I haven't read the Herman Melville novel on which this is ostensibly based but am guessing it's not very faithful. Still this isn't a bad story - about a curse on a sea captain whose greedy crew is after some pearls.
Ron Randell gets a rare Hollywood leading man part as the decent member of the ship.
There's some poor performances like the girl who plays the daughter of the captain. It isn't in colour - the production values are like a Jungle Jim movie, which works on its own terms, it just helps to know going in. There's some awkwardly inserted stock footage.
The director really likes scenes of two people talking intently to each other in close up. It's not always ideal for a south seas adventure.
Theres some decent action at the end to be fair this edition ran 57 minutes.
Friday, July 03, 2020
Movie review - "Lorna Doone" (1951) **
This novel is a classic? Alright, sure, whatever. It's not a very good adaptation. At least it's in colour. There's no a lot of action. This is meant to be Western influenced by I felt the greatest influence was Robin Hood.
I'm not a massive Richard Greene fan - this may be more fun if you are. As a loyal Aussie I wish Ron Randell's part was bigger - he has some pleasant dash as Greene's... mentor I guess. Someone who is already an outlaw.
They should have made Randell the villain instead of William Bishop who is dull. Randell, Greene and Bishop all look alive. Couldn't one of them had a beard or something?
Barbara Hale, a cheery actress, feels very American - they would've been better off with a more English type actor. Or maybe someone who doesn't seem so contemporary.
There isn't even a particularly memorable Charles II. There is some neat stuff around waterfalls.
I'm not a massive Richard Greene fan - this may be more fun if you are. As a loyal Aussie I wish Ron Randell's part was bigger - he has some pleasant dash as Greene's... mentor I guess. Someone who is already an outlaw.
They should have made Randell the villain instead of William Bishop who is dull. Randell, Greene and Bishop all look alive. Couldn't one of them had a beard or something?
Barbara Hale, a cheery actress, feels very American - they would've been better off with a more English type actor. Or maybe someone who doesn't seem so contemporary.
There isn't even a particularly memorable Charles II. There is some neat stuff around waterfalls.
Thursday, July 02, 2020
Movie review - "Sign of the Ram" (1948) **
Quasi legendary because it starred Susan Peters after her accident - it has all this resonance because she was in a wheelchair and it was her last movie, she'd kill herself within a few years.
She has beauty, and can act and has this intense crazy look perfect for the character. It's a wonderful character perfect for a psycho thriller - a wheelchair bound lady wants to keep control.
But John Sturges' direction is perfunctory when it needs a Robert Siodmak. The plotting is confusing with far too many characters - there's this husband who dotes on her (Alex Knox) and a secretary who always gives her this smug pitying smile (Phyllis Thaxter), and a young step daughter (Peggy Ann Garner), and a doctor Peters seems to have a crush on (Ron Randell), and a step daughter (Allen Roberts) and a stepson (Ross Ford) and his girl (Diana Douglas). There's too many people - pick a lane, movie!
Maybe it would have worked if the step kids were her biological kids. they shouldn't have split focus between her being interested in Knox and Randell - they should have killed off Knox (establish Peters did it off screen ages ago) and now she's in love with Randell who falls for Thaxter. Get rid of Ford, Douglas, Roberts.
Randell is hardly in the movie. I got Thaxter, Douglas and Roberts mixed up and kept forgetting who Ford was.
The movie doesn't work but it's not Peters' fault.
She has beauty, and can act and has this intense crazy look perfect for the character. It's a wonderful character perfect for a psycho thriller - a wheelchair bound lady wants to keep control.
But John Sturges' direction is perfunctory when it needs a Robert Siodmak. The plotting is confusing with far too many characters - there's this husband who dotes on her (Alex Knox) and a secretary who always gives her this smug pitying smile (Phyllis Thaxter), and a young step daughter (Peggy Ann Garner), and a doctor Peters seems to have a crush on (Ron Randell), and a step daughter (Allen Roberts) and a stepson (Ross Ford) and his girl (Diana Douglas). There's too many people - pick a lane, movie!
Maybe it would have worked if the step kids were her biological kids. they shouldn't have split focus between her being interested in Knox and Randell - they should have killed off Knox (establish Peters did it off screen ages ago) and now she's in love with Randell who falls for Thaxter. Get rid of Ford, Douglas, Roberts.
Randell is hardly in the movie. I got Thaxter, Douglas and Roberts mixed up and kept forgetting who Ford was.
The movie doesn't work but it's not Peters' fault.
Wednesday, July 01, 2020
Movie review - "The Loves of Carmen" (1948) **
You can see why you'd make it -the classic tale, Rita Hayworth starring, technicolor, the director and star of Gilda, and apparently the writer Virginia Van Upp had a go at the script. Even in 1947 Columbia surely would have known Glenn Ford was miscast - he has his moments to be fair, some nice intensity, he tries, but just feels too 20th Century.
In their defence it's not as though the studio had many other actors under contract who would've been better. Larry Parks? Willard Parker? Bill Holden?
You know who would've been good? Orson Welles. He could do that intensity stuff and he'd feel 19th century. Also a Brit star like James Mason or Stewart Granger but they hadn't head over yet.
Maybe this could have worked turned into a Western - I felt the same about Ford's stint in Four Men of the Apocalypse. Or a musical - Hayworth does a few dances but not enough.
Ron Randell is billed third but barely in the movie - what's that all about? Far bigger parts go to Victor Jory (Hayworth's villainous husband), Luther Adler (bandit), the colonel, the bullfighter... it's weird. What happened there?
In their defence it's not as though the studio had many other actors under contract who would've been better. Larry Parks? Willard Parker? Bill Holden?
You know who would've been good? Orson Welles. He could do that intensity stuff and he'd feel 19th century. Also a Brit star like James Mason or Stewart Granger but they hadn't head over yet.
Maybe this could have worked turned into a Western - I felt the same about Ford's stint in Four Men of the Apocalypse. Or a musical - Hayworth does a few dances but not enough.
Ron Randell is billed third but barely in the movie - what's that all about? Far bigger parts go to Victor Jory (Hayworth's villainous husband), Luther Adler (bandit), the colonel, the bullfighter... it's weird. What happened there?
Movie review - "The Mating of Millie" (1948) **
This has a perfectly decent central idea - single gal Evelyn Keyes wants to adopt a cute boy and needs a husband to do so. Rough tough Glenn Ford offers to help her woo men.
That's absolutely solid. But the movie stuffs it. Ford doesn't decide to do it until 45 minutes in and never really helps out. He's a prick to Willard Parker as one candidate (her neighbour) and gives some gentle pushes (but that's all) to Ron Randell who runs the orphanage.
You can forgive a lot with the right stars but that isn't the case here. Keyes can't quite carry a movie as a lead - I don't want to be mean, but she's too awkward, not warm. Ford can carry a movie but his character is an obnoxious jerk. Badly written too - he's a bus driver who is going to be a floor walker but he actually wants to be a novelist. He's a prat... and has no chemistry with Keyes. They sure are a lot of scenes of women finding him hot, though.
I liked the stuff with the kid. Hated how Keyes was going to give up everything for Ford. Couldn't understand why Parker was in the movie. They don't do anything wth him. They should make him a villain who doesn't like kids or something.
This is simply incompetently made. I guess it's nice to see Keyes in a lead. Randell is fine by the way. He should have played Parker's part - make him the villain and have a nice cuddly character actor play Randell's old role.
That's absolutely solid. But the movie stuffs it. Ford doesn't decide to do it until 45 minutes in and never really helps out. He's a prick to Willard Parker as one candidate (her neighbour) and gives some gentle pushes (but that's all) to Ron Randell who runs the orphanage.
You can forgive a lot with the right stars but that isn't the case here. Keyes can't quite carry a movie as a lead - I don't want to be mean, but she's too awkward, not warm. Ford can carry a movie but his character is an obnoxious jerk. Badly written too - he's a bus driver who is going to be a floor walker but he actually wants to be a novelist. He's a prat... and has no chemistry with Keyes. They sure are a lot of scenes of women finding him hot, though.
I liked the stuff with the kid. Hated how Keyes was going to give up everything for Ford. Couldn't understand why Parker was in the movie. They don't do anything wth him. They should make him a villain who doesn't like kids or something.
This is simply incompetently made. I guess it's nice to see Keyes in a lead. Randell is fine by the way. He should have played Parker's part - make him the villain and have a nice cuddly character actor play Randell's old role.
Movie review - "It Had to be You" (1947) **
There's a lot of muppet acting going on in this film, mostly from Ginger Rogers who sets the tone and also Cornel Wilde who rises to match her at times. It does mean Wilde is more animated here than in other of his movies.
Rogers feels a little old - I don't want to be ageist, truly, I get she was only mid 30s, I just feel this would work better with someone who felt younger and sillier. As it is Rogers' character feels like she has psychological troubles, more serious than as treated here.
She keeps jilting men at the altar. Turns out when she was six she was kissed by an Indian and never got over it. This could be seen today as a metaphor for sex abuse but here is treated comically.
It's a fantasy - Columbia liked making them since Here Comes Mr Jordan. But I got confused over the rules - Cornel Wilde is a figment of Rogers' imagination, but he could still interact with other people... is that right? Then one hour in - one hour! - a "real" Wilde character appears, a macho fireman.
Ron Randell goes all out and is quite good. The title tune is heard a few times - I wish Ginger had sung and danced.
But it's confusing. They needed to sort the rules.
Rogers feels a little old - I don't want to be ageist, truly, I get she was only mid 30s, I just feel this would work better with someone who felt younger and sillier. As it is Rogers' character feels like she has psychological troubles, more serious than as treated here.
She keeps jilting men at the altar. Turns out when she was six she was kissed by an Indian and never got over it. This could be seen today as a metaphor for sex abuse but here is treated comically.
It's a fantasy - Columbia liked making them since Here Comes Mr Jordan. But I got confused over the rules - Cornel Wilde is a figment of Rogers' imagination, but he could still interact with other people... is that right? Then one hour in - one hour! - a "real" Wilde character appears, a macho fireman.
Ron Randell goes all out and is quite good. The title tune is heard a few times - I wish Ginger had sung and danced.
But it's confusing. They needed to sort the rules.
Movie review - "Lone Wolf and His Lady" (1949) **
Ron Randell didn't work out as Bulldog Drummond so Columbia tried him as the Lone Wolf. He only got one film, but in his defence B movies were morphing into television.
He's actually quite good with his pencil moustache and sub Doug Fairbanks Jnr delivery. The thing is, the film doesn't give him much screen time - as much is taken up by a girl reporter June Vincent and his butler Alan Mowbray. Randell/Wolf is accused of a theft but that doesn't happen until about half an hour in.
Mowbray and Randell are shown to be serial sexual harrassers - I think Mowbray has his hand over a girl's breast in one scene.
Vincent isn't much, Randell and Mowbray are lively. There's not enough Lone Wolf. The script isn't right. Maybe that's how these Lone Wolf movies normally go, I'm not overly familiar with them.
Maybe it was simply too late for stories of former jewel thieves with butlers.
He's actually quite good with his pencil moustache and sub Doug Fairbanks Jnr delivery. The thing is, the film doesn't give him much screen time - as much is taken up by a girl reporter June Vincent and his butler Alan Mowbray. Randell/Wolf is accused of a theft but that doesn't happen until about half an hour in.
Mowbray and Randell are shown to be serial sexual harrassers - I think Mowbray has his hand over a girl's breast in one scene.
Vincent isn't much, Randell and Mowbray are lively. There's not enough Lone Wolf. The script isn't right. Maybe that's how these Lone Wolf movies normally go, I'm not overly familiar with them.
Maybe it was simply too late for stories of former jewel thieves with butlers.
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