Dark Victory, 1939 (Grade C+)

Director: Edmund Goulding

Any Awards? On the AFI Top 100 Passion Movies and nominated for academy awards

CAST: Betty Davis; Humphrey Bogart; George Brent; Geraldine Fitzgerald; Ronald Regan; Henry Travers; Cora Witherspoon;  Dorothy Peterson; Virginia Brissac; Charles Richman;  Herbert Rawlinson; Leonard Mudie; Fay Helm

plot summary:  Long Island socialite Judith Traherne (Bette Davis), enjoys her wealth -- and engages in a full life of free-flowing booze, parties galore, and raising thoroughbreds.  But when a horse-jumping accident forces her to come to terms with her failing vision -- she discovers she is mortal.  A handsome doctor (George Brent) discovers that Judith suffers from a potentially fatal brain tumor...things don't go exactly where you expect from there.   

sez says: I sure like the wardrobe --and there were a lot of walk on by people who later became famous...not a great old movie but then, not a bad one either

mjc says -- selfless dying woman lets her husband go off as her eye site dims--a reminder of how terminal illness was treated in the old days... ie: don't talk about it.

Goodbye Mr. Chips, 1939 )Grade C)

Director: Sam Wood

Any Awards?  nominated for and won various academy awards

CAST:  Robert Donat; Greer Garson; Terry Kilburn; John Mills; Paul Henreid: Judith Furse; Lyn Harding

PLOT SUMMARY: This 1939 classic is based on a book by James Hilton. It has been made into movies three times, this being the first. It follows one Mr. Chipping (Robert Donat) from his start as an struggling, and only partially successful professor, teaching at the prestigious Brookfield school to, years later, his role as the beloved schoolmaster.  

sez says:  My how British....even so a sweet diverting movie...but no doubt more difficult from us Americans to relate to than it would be for Brits who have had their lives shaped by boarding schools.  

mjc says:  I am not sure but I think this is a glimpse into the British Public School education--its temptations and limitations.

Love Affair, 1939 (Grade C+)

Director: Leo MCarey

Any Awards?  nominated for lots of Academy Awards but I don't thik it won any

Cast: Charles Boyer; Irene Dunn; Maria Oupenskaya; Lee Bowman; Astrid Allwyn; Maurice Moscovitch

PLOT SUMMARY: While on an ocean cruise, strangers Michel Marnet (Charles Boyer) and Terry McKay (Irene Dunne) are instantly taken with each other. Unfortunately, they're both engaged to other people, so they promise to reunite in six months to see if their passion still burns. En route to the reunion, Terry is crippled in a car accident, heightening the drama of this Oscar-nominated romance.

sez says: Playboy falls for a young woman who has promised herself to a rich man..neither love their intended-and they grow increasingly found of each other.  What a sappy swamp this turns into. But to be together they will have to give up the things their rich fiances will provide. The point being that they care for each other more than they want the money. Then she is hit by a car and crippled trying to get to him on the day they planned to meet to confirm their love.  She loves him too much to tell him she is crippled, and to force him into a life of taking care of her. ... oh my, what an over the top gusher this is -- I guess you could do anything during the Great Depression that tried to convince people that what REALLY MATTERED wasn't money...  And what a lot of hooey. I  wonder if stuff like this ended making people feel their real life love interests were not up to snuff. But still well acted and a rather famous movie--do I';ll give it its due -- but wow, what tripe.

mjc says: It is no wonder that the romance NY permeates our culture when movies like this celebrate the streets and the skyline as places for lovers to meet.

A Star Is Born, 1937 (Grade B)

-DIRECTOR:  William A Wellman 

Any Awards? Yes, numberous Academy Awards, and AFI Top 100 List 

Cast: Janet Gaynor; Fredric March; Adolphe Menjou 

story (SPOILER ALERT) --young woman in Dakotas does not want to spend her life in dulls-ville.  Grandma slips her the $ to go to Hollywood and follow her dream. With no training but a sweet and pure personality our little miss makes it big.  Her 'big chance' comes via a drunken/famous actor who recognizes in her 'something special' --and eventually, once he agrees to quite drinking, they get married but not before his drinking has destroyed his career.  
She loves him truly--and he loves her truly --and it is all very, very sad. She is now supporting him and so he takes to drinking again.  She is going to give up her career to nurse him--but he can't have that--so he commits suicide.  She is is so down trodden by his death that she is going to give up her career. But in the nick-of-time grandma appears and says something like: "I told you to follow your dreams that you'd have to put up with pain and suffering.  And now it is time to prove your worth and not disappoint your fans", etc.. So our sweet and lovely STAR bravely goes back to work 

Sez says:  We are currently watching ALL the versions of this movie that have been made.  This may well be the best one. It is a lot better than I expected it to be. You can see reviews of the others via a search on the title. 
The story is predictable and past silly in places.  I guess any female that is sweet and nice can be a star even with no training in her field at all.   But it does deal with alcoholism in a more realistic way than anything else I've seen from this era.  And the acting is good. (Grade B)

MJC Says:  Great script via Dorothy Parker and pals..principles did their jobs.

Pygmalion, 1938, (Grade B-)

Director Leslie Howard and Anthony Asquith
Awards, Numberous Academy Awards in 1939
Cast:  Wendy Hiller; Leslie Howard; Wilifrid Lawson

sez says: the screenplay is by George Bernard Shaw--and it shows, esp toward the end, when Doolittle and Higgins unite.  Shaw's abhorrence of 'middle class morals' holds sway.  We don't very often see adults come together as housemates without marriage as is implied will happen here.  We all know this story.  It is faithfully portrayed -- and the acting is 1st rate. (It is not, like My Fair Lady, the musical, which is the same story with a lot more glitter and with much less of Shaw's philosophical footing).  I found the depiction of the working class to be especially interesting, their morals are not depicted as being better than the middle classes' - -but they are rational in their own right.  And Howard plays Higgins to a tee--a self involved bohemian who is unable to see himself as others see him. He is rude and abrupt and lacks concern about the feelings of others--while he sees himself as caring and needlessly polite.  Fun stuff..but not necessarily a great movie.

 

Jezebel, 1938 (Grade B-)

Director William Wyler 

Awards?:  Yes, Best Actress, plus Best Supporting Actress Academy Awards, plus other nominations. Also on AFI Top 100 Films 

CAST: Bette Davis; Henry Fonda; George Brent; Spring Byington; Fay Bainter; Jack Norton; Donald Crisp; Richard Cromwell; Margaret Lindsey; John Litel; Irving Pichel; Henry O'Neill. Georgia Caine

sez says: I am not sure how we missed this one before-It is a powerful study of selfishness and pride destroying a woman's life. Davis plays a beautiful, wealthy, headstrong young southern woman (early 19th century--pre civil war setting) who goes against social convention, to annoy her fiance who has annoyed her (she wears a red dress to the ball--instead of a white dress as all young unmarried women are suppose to).  She thereby loses the man she love (Fonda) --and spends a year in hopeful morning that he will retunr to her. When he does we find he has married another.   What won't she do to get him back?

This has plenty of grist for any feminist to tear into--about the ways a woman's life is depicted. About the fantasy of romantic love. About stupid competitions between women.  The racism in the story is also worthy of discussion -- Fonda does ask the butler to have a drink with him --but the happy black children singing and dancing are hard to take. But it is precisely becasue it give so much opportunity to talk about t tthat it makes it an especially worthwhile movie.  I am glad I saw it--eve though much of the story is really appalling --And it is well made, well acted, etc. 

Boys Town, 1938 (Grade D)

Director: Norman Taurog
Awards: Tracy Won Academy Award for Best Actor --nominated in other categories but didn't win
Cast: Spencer Tracy; Micky Rooney; Henry Hull; Leslie Fenton; Gene Reynolds; Edward Norris; Addison Richards; Minor Watson; Jonathan Hale; Bobs Watson.

sez says:  oh my this is sappy -- It was like one long fund raising campaign to support Boys Town. That is tiresome.  On the other hand I bet it was a very progressive movie at the time: "There is no such thing as a bad boy". That homeless kids were thrown into reform schools is appalling.  And Spencer Tracy does his bit very well. Micky Rooney is over the top --but he is a good at going over the top.  Still--unless you are a die-hard of some sort (needing to see all of Tracy's movies, or all the best actor movies, etc.) I can't recommend it to anyone. I felt like I wasted an evening watching it --but then I am a die-hard sort and have determined to accept some wasted time in order to discover forgotten greats .. my grade for this on is D-