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TRIBUTE TO THE GROUND-BREAKING FILMS OF THE 20'S AND 30'S
Hello, fellow movie buffs. This page is our tribute to the ground-breaking work of film makers of the 1920's and 1930's. We will offer our views and reviews of selected films from those eras, and at the same time give you the opportunity to tell us what you think. Take a second to check out our links section.
Abysmal. Completely lacking
in merit -- bad acting, writing, cinematography, etc.
Poor.
One or two redeeming qualities, but inferior overall.
Average.
Not outstanding in most respects, but worth a viewing.
Good.
Solid acting, writing, cinematography, etc. Superior in many respects.
Excellent.
A true classic. Superior acting, writing, cinematography, etc. Few, if
any, flaws.
Speaking of supporting actors, Brian Donlevy (Kent) plays the bad guy to a T. His bad guy is not so bad so as to destroy the comedic atmosphere, yet he is bad enough to not come off campy, which adds to the dramatic tension of the picture. He is a presence in the film, yet he does not attempt to upstage Dietrich and Stewart. All in all, a masterful job; Donlevy may be the best at playing bad guys that I have ever seen. Bravo.
With such a first class group of supporting actors, Stewart and Dietrich are framed nicely when they take the screen. This is a different Dietrich than in most of her earlier pictures. To be sure she is sultry and dangerous, yet she is also funny and somewhat vulnerable. Once again, Dietrich was given the chance to do some singing, and she pulled it off fairly well; however, she still remains a much better actress than singer. Dietrich pouted, played, and sang--she did it all. This film was proof positive that Dietrich had range that some had questioned even existed.
Jimmy Stewart was, well, Jimmy Stewart, the hero that you just can't help but like. In the novel by Brand, the Destry character was a much more hot tempered fellow, and as you can imagine, this would not have played well with Stewart in the lead. So, the story was rewritten to soften Destry up a bit (and bring Frenchie out more into the spotlight). The result was an Andy Taylorish deputy who used cunning and charisma rather than guns to bring law and order back into some of the roughest towns in the West, including Bottleneck. Stewart played the part to near perfection.
Although Dietrich and Stewart were both in top form in this film, I just can't help but comment that at times, their chemistry was a little off. There were little gaps and odd glances and an overall feeling of discomfort at times. I don't know if the two had problems on the set or if this was just a manifestation of the dramatic tension between the characters, but it wasn't just quite right. This is my only real criticism of this film.
This film holds up well over the years and is excellent
family fare.
My rating:
The
Gold Rush (1925), The Jazz Singer (1927), Nosferatu (1922)Intermezzo The Littlest Rebel Beau Geste The 39 Steps
Let us know what you think -- please e-mail.
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