" also owes some of its creepy jungle atmosphere to "The Letter," the Bette Davis love triangle set on a Singapore rubber plantation rather than a Sri Lankan tea plantation.
Maltin gives "Elephant Walk" just two stars, and IMDb readers aren't much kinder, but I enjoyed it despite its predictability. Elizabeth Taylor never looked lovelier, and Peter Finch does a credible job as the basically good man unable to shake off the influence of his overbearing father. Dana Andrews -- a favorite in "Laura" and "The Best Year of Our Lives" -- is wasted as Elizabeth's frustrated admirer. The real star is the bungalow, one of the most beautiful interior sets in movie history.
Sadie McKee (1934)
I need to see more of Franchot Tone
I had never heard of "Sadie McKee" before I saw it on Turner Classic's schedule and decided to Tivo it even though I'm not much of a Joan Crawford fan. I'm so glad I did. I think of 1934 as the start of the "code" period, but this is clearly pre-Code material. Not realistic in the modern sense, but more complex and human than I expected.
The real revelation to me was Franchot Tone as Michael, in whose aristocratic home Sadie grew up as the daughter of the cook. I have seen Tone in a number of other films -- "Mutiny on the Bounty" and "Lives of a Bengal Lancer" come to mind -- but I think I need to seek out some more of his films. In "Sadie McKee," he displayed more emotional range and acting technique than I had ever before seen from him. I understand that he and Crawford were married for awhile after this film was completed. It's easy to imagine the attraction.
Behind Office Doors (1931)
Much better than advertised
I tivo'd this on Turner Classic just because it was pre-code and sounded interesting. When I got around to watching, I noticed that the "critique" gave it one and a half stars on a four-star scale. I started watching with trepidation -- even old movies can be bad movies -- but I quickly got engaged in the story and Mary Astor's performance as the business brains behind a simple salesman's rise to success. Not a truly great movie -- too predictable -- but certainly better than advertised. And I would have liked to have seen more of Ricardo Cortez as the man who appreciates Mary but won't give up his wealthy wife. I'd recommend giving it a look just to appreciate Astor and what a long way we've come, baby.
These Three (1936)
So Much Better Than "The Children's Hour"
I have seen "The Children's Hour" with Shirley MacLaine, Audrey Hepburn and James Garner a couple of times, and I realize that it is truer to the original play and had a definite shock value in 1961. But "These Three" is far more engaging. Miriam Hopkins (generally not one of my favorites), Merle Oberon and McCrae are far more appealing and the performances of Bonita Granville and Marcia Mae Jones are among the best child performances I've ever seen. Granville, who was also good as Bette Davis' thoughtless niece in "Now, Voyager" a few years later, makes a better young villainess than Patricia McCormack in "The Bad Seed."
National Treasure (2004)
Just good fun
The whole family went to see "National Treasure" last night -- mom and dad in early 40s, 14-year-old son, 10-year-old son. Everyone enjoyed it thoroughly -- even the younger one, who may well have missed some of the significant clues, and Dad, who thought he was just being nice to the kids. Muddled up history, improbable plot twists, cartoonish good guys and bad guys -- and still good, fast-moving fun that inspired lots of discussion in the car on the way home. It isn't great art and it is never going to be a classic, but it's much more fun than the critics gave it credit for. We might even buy the DVD for the boys when that comes out.
Lone Star (1996)
A movie that stays on your mind
I had never heard of this movie until my husband brought it home from Blockbuster and said a coworker had recommended it. I watched it twice in two days and am thinking about watching it again before we take it back. An incredibly subtle film, not flashy or on-your-face, with a complex but easy-to-follow plot, "just right" dialogue and a life lesson in every frame. Highly recommended.