Always Expanding My DVD Library

Shanghai Express, (1932), Marlene Dietrich, Clive Brook, Warner Oland, and Anna May Wong

     Josef von Sternberg’s direction, Lee Garmes’ cinematography, and especially the performance by Marlene Dietrich, elevate this otherwise rather mediocre story to the stature of a true classic in my view.
     The plot involves the stop-and- start rekindling of the romance between  a woman known as Shanghai Lily (Dietrich) and Captain Donald Harvey (Clive Brook), a British army doctor.  Set in the middle of a Chinese civil war, most of the story unwinds aboard a train called The Shanghai Express. Traveling from Peiping (Peking) to Shanghai, and carrying these two as well as their fellow passengers, the train is detained en route by the ruthless Chinese warlord Henry Chang (Warner Oland), who is looking among the passengers to find a suitable hostage to exchange to the British for one of his captured  lieutenants.
     Disillusioned in a previous romance with a girl named Madeleine, the doctor had left China. Now returned after five years, he meets up with her aboard the Shanghai Express. Madeleine has changed her appearance and is now known as Shanghai Lily, “The notorious white flower of China.” Though strongly drawn back into her willing arms, he struggles with his distrust of her sincerity and faithfulness during the long train journey and their encounters with Chang.
     Anna May Wong is cast as the enigmatic and inscrutable Chinese beauty, Hui Fei . Lusted after by Chang, she is secretly bent on his destruction. Lily, meanwhile, though cruelly disdained and condemned by many of the other passengers, is quietly winning them over with her innate goodness and willingness to sacrifice herself because of her deep love for the doctor.
     Marlene Dietrich glows like a live ember on the screen, particularly in the several solitary, ruminative, close-up studies by the camera. She says more with her eyes and subtle facial expressions than the rest of the cast speak out loud.
     The train becomes almost as much of a character in the story as the actors who inhabit it.  Art direction, camera angles, and lighting, as well as competent supporting performances by veteran actors such as Eugene Pallette (It Happened One Night) as the cantankerous American passenger, Sam Salt, all go to make this an exciting and compelling classic film.

More Netflix Picks . . .

Evil Under the Sun (1982) Peter Ustinov, Diana Rigg, Jane Birkin

     A stellar cast and snazzy production values dress up this visually dazzling version of the Agatha Christie whodunit, set in an idyllic seaside resort hotel location and punctuated by Cole Porter theme music.
     Peter Ustinov reprises his role as the portly Belgian detective Hercule Poirot (Murder on the Orient Express) in a comical, curmudgeonly performance. Diana Rigg is sweetly venomous as the self-involved, jaded stage star and murder victim, who manages to give most everybody ample reason to want her dead. Supporting performances by such as James Mason as the desperate producer; Maggie Smith as the pretty, but aging ex-hoofer, ex-rich-man’s mistress-turned-hotel proprietor; and Roddy McDowall as the flighty gossip-columnist, all add wit and humor to the mix.  I highly recommend this one for solid entertainment.
     Though not available on Netflix at present, I further recommend Murder on the Orient Express, and Death on the Nile, also featuring Peter Ustinov as Hercule Poirot.

Netflix: Let Me at It !

     My wife got me this great laptop for an early Father’s Day gift. I’m having a field day exploring and discovering old (and not so old) movies, and wonderful documentaries and stuff.

     I’ve been so impressed, that I am adding a “Netflix Picks” category to my blog page. I will talk about the more notable things I have watched recently and why I recommend them. Here are some I watched this week:

Scarface (1932) Paul Muni, Ann Dvorak, and George Raft

     The original Scarface, with Paul Muni, riveting as the ambitious, arrogant, and ruthless Al Capone-type gangster on the rise to the top of organized crime. Ann Dvorak is scintillating as Muni’s beautiful, self-willed and rebellious kid sister. Raft’s understated performance as Muni’s trusted, equally violent lieutenant is nonetheless compelling. A true classic!

Frankie and Johnny (1991) Al Pacino and Michelle Pfeiffer   

     Funny, sort of bittersweet love story about an ex-con (Pacino) who falls in love with an unhappy waitress (Pfeiffer) who, though interested, nevertheless resists his advances. Good performances, including supporting characters played by Nathan Lane, Kate Nelligan, and Hector Elizondo. Warm and Romantic. One of my long-time favorites. 

The Paper  (1994) Michael Keaton, Marisa Tomei, and Glenn Close

     All-star antics with Michael Keaton as the harried, pressurized managing-editor of a big-city (Chicago?) tabloid newspaper, hot on the trail of a sensational story of a questionable murder investigation. You’ll love to hate Glenn Close as his avaricious, cynical nemesis and superior, who is more interested in today’s headline than in getting the story straight. Marisa Tomei is reliably captivating as Keaton’s very pregnant wife, vying for his attention, Randy Quaid is hilarious as the devil-may-care investigative reporter, who is trying to duck an irate public-official he once pilloried in print and who is now out to get him. Finally, Robert Duvall shines as the overworked, editor-in chief fighting prostate cancer and refereeing his quarrelling employees, all while trying to reestablish a relationship with his long-estranged daughter. Fast-paced and highly entertaining madcap fun, ably directed by Ron Howard. One of his best!