205. Xiao cheng zhi chun/Spring in a Small Town (1948)

Running Time: 93 minutes
Directed By: Fei Mu
Written By: Li Tianji
Main Cast: Wei Wei, Shi Yu, Li Wei, Cui Chaoming, Zhang Hongmei

DID THEY REALLY PLAY DRINKING GAMES IN CHINA BACK THEN?

Continuing on with a 100 that will be (and has been) thick with films from the 1940s and 2000s, we come to a lesser known piece of Chinese cinema from 1948 - "Spring in a Small Town". I had no expectations for this one going in and came out with a varied opinion. A very average film, to say the least.

The film follows the lives of a married couple, living in post-WWII China. On a completely unrelated note, I wonder how many films in THE BOOK take place during, just before or just after World War II. My guess is a lot! Anyway, Yuwen (Wei Wei) is facing a sort of depression. She is loyal to her husband, but knows that their marriage is worn out. They don't speak and she feels that perhaps it's "words that separate them". The husband, Liyan (Yu), spends his days sitting in the garden and kicking back medicine at different daily intervals, as he is ill. The couple also live with Liyan's sister, Xiu (Hongmei); she's sixteen and spends her days at school. One day, unexpectedly, Liyan receives a visit from his old friend Zhang Zhichen (Li Wei), now a doctor. It also turns out that Yuwen and Zhang are former lovers. Liyan invites Zhang to stay with them for a while. He accepts and while there, looks after Liyan and his heart condition. Meanwhile, Yuwen and Zhang tiptoe around, trying not to spill the beans about their lost love.

I was all set to come in here and advocate for this film to be remade, but apparently it's already been done with "Springtime in a Small Town", back in '02. I'd really like to see that and see if they were able to improve on some of the things this film was lacking. For example, a more powerful score for this one would have done a world of difference in excelling this film to the next level and really hammering home some of the emotions that were swirling in the picture. Also, I realize that "Spring in a Small Town" is from 1948, but the copy that I watched was very grainy and the cinematography just wasn't poignant enough. If you'd had a guy like Sven Nykvist (a name off the top of my head) to work with the story here, you could've capitalized on the story and really set a better mood, just with some crisper camera shots and a more somber atmosphere.

I'm actually really surprised that Hollywood hasn't remade this, as it seems like the perfect story that they usually bait their hook with to nab an Oscar. Of course, the story (loveless marriage, an old flame returning) has been done to death. It's a story we've seen a million times, but this one was from 1948, at a time when nothing had really been done to death and had they had the aforementioned elements in place, this really would have been a must see. As it is, I'm not really sure why it was included in THE BOOK. I read something about this film being banned in it's home country for years, due to the risque subject matter, so maybe that's why THE BOOK felt the need to include it...I don't know.

RATING: 6/10 To avoid the risk of rambling, we'll keep it short today. Like "The Best Years of Our Lives", this isn't terrible and perhaps with a second viewing (someday) I'll appreciate it more.

MOVIES WATCHED: 427
MOVIES LEFT TO WATCH: 574

April 18, 2012 6:00pm

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182. The Best Years of Our Lives (1946)

Running Time: 172 minutes
Directed By: William Wyler
Written By: Robert E. Sherwood, from the novel Glory for Me by MacKinlay Kantor
Main Cast: Fredric March, Dana Andrews, Harold Russell, Myrna Loy, Teresa Wright
Click here to view the trailer

YOU CAN'T GO HOME AGAIN

Another epic picture slayed, as I use my day off to take in the nearly three hour film that is "The Best Years of Our Lives" - Best Picture of 1946.

The film tells the story of three soldiers returning home from World War II. When the film starts, it's Captain Fred Derry (Andrews) trying to get a ride home to Boone City. He eventually hitches a ride home on a military aircraft and along the way meets some Boone Citians: Sgt. Al Stephenson (March) and Officer Homer Parrish (Russell), the latter of which lost his hands in the war and now dons hooks in their place. After a long flight the trio arrive back in their native city and share a taxi to their respective homes. Homer is hesitant to return home, fearing how his family will react to his deformity. He doesn't want to be looked at any different and certainly doesn't want pity. Later the trio reunite at Butch's Place, a local bar, where Fred and Al drink to excess and wake up the next morning with foggy memories of the previous night. Fred wakes up at Al's place where he meets Peggy Stephenson (Wright), Al's daughter and a romance is hinted at between the two. Ultimately the three try their best to return to normal life; Al returns to his job at the bank with a promotion to boot. Fred returns to his job as a soda jerk, making $32.50 per week, which isn't enough to spoil his wife (Virginia Mayo), who yearns to be spoiled. Meanwhile, Howard struggles to accept his family's adaptation of his deformity, most notably his fiancee.

SPOILER ALERT!

I actually have fond memories of this film, as the only other time I saw it was at my wife and I's first apartment, during a stretch when we had a broken down car and had to spend a matter of four days holed up in the house. It sounds awful, but it was actually perfect. Anyway, I can remember lying on the bed and watching this movie for the first time and I remember both of us liking it quite a lot. Well, as I've noted many times previous, my tastes have drastically changed since starting this journey and this film just didn't hold up. My first reaction is that it's just WAY too long. The story that is told just doesn't warrant a running time of three hours. Let's take a look at the goings on of this three hour epic, shall we? First you have Al, who returns home from the war, spends his first night getting drunk off his ass, returns to work at the bank and eventually turns into a bit of an alcoholic. Then you have Fred, who also gets drunk off his ass the first night, finds his wife the next day, deals with the embarrassment of having to return to work making $32.50/week and falls in love with Peggy Stephenson. Lastly you have Homer, who really does nothing the entire film but try to deal with the way his family is dealing with his deformity. That's really all that happens. I mean, that's at least the high points of the picture. Just writing it out, it sounds ridiculous to think that so little plot took so much time to tell. This could have easily been wrapped up in a couple of hours. Within the first five minutes of the film, the three men are in the air and headed home and an hour and fifteen minutes later all that's happened to them is they've returned home, left home again, went to a bar and woke up - that's it!

Don't get me wrong, I don't want to shit all over this picture, because it's really not as bad as all that. In fact, I got amusement out of watching Fredric March awake from his slumber, examine his grizzled face and compare his reflection to a dashing photo of himself, followed by jumping into the shower with his pajamas still on. And speaking of March, I really want to see "Inherit the Wind" again now, because I just cannot believe that Al Stephenson and Matthew Harrison Brady are being played by the same person (with more credit going to the Brady role that to this one - he was GREAT in that!). The cast was hit and miss with me actually, as I enjoyed March and thought Virginia Mayo was excellent (and even sexier here than she was in "White Heat"). On the other hand, Teresa Wright was just annoying as Peggy Stephenson and Dana Andrews was average at best. I had to look up and find out that Harold Russell was actually a deformed veteran and a non-established actor, and to his credit, he did a really great job. Apparently there's also a lot of political argument that surrounds this film and I won't get into all that. The movie itself does bring up a fascinating train of thought though, about soldiers returning home from the war and how well they can adapt to a once familiar life, but one that is now very strange.

RATING: 6.5/10 Not terrible, by any means and I almost went with a '7', but I just couldn't be THAT generous. It's worth at least one look, but be warned...it is long!

MOVIES WATCHED: 426
MOVIES LEFT TO WATCH: 575

April 16, 2012 11:34pm

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993. ONCE (2006)

Running Time: 85 minutes
Directed By: John Carney
Written By: John Carney
Main Cast: Glen Hansard, Marketa Irglova
Click here to view the trailer

MUST SEE, BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY, MUST HEAR

Well we turn from big budget blockbuster to a film that was made on a shoestring budget and filmed with a handheld camera, "Once". The film is a very good one, but even more noteworthy than the images that appear on the screen, are the songs that back up the story.

The film focuses on a guy (Hansard) who makes his living fixing Hoover vacuum cleaners and busking on the streets of Dublin, Ireland. One day, while pouring his heart out, with his guitar case lying on the street in front of him, he draws an audience member in the form of a girl (Irglova). The two strike up a conversation and next thing he knows, he's fixing her broken Hoover vacuum cleaner and jamming with her in a local music store. Turns out she plays piano and the two hit it off famously. He's just had his heart broken by a cheating girlfriend and she has a child, but is separated from her husband. They hang out over the course of a week, him wanting to take their relationship to the next level, her just wanting to be friends. When he finally gets the picture that she doesn't want to get romantic, he decides to take off for London to find his cheating ex-girlfriend and patch things up. Before he leaves, the two hire a band and a studio and record some songs together.

One could argue that if you strip away the songs from "Once", you're not left with much. In fact, I may even be one of the advocates for that argument. However, there is a pretty solid story going on here too. Yes, it's a lot of singing, but the songs are brilliant and if you can watch the film straight through without rewinding back and re-listening to at least one song, then you have more will power than I do. I watched this film once before and remember not liking it very much. However, this time around I saw it in a different light (this, kiddies, is why you always give a film two chances to win you over). For me, this film is about those connections that we make in our life and then lose in the blink of an eye, never to be seen again - those one time meetings that last a matter of weeks or months and then vanish, without a reunion. Perhaps that's why the film is called "Once". I can remember co-workers that I once knew and considered friends and it's been ages since I've seen them and in reality, I'll probably never see them again. This film reminded me of all of them and the times we shared.

It's not a fancy film, it doesn't have an intricate plot, there's no good guy/bad guy, it's just a movie about a real people, a chance meeting and some great music. Glen Hansard shows that he's not just a musician and that he can actually act. I can't say the same for Marketa Irglova, but she didn't fail completely, so I'll give the musician her credit as well. The handheld shooting only added to the realistic nature of the film and at times, it was easy to forget that you were watching a film. Memorable scenes include "Guy" watching home movies of his ex-girlfriend and singing his song "Lies". Hansard sings with such passion and if there were any more passion in his voice, he'd literally lull your heart into submission.

Did I mention that all the music is original and written by "guy" and "girl"? Listen to these songs and then tell me, honestly, that you don't want to see the film that accompanies them.

Lies
Falling Slowly
When Your Mind's Made Up

RATING: 8/10 Check out the movie, check out the soundtrack. They both deserve your eyes and ears at full attention.

MOVIES WATCHED: 425
MOVIES LEFT TO WATCH: 576

COMING SOON:
The Best Years of Our Lives (1946 - William Wyler)
Yi Yi (2000 - Edward Yang)
Spring in a Small Town (1948 - Fei Mu)

April 15, 2012 12:36am

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964. The Lord of the Rings (2001, 2002 and 2003)

Running Time: 557 minutes
The Fellowship of the Ring: 178 minutes
The Two Towers: 179 minutes
The Return of the King: 200 minutes
Directed By: Peter Jackson
Written By: Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, Peter Jackson, Stephen Sinclair (only The Two Towers), based on the novels by J.R.R. Tolkien
Main Cast: Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Sean Astin, Viggo Mortensen, Orlando Bloom, Andy Serkis, John Rhys-Davies, Liv Tyler, Christopher Lee
Click the titles above to view each of the trailers

Well here we are. If you count it as a whole, "The Lord of the Rings" is one of the longest films in the book at a walloping 557 minutes. However, it sure doesn't feel like nine hours has passed when you come to the end. In fact, I left the film still salivating for more. Be warned, spoilers abound!

THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING

Our tale begins with the forging of the great rings, most notably the “One Ring”, forged by the Dark Lord, Sauron. Eventually Sauron is defeated and the ring passes to different bearers – Isildur, King of Gondor and Gollum, the creature. Fast forward sixty years later and the ring finds itself being housed in The Shire, in the home of Bilbo Baggins (Holm), a hobbit. It is Bilbo’s 111th birthday and when the festivities end, he plans to depart The Shire and seek adventure. In doing so, he wills the ring to his nephew Frodo Baggins (Wood), but not without consequences. Gandalf the Grey (McKellen), a wizard is present and comes to the realization that the ring Bilbo posseses is the One Ring. Gandalf informs Frodo that the ring MUST be destroyed, for it carries far too much power to exist. With Sauron’s life force bound to the ring, Sauron still exists in the form of a great eye that watches over Middle Earth from Mordor. Sauron and his forces are drawn to the ring, therefore Frodo falls under attack at the hands of Ringwraiths. Frodo is sent away, accompanied by Samwise Gamgee (Astin), Pippin and Merry, fellow hobbits, where he will later meet up with Gandalf to discuss the fate of the One Ring and Middle Earth. When Gandalf rides to meet his mentor, Saruman the White (Lee), he finds that Saruman has turned to the dark side. Meanwhile, the four hobbits travel to Bree expecting to meet up with Gandalf, but instead are introduced to Strider a.k.a. Aragorn (Mortensen), a ranger, who offers his assistance to the little fellows. Later, when Frodo is badly wounded, the group head to Rivendell, the city of elves, where Frodo is nursed back to health and Gandalf reunites with the hobbits. It is here that the Fellowship of the Ring is formed, a group of nine who will travel to Mordor and destroy the One Ring in the fires of Mount Doom, the very fires where it was created. The nine are composed of Frodo Baggins (the ring bearer), Samwise Gamgee, Pippin, Merry, Gandalf the Grey, Aragorn, Boromir of Gondor, Legolas – an elf and Gimli – a dwarf. Together the nine travel, freqeuently attacked by orcs (creatures who used to be Elves and are forged from trees). The height of the action in this volume comes when the Fellowship travel through the Mines of Moria, where they are attacked by many orcs and a creature called Balrog. Gandalf falls while in the mines and the eight must continue without him. When this installment comes to a close, Frodo and Sam break off from the others, because the six cannot control themselves when it comes to being tempted by the ring. Pippin and Merry are captured by orcs and Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli set out to find them.

THE TWO TOWERS

This installment picks up right where “Fellowship” leaves off. Frodo and Sam are still traveling through the hills, making their way to Mordor. Eventually they discover that they’re being followed by Gollum, the creature. At first, Gollum is hostile toward the two hobbits, wanting back his “precious” power ring, but eventually decides to travel with the hobbits, helping them find Mordor. When the hobbits and Gollum do arrive at the gates of Mordor, they find it guarded by thousands of Sauron’s soldiers. Gollum tells them that there’s a back way in and offers to help them get there. Meanwhile, Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli are still on the hunt for Pippin and Merry. They never do find them, but do find tracks that suggest that the hobbits are safe. In fact, Pippin and Merry are safe, being held by the Ents (a race of walking, talking trees), particularly Treebeard. Also while in Fangorn Forrest, Pippin and Merry find that Gandalf survived his fall in the Mines of Moria and is now Gandalf the White. The film also puts focus on the city of Rohan, where their King, Theoden, is being mind controlled by Saruman. Later, Gandalf reunites with Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli and together they ride to Edoras and free King Theoden from his spell. Upon Theoden’s awakening, he realizes the dire situation of the times and decides to take his people and flee to Helm’s Deep. Gandalf, fearing Helm’s Deep will not hold and knowing the forces that Saruman will bring, rides to find reinforcements. At Helm’s Deep, Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli plead with the King to reach out for help, but the King assures them that there is no help – even Gondor won’t come to their aid. What follows is the Isengard portion of the war, as Saruman sends 10,000 orc soldiers to Helm’s Deep where only the people of Rohan (including children, who are forced to fight), a brigade of elves, Aragorn and his companions stand with swords and bows drawn. As the film ends, Frodo, Sam and Gollum are back on the road to Mordor, after escaping captivity by the men of Gondor. Gollum’s darker side seems to be taking a firmer hold on him, not being able to withstand the temptation that the ring holds. Meanwhile, Gandalf informs us that while the battle for Helm’s Deep is over; the battle for Middle Earth is about to begin!

THE RETURN OF THE KING

The longest of the three installment begins by showing us the back story of Gollum; once named Smeagol, he was a hobbit who was corrupted by the power of the ring. When we jump back to present day, he is still traveling on the road to Mordor, guiding Frodo and Sam. At least they think he's guiding them, but in reality he plans to walk them into a trap. Meanwhile, the Rohirrim celebrate after their victory at Helm's Deep. Their victory is cut short when they realize they may have to come to the aid of Gondor. King Theoden questions whether he'll answer Gondor's call, since Gondor didn't come to Rohan's aid at Helm's Deep. Gandalf and Pippin ride to Minas Tirith, the capital of Gondor, to warn them that the battle will soon come to their doorstep. At Minas Tirith, Denethor, the Steward of Gondor, welcomes Gandalf with reluctance. Gandalf sends Pippin to light the beacons, signaling Rohan to prepare for battle - Rohan answers the call. On the ride to Minas Tirith, Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli make a detour into the Paths of the Dead to summon an army from the mountains. There the Army of the Dead are held captive, having never fulfilled their promise of battle to Isildur. Now, Aragorn (Isildur's heir) has the power to release them of their captivity, but only if they join him in battle at Minas Tirith. As war is prepared to be waged at Minas Tirith, with all the essential races and characters in play, Frodo, Sam and Gollum draw closer to Mount Doom. This entire film is basically one giant climax to the entire series, as the intensity here just does not stop!

WHEW! That was a mouthful!

Where do you start with such a masterpiece? Yes, "The Lord of the Rings" (and when I say "The Lord of the Rings" I'm talking about the three films as a whole) is a masterpiece, in every sense of the word. Not only is it a big budget blockbuster, but it's also a beautifully told story - both artistically and otherwise. I don't know about you, but when I hear about the latest big budget blockbusters, I'm not the type to get excited. Visual effects, 3D and James Cameron's magic movie making machines have never been effective in luring me to the theater. In fact, in the last ten years, I've probably only been out to the movies approximately 25 times, but one of those times was to see "The Two Towers". After seeing "The Fellowship of the Ring" and being swept into the created world of J.R.R. Tolkien, I just couldn't resist seeing the next installment. The one thing that really sticks out to me about "The Lord of the Rings" is how quickly it flies by, at least for me anyway. I can't imagine being one of the loyal BOOK watchers and not digging "The Lord of the Rings", for that would be a chore! The time of each film is approximately three hours, with "The Return of the King" being the longest at 200 minutes and it flies by like nothing. Jackson really used his time wisely, making the appropriate cuts, I'm sure and knowing what to include to keep the films chugging along. For the curious, I've never read the books, so I cannot speak on unnecessarily cut characters and storylines; I only speak about the films themselves.

To those of you who think that "The Lord of the Rings" is merely nine hours of a hobbit walking and culminating with a ring toss into a fire pit, I feel sorry for you. I feel sorry that you will never be able to experience this nine hours like I did - with wide eyed amazement, feeling like a child again and getting pumped up during such scenes as Gandalf leading the Riders of Rohan down the mountainside, at the end of "The Two Towers". It's not only a road movie about a ring, but it's a movie about the total collapse of Middle Earth, a very intricate created world, complete with city names, made up races and detailed characters. Apparently Tolkien wrote the books during the years of World War II, so perhaps his vision of a world on the brink of destruction was what he thought was happening to this world. In "The Lord of the Rings" destruction is on the doorstep. There are many scenes where the characters give up hope and prepare themselves for death. In fact, I nearly cried during this exchange between Gandalf and Pippin:

Pippin: I didn't think it would end this way.
Gandalf: End? No, the journey doesn't end here. Death is just another path... One that we all must take. The grey rain-curtain of this world rolls back, and all turns to silver glass... And then you see it.
Pippin: What? Gandalf?... See what?
Gandalf: White shores... and beyond, a far green country under a swift sunrise.
Pippin: [smiling] Well, that isn't so bad.
Gandalf: [softly] No... No it isn't.

It's a film about hope, loyalty, companionship, the choices we're forced to make and the journeys we're forced face, despite not wanting to. It's an epic tale of war and the end of a world. It's a tale of love, as we see with Aragorn and Arwen. It's a tale of a war within oneself, as we see with Gollum. It's everything you've ever wanted in a motion picture. It appeals to the masses; whether you're a typical moviegoer or a film snob, there shouldn't be any doubting the greatness that is "The Lord of the Rings".

RATING: 10/10 If my scale went to '20', I'd give it a '20'. It's going to be hard to dethrone this from the #1 spot when it comes TOP 20 time and if it happens, then I can't wait to see the movie that I deem better than "The Lord of the Rings". No, it's not my favorite film, but it's damn close and it's one of them!

MOVIES WATCHED: 424
MOVIES LEFT TO WATCH: 577

April 14, 2012 2:55pm

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The Lord of the Rings - COMING THIS WEEK!

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146. DUMBO (1941)

Running Time: 64 minutes
Directed By: Ben Sharpsteen
Written By: Otto Englander, from book by Helen Aberson
Main Cast: (voices): Edward Brophy, Verna Felton, Herman Bing, Margaret Wright, Sterling Holloway
Click here to view the trailer

Note: For the curious, my watching of the seven movies that will make up "Seven Shadows Week" is finished. Therefore, I'll be returning to the blog full-time, so expect reviews to be fired at you at a fast & furious pace from here until 501.

TECHNICOLOR PACHYDERM

I figured I'd better go ahead and watch this before Disney yanked "Dumbo" by the trunk and threw him into their famous vault. It's an early Disney movie, so I pretty much knew what to expect going in and I got what I bargained for.

The setting is a traveling circus and the main characters are the animals. When the film opens, the stork is delivering baby animals to all their respective species. Infant tigers, lions, bears and kangaroos fall from the sky, attached to parachutes and into their awaiting mothers' arms. The only expecting mother who fails to receive her little bundle of joy is Mrs. Jumbo, the elephant (funny, there's no Mr. Jumbo). Later that night, as the animals board the circus train and head to the next town, the story, who had been running late, delivers to Mrs. Jumbo a baby boy, whom she names Jumbo Jr. The little guy is later dubbed Dumbo by his elephant peers, due to his extra large ears and when a crowd of people at the circus make fun of him, Mrs. Jumbo loses her cool and winds up in "the clink". With his mother behind bars, Dumbo is all alone. That is until Timothy L. Mouse sees him and decides to help him out. Timothy keeps Dumbo company as he's assigned to become the newest clown in the circus. One night, as they're coming from visiting Mrs. Jumbo, Timothy and Dumbo get drunk when they accidentally drink some alcohol from a washtub. Later, they awaken to find themselves in a tree and are helped along by a group of swingin' crows.

Here's my question: Are all Disney animated features (excluding Pixar) still told in musical form? I always forget when I go to watch one of these old Disney films that not only is it animated, but it's also loaded with songs. I haven't seen a new Disney movie since "The Lion King", perhaps and I know that too was a musical. What can I say about "Dumbo"? I'm a twenty-eight year old film lover and this is something that obviously wasn't meant to get me all giddy. It wasn't made for a man of my age and it's certainly not one that is aimed toward both adults and children. No, this one is strictly for kids or teenage girls who refuse to grow up. However, that psychedelic elephant scene is wild! Whoever came up with the idea to get a baby elephant drunk and then have him hallucinate pink elephants putting on a parade is quite possibly a genius. The only thing that could've made it better is if the scene was set to "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida" by Iron Butterfly. And I'm not even joking when I say that if Disney had cut this down to a short film about the mouse and the elephant getting snockered and then their visions, I'd have given it a '10' and found a spot for it on my next TOP 20.

RATING: 4/10 But, as it is, it's about a '4' from me. I think the only Disney film left in THE BOOK is "The Lion King" and I better get on that one before the vault is opened.

MOVIES WATCHED: 423
MOVIES LEFT TO WATCH: 578

April 9, 2012 3:51pm

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197. Monsieur Verdoux (1947)

Running Time: 124 minutes
Directed By: Charles Chaplin
Written By: Charles Chaplin
Main Cast: Charles Chaplin, Mady Correll, Audrey Betz, Martha Raye, Isobel Elsom
Click here to view the trailer

GOODBYE CHARLIE

I must admit that the prospect of a nearly two hour Chaplin comedy didn't really appeal to me, prior to watching "Monsieur Verdoux" last night. However, once again, I am completely wrong in judging this book by it's cover, as this was possibly the best Chaplin film I watched for THE BOOK.

Henri Verdoux (Chaplin) lives in France and up until three years ago, made his living as a bank clerk. It was then that he lost his position at the bank and was forced to find other means for supporting himself and his family. Verdoux lives in the South of France with his wife and young son and in order to support them, spends his time traveling around France, marrying widows and either conning them out of their money or murdering them to collect insurance and their assets. In addition to the wife that he acknowledges, Henri also maintains a second wife through the duration of the film, in the form of Annabella Bonheur (Raye). With her he pretends to be the Captain of a ship and thus has his excuse for being away so often. The film also follows Henri as he works to woo a third woman into being his wife, Ms. Marie Grosnay (Elsom). Add to that the Couvais family, who interact with police in hopes of helping to catch Verdoux, as their certain he's murdered their family member Thelma, another one of Henri's wives.

Perhaps I misspoke above and perhaps this isn't quite AS good as "The Gold Rush" and "Modern Times", but it is damn good and thank God Orson Welles sold the rights to the story to Chaplin (for a generous $5000, a hefty sum at the time) so that this film could be made by Charlie, into the black comedy that he envisioned. Sure, a two hour Chaplin film doesn't sound all that intoxicating, especially since I was used to ninety minutes or less when it came to Charlie's films, but this film uses it's time to perfection and everything makes sense. It's not just another comedy, but also provides a nice dose of suspense, some messages about current world affairs and is just a flat out, really good story. Take this line for example, something so poignant, that I'd never think to hear it in a Chaplin film:

Wars, conflict - it's all business. One murder makes a villain; millions, a hero. Numbers sanctify, my good fellow!

That line was spoken by Chaplin in the film and apparently he fell under heavy scrutiny by the U.S. and ultimately fled the United States completely in 1952, moving to Switzerland. "Monsieur Verdoux" proves that Chaplin didn't hit his peak with movies like "Modern Times" and "City Lights" but that he still had some spunk left in him well into the 1940s. This is a fantastic picture, one that Charlie was rightfully proud of and another reason I'm glad I'm making my journey through this book. It's gems like this that make it all worthwhile. Unfortunately, we're done with Charles Chaplin as it pertains to THE BOOK, but I look forward to seeing more of his films on my own time - "The Kid", "The Circus", "The Great Dictator", just to name a few.

RATING: 10/10 Screw it! I'm going all the way on this one. There wasn't anything bad about it and I this is the kind of movie that makes you glad you're a movie fan. It's one that can really sweep you away, pull you in and tell you a good story, filled with laughs, entertainment, suspense and heart.

MOVIES WATCHED: 422
MOVIES LEFT TO WATCH: 579

April 5, 2012 4:49pm

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