City Girl (1930).

Review #1885: City Girl.

Cast: 

Charles Farrell (Lem Tustine), Mary Duncan (Kate), David Torrence (Mr Tustine), Edith Yorke (Mrs Tustine), Anne Shirley (Marie Tustine), Tom McGuire (Matey), Richard Alexander (Mac), and Roscoe Ates (Reaper) Directed by F. W. Murnau (#256 - Nosferatu, #499 - Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans, #1335 - Tabu: A Story of the South Seas)

Review: 

Admittedly, covering certain directors takes a bit of leeway when it comes to the realm of the silent era, particularly with F. W. Murnau. Of the 21 feature films made by the German director, only twelve of them survive in its entirety, with this being one of the lucky ones while being the last of the three Fox Film productions he did. Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans (1927) is obviously the most famous as a statement in visual interest (it had a synchronized musical score and sound effects soundtrack. His next feature, 4 Devils (1928), is now considered lost. At any rate, Murnau shot the movie in Athena and Pendleton, Oregon, and it probably makes considerable sense to someone who actually did once purchase a farm of his own. The working title of the feature was "Our Daily Bread", which ended up being used for select distribution in European countries (besides, in 1934, King Vidor would use the title for his own film). The movie is an adaptation of Elliott Lester's play The Mud Turtle, which had run for a number of performances in 1925 (as such it was adapted to the screen in scenario by Marion Orth and Berthold Viertel while H.H. Caldwell and Katherine Hilliker did the titles). There were two versions of the film: a part-sound version that had music and re-shot parts when Murnau refused to cater to Fox's demands and the silent version. The sound version is lost, but the silent version has been restored from its initial re-discovery in the 1970s (as a survivor of the vaults unlike a number of Fox Film features, which includes Sunrise's original 35mm negative). Incidentally, this film would serve as an inspiration for Terence Malick's Days of Heaven (1978).

It may not be as memorable in its striking visual power as say, Sunrise, but it still makes for quite a feature to enjoy. In a way, it is a distinct telling of that film when it comes to the clash of people from the small towns and someone from the city that could lead to consequences. Now, instead of the lakeside, one reaches the wheatfields of Minnesota. It is like a companion film without becoming a shell. The lesson one does learn within a romance filled with sweet people like this is that you can leave the city but still find weird things in the countryside. Idyllic life isn't something you just find on a farm or the city because it happens to look like it can be, as people of all personalities can be found wherever you lurk, where one hopes to find honest people for meaningful understanding. There is more to life than making movement and relying on habits and prejudices, you might say. The character may seem simple and easily defined, but one just has to find the little layers within that makes useful ambiguity. One never knows what would have happened if Murnau had not died in 1931 when it comes to filmmaking, but I can imagine that he clearly valued the art of silent filmmaking more than just doing a film with sound for the sake of it. You can show a city diner without needing the sound to make it seem alive when it comes to showing how Farrell and Duncan make a quick quality pair. As pawns in the game of life that isn't easy or fair for singles or couples, they grow on you pretty well. It's not a movie built for cute moments of course, since Torrence serves as the grumpy counter to idealism while Alexander makes a quality cad. 

Inevitably, the ending isn't quite what you would hope would occur from a film like this. It seems just a bit too sudden and convenient for what has to be seen and not see in the resolution of the triangle conflict. Of course, who really knows if the final shot of two people crossing the threshold of being again in the farms will work the way you think: understanding people is one thing, living with them day after day is another. Murnau is hopeful but not preachy about what he thinks to say about the illusions that come with rural and city life. As an 89-minute feature, it is paced with delicate efficiency that arrived perhaps a bit too late to make the mark it should have deserved among the silents. At any rate, Murnau's penultimate feature is a pretty good one that can be watched among his other surviving works with general interest. 

Overall, I give it 8 out of 10 stars.

Steamboat Bill, Jr.

Review #1173: Steamboat Bill, Jr.

Cast: 
Buster Keaton (William Canfield, Jr.), Ernest Torrence (William "Steamboat Bill" Canfield, Sr.), Marion Byron (Kitty King), Tom McGuire (John James King), and Tom Lewis (Tom Carter) Directed by Charles Reisner and Buster Keaton (#757 - Seven Chances, #762 - College, #805 - The Navigator, #877 - Three Ages, #908 - The General, #926 - Our Hospitality, #941 - Sherlock Jr, #1037 - Go West, and #1058 - Battling Butler)

Review: 
Steamboat Bill, Jr (1928) was the tenth film with Buster Keaton as its main star along with director, although he was not credited for doing the latter unlike with other movies of his. He also reportedly wrote the story for the film, although only Carl Harbaugh was given credit for it. It also served as the last of his films to be distributed by United Artists, as he signed a deal with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, who would distribute Keaton's last two starring/directorial efforts (The Cameraman, which was released a few months after this film, and Spite Marriage, which was released the following year). In any case, the film was not an immediate success upon its release, but it has received a following of its own, much like with other Keaton films. It isn't too hard to see why, since Keaton manages to cobble an entertaining feature, filled with some fine gags, a few zippy title cards, and stunts that one would expect from Keaton. He does a fine job leading the way as one would expect, having fine timing and the right kind of expressions to go alongside the effective gags. Torrence does fine with his scenes with Keaton, evoking a few chuckles. Byron and McGuire are fine counterparts when needed in the story, although neither contribute too much in laughs. The characters (for which there aren't too many of) are fairly familiar types, but the film is charming enough to roll along with itself without too much time spent doing silly things. The climax is certainly an entertaining one. A good chunk of the budget (estimated to be around $300,000-$400,000) was spent on the cyclone sequence, having breakaway sets and wind machines. The original intent of the sequence was meant to depict a flood, but this was nixed by producer Joseph M. Schenck, in part because of the Mississippi River Flood that had occurred the previous year. It's a pretty impressive sequence, with the most notable part being where an entire building facade (with only the attic window being open) collapsing all around Keaton, which he did with no camera trickery. Even after nine decades since the film's release, it is still a sight to see, and it does invite chuckles (if not a bit of astonishment) that click with the other parts of the climax. On the whole, the film is a fairly enjoyable and generally consistent one that ranks up just fine with Keaton's other features; it may not be one of his best, but it is still one worth a look.

I want to close this review off by acknowledging that today is the eighth anniversary of the beginning of Movie Night. This show has had written reviews on a fairly consistent level in the 2,922 days from 2010 to 2018, averaging a review roughly every 2.5 days (or so the math says). Although the quantity of reviews has fluctuated over time, I will say that my passion for writing about films and watching them has not declined in the slightest. I wish to express my gratitude to anybody who has had the curiosity to check out this show over the years and anyone who has stuck around to check out what somebody on the Internet has to say about some random movie, whether good or bad. I hope that the years that follow lead to a continuation of interesting films to encounter and ponder about and that you are there to read all about it. Thank you for eight fine years. I would also like to wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Overall, I give it 8 out of 10 stars.