In recent years I've taken to availing myself of the extensive DVD collection held by the Las Vegas Clark County County Library District and have as a result seen some excellent films, ranging from the latest blockbusters to Kurosawa and more. A recent move put me nearer a branch that's pretty depauperate in their holdings (I can still order DVDs from the main collection and have them delivered to this branch, but sometimes the week is a 'dry' one in terms of what among my requested titles is available) and most of what they do have consists of older titles and television shows. This has lately turned out to be a happy situation, though, encouraging me to look at some old films -- until recently, it'd been a long tome since I'd watched much in the way of films dating from earlier than the late-'70s -- and discovering and rediscovering some excellent work. "Red River," "The African Queen" (pretty sure I went my whole life 'til now without seeing this brilliant piece), "Some Like It Hot," "Father Goose," "The Searchers," and many others, some of which I'd perhaps seen as a kid but that now resonate far more. This film rates right at the top of those old films and, indeed, right at the top of films ranked by ANY criteria.
A good thirty or so years ago (man, where does the time go?) I saw this film on TV and I loved it. Stumbling across it in the library yesterday, and having recently seen and loved "The African Queen," I decided to give it another whirl. Good move. I have to say it: John Huston, as with John Ford, Kurosawa, and others, is highly at risk of being overrated by consensus but the truth is that he can't be rated highly enough. The man was a visionary. And the actors he so expertly films are uniformly excellent. Every of the principals turns in a solid performance, nuanced and grittily realistic; this is no mean feat given the highly stylized and theatrical screen acting style that was still pretty much de rigeur even in the late '40s. The acting in this film would not be terribly out of place in a film made 50 years later. This and "The African Queen" reminded me, given that I hadn't seen one of his films in at least two decades, that Humphrey Bogart was more than just the weird-looking little dude with the characteristic voice and overbite; the man could act! The great Walter Huston, of course, steals the show with a portrayal that's both at turns comedic and deadly serious but that is utterly convincing. I like the use of Spanish dialog in the film, too. The film's components blend seamlessly to fairly ooze atmosphere. And, as with many films from the period by such luminaries as John Ford and Howard Hawks, the scenery is used to magnificent effect even within the constraints inherent to black-and-white film (a medium that also, of course, provides some dramatic advantage if used well).
This is truly a film for the ages. A ripping good yarn, expertly told and flawlessly crafted. It's over 60 years old now, monochrome, and constrained by the screen censorship of the time, but it more than holds up and remains a true classic for all time. Hmmm...I may just have to see about checking out this other thing, a little film called "The Maltese Falcon," before too long...
A good thirty or so years ago (man, where does the time go?) I saw this film on TV and I loved it. Stumbling across it in the library yesterday, and having recently seen and loved "The African Queen," I decided to give it another whirl. Good move. I have to say it: John Huston, as with John Ford, Kurosawa, and others, is highly at risk of being overrated by consensus but the truth is that he can't be rated highly enough. The man was a visionary. And the actors he so expertly films are uniformly excellent. Every of the principals turns in a solid performance, nuanced and grittily realistic; this is no mean feat given the highly stylized and theatrical screen acting style that was still pretty much de rigeur even in the late '40s. The acting in this film would not be terribly out of place in a film made 50 years later. This and "The African Queen" reminded me, given that I hadn't seen one of his films in at least two decades, that Humphrey Bogart was more than just the weird-looking little dude with the characteristic voice and overbite; the man could act! The great Walter Huston, of course, steals the show with a portrayal that's both at turns comedic and deadly serious but that is utterly convincing. I like the use of Spanish dialog in the film, too. The film's components blend seamlessly to fairly ooze atmosphere. And, as with many films from the period by such luminaries as John Ford and Howard Hawks, the scenery is used to magnificent effect even within the constraints inherent to black-and-white film (a medium that also, of course, provides some dramatic advantage if used well).
This is truly a film for the ages. A ripping good yarn, expertly told and flawlessly crafted. It's over 60 years old now, monochrome, and constrained by the screen censorship of the time, but it more than holds up and remains a true classic for all time. Hmmm...I may just have to see about checking out this other thing, a little film called "The Maltese Falcon," before too long...