My Week of Movie Watching

The Glass Key – Noir/Drama from 1942 stars Alan Ladd as a mob lieutenant trying to mediate a feud between his boss (Brian Donlevy) and a rival (Joseph Calleia). Also in the mix are various politicians, newspapermen, and shady ladies (Including Veronica Lake as Donlevy’s moll, who is also having a relationship with Ladd. This is pretty densely plotted, and generally well-written and acted, but it left me a bit cold, because literally everyone in the film is a bad guy. The plot is lifted from Dashiell Hammet’s novel, and was also remade by the Coen brothers as Millers Crossing. A lukewarm recommendation.

Bird of Paradise – 1932 offering from King Vidor stars Joel McRae as a young sailor who falls in love with a beautiful native girl (Delores Del Rio) who is unfortunately already promised to the Kings son. This one was interesting and fun, because it’s the type of film that prompted the introduction of the Hays code. Del Rio has a nude swim here, and there’s a marvelous sequence where all the natives do a dance, then suddenly each man grabs a woman and carries her off. Despite having all the trappings of an exotic Rom-Com, Bird throws a curve that you might not expect at the end. Not a great film, but certainly a recommendation.

Plunder Road – Low-budget caper Noir from 1958 follows a group of men who rob a train of gold bullion, and then embark on a trip across country with it. This one is interesting for a couple of reasons. First is the robbery, committed during a driving rainstorm. The film takes its time with the mechanics of the operation, and thus tags its players as a serious, highly organized bunch. Secondly, is the conclusion, which logistically is a polar opposite of what we saw at the beginning. If you appreciate sly irony, you will love the conclusion of this film. Thanks to Drew at The Blue Vial for bringing this to my attention. Recommended.

Foreign Correspondent – Another Hitchcock crossed off the list. Joel McRae plays an American reporter sent to Europe to cover the looming war, and finds himself enmeshed with a spy network. Laraine Day plays the daughter of an official who is a Nazi spy. Correspondent contains some of the Masters best visual story-telling techniques, like the assassination in the rain, and a great sequence in a windmill, where Hitch uses the peculiar architecture of the mill to great effect. I was pleasantly surprised to see George Sanders here playing a good guy. Interestingly, the role of the spy father is played by Herbert Marshall in a very Sanders-like performance. Highly recommended.