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Matt-293
Reviews
Frisco Jenny (1932)
Essential viewing for Ruth Chatterton fans (all three of you)
Ruth Chatterton was a fascinating early '30s leading lady - she was quite average looking and somewhat chubby, with a brittle, theatrical acting style that hasn't dated very well. And yet, there's something in every one of her performances that's worth watching. She specialized in hard-edged, independent women of the type that Bette Davis would later do with much more depth and sympathy. "Frisco Jenny" was typical of Chatterton's Warner Brothers vehicles, with a shopworn "women's picture" storyline that gave her plenty of opportunities to grit her teeth and snap off at characters who got in her way. Nice direction by William Wellman, with a well-placed earthquake to add
Lonesome Ghosts (1937)
Peak Disney
Fast paced Disney short has Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, and Goofy as "ghost exterminators" who get called to an old house by the prank-playing ghosts themselves. The animation and Technicolor is terrific, as usual, and the storyline allows the trio to get scared in all sorts of creative ways. This was made when the familiar Disney characters' personalities were at their peaks: Mickey is the resourceful group leader (and not the bland goody-goody he would become later on), Donald is the short-tempered one, and Goofy is the well-meaning dunce. Even the ghosts have spunk and verve - a winner!
Her Cardboard Lover (1942)
The movie that ended Norma Shearer's career
In this forgettable trifle, the 40-ish Norma Shearer plays a fluttery, girlish socialite in Monte Carlo, caught in a tussle between George Sanders and Robert Taylor. It would be tempting to blame this movie's failure on the dull, talky script, or director George Cukor, who never seems interested in livening up the film's generally comatose state. Mostly, though, it's the fault of Shearer herself, who desperately wanted to keep playing "young" parts as long as she could get away with it. Inadvertently, this makes "Her Cardboard Lover" a bizarre monument to an aging woman's vanity.
Höstsonaten (1978)
Family values, Swedish style
Ingmar Bergman's "Autumn Sonata" is best known as one of the last movies starring Ingrid Bergman - outstanding in what may be best, most multifaceted performance. Her character has the outward appearance of a worldly woman, but with the inner petulance of a young child. As Ingrid's daughter, Liv Ullman is a marvel, too, a bundle of emotions ranging from meek and accommodating to screaming banshee. I love the director's constant, lingering closeups of her fascinating face. A potent film to remember.
Millie (1931)
Yet another "mother love" melodrama
Very typical of its time, "Millie" stars Helen Twelvetrees as the title character, a woman who starts off as a respectable young mother married into a rich family. Soon enough, she divorces, gives up her child and descends into a shameful streetwalker's life. Before the final frame, she tries to get her daughter and her dignity back. The most notable thing about it now is the presence of a young Joan Blondell as one of Millie's slutty friends. Helen Twelvetrees herself is fascinating to watch - sort of a cross between Clara Bow and Glenda Farrell, very vivacious and totally unlike the stuffy, victorian-era images that the her name conjures up (the big joke at the time was that she was Rin Tin Tin's favorite actress!).