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Post by badwolf on Dec 27, 2021 18:51:47 GMT -5
The Thin Man is my highest-rated film of 1934. I also liked It Happened One Night and Twentieth Century.
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Post by commond on Dec 27, 2021 19:02:57 GMT -5
A few also-rans... Sons of the Desert - Probably Laurel & Hardy's best feature. In another year it would have gotten more consideration. But I also tend to prefer their shorts. For example Busy Bodies, also from 1933 is just a fabulously funny little movie. Three Little Pigs - This was a bit of a turning point for Disney's cartoon shorts. The song "Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf" became huge. And it's really a lovely little film. I watched Busy Bodies this morning. Haven't laughed that hard in ages. Got any other recommendations for their shorts? |
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Post by Deleted on Dec 27, 2021 20:22:22 GMT -5
1934 is not a year that has a lot of movies that tic the radar for me. The Thin Man and Tarzan and his Mate are really the only one I can say I have seen and actually remember. I know I have seen others from this year, but I couldn't tell you a thing about them from memories of viewing them. So of those two, Thin Man would be my preference, but '34 isn't a year in movies that really excites me.
-M
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Post by berkley2 on Dec 27, 2021 21:20:15 GMT -5
At a glance the only 1934 movies I think I've seen, e.g Tarzan and His Mate, The Black Cat, I don't recall well enough to pick a favourite. I'll take a closer look when I get back to my computer.
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Post by Hoosier X on Dec 27, 2021 21:31:32 GMT -5
I saw It Happened One Night many many years ago (1990 or so) and I liked it, but I didn’t think it was SO great.
I now feel like I didn’t know what I was looking at. A few years ago, I watched about thirty minutes from the middle of the film, and I was thinking, “this is actually pretty great!”
I’ve been planning to watch it again. I’ll pencil it in for January.
I doubt it will surpass It’s a Gift.
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Post by Hoosier X on Dec 27, 2021 21:32:09 GMT -5
A few also-rans... Sons of the Desert - Probably Laurel & Hardy's best feature. In another year it would have gotten more consideration. But I also tend to prefer their shorts. For example Busy Bodies, also from 1933 is just a fabulously funny little movie. Three Little Pigs - This was a bit of a turning point for Disney's cartoon shorts. The song "Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf" became huge. And it's really a lovely little film. I watched Busy Bodies this morning. Haven't laughed that hard in ages. Got any other recommendations for their shorts? Brats |
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Post by Slam_Bradley on Dec 27, 2021 21:56:20 GMT -5
A few also-rans... Sons of the Desert - Probably Laurel & Hardy's best feature. In another year it would have gotten more consideration. But I also tend to prefer their shorts. For example Busy Bodies, also from 1933 is just a fabulously funny little movie. Three Little Pigs - This was a bit of a turning point for Disney's cartoon shorts. The song "Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf" became huge. And it's really a lovely little film. I watched Busy Bodies this morning. Haven't laughed that hard in ages. Got any other recommendations for their shorts? The Music Box is a must watch! Towed in a Hole is super fun as the boys try to rebuild a fishing boat. County Hospital especially showcases Stan’s talents. Brats is wild and incredibly inventive. That’s a decent start. |
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Post by Hoosier X on Dec 27, 2021 22:24:28 GMT -5
I watched Busy Bodies this morning. Haven't laughed that hard in ages. Got any other recommendations for their shorts? The Music Box is a must watch! Towed in a Hole is super fun as the boys try to rebuild a fishing boat. County Hospital especially showcases Stan’s talents. Brats is wild and incredibly inventive. That’s a decent start. Tit for Tat is one of their best. And then there’s Men O War. Way back about 1990, I taped Men O War off AMC at the end of a VHS tape and I used to watch it all the time. It might be my favorite Laurel and Hardy film. |
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Post by Hoosier X on Dec 27, 2021 22:28:25 GMT -5
I found Men O’War on YouTube ... but it’s colorized
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Post by Prince Hal on Dec 27, 2021 23:51:52 GMT -5
My 1934 favorites:
Babes in Toyland/ March of the Wooden Soldiers Laurel and Hardy are just great as the heroes of Toyland.
The Black Cat: Satanism, sadism, a stainless steel Art Deco castle, torture chambers, and Lugosi and Karloff at their creepiest.
The Count of Monte Cristo: Excellent version of a classic. I love Robert Donat wheeling one of the villains around in the docket in the courtroom as he proves his ace against him.
It Happened One Night: I happened to watch this twice in a couple of weeks a while back and realized that I'd forgotten how excellent it is.
The Thin Man: Witty, charming, martini-soaked fun.
Treasure Island: Rousing version of one of the best-ever adventure stories. Wallace Beery indelibly imprints himself on every viewer as the only Long John Silver.
Those last three are my favorites, but if forced to choose which of those is best, I'd sayIt Happened One Night.
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shaxper
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Post by shaxper on Dec 28, 2021 1:56:10 GMT -5
So let's get the elephant in the room out of the way...I've never seen It Happened One Night. And not for any particular reason. I'm perfectly fine with Frank Capra, Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert. I've just never gotten around to it. I don't remember it ever really coming on the late shows, which is where I cut my teeth on old movies. And while I haven't avoided it, it just never seemed to be readily available. I first saw it in my Arts class during my junior year of high school. I promptly went out and acquired it on VHS. Definitely one of my favorite romance films of all time. Though I'm not generally big on romance films, I'm utterly passionate about a select few of them, and this is one such film. I missed your discussion of 1933, so here are my picks for that year: The Vampire Bat: Dwight Frye in his second most masterful role. I've never understood the appeal of Atwell and Wray paired together, and yet I love every film in which they co-star. Mystery of the Wax Museum: Speaking of Atwell and Wray, man is this one creepy. Especially in that phase II technicolor eeriness. King Kong: I adore the first half and generally get bored by the time they return to New York, but those lost world special effects are to die for. International House: W.C. Fields' parody of Grand Hotel is nearly as memorable. I laugh out loud every time I watch it. The Invisible Man: It's fun, but it doesn't really match the tenor of its fellow Universal classics. Duck Soup: An absolute classic, even though it ranks as only my fourth favorite Marx Brothers film. Anyway, I seem to be a lot less familiar with the films of 1934, and most of what I have seen from this era certainly wouldn't make my list of picks (Babes in toyland? Maniac??). So here are the only two films I've seen from this year that I sincerely love: It Happened One Night: Such real rapport between Colbert and Gable. Whereas every other Hollywood romance was trying to sell you on something lofty and unreal, this was the utter opposite -- genuine affection in a dingy motel. The Black Cat: An utter triumph for Universal. The first and best pairing of Karloff and Lugosi. |
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Post by coke & comics on Dec 28, 2021 9:36:44 GMT -5
I am not well-versed in 1934 films. I have seen 8 films from that year. I think the original Imitation of Life is going to be my favorite. I prefer the 1959 version, but I rather like the story, despite not having read the novel.
The depictions of race certainly improve from '34 to '59, but the racial issues it tackles seem even more impressive back in '34.
Other contenders? Again, haven't seen much. I like The Thin Man and It Happened One Night. The Disney short The Wise Little Hen is notable for one of its side characters, a duck named Donald.
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Post by coke & comics on Dec 28, 2021 9:41:34 GMT -5
And since I haven't been around much and not participated in this thread before, I'll offer a quick 1930-33 rundown.
1930: Hell's Angels (of the two films I've seen; sorry All Quiet)
1931: M (of the three films I've seen, the other two being quite famous monster films)
1932: Island of Lost Souls (Seen 8 films this year; also rather like Old Dark House)
1933: King Kong (Seen 10 films this year; Invisible Man a strong contender, but I think King Kong is one of the best films of all time. Worst film of the year is Son of Kong)
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Post by commond on Dec 28, 2021 17:46:55 GMT -5
This thread has inspired me to watch films again for the first time in years.
Last night, I watched The Great Road, a 1934 film by Chinese filmmaker, Sun Yu. I haven't seen much Chinese cinema prior to the 60s. This was a silent film that had sound effects and songs dubbed over the top. It was part of a movement called the National Defense Cinema and was essentially a leftist film with strong anti-Japanese sentiments. The protagonists are a group of workers who are determined to finish building a road so that the enemy invaders can be defeated. Personally, I was more interested in Sun Yu's filmmaking than his politics. It was a surprisingly romantic and elegant film, and I wasn't surprised to learn that Yu had spent time studying filmmaking in the US. A lot of the cinematography wouldn't have looked out of place in a Hollywood film from the same era. The fact that it was a silent from detracted from my enjoyment somewhat. It's not that I dislike silent films, but by this stage, the scripts were much more sophisticated than in the silent era, and this film would have been better with sound even if there may have been a ton of patriotic monologues.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 28, 2021 18:55:16 GMT -5
This discussion inspired me to finally watch The Man Who Knew Too Much from 1934. Very familiar with the remake with Jimmy Stewart and Doris Day which I've seen a number of times, but I never had seen the original (I'm not sure why, Peter Lorre is an absolute favorite of mine).
I have to say, I absolutely loved this earlier production, it just has a different feel than the later film and is now my favorite version.
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