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From:Jean Gabin , Ida Lupino , Thomas Mitchell , Claude Rains , Jerome Cowan , Archie Mayo , Fritz Lang , 20th Century Fox ,
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User Rating: Amazon Sales Rank:#9226 |
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 An exquisite film noir, 2008-11-19
For those who like their film noirs earthy and raw, this one's a gem. French screen idol Jean Gabin turns in a fine, multi-textured performance as a dissolute, drunken French sailor, drinking his way up the coastline of California, who is waylaid by love, in the person of an equally hard-bitten Ida Lupino. They were made for each other, but their domestic bliss is soon threatened by the possibility that Gabin's character may be a bit darker and more violent than we'd previously imagined. There are several great character actors here, but the real doozy of a role is that of Thomas Mitchell, who is perhaps best remembered as the doddering Uncle Bill Bailey in Frank Capra's "It's A Wonderful Life," and who is quite a bit more sinister here. This flick is pretty rough and raw, and definitely worth checking out! (DJ Joe Sixpack, Slipcue film reviews)
The sea wall of love, 2008-11-04
A lovely, lyrical film about the power of the ties that bind us. I see that it was nominated for an Oscar for cinematography, and it definitely shows.
Bobo (Jean Gabin) is a world traveler, a longshoreman who typically comes in to town and leaves with the tide. He is, unfortunately, a very strong man and a bit of a capricious drinker. Due to these tendencies, he has picked up a ramora fish who is unwilling to let go of his meal ticket. When Bobo goes on a bender and an old man ends up dead, the ramora ("Tiny" played by Thomas Mitchell) tucks this nugget into his nasty little pocket to use against Bobo when the time comes. The time comes in the form of lovely frail Anna (Ida Lupino), saved from drowning. Claude Rains shows up as the conscience and soul of the whole affair. "Nutsy" never sleeps ("Not since 1936. Or was it 1937?") maybe because he doesn't want to miss a second of the gorgeous love story unfolding in front of him.
The early drunk scene is truly odd and revelatory. I said to the King of Noirs "looks like German Expressionism". Little did I know how right that was, as Fritz Lang was replaced as the director. That makes sense with the inclusion of both Claude Rains and Jean Gabin...the whole thing rolls like a gently psychedelic germano-french new wave Noir.
Ida is lovely and the performances are first rate all around. The allegory of the sea wall, with the giant anchors along the top, should be inducing film school theses galore. Excellent. Highly recommended.
Moontide - DVD, 2008-10-16
Moontide is marvelous!
A must for "Noir" fans.
The commentary is particularly fascinating.
1 of 1 customers found the following review helpful:
A Flawed Gem, 2008-10-05
One thing this film does feature is fine acting. From the supporting actors to the lead stars the performances in this picture are stellar. Jerome Cowan, a character actor whose film credits read like a list of 'who's who' is in top form as the doctor whose chance encounter with the principle characters proves to be life changing. Robin Raymond turns in a solid portrayal of a dance hall hustler. Even Victor Sen Yung in a role that could have played as nothing more than a stereotype is believable as the bait pedlar who more or less adopts the film's leads. Claude Rains is wonderfully empathic as the picture's resident philosopher.
But it's the principles who really shine. Ida Lupino combines a nice mixture of vulnerability and street-wise toughness to form the basis of the troubled 'Anna'. Jean Gabin, in one of his rare North American films, is fabulous. This man comes across as rough and crude, but also sweet and kind. There's never a moment when he isn't believable. Thomas Mitchell comes close to stealing the show. And if it weren't for the calibre of the performances around him, he probably would have. He is magnificent in what proves to be a rare turn as a complete heel who steps away from but never quite loses his humanity.
The cinematography by Charles G. Clarke makes excellent use of the lines the sets provide him with. The film's score (by David Buttolph and Cyril J. Mockridge) is compelling and follows the drama well. The lighting (which is uncredited) alternates between darkly atmospheric and warmly radiant according to the demands of the script. And the Directing by Archie Mayo keeps the story moving at a brisk pace. Most importantly he seems to have encouraged the players to take their characters and flesh them out.
The story, from a novel by Willard Robertson, is a good one. Screenwriter John O'Hara apparently had to change it drastically but he did it well. This is a character driven piece in the truest sense of the word. The people it portrays are flawed. Their stories are never less than compelling. They're strong and weak all at once, kind but selfish, driven by greed but never completely greedy. They're the down and out, the lost souls of society, yet as the film reveals, turn out to be anything but lost. They're characters who can be believed and felt for. Even the worst among them never becomes completely unsympathetic.
The one failing of the picture is that the quality of the sets doesn't match the quality of everything else that was done. It's not entirely the fault of the production crew. This was supposed to be a 'location' shoot but the attack on Pearl Harbour rendered the intended place off limits. After that the Studio had to 'make do', which is exactly what they did. The backdrops that depict the 'coastline' look like what they are. The basic designs are good enough but most of them lack depth. Most of the scenes set near the ocean look as if they were filmed in a tank. And the walkway that leads to the barge where Lupino and Gabin reside is close to laughable. Only the sets that were supposed to depict the indoors are any good.
That said, this is a piece that transcends its failings. The characters come across as real people and their drama could be real. The transfer to DVD is good and the extra's, especially the documentary about the making of the film, are good. It loses a star for the shoddy backdrops but this is one to have.
1 of 2 customers found the following review helpful:
 LUPINO NOIR FLICKS ARE OK . . . AND DON'T EARN A KISS OF DEATH, 2008-09-30
The two new additions to the Fox Film Noir series are really fun and interesting. Neither could be called strictly noir, but with lots of noirish elements, both films will reward with a first or second viewing. Road House (1948) was dubbed a "sordid slashing melodrama," by one critic, and has Ida Lupino, Cornel Wilde and Richard Widmark in a love triangle dripping with lust, betrayal and violence, as well as Celeste Holm along for the ride. Widmark continues his slightly-off, mostly insane characterizations that started with Kiss Of Death, and Lupino plays a bar canary who warbles Mercer's "One for My Baby" with B-girl authority. Moontide (1942) also stars Lupino and is illuminated by the performance of the great French actor Jean Gabin. Deeply moody and atmospheric, with a sense of doom and fate playing over all of the action, the film, set on the docks of a Pacific seaside town, seems like a dream half remembered. Co-starring Jerome Cowan, Claude Rains and Thomas Mitchell, it's a strange---but very compelling---movie.
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