1935 Movies
OSCARS Won/Nominated
The 39 Steps
Dir: Alfred Hitchcock Stars: Robert Donat, Madeleine Carroll 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die I just think I totally missed the point of Alfred Hitchcock's The 39 Steps. A man is framed of murder and then he goes bounding around trying to figure out what happened. Not scary. Not funny. Not even interesting at all. It has the ham-handed acting that most 1930s movies have...but with none of the charm. When Hitchcock has a Psycho under his belt...his failures like this movie are so obvious and disappointing. That scene where the characters are handcuffed and talking in bed? SO BORING!!! Kill me now!!! D- |
OSCARS
Best Sound
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The Bride of Frankenstein
Dir: James Whale Stars: Boris Karloff, Elsa Lanchester 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die This sequel is SO much better than the original. The Bride doesn't even show up until the last 2-3 minutes, so that isn't even it. The Monster is so much well thought out...being more sympathetic and tragic a creature. But besides that...the whole endeavor is a bit more tounge-in-cheek and full of exagerated performances. We actually get a scientist more crazy and eccentric than Henry Frankenstein. hahaha. A lot of fun...in a silly/creepy kind of way. C+ |
OSCARS
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Mutiny of the Bounty
Dir: Frank Lloyd Stars: Charles Laughton, Clark Gable 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die I was surprised by how intense this film was with the flogging and other mistreatments of the crew of the Bounty. Charles Laughton is now one of my favorite cinematic villains. He is so despicable it is fun to hate him. I am also starting to understand why Clark Gable was such a star. He is always smirking and almost grandstanding for the camera, as if his performances are outside of the movie he is starring in (this goes for Gone With the Wind as well), but he is so good at it that all is forgiven. For a movie made in 1935, the production design is superb, and the scenes in Tahiti are a lot of fun. Just a great film worth of that 1935 Best Picture Oscar. A- DVD |
Triumph of the Will
Dir: Leni Reifenstahl 1001 Movies You. Must See Before You Die You feel the encroaching evil behind this most historically propagandized film. Say what you will about Nazis and Hitler, but they can certainly put on a rally. The movie isn’t much more than a documented account of those rallies, so it is impressive, but boring. C |