jacowium

Solid acting from the main role players keep this boat afloat, which could otherwise have been dragged under by the slow pace and the cloyingly sentimental soundtrack. Ellen Burstyn lights up any screen (big or small), and I can imagine it must be a joy for any actor to partner her on screen. There is an effortless 'chemistry' (for lack of a better word) between her and Landau here.

The central theme here though is not romance as such, but rather ART, and the creating of art that will stand the test of time. While I'm sure that there are as many reasons for becoming an artist as there are actual artists in the world, the interested viewer here will find much to ponder about the process of creating something called a masterpiece, and what drives or inspires the artist to reach his/her full potential.

It is a bit of a pity that the film-making team here couldn't invest the same amount of love into their endeavours, as the artists who truly care about their work - like Max Loeb, the protagonist of this film. I rate this film 7/10 due to good, respectful treatment of the film's main theme, but not any higher due to a somewhat mediocre "delivering" of the film's message.

This is only the second feature film directed by Howard Higgin that I get to see, and unfortunately confirms my suspicion that his craftsmanship still lagged behind other directors of the time, such as Edmund Goulding, Mervyn LeRoy, Alfred Hitchcock etc.

I would cite the screen writing (in which he had a major hand) as one of the weaknesses. The characters often act cartoonish and not all the narrative bases are always covered. For instance, here we see the only the first part of an escape attempt, then the viewer is left in the dark as to how the escapee managed the rest of it.

On the other hand, Higgin's direction of the actors still manages to make me care about the characters, even if their behaviour is often cartoonish, as mentioned above. The actors use facial expressions quite well in communicating emotions, overcoming some of the production difficulties in the early years of talkies.

Another reviewer stated that the opening scenes are "unnecessary" and the "storyline left hanging". Au contraire! A central theme is introduced, i.e. the unwillingness of citizens to take responsibility for their actions, leaving the innocent to suffer in their wake. We then see the main character cradling a dying person in his lap, foreshadowing a critical scene later on.

I believe therefore that director Higgin had a good understanding of cinematic techniques and dramatic elements, but it is in the execution and communication of those aspects, where he disappoints somewhat.

And wait, I didn't mention the joy of seeing Bette Davis in an early role...