Sky High (1922).

Review #1783: Sky High.

Cast: 

Tom Mix (Tom Newbury), J. Farrell MacDonald (Jim Frazer), Eva Novak (Estelle Halloway - his ward), Sid Jordan (Andrew Bates), William Buckley (Victor Castle), Adele Warner (Marguerite Castle), Wynn Mace (Henchman Patterson), and Pat Chrisman (Pasquale - Henchman) Written and Directed by Lynn Reynolds.

Review: 

In a way, this is exactly the time to spring a tale of a somewhat obscure director and the actor that starred in several of his films that became one of the first Western icons. Tom Mix was born in Pennsylvania in 1880, where he learned to ride horses from an early age. He worked a variety of jobs before breaking into film, one of which included working in a ranch with a touring Wild West show. Mix began his film career in 1909 with the Selig Polyscope Company, going from supporting actor to a star of his own in the near decade he worked with them. By 1917, he signed with William Fox's Fox Film Corporation, where he would make a string of Western films that consisted of shorts and feature-length (with Mix even directing some of the former category himself). His salary and the growing demand for imitation Westerns led to his departure from Fox in 1928; he appeared in fourteen films and one serial for two studios before his retirement in 1935. By this time, he had appeared in over 200 films, although a good deal of them is lost (a significant amount of Fox Film's silent film output was lost in a vault fire that occurred in 1937). What is remembered about Mix was the various programs that bore his name, which involved radio and comic books. Of course, one can't forget about the director behind the camera, even if time has perhaps made him obscure to audiences of the Western. Iowa native Lynn Reynolds directed Mix in nineteen films in a career that saw him direct 81 films (several shorts) from 1915 to 1927; he died that year, having shot himself at the age of 37 after a quarrel with his wife (about alleged infidelity on each side) led to him shooting himself.

The film we are talking about is a bit curious to consider. On one side, you have a government agent going around trying to find smugglers of Chinese immigrants (with "jewels and laces"!) and on the other side is the fact that this mostly takes place in the Grand Canyon that sees our hero rescue the ward of someone who just happens to also lead the gang. Of course, one can also see horse-riding and airplanes here, so we have a contemporary Western. Well, at least for the time, since it is now a century since this film was first released, although the stunt involving Mix and his plane is still quite interesting. As the successor to Western stars such as William S. Hart, one can see the interest audiences had in his flashy charm that showed grittiness within stunts while seeming capable in whatever story was thrown at him. In this case, a contemporary Western with shots of the Grand Canyon is a fair fit; Mix maintains interest in the film where a lesser actor might have made one go to sleep (or if the film really did try to build up chemistry with Novak beyond the contrivance levels it already was bubbling up to). Of course, MacDonald was a noted character presence for several years, and he makes a fair foil. Novak at least seems ready to have a go in cursory action, which makes up for the offbeat "ward" thing (hard to do when you look 25). The movie moves at a careful pace that seems just right for Reynolds to make solid work of, in that it has decent location shooting, a plot that makes semi-sense, and folks interested to make it happen with some enthusiasm. Granted, the movie isn't particularly great by any means, but one could do less to fill an hour than to deal with a movie like this. It may not be a seminal film of the silent era, but a century hasn't taken off its appeal when it comes to both Mix and Reynolds in the discussion of the evolving Western.

Overall, I give it 7 out of 10 stars.

Next Time: Tramp, Tramp, Tramp (1926).

Meet John Doe.

Review #1356: Meet John Doe.

Cast: 
Gary Cooper (John Doe/Long John Willoughby), Barbara Stanwyck (Ann Mitchell), Edward Arnold (D.B. Norton), Walter Brennan (The Colonel), Spring Byington (Mrs. Mitchell), James Gleason (Henry Connell), Gene Lockhart (Mayor Lovett), Rod La Rocque (Ted Sheldon), Irving Bacon ("Beanie"), Regis Toomey (Bert), and J. Farrell MacDonald ("Sourpuss") Directed by Frank Capra (#102 - Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, #319 - It's a Wonderful Life and #456 - It Happened One Night)

Review: 
Frank Capra was a director of tremendous skill who came out of the rags to make great memorable entertainment in the 1930s and 1940s. He had emigrated from Italy with his family at the age of five to America, eventually ending up in Los Angeles. By the time he was 25, he had done a variety of jobs before and after graduating college, ranging from selling newspapers to working at the laundry facility at the California Institute of Technology (where he graduated from in chemical engineering). He would serve in both World Wars, serving as a teacher of mathematics to artillerymen in the former and as a director for war information documentaries (Why We Fight) in the latter. He found his way to films in gagwriting and luck. He directed his first film with independent Fireside Productions in 1922 with Fultah Fisher's Boarding House, getting the job by touting his experience with film (which was scant) but it proved effective. He also wrote gags for the Our Gang series alongside scripts for comedian Harry Langdon, which led to his feature film debut with The Strong Man (1926). After one more film with Langdon, he was fired by the comedian. He eventually found himself with newly named Columbia Pictures, which at the time was a start-up studio in minor status compared to the big icons that had their own facilities and distribution. From 1928 to 1939, he made 25 features for the company, including numerous classics such as Lady for a Day (1933) and Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (1936) among others, winning Best Director at the Academy Awards three times in a period of four years. This film was one of two films that he did with Warner Bros (the other being Arsenic and Old Lace) along with the last before America entered World War II. The screenplay was done by Robert Riskin (his tenth and last collaboration with Capra) with story from Robert Presnell that was adapted from Richard Connell's A Reputation, a 1922 story originally published in Century Magazine.

Of course who better to headline the film than Cooper and Stanwyck, both veteran actors who had previous experience with Capra that would have decades-long careers of success. They both prove important to the film's success in material that is dark but still relevant in its message about the everyman and creeping corporate influence when dealing with hope. Cooper makes it worth his while as a folksy everyman, rising to the occasion through gradual evolution from anonymous tramp to club-creating philosopher. Stanwyck proves just as well, ambitious but warm to follow along with in her zealous energy. Arnold proves a conniving clever presence, and Brennan proves a worthy tramp foil for Cooper alongside Byington for Stanwyck. Gleason makes a worthy hard-driving role, particularly in one scene where he reveals a deception about to take place to our star while espousing about the good done by him (including unwittingly creating a grassroot movement) to folks that need it. Lockhart and the rest prove just as worthy with filling the details for the film to make its statements without needless aspects for a diverting 122 minutes. The ending is certainly an interesting one. There were numerous ideas shot or edited that found their way into previews, owing in part because Capra hadn't had a clear idea of how it should end when production began. All of them revolved around the exposing the truth of John Doe (done at a convention), with one ending directing ending on the convention scene with his disgrace. Another apparently ended up with him committing suicide, while others involved him being saved or the reforming of Arnold's character. A comment from a preview led to a fifth and eventual ending, where some of the club members show up to express their still-present belief in him and the club (along with a statement by Stanwyck's character about how another "John Doe" already gave himself up for humanity). The film holds itself together without too many troubles, making its point about media and hope without becoming sanctimonious or overly cynical. It's a fair comedy-drama, balancing its way through with enough competency worth a viewing alongside other Capra movies. In fact, it is an easy one to do because of its public domain status (occurring due to a failure in copyright renewal). For each of its main talents at stars and director, it's a good one to go with for curiosity and perhaps some subsequent discussion afterwards.

Overall, I give it 9 out of 10 stars.

3 Bad Men.

Review #1324: 3 Bad Men.

Cast: 
George O'Brien (Dan O'Malley), Olive Borden (Lee Carlton), Lou Tellegen (Sheriff Layne Hunter), Tom Santschi ("Bull" Stanley), J. Farrell MacDonald (Mike Costigan), Frank Campeau ("Spade" Allen), Priscilla Bonner (Millie Stanley), Otis Harlan (Editor Zach Little), Phyllis Haver (Lily), Georgie Harris (Joe Minsk), Alec B. Francis (Rev. Calvin Benson), and Jay Hunt (Nat Lucas) Directed by John Ford (#398 - The Last Hurrah)

Review: 
When it comes to making a classic Western, John Ford as director certainly comes to mind. Ford had a lengthy career that spanned nearly 50 years from his first in The Tornado (1917) to his last with 7 Women (1966). He could direct any sort of genre, whether a Western, drama, war documentary, romance or some sort of drama. In any case, it seems appropriate to pick a film like this from Ford, seeing as a great deal of his silent films are now lost, alongside the fact that it was also his last Western until another classic thirteen years later with Stagecoach. This also ties in to the film's main star in O'Brien, who starred in ten films for Ford (such as The Iron Horse (1924), Ford's first epic) while becoming a popular star for this decade in his own right. It is nice to see a Western that likes to try and play with other genres and succeeds in doing so, having highlights of comedy and romance that gel pretty well with a solid cast. It is a pretty riveting film that comes from Fox Film Corporation (who you might recognize from their subsequent merger with 20th Century Studios in 1935), juggling its plot and numerous characters with careful ambition, where its episodic nature plays out nicely for 92 minutes without overstaying its welcome. It is a film "suggested" by Herman Whitaker's 1916 novel Over the Border, with the scenario and adaptation being done by John Stone while Ralph Spence and Malcolm Stuart Boylan did the titles. There are quite a few Western tropes to spot here, such as bad guys gone good, a last stand for prominent characters, some sort of historical element (in this case, a land rush in the Dakotas), and so on. But it never seems like a cliche waiting to be made fun of because of how interesting Ford can make the landscape seem. Stock characters can still make for great entertainment if one has the right sense of direction to let the actors deliver some effort to them, and Ford does that well. O'Brien and Borden prove to be pretty watchable, having decent chemistry together, compelling to watch when faced with each other or when with the rascally "bad men". Tellegen proves to be a capably ruthless adversary, whose fierce eyes and disposition gel pretty well when needed for a showdown or just being rude to someone who wants to marry him. The highlight proves to be the outlaw group, headlined by a soulful Santschi, who carries this group to redemption with charm and tenderness. MacDonald and Campeau are also pretty good in giving some chuckles (as set up by the title cards). The rest of the cast prove just fine, particularly when it comes to a good ol' bar fight or the land rush. It is a curiosity worth checking out, where one can see a game cast work with equally sturdy foundations for a fun adventure along with seeing an early example of a memorable film by John Ford when it came to delivering capable entertainment that served him well over the course of the next few decades with sound and Westerns.

Next Time: Tribute to the Decades approaches a year of awards and sound first with Underworld.

Overall, I give it 8 out of 10 stars.

Movie Night: Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans.

Review #499: Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans.

Cast
George O'Brien (The Man), Janet Gaynor (The Wife), Margaret Livingston (The Woman From the City), Bodil Rosing (The Maid), J. Farrell MacDonald (The Photographer), Ralph Sipperly (The Barber), and Jane Winton (The Manicure Girl) Directed by F. W. Murnau (#256 - Nosferatu)

Review
This has been a film I've had on my to review list, and I've held it off for until the near correct moment. And what better time then the review before...you know what. F. W. Murnau is once again the director, and he does a really great job directing. The cinematography by Charles Rosher and Karl Struss manages to create a very effective tone, a beautiful one at that. The actors act their emotions well, and they certainly need to, with the limited amount of inter titles, which is certainly unique, and good because having a film constantly explained with titles and not letting the film do it, is welcome by me. The film has excellent visuals, with a story that feels like a fairy tale, and that's a nice thing. Is it one of the best films ever? Maybe not, but it certainly has a case for it. However there is one more case for the silent era, a big grand epic, coming tomorrow, reviewed here on Movie Night.

Countdown to 500 Reviews: 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.

Overall, I give it 10 out of 10 stars.