Boire et déboires

Hollywood movies killed the type of melodramatic social message play that was popular in American theater at the turn of the 20th century. In the teens and twenties, it had both copied it and satirized it to the point that it lost its audience. It simply could not be appreciated by a more sophisticated audience weened on sophisticated Hollywood productions.

It would seem that 1940 would be too late to be satirizing a style of theater and acting that had gone out of style 15 or 20 years before. Still, the majority of Americans past 30 had grown up with such fare and could appreciate the satire. Today, of course, this style of theater and acting is unknown except for the theater and film buffs. 21st Century audiences can only find this film a bit boring and very bizarre.

There are three ethereal performances in this movie - Anita Louise, Margaret Hamilton and Richard Cromwell look like they are in a trance. Joyce Compton is also hilariously effective as a deranged woman. Billie Gilbert and Hugh Herbert do their typically funny bits.

Like me, most people who watch this movie will probably do so to see Buster Keaton. One has to feel a bit disappointed that Keaton just delivers his lines, but hardly does anything really Keatonesque. Yet the whole film, because it was directed by Keaton's friend, Eddie Cline, has a Keatonesque quality to it.

It is hard to imagine the style of acting portrayed in this movie being a real and popular style. The actors seem to avoid all facial expression after reciting their lines. Yet this was considered good acting before the Stanislavsky Method revolutionized theater at the dawn of the 20th century.

This movie should be especially studied by actors and directors for its record of a long gone acting style. It may not be as funny as it once was, but it is more fascinating with the passage of time.

This is a solid, if often silly, parody feature that spoofs the conventional melodrama genre. Most of it is played in a style that is far from subtle, and not all of it works smoothly, but it has a decent cast and some other good features. The broad parody works well most of the time, almost poking fun at itself as it pokes fun at melodrama conventions.

The story has the familiar setup of a helpless widow and her daughter who find themselves at the mercy of an unscrupulous villain, played by Alan Mowbray, and who seek help from a virtuous but naive young heir. Mowbray does a pretty good job of parodying melodrama villains, and Buster Keaton has some very good moments, although his role is smaller. Keaton's timing and his appreciation of gag possibilities are still there. Some of the other performances are a little plain, but at least some of the time that may have been by design.

There are some slower stretches, but there are also some sequences that are pretty amusing. It builds up to a suitably tangled finale that has some good moments, although it is unfortunately marred by one inappropriate gag. Overall, it's uneven, but at least worth seeing for those who have an interest in its era and genre.

This movie is a painful viewing experience. I don't know if its because the humor has all been ripped off by later films or because its just awful, either way I can't recommend this film to anyone.

the idea of the film is that its a film version of the melodrama that things like Dudley Do Right makes fun of. With "Boo Hiss Villains" who twirl their mustaches and Heroes you cheer on. Indeed the film begins with Billy Gilbert saying that the audience should feel free to boo and cheer as they see fit. The problem is this sort of thing is so close to parody now (and even then) that making fun of it, unless you're very clever, doesn't work, or rather doesn't work for more than say a 15 minute sketch. This film runs out of steam wall before that and we are left with a film that is neither fish nor, or rather just foul. yes it works occasionally but I'd be hard pressed to tell anyone to sit down and watch this film in order to find them.

Avoid this film.

This is an excellent example of parody. People that like the later humour in Airplane might see a few early hints of it here. Keaton and the villain were especially good.

Introduced by bombastic Billy Gilbert, the story begins in old New York, where moustache-twirling lawyer Alan Mowbray (as Silas Cribbs) is trying to get control of the estate recently inherited by handsome young Richard Cromwell (as Edward Middleton). The lascivious Mr. Mowbray is also interested in harp-playing beauty Anita Louise (as Mary Wilson), who finds her true love is Mr. Cromwell. After the lovebirds wed, Mowbray tries to gain control over Cromwell with alcohol...

This broad parody of old-time melodramas may initially be taken as a bad movie, but it's a surprisingly clever spoof, for the time.

Unfortunately, the film stays in a mildly amusing mode for most of the running time, and depends on a mediocre pie-in-the-face for its comedy climax. With their tongues pressed firmly in cheek, Cromwell and Mowbray make swell scenery-chewing, eyebrow-raising impressions. As Ms. Louise's mother, marvelous Margaret Hamilton matches the melodramatics. While miscast as Cromwell's boyhood pal, silent legend Buster Keaton is a bonus. Farm animals offer deadpan counterpoint.

******* The Villain Still Pursued Her (10/11/40) Edward F. Cline ~ Richard Cromwell, Alan Mowbray, Buster Keaton, Anita Louise