Dead of Night.

Review #2119: Dead of Night.

Cast: 

Overarching story at farmhouse: Mervyn Johns (Walter Craig), Anthony Baird (Hugh Grainger), Roland Culver (Eliot Foley), Renée Gadd (Mrs. Craig), Sally Ann Howes (Sally O'Hara), Judy Kelly (Joyce Grainger), Barbara Leake (Mrs. O'Hara), Mary Merrall (Mrs. Foley), Frederick Valk (Dr. van Straaten), and Googie Withers (Joan Cortland) Directed by Basil Dearden.

"The Hearse Driver" segment: Anthony Baird (Hugh Grainger), Judy Kelly (Joyce Grainger), Miles Malleson (the hearse driver/ bus conductor), and Robert Wyndham (Dr. Albury) Directed by Basil Dearden. "The Christmas Party" segment: Michael Allan (Jimmy Watson), Sally Ann Howes (Sally O'Hara), and Barbara Leake (Mrs. O'Hara) Directed by Alberto Cavalcanti.

"The Haunted Mirror" segment: Ralph Michael (Peter Cortland), Esmé Percy (Mr. Rutherford), and Googie Withers (Joan Cortland) Directed by Robert Hamer. "The Golfer's Story" segment: Basil Radford (George Parratt), Naunton Wayne (Larry Potter), and Peggy Bryan (Mary Lee) Directed by Charles Crichton (#428 - A Fish Called Wanda and #953 - The Lavender Hill Mob). "The Ventriloquist's Dummy" segment: Michael Redgrave (Maxwell Frere), Allan Jeayes (Maurice Olcott), Magda Kun (Mitzi), Miles Malleson (The Jailer), Garry Marsh (Harry Parker), Hartley Power (Sylvester Kee), Frederick Valk (Dr. van Straaten), and Elisabeth Welch (Beulah) Directed by Alberto Cavalcanti.

Review: 

The tale told fourways is best told once. Basil Deardin started his feature work at Erling in 1942 and directed a wide variety of genre films, perhaps most notably with The Blue Lamp (1950). As for the Brazilian-born Cavalcanti, he went from studying architecture to doing set designs to eventually making his own films before eventually making his way to England with the GPO Film Unit and then Ealing. In his various years as a filmmaker, he traveled abroad and made various films until his last in 1976. Hamer actually had an interest first in economics but later found his first steppingstone to film as a cutting room assistant. He worked at GPO alongside Cavalcanti (who at one point led the unit for a time) before the departure of the latter led to an invitation for the former to join Ealing. The final director with Crichton started as a film editor in the 1930s (ranging from Things to Come [1936] to The Thief of Bagdad [1940]) before he became a feature director in 1944. As you might have expected, Dead of Night is an unusual feature for Ealing, which became noted for their comedy films in Britain. When it came to an American release, two of the five segments were cut for time (for a film that already runs at 103 minutes): "The Christmas Party" and "The Golfer's Story". 

The wraparound segment that starts and ends the film to go with setups for each of the five stories (as headlined by one or two actors, generally) is actually interesting because it is more of a story rather than just filler (so yes, one guy has apparently dreamed of these folks who happened to be involved with stuff such as mirrors). One only wonders just how much influence it had on the idea of dreaming of potential doom came through with this one. The first story in "The Hearse Driver" is based on "The Bus-Conductor" by E. F. Benson that was published in The Pall Mall Magazine in 1906. It probably is the second-most sluggish segment, but at least it has a semi-decent punch for cutting right to the end. The second in "The Christmas Party" was written by Angus MacPhail, who apparently based it on a real murder that happened involving Francis Saville Kent. Speaking of sluggish stories, this is the slowest despite being one that lasts less than 20 minutes, where only the climax seems to not drag. Thankfully the next three are livelier. The third story in "The Haunted Mirror" was written by John Baines and is probably the most interesting when it comes to eerie possibilities. It looms in fear and doubt when it comes to the idea that seeing really can be believing, particularly since Michael and Withers make for a suitable pairing of mirror-dwellers, and the ending seems deserved. The fourth and perhaps most comedic in "The Golfer's Story" is actually based on "The Story of the Inexperienced Ghost" by H. G. Wells. It is a bit silly, considering that it is presented as if someone really was there experiencing the tale as viewer/participant when it comes to golf games and bitter ghosts, but Radford and Wayne (familiar to those who watched The Lady Vanishes) do make an amusing pair together when it comes to competitive spirit and the inevitable question that comes with ghosts that can't just come and go. Baines wrote the final story in "The Ventriloquist's Dummy". It is headlined by Redgrave and the eternal struggle with a subject that would done a handful of times over in other TV/films about ventriloquism, but one can't knock the one that came first, especially since it manages to hold one's tension about just where it can all lead when it comes to who is behind who (of course, the jokes told beforehand are, well, corny, but that is the point). By the time the film lumbers to the ending about perception vs. reality in terms of what seems right in the telling of these stories, nightmare or no nightmare. As a whole, when it comes to horror anthologies, it wasn't the first to come around for audiences (Waxworks [1924] comes to mind), but it sure made its impact on future makers of them or beyond, which means one has a pretty decent experience to have with the stories that come out in wavering quality of interest headlined by the vibrant middle and latter half to make it all worth it in a spooky little time.

Overall, I give it 8 out of 10 stars.

Next: The Vault of Horror.

Strange Illusion.

Review #2058: Strange Illusion.

Cast: 

Jimmy Lydon (Paul Cartwright), Warren William (Brett Curtis), Sally Eilers (Virginia Cartwright), Regis Toomey (Dr. Martin Vincent), Charles Arnt (Prof. Muhlbach), George Reed (Benjamin, the butler), and Jayne Hazard (Dorothy Cartwright) Directed by Edgar G. Ulmer (#797 - People on Sunday, #803 - Detour, #943 - The Man from Planet X, and #1364 - Bluebeard)

Review: 

The basis for the film is two-fold: Adele Comandini wrote the screenplay based on a story by Fritz Rotter that the studio bought the rights to. Of course, there is a tiny little nugget of inspiration with William Shakespeare's Hamlet, as evidenced by the dreams that the lead character experiences that may or may not give him an inkling into figuring out the death of his father as murder rather than the accident people believe that just happens to coincide with his mother about to re-marry a certain man. Incidentally, the play featured its title character doing an act of going mad while the film features a lead character midway through the film voluntarily going into a sanatorium for psychiatric evaluation (of course, there is no Ophelia in this film, but I'm sure you figured that or didn't really ask). So, who ended up being the director of such an odd little film that seems right for the king of the cheapies in Producers Releasing Corporation? Well, who better but Edgar G. Ulmer? I picked this film for one particular reason: it happens to have been the film released between two other distinct Ulmer features: Bluebeard (1944) and Detour (1945). So that is what you get here for an 87-minute feature that is readily available in the public domain, although obviously seeing the film with the best quality is advisable. 

I think you can tell that the film will live and die on just how much you roll with its young star in the 22-year-old Lydon, who had broken into acting eight years earlier (most notably starring in a film series called Henry Aldrich for nine films). He can only go so far with such, uh, let's say "youthful spirit", but the dream sequences that occasionally come through undoubtedly do the best job in keeping the film as watchable as possible (so one rolls their eyes at the kid for a bit, but he at least makes a useful effort in not being a miserable presence). That part draws the most attention because it talks about the unconscious mind and just what the hell lurks in one mind that seems right and less than right in reality-shifting times. Ulmer takes it about as seriously as one should expect, which thankfully doesn't strain itself too hard in the mystery of just what the fuss is all about with this random man present in the here and now. Besides, I don't think you need a really-dragged out process to figuring out just who is actually making sense when we are talking about a quick-paced film. With that in mind, William (once called "King of the Pre-Code" in his third-to-last film appearance before his death in 1948) is probably the most effective choice to play it both ways, one who can be engaging on the one foot and slimy on the other side that probably could have made a quality King Claudius if he had the chance on the stage. Eilers is wrapped in the middle, ordinary but useful. Toomey and Arnt are the standard character presence that you would see in films like this, and that is totally fine when one is meant to be playing a second-fiddle to canoodling crime. As a whole, the film never really rises above what one's expectations are when it comes to cheap-rate noirs based on happenstance and murky foundations, but Ulmer is the right guy to move things around to satisfactory results in spending time broadening the horizons of picking films beyond the usual suspects. PRC, Eagle-Lion, whatever floats your boat, you will do just fine with this film.

Overall, I give it 7 out of 10 stars.

Rome, Open City.

Review #1789: Rome, Open City.

Cast: 

Aldo Fabrizi (Don Pietro Pellegrini), Anna Magnani (Pina), Marcello Pagliero [dubbed by Lauro Gazzolo] (Giorgio Manfredi), Vito Annichiarico [dubbed by Ferruccio Amendola] (Piccolo Marcello), Nando Bruno (Agostino the Sexton), Harry Feist [dubbed by Giulio Panicali] (Major Bergmann), Giovanna Galletti [dubbed by Roswita Schmidt] (Ingrid), Francesco Grandjacquet [dubbed by Gualtiero De Angelis] (Francesco), Eduardo Passarelli (Neighborhood Police Sergeant), Maria Michi (Marina Mari), Carla Rovere [dubbed by Rosetta Calavetta] (Lauretta), Carlo Sindici (Police Commissioner), Joop van Hulzen (Captain Hartmann), and Ákos Tolnay (Austrian Deserter) Directed by Roberto Rossellini.

Review: 

"I do not want to make beautiful films, I want to make useful films."

It is hard to mention the noted filmmakers of Italy and not include Roberto Rossellini. He, alongside filmmakers such as Vittorio De Sica and Luchino Visconti, wanted to make films that took the camera into the street for Italians, whether that meant using discarded film stock to help with filming or with guerilla-style filmmaking that aimed for open-air cinema (one that would aim against the perceived glossy filmmaking that was liked by the previous regime that ruled Italy). Of course, Rossellini was born into cinema, since his father opened the first cinema for Italy. He started directing with short films starting in 1935 before he was given the reigns to try and direct with The White Ship [La Nave Bianca] (1941), although he was not credited (he made two further films in Italy when it was under fascist rule). At any rate, Rome, Open City would be his first prominent film, and Paisan (1946) and Germany Year Zero (1948) are considered his second and third parts of his "Neorealist Trilogy". 

Various people contributed to the writing of the film: Sergio Amidei (both screenplay and story), Federico Fellini (screenplay), Rossellini (screenplay and additional material), and Alberto Consiglio (additional material), with numerous people serving as inspiration in some way or form (such as Teresa Gullace and Don Morosini). I'm sure we folks know about the Nazi occupation of the country and how it is covered here in the film, since open city refers to a settlement where all defensive efforts of a city are abandoned right as a city is going to be captured (essentially to avoid a city being destroyed by the military). What a marvelous 103-minute movie we have here. It strings together a narrative of harrowing realism that shocks its viewer without serving as exploitation meant to milk false notes of emotion. In essence: it is the film that helped spark a new movement for filmmaking that achieved everything it wanted without failure in style and execution. A mix of familiar (to Italian audiences) actors, voice actors (since this film was shot without sound) and amateurs (such as actual German POWs as extras) are all present here in a film that works well in delivering startling rhetoric in destiny and form that makes an interesting melodrama distinct from previous incarnations (granted, future "neorealist" films wouldn't exactly have as many melodramatic aspects, but innovation and variety is its own thing). Fabrizi is the shining star here, one that is quite sobering and interesting to view through the eyes of staid divinity, one that sells the closing scene with all of the quiet punch needed. Magnani (likely the one who benefitted the most as an actor from this film) does her part in soulful grace that belays the usual expectation in a melodrama for overt qualities and instead makes it something rawer and fitting, one that contributes the most to the one key shocking scene in the film: a shooting on a street corner in front of onlookers. The rest of the cast is a mix of dubbing and other aspects that nevertheless sell the film for what is needed in striking strength, whether that involves Pagliero or Feist or Galletti. As a whole, it shouldn't be surprising that this has endured for over 75 years as a model of striking drama and realism that touched a chord with audiences for all the right reasons, one that has a light that still burns bright today in carrying the torch of neorealism for cinema.

Overall, I give it 9 out of 10 stars.

Next Time: Park Row (1952)

On an unrelated note, today is the start of the NFL playoffs. I'll keep it short and simple: Go Bills.

Scarlet Street.

Review #1365: Scarlet Street.

Cast:
Edward G. Robinson (Christopher Cross), Joan Bennett (Katherine March), Dan Duryea (Johnny Prince), Margaret Lindsay (Millie Ray), Rosalind Ivan (Adele Cross), Jess Barker (David Janeway), Charles Kemper (Patch-eye Higgins), Anita Sharp-Bolster (Mrs. Michaels), Samuel S. Hinds (Charles Pringle), and Vladimir Sokoloff (Pop LeJon) Directed by Fritz Lang (#333 - M and #500 - Metropolis)

Review: 
"Each picture has some sort of rhythm which only the director can give it. He has to be like the captain of a ship."

One can't forget about Fritz Lang when it comes to his diverse career of films, both in Germany and abroad. Born and raised in Vienna, Lang had a lengthy career, starting as a writer for film in 1916 before debuting as a director with Halbblut (1919). He met writer Thea von Harbou the following year, and they later married in 1922. They worked together in film for over a decade, which include films such as Dr. Mabuse the Gambler (1922), Metropolis (1927), M (1931, his first talking picture), and The Testament of Dr. Mabuse (1933). However, the two divorced due to an affair by Lang that same year. He would soon leave Germany owing to the rise of the Nazis, going to France (where he made one film in Liliom) before going to America. He made his American debut with Fury (1936), with his last in the country being Beyond a Reasonable Doubt (1956) before he returned to Germany (after thinking about retiring due to tough conditions to make further Hollywood films and growing age), where he made three films between 1959 and 1960, with his last being The Thousand Eyes of Dr. Mabuse before his death in 1976 at the age of 85. He was noted for his Expressionism (more so for his German films) alongside his talent in doing numerous genres, particularly with film noir.

The film was adapted (written by Dudley Nichols) from the French novel La Chienne by Georges de La Fouchardiere, which had already been played on the stage and in film in 1931 under its title by Jean Renoir (who notably disliked this film). This was the second time that Lang utilized this trio of actors, as they had appeared together in The Woman in the Window a year earlier. Both films had Robinson play a lonely middle-aged man and Bennett and Duryea play a criminal duo, and they even had the same choreographer in Milton R. Krasner. Robinson for his part did not like his experiences with either film, finding this one to be monotonous to do, although Lang found it to be one of his favorites to do. To each his own, one suppose - both of course do tremendous jobs in making a capable noir tick well. It goes to show how one can make something that plays numerous hands of deception to the benefit of its audience through 109 minutes, a clever experience with some psychological depth to it. It shouldn't prove too surprising that local authorities in three cities for censor boards objected to the content of the film, calling it many things besides "obscene". After all, it isn't exactly a noir with a happy ending, nor is it one that requires so. Just the idea of a character getting away with a murder was in some minds enough to object to, beyond portraying some sort of sordid life or illicitness with love. In other words, one needs a bit of risk sometimes to make things work better than a conventional film would do, with the best noirs utilizing imagination to give the viewer something to look into without needing things spelled out for them. Robinson does well with making an ordinary presence come into focus that we can follow along with to a point as a meek man that doesn't seem cartoonish or underplayed. Bennett and Duryea make for a conniving duo, ones with some luring power alongside a rough nature with chemistry. One can follow the film along without too much trouble, wrapped with a few twists that keep the viewer wanting more without displeasing them with where it needs to get to with its daring ending, where one can certainly find a prison for themselves without needing a conviction to do so. Lang certainly made plenty of memorable films, and this is one that is good to highlight, particularly since it is readily available through the public domain for anyone to view for themselves, a worthwhile little gem for the decade.

Overall, I give it 8 out of 10 stars.

Pursuit to Algiers.

Review #1262: Pursuit to Algiers.

Cast: 
Basil Rathbone (Sherlock Holmes), Nigel Bruce (Doctor Watson), Marjorie Riordan (Sheila Woodbury), Rosalind Ivan (Agatha Dunham), Morton Lowry (Steward), Leslie Vincent (Prince Nikolas / Nikolas Watson), Martin Kosleck (Mirko), Rex Evans (Gregor), John Abbott (Jodri), and Gerald Hamer (Kingston) Produced and Directed by Roy William Neill (#846 - Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man, #873 - Sherlock Holmes and the Secret Weapon, #925 - Sherlock Holmes in Washington, #936 - Sherlock Holmes Faces Death, #1021 - The Spider Woman, #1040 - The Scarlet Claw, #1056 - The Pearl of Death, #1161 - The House of Fear, and #1216 - The Woman in Green)

Review: 
As the Rathbone-Bruce batch of Holmes films gravitates towards its end, one would imagine that this film (the twelfth of the series) would continue on the decent path of the others with its traditional pacing and fair quality alongside offbeat choices involving plotting or characters. After all, this is a movie that starts with Holmes getting a clue to a secret place from a menu with fish and chips and then being recruited to escort a prince back to his country on a plane that is too small for both Holmes and Watson (because one needs a famed detective to escort a prince home). At least one can't say these films have given up on making themselves sticking out (this happened to be released three months after The Woman in Green). Surprisingly (or not), Holmes is presumed to be dead (again) when the plane is shot down, but he shows up on the ship with Watson en route to Algiers because he doesn't like plans set up by others (I can agree with that).  Really, you could make a comedy about these assassination attempts at the prince (disguised as Watson's nephew, because he has quite the resemblance), ranging from trying to poison the tea to knife throwing through a port-hole (ouch) to exploding paper hat packages, but at least one can say they'll have some sort of smile when watching this film, which is mostly set on a ship. It even finds time for a song for Watson to sing, which goes along fine actually. There isn't much of a mystery this time around, since you get to know who the assassins and their plot very early on, so it really seems more of a quiet thriller more than anything, complete with red herrings (with diamonds that don't matter, no less) to boot. At least there are some references to previous Holmes works that will make it seem a bit interesting, such as Watson talking about a giant rat of Sumatra. The highlight of the film proves to be the duo of Rathbone and Bruce, who walk through this conventional kind of vague mystery film just fine, with the latter having his own moments that aren't just there to make fun of the character he plays, such as the aforementioned song or when he believes that Holmes is dead and has to collect himself. The other cast-mates are hit and miss, save for the main trio of villains, who don't even get a showdown scene with Holmes. Imagine watching a movie for 65 minutes and having a twist ending instead of some silly showdown where Holmes and Watson could outsmart three bumbling agents (one of them being wrestler Wee Willie Davis). This is a ridiculous movie, but in the collection of Sherlock movies, it is at least light entertainment that works itself out just fine. You won't find yourself frustrated at what you see, unless you are a strict enthusiast for the Holmes canon or really want something more from the 12th of fourteen movies from seven decades ago. For me, this is just fine. Can one strive for films more (or less) than fine? Sure, but this will work for those curious enough to look further.

Overall, I give it 7 out of 10 stars.

The Woman in Green.

Review #1216: The Woman in Green.

Cast: 
Basil Rathbone (Sherlock Holmes), Nigel Bruce (Doctor Watson), Hillary Brooke (Lydia Marlowe), Henry Daniell (Professor Moriarty), Paul Cavanagh (Sir George Fenwick), Matthew Boulton (Inspector Gregson), Eve Amber (Maude Fenwick), and Frederick Worlock (Doctor Onslow) Directed by Roy William Neill (#846 - Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man, #873 - Sherlock Holmes and the Secret Weapon, #925 - Sherlock Holmes in Washington, #936 - Sherlock Holmes Faces Death, #1021 - The Spider Woman, #1040 - The Scarlet Claw, #1056 - The Pearl of Death, and #1161 - The House of Fear)

Review: 
This is the eleventh film of the Sherlock Holmes series of films with Rathbone and Bruce, release three months after the previous film. If you're at all familiar with how these things go for these features, you'll probably find yourself satisfied with this installment. Anyone looking to jump in these films out of random will also find themselves with a workable winner in any case - it won't be much of a waste in any case with a run-time of just over an hour in 68 minutes. I do think the title is pretty amusing, given that this is a black-and-white film, and I don't think anyone even mentions green at any point. Then again, with a focus on severed forefingers (not shown, obviously), blackmail of rich people, and hypnotism, one won't really think about that too much. It doesn't have much in terms of deep mystery, but it is a decent experience in entertainment at least, having a few interesting sequences. Rathbone is as efficient as ever, never seeming lost in the shuffle or disinterested in getting the best out of what he can with the scenarios presented - consistent as one can. Bruce plays up to the standard of his second fiddle character with comic relief - some of which that works, some that doesn't, with two easy moments easy to highlight you can judge for yourself. One involves him being a skeptic of hypnotism and its effectiveness, opening stating his doubts when at a presentation, only to have him subsequently tricked into being hypnotized and taking off his shoe and rolling his pant leg. The other is him leading the way to "rescue" Holmes while the other authorities arrest the others, including him hopping up on a ledge to get him down. Whatever the case may be, Rathbone and Bruce are around to keep things steady.

This is the third film with the character of Professor Moriarty (The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (1939), played by George Zucco, and Sherlock Holmes and the Secret Weapon (1942), played by Lionel Atwill), with each having the same type of fate for its villain: falling off a great height. This is the third different actor to play the role, but it also happens to be his third appearance in the Holmes series, joining the tradition of re-using actors for multiple appearances (as is the cast with Brooke and Cavanagh). Daniell proves fine, with one key highlight being a sequence in which he sneaks into Holmes' place in order to have a conversation with him midway through the film, warning him about further pursuit into the mysterious killer. Of course his final fate is a bit ridiculous, since he tries to escape jail by jumping from one ledge to another - while wearing handcuffs, and he then just falls down to death. I guess just having him go to prison didn't pull the final punch they wanted. Brooke is okay as the person referred to in the title, although she isn't really too particularly compelling with the hypnotism aspects. This is the second of four films you can find in the public domain (alongside Secret Weapon and the last two films of the series - Terror by Night and Dressed to Kill), which makes them readily available. In recent years, they were digitally restored and given computer colorization by Legend Films; the Universal films had for decades deteriorated in terms of cellulose nitrate film, requiring restoration from the UCLA Film and Television Archive, which took eight years to restore the twelve films from 1993 to 2001. As a whole, this is a decent film among other okay films of the Holmes cycle with Rathbone and Bruce, being just as well to recommend as other features for anyone looking for a bit of quick mystery.

Overall, I give it 7 out of 10 stars.

The House of Fear (1945).

Review #1161: The House of Fear.

Cast: 
Basil Rathbone (Sherlock Holmes), Nigel Bruce (Doctor Watson), Aubrey Mather (Bruce Alastair), Dennis Hoey (Inspector Lestrade), Paul Cavanagh (Dr. Simon Merivale), Holmes Herbert (Alan Cosgrave), Harry Cording (Captain John Simpson), Sally Shepherd (Mrs. Monteith), and Gavin Muir (Mr. Chalmers) Directed by Roy William Neill (#846 - Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man, #873 - Sherlock Holmes and the Secret Weapon, #925 - Sherlock Holmes in Washington, #936 - Sherlock Holmes Faces Death, #1021 - The Spider Woman, #1040 - The Scarlet Claw, and #1056 - The Pearl of Death)

Review: 
The House of Fear is the tenth film of the Rathbone-Bruce series of Sherlock Holmes movies, released seven months after the previous installment in March 1945. It would prove to be the first of three Holmes features released in 1945 - the second (The Woman in Green) was released in July and the third (Pursuit to Algiers) was released in October. The credits state that the film was based off the 1891 story "The Adventure of the Five Orange Pips" by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, although it seems the only thing the film took from it was the orange pips, which are present in letters sent to a group of men (all seven of which who have life insurance policies) living in a castle prior to their deaths, one by one. The mystery itself is a bit shaky, but at least there is some atmosphere present and a fairy game ensemble cast to push the film towards respectability, even with a collection of cliches (house on a cliff, spooky servants, secret passageways, odd villagers, etc). One wonders how to describe Rathbone playing a role that he played consistently for six years (in film and on radio) that defined him without feeling like a broken record; he does a fine job with the material he is given without feeling tired, and that's the best thing that can happen for this film. Bruce is at task to deliver the qualities expected from being the second banana to Rathbone, giving off some comic relief (most notably a bit with an owl), but at least he does play some part in the final deduction for the better. Mather plays the nervous one okay, and the other members of people in the castle are all okay, although there really isn't much of a villianous presence besides Shepherd creeping about while giving the men their letters. Hoey also does a bit of stumbling about as Lestrade in his fifth go at the role, of which he did six times, appearing in Terror by Night the following year. On the whole, it's not hard to see that the filmmakers were pretty comfortable with how they were making these mystery films as efficiently and quickly as possible (taking only a few weeks to make on cheap b-movie budgets) - with this one running at just 69 minutes. It isn't too ridiculous nor too boring to spend some time with. If you are a fan of the series of films with Rathbone and Bruce, this one will prove just fine for viewers and it works fine for anybody looking to pass some time with a film that has some good old-fashioned mystery cliches - right down to its title. The film isn't the best or worst of the series, being a middle-of-the-road kind of movie that is alright on its merits.

Next Review: Overlord (2018).

Overall, I give it 7 out of 10 stars.

House of Dracula.

Review #849: House of Dracula.

Cast
Lon Chaney, Jr. (Lawrence "Larry" Talbot/The Wolf Man), John Carradine (Count Dracula / Baron Latos), Martha O'Driscoll (Milizia Morelle), Lionel Atwill (Police Inspector Holtz), Onslow Stevens (Dr. Franz Edelmann), Jane Adams (Nina), Ludwig Stössel (Ziegfried), Glenn Strange (The Frankenstein Monster), and Skelton Knaggs (Steinmuhl) Directed by Erle C. Kenton (#845 - The Ghost of Frankenstein and #847 - House of Frankenstein)

Review
This was the last of the monster mashup movies by Universal in a dramatic light, released a year after House of Frankenstein (#847). By this point, it seems they were running out of gas, with this film lasting only 67 minutes, which is the same length of The Ghost of Frankenstein (#845). I guess that is the case when you release four of these in three years (1942-1945). At least this time around Dracula is given something to do...in that he wants to be cured of being a vampire (sort of). This time, the theory about the Wolf Man is due to some form of "pressure around the brain", whatever that means. At any rate, continuity is thrown out the window and promptly steamrolled into the ground once again, which never ceases to amaze me. Once again, Dracula does not fight any of the monsters, though someone else does get turned into a vampire this time around. Footage is recycled (for some scenes with The Monster, including the climax from The Ghost of Frankenstein), which is disappointing but not exactly surprising considering the low budget and the time this was made. The movie isn't a clunker, but it really shows the decline of these monsters and it doesn't stick out in any real successful way. Chaney is fine as ever, though you could watch him in any other film with the Wolf Man, though at least he gets some closure to his arc. Carradine is given a bit more to do, but it doesn't really translate to anything too memorable. This was one of Lionel Atwill's final roles before dying four months later. Stevens gets to be interesting when he turns into a vampire over halfway through the film, because for one thing he doesn't just mosey on about like Carradine, with this vampire getting to do the crazy eyes and also attack someone, too, though that may be the highlight sadly. O'Driscoll and Adams are fine, but they can't help a movie undedicated to being anything other than a standardized experience. Instead of getting angry over it being what it is, I can only come up with an exasperated sigh. There isn't much mash to this "monster mash", and really there isn't much of anything to this, but I guess this could work as a way to kill an hour...or not. Honestly, stick to any other Universal horror film of the era previously reviewed here, or write your own Dracula/Frankenstein/Wolf Man story.

Overall, I give it 5 out of 10 stars.

Scared Stiff.

Review #835: Scared Stiff.

Cast
Jack Haley (Larry Elliot), Ann Savage (Sally Warren), Barton MacLane (George Markham), Veda Ann Borg (Flo Rosson), Roger Pryor (Richardson), George E. Stone (Mink), Robert Emmett Keane (Prof. Wisner), Lucien Littlefield (Charles Waldeck / Preston Waldeck), Paul Hurst (Sheriff), Arthur Aylesworth (Emerson Cooke), Eily Malyon (Mrs. Cooke), and Buddy Swan (Oliver Waldeck) Directed by Frank McDonald.

Review
Scared Stiff (also known as Treasure of Fear) is the kind of movie that falls into someone's lap if one is either bored enough or just stumbles into public domain territory, with this being a comedy/murder mystery. Haley (who appeared in just six more films after this) plays a bumbling chess reporter (of course he does) who is assumed to be a murderer due to a dead guy on the same bus being found with a chess piece near him (seriously), alongside the other weirdo passengers, including his girlfriend, a boy genius (who throws a smoke bomb into a room at one point), and his mentor professor. Hijinks (and I put that extremely loosely) ensue in a mystery lumpier than mashed potatoes. There is a subplot about retrieving chess pieces from an antique chess set from the 13th century, which seems better than the main character, actually. Do you like a bumbling character played for some sort of laugh? Well, you'll have to find a better movie. Haley isn't very interesting to watch, becoming tedious to watch after a while. There really isn't much energy to the cast, which just go through the motions of a sluggish script. There really is no chemistry between Haley and Savage. The killer is in the movie briefly, to the point where he has no defining characteristics. The length of the movie is 65 minutes, which is some ways is it's own relief. On the whole, there are countless other movies from this time period that are more interesting to watch than this, ultimately. It doesn't inspire many laughs, nor elicit any interest in the mystery, simply put. You know the people that remake movies and the ensuing reactions over it? Try remaking this and see what happens, which is a better idea than watching the movie.

Overall, I give it 4 out of 10 stars.

Detour.

Review #803: Detour.

Cast
Tom Neal (Al Roberts), Ann Savage (Vera), Claudia Drake (Sue Harvey), Edmund MacDonald (Charles Haskell Jr), Tim Ryan (Nevada Diner Proprietor), Esther Howard (Holly, Diner Waitress), and Don Brodie (Used Car Salesman) Directed by Edgar G. Ulmer (#797 - People on Sunday)

Review
Detour (by varying accounts) was made on a low budget that was filmed in a few weeks with the movie being released by Producers Releasing Corporation, a low-budget studio that made and distributed their own films in the 1940's, making over 100 films before it was acquired by Eagle-Lion Films Inc, which merged into United Artists by the 1950's. But in any case, Detour has thrived over the 71 years since its release, even being added onto the National Film Registry (alongside other noirs previously reviewed on this show, such as The Hitch-Hiker and Shadow of a Doubt). Nearly half way through the movie, we are introduced to Savage's character with a bright theme as she is picked up by the main character on the road. It's a nice scene because the rest of her scenes depict her as a sharp tongued hostile contrast to Neal, with the two exchanging multiple times in banter that gives the movie a sharp kind of edge.

Neal plays the everyman kind of character well, and it's interesting to see him have to adjust to the ever changing nature of his situation, what with a man plopping dead on a rock and all, with narration helping to set the movie up quickly. It's a movie all about guilt, with a hero that seemingly traps himself into a situation that gets more precarious by the minute. The movie ends on a quote the essentially sums up the movie: "Fate, for some mysterious force, can put the finger on you or me, for no good reason at all." Neal is easy to relate to along with being easy to watch, with a unique sort of ending (Yes, the Production Code of the time dictated that murderers were to not get away with it...but the movie finds a way to get around it of sorts). Detour, despite only having a few characters to focus on, a low budget, and a short run-time of 67 minutes, manages to rise above b-movie status to become a winner, and I would recommend this film for anyone looking for a film noir to watch.

Overall, I give it 9 out of 10 stars.

Movie Night: Mildred Pierce.

Review #529: Mildred Pierce.

Cast
Joan Crawford (Mildred Pierce Beragon), Jack Carson (Wally Fay), Zachary Scott (Monte Beragon), Eve Arden (Ida Corwin), Ann Blyth (Veda Pierce Forrester), Butterfly McQueen (Lottie), Bruce Bennett (Albert Pierce), Lee Patrick (Maggie Biederhof), and Moroni Olsen (Inspector Peterson) Directed by Michael Curtiz (#125 - Casablanca and #416 - Yankee Doodle Dandy, and #505 - The Adventures of Robin Hood)

Review
Mildred Pierce is a classic film noir (Which is why this film is in the National Film Registry, along with other films such as The Maltese Falcon, D.O.A, and other various films) that also manages to be a very gripping drama. Joan Crawford has a powerful performance as Pierce, she makes the movie whole, and she gives her all to make this more then just a film noir. The other actors are good, they certainly work well with Crawford, and they are also fun to watch. Ann Blyth is really effective at her acting in this film, especially with a character so brutal. Curtiz does a fine job directing and the film itself never has a bump or a sluggish moment in it, and the ending is certainly satisfying.

Overall, I give it 9 out of 10 stars.

Movie Night: Christmas in Connecticut.

Review #504: Christmas in Connecticut.

Cast
Barbara Stanwyck (Elizabeth Lane), Dennis Morgan (Jefferson Jones), Sydney Greenstreet (Alexander Yardley), Reginald Gardiner (John Sloan), S.Z. Sakall (Felix Bassenak), Robert Shayne (Dudley Beecham), Una O'Connor (Norah), Frank Jenks (Sinkewicz), Joyce Compton (Mary Lee), and Dick Elliott (Judge Crothers) Directed by Peter Godfrey.

Review
Ah yes, another Christmas film, but this time not involving Santa or Scrooge, but with Barbara Stanwyck (and Connecticut to a similar extent) instead. This is my first foray into a film with Stanwyck in it, and she does a pretty fine job, she has her share of dramatic moments, but she also has her share of laughs, helped with the pairing of her and Dennis Morgan, along with Sydney Greenstreet, whose mannerisms and way of speaking help make his lines fun to listen to. The Christmas spirit is certainly present here, with loads of warmth and happy cheer...and good looking food. The film is certainly welcome in a Christmas season like this, snow and all.

Overall, I give it 8 out of 10 stars.

Movie Night: Spellbound (1945).

Review #446: Spellbound.

Cast
Ingrid Bergman (Constance Petersen), Gregory Peck (Anthony Edwardes/John Ballantyne), Michael Chekhov (Alexander Brulov), Leo G. Carroll (Dr. Murchison), Rhonda Fleming (Mary Carmichael), John Emery (Dr. Fleurot), Steven Geray (Dr. Graff), and Paul Harvey (Dr. Hanish) Directed by Alfred Hitchcock (#219 - Rope and #223 - North by Northwest)

Review
With my laziness at reviewing films probably noticed for August (Seriously, I did 7 reviews in 31 days. That month doesn't even have any holidays to celebrate) and September having just started, I figured I needed something to start off September before someone might've complained over the general lack of reviews. Anyway...

Spellbound is notable for its psychoanalysis and a dream sequence designed by notable artist Salvador Dalí, which occurs near the end of the film. Setting the notables aside, this is a really good film. Ingrid Bergman shines, along with Gregory Peck, and they pair off each other extremely well, but the film is more than just that, it's a gripping mystery, a strange tale that only Hitchcock could do. The dream sequence by Dali is extraordinary, and while it may not last too long, it certainly does leave an impression. It's a (pardon the pun) spellbinding film, and it certainly is excellent. 

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Overall, I give it 9 out of 10 stars.