Mubi Monday: The Palm Beach Story (1942)

This classic screwball comedy from writer-director Preston Sturges starts with a wedding before going on to show that it's not always a "happily ever after" for some. Claudette Colbert and Joel McCrea are the central couple, Gerry and Tom Jeffers, and times are hard. They're behind on the rent payments, Tom cannot sell his latest idea (an invention that essentially allows for a city centre airport), and it seems to have been a while since the two of them could just let their hair down and enjoy themselves. That changes, temporarily, when a series of events leads to Gerry being given a bundle of money by the generous, and very rich, Mr. McKeewie (Victor Potel). After one big night out, Gerry makes up her mind to divorce her husband and sacrifice their time together for a greater good, hoping to find him the money he needs to raise for his big idea. She meets the very rich J. D. Hackensacker III (Rudy Vallee), which could solve all of their problems, but Tom pursues her, unsurprisingly unhappy with her plan.

Perhaps Sturges wanted to give himself a bit of a break after delivering the wonderful Sullivan's Travels the previous year, or perhaps he just liked the plot he came up with this time around, but there's no denying that this is a light, almost carefree, picture. It's also a strange one, when compared to the aforementioned film, in that every big problem here is solved by someone coming along at the right time with a large pile of money at their disposal.

McCrea and Colbert are both good enough in the main roles, with Colbert especially fitting as the loving and well-intentioned woman who comes up with a quite bonkers plan that somehow starts to fall into place. Vallee is a lot of fun as the super-rich gentleman who becomes smitten with Colbert, and Mary Astor is a ball of energy and machine-gun line delivery in the role of The Princess Centimillia, the sister of Hackensacker III. Potel only has a couple of scenes, but is a lot of fun as the old man with hearing problems and a big streak of philanthropy running through his nature.

The script is generally well put together, the direction is solid, and the cast seem to be having fun, but it's impossible to hold this one in the same high regard as other screwball comedies from this era, mainly because of how it relies on the same plot contrivance again and again, the provision of lots of money. Look, screwball comedies almost always use one or contrivances to either set the plot in motion, keep it going, or place the characters where they are needed, so I know complaining about it seems like missing the point of these films, but this just feels a little too . . . lazy, compared to the better examples. It would be okay if it happened once, perhaps even twice, but three times is a step too far.

I'd still recommend this, especially to those who have enjoyed other Sturges movies. It may not be one of his very best, but it's still very good. And it still has some scenes that hold up as real treats (all of them involving Colbert, showing how gifted she is with comedy). Just don't have it too high up on your list of prioritised viewings.

7/10

You can buy the movie here.
Americans can get it here.

The Maltese Falcon (1941)

"My guess might be excellent or it might be crummy, but Mrs. Spade didn't raise any children dippy enough to make guesses in front of a district attorney, and an assistant district attorney and a stenographer."

That is just one of the many gems that will tickle your ears as you watch The Maltese Falcon, another of those classic movies that you watch and quickly realise just how deserving of its status it is.

Humphrey Bogart stars as detective Sam Spade, a man dragged into quite a sticky situation by the titular item of great value. Well, he is first dragged into the situation by a young, nervous woman (Mary Astor). After the death of his partner and another man, Spade is made to feel some pressure from local police. Then it's the turn of a man named Joe Cairo (Peter Lorre). And last, but not least, Kasper Gutman (Sydney Greenstreet) and his right hand man (Wilmer, played by Elisha Cook Jr.) show just how much they want their hands on the artefact.

Directed by John Huston, who also wrote the screenplay (based on the novel by Dashiell Hammett), this is one of the best directorial debuts I can think of. Of course, Huston had been writing films for over a decade, so he certainly gave himself the best start possible by creating such a great script, but there's something else that makes this so completely and utterly brilliant. The cast are all great, and the camerawork is great, but the different aspects of the film come together to be more than just the sum of their parts. It's pure movie magic.

Bogart is, in case you didn't already know, brilliant in the lead role, and he's surrounded by such a wonderful variety of people doing some of their best work. Astor is very good, but her character impacts the events more offscreen than on. Peter Lorre is someone I will forever be a fan of, and this is yet another great turn from him, while Greenstreet and Cook Jr. both do great in two very different roles, with the former being polite and eloquent while the latter would rather use his gun, if given the chance. And then there's Lee Patrick, adding to the many pleasures that this movie has to offer as Effie, Sam Spade's secretary and, potentially, the most reliable person in the entire movie.

If you haven't seen The Maltese Falcon by now then do so immediately. With that script, that cast, the most famous MacGuffin since "Rosebud" and everything else coming together so perfectly, this is essential viewing for cineastes.

10/10

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Maltese-Falcon-Disc-Special-Edition/dp/B000IOMZTM/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1385562226&sr=8-5&keywords=the+maltese+falcon

Meet Me In St. Louis (1944)

Based on the book by Sally Benson (which was based on her real life experiences), adapted for the screen by a large number of people and directed by Vincente Minnelli, Meet Me In St. Louis is one of those classic musicals that everyone seems to love, or at least like it a fair bit. Me? I liked it a fair bit. I won't rush to rewatch it but I may, one day, find myself looking it over if it's in a sale and then making a purchase.

Set in the year preceding the Louisiana Purchase Exposition, aka the St. Louis World's Fair, this colourful slice of sweetness is all about the Smith family and the events that shape their lives in this exciting time. Most of the focus is on Esther Smith (Judy Garland) as she falls for the next door neighbour (Tom Drake) and then engineers a number of potential romantic moments. Then there's Rose Smith (Lucille Bremer), a young woman who can't seem to get her boyfriend to pop the big question, despite the way their relationship has developed. Young 'Tootie' (Margaret O'Brien) is a typical little girl who tries to make some mischief whenever possible, but especially on Halloween. And, last and least, is Agnes (Joan Carroll), who doesn't really do all that much. Mr. Smith (Leon Ames) upsets the family with a decision to move everyone to New York, Mrs. Smith (Mary Astor) tries to keep everyone calm and grandpa (Harry Davenport) may not seem to be taking everything in but he has his moments when he knows exactly what's best for the girls.

The acting is all well and good for this sort of thing, all wide-eyed expressions and spadefuls of earnestness, and the look of the film throughout is very pretty but, for me, this isn't a film that always works as a great FILM. It's a very good musical, thanks to a couple of very memorable tunes, but the different vignettes that make up the movie are hit and miss and leave the whole thing feeling like some strange kind of anthology flick.

So, just what are the main songs that you may already know and love? Well, there's "Meet Me In St. Louis, Louis" (of course), "The Trolley Song", "The Boy Next Door", "Under The Bamboo Tree" and "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas". In fact, because of the last song and the sequence that it appears in, many people class Meet Me In St. Louis as a Christmas movie. Whatever works for you is fine but it's just missing that little bit of magic for me, although that snowy section of the film is certainly a highlight. Fans of seasonal cheer can only be thankful that Garland didn't want to sing the original lyrics to O'Brien of "Have yourself a merry little Christmas, it may be your last"

It will always have its fans, and anyone who likes Liza Minnelli should also be thankful that her mother and father met during the filming and got married not long after, but I'll always have many other choices to place above it.

Perhaps it's all just down to the fact that I was always more of a Doris Day fan, happier when watching the kinda similiar On Moonlight Bay and By The Light Of The Silvery Moon. Perhaps, perhaps, perhaps.

7/10

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Meet-Me-St-Louis-DVD/dp/B0001FYPZU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1355355160&sr=8-1