jamesrupert2014

When her father disappears into the African desert in search of the legendary diamond mines of King Solomon, a feisty young woman (Ana Lee) connives intrepid 'Great White Hunter' Alan Quatermain (Cedric Hardwicke) into accompanying her deep into the uncharted 'dark continent' where they are menaced by a tribe lead by cruel king and a wicked 'witch-smeller'. Their only hope seems to lie in a mysterious Black man with a fabulous voice (Paul Robeson). This is second lensing of H. Rider Haggard's seminal 'lost world' novel (1885), and like later remakes, a woman is wedged into the plot (I do not know if this was true for Lucoque's earlier silent version (1919)). Although dated and full of colonial tropes that are bound to offend some people, the story is fun, the acting is good (although in a typical '30s stagy-style), and the Robeson's character is a welcome change from the usual Black African 'savage' (Robeson was sufficiently well known that this British production placed his name above that of the pre-knighthood Cedric Hardwicke). Controversial now but not unusual for the times (at least outside of post-code Hollywood) there are a number of village scenes in which topless African tribes-women are clearly visible (these scenes were still in the version I recently watched on TCM). Worth watching but now I need to 1) read the book, and 2) hunt down the 1950 Deborah Kerr/Stewart Granger version (but probably not the 1985 cheese-puff with Sharon Stone).

Black twin brothers 'Smoke' and 'Stack' (both played by Michael B. Jordon), a couple of tough gangsters from Chi-town show up in the deep-south with enough stolen mob money to set up a juke joint... not knowing that between the Klan and an Irish vampire, Mississippi may not be the safest place for a couple of brothas, no matter how well armed they are. Jordon's twins are excellent (both the characters and technical duplication of the actor), and the various set-ups for the 'right-angle-turn' to the supernatural are very well done. The back-half horror is a bit derivative of 'From Dusk to Dawn' (1996) but moodier and less over-the-top. The music in the film, both the Delta blues and the Irish jigging, is great. Needless-to-say, given the characters, the time, and the place, there are some 'racial-issues' stirred into the plot but the not enough to bog the story down in 'messages. All in all, an entertaining and very well-made bloodsucker epic.

Chaplin's famous 'Little Tramp' character is in the rough and frosty Klondike prospecting for gold and love amidst villains, dancing girls, bears, cruel winds, and lots of snow. This is one of the greatest and best-known films to come out of the 'silent era'. Chaplin was a master of physical comedy, and the film's broad yet clever humour juxtaposed with his trademark pathos holds up well. After a century of analysis and commentary there is nothing I can add beyond: IMO - 'The Gold Rush' was charming and funny a hundred years ago, is charming and funny now, and will be charming and funny a hundred years hence. Note: the version I recently watched on TCM was from 1925 (it ended with a kiss).