Movie review - "The Toll of the Sea" (1922) ***

 Early colour film and leading role for Anna Way Wong who's excellent. It's a version of Madame Butterly only set in China, presumably for her. Kenneth Harker is the drip guy. Baby Moran is excellent too as their kid (who doesn't look even a little Chinese but acts so well it doesn't matter). Only 55 minutes. Frances Marion wrote a tight script and concise titles.

Movie review - "The Man They Could Not Hang" (1921) **

 Australian film which was a remake of a 1912 film. Both were blockbusters. Weirdly. It's based on a true story - a man they tried to hang three times and failed. This adds a love story, villain all that stuff. Audiences lapped it up. Presumably because the war made them hungry for stories were someone escapes death.

This is shot by Tasman Higgins so looks good.

Movie review - "Maxie" (1985) **

 Hollywood used to make a lot of random movies like this. I guess it still does, just on streaming. It's a riff on Blithe Spirit with dull Glenn Close and Mandy Pantinkin discovering the ghost of a 20s slapper in their building... in San Fran, when surely LA would've been more suited?

She wrecks some havoc but it doesn't have much of a reason or rhythm. Blithe Spirit had troubles in the new marriage and Madame Arcadi., the ghost had a clear goal (get her husband back). This is more haphazard.

There's some fun to be had - Close trying to seduce priest Stephen Furst, Patinkin's co worker hitting on him, Harry Hamlin as Julius Caesar.

Movie review - "Babylon" (2022) ***

 Not hard in a way to see why it wasn't a hit - it's long, there's no real access point character (the lead, Diego Calva, should be this but he never seems to genuinely love Margot Robbie), there's things you could cut out, it is indulgent, things like elephant poo and Phoebe Tonkin peeing on a guy won't go down well...

But it is a valentine to cinema, Jean Smart's lovely speech to Pitt, very well acted, gorgeous to look at, lovely montage at the end, fantastic turns from Spike Jonze as the Curtiz like director, the first AD, the Dorothy Arzner type, the thumping music score.

Sometimes you feel a co writer would've helped - why make Li Jun Li a cabaret artist and title writer? - but it is definitely bold and interesting.

Book review - "John Gilbert The Last of the Silent Film Stars" by Eve Golden

 Engaging bio of Gilbert, who is well known among buffs for the career implosion that followed the coming of sound. By all accounts he was a charming, nice person - though not the most stable romantic partner. Golden suggests he was manic depressive, which seems to fit. He would fall in love with all his co stars which I'm sure is fine if they were into it but he would've been a sex pest had they not been.

Gilbert's rise was relatively rapid though no doubt it didn't feel that way at the time. He was a show biz baby, travelling circuit... wound up in Hollywood, plugged away for a few years. Then was championed by Irvin Thalberg at MGM who put him in a series of movies, some very well remembered (especially the Garbo vehicles), all successful.

Then came sound... and the best bit of this book (the rest is good, incidentally, just drama wise this is where the meat is). While some stars easily segued, Gilbert struggled. His voice was fine but his films were bad - flowery dialogue, clunk direction. These things happen, and Gilbert was better positioned than most to bounce back - he wasn't a foreigner, had some stage training, also could have gone into action movies. But his salary was huge so MGM couldn't afford to co star him with anyone, he didn't get along with Louis B Mayer so it's unlikely Mayer would've wanted to do him any favours.

To say "it was a conspiracy" is to let Gilbert off the hook. He was a grown man. He should've known he needed co stars, better properties, better directors. People attack Mayer because Mayer thrived while Gilbert went under.

He still could've come back - he did with Queen Christina but couldn't exploit that (re-signed with MGM when he shouldn't), then got another chance a role in Desire with his (and everyone's) girlfriend Marlene Dietric but had a heart attack (a follow up one would kill him)... because he was a big boozer. It's still moving but it was his own fault. A lousy husband and dad, seems like a lot of fun, a good actor, a great story well told in this book.

Book review - "Close-Up On Sunset Boulevard: Billy Wilder, Norma Desmond, And The Dark Hollywood Dream" by Sam Staggs (2002)

 Not as good as Staggs' book on All About Eve because that had the X factor of finding the Girl. This one he's done his research, especially on the musical versions (including Swanson's attempts in the 50s and 60s to do one), the original script, chatting to Nancy Olson as well as others...  I loved the opening scene of Wilder meeting a drunk DW Griffith at a party. I maybe would've liked more on the silent era stuff and Brackett (he gets points though for bothering to read Brackett's novels). A lot of it did feel like padding and I felt Staggs was unnecessarily mean about much of Wilder's non Brackett output.

After reading this I went back to Brackett's published diaries and those entries, short as they were, are far superior to what's on here.

Book review - "The First King of Hollywood: The Life of Douglas Fairbanks" by Tracey Goessel

 Very well researched, entertaining biography of Fairbanks who deserved a good new book - he's been unfairly overlooked. There's florid writing in places but it tells a gripping yarn. Fairbanks became successfully quite quickly: small town actor, Broadway success, then films. He found his medium: his athleticism and charm were a natural, he got the right collaborators (Anita Loos, Allan Dwan, etc), Hollywood was expanding. There was the romance with Mary Pickford, the bromance with Chaplin (both genuine), the creation of United Artists, his incredible international popularity, his artistic developments (the swasbuckler, colour).

His "fall" was alarming and rapid and surprising: he still had plenty of money (despite spending most of it), he could act with his voice. But he seemed to lose enthusiasm with talking pictures and his divorce from Pickford (caused by a few things... absences, her drinking, third parties, no kids, age, his love of travel). Despite a lot of good exercise he died quite young of a heart attack - but it was probably better that he did, the way he went.

I should watch more of his films.

Movie review - "The Great Buster" (2018) ***

 Peter Bogdanovich's last feature is a perfectly adequate documentary about Keaton's life and career. It's celebrator rather than with any in depth analysis.

A random collection of interview subjects - Cybill Shepherd, Johnny Knoxville, Richard Lewis (who knew his widow), Carl Reiner, Mel Brooks, Bill Hader, Dick Van Dyke, one of the directors of Spiderman, Nick Kroll, Quentin Tarantino. 

It is determined to appeal to the younger kids, which I get. It skimps on the personal drama. Really just shows a lot of clips and talks about them.

Bogdanovich narrates and his mates are in there but he never wrote about Keaton or had a connection with him (cf Chaplin) so it doesn't feel particularly Bogdanovich-ian. I'm glad he had a gig though.

TV review - "Michael Willesee's Australians #5 - Lottie Lyell" (1988) ***

Ben Lewin directed and Ann Brooksbank wrote this one which looks at the famous combo of Lottie Lyell (Odile Le Clezio) and Raymond Longford (Robert Coleby). Michelle Fawdon, long time collaborator of Brooksbank's husband Bob Ellis, plays Mrs Longford, who won't give him a divorce. Judi Farr is Lottie's mum and Danny Adcock is Arthur Higgins. Bob Ellis is CJ Dennis. Jeff Truman is Arthur Tauchert. Peter Adams is someone called Mr Dutton.

Le Clezio looks quite like Lyell. Robert Coleby isn't quite like I imagined Longford, who can be glimpsed in some old Australian films, but he does have charisma and polish - you believe Lyell would be attracted to him and that he was an actor.

The story starts in 1918 but they show screenings of The Romantic Story of Margaret Catchpole which was made a few years earlier... but I'm just so chuffed they did it, it doesn't matter. The guts of the plot concerns the production of The Sentimental Bloke. The making of that doesn't seem that interesting. I thought there were some troubles with the police about filming... that's not in here. It ends with the successful premiere of the film, not her death. Maybe that wasn't the right way to go. A lot of the dialogue and scenes are exposition-y in that biopic way.

Still, I love, love that this was made. Production values are high.

How would I have done it? Hmmm... maybe tried to condense the whole relationship. At 44 minutes that would've been tricky. But it could be done.

Maybe... 1) meeting 2) theatre and fall for each other 3) films 4) Longford turns director 5) Lotte stunts 6) Banning of Woman Suffers 7) Sentimental Bloke 8) form own company 9) Lotte director 10) Death

Movie review - "Nickelodeon" (1976) **1/2 (re-watching)

 This probably would have been better in black and white, like Bogdanovich (said he) wanted... ditto with younger actors in the leads like John Ritter and Jeff Bridges because it would've given a greater sense of young people trying to make it, whereas Burt Reynolds and Ryan O'Neal (both of whom are fine by the way) seem like they've been around a while. Cybil Shepherd would've been better than Jane Hitchcock who isn't that great.

But even that wouldn't have fixed other issues with the film... it's overlong running time, the fact it spans years, all the endless zappy talk that isn't particularly witty (a hall mark of Bogdanovich written dialogue), characters falling in love at the drop of a hat (ditto). The Tatum O'Neal part seems shoehorned in to recapture some Paper Moon magic... really this part needed to be played by a grown up who could be a rival to Jane Hitchcock. The John Ritter part seems shoe horned in to give Ritter a role... Stella Stevens at least winds up with Brian Keith at the end but Ritter doesn't get a subplot. Neither does Tatum O'Neal.

Every now and then the film captures a bit of magic that it is striving for but too often it never seems to click. It's played by a comedy then there's this dramatic stuff thrown in - I think we're meant to care more about the O'Neal-Reynolds-Hitchcock love triangle (a Last Picture Show throwback) more than we do. Maybe that was me (though I doubt it, it wasn't a hit).

This film isn't a disgrace it's just frustrating because it doesn't quite work and it should have.

Movie review - "The Perils of Pauline" (1947) **1/2

 I don't know much about Pearl White but this felt fictionalised... just a vibe. It does capture a spirit of silliness and fun and is ideal for Betty Hutton, as the plucky sewer who becomes an actor, isn't very good then becomes famous as a star of silent serials.

Hutton has spunk and energy. She doesn't look a great physical type - I didn't buy her doing stunts - but she's fun. 

The film focuses a lot on her relationship with actor John Lund. I dislike Lund as an actor generally - this movie didn't make me change my mind. Billy de Wolfe is ideally cast as a camp actor who works with Hutton and Lund, and William Demarest is a director. It is sweet how Hutton is mentored by an old time actor, Constance Collier - their friendship is lovely and unexpected.

Director George Marshall worked in the silent film era and the movie has a lot of engaging affection for that period. I might like this movie more if I was more familiar with the era. In 1947 it would've been very much in the common memory.

People occasionally break out into song so technically it's a musical but there aren't that many songs so it doesn't feel like one.

Movie review - "The Immoral Mr Teas" (1959) **

The film that kicked off Russ Meyer's career as a significant force in independent filmmaking - made for a low cost it was very profitable. Absolutely it came along at the right time - a few years before it would've been too much a few years later not enough - but it has verve, energy and colour. It reminded me of Jacques Tati and Frank Tashlin in a weird way - the adventures of this salesman who perves on women.

He develops the ability to look at them with no clothes on but to be honest they're not wearing that much early on - lots of low cut tops. Plenty of cleavage on display, and breasts. There's a scene where he walked past a little girl doing a hula hoop which felt wrong - kids have no place in this world.

It only goes for an hour. It got monotonous - there's no story. But it is bright and hard energy.

Script review - "Sunset Boulevard" by Brackett, Wilder and Marshman draft dated 21 March 1949 (re-reading)

Breaking this down...
Sequence A - opening of Gillis being dead... the scene of him in the morgue (touching when a little boy wakes up in there) that was cut in the final film... Tells the story of him being chased for money, winding up at Norma Desmond's place and moving in. Have set up Sheldrake and Betty.
Sequence B - Gillis wants to leave but can't because of money and accepts clothes from Norma.
Sequence C - Gillis a kept man... he tries to leave but Norma tries to kill herself and she and Gillis sleep together.
Sequence D - a kept man, gets call from De Mille, finds out its fake ends on her going mad
Sequence E - Gillis sneaking out to write script, gets busted... dumps Betty and tries to leave but is shot by Norma.

It's a Faustian tale I suppose - or like a vampire movie, with Norma as the vampire sucking in Gillis. There's a lot of compassion for her though - and Gillis is a bit of a shit. Betty is the one nice character.

Book review - "Joseph Kennedy Presents" by Cari Beauchamp

For whatever reason it took me about ten or something goes to finish this book. No criticism of the author or subject matter - it was just one of those cursed books. Maybe also it was the size of the print. Or all the detail.

It's a very good book. Exhaustive. Thorough. I learned a hell of a lot. Joseph Kennedy often pops up in movie history books as a support character - he's there wrecking Gloria Swanson's career, or Fred Thomson's, or helping found RKO, or bailing on it to go and become ambassador to England.

This is surprisingly the first book to focus on Kennedy in Hollywood - maybe serious Kennedy historians didn't take it seriously. Which is silly because Hollywood provided a large slab of his fortune, not to mention high public profile.

Kennedy is a fascinating creature. A sociopath who demanded loyalty from people he'd discard when he no longer needed them; a womaniser who was apparently poor in the sack; a genuinely loving and devoted father (as devoted as you can be not actually being around) who took intense interest in his kids; a ruthless capitalist who nonetheless realised, after the Depression, the need for more equitable distribution of wealth or you'd have a revolution, and turning Democrat; someone who figured out the economic basis of movies v quickly and could actually make money out of it (lots of low budget programmers).

It's got to be said, Kennedy may have engaged in insider trading and been a sneaky fox and ruthless - but it was the fault of people for getting involved with him. Fred Thomson was clearly a bit of a dill, as was Gloria Swanson. People who got close to him should've known better it was always about his kids and his money. And it's a shame he didn't go back to running a Hollywood studio later in life - say RKO in the late 40s, who could've used him.

Film wise, Kennedy's legacy isn't that awesome - a lot of silent Westerns, mostly. The only two films of his that buffs are like to remember are two from Gloria Swanson - The Trespasser and Queen Kelly (the latter made with Eric Von Stroheim). His real passions were obviously elsewhere.

Movie review - "City Lights" (1931) ***

Chaplin's classic. Some people claim it's the greatest film of all time. It's a perfectly decent, sweet comedy with Charlie helping a blind girl regain her sight. This stuff is hokey but completely works and Virginia Cherrill is lovely as a the girl. Harry Myers is very funny as a millionaire who only recognises Chaplin when he's drunk. The fake fight is funny but why not make it more essential to the story? You could cut it out. The ending is lovely.

Movie review - "The Crowd" (1928) ****

Highly praised in its day, this remains a powerful affecting movie. It's slice of life stuff, the story of a young man trying to make it in the big city. Dad died when he was 12, he's a bit of a dreamer, works hard enough but is easily distracted (eg persuaded to go on a date instead of studying), he falls in love quickly, gets married, doesn't rise particularly rapidly, has two kids with his wife, his wife's family don't really like him, he wins $500 in a competition but then sees his son run over in front of his eyes, he loses the plot, and marriage is hard.

There are indelible visual images: the teaming office ants, the swarms of people, the packed offices and hospitals, the location shooting of the man on the bus. Plenty of warmth though: the man checking out the girl's legs on said bus, the couple nervously preparing for their first night together after they get married, the broken down apartment they live in with the door being unable to shut, the irritating brothers in law.

The most powerful moment is the death of the kid - for me, this raises the film to masterpiece level. There's also strong sentiment such as the man going to kill himself, and being saved by his surviving kid's cheeriness. As a young dad, these are incredibly moving. There is extra resonance in the fact that star James Murray became an alcoholic who died on the skids in real life.

Movie review - "The Sea Hawk" (1924) ***

The first version of Rafael Sabatini's novel, memorably filmed by Errol Flynn in 1940. I've never read the book but apparently this version is a lot more faithful. The hero is still an established buccaneer/kind-of pirate, beloved by Queen Elizabeth I; he is still betrayed and winds up a galley slave on a Spanish ship, then escapes and triumphs... but this time the baddies aren't really the Spaniards. I mean they kind of are but the real baddy is the pirate's brother who has him conked on the head and shanghaied so the brother won't get blamed for a murder. He is about to be released by the shanghaiing pirate (Wallace Beery) but they're captured by Spaniards who put them to work on the galleys - then he's rescued by some Moorish pirates and the Sea Hawk rises to become the number one Moorish pirate. Then he kidnaps his old girlfriend and the brother, then they are attacked in turn by a British ship...

Anyway it gets complicated. The the brother is bad but he redeems himself swimming to warn the British ship so as to rescue the girl friend. The head Arab pirate has a half son I think he was who is a lazy lounge lizard jealous of the Sea Hawk - he's kind of bad. Bu the film is reasonably sympathetic to Muslim culture - they're shown to be brave, good fighters, and have honor. Yes they indulge in the slave trade but a point is made that so too do the Spanish.

Milton Sills played the lead role - I'd never heard of him, apparently he was a matinee idol back in the day. He's not very good - a bit blah. Lloyd Hughes makes more of an impression as Sills' wastrel brother - young and dashing, far more charismatic than he'd be in those two Aussie films he made for Ken G Hall in the 1930s.

The female lead is whatever - she's played by Enid Bennett, who is an Aussie, one of the first Aussies in Hollywood to have real success (she did it in part by marriage to Fred Niblo, who she met when the latter was acting on stage out here).

There is some silent film era over acting and impressive spectacle. It lacks the political power of the 1940 film (which could, now that I think about it, act as a prequel to this version). Some great fight scenes and production value. It runs for two hours but doesn't overly drag once Stills gets conked on the head and taken out to sea (up to then it's a slog).

Movie review - "A Woman of Affairs" (1929) **

Decent enough melodrama, a stock-ish sort of plot that was ideal for star vehicle. Apparently the novel on which it was based was a lot more risque - elements of that do survive into the film version: Douglas Fairbanks Jnr seems to have been in romantically in love with Johnny Mack Brown, who appears to have had a drug habit; John Gilbert and Greta Garbo clearly have pre-marital sex which results in her falling pregnant. There are two suicides - something which ironically films might shy away from depicting today because of fear of imitation.

The story centers around "loose woman" Garbo - actually she's not so loose at the beginning, being madly in love with childhood friend Gilbert, but she is from a dissolute family of rich drunkards. Her brother Doug Fairbanks pines after Johnny Mack Brown who loves Garbo. Gilbert's dad won't let him marry Garbo, which means Gilbert's character comes across as weak and not worthy of her. She goes off with Mack Brown, who dies, she sleeps around, it all ends tragically.

The acting is quite good - Fairbanks hams it up but is effective; Garbo looks good, Gilbert is dashing. I enjoyed Lewis Stone as an imposing member of the aristocracy, a friend of Garbo's never seen father - I did feel maybe his character could have been combined with Gilbert's father.

Movie review - "The Circus" (1928) ***

Charlie joins the circus, falls in love with a trapeze artist (Madge Kennedy), works as a props master and becomes a clown, defends the girl against her abusive father but loses her to a tight-rope walker.

There's lots of acrobatics and funny moments: Charlie pinching a hot dog off a kid, Charlie's battle with a pick pocket which winds up in the hall of mirrors, Charlie on the high wire. There's plenty of pathos with Kennedy being smacked around and Charlie losing her - his romantic rival is a nice guy, and Charlie is noble, although I wish her abusive dad had gotten more of a come-uppance and sometimes I was going "alright already you've got our sympathy, Charlie, now just be funny".

Not bad - I didn't think it was an amazing classic or anything. The fellow clowns and circus people remind me of what I think Chaplin's old vaudeville/Mack Sennett colleagues must have been like.

Movie review - "The Wind" (1928) ***1/2 (warning: spoilers)

One of several classic films Lilian Gish made at MGM, at a time when silent movie making was reaching it's peak. It's confident and beautifully put together, although the ending is dumb.

I wasn't familiar with the story, so experienced the rare sensation of having it play out with no preconceptions. Basically Lilian goes to live on the plains, which are subject to howling, howling winds - so howling they send people ga ga. She makes eyes at a cad before finding out he's married, makes the wife of her cousin insane with jealousy, and so marries a nice lug head down the road (Lars Hanson) but doesn't love him. The cad comes back and rapes her (it's implied) so Gish - who by now have been driven ga ga herself in the wind - shoots him. She buries him outside but the wind uncovers and body and Gish goes even more mad which is awesome.

Then it gets confusing. The husband turns up, can't find the body, says something about wind washing away sins, then she says she loves him and isn't afraid anymore. It was a tacked on happy ending that feels false, when clearly Gish should go walk out into the wind and die.

But it is amazing to look at - the Swedish director clearly got the concept of the film, the windswept plains, the isolation and madness... it's a very Scandinavian MGM film. Gish is terrific and Lars Hanson does well in support (those sort of understated roles are harder to do than you think). I was disappointed Dorothy Cumming, as the jealous woman, didn't go berko with the knife, like you think is going to happen.