The Complete Works of Jean Vigo

Jean Vigo was a surrealist French director whose life was cut short by tuberculosis at 29, but whose limited body of work (consisting of only four films, one of which was feature length) not only provided a window of what could have been and served as a major influence for the future of world cinema, but stands quite sturdily, in their own offbeat and lightly poetic way. His debut film was A Propos de Nice, a fascinating documentary covering all walks of life in Nice and was probably inspired by the landmark Man with a Movie Camera. It was followed by Taris, a brilliant and innovative instructional film featuring the eponymous swim champion, which was succeeded by Zero for Conduct, a whimsical tale detailing a boarding school rebellion. L'Atalante, his final and most cited and cherished work, tells a breezy and aimless story about newlyweds travelling upriver with a gruff riverboat captain, and features amusing situations, likable performances, and some great cinematography.

City Lights

After the dedication of a local monument chases him from his new resting place, the Little Tramp (Charlie Chaplin) stumbles upon a beautiful, blind flower girl (Virginia Cherrill) and makes it his life's work to raise the necessary funds to procure an corrective ocular operation, a mission that will lead him to gigs as a street sweeper and pugilist, and also into an inconsistent friendship with a drunken millionaire (Harry Myers). Still swimming against the tide of talking pictures, and with a few pointed barbs towards the still new format thrown in for good measure, Charlie Chaplin's mostly silent masterpiece may be the taciturn legend's finest expression as writer, director, and star. Poignant and often uproariously funny, City Lights is a joy from top to bottom and contains one of the most touching endings of all time.

M

A little girl disappears on her way home from school, the latest in a series of child murders that have tormented Berlin. Feeling the heat from a frantic public, the police initiate a major crackdown on the underworld whose members, both hurting from having their pockets lightened and stirred by their consciences, initiate a citywide manhunt in coordination with the authorities. Born in the tenuous and ever shifting film world circa 1930, Fritz Lang's first foray into talking pictures is nothing short of remarkable. With its brilliant use of light and shadows and an involving socially conscious procedural screenplay meshed with a top-end use of sound all centered on a haunting but not altogether inhuman portrayal by Peter Lorre, M is a dark and thoughtful precursor to film noir.

Guilty Hands

Set to meet his daughter (Madge Evans) for a dinner party, an attorney (Lionel Barrymore) with a background with both the prosecution and defense informs fellow train travelers just how easy it is, for an intelligent person that is, to get away with murder. When he arrives at the reception. his lascivious friend and client (Alan Mowbray) informs him that he is taking his daughter for his wife come hell or high water, which gives the attorney the opportunity to put his theory to the test. "Guilty Hands" is a silly but fun precode film with Barrymore giving a diverting, animating performance.

The Champ

A washed up, alcoholic fighter (Wallace Beery) starts his comeback bid south of the border in Tijuana with his doting son (Jackie Cooper) in tow. When the boy's mother (Irene) convinces him that the boy would be better off in her care, the two struggle with their separation as the pugilist gears towards his final bout in the ring. "The Champ" is an overly sentimental tale whose sappiness is overcome by the earnestness and likability of its stars. Beery, in his Oscar winning role, shows what made him such an endearing star in the early talkie period and makes one wonder why he has become so forgotten over the years. I also found Jackie Cooper to be appealing, and a latter reteaming of the two in "Treasure Island" is also fun. Although too many soapy moments threaten to dismantle this movie, the charm and charisma of its stars make it a winner.

Dracula

A London real estate agent travels to Transylvania for a midnight rendezvous with the mysterious Count Dracula. As townspeople give warnings and make way, the agent succumbs to the Count's spell and the two travel to London feast on the blood of the living, while discredited Professor Van Helsing seeks to stop his reign of terror. With the subsequently released "Frankenstein", Tod Browning's "Dracula" asserted Universal Pictures position as the monster movie studio and cemented Bela Lugosi's legend into film history. Based on the Bram Stoker novel, a subsequent stage play, and greatly influenced by F.W. Murnau's "Nosferatu", "Dracula" is an atmospheric, slightly stodgy, but incredibly entertaining film. Lugosi's performance as the learned, proper, and creepy Count Dracula ranks as one of the most devilishly enjoyable in film history and Dwight Frye is a hoot as Renfield, the crazed and possessed real estate agent. Edward Van Sloan is great as well as Van Helsing the vampire hunter, and his showdowns with Lugosi are among the highlights of the film. Along with "Frankenstein", "Dracula" is the fundamental film in monster movie history, immensely inspirational, and a treat to watch even to this day.

12/5/11 I rewatched this film accompanied with the Philip Glass score, which he composed for the film in 1998. The film has often drawn calls for a musical score, and while some complained that it tarnished the original, I find it to be a welcomed and nicely realized accompaniment.

Frankenstein

Mad scientist Dr. Frankenstein and his deranged assistant Fritz comb the German countryside for gravesites in search of fresh cadavers for his science experiments. When he is unable to find an acceptable brain specimen, he breaks into a medical school and unknowingly steals the brain of brutish criminal. As his fiance, best friend, and elder colleague rush to his laboratory to stop him, they are too late as Dr. Frankenstein has already brought to life his crudely assembled and barbarous monster. Universal Pictures' "Frankenstein" is the ultimate monster movie of the 1930s and a vivid adaptation of Mary Shelley's classic novel. James Whale's direction, staging, and use of sets creates indelible imagery and terrifying scenarios, while Boris Karloff's monster is scary, strangely sympathetic, and a lot more grotesque than most may recall (I liked how he was billed as "?" in the opening credits). "Frankenstein" is a horror classic that has inspired countless films, most of which have failed to recapture its craftsmanship, effect, and sheer terror.

The Public Enemy

A young street tough and his mate gradually work their way up from petty crime to calculated murder during the era of Prohibition. Going to work for an Irish mobster, and dallying in money, booze, and women, Tom Powers rises to his inevitable fall, fooling his poor dear mother and shaming his straightlaced brother. William A. Wellman's "The Public Enemy" is one of the early Warner Brothers gangster pictures and was the movie that made James Cagney known to the public. Cagney bristles with energy and ferocity here and brings immense likability to a truly detestable character (this is the one where he shoves the grapefruit in Mae Clarke's face). The story is gritty and highly influential as well (the opening of "Goodfellas" came to mind a lot while watching this). "The Public Enemy" is an exciting picture of a nasty individual and an attestation to the talents of a true screen legend.

Little Caesar

Little Caesar has just robbed a gas station with his cohort Joe and sits at a local diner, catching a glimpse of a headline featuring a big city crime boss. Desiring the same kind of notoriety, the two head east where Caesar gets in with a mobster's crew and ruthlessly works his way up the ladder, while Joe desperately tries to leave the life and pursue his dreams as a dancer. If you wanted to watch the quintessential Warner Brothers gangster picture, I would recommend Mervyn LeRoy's "Little Caesar", which possibly contains every cliched element associated with the studio's pictures. Edward G. Robinson, containing none of the Cagney's panache, delivers a brutal performance as the vain Rico, with Douglas Fairbanks Jr. in the thankless straight role as Joe. The gangster speak and mannerisms in "Little Caesar" are laughable which only add to the movie's likability, abetted by the stark violence and the iconic performance of Edward G. Robinson.