Mubi Monday: House By The River (1950)

If you're like me then hearing the name Fritz Lang has your mind going immediately to two all-time classics of cinema. At the very least. Lang helmed some enduring masterpieces. You could even say that he Brigitte Helmed at least one of them (hey, it might be a weak pun, but I felt the need to share it). There are so many more movies throughout his filmography that are also worth checking out though, and House By The River is one such example.

Unable to control himself when the housemaid, Emily (Dorothy Patrick), comes close to him while dressed pretty and smelling nice, author Stephen Byrne (Louis Hayward) makes an unwanted advance. Being loudly rebuffed, he sets out to keep Emily quiet as a neighbour moves around outside. Which leads to murder. Stephen then concocts a story to garner the sympathy and assistance of his brother, John (Lee Bowman), and the two of them set out to dispose of the body and conceal the crime. Soon making use of the "disappearance" of Emily to gain some publicity for his books, Stephen starts to become more brazen, and it soon becomes clear that he can easily shift the blame to his brother if the finger of suspicion is pointed his way. It could be his wife, Marjorie (Jane Wyatt), piecing things together though.

Based on a novel by A. P. Herbert, this was one of a good run of thrillers and noirs written by Mel Dinelli, and I highly recommend checking out their first half dozen or so movies (at the very least). It's a delicious and dark premise, especially when the second half shows Stephen being "inspired" in his writing, and the two brothers being inextricably tied together by the crime is a great way to give viewers a way to easily root for one and against the other. 

It's hard to remember to credit Lang, but the fact is that he does such a good job with the direction that the film never feels forced or awkward, despite the contrivances being dotted around the plot to keep raising the stakes on the way to a strange, but very entertaining, final sequence. Lang steers the whole thing with a steady hand, allowing for it to jump between a feeling of very dark comedy and very palpable danger.

Hayward is very good in his role, always getting close to full-on panto villain without becoming outright laughable, and he's helped by some solid supporting performers. Bowman may have a decent amount of screentime, but he has to be the growing conscience of the film, meaning that he doesn't get to have nearly as much fun. He's easy enough to like though, as is Wyatt, and both deserve so much better than the apparent fate awaiting them in the third act. Patrick doesn't get many scenes, obviously, but does well enough in her role, and Ann Shoemaker, Jody Gilbert, Peter Brocco, Howland Chamberlain, and Will Wright all deliver enjoyable character turns.

Like some other Lang movies I could mention, although they are movies that aren't the first ones to be brought up when his filmography is being discussed, this has an excellent mix of superior visual language, dark content handled with a light touch, and sheer entertainment. Recommended.

8/10

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Mubi Monday: Love Affair (1939)

Remade a couple of times now, and reworked into at least one modern classic rom-com, Love Affair is unbelievable, melodramatic, and full of characters all being so bloody nice to one another that it's sometimes sickening. It's also heart-warming and wonderful, and anyone in the mood for something appealing to their more cynical side should simply look elsewhere for a while.

Irene Dunne is Terry McKay, a singer who has made a successful career with her talent. Charles Boyer is Michel Marnay, an artist who hasn't made any kind of career for himself. In fact, Marnay is the more famous of these two individuals, but that is because of his reputation as an international playboy. These two major opposites meet while spending time on the same ship, and they start to flirt with one another and enjoy each other's company. The time on the ship is a bit of time away from reality, however, with Terry due to marry a Kenneth Bradley (Lee Bowman) and Michel due to marry Lois Clarke (Astrid Allwyn). Reconsidering their futures, Terry and Michel agree to meet at the top of the Empire State Building in six months if they think they can have their lives in order by then. But fate has other ideas.

Directed by Leo McCarey, who came up with the idea for the story with Mildred Cram, Love Affair is a film that moves like a swan, graceful and beautiful above the surface while a lot of frantic paddling is done underwater to keep things moving properly. The metaphorical paddling, in this instance, concerns the morals of the lead characters, moving the pieces around to show them falling in love with one another while never quite crossing a line until they can change their circumstances. It's difficult material to get just right, but writers Delmer Daves and Donald Ogden Stewart manage to turn everything to their advantage. They play up the cheeky charm of Boyer's character initially, making it seem more of a pleasant surprise when he is shown to be someone who CAN be genuine and sweet, and the central idea of waiting six months to meet again is one that makes the whole thing more romantic, and allows it to feel lovely and chaste.

Dunne and Boyer are both wonderful in their lead roles, perfectly embodying their characters and, most importantly, showing a real warmth and affection towards one another. Bowman and Allwyn have much lesser roles, but both try their best with what they’re given, with Bowman being one of the most gracious men to ever be sidelined in a film of this kind. The other notable performer here is Maria Ouspenskaya, playing the grandmother to Boyer’s character, and the person who helps show him in a different, more flattering, light.

This is a lovely film. It maybe isn’t up there with the very best, the meet-cute aspect is a bit too rushed and cinematically untidy, but Dunne and Boyer work magic with the decent script, and McCarey adds another easy crowd-pleaser to his accomplished filmography.

8/10

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Buck Privates (1941)

Unlike their previous movie outing, One Night In The Tropics, this film features Bud Abbott and Lou Costello as the main attraction and never spends too much time away from some of their enjoyable banter and comedy routines. Our wiseguys make a big mistake this time when they evade the police and accidentally sign themselves up to the army. There's no way out but a lot of fun to be had, for viewers, as the pair find out just how much they don't fit in with the standard recruits of Uncle Sam. With versions of the "the dice game" and "the loan" and, of course, "army drill" this movie should keep fans of the duo entertained despite the weaker aspects that continually appear throughout the runtime.

Directed by Arthur Lubin and written by Arthur T. Horman, with special material for Abbott & Costello written by John Grant, Buck Privates zips along from decent comedic moment to decent comedic moment but it's hampered by three big negatives - The Andrews Sisters. I'm sorry, I know that some people love these ladies and they've never done anything to me personally, but I just can't stand their brand of jingoistic, creepily wholesome, bland attempts at razzle dazzle entertainment. Now I may have thought differently if I'd seen them performing live back in their heyday but I didn't . . . . . . . . . so I don't.

Everyone else is fine. Lee Bowman is very good as the man just expecting to kill some time in the army until his father extricates him from this terrible mix-up, Alan Curtis is fine as Bowman's ex-employee who can now tell him what he really thinks of him, Jane Frazee is bubbly and lovely as the lady who becomes the centre of attention for the rival men and Nat Pendleton is good fun as the weary Sergeant stuck with two of the worst possible recruits (Abbott & Costello).

There are a couple of decent songs here and there, one performed by Frazee and one by Costello, but most of them come from The Andrews Sisters and therefore didn't do anything for me (though even I admit that Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy is a toe-tapping and irresistible classic).

The boys still had a way to go until they would reach their cinematic peak but Buck Privates (aka Rookies) remains a solid outing thanks to the time given over to their quickfire, verbally dextrous, routines.

7/10

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