The 39 Steps

Shots ring out in a London Vaudevillian theater, an attempt to create a distraction by a female agent who finds herself in the flat of one the show’s attendees (Robert Donat). Now, he is thrust into the serpentine plot that takes him to the Scottish Mores where he is both pursuing and pursued by the deadly, clandestine eponymous spy ring. Slyly conceived and brilliantly realized, The 39 Steps is a supreme entertainment that anticipated not just some of Alfred Hitchcock's future work but also inspired many successful, subsequent thrillers.

**** out of ****

Top Hat

A socialite (Ginger Rogers) vacationing abroad mistakes an actor (Fred Astaire) for her friend's husband who is actually married to the performer's business manager, all the while her insanely jealous fiance keeps a watchful eye. Classic and silly Rogers and Astaire mistaken identity farce doesn't feature as many song and dance routines as you would expect though they are extraordinary, not only the much cited "Cheek to Cheek" (which really is sublime), but also "No Strings" and "Isnt This a Lovely Day?" standing out on an impeccable Irving Berlin soundtrack.

*** 1/2 out of ****

Triumph of the Will

Leni Riefenstahl's party commissioned film of the 1934 Nazi rally in Nuremberg has been called the most influential propaganda piece in history and shares a heritage with D.W. Griffith's Birth of a Nation, of an undeniably authoritative film advocating a loathsome agenda. Its technical qualities are consummate with a barely ceasing camera capturing, in minutely staged shots, Hitler, top party members, and hundreds of thousands of minions in all the pomp and circumstance and frightening fervor.

*** 1/2 out of ****

A Night at the Opera

The Marx Brothers invade high society and scheme their way into the latest production of the New York Opera Company, while also procuring a role for a friendly tenor who hopes himself to win the affections of a lovely chorus girl. A Night at the Opera is not only one of the greatest Marx Brothers films, but also at the pinnacle of film comedies in general. So, upon eagerly returning to it recently, I must confess I was a little disappointed by how much of it is taken up by lame song and dance numbers and sappy romantic interludes, facts I must have blocked out of my memory or which had been minimized by the otherwise hilarious raucousness that dominates the rest of this film, whose highlights include the "party of the first part" sequence and the unfathomably staged Stateroom Scene.

Mad Love

A deranged surgeon (Peter Lorre) has an unhealthy obsession with a stage actress (Frances Drake), attending every one of her performances and procuring a life-sized wax statue of her figure. When her pianist husband (Colin Clive) loses his hands in a train accident, the doctor replaces them with those of an infamous, recently executed knife-throwing serial murderer and begins to pursue his beloved. From Marice Renard's short story The Hands of Orlac, Mad Love is an eerie and effective horror film with a silly premise, and an even more preposterous ending. It contains a creepy lead performance by Lorre in his first American film and fine direction by Karl Freund and exquisite cinematography by Gregg Toland. 

Anna Karenina

The wife of a cold and career driven Russian official is sent to mind the shaky marriage of her in-laws when she falls in love with a dashing military officer. As the affair becomes public, her jilted husband refuses her visitation of her son leading to the tragic end in Leo Tolstoy's often filmed tale. "Anna Karenina" is an excellent filmization of the Russian master's novel by underrated Hollywood director Clarence Brown. In the title role, Greta Garbo is luminous, basking in her beauty while providing a somber, nuanced performance. Frederic March is likewise excellent in a dialed down role as her lover, and Reginald Owen, as the scoundrel brother-in-law, and Basil Rathbone, as the callous husband are quite good as well.

A Tale of Two Cities

Revolution is in the air in France as the poor starve in the streets and despicable aristocrats such as the Marquis St. Evremonde (Basil Rathbone) live lives of decadent opulence. When his nephew, the earnest Charles Darnay (Donald Woods) emigrates to London and marries the daughter of a doctor persecuted by the aristocracy, Evremonde sees that he is outed a traitor.  At his trial, he is defended by Sydney Carton (Ronald Colman), a wastrel living an empty life. Now, feeling an affection for his new group of cohorts and especially for Darnay's wife Lucie (Elizabeth Allen), Carton sees an opportunity to make a humanistic sacrifice when the Revolution spirals out of control and encumbers all involved. "A Tale of Two Cities" is a glorious adaptation of one of Charles Dickens most beloved novels. Produced by David O. Selznick at MGM, wonderfully captures the best of times and worst of times of the classic novel. As Sydney Carton, Ronald Colman gives a wonderfully brooding and completely affecting performance. He is given strong support from a slew of familiar players which includes Basil Rathbone, Reginald Owen, and especially Edna May Oliver who is a hoot as Lucie's wisecracking servant and Blanche Yurka as the insanely vengeful Madame De Farge. The production values are all top notch and are particularly spectacular in scenes involving the storming of the Bastille, the peasant's kangaroo court, and the mob lined guillotine sequence. "A Tale of Two Cities" is a remarkable achievement in that it brings a classic work to the screen in both literate and rousing fashion.

Bride of Frankenstein

Lord Byron sits in the parlor of Percy and Mary Shelly's home discussing her book "Frankenstein", as to whether it was intended to scare or to teach. At the conclusion of their debate, Mary adds that the story of the monster did not end at the burning of the mill, and that monster survived the hellish conflagration to continue a reign of terror throughout the nearby mountains. Also, Dr. Frankenstein, while nursing his injuries back home, is coaxed back into action by a mad colleague who has found a method to create life in smaller forms and wishes to bring to life a larger, female specimen. Director James Whale equaled if not topped himself with "Bride of Frankenstein", a gorgeous and scary film that functions on a campy level as well. Boris Karloff is back and again wonderful as the monster who is given more screen time to work with and his scenes, especially one involving a blind hermit played by O.P. Heggie, are extremely effective. The creation scene here, which is just as memorable as its predecessors, is a supreme directorial that greatly captures the gothic, angled laboratory. "The Bride of Frankenstein" is a monument to the early monster movies and a prime example of carrying on the legacy of a great film.