Mixed Up Batch

SUNRISE-A SONG OF TWO HUMANS-1927-Excellent silent screen film made by German director FW Murnau, his first American film. It follows the story of a married couple whose lives are complicated by the husband’s affair with a “woman from the city”. It’s a classic bit of storytelling.

Murnau uses very few dialogue cards (as in his THE LAST LAUGH which used none at all) and even injects the story with some humorous characters. The film won several Academy Awards (the first ones ever) including best actress for Janet Gaynor as the wife. Murnau, best known for NOSFERATU, only made three more movies. He was killed in a car accident in 1931 before the premiere of his last film TABU.



ULTIMATE AVENGERS-THE MOVIE-2006 –This is an adaptation of a special comics series put out by Marvel. The heroes and their secret identities are different from regular “universe”. For example Thor, The Norse God of Thunder is regarded as more or less loony who thinks he’s a god rather than being the actual one. Nick Fury (now a general) is African-American. Ant Man/Giant Man Hank Pym is a wise ass. Bruce Banner lives in a drug induced fear of becoming the uncontrollable Hulk (still better than the Ang Lee version!) and Iron Man is more like Robot Man. Nobody is really happy. They battle some aliens who had once given a nuclear warhead to The Nazis and break up after their first mission but eventually get it back together to beat the aliens and battle a marauding Hulk. Despite its faults it’s not bad action wise. A sequel followed.



ATOM AGE VAMPIRE-1960-This weird Italian horror story has a plot typical of its time. A blond dancer is permanently scarred in an auto accident after her boyfriend dumps her. A kind of mad scientist (Alberto Lupo) has a cure for her and in the process they fall in love much to the dismay of his jealous female assistant. The cure seems to work. Well, actually it only lasts a day or two. Then he has to go out and kill women. He turns himself into a scary looking monster but is eventually betrayed by his trusted servant. It’s funny in places and the dubbing is bad but the monster- vampire-scientist is kind of cool!



Personal note: Not only am I a cavedog I am also a nostalgic old fuddy duddy and I'd just like to mention that the above movie was also the first I ever taped using a VCR timer! Isn't that fascinating??

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Silent and Not So...

PHANTOMS-1922-FW Murnau made this moody expressionistic examination of human suffering the same year he made his classic NOSFERATU. It’s not as startling or even as interesting as his later silent masterpieces FAUST and SUNRISE but it’s still well done.

Alfred Abel (the industrialist in Lang’s METROPOLIS) is excellent as a timid book reading city clerk who’s life is turned inside out by a chance encounter with a mysterious woman in white who rides a horse drawn coach (portrayed by Lili Dangover from THE CABINET OF DR. CALAGARI). The running time is a little long but most of Murnau’s work before this isn’t available so it’s a nice find.



THE CABINET OF CALIGARI-1962 –This is a talky psychological melodrama that’s not really a remake of the German expressionistic silent classic but borrows some sets and a “things aren’t what they seem” plot.

Glynis Johns stars as stranded traveler who seeks help at the home of Dr. Caligari, a strange but seemingly helpful fellow. She eventually is held against her will at his home (or so she thinks). Dan O’Herihy is a friendly pipe smoking houseguest with a secret. English actress Estelle Winwood (was this woman ever young?) is talkative guest. She was in Bert I. Gordon’s THE MAGIC SWORD the year before. Familiar TV character actor J. Pat O’Malley is there too. Robert Bloch wrote the screenplay. The film has it’s moments but I found it disappointing. It reminded me of a William Castle movie without any of his gimmicks or black humor! Director Roger Kay worked mostly on TV series including an episode of THE TWILIGHT ZONE (“99 Years Without Slumbering”).

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