Judge — October 17, 1931 — page 20: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

JUDGWG Mg ¥ you have an academic interest in I that happy family of inbreds. epi- lepties, murderers, and the Karamazov lechers, family, you might en- German picture, “Karama- zov.” It is a long movie, but one with of the most effective treatment the Germans have sent us. There are scenes which, for sheer loveli- But the always neglected one great function of movie-making, and no matter how great their pictures, how important their music, until they tell a story with their pictures they experimenting, rather than mak- ing movies. I don’t see why Tobis had to ms Karamazov in the first place. novel never has been potential drama. It was a dreary novel to begin with, and it dates in that it was never as im- portant as the pre-war intellectuals concerned with the sad plight of those fun-loving Russians made it. The adapter did a good job, and the story has more and reality than the manuscript presented by the Theatre Guild several years ago. Even so, I still think Dmitri Karamazov a bit cracked, and I think any jury would have thanked any of the boys for bumping off the old man. But, regardless of what you may think of the Karamazovs, I advise you to see one hour of this picture if you have the slightest interest in mov making. The musical score alone is worth an hour's time. It is folded into the picture with perfect effect and more than one justifies the director's habit of making pictures for their own and not the story’s sake For some inexplicable reason there is no musie with the concluding scenes. There is entirely too much d and these two defects drag the picture down to a dull pace. But see. the first hour; the cast is ex- cellent, the picture remarkable, and a little girl named Sten is just about ten years younger and five years smarter than any of the Dietrichs or Garbos we have on this side of the water. joy the some hess, no movie has equaled. Germans have sense logue, medioere and JUDGE By PARE LORENTZ J oot because he is from New Haven Y and not Berlin and because he has been in Hollywood for years, Wil- liam Cameron Menzies hasn't’ much chance to get mentioned in the same breath with the great German picture- makers. In my opinion he has been sible for some of the most artis- important movies He did the sets resp tic, pleasing and made in any country. for * Thief of Bagdad,” “Robin Hood” and “Bulldog Drummond,” and the sets contributed no little to the importance of these productions. Some months ago I told you about the musical shorts he designed with Dr. Reisenfeld. While I was away Men- zies helped direct a picture called “The Spider.” It is entertaining, amusing, well knit and, above all, beautiful to see as vramazov “Sous Les Toits” or any foreign pic- ture we have Fortunately the plot allowed Me seen, _ semi-supernatural s to indulge him- self in simple, austere sets — huge Gothic arches, dimly lighted, with his characters in black silhouetted against them—sets that heightened the atmos- phere and aided the plot. Besides the architecture, “The Spider” is worth seeing because of its good pace, its easy humor and its excellent cast. I hope Mr. Menaies gets a crack at an- other manuscript soon, He is one of the few movie-minded men in all Hol- lywood. ast or Borneo” is a story about a} ; a white woman and her drunke n husband, with some tors, some seven lar-a-day Gites ands put in a roman candle Recommended “Alexander far y “Bad G A charming « direc Hamilton” — Fe Guardsman”—A ally cast smar nd well dire “The Public Enemy"—Still the ter picture hest tniniature set to look like a voleano to aid the manuscript. You should be able to write with this much of the plot. this one I™ getting mighty sick of little boys and their little problems, but * rod and Sam" hildren's comedy, is more a parents’ than and Matt Moore nd Zasu Pitts lend enough homespun reality to the picture to prevent little Leon Janney and his tousled little curls and his obnoxious habit of over- acting from driving you out of the theatre. Junior Coghlan, who played in “The Public Enemy,” is the only boy in the cast who gives you the impres sion that he wears cotton underwear and foregoes bath salts and a valet. As Sam he makes the picture better than ordinary. “Pascas Lavy” will go down in his- tory as a uscless bit of celluloid worth nothing except as additional proof that Evelyn Brent is not, and never has been, an actress. The plot is almost a replica of “Rain” and would not have had a prayer in the first place if it had not been for Miss Ulric. Miss Brent, if the prodt really want to know, is not an Ulric. Vicked” are treated as though all criminal courts were run like the Jefferson Market women’s court during the bull vice market. However, Miss Landi is put in a prison which allows the girls room, baths, and outside hospital treatment during child-birth, Mr. Hays made them use prison just to uphold the Wickersham report on conditions in the “Wick even though Miss J ustice and mother love in I sup- pose such a prison country. Whatever the reason, cd” wasn't worth it Landi is less frigid and vincing than) she Don't let me frighten you. that the show is heart-br cause Miss Landi gets her man and a trip c Austr: It's just that * is its title. more to date. It's not ng be- con- has been maby, her in the end. is as stupid as comicbooks.com