Drama > 1938 Drama

Hotel du Nord

Advantages: Beautifully filmed, poetic, magnificently acted masterpiece of cinema rarely matched today
Disadvantages: Nothing... genuinely nothing

I first saw Hotel du Nord as part of a double bill with a film by Jean Renoir (I forget which - though I think the brilliant Le Crime De Monsieur Lange) and I was frankly going to see the Renoir film and thought, hmmm, I'll just have to sit through Hotel du Nord and grin and bear it. Something about the film just really didn't appeal. Then right from the opening shot that tracks down from the bridge over the canal Saint Martin and along the side ...
...of a soft spot for Hotel du Nord. It is firmly placed in the traditional of French cinema of the thirties. Like his contemporaries, Renoir et al, the director Marcel Carne made films that were considered to be part of the poetic-realism (or at least are now known as) movement that was inspired as much by cinema as Carne being a member of a left wing political party heavily influenced by Communism. It is noticeable in the film, as in Renoir's Le Crime ...

No_name 11.02.2007 · Read full review
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Review of Hotel Du Nord (Subtitled) (DVD)

Wong for the first time

Advantages: Good little mystery, some great acting
Disadvantages: Limited appeal, a bit dated

...as a promising part. Mr. Wong never had any official capacity in his crime solving endeavours, not even as a Private Detective, but was often asked to help by individuals in trouble or by his fellow Chinese immigrants in San Francisco. Mr Wong, Detective was the first of the 5 Mr Wong films starring Boris Karloff, (the sixth one starred Keye Luke, the first time any of the three main Oriental detectives was actually played by an Asian). Mr Wong Detective ...
...He is worried that he is being tailed and that his life is in danger, but he has no specific reason for thinking that. Wong agrees to visit Deighton the next morning only to find that the police are already there. Deighton is dead and the main suspect is an angry inventor who came to his office with a gun, to have it out with the man who stole his invention. There is only one minuscule clue, a shard of glass near the body. Will Mr Wong be able to ...

Ailran 14.09.2009 · Read full review
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Review of Mr. Wong Detective (DVD)

Where'd she go?

Advantages: Classic, good cast, some suspense, some comedy.
Disadvantages: Old fashioned

The original Lady Vanishes was released in 1938 and directed by the late, great Alfred Hitchcock. The film is set in a fictional country just prior to the Second World War. This country has many similarities to Austria, Switzerland and Germany. The Lady Vanishes is one of those thrillers which has elements of comedy amongst the tension. We are introduced to the main characters, who are all travelling on a long train journey, as they are held up ...
...hotel we get to meet the main players. A young Michael Redgrave plays the male lead Gilbert, who is a somewhat eccentric English Gentleman.The female lead is taken by Margaret Lockwood, Iris, who I suppose is what would be termed a wild child these days. The train resumes it's journey the next day and we see more of the passengers. As well as Iris and Gilbert, these consist of:- A couple of frumpy guys who are 'typically British' and talk of nothing ...

grafter123 24.12.2007 · Read full review
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Review of The Lady Vanishes (DVD)

Can Beauty tame the Beast?

Advantages: Excellent direction and acting
Disadvantages: Black and white; French with subtitles

...the novel by Emile Zola, La Bête Humaine is widely considered to be one of Jean Renoir's greatest films. Atmosphere is created by dramatic lighting, scenes in torrential rain, characters dwarfed by powerful monsters of steam engines, and the occasional shots of people's feet that allow us to imagine the looks on their faces. It is a dark film, yet interwoven with the main plot we see the camaraderie of the railway workers and scenes of French life ...
...great deal to admire in La Bête Humaine in terms of both direction and acting. The film was released in 1938 and has a running time of 96 minutes. The DVD has a PG Certificate, but the film is unlikely to appeal to children. There are several violent episodes, although they are not particularly graphic by today's standards. There were no extras on the DVD other than a trailer for the film. I appreciate that many people will be put off by the fact ...

denella 28.06.2009 · Read full review
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Review of La Bete Humaine (DVD)

Dame Wendy Hiller As Ms. Eliza Is Still All That

Advantages: One of the greatest films ever made
Disadvantages: none

...**************************************************************************** INTRODUCTION **************************************************************************** Pygmalion was a mythological character who dabbled in sculpture. He made a statue of his ideal woman---Gatala. It was so beautiful that he prayed to the gods to give it life. His wish was granted. **************************************************************************** ELIZA ...
...truly memorable. **************************************************************************** PYGMALION VS. MY FAIR LADY **************************************************************************** Is PYGMALION merely just a satire, or is it really a romance? One thing you must realize is that Shaw never intended for Higgins and Eliza to become a romantic item; in fact, at the end of the play, it shows Higgins laughing at the reality that Eliza ...

eve6kicksass 24.11.2004 · Read full review
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Review of Pygmalion (DVD)