Recensioni degli utenti

At this writing, Ruth Chatterton has been gone nearly 50 years but, as someone else here wrote, she deserves to be rediscovered.

She gives a marvelous performance in this gritty down-to-earth film that offers several lessons: Wild Bill Wellman was a great director; Ruth Chatterton was a superb actress, a woman of a different appeal than the fluffier types; vices ought not to be made crimes.

Nearly all of the problems suffered by the characters in "Frisco Jenny" would not have been there if the rowdy Barbary Coast character of San Francisco had not been changed by the blue-noses.

"Nearly all" because the terrible earthquake of 1906 wreaked its own havoc, and I believe "Frisco Jenny" presents the best motion picture version of that particular killer. Some of the footage must have been from newsreels taken at the time. Spectacular and horrifying.

Yes, some of the premises of "Frisco Jenny" had been used before and have been since, but that in no way detracts from the drama and heartbreak presented here.

There is a superlative cast, including such greats as Harold Huber and Louis Calhern in a great and mostly sympathetic role.

Two wonderful actresses don't get screen credit, but will always live in my heart: Dorothy Granger and Gertrude Astor; and Wild Bill himself also has an uncredited bit, as does Syd Saylor who is more readily identifiable.

And listen for the legendary Clarence Muse.

This is one you ought to see.

Frisco Jenny (1932)

I found this remarkable. I can guess that some people will balk at the "oldness" of the scenes and acting. Yeah, of course it's black and white. It ahs characters that might seem like caricatures, simple and obvious. But more important is the leading woman, who is terrific, Ruth Chatterton.

And key to it all is the great San Francisco earthquake. The movie is set in 1906 (this is shown in the opening frames) and so the incredible devastation is a given. And it's really well done, with buildings falling, the ground rolling (really!), and even what looks like some actual footage of the burning. Despite a lighthearted element throughout (there is a healthy sense of humor even in some of the serious moments), the overall intention is a serious social drama. Not only do we see the difficulty brought on by the quake, but the problem of an unwed mother in the middle of it all.

Only a pre-code film could pull off this kind of crossed intentions and make a drama without all kinds of covering up. So expect something terrific.

William Wellman is a great underrated director, a little like Michael Curtiz a decade later, making mainstream films really well. Both of these directors (and throw in William Wyler) were part of the Hollywood style, and in some ways helped formulate that "style." So they seem unexceptional in some ways even if their movies are really sophisticated. Here, Wellman pulls one great move after another, with moving camera, or a slow track in on a face, or quick pans instead of cuts from one face to another, and so on. The filming and editing is unsually smart. The acting works well in every case, and sometimes works exceptionally. Besides Chatterton in the title and lead role, who is remarkable in every way, there are a few side parts, including one by the dependable Louis Calhern.

And the story moves and moves. It's like an epic novel going through many years in just over an hour.

If you are plot oriented, I think you'll also find this movie special. The first scenes lead to the quake leading to a series of different kinds of scenearios that are really unexpected. So it continually surprises. And there is a weird and wonderful conflict between utter virtue (a mother watching out for her child) and ruthlessness (a mother coolly breaking the law to do so). Not all goes smoothly, of course, and so the movie takes on still other levels.

So, watch this with fascination and visual appreciation. If you let it, it will tug on your heart strings (even if the baby is an unsympathetic shouting brat!). If you have trouble finding it, look for Warner Archive Instant, which has a ton of old movies set up a little like Netflix. Enjoy!

This is an excellent early film by Wellman, filled with all sorts of lovely detail and efficient film-making. The opening tracking shot through the swinging doors of the whorehouse sets the key note for what will be a pretty stylish little film. The opening scenes in the house are musical and full of bustle, rich in their suggestion of off screen space.

The film is chock full of little musical touches that lend it rhythm and style, like the scene in which Chatteron finds out about her lover's death--Wellman finishes it with a sweet rendition, by nearby musicians, of "My Gal Sal", a very effective and surprising bit of counterpoint. And look at the interesting way he has of presenting all the observers of Chatterton's trial, in a series of little pan shots from one to the the other, each shot tied to the rhythm of Donald Cook's speech. You get the sense that Wellman's creative energy was really flowing here.

Chatterton is always good but particularly so here. Orry-Kelly's gowns really suit her and cinematographer Sid Hickock films her and the gowns well. There are a few frames here worthy of MGM. In her final scene, Wellman strips her of all make-up, a pretty unusual approach for the time, but typical of Wellman, who took pride in deglamorizing his actresses when the film called for it. It was a pretty brave scene for Chatterton. She and Wellman were both difficult to work with but liked each other, oddly enough.

Lots of fun character bits. Donald Cook (resident Warner Brothers good guy) is better than usual. James Murray, from King Vidor's "The Crowd" has an early role as the father of Chatterton's child. I like Harry Holman as the john whose pocket gets picked and Wellman regular Nick Copeland as the drunk in the bar.

This is an underrated film. I made a point of seeing it because Wellman, himself, who could be hard on himself, liked it a lot. He was right--it's top notch.

TCM's print of Frisco Jenny benefits from being in near pristine condition, and luckily the film itself is pretty good, too. Director William Wellman never settles for static shots, relying on almost constant camera movement to keep the story moving and culminating in a cleverly shot (though somewhat gimmicky) courtroom sequence. Ruth Chatterton looks somewhat younger than in most of her features but by film's end she's reverted to her more natural (and to my mind, more attractive) look. It's unfortunate that a Caucasian actress who specialised in ethnic roles, Helen Jerome Eddy, was cast in the important role of Amah, Chatterton's Chinese housekeeper and confidante, but that shouldn't be taken as criticism of Eddy's performance, which is quite fine. Throw in a decent recreation of the great quake of 1906, and you have an entertaining and ultimately very moving household drama that doesn't pull its punches.

Give the great Ruth Chatterton credit for continuing to play leading roles in films into her forties. It's easier to do that today but back then, with Joan Crawford not even being walked to her car when she left MGM at 40, it wasn't so easy.

People always say, well, that's not true, those actresses worked. Really? Did they work like Harrison Ford works today? Clint Eastwood? Or were they playing character parts that weren't leads and starring in B, black and white movies?

Chatterton here stars in "Frisco Jenny" from 1932. After the San Francisco earthquake, she and her baby are left destitute. She becomes the boss of a thinly-disguised bordello and rakes it in.

During a soirée one night, her friend and partner Steve (Louis Calhern) catches someone cheating him at craps and kills him. Jenny helps him cover it up and winds up in prison. He bails her out.

Hearing social services is going to take the baby, Jenny's housekeeper takes her to her family in Chinatown. Steve advises her to let the child live with friends of his who have money and will be good parents. She relents.

When the heat cools off, a few years later, she decides to take her son and move to Europe. But when she meets him again, he doesn't know her and wants to stay with his parents. She can't bear to take him and make him miserable, so she gives him up.

She carefully monitors his growing up, and even is an unseen hand in helping him. Years later, their paths cross again.

Ruth Chatterton is excellent as Jenny, a strong, loyal woman who is unapologetic about what she has to do to survive. Former matinée idol Louis Calhern gives a polished performance as Steve. Donald Cook plays her grown-up son.

Similar in many respects to Madame X. Directed by William Wellman, who gives the film extra flair.

A great film in which to see Ruth Chatterton.

Need to see a lot more of William A. Wellman's work, but the best of it is very impressive indeed, such as 'A Star is Born' and 'Wings'. Ruth Chatterton was a fine actress with a number of great performances, even if there were cases where the performance was better than the film itself. Also wanted to see how 'Frisco Jenny' would portray such a sad event, whether it would be genuinely moving or with good intentions but heavy handed.

Fortunately, 'Frisco Jenny' manages to be the former. For me, this was a great film that is not appreciated enough and criminally underseen. Yes, there are familiar plot elements but most films did in those days. What matters though is what a film does with any familiarities and recognisable conventions, which has varied. 'Frisco Jenny' is always engaging and very powerful without over-sentimentality creeping in, while also providing some entertainment value with the pre-code material. An emotional film done with edge and tact.

Close to 90 years on, 'Frisco Jenny' still looks great. The gowns are beautiful and the photography stylish, but the standout in this regard is the visuals for the earthquake. Truly spectacular and makes for quite harrowing viewing. There are some nice uses of pre-existing songs, lovely songs that fit like a glove. Wellman directs with great confidence throughout and doesn't allow the film to drag or get too sentimental or sugary.

The script has a good deal of edge and also sincerity, there are lines that leaves one in amazement in how much the film gets away with. There are moments of wit and that entertains. The story never felt dull and treats its subject with sensitively and doesn't insult the intelligence of the viewer. Much of it is genuinely poignant and uncompromising, and it does a fine job depicting the horrors of the earthquake, the amount of devastation it caused and how it affected people.

Chatterton's performance is often a powerhouse as a very strong character, full of gusto yet not overacted and also moving. The rest of the cast are very good, with sympathetic performances from Louis Calhern and Helen Jerome Eddy.

Summing up, powerful film that is underseen, undeservedly so. 9/10

"Frisco Jenny" released in 1932, stars Ruth Chatterton as a woman who has a child out of wedlock amidst the turmoil after the San Francisco earthquake in 1906. The disaster leaves her in poverty, so she has no choice but to give the baby boy to a loving and wealthy couple. "Jenny" then fights her way out of poverty through bootlegging, prostitution, and other unsavory deeds. This of course leads her to associate with some corrupt folks. It all gets quite complicated, but Jenny is tried for murder of one of these folks. Then lo and behold, the prosecutor who goes after her is -- you guessed it -- none other than her now grown and successful son (Donald Cook). Interestingly, Chatterton starred just three years earlier in a similar film, Madame X. This film is "pre-code" meaning before the motion picture code was enforced in 1934. These films were considered controversial for the time, as issues like sex, drugs, and other things were more honestly and openly displayed. Chatterton gives a good performance here, and the film is entertaining. What surprised me most is William Wellman directed it. Although most known for his macho films, Wellman showed he could also direct women's pictures and fine dramas like the original "A Star is Born."

I love William Wellman's films. Frisco Jenny is a beautifully sad film played brilliantly by Ruth Chatterton. I'm gonna keep this review short and sweet. Give it a watch. It will keep you enthralled until the end.

Best things about this early William Wellman film (one of EIGHT he made in 1932-33!) are its pre code sexual frankness (it's eminently clear that the title character runs a bordello and not, say, a "saloon") and Ruth Chatterton's performance. This skilled, somewhat under rated actress manages to get inside the personality of an unhappy woman exploited by men (although definitely not controlled by them) without resorting to undue displays of melodrama or gush a la Rainer or Shearer, to take just two of her over hyped contemporaries.

The screenplay, however, lurches between ludicrous and silly with story holes as big as those caused by the SF quake (which is given one of its better cinematic renditions in this film). The last time I checked murderesses do not follow their victims to a courthouse and shoot them so that they collapse into the arms of the DA when they just as easily could have despatched them at their home, in private. And the victim's dying just before he can utter the word "mother" is about as risible a moment as you're going to get in a film that asks to be taken seriously. Also hurting the movie is a terrible acting job from the guy who plays the illegitimate son slash prosecutor. Guy's stiff, crappy, acting pretty much sinks the trial scene, to mention nothing of the death row mother/son meeting scene.

Bottom line: Some great imagery (like the last scene with the servant burning all evidence of Jenny's kid) and worth a look for Chatterton lovers or for those like me who have only seen her in "Dodsworth" and a couple others and now want to see more. C plus.

Another Pre-Code Entertainer from Prolific Director William Wellman. This One Stars an Actress that is Virtually Unknown Today but has a Fan Following, Ruth Chatteron. The Recycled Soap Opera Plot is for those who like Weepy Melodrama with Strong Female Sufferers in Tragic Situations.

It Spans a Generation of Time in its 70 Minutes and is Another Example of Movie Making Magic in its Most Concise Form. The Opening is the Year of the San Francisco Earthquake and the Barbary Coast is the Backdrop for that Natural Disaster as the Story Begins to Unfold a Natural Disaster of it Own.

The Pre-Code Only "Bastard Child" to a Woman of Ill Repute who must Relinquish Her Son because to Society its a Sin to Sell Your Body and the Baby must be Taken Away. But the Heart of Gold Mother Fights, in More Ways than One, to make Sure the Child is Cared for.

Overall, this is a Classic Tale Told with Class. The Costuming is Excellent, the Acting Acceptable, the Camera Work Outstanding. The Earthquake Scenes are Exceptional. It is Not Edgy like a Lot of Pre-Coders but it Makes Up for it with Style and Story.

San Francisco madam Ruth Chatterton (as "Frisco" Jenny) suffers paternal abuse, out-of-wedlock pregnancy, and the San Francisco earthquake of 1906. After becoming a mother, Ms. Chatterton tries to go straight; but, she is unable to support a child. Chatterton partners up with Louis Calhern (as Steve Dutton); and, they prosper in prostitution and bootlegging. Mr. Calhern also provides a legitimate home for Chatterton's son, who grows into a football star and, later, a successful district attorney. Grown-up son Donald Cook (as Dan Reynolds) doesn't know about his mother's life of crime. Will their paths cross?

A "star vehicle" for Chatterton; "Frisco Jenny" is, otherwise, unsatisfying. Chatterton and the cast are entertaining, though; and, she performs especially well during the film's final scenes. During the trial, William A. Wellman's direction is somewhat dizzying. And, why does Chatterton save money, for years, to pay back Calhern - after all, she went to jail to cover for him!

***** Frisco Jenny (12/30/32) William A. Wellman ~ Ruth Chatterton, Donald Cook, Louis Calhern

Not as 'notorious' a Pre-Code, as Chatterton's 'Female', released the following year, but anyway a highly entertaining film, that tells the story of 'fast-talking' 'Jenny Sandoval', who after the big San Francisco 1906 earthquake (great special effects in these sequence), 'rises' from the slums to the 'heights' of being the most powerful Brothel Madam of the whole city, with all kinds of 'useful' connections.

Nice to watch a 'young' Louis Calhern as a politician who is Chatterton's pal (23 years before his highly amusing role as Grace Kelly's bon-vivant uncle in MGM's 'High Society'). Also good performances by Helen Jerome Eddy as Chatterton's Chinese maid and Donald Cook as Chatterton's grown-up illegitimate son.

Somewhat reminiscent of Chatterton's 1929 MGM flick 'Madame X' aka as Absinthe, but better, and much swifter.

Ruth Chatterton is in the family way. She tries to tell her father, who runs a notorious Barbary Coast dive, but he slaps her, which causes the San Francisco Earthquake and Fire. Afterwards she gives birth and runs a string of call girls in cooperation with lawyer Louis Calhern, but has to give up her baby, who is adopted by Berton Churchill. Nonetheless, Miss Chatterton keeps an album of her boy, known only to her loyal Chinese companion, Helen Jerome Eddy.

William Wellman directs expertly frm a script by Wilson Mizner, with a fast start and a nice representation of the 1906 Quake, and for much of the movie, it wobbles engagingly between murder and mirth. But this is a Ruth Chatterton vehicle, so the final quarter is devoted to melodrama. While it clearly pleased the audiences at the time, the change of tone was far too much for me.

Ruth Chatterton was a fascinating early '30s leading lady - she was quite average looking and somewhat chubby, with a brittle, theatrical acting style that hasn't dated very well. And yet, there's something in every one of her performances that's worth watching. She specialized in hard-edged, independent women of the type that Bette Davis would later do with much more depth and sympathy. "Frisco Jenny" was typical of Chatterton's Warner Brothers vehicles, with a shopworn "women's picture" storyline that gave her plenty of opportunities to grit her teeth and snap off at characters who got in her way. Nice direction by William Wellman, with a well-placed earthquake to add

It's 1906 San Francisco. Jenny Sandoval (Ruth Chatterton) wants to marry piano player Dan McAllister but her father, the saloon keeper, refuses to allow it. An earthquake kills both men leaving Jenny with her unborn son. After a deadly incident, she is forced to give up her son Dan for adoption who would grow up to become the district attorney. On the other hand, she becomes a successful madam of crimes and supporting Dan all his life. An ironic twist of fate leads to a tragic reunion of mother and son.

This pre-Code drama is a real Greek tragedy. It's a compelling story if somewhat classical. The earthquake has some fun action but it could use some bigger stunts. I would like for something more intimate in the story. It's a bit melodramatic. It's a soap opera in its way. I'm still a sucker for a poetic tragedy.

I have been a big fan of Ruth Chatterton since being moved by her excellent performance in "Dodsworth". This is a film of hers I had not seen until now.

The movie is all about Ruth Chatterton's character. There are other players in the film, but the story is all about Chatterton's character of "Frisco Jenny". The plot moves quickly so that you are not really sure where it is going. Chatterton is a tough woman trying to make it in a man's world. She takes charge of her life and won't make any decisions based on what others tell her.

Chatterton gives a superb performance. Why she did not get a nomination for an Academy Award is beyond me.

Chatterton is beautiful in this film and yet she is NOT afraid to go without makeup when the scene calls for it. Most women of her day would never allow themselves to look less than glamorous, but Chatterton is clear that she is here to play the role as needed, even at the expense of "looking good".

I don't want to give away the plot, but by the time you reach the end, you will be, at least, misty-eyed and moved and a big Chatterton fan!

Finding a great film like this is why I do what I do. I had never heard of this film. I am so glad I have now. Take my research and recommendation and see this Classy Classic and you will become a fan of Ruth Chatterton too!! Trust me!

This is a tale of poverty born of disaster and the will to overcome that poverty by very questionable means resulting in extremely dire consequences, protecting the innocent, then facing the justice system for misguided and illicit criminal actions all in the name of "trying to do the right thing." Because of her will to survive to feed her baby, Jenny's life takes an ill fated turn that results in society becoming her judge, jury and executioner for her seemingly heroic actions. In the end, she takes her secret to the gallows, but only for the love for her beloved son. All traces of that love and devotion are lost forever, yet her undying love still remains a shining tribute to her extreme devotion to motherhood.