Reviews (1)

ENJOYABLE VINTAGE CRAWFORD.
Joan plays Kay, a devil-may-care New York debutante who is mired in ennui. She travels to Greece and meets Aherne, a bright archaeologist with naught but disdain for the society crowd. Aherne, however is taken with Kay's flirtatious ways and follows her back to the States where he finds himself totally out of place with the hedonistic circle of friends Crawford introduces him to. However, Kay's grandmother (Jessie Ralph) takes a shine to Aherne, thinking he may be just the ticket to take Crawford out of her dissolute life... The fairly witty script was written by Joseph Mankiewicz and Van Dyke's brisk direction gives the film a snappy pace. Stylish, chic, and often witty, I LIVE MY LIFE is typical of the Crawford pictures of the era as they parade her in several sophisticated outfits, give her some sharp lines to say and let her nibble - not chew - the scenery. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

A DEBUT FOR ROSALIND.
In her film debut, Rosalind Russell plays Nancy Harrison, a woman who gets acquitted for manslaughter by her lawyer Powell - and the plot thickens......EVELYN PRENTICE demonstrated that Powell and Loy could enthrall audiences in a serious drama. In their third time out, Powell and Loy found themselves again involved with criminal doings, although not as Nick and Nora Charles!. The proceedings this time are more solemn, with less opportunity for fey humour and amusing sallies, the prevailing mood being somber. Powell turned in a performance of considerable dignity in this film as he gets across to the audience the character of a seriously dedicated man of the law who pays the price for sacrificing his personal life with his wife and child to the exigencies of his career. Myrna Loy is charming and capable as usual in the title role, and Isabel Jewell is memorable in a key role. William K. Howard directed with an expert eye for the tensions implicit in the drama, and the excellent Lenore Coffee screenplay helped Howard put a lot a narrative punch into the film. A strong supporting cast includes Una Merkel, Jessie Ralph and Edward Brophy.

Evelyn Prentice
I thought the movie was excellent. I love "mysteries". I enjoy trying to figure it out. The only thing I was disappointed in were the holes that we left out of the story that I could have used to figure it out. Other than that, Powell and Loy, as always, we fantastic!

Great Showcase of Talent
This film is a great showcase of William Powell's and Myrna Loy's talent. They both shine, which makes up for any holes in the plot. The film successfully builds suspense, but it also stays short enough not to bore its viewers. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

More fun with the dream team from Metro
"Double Wedding", while certainly another in the long line of successes that Willian Powell and Myrna Loy enjoyed in their collaborations together,is a very different type of vechicle for the two and goes a long way to explained why critics at the time were divided about this films general worth.

Those that love the sleek champagne delivery of their "Thin Man" films are in for a bit of a shock here as the duo go in for more slapstick than is usual. The last scenes of the film in particular are very much in the Marx Bros type of humour and can require a bit of an adjustment to those used to the beautiful and subtle interplay normally associated with Powell and Loy.

The story is an original and funny one for the times in which Loy plays Margit Agnew a businesswoman extraodinare and a very domineering head of a wealthy family whos lives she plots out for them as though they were pieces on a chess board. The main object of her attention is her younger sister Irene played by beautiful actress Florence Rice. Margit is intent upon marrying off her younger sister...

While the film is certainly not up to the usual standard of Powell & Loy vechicles it is still a very funny hour and a half with many quirky situations and characters. The wonderful Jessie Ralph who appeared in a couple of other Powell/Loy films is hilarious as Mrs. Kensington-Bly the shadow owner of the Boutique Margit runs. All she wants is for the business to run at a loss so that she can write it off on her tax however Margit, with her no nonsense business sense turns it into a big success! Ralph's character also has a quirky relationship with Powell's character and the interplay between th etwo is a joy to behold, in particular when they are sending up Margit and her proper airs and graces.

As in all Powell/Loy vechicles its William Powell who really steals the show lock, stock and barrell... while a long way from his beloved Nick Charles persona, is a character perfectly suited to his talents and he makes the most of the crazy proceedings. Myrna Loy while noticeably not so comfortable in this slap stick role still gives the role of the stuffy Margit all her worth...

"Double Wedding" may not be most peoples favourite Powell & Loy film outing but it still is good well polished entertainment done with great expertise both in front of and behind the cameras. As always the legendary MGM attention to detail in all their productions shines through and helps make this film a sparkling piece of comedy while not a great one. All lovers of Powell and Loy enjoy.

Much more bizrre than the Thin Man....
Powell and Loy are amazing in this movie, which really departs from their usual formula... He is [an] artist who has a gong set up in his mobile home for receiving b-b-gun messages from the bar across the lot (when Loy touches the gong, he yelps "You musn't!"), and she is an uptight entrepreneur. The two opposites are forced to work together (forced? well, they decide to, but the logic which impels them to do so is cloudy to say the least!) in order to make sure that Loy's younger sister marries a nice young dolt played by John Beal. The predictable result is attained in unbelievably unpredictable ways...

If you liked them in any of The Thin Man movies.....
Powell plays a wacky artist who falls for Loy, who is a repressed control freak at first. Situations happen that end up putting the two together, as they should be. Jessie Ralph as the "angel" of Loy's dress shop is a killer. Definitely not for the "politically correct" group, as there are certain "off color" phrases. All in all, a really wonderful movie ... Read more

Reviews (10)

The Return of Dracula
Well, it is the return of Dracula in everything but name. Tod Browning's direction is often more impressive here than in the original, pioneering Dracula, and he certainly has a more eventful story to play with. However, it seems vital chunks of the story may well have been cut, for example, the explanation as to why Lugosi's character had a bloodied temple is not here. Lugosi, John Barrymore and especially Carroll Borland are excellent, but the final twist comes as something of a disappointment. Very old and very, very creepy.

Intriguing Vampire Tale(and not from Universal!)
I loved this one, and in some ways it is superior to Dracula(30). There is a strong cast with Lionel Barrymore and Bela Lugosi. This one has a good atmosphere that is worthy of Universal. This would make(and maybe it did in its heyday!) a good double feature with the original Dracula(30).

Waste of Time
Though the idea of a vampire-themed murder mystery COULD be splendidly executed, here it is not. Though I'm a big fan of monster movies from the 30s and 40s, I found this one to be boring and silly. Much of the atmosphere is gone, and the film vampire mythos popularized by Universal Studios, though already simplistic, is robbed of its deeper resonances in order to make it a plot device rather than something engaging in its own right.

The only scene that slightly redeemed this film for me was one near the end where the protagonists are spying on the "vampires" in their castle, flying around to creepy organ music.

If you like murder mysteries, there's much more sophisticated fare out there that would better suit you; if you like classic monster movies, you may find this one unengaging and downright misleading.

Once they were the victims
Based upon director Tod Browning's novel "The Hypnotist", the plot of "Mark of the Vampire" centers around Miss Irena Borotyn (Elizabeth Allen), who apparently is attacked by the mysterious Count Mora (Bela Lugosi). The Professor (Lionel Barrymore) and the Inspector (Lionel Atwell) struggle to save Miss Borotyn from a fate worse than death ... or so it seems.

"Mark of the Vampire" is interesting from a historical perspective. Lionel Barrymore is marqueed as the film's star performer, while Bela Lugosi is a supporting actor. The vampires are marked by silence and hypnotic stares -- unlike his earlier films, Lugosi's hypnotic eyes are not highlighted by a flashlight shining through a hole cut in cardboard. And marionette bats comprise the film's special effects -- this black and white film essentially is a stage play.

In the 1930's beautiful women were vampires' favorite victims. More recently, beautiful women are the favorite vampires. Bela Lugosi remains the quintessential vampire, but most people would rather watch Sharon Tate in "The Fearless Vampire Killers" or Catherine Deneuve in "the Hunger".

A FINE MID-THIRTIES HORROR FLICK.
The murder of the wealthy Sir Karell Borotyn in the study of his Czechoslavakian castle sparks renewed interest in a local legend that claims that the place is haunted by corpses that rise up at night to suck the blood of mortals....Supposedly, this flicker is a remake of Lon Chaney's 1927 silent LONDON AFTER MIDNIGHT, which was based upon a story by director Tod Browning entitled THE HYPNOTIST. M-G-M actually imported South American bats for this film: the US Government ordered that they be destroyed upon the film's completion! An alternate twist ending had Barrymore's character receive a telegram from the vaudeville actors apologising for not making their train - in order to get to the castle - it was rejected by Browning. Apparently, this film was taken quite seriously by moviegoers back in 1935: an esteemed anonymous doctor stated thusly: "a dozen of the worst obscene pictures cannot equal the damage the damage that is done by such films as MARK OF THE VAMPIRE" (!). The letter concluded: "In my opinion, it is a crime to present such films"....in light of what is allowed in the cinema today, this is hilarious. ... Read more

Reviews (23)

LITTLE LORD FAUNTLEROY
I ALSO HAVE WORN OUT OUR COPY MADE FROM THE TV OF THE 1980 VERSION. I HAVE LOOKED EVERY WHERE TO BUY.
IS THERE ANYWHERE TO GO TO DEMAND IT TO BE RELEASED IN DVD.
AFTER ALL ALEC GUINESS IS A VERY FAMOUS ACTOR.

Little Lord Fauntleroy - the Ricky Schroeder version.
This (and the 1936 version) are tremendous films easily counted in the top 50 films of all time. I am hoping that the 1936 version will be released in the colorized version in DVD. The current B/W version is alright, but I like the Colorixed versions better. I am also looking for the Ricky Schroeder 1980 version on DVD. I do have the 1980 version on VHS. For those interested the box is marked "1980 by Starmaker Entertainment, Inc, Eatontown, NJ 07724. I purchased it in the early 1990's (guess I was lucky) for my video library.

1980 Version Available!
To anyone who is interested - you can find the 1980 version on E-Bay.

Original story comes alive
If you want to accurately compare the 1936 movie and the 1980 TV version of Little Lord Fauntleroy, I suggest you first read the story written by Francis Hodgson Burnett. The casting, characterization and dialogue in the 1936 movie is outstanding and is almost an exact visualization of the original story as written by Burnett. The strong point for the 1980 TV version is of course Alec Guiness. Unfortunately in the 1980 version "Dearest" is portrayed more or less as a feminist and Schroeder as Fauntleroy is - well too cute. Visual appealing, it is but another example of modern screen writers believing they can write the story better than the original author. If you have to choose, pick the 1936 new DVD version. You will not be disappointed.

info
I want to buy this movie for my girlfriend, because she likes it very much. My question is: are there subtitels in dutch available? ... Read more

Reviews (17)

Brilliant and Timeless Love Story - a Masterpiece
I have seen many, many classic movies. I have seen the best performances of the best movie stars and I have seen all of the most respected classic films. None come close to Camille, the best movie ever made! I'm not kidding, either. This film is pure magic. The screenplay is brilliant and flawless. The romantic lines will last in your memory just as long as the beautiful images. And there are many unforgettable scenes.. Garbo drops her fan as she walks down the staircase (in a magnificent Adrian gown), as she sees the man she loves. The scene where Robert Taylor throws his money at the woman he can't have. And the single best scene in motion picture history..Garbo's legendary and tearjerking death scene. The first time I saw this movie, the end made me cry uncontrollably for half an hour. Just as magnificent are the heartfelt performances by Garbo and Robert Taylor, who is sensitive and tender, as his character should be. Garbo is breathtaking in her best role. Her lines are perfectly blended with her character, such as when she is on her deathbed and whispers, "If you can't save me, how can a doctor?" or "My heart isn't used to being happy." As they are falling in love, the lines are absolutely wonderful, such as when Taylor tells Garbo his parents were married 30 years and Garbo says, sadly, "Nobody could ever love me 30 years." People could laugh at this movie and say it is sentimental, but that just indicates lack of heart. I have never seen a movie without a sentimental script that ever inspired me to write. This movie inspired me in every way.. It inspires us to be more compassionate towards each other and live to love. This is the most effective love story ever told, and this 63 year-old film still breathes life into a 150 year-old story. Why? Because it is timeless. A story is only old if the artists think so, but this film is a masterpiece. It will always be my favorite movie.

Little bit on the boring side....
Yes, I just saw this movie tonight at the Metropolitan Museum of Art as a tie-in to its exhibit on MGM costume designer Adrian, and I was surprised to find myself getting restless.

I think there might be too many scenes in the beginning that are similar, when boytoy Robert Taylor keeps trying to convince jaded courtesan Greta Garbo that he can love and take care of her better than anyone else. In movie shorthand, this should've been established with just one scene. It's a Cukor film, and looks it. By that I mean, Cukor somehow managed to make his movies look antique--just think of Hepburn's "Little Women" or Bartholomew's "David Copperfield". A tad treakly and too soft focus not to sit 100% right with present-day viewers.

But that's not to say that "Camille" is a bad movie, because it's not. Garbo gives a very interesting performance as Marguerite; she does a lot with her eyes in the early scenes to convince us she's got some kind of interior life going on. Laura Hope Crews offers good support as her flighty friend Prudence--hard to believe it's the same woman who played Aunt Pittypat in "Gone with the Wind" a few years later. Best in show: Henry Daniell as Marguerite's lover the Baron. Now, we're supposed to see him as an ogre, I suppose. But really, she IS trying to play him for a chump and cuckcold him with Taylor's Armand, so I must side with the Baron on that one, for self respect. Daniell puts over cynical acceptance of things like the pro he is.

And about that tie-in to the Met: These costumes are truly outstanding, not just for Garbo but for every woman in the movie. Exquisite, every one of them! Dying of consumption may not be fun, but it sure is something to look at clothes-wise.

Great Garbo--The Rest , well . . .
Greta Garbo is so good in this film, so witty and touching and appealing, that it's easy to forget how ordinary much of the surrounding film is. To be sure, it was given a lush budget and Henry Daniell, as Garbo's "patron" of the moment is almost as accomplished and touching as she (how much more interesting; a love story between two people who are prevented by convention from admitting the fact, even to each other), but Robert Taylor's perfromance is as stiff as his collars, the rest of the cast is little more than competent, and George Cukor's direction confirms that he was much luckier in his casts than they were in getting him as a director; Vincente Minnelli actually got a performance of sorts out of Lana Turner--a few years earlier Cukor did little more than make sure the lighting was flattering and that Turner didn't trip over the furniture. Fortunately, Garbo had no such problems, and her performance makes Maguerite Gautier one of the wittiest and most appealing characters in film history, and when she dies at the end, she makes you feel that a little bit of what makes the world good left with her--not a bad accomplishment, that.

Inspiration for Baz Lurhman's "Moulin Rouge," perhaps?
I thought Camille was a very good movie. Greta Garbo is stunning as always, and I really liked Robert Taylor as her love interest. As I was watching the movie, I couldn't help but notice some startling similarities between this film and the more recent, Moulin Rouge, starring Nicole Kidman and Ewan MacGregor. Some lines in Camille sound almost exactly like one's in Baz's flick, and Greta's character, Marguerite, does resemble Nicole's Satine; at first, they seem over the top party animals, and then you realize they're regular, sensitive girls (and they both have a fatal illness). Also, the Baron in Camille is quite a lot like "the Duke" in Moulin Rouge.
Anyways, sorry for the rambling. I recommend you see this film. Especially if you enjoyed Moulin Rouge!

"You will never love me thirty years; no one will"
Quite by accident I saw this film and "Bridget Jones Diary (2001)" on consecutive evenings; both are about women of a similar age with somewhat similar dilemmas. Their approach (as films), however, is two generations apart--with the contemporary one rather shallow, the former (Camille), more idyllic and, in my opinion, more satisfactory.

Camille (an odd title--flowers?) is about Marguerite Gautier (Greta Garbo), a Parisian woman of the 19th century torn between love and money. The main attraction of this film is its romance. Robert Taylor, as Armand Duvall, shows undying love to Marguerite, in spite of his occasional jealousy. She, who initially resists his advances because she is practical and worldly, is eventually taken by his devotion. Armand's father (Lionel Barrymore) intervenes--leading to a sacrifice by her, and, eventually, tragedy.

The Baron (money), is a superbly-played character and not so hateful as many reviewers imply. He, too, makes a noble sacrifice. There is a great scene where he plays an incredible piano amidst a very tense moment.

This film, because of its age, may not seem readily accesible to the contemporary viewer. But in spite of such it did not take long before this viewer was sold on watching it all. "Camille" is well done and, for those who really like romance, probably a classic film. ... Read more

Reviews (23)

LITTLE LORD FAUNTLEROY
I ALSO HAVE WORN OUT OUR COPY MADE FROM THE TV OF THE 1980 VERSION. I HAVE LOOKED EVERY WHERE TO BUY.
IS THERE ANYWHERE TO GO TO DEMAND IT TO BE RELEASED IN DVD.
AFTER ALL ALEC GUINESS IS A VERY FAMOUS ACTOR.

Little Lord Fauntleroy - the Ricky Schroeder version.
This (and the 1936 version) are tremendous films easily counted in the top 50 films of all time. I am hoping that the 1936 version will be released in the colorized version in DVD. The current B/W version is alright, but I like the Colorixed versions better. I am also looking for the Ricky Schroeder 1980 version on DVD. I do have the 1980 version on VHS. For those interested the box is marked "1980 by Starmaker Entertainment, Inc, Eatontown, NJ 07724. I purchased it in the early 1990's (guess I was lucky) for my video library.

1980 Version Available!
To anyone who is interested - you can find the 1980 version on E-Bay.

Original story comes alive
If you want to accurately compare the 1936 movie and the 1980 TV version of Little Lord Fauntleroy, I suggest you first read the story written by Francis Hodgson Burnett. The casting, characterization and dialogue in the 1936 movie is outstanding and is almost an exact visualization of the original story as written by Burnett. The strong point for the 1980 TV version is of course Alec Guiness. Unfortunately in the 1980 version "Dearest" is portrayed more or less as a feminist and Schroeder as Fauntleroy is - well too cute. Visual appealing, it is but another example of modern screen writers believing they can write the story better than the original author. If you have to choose, pick the 1936 new DVD version. You will not be disappointed.

info
I want to buy this movie for my girlfriend, because she likes it very much. My question is: are there subtitels in dutch available? ... Read more