Transatlantic

Saw Transatlantic on June 23 at a special screening at AFI/Silver, in the glorious restored Art Deco Silver Theater. In a joint presentation with the Art Deco Society of Washington an audience of almost 300 people enjoyed a restored copy of a little know early talking film Transatlantic. I was expecting a film like many of the early 30's films, a little slow, flat sets, and a thin story line. I was stunned to watch a fast paced, gripping story line that was definitely Pre Code, with a touch of Noir, and had stunning sets. Its called Grand Hotel on the Ocean, which is a bit unfair. You can see the similarities but this is a piece on its own. The gorgeous Art Deco furnishings, wood work, and grills, the flashing directional signage, exuberant jazz music, and costumes that would be popular today. There is infidelity, corruption, theft, and raspberry pie. The finally is a cat and mouse chase scene through a multi tiered engine room with tracking shots that is as good as any CGI super hero film today. A really amazing and superior film for its time, and you definitely see the talents of James Wong in its design. The AFI presentation included a pre film lecture by Christian Roden on early 20th century ocean liners and how the Liner companies updated their interior designs from the English country house look to the very latest cutting edge designs that are now referred to as Art Deco. The lecture provide helpful context on an industry now known more for Caribbean cruises than necessary and elegant transportation. Pay particular attention to a montage of scenes when the ship is going through high seas - couples on a dance floor and elegantly clad ladies falling down steps provide a look at how the real transatlantic crossing passengers braved high seas in practiced good humor. Many thanks to MoMa for the restoration. They made the overlap transition to subtitle, in sections where dialogue is missing, seamless to the viewer. Many thanks to all the technicians who pulled together the many foreign copies to recreate this film. Many in last nights audience wanted to know if the film would be shown again, and when it will be released for sale. We all want to see it again and again, and hit pause to admire the sets. If you have a chance to see this film, it is worth the time and effort. .

Transatlantic is a must for Myrna Loy fans. Myrna spelled Mirna here plays Kay Graham the wife of crooked banker Henry ( John Halliday). I know Myrna is only 6th in the credits ( Edmond Lowe ( Monty Greer) is the main star)), but she is the reason I have looked for years for this film. She actually plays a good woman here ( rare for any pre-Thin Man role), and finding any Pre MGM Loy film is extremely difficult, so seeing this film on OK. RU is a treat. The main woman in this movie is Lois Moran ( Judy Kramer), who does nothing for me ( except look Pretty ( although not in the Myrna Loy Class, but still better then Greta Nissen's character Sigrid Carline)). One highlight is the ending which I did not expect, but works very well, so I will not spoil. This movie was one of the Top 10 existing films that eluded me, so thank you to OK. RU for making it available. I give it 8/10 stars. Mostly for Myrna but for a very well done ending.

We are introduced to a cast of characters about a cruise ship and I'm afraid it is not clear whose story we are following. Their lives are inter-linked so just go along with the story even if you are not entirely sure what it is about and who is holding down the main plot. The film also seems to have been made in French and some of the scenes have sections where actors speak but no dialogue is heard as well as a scene early on when Edmund Lowe first appears on the ship and reads a newspaper headline which is written in French. They should have given a translation for this as it is important to your understanding of the film. It says that police are hunting someone down and that someone is Lowe. Now that you know this, the end scene will make sense and you will understand his character a bit more and how come he has certain acquaintances on board the ship.

The story itself is ok if a little confusing at first nd provides tense moments especially when Lowe and floozy Greta Nissen (Sigrid) come face to face outside the cabin of wealthy John Halliday (Henry) whom everyone seems to have a motive for killing. There is a shoot-out at the end but I find these kind of endings rather tiresome - bang bang - someone gets shot. Boring. The ship's décor is interesting, though.

"Transatlantic" didn't feature any names I'm familiar with besides Myrna Loy and Jean Hersholt. It starred Edmund Lowe as Monty Greer, someone of nebulous dealings. He, as well as a host of other characters, was on a cruise ship named "S. S. Transatlantic." The people of interest were Henry Graham (John Halliday), Kay Graham (Myrna Loy), Sigrid Carline (Greta Nissen), Judy Kramer (Lois Moran), Jed Kramer (Jean Hersholt), and Handsome (Earle Foxe).

Henry Graham (John Halliday)was a wealthy banker whose bank failed, yet he seemed eerily unfazed by it. He was having a grand old time on the Transatlantic messing around with Sigrid Carline (Greta Nissen) right under his wife Kay's nose. Henry was a loathsome person. He was cheating on his wife and cheating his customers. While they were losing everything with his bank's failure he'd withdrawn all of his money and assets from the bank. Jed (Jean Hersholt), one of his customers, was despondent. He went to Henry in hopes he may do something or offer up some advice. Instead Henry shooed him away as though he were a leper.

While Henry was publicly embarrassing Kay (Myrna Loy) by being seen with Sigrid, Kay was trying to remain a dutiful wife. In fact, she readily accepted Henry back once he was done with playing with Sigrid. It turns out that even though Henry was a foul cheat, he didn't want his mistress Sigrid to be fooling around with anyone else. When he saw Sigrid and Monty (Edmund Lowe) in the room together he'd had enough of her and went back to his wife who was ever the soldier.

Monty was mixed up with everyone. He found himself entertaining Judy Kramer (Lois Moran), the young daughter of Jed Kramer. He was dodging Handsome (Earle Foxe), a thief scheming on Henry Graham's loot. He evidently once had a relationship with Sigrid who now had her eyes on Henry Kramer and his money, which put him smack-dab in the middle of the Grahams marital affairs.

"Transatlantic" was pretty good. It looked like it could've been a model for movies like "Grand Hotel" (1932) and "Manhattan Tower" (1932), both movies that involved many characters in one enclosed location.

A pretty fair movie -- look for Myrna Loy as she begins her ascent to Queen of Hollywood. The real star for me in Jame Wong Howe's magnificent photography, lovely deep focus work ten years before Greg Toland 'revolutionized' pictures with it.