Reviews (16)

Hilarious!
Another downright funny Stan Laurel-Oliver Hardy classic that will keep you laughing so hard you'll barely be able to watch the show. Ollie, heartbroken, drags Stan with him to the French Foreign Legion, where it quickly becomes clear that they weren't meant to be soldiers. Hardy ends up making a horse of himself. Funny scene: the boys try to fly an airplane (with predictable results).

Laurel and Hardy at their most bleakly Beckettian.
'The Flying Deuces' plumbs depths of despair that almost reach the tragic pitch of a Buster Keaton. From the opening sequence, where a lovestruck Ollie has his marriage proposal turned down by a French waitress who laughs at him with her friends behind his back, the comedy is soured by very real pain. The rest of the film sees the pair trying to drown Ollie's sorrows, so, appropriately, images of water humorously recur. This is especially ironic in that the action's bulk is set in the Moroccan desert, with Laurel and Hardy joining the Foreign Legion, only for the duration needed, they think, for Ollie to 'forget'.

Perhaps the desert suggests the emotional barrenness searing Ollie's soul; perhaps the film is merely having a laugh at the contemporary FL hit 'Beau Geste'. In support of the former conjecture is the film's best sequence, which takes place just before they leave for Africa. Stan flippantly asks his miserable friend why he doesn't just drown himself. Ollie takes him up on the idea, but insists Stan join him - how could he live without his old comrade, people staring at him without Ollie there to 'explain'. The business with the Sisyphean rock-weight to which they are both tied; the intrusions of an escaped monster-shark; the discussions about reincarnation (Ollie wants to come back as a horse); and the prolonged leavetaking, all make it difficult to tell where comedy ends and tragedy begins.

The film is full of brilliantly resonant sequences and images like this, such as the laundry episode, Stan wandering through an endless vineyard of clotheslines, and ending up on a mountian full of dirty linen; or the boys trying to rest only to be barked at by guards who are precursors to Beckett's malevolently unseen authorities. The gloriously inappropriate musical interludes, such as a choreographed 'Shine On Harvest Moon' at the height of a chase sequence, includes Stan playing harp on the eve of their execution for desertion, the instrument ominously looking like a gallows with numerous 'strings'/nooses.

It's a shame the humour isn't up to the ideas (the script was co-written by Harry Langdon) - the sparse funny moments bejewel long stretches of tedium, and the film climaxes with an interminable action sequence that is neither exciting nor witty. Worse, the print's quality, even on supposedly 'restored' DVD, is atrocious and presumably irredeemable, full of scratches, black-outs and missing shots - anything longer than a mid-shot is an impenetrable blur. Yet even this flaw can add inadvertant eerieness to the film - when the boys are arrested, their faces disappear against the desert bleach, like a strange surrealist tableau, or a James Whale fantasy.

Note that this item from Kino is the RESTORED EDITION
Just an FYI: I notice a lot of reviews from earlier editions of "Flying Deuces" are turning up here... I just want to reiterate that THIS new version from Kino is RESTORED-- you won't see a better print of this movie unless one turns up after this is released. Ignore the reviews here that mention "Madacy," "Platinum," "Good Times," etc. ... this is the NEW Kino RESTORED version, and you're gonna' love it! :)

Finally, an excelleent print of this film!
There are many versions of "Flying Deueces" on the market since it is a public domain film. They range from atrocious to just okay. Finally, Kino does all U.S. Laurel & Hardy fans a service by releasing a stunning print first released a few months ago on DVD by a French company. I highly recommend it!

The film itself is fast-moving and highly amusing, as you'd expect from Laurel & Hardy. It has an interesting history-- the team did it away from their home studio in the midst of contract negotiations, and Hardy met his future wife while shooting-- she was a script girl on the set. It's one of my favorites. Also included are two Laurel & Hardy rarities: "The Stolen Jools," which was an all-star short featuring Laurel & Hardy as well as Edward G. Robsinson, Buster Keaton, the Our Gang ("Little Rascals") kids, Wallace Beary, Joan Crawford, Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. and more. The other rarity is "Tree in a Test Tube," one of only 2 films the team made in color (the other being the lost feature, "The Rogue Song"). This was a wartime short done for the government about the importance of wood.

With so little Laurel & Hardy available on DVD in the US, this is a welcome addition. Pick it up if you're looking for laughs, smiles and a bit of cinema history! :)

Vintage Laurel and Hardy
"The Flying Deuces" (1939) was the only non-Hal Roach production in which Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy maintained a fair amount of creative control -- a quality largely absent from most of their 1941-45 output. After leaving Roach in 1940, the team's brilliance was tarnished by Fox and MGM's assembly-line approach to visual comedy. It's a shame that independent producer Boris Morros and RKO didn't retain Stan and Ollie's services after the success of "The Flying Deuces," which is a minor classic in their filmography. Though lacking the high production values of the best Roach features, this Foreign Legion escapade remains a fast-paced romp with plenty of memorable routines and some charming musical interludes. Because of its public-domain status, "The Flying Deuces" is the most accessible Laurel and Hardy feature. As a result, there are numerous video releases that utilize re-edited, badly duped prints. The recent Alpha Video DVD is far from pristine, yet it offers the complete 69-minute feature. For once, the print quality is better than average while the soundtrack is fully synchronized. When you consider the plethora of budget DVDs on the market, the Alpha disc is among the better offerings. Hopefully, a first-generation 35mm print of "The Flying Deuces" will emerge on DVD in this lifetime. ... Read more

Amazon.com essential video

Louisa May Alcott's beloved story is one of the most-read novels ever written. It has also proved popular film and telefilm fodder (at least six versions plus a TV series). In addition, Little Women is one of those rare literary projects that can truly be done well on screen. This, the 1933 version, chronicles the lives and loves of sisters Jo, Meg, Amy, and Beth (played, respectively, by Katharine Hepburn, Frances Dee, Joan Bennett, and Jean Parker). It's a superior rendering to the amiable, perky 1949 version with June Allyson, Janet Leigh, Elizabeth Taylor, Margaret O'Brien, and Peter Lawford, and comparable to the beautiful, feminist Gillian Armstrong 1994 take. Douglass Montgomery's Laurie isn't nearly as dreamy as Christian Bale's (1994), but the lack of chemistry between him and Hepburn's Jo is perfect for the story, in which Jo loves him like a brother. Jo's real love she offers up to perhaps the finest Professor Bhaer (Paul Lukas). Character actress Edna May Oliver is at her indignant best as Aunt March. Director George Cukor's vision is elegant, warm, and as true to the original source material as 117 minutes allows. This Little Women was a huge box-office hit, and broke all the records to that time. --N.F. Mendoza ... Read more

Reviews (10)

EXCELLENT FAMILY FARE.
The simple classic tale, warm and human (and innocent) of how four girls grew up with their good times and their sad times. LITTLE WOMEN fully captures the joy and feeling of the classic 1868 classic by Louisa May Alcott. Katharine's playing of Jo is vibrant and she captures Jo's tomboy qualities yet also delicately projects the beauty and intellect of Jo as a woman and budding writer. Paul Lukas made the German professor both manly and tenderly lovable. Spring Byington, as Marmee, is the only one who seems to have stepped out of an old-fashioned Sunday School book - she's unmistakably smug, and proud of it. Highly episodic, the movie focuses on the characters without slavishly following a plot. The very young Joan Bennett is terrific as Amy, who's ever scheming for the "good life" and Douglass Montgomery has the boundless energy needed in his playing of Laurie. A must-see for the fans of Alcott and Hepburn while others will find it enjoyable as a family film.

Hepburn heads cast of best film version of "Little Women"
This 1933 version of Louisa May Alcott's Civil-War era classic remains the best film version of "Little Women." After all, it offers Katharine Hepburn as Jo March, whereas later versions have offered June Allyson, Meredith Baxter Birney (for TV), and Winona Ryder in her place (Although Claire Dane's deathbed scene in the 1994 version is magnificent). But the entire cast of this film is superb from top to bottom: Joan Bennett as Amy, Jean Park as Beth, Frances Dee as Meg, and Spring Byington as Marmee, with Paul Lukas as Professor Bhaer, Douglass Montgomery as Laurie, and Edna May Oliver threatening to steal every scene she is in as Aunt March.

Hepburn won the Cannes International Film Festival award as Best Actress of 1934, and it seems reasonable to suggest that her performance in "Little Women" helped Hepburn win her first Academy Award for "Morning Glory," which had come out the previous year (much as Diane Keaton was helped by having done "Saving Mr. Goodbar" the same year as "Annie Hall" when she won her Oscar). "Little Women" was nominated for Best Picture that year, because the team behind the camera of this RKO film was equally as strong. The film was produced by David O'Selznick and director George Cukor was nominated for an Oscar as well, although surprisingly none of the actors received nominations. The film's one award went to Y. Mason and Victor Heerman, who most deservedly won for Best Screenplay Adaptation.

This is arguably Hepburn's best performance in her first dozen films, although some dismiss it as being too close to home for the actress. It would be decades before critics decided that when Katharine Hepburn played herself no one could equal her, and "Little Women" certainly foreshadows her later successes. It would be nice if at least the sound on this 67 year old film could be restored, but if you can get past it being in black and white this is the "Little Women" to show your children.

Note: Interesting that this video tape is not currently available by itself, but it is as part of a three tape set of Hepburn films. Hmmmm.

BEAUTIFUL ADAPTATION OF A BELOVED BOOK...
Based upon Louisa May Alcott's beloved book of the same name, this black and white film lovingly captures its charm. It is also a pretty faithful adaptation of Ms. Alcott's classic. Though there may be a half dozen adaptations, of the three that I have seen this one is, undoubtedly, the best. Its writing deservedly won the Academy Award in 1933 for Best Screenplay Adaptation. It is unfortunate, however, that although the film was also nominated for the Best Picture Award, it lost to "Cavalcade", a largely forgotten, lesser film.

Deftly directed by George Cukor, the film tells the story of the March family, whose patriarch has gone off to fight in the Union Army during the Civil War. Mrs. March is left to raise her four daughters, Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy, in nineteenth century New England. The film focuses on the personal interactions family members have with each other, as well as with their friends and neighbors, in order to create a portrait of an idealized, loving family held together during trying times. It is also a very poignant coming of age film.

The film primarily revolves around the March sisters, with the focus on independent and headstrong Jo, an aspiring writer, as well as a tomboy and second oldest of the four sisters. In addition to the March family, a wealthy neighbor's nephew, Laurie, plays a prominent role in the life of the March family, with a lesser one played by the family's wealthy Aunt March.

This film is beautifully cast, with a luminous Katherine Hepburn perfect in the lead role. As Jo March, Ms. Hepburn captures the essence of this beloved character. Feisty, independent, loving, and intelligent, her characterization of Jo is inspired, though Ms. Hepburn may not have strayed too far from her own persona.

Spring Byington is wonderful as mother to the March daughters, while Frances Dee, Jean Parker, and Joan Bennett are uniformly excellent in the respective roles of Meg, Beth, and Amy, the sisters whom Jo so dearly loves. Douglass Montgomery is superb as Laurie, Jo's best friend, though his painted lips and shadowed eyelids are a bit anachronistic and a style holdover from the silent screen era.

Paul Lukas is endearing as the Professor, Jo's mature love interest. Henry Stephensen is effective as the generous, elderly neighbor, Mr. James Lawrence, uncle to Laurie. Veteran character actress, Edna Mae Oliver, rounds out this superlative cast as cantankerous Aunt March and shamelessly steals every scene in which she appears.

This is a wonderful vintage film that would be a welcome addition to the personal collection of those who love beautifully made, classic films. Bravo!

Katharine Hepburn is Great
one of my favorite movies. Katharine Hepburn is awsome. So is everyone eles. Lines from the actual book are included in the movie.

Kate and Jo
Katherine Hepburn brings the Little Women heroine Jo March alive in a portrayal that truly does justice to the Jo that Louisa May Alcott wrote. Courageous and creative, but socially awkward, Jo charms us with her tomboy attempts to deal with adolescence during the difficulties of the Civil War. Though a film is of necessity a rather shortened version of a book, the essential feel of the book is intact in this film version. ... Read more

Reviews (11)

Western Noir
This could be the best western I have ever seen. Mostly because of its noir elements and absolutely standout performances, especially by Gregory Peck as the haunted gunfighter trying to leave his past behind, and by Millard Mitchell as his old partner-in-crime-turned-sheriff. I knew immediately upon watching this for the first time tonight that this was not your typical western. It quietly conveys doom almost from the beginning. I sensed a bleak outlook for Peck's character, Jimmy Ringo, from the start, and the movie conveys this mood very subtly throughout, building to the inevitable conclusion in understated and graceful tones.

That said, this movie has several very brief but very humorous moments that had me laughing outright because they caught me completely off guard. These humorous snippets will pass you by completely if you're not watching closely. And even if you are watching closely, they are so understated that you still could miss them. I'll give you a few of these scenes to watch for: When the old man comes in to talk to the sheriff (while the sheriff is talking to Ringo) to tell him someone set his house on fire (spot-on comedic timing by all concerned), when the kid who wants to gun down Ringo comes in for a haircut, makes boasts, then leaves. After he leaves, one of the men in the shop makes a comment (again, perfect timing). There's about three more that I noticed, but there could be more. As I said, it flies by so naturally, I'm guessing most people wouldn't notice it. Very subtle humor.

But this film is a strange sort of tragedy first and foremost, and the noirish element is definitely prominent throughout. It's amazing to me that all the actors' performances are toned down so far that they hardly move at times, and yet these performances are some of the most powerful I've ever seen. Director Henry King should have gotten an award for creating this masterpiece of understatement. If you're a fan of westerns or noir, you can't go wrong. A unique classic.

Great Peck Highlight
For a Western "The Gunfighter" is a little claustrophobic; it looks like a filmed stage play. But the performances and script are so great this drawback is turned into a virtue. Having just gunned another man in a barroom dispute, Gregory Peck is marooned in his friend marshall Millard Mitchell's village where Peck's estranged wife and son also live, perhaps under Mitchell's protection. The relatives of Peck's latest kill are also after him. It's a fascinating study of how reputation, good or bad, can trap a person in a life he may grow to detest. The climax is a little pat but the whole package is a great movie.

Old gunfighters can't just fade away
Gregory Peck in The Gunfighter, plays Jimmie Ringo, a lanky Texan acknowledged to be the fastest gun in the West. The trouble is that Peck has grown weary of having to prove his mettle time and time again. He is headed home to Cayenne to reunite with his wife and young son from whom he has been estranged for eight years.

Along the dusty trail, he stops to rest and quench his thirst at a saloon, where he is soon recognized by the locals. While minding his own business he is coaxed into a gun duel with a young, snotty and irksome Richard Jaeckel. Jaeckel unfortunately wins the silver medal in that battle. Word gets out and Peck is soon stalked by Jaeckel's three brothers.

Peck slows the brothers down by scaring off their horses on the route to Cayenne. This gives him a small window of opportunity to convince his wife to re-establish the family. He arrives in town and learns that the town marshall is none other than his old partner Mark Strett played by a sympathetic Millard Mitchell. Peck refuses to leave town until Mitchell brokers a deal to allow Peck to meet with his wife and son. The movie ends in the only way that these kind of movies could possibly end in 1950.

'BIG TOUGH GUNNEY'
THIS IS THE FILM THAT 'HIGH NOON' ASPIRED TO BE BUT FAILED.
AS MUCH AS I LOVE WESTERNS AND AS HIGHLY AS I REGARD GARY COOPER, 'NOON' JUST DIDNT CUT THE MUSTARD, BUT PECKS 'GUNFIGHTER' DID.

NO, BY TODAYS STANDARDS THIS CLASSIC PROBABLY IS PERCIEVED BY SOME AS SLOW, INDOORSY AND TRITE. BUT THIS IS ONE YOU HAVE TO WATCH WITH YOUR HEART.

PECK IS AN AGING GUNMAN WHO REGRETS HIS PAST AND IS PUSHING TOWARD A FUTURE THAT HE HOPES WILL INCLUDE HIS WIFE AND SON. HIS WIFE IS A SCHOOL MARM WHO GOES BY AN ALIAS FOR OBVIOUS REASONS. AND THE BOY DOESNT KNOW THAT THE CELEBRATED OUTLAW IS DEAR OL, DAD. BUT AS PECKS CHARACTER ATTEMPTS TO ARRANGE A FAMILY REUNION, THE FAMILY OF A MAN PECK WAS FORCED TO KILL IS HOT ON HIS TRAIL. THEREIN LIES THE KIND OF SIMPLISTIC PLOT THAT GREAT WESTERNS ARE KNOWN FOR.

AUDIENCES IN 1950 DIDNT CARE FOR PECK'S MUSTASHE AND THE FILM WAS NOT OVER PATRONIZED.

THIS MOVIE IS FOR THE INTELLIGENT, THINKING VIEWER WHO IS MORE INTO THE CHARACTERS THAN THE ACTION.

THE CHARACTER OF MARSHAL MARK STRETT IS EFFECTIVELY PORTRAYED AND THE DIALOGUE IS QUALITY AND GENUINE.

THIS IS MY PERSONAL FAVORITE OF THE OFFERINGS BY GREG PECK, AND GIVEN THE OVERALL QUALITY OF HIS WORK I THINK THAT SAYS A LOT.

FROM WHAT I UNDERSTAND THIS WAS ALSO PECKS FAVORITE SELF WORK AS WELL.

IN THE FINALLY PECK'S GUNMAN IS AMBUSHED BY A YOUNG PUNK LOOKING TO CASH IN ON THE VETERAN'S FAME. THE MARSHAL WANTS TO SEE THE BOY HANG BUT THE DYING GUNFIGHTERS LAST REQUEST IS TO LET THE KID GO ON BEING A "BIG TOUGH GUNNEY" SO THAT THE MISCREANT CAN LIVE A LIFE OF PAIN AND MISERY AWAITING HIS OWN UNTIMELY END.

THIS LITTLE FILM ADEQUATELY TELLS THE STORY THAT SO MANY OTHERS ATTEMPT TO BUT DONT QUITE GET IT DONE. AT ANY RATE 'THE GUNFIGHTER' IS AN ENTERTAINING PLAY THAT UNFORTUANTELY WAS FAR AHEAD OF ITS TIME.

A superlative Hollywood Western... highly recommended!
Wow. One of the best westerns I've ever seen, that's for sure. Everything about this film is spot-on perfect, from the cinematography and acting to the costuming, sound, blocking and general attention to detail... not to mention the script! Gregory Peck stars as Jimmy Ringo, the fastest gun in the West, now turning to middle age, and ready to give up the life of a violent roustabout. The trouble is, of course, that everywhere he goes, people know and fear him, and every would-be badman in the territory wants to knock him down a peg or two. It's an old story, repeated in numerous pulps, films, dime novels and comicbooks over the years, but probably never as tersely and tensely as here. Honestly, there's not a false or flat moment in this film; director Henry King delivers a mournful masterpiece, and Peck is stunning in his role as a weatherbeaten, tired old gunny who'd gladly chuck it all in, if it weren't for the burdensome reputation he'd spent his entire youth building. Fans of the "Lonesome Dove" series should recognize the imprint of Jimmy Ringo, and his erstwhile pal, now the town marshall, Mark Strett (played perfectly by Millard Mitchell), two old-timers who know that the hard life isn't really as glamourous as most folks think. Highly recommended. ... Read more

Reviews (10)

An Underappreciated Capra Classic
I love this movie. All of Frank Capra's films are great, but this is the one I like the most(this and YOU CAN'T TAKE IT WITH YOU). It's a wonderful story of a "woman of the street" trying to put on a good show for her daughter when she comes to visit(and introduce her fiance). It's a touching and funny film and goes sadly unheralded(at least Criterion released in on laserdisc). I often think of it in the same class with the Barbara Stanwyck classic, STELLA DALLAS. A must for any classic film fan, an absolute must.

The 1933 Columbia Pictures logo
LADY FOR A DAY is worth seeing if only to see that 1933 Columbia Pictures logo which introduces the film. This movie deserves a cluster of stars, the Frank Capra 50 star rendition of Damon Runyon's wonderfully Broadway story of Apple Annie. The characters are in the tradition of the Lemon Drop Kid--Moose Moran, and Oxford Charlie; in this movie it's Dave the Dude. Dude, played by Warren William, is portrayed as Runyon would have expected him to be portrayed. And what a supporting cast to "Apple Annie," May Robson; cast including Walter Connolly as the Spanish Count, and Ned Sparks, with his monotone delivery, is Dude's mobster sidekick. Of course the brassy, nightclub bombshell, moll-to-be Glenda Farrell rounded out the bunch of Broadway mugs. It just wouldn't have been a 1930s Manhattan movie without the New York celebrities including Irish cops, the Mayor and Governor. Their evening police escort with motorcycle sirens and headlamps blazing was in the Grand B movie tradition for a Grand A movie. It was a fairy tale as weren't all of Damon Runyon's tales? Well written, well cast, well done. Take it from Dude's muscle-man, Shakespeare, "Ee-say, is-thay, ovie-may-- Or else! Yer may find yerself takin' a ride up tah 42nd Street.

The rating is for the DVD
I should have listened to the other person who mentioned scratches on the movie. However, while he found them only slightly distracting...I found them to be so disruptive that I lost track of the movie. This print was transferred from a copy that had severe sprocket tooth scratches. These scratches lasted for almost 20 minutes.

While my rating of the movie itself would be 3-4 stars, I cannot recommend...even to fans of the movie...to buy this copy. I wouldn't even be happy if I had bought it for under 10 bucks....but at this steep price, I advise against it.

A Good Capra DVD
Lady for a Day is a fine Capra film. The story concerns a street vendor Apple Annie (May Robson) who has deceived her daughter that she is a High Society lady. The daughter, who has been living in Spain, decides to visit and what's more brings along her prospective fiancé plus his father, a Spanish count. So as not to scupper her daughter's marriage, Annie must enlist the help of her underworld friends to continue the deception. The film is at times very funny with a tone which looks ahead to the Screwball comedies of the later thirties. It is also often rather moving, with May Robson's terrific performance eliciting a great deal of sympathy. The rest of the cast is equally fine. Warren William as Dave the Dude is that most unusual of characters a gangster with a heart of gold. Guy Kibbee, familiar from so many thirties films, is always fun to watch. This time he plays a pool shark who agrees to pretend he is Apple Annie husband. Jean Parker, as Apple Annie's daughter Louise, will be familiar to anyone who has seen the 1933 version of Little Women in which she plays Beth. Her role in Lady for a Day could hardly match that role, but she still performs well with her memorably unusual voice. She also looks absolutely stunning. It's even possible to glimpse a young Ward Bond, as a policeman on a horse, obtaining an apple from Annie.

The print used for the Image DVD is not perfect. The main problem is that towards the end of the film, the right hand edge of the picture has been damaged so that white marks appear on the print. This only affects a small portion of the picture, but it is a little bit distracting. For the most part however, the print is clear and sharp. Even when there is some damage, the rest of the picture is fine. I have seen any number of thirties and forties films which have survived in worse condition than Lady for a Day. Moreover the sound quality on this DVD is above average for a film from this period. The wonderful dialogue is easily audible and the soundtrack has very little background noise. As an extra the DVD includes a commentary by Frank Capra Junior. This is a DVD which Capra fans should enjoy.

stay away
This wonderful film is a total disaster in its DVD format. Frank Capra Junior calls it a restored print which is a joke. The film is often dark, details are hard to see and there are sprocket holes, white spots and all kinds of detractions in the film. How could Image and Capra release this mess on DVD! This outstanding film deserves much better than is offered. ... Read more

Reviews (10)

EXCELLENT FAMILY FARE.
The simple classic tale, warm and human (and innocent) of how four girls grew up with their good times and their sad times. LITTLE WOMEN fully captures the joy and feeling of the classic 1868 classic by Louisa May Alcott. Katharine's playing of Jo is vibrant and she captures Jo's tomboy qualities yet also delicately projects the beauty and intellect of Jo as a woman and budding writer. Paul Lukas made the German professor both manly and tenderly lovable. Spring Byington, as Marmee, is the only one who seems to have stepped out of an old-fashioned Sunday School book - she's unmistakably smug, and proud of it. Highly episodic, the movie focuses on the characters without slavishly following a plot. The very young Joan Bennett is terrific as Amy, who's ever scheming for the "good life" and Douglass Montgomery has the boundless energy needed in his playing of Laurie. A must-see for the fans of Alcott and Hepburn while others will find it enjoyable as a family film.

Hepburn heads cast of best film version of "Little Women"
This 1933 version of Louisa May Alcott's Civil-War era classic remains the best film version of "Little Women." After all, it offers Katharine Hepburn as Jo March, whereas later versions have offered June Allyson, Meredith Baxter Birney (for TV), and Winona Ryder in her place (Although Claire Dane's deathbed scene in the 1994 version is magnificent). But the entire cast of this film is superb from top to bottom: Joan Bennett as Amy, Jean Park as Beth, Frances Dee as Meg, and Spring Byington as Marmee, with Paul Lukas as Professor Bhaer, Douglass Montgomery as Laurie, and Edna May Oliver threatening to steal every scene she is in as Aunt March.

Hepburn won the Cannes International Film Festival award as Best Actress of 1934, and it seems reasonable to suggest that her performance in "Little Women" helped Hepburn win her first Academy Award for "Morning Glory," which had come out the previous year (much as Diane Keaton was helped by having done "Saving Mr. Goodbar" the same year as "Annie Hall" when she won her Oscar). "Little Women" was nominated for Best Picture that year, because the team behind the camera of this RKO film was equally as strong. The film was produced by David O'Selznick and director George Cukor was nominated for an Oscar as well, although surprisingly none of the actors received nominations. The film's one award went to Y. Mason and Victor Heerman, who most deservedly won for Best Screenplay Adaptation.

This is arguably Hepburn's best performance in her first dozen films, although some dismiss it as being too close to home for the actress. It would be decades before critics decided that when Katharine Hepburn played herself no one could equal her, and "Little Women" certainly foreshadows her later successes. It would be nice if at least the sound on this 67 year old film could be restored, but if you can get past it being in black and white this is the "Little Women" to show your children.

Note: Interesting that this video tape is not currently available by itself, but it is as part of a three tape set of Hepburn films. Hmmmm.

BEAUTIFUL ADAPTATION OF A BELOVED BOOK...
Based upon Louisa May Alcott's beloved book of the same name, this black and white film lovingly captures its charm. It is also a pretty faithful adaptation of Ms. Alcott's classic. Though there may be a half dozen adaptations, of the three that I have seen this one is, undoubtedly, the best. Its writing deservedly won the Academy Award in 1933 for Best Screenplay Adaptation. It is unfortunate, however, that although the film was also nominated for the Best Picture Award, it lost to "Cavalcade", a largely forgotten, lesser film.

Deftly directed by George Cukor, the film tells the story of the March family, whose patriarch has gone off to fight in the Union Army during the Civil War. Mrs. March is left to raise her four daughters, Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy, in nineteenth century New England. The film focuses on the personal interactions family members have with each other, as well as with their friends and neighbors, in order to create a portrait of an idealized, loving family held together during trying times. It is also a very poignant coming of age film.

The film primarily revolves around the March sisters, with the focus on independent and headstrong Jo, an aspiring writer, as well as a tomboy and second oldest of the four sisters. In addition to the March family, a wealthy neighbor's nephew, Laurie, plays a prominent role in the life of the March family, with a lesser one played by the family's wealthy Aunt March.

This film is beautifully cast, with a luminous Katherine Hepburn perfect in the lead role. As Jo March, Ms. Hepburn captures the essence of this beloved character. Feisty, independent, loving, and intelligent, her characterization of Jo is inspired, though Ms. Hepburn may not have strayed too far from her own persona.

Spring Byington is wonderful as mother to the March daughters, while Frances Dee, Jean Parker, and Joan Bennett are uniformly excellent in the respective roles of Meg, Beth, and Amy, the sisters whom Jo so dearly loves. Douglass Montgomery is superb as Laurie, Jo's best friend, though his painted lips and shadowed eyelids are a bit anachronistic and a style holdover from the silent screen era.

Paul Lukas is endearing as the Professor, Jo's mature love interest. Henry Stephensen is effective as the generous, elderly neighbor, Mr. James Lawrence, uncle to Laurie. Veteran character actress, Edna Mae Oliver, rounds out this superlative cast as cantankerous Aunt March and shamelessly steals every scene in which she appears.

This is a wonderful vintage film that would be a welcome addition to the personal collection of those who love beautifully made, classic films. Bravo!

Katharine Hepburn is Great
one of my favorite movies. Katharine Hepburn is awsome. So is everyone eles. Lines from the actual book are included in the movie.

Kate and Jo
Katherine Hepburn brings the Little Women heroine Jo March alive in a portrayal that truly does justice to the Jo that Louisa May Alcott wrote. Courageous and creative, but socially awkward, Jo charms us with her tomboy attempts to deal with adolescence during the difficulties of the Civil War. Though a film is of necessity a rather shortened version of a book, the essential feel of the book is intact in this film version. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

An unusual politcal drama from the Great Depression
A somewhat bizarre Depression-era political drama, which transforms the Capra-style populist comedy into a grim, protofascist litany. And I don't use the term "fascist" lightly -- it's meant quite literally. Walter Huston stars as Judson Hammond, a newly elected Republican President, appropriately cynical and snugly placed in the pockets of big business, who faces the same challenges as Roosevelt did in '32, namely, the continuing misery of the Great Depression and the disaffection and anger of millions of working class poor. Hammond has no intention of meeting any of his lofty campaign promises, and sees the Presidency itself as a bit of a lark. An ardent isolationist, he even jeers at the congratulatory telegrams sent to him by other world leaders ("Siam? Where's that?" he asks, in an early scene, prompting an easy comparison to our own geographically-challenged G.W. Bush, back in the days of the 2000 campaign...)

Everything changes, however, when Hammond has an automobile-related brush with death, and comes back from the brink with a newfound commitment to saving his fellow man. Initially his impulses are markedly Rooseveltian -- he asks Congress to authorize a gigantic public works program to get the working poor back on their feet, and fires any of his old cronies who object. Faced with a backlash from his own party, and legislative opposition in Congress, he counters the accusation that he seeks to become a tyrant by embracing the idea, claiming that a benevolent dictatorship is more moral than neglecting the interests of "the People." Later, as he confronts an ongoing wave of gangster-related violence, Hammond takes a can-do attitude, and annihilates a Mob boss who won't buckle under... The scene in which the criminal kingpin is sentenced to die is spectacularly fascistic: Hammond's aide-de-camp (played by an under-used Franchot Tone), dressed in a gleaming military outfit, sits behind a huge Greco-Roman, art deco tribunal bench, and ardently praises Hammond's ability to "cut through the red tape of legal procedures and get back to the first principles -- an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, a life for a life." Finally, Hammond uses a gigantic display of American military power to blackmail and intimidate the other nations into disarming, summoning an apocalyptic (and sadly, somewhat prophetic) vision of the horrors that await the world if the arms race should continue.

The film is quite remarkable in its outright emulation of fascistic, authoritarian politics, and is unlike practically any other American political film of the era (which were much more prone to upholding the nation's fundamental democratic ideals). Still, it does capture the zeitgeist of the times -- the anxiety and desperation, the urge to find stability and salvation, and the fear of a renewed global war -- it just comes down on a side which didn't get much credence on this side of the Atlantic. Admittedly, this film is a dramatic failure -- for one thing, Huston was a horrid actor; and secondly the script is a bit brusque, talky and shrill -- but historically speaking, it's a fascinating document and deserves consideration in that regard. Those who see it as a parable for the New Deal are sadly mistaken, however -- I think the film's creators may have been far more enamored of Mussolini than they were of good old FDR, who actually did pull us back from the brink.

In the 1930's MGM was a movie assembly line, just
cranking out one movie after another. This one, at first, kind of flew under the radar. It was released at a sensitive time, that is, the start of FDR's administration & the "New Deal".
A dispicable man is elected president, a puppet to his powerfull rich friends & the politicians of his party thet helped him get elected(Republican?). How this happens isn't made clear. MGM hated wasting time on exposition in it's movies. This president is totally corrupt cares nothing for the people except to exploit their misery & enrich his cronies.
He suffers a life threatening injury & is visited by the arch-angel, Gabriel. This is a life changing experience & he becomes a changed man, taking on dictatorial powers. He feeds the starving masses, solves unemployment, wipes out organized crime & with the help of the military, forces peace on the rest of the world.
There is a scene on the waterfront. He has gangland criminals lined up to be shot, without due process. The Statue of Liberty is framed in the background. Quite effective.

The Spirit that watches over the Republic
Based on the popular novel of the early Great Depression this is a rather unique tale of a cheap, corrupt political crook who becomes President of the United States- only to become possessed by the spirit of the archangel Gabriel. It is hinted at, that this is the same spirit that moved Abraham Lincoln.

The country in this tale is in deep crisis. Economic collapse has left millions unemployed- millions on the point of starvation. The political bosses cynically ignore the crisis. The military make plans to cut down the million unemployed men who start a great march on Washington. Crime bosses play on the corruption and misery to become still richer.

And then a spirit enters a President that has otherwise been the most inadequate of men, the most unworthy of stewards. In short order, the poor are fed, the unemployed are put back to work, the bosses are forced to resign, the military is forced to help, the crime bosses are lined up and shot, even the war-mongering nations of the world are forced into signing a Pax Americana at the threat of overwhelming American strength of arms.

Yes, this film does uncannily presage many actions of the Roosevelt administration from the Civilian Conservation Corps to the fireside chats. The death of the president at the moment of his greatest triumph over the Europeans is also here. Maybe, this was deliberate propaganda- or maybe not. In any case, I like it. May the spirit of Gabriel return to the White House soon....

extraordinary fascist wish fulfillment
This is an amazing film, which should be viewed by every history student. Made shortly after the Crash, this film glorifies a despotic (and angel anointed) presidency that uses military might to further seemingly reasonable goals. And sure enough, the wish was granted in the election of an imperial president who ruled for 4 terms, tempered only by the checks and balances of the constitution. An remarkable example of the ability of cinema to tap into the dark dreams of a nation in crisis.

PLEASINGLY DATED "NEW DEAL" FANTASY.
A crook becomes President and mysteriously reforms...Definitely a curiousity from the thirties: this is a bizarre but wholly fascinting film. Because of the honest performance of the great Walter Huston, this was a big springtime hit in 1933. Much of the story first indicts the Republican administrations which had occupied the White House, notably that of Warren G. Harding's. Later on, it takes on the newly appointed personality of the Roosevelt adiministration: this wasn't a fluke: William Randolph Hearst, the newspaper czar, urged producer Wanger to put this on film. When Wanger - worried about what his boss, M-G-M mogul Mayer would say - Production chief Irving Thalberg replied "Don't worry about him". At the time, Louis B. Mayer despised Roosevelt (although he later supported him) and wanted the film to be canned. But Mayer really didn't have the power to shelve the film. Almost eerily, Huston is seen addressing the US via radio broadcasts: a preview of FDR's famed Fireside Chats! Enjoy! ... Read more

Reviews (2)

APACHE UPRISING
I THINK THAT GUY SHOULD BE SHT FOR SAYING THAT IS NOT GOOD MOVIE I THINK IT IS AN GOOD ONE THAT ALL I GOT TO SAY

Apache Uprising
an excellent movie - definately THE BEST western i have seen for an awful long time. the suspense, shoot-outs, cast and unbelievable acting all made the 90mins of watching well worth it. the fact that jim walker could interpret the almost unintelligable ramblings of the dying apache chief shows the sheer intellegence of the movie. vance was depicted very clearly as an evil person, and the scar under his eye looked soooo realistic. the stage wagon scenes where well shot, it was almost impossible to tell that the background was not real.

LOOK, THIS MOVIE WAS REALLY CRAP...IT IS THE DODGIEST B-GRADE WESTERN AROUND. IF I WAS YOU, I WOULDN'T WASTE MY $9.95 UNLESS YOU ARE IN FOR A GOOD LAUGH - AND NOT AT THE HUMOUR OF THE MOVIE!!! I ONLY SAT THROUGH THE ORDEAL OF WATCHING THE MOVIE BECAUSE I WAS SICK AND COULDN'T REACH THE REMOTE! ... Read more

Reviews (5)

A marvelous, enchanting fantasy-comedy
Of all the great European directors who came to Hollywood in the thirties and forties, René Clair may have enjoyed the most successful exile, directing the classics I MARRIED A WITCH and AND THEN THERE WERE NONE. But, before traveling from Paris over the Atlantic to the New World, Clair enjoyed a brief sojourn in Great Britain, where he made this marvelous and unjustly neglected comedy.

The plot is simple: a land rich/cash poor Scotsman sells the family castle to a rich American millionaire, who has the castle moved to the US stone by stone. The difficulty is that the castle is haunted, and the ghost moves with the castle to its new locale. We therefore get a ghost fantasy with a different twist: a ghost has to deal with culture shock.

For me, three things make this film stand out. First, Robert Donat is marvelous as the ghost/impoverished seller. Had Donat lived later in the 20th century, he would have been far, far more successful as an actor, and infinitely more active. Donat suffered from nearly debilitating asthma condition that severely limited his screen appearances (as well as some serious stage fright, or, in this case, screen fright). This performance is one of his finest. Second, Eugene Pallette enjoys one of his greatest roles. Pallette is perhaps best known as Friar Tuck in the Errol Flynn THE ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD, and almost as well known in THE LADY EVE and MY MAN GODFREY. He actually appeared in a vast number of films from the beginning of the silent era all the way to his death in 1946. Yet, his major roles were relatively few. I find his stern scowl, rotund physique, and softhearted core to be enchanting. The third reason the film succeeds is the deft and light-hearted direction of René Clair. Partly because he suffered a sharp post-WW II decline, Clair is not as fondly remembered as he ought to be. He directed the two Hollywood classic I mentioned above, but was even better in the early 1930s, directing in France such masterpieces as SOUS LES TOITS DE PARIS and À NOUS LA LIBERTE, as well as one of my all time favorite films, the utterly delightful musical LE MILLION.

GLORIOUS GHOST COMEDY.
This somewhat crude, frolicsome satire on America was written by the the great playwright Robert E. Sherwood and was directed by the esteemed Rene Clair: A rich American, played by basso-voiced Eugene Pallette, buys Glourie Castle in Scotland (complete with it's miserable ghostly inhabitant) and has it dismantled and shipped across the Atlantic to Sunnymeade, Florida where it's reconstructed complete with plumbing and electricity...The movie is very lucky in its star: Robert Donat brings elegance and his melancholy face and voice to the dual role of Donald Glourie and Murdoch Glourie, his phantom ancestor - and, intermittently, he redeems the action. Elsa Lanchester and Jean Parker are amusing in this mid-thirties frolic in which Americans were poked fun at. They took the barbs good-naturedly and loved the film; it was a very popular picture at the box-office.

Robert Donat compelling and unforgettable as ghost!
This very funny and delightful movie directed by the eminent Rene Clair provides the viewer with a wonderful premise: American businessman Mr. Martin purchases, Glourie Castle in Scotland, which is pulled down. And carefully transported to the U.S. where it will be rebuilt stone by stone. With it goes the ghost of Murdoch Glourie who was cursed to haunt his castle.

It features one of my favourite actors, the late Robert Donat (who died in 1958 of asthma) in a dual role as the eighteenth century ghost of Murdoch Glourie and his modern day descendant Donald. Donat is excellent and portrays an unforgettable hero. Truly ghostly, rakish, humorous but with a great allure. Although Donald is less interesting as a character, he has his moments towards the end of this production. But it's the ghost who riveted my attention. Eugene Pallette's Mr. Martin is hilarious. Further the ladies parts played by Jean Parker and Elsa Lanchester are sympathetic, but I nevertheless missed a compelling female lead here.

Stereotypes about Scotland and America are played out with great relish and provide many of the chuckles. I only wish there had been more scenes with Murdoch. Since he and Mr. Martin easily steal every scene they're in.

'The ghost goes west' is definitely a keeper for me, this due to the excellent performances by Robert Donat and Eugene Pallette.

Donat X 2
Robert Donat plays a threadbare young Scot forced to sell the family castle and also plays his two-hundred-year-old ghostly ancestor, uprooted when the castle is sold and moved, "stone by stone and panel by panel," to Florida. Eugene Pallette, best known as the long-suffering father in "My Man Godfrey," is a much more buoyant personality in this film, but Jean Parker, a sort of low-rent Jean Arthur, is sweet but a bit washed-out as the love interest. Elsa Lanchester makes maximum impact in the bit part of a richly contemptuous psychic investigator, a role apparently trimmed. (Listen closely, and you'll notice her character's name is mentioned in the ship sequence.) The music is a bit sparse, but well used when it IS used. Most of the comedy is provided by amusing but predictable satire of Scottish and American national character, and there are some moments of sublime silliness. Donat provides the rest of the sublimity. His modern self is a rather dull fellow, but the ghost is a keeper, in full Highland dress, and with both a spectral gravity and an impish charm left over from his pre-limbo womanizing. Over the years I think I've even finally answered the riddle: "What is the difference between a thistle in the heather and a kiss in the dark?" K-I-L-L-I-E-C-R-A---

Charming and Delightful
This film ranks as one of my favorites. Whenever I want to forget the world and lapse into total relaxation this is one of my first choices. It's short and charming, and the Ghost is one of the most irrestible gentlemen that I have ever seen on film. ... Read more

Reviews (16)

Hilarious!
Another downright funny Stan Laurel-Oliver Hardy classic that will keep you laughing so hard you'll barely be able to watch the show. Ollie, heartbroken, drags Stan with him to the French Foreign Legion, where it quickly becomes clear that they weren't meant to be soldiers. Hardy ends up making a horse of himself. Funny scene: the boys try to fly an airplane (with predictable results).

Laurel and Hardy at their most bleakly Beckettian.
'The Flying Deuces' plumbs depths of despair that almost reach the tragic pitch of a Buster Keaton. From the opening sequence, where a lovestruck Ollie has his marriage proposal turned down by a French waitress who laughs at him with her friends behind his back, the comedy is soured by very real pain. The rest of the film sees the pair trying to drown Ollie's sorrows, so, appropriately, images of water humorously recur. This is especially ironic in that the action's bulk is set in the Moroccan desert, with Laurel and Hardy joining the Foreign Legion, only for the duration needed, they think, for Ollie to 'forget'.

Perhaps the desert suggests the emotional barrenness searing Ollie's soul; perhaps the film is merely having a laugh at the contemporary FL hit 'Beau Geste'. In support of the former conjecture is the film's best sequence, which takes place just before they leave for Africa. Stan flippantly asks his miserable friend why he doesn't just drown himself. Ollie takes him up on the idea, but insists Stan join him - how could he live without his old comrade, people staring at him without Ollie there to 'explain'. The business with the Sisyphean rock-weight to which they are both tied; the intrusions of an escaped monster-shark; the discussions about reincarnation (Ollie wants to come back as a horse); and the prolonged leavetaking, all make it difficult to tell where comedy ends and tragedy begins.

The film is full of brilliantly resonant sequences and images like this, such as the laundry episode, Stan wandering through an endless vineyard of clotheslines, and ending up on a mountian full of dirty linen; or the boys trying to rest only to be barked at by guards who are precursors to Beckett's malevolently unseen authorities. The gloriously inappropriate musical interludes, such as a choreographed 'Shine On Harvest Moon' at the height of a chase sequence, includes Stan playing harp on the eve of their execution for desertion, the instrument ominously looking like a gallows with numerous 'strings'/nooses.

It's a shame the humour isn't up to the ideas (the script was co-written by Harry Langdon) - the sparse funny moments bejewel long stretches of tedium, and the film climaxes with an interminable action sequence that is neither exciting nor witty. Worse, the print's quality, even on supposedly 'restored' DVD, is atrocious and presumably irredeemable, full of scratches, black-outs and missing shots - anything longer than a mid-shot is an impenetrable blur. Yet even this flaw can add inadvertant eerieness to the film - when the boys are arrested, their faces disappear against the desert bleach, like a strange surrealist tableau, or a James Whale fantasy.

Note that this item from Kino is the RESTORED EDITION
Just an FYI: I notice a lot of reviews from earlier editions of "Flying Deuces" are turning up here... I just want to reiterate that THIS new version from Kino is RESTORED-- you won't see a better print of this movie unless one turns up after this is released. Ignore the reviews here that mention "Madacy," "Platinum," "Good Times," etc. ... this is the NEW Kino RESTORED version, and you're gonna' love it! :)

Finally, an excelleent print of this film!
There are many versions of "Flying Deueces" on the market since it is a public domain film. They range from atrocious to just okay. Finally, Kino does all U.S. Laurel & Hardy fans a service by releasing a stunning print first released a few months ago on DVD by a French company. I highly recommend it!

The film itself is fast-moving and highly amusing, as you'd expect from Laurel & Hardy. It has an interesting history-- the team did it away from their home studio in the midst of contract negotiations, and Hardy met his future wife while shooting-- she was a script girl on the set. It's one of my favorites. Also included are two Laurel & Hardy rarities: "The Stolen Jools," which was an all-star short featuring Laurel & Hardy as well as Edward G. Robsinson, Buster Keaton, the Our Gang ("Little Rascals") kids, Wallace Beary, Joan Crawford, Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. and more. The other rarity is "Tree in a Test Tube," one of only 2 films the team made in color (the other being the lost feature, "The Rogue Song"). This was a wartime short done for the government about the importance of wood.

With so little Laurel & Hardy available on DVD in the US, this is a welcome addition. Pick it up if you're looking for laughs, smiles and a bit of cinema history! :)

Vintage Laurel and Hardy
"The Flying Deuces" (1939) was the only non-Hal Roach production in which Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy maintained a fair amount of creative control -- a quality largely absent from most of their 1941-45 output. After leaving Roach in 1940, the team's brilliance was tarnished by Fox and MGM's assembly-line approach to visual comedy. It's a shame that independent producer Boris Morros and RKO didn't retain Stan and Ollie's services after the success of "The Flying Deuces," which is a minor classic in their filmography. Though lacking the high production values of the best Roach features, this Foreign Legion escapade remains a fast-paced romp with plenty of memorable routines and some charming musical interludes. Because of its public-domain status, "The Flying Deuces" is the most accessible Laurel and Hardy feature. As a result, there are numerous video releases that utilize re-edited, badly duped prints. The recent Alpha Video DVD is far from pristine, yet it offers the complete 69-minute feature. For once, the print quality is better than average while the soundtrack is fully synchronized. When you consider the plethora of budget DVDs on the market, the Alpha disc is among the better offerings. Hopefully, a first-generation 35mm print of "The Flying Deuces" will emerge on DVD in this lifetime. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Although this is one of the minor efforts in King Vidor's filmography, it's also among the most sheerly enjoyable movies the august director ever made. Vidor was a Texan, and the scrappy story line he and his wife, Elizabeth Hill, cooked up appears to have accommodated every colorful anecdote he'd ever heard about his native state's legendary constabulary and the individual acts of heroism it spawned.

At the outset, three young desperadoes get separated during some dirty work. Jim (Fred MacMurray) and Wahoo (Jack Oakie) run for cover by enlisting as Texas Rangers. Their pal Sam (Lloyd Nolan) continues to ride a crooked trail, and Jim and Wahoo do their utmost to be looking the other way whenever he passes through. Then, the dangedest thing happens: the workaday courage and resourcefulness of their fellow Rangers start to get to our two reluctant law keepers, till eventually you couldn't tell them from honest men. Neither can Sam, and he doesn't like it one bit.

John Ford made more poetic Westerns, and Anthony Mann, more demonically driven ones. But King Vidor had the most rugged sense of landscape, light, rock, dust, and the way death can come in startling yet matter-of-fact ways. Edward Cronjager was just the right cameraman to serve this vision, and frame after frame of The Texas Rangers is a thing of rough, angular beauty. Jean Parker is nicely feisty as the Ranger commandant's daughter, and the old boy himself is played by that pillar of American Gothic, Edward Ellis. --Richard T. Jameson ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Fred MacMurray Rules in this Classic Western!!
Fred MacMurray rules in this classic western that makes it very well worth watching!! ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Oi Vey!!!!
The previous 2 reviewers have outlined the plot very well so not much more can be said about that. I'd just to tell the guys who are considering purchasing the Alpha DVD that the quality here isn't too good. Source material was obviously VHS tape (you can see the occasional video drop-outs) and it looks very much like an LP version at that. Very poor definition. Could have been a lot sharper. Also the print is very contrasty. The blacks are REALLY black and the whites are blinding. There is also a considerable amount of lag. When a white face moves against a black background it leaves a kind of "comet's tail" to put it loosely. Also various other things appear.... like a cluster of white "arrowheads" pointing to the right (as if someone just pressed the fast-forward button on the VCR) or just the occasional flash of pure white jumps out at you. The movie itself is one of the better comedy thrillers with some funny lines... many of them from Bela... but a poor transfer. (sigh!)

Classic B Movie Fun
One Body Too Many a 1944 black and white movie is not an especially good movie. BUT, it is a fun movie. It is a silly horror/comedy type B movie that became the meat and potatoes of so many early studios. I love it. Jack Haley is Albert Tuttle a nose to the grindstone insurance man who has an appointment with an old rich recluse. He arrives at his mansion and is seen in by the butler (Bela Lugosi). He is shown into his clients office and immediately starts his spiel to the back of a chair and smoke coming from a lit cigar. However, unbeknownst to Tuttle the client is dead and in his coffin in the office. Tuttle lays his brief case on the closed coffin before he realizes just what is in the room. When he does try to get out, he can't open the door, etc. This movie is filled with every conceivable cliche imaginable. But that's the fun of it. A huge dark creepy house, a will to be read, a suspicious looking butler and cook, a beautiful damsel in distress, a dim witted detective, a houseful of greedy family members of the deceased, murders, trick doors, screams and noises at night, etc. Of course, a very nervous and reluctant hero. This kind of movie would be nothing without Lyle Talbot and he is here as the family member who thinks timid Jack Haley has something to hide.I have had this movie for years and every once in a while I dust it off to watch it again because sometimes you need a little harmless fun. (~.~)

Several Thrills Too Few...
This is yet another of the gathered-for-the-reading-of-the-will-in-the-spooky-house with-secret-passages-and-a-murderer subgenre. And while I find it hard to believe that there is anyone who legitimately can hate these kind of movies, there are admittedly some that work far better than others. One Body Too Many finds middle ground.

It begins with some cleverness in setting up the scenario. The will's gimmick is farfetched but assured an offbeat night of criminal mayhem: The deceased, an astrologer, wishes to be buried above ground so that the stars shine down on him. If anything happens so that he is not, then the heir who was supposed to get the most will instead get the least, and vice versa. The body disappears, then reappears, then someone else is murdered... it's all expectedly, even appropriately, convoluted.

Our hero is a life insurance salesman who is mistaken for the detective assigned to guard the body from shenanigans. And there is real inventiveness in placing a life insurance salesman in this situation, where people are sure to be bumped off. Unfortunately, this knowing wink to the audience is barely explored at all. The hero himself is an average-looking guy, more likable and less wimpy than many 40's B heroes. And he is surrounded by a capable, if unspectacular, cast.

Lugosi is wasted, although his stock Ominous Butler character is interestingly played for laughs this go-round, ready and willing to bump off anybody who anyone else thinks needs bumping off. Watch out for the coffee.

This is of course, a comedy/mystery, as every picture in this genre has been since The Cat and the Canary in the 20's. And the comedy is generally the determining factor in how watchable these kind of films are. Here it is not too bad, consisting less of the typical scared mugging and awkward pratfalls than many similar efforts. Only in its dull, protracted middle section does the film lose its way, as the hero gets lost in the ubiquitous secret passageways, caught in a wicker basket with a litter of kittens and wearing only a towel. Don't ask.

There are a number of good scenes, including one where the hero, hiding in a coffin, is carried off and dumped in a pool. The movie ends with a suspenseful chase and confrontation atop the observatory. But there is not enough made of the good ideas in the script, and too much damage is done to the whole by the weak or old ideas in the script. You've seen much of it before, so it's not quite worth a purchase. Close but no cigar.

See also: The Cat and the Canary; Black Cat (1941); Night Monster; Old Dark House; The Monster Walks; The Gorilla; Seven Keys To Baldpate; The Bat Whispers; and many, many more, if you are so inclined. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Dr. Ollie cures the biggest medical problem he ever saw.
The setting is in the old south of the 1800's, Dr. Tibbetts (Ollie) makes a house call on an unusual patient who is truly grateful for his professional care. In appreciation she won't leave his side, which provokes the jealousy of her partner, the disdane of society folks and the laughter of everyone else you see. Co-starring are Billie Burke as Mrs Tibbetts, with Harry Langdon and Alice Brady (in what I believe are their last screen appearances.) When there is love between the doctor's daughter and the son of the richest woman in the county, mother is not pleased and tries to discredit this hard working physician, accusing him of professional misconduct. While personal honor is put to the test, the good doctor takes the time to tell a young boy of the Declaration of Independence and it's place in our lives. When all is said and done this doctor turned lawyer for the day puts on a courtroom display that leaves all with a smile. It is a rare appearance of Ollie without Stan Laurel, who's expired contract was soon to be renewed. Ollie, Harry Langdon and Zenobia are a sight to see and to sit back and enjoy. Don't miss that opportunity. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Sentimental story that starts out on Christmas Eve...
This is a little-known black and white movie that is, in many ways, a treasure. The story begins on Christmas Eve in a large city (NYC, I believe), with three elderly gentlemen business partners who prepare to spend Christmas Eve together. Alas...at the last minute the invited guests cancel. The three elderly men make a bet -- they take three gift wallets, placing a business card and $10 in each of them, and they toss the wallets out onto the street...just to see if anyone will return the wallet.

Needless to say, from this humble beginning two kind souls return the wallets, friendships are built, and even romance ensues.

The part I think is most interesting about the movie though, is that the story really does go "Beyond Tomorrow," following the elderly gentlemen and their opinions, interests, and concerns for their new friends, even beyond the grave -- in an uplifting way.

This is an extremely enjoyable movie. I encourage you to give it a look, especially if you are tired of watching the same line-up of Christmas specials and movies.

Top-notch holiday entertainment, though not quite in the same class as "It's a Wonderful Life" or "A Miracle on 34th Street"...both better known 5-star offerings.

Merry Christmas!

Alan Holyoak

Moral and funny at the same time
Three old gentlemen, rich and engulfed in industrial adventures, come to their last Christmas. One of them engages the others into some social caper : to invite for their Christmas dinner and subsequent follow-up events the people who will bring back the billfolds containing ten dollars that they throw in the street. It is of course two rather poor and solitary people, a young man and a young woman, who do this whereas the third billfold is carelessly thrown away by a rich girl. Dishonesty is not the main quality of this selfish girl. Of course the young woman and the young man fall in love, but the young man is a singer and he gets into business rather fast and thus gets involved with a female star who is a shark and a vulture looking for men she can eat alive and raw. The young man falls into the trap. During that time the three old men meet with some mishap in a blizzard and they come back as ghosts, waiting for their being called on the road to some eternal fate. But one of them will look after the dramatically trapped young man and will eventually get his salvation, after him being killed by the previous husband of the cannibal star, and all will end well that started well and turned sour in the middle.

Dr Jacques COULARDEAU ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Top notch Scott action flick....
Director Joseph H. Lewis and veteran prodcuer Harry Joe Brownteam up with Randy Scott, a young Angela Lansbury, and some excellentcharacter actors (Wallace Ford, Warner Anderson) to offer a very fine little Western that repays re-viewing. Scott, the outwardly stern but aging Marshall Calem Ware of the Colorado frontier town Medicine Bow, keeps order in his town, "hoping to outlive his times," as he says. Unkown to him two of the town's biggest businessmen are out to get him, open the town, and undo the "march of civilization." The film boasts one of the most remarkable saloon brawls caught on camera and a shoot-out where Scott is "killed" (well, he REALLY isn't dead, but the bad guys don't know that). Add the famous touring chanteuse "Tally Dickenson" [Angela Lansbury]who just happens to be Calem's wife [!], a cattle baron (whose wife is courted by one of the bad guys], and a huge hulk of man (Dooley Bryan)who helps the wounded Scott, despite Scott having shot his brother, and well, you have all the ingredients for great action and exciting adventure, and there's a slam-bang suprise ending, to boot. Dialogue is crisp, at times you even hear some things that could be said in Scott's masterwork farewell to movies, Peckinpah's RIDE THE HIGH COUNTRY. So, unreservedly recommended--a real treat. END ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Great movie but terrible print
Bluebeard is definitely a film to rediscover. It might not be Ulmer's best but there's enough here to please any serious movie lover. John Carradine gives the performance of his life and although it's obvious that budget is non existent, Ulmer solves the problem with beautiful expressionist sequences, very Caligaresque. Real problem is the print that is often pretty terrible, bringing serious frustration. Have Scarlet Street from the same editor and print is terrible as well.

Thrills and Chills.....
"Bluebeard" is suspense packed thriller. If you love the old Black and White films of the horror genre, this one is for you. It was directed by Edgar G. Ulmer, who keeps you on the edge of your seat from start to finish, and stars John Carradine who is at the top of his form in this one.

The legend of Bluebeard is a frightening one. It is 19th century Paris, and young women are being murdered by Gaston(Carradine), a serial killer. On the surface, he is a quiet artist and puppeteer, but deep down he is psychotic and homicidal(naturally he claims a woman made him this way... HA!). All the models he paints, seem to disappear. But now he has fallen for the very beautiful Lucille, can he control his thoughts when it comes to her,will she be his next victim, or will Lady Jusitce prevail? It's a nail biter!

The DVD I have looks to be the same one here. The image is the one of John Carradine in a red jacket strangling his victim, with a shadowy charcater in the background. The title is in bold blue letters(I mention this because there are a few different editions). The only difference is that in the tech info here the studio of release for this edition is Gotham Distribution but on my copy it says Alpha Video (both released in 2002). The transfer is not the best I've ever seen for a film made in the 40's, but it's not too bad. The film shows it's age, but there was nothing distracting to take away from the enjoyment of the film. The sound was decent, although a bit muffled at times. But I would say, for the price, you get a good old scarey movie to enjoy on a rainy afternoon. Oh and don't be fooled by the cover art..this IS a good ole black and white film. Short but good!

So get the popcorn ready..and...enjoy..Laurie

A DIRECTOR TO REDISCOVER
Firstly, just a word or two about the images and sound quality of this DVD. If I except the Madacy productions which everyone knows to be awfully bad, I haven't seen until now a so terrible DVD transfer. Considering the fact that most of the action of BLUEBEARD is filmed at night in a foggy Paris, the defaults of the transfer are patent. Shameful.

As bonus features, you will find a gallery of photos and posters and a very interesting featurette presenting, among other goodies, an interview of director Edgar G. Ulmer's widow.

BLUEBEARD is the first Edgar G. Ulmer's movie I have the opportunity to see and I cannot wait now to see the other two DVD available here at amazon. It's so obvious that Ulmer was a movie genius and that solely the lack of money has prevented him to direct masterpieces. The artistic quality of BLUEBEARD is far ahead of the quality of, let's say, a Herschell Gordon Lewis movie. There are minutes of pure cinema in BLUEBEARD that reminded me at times of the dreamy atmosphere of Charles Laughton's NIGHT OF THE HUNTER. John Carradine, in the role of a schizophrenic puppeteer, is perfect with his voice so sweetly innocent. At last, a special word regarding the quality of the musical score ; Edgar G. Ulmer's BLUEBEARD lasts 73 minutes and so does the musical score that is literally a character of the movie.

A DVD for your library if you are a movie lover.

Bluebeard Or Blahbeard?
Much discussed film by the great Ulmer. Solidly made but hardly enthralling like Detour. Beautiful set design with touches of expressionism. This film would be a deal if it were five bucks cheaper ... Read more

Reviews (16)

Hilarious!
Another downright funny Stan Laurel-Oliver Hardy classic that will keep you laughing so hard you'll barely be able to watch the show. Ollie, heartbroken, drags Stan with him to the French Foreign Legion, where it quickly becomes clear that they weren't meant to be soldiers. Hardy ends up making a horse of himself. Funny scene: the boys try to fly an airplane (with predictable results).

Laurel and Hardy at their most bleakly Beckettian.
'The Flying Deuces' plumbs depths of despair that almost reach the tragic pitch of a Buster Keaton. From the opening sequence, where a lovestruck Ollie has his marriage proposal turned down by a French waitress who laughs at him with her friends behind his back, the comedy is soured by very real pain. The res