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Reviews
Whirlpool (1934)
Efficient filmmaking with heart
This film contains the stuff of soapy melodrama (improbable plot, stock characters of shallow dimension, sensational scenes), but it contains more. Jack Holt, father of the athletic cowboy Tim Holt, plays a man devoted to his family at high personal cost that he pays without hesitation. Holt also glides through his role as the captivatingly handsome "man's man" that he naturally was. Further, into various scenes, for those who care about such things, Jean Arthur brings familial heart and soul that is breathtaking. Though formulaic, admirable and efficient filmmaking with a heart makes "Whirlpool" engaging and memorable..
Highway 301 (1950)
Almost a solid 7, perhaps 8
With Steve Cochran as the steely psychopath, his solidly loyal gang members (and Cochran loyal to them), and the carefree, hardboiled but feminine Virginia Grey, the film is well acted. The action on the streets and with large crowds is pleasingly complex and realistic. The finely staged light-and-shadow settings are consistently startling and eye-catching in a variety of indoor and outdoor settings. These elements, despite the governors unconvincingly reading their scripts and a narrative voice for documentary effect, could have made this film a solid 7 and perhaps an 8 out of 10. However, the predictable, tedious melodramatic "Perils of Pauline" escape attempts of the Lee Fontaine character are a ball-and-chain that (for this viewer) held this film back from being a runaway noir success.
Adieu Philippine (1962)
The Angst and Joy of Innocence in Love
This film contains the complexities of youth, friendship, and romance without, it seems, even trying. The Algerian War hardly matters beyond its being a war, one of which from the 20th century into the 21st is happening somewhere. The music, which is as affecting as songbirds in May and more playful, enchants scenes with the engaging energy of the mystery of life. The film is a wonder of filmmaking, a film imbued with an immortal soul that reaches out in friendship. The title: The "Oxford English Dictionary" tells that "philopena" is a game in which when a nut, usually an almond, has two kernels, two people each take one half of it. Then, when next they meet, the first to say "philopena" may demand a forfeit of the other. This is often a friendly romantic game, a form of flirtation. Many online references cite an accompanying greeting with the expression, e.g., "Hello, Philopena" and in French, "Bonjour, Philippine!" Philopena/Philippine is also a name for the game." Rozier's title for his film is "Adieu Philippine." This may be taken as a goodbye to the game of flirtation of Michel with the young women with him and of them to him--the goodbye that concludes the film. But the title is also capable of meaning more metaphorically. Michel is the nut that when opened by the girls is found to contain a "Philippine," or in context, two hearts. When Michal is asked about a love interest, he says that he will wait to see which girl waits for him, or who will greet him, or who in the parlance of the game will play the game, win it, and make a romantic demand of him. "Adieu Philippine" is the story leading up to the goodbye to his divided heart, which each young woman is enthralled to possess and he to have given, or so the sweet longueur of their goodbye demonstrates in Rozier's beautiful film.
The Return of Bulldog Drummond (1934)
This Drummond is a Match for Bond
This film is surprisingly satisfying. The cool and bravado of Ralph Richardson, in word and deed, appear in his every scene. The action is vigorous, and the dominance of opposing forces carries to and fro at a fast pace. The evil Carl Peterson (compare Blowfeld in Bond, Moriarty or Colonel Moran in Sherlock Holmes) is well oiled as a diabolical villain. Cruel as he and his devoted wife or mistress are, each is given a bit of humanity and empathy (blink and you'll miss it) for contrast. As outlandish as The (good) Black Clan is, its members come off as everyday citizens deeply loyal to decency and their country. Richardson as Captain Hugh Drummond is no Commander James Bond, but he matches him for sureness and quickness to act. Though showing its age, this film holds up well in the entertaining age-old battle of good and bad wits and fists.
Tell No Tales (1939)
Noir Track
This is a trail movie, the Hitchcock MacGuffin being a $100 marked bill. Where did it come from? Turns out it passed through many hands. Each party on the trail is the center of increasingly interesting scenes until, for meanness, Gene Lockhart bangs the base drum. Talk about noir, the film grows darker and darker, both ways. For me this film is an eye opener as it proceeds from procedural adventure to the interesting seaminess of a flirtation with the allure of serious film noir.
The Scarf (1951)
Surprise Noir
Many appropriately appreciative reviews appear for this surprisingly successful film noir. Most of them can be agreed with. The film, however, is not without a few disappointing flaws. Some scenes run out of steam, a couple are painfully obvious in their attempts to manipulate perception, and a couple just don't work. But the other 85% of the film turns as well as the spirals of a heavy-duty spring in doing what it's supposed to do to contribute to the film. One of many scenes that worked very well is when Connie tries to make up her mind about whether or not to be mercenary. A woman on a dark street has two ways to go, and she's pulled effectively in both. Not clear until the last is which direction she will take. ... Much is said about the dialogue. The NYTimes reviewer at the time was soured by it, but others here mostly don't mind it or like it. Surely, the dialogue is one of the film's assets, fitting inquiring thought to visual mood and an often darkly naturalistic tenor. ... You think you know noir, and then along comes a nice surprise like this one.