Been on a bit of a Norma Shearer kick lately. Three films with her here:
Idiot's Delight (1939)
Norma and Clark Gable are teamed in this pre-WWII flick, wherein Clark is walking the streets for jobs and gets one as a psychic's assistant. Unfortunately, the "psychic" is a lush and can't remember her cues. Norma tries to help her from the side of the stage but ends up ruining the act. Norma apologizes to Clark and they have a little fling then part ways. Years later, Clark is traveling in Switzerland with his six blonde dancer/singers and stops at a Swiss hotel. When they are temporary refused passage beyond the Swiss border because of tensions in the surrounding countries, Clark makes a deal to perform his act with the gals in exchange for accommodations. There are various characters at the hotel, including the great Charles Coburn as a cancer researcher, the equally great Edward Arnold as a German munitions manufacturer, a super Burgess Meredith, who knows what's going on with the German soldiers at the hotel, and best of all, Norma Shearer, who appears as a blonde Russian who accompanies the German industrialist. Clark thinks she's the same woman he romanced years earlier (or is she?). He attempts to find out throughout the movie.
One thing I thought odd was that there was an airfield at the base of the cliff where the hotel sat and German planes took off frequently. This seems to clash with what is known about the Swiss allowing such bases in their country for either the Axis or the Allies. But some people did use Swiss air space for flying over, with the Swiss shooting down anyone who violated their neutrality. But if they didn't include this airfield in the movie, the drama would be lessened I suppose. One of the most entertaining things in the movie is Clark "dancing" and "singing" to Puttin' on the Ritz at the hotel. If you can find this clip, look it up just for laughs. All said, this was a very entertaining movie. TCM showed it with two endings filmed, one for the international crowd, one for the domestic audience. The international ending is much better. But still, fascinating to see both.
We Were Dancing (1942)
Norma Shearer and Melvyn Douglas are loads of fun in this comedy which starts at an engagement party for Shearer, who is found making out with Douglas on the veranda, thus busting up her engagement. She and Douglas run off together, and using their descent from aristocrats, become professional guests at the houses of rich people who like to rub elbows with the elite. They host Shearer and Douglas for free, till it's time to move on, which they do, to the next rich hosts they've read up on. It's only a matter of time before Shearer bumps into her ex-fiance and Douglas into his ex-girlfriend. There's jealousy, the danger of exposure, courtroom shenanigans, and gambling, all in the name of fun. Nice to see these old-timers in their prime, playing for laughs all the way.
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The Barretts of Wimpole Street (1934)
The story of the romance of Elizabeth Barrett and author/poet Robert Browning, which almost didn't happen due to the interference of Barrett's domineering, bitter father. He's played by Charles Laughton, who is super as always and every time he makes you feel a bit sorry for his character, he pulls back and shows what a mean bastard he is. Shearer does a fine job as the sickly Barrett and Fredric March is fine as the opinionated Browning who refuses to give up, despite Laughton's edict that none of his nine children (who are all adults) will marry. Very good drama. Shearer was nominated for Best Actress by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences for this film, but Laughton should have been nominated for Best Actor. He is great in this movie.
And, a third in a series that I've come to enjoy quite a bit:
Taken 3 (2015)
Different but still entertaining third installment in the series with Liam Neeson as Bryan Mills, the ex-government agent who in the previous films, was called upon to save one or two members of his family. This time, his
WARNING: spoilers below
ex-wife, played by Famke Janssen is murdered and her body left at MIlls' apartment to frame him.
ex-wife, played by Famke Janssen is murdered and her body left at MIlls' apartment to frame him.
So Mills has to avoid the police and the foreign criminals who are after him also, all the time trying to prove his innocence and flush out the real bad guys. Of course he uses his "particular set of skills" along the way, including hand-to-hand combat, shooting, torture, causing mayhem on the freeway by driving his car like a jet plane, etc. This movie, unlike the first two, at least in story, plays more like a remake of "The Fugitive," with Neeson in the Harrison Ford role and Forest Whitaker in the Tommy Lee Jones role. Whitaker is particularly good as the somewhat laid-back detective who snaps a rubber band around his wrist, maybe out of nervousness, maybe not---you'll eventually find out. And he tends to smile while checking out where Neeson has just been, figuring out what Neeson is doing or why he's just done something. Maggie Grace is good as Neeson's daughter, who is understandably sad and angry that
WARNING: spoilers below
her mother has been murdered.
her mother has been murdered.
She blames her step-dad, played by Dougray Scott, who takes over the role played by other actors in the previous films.
The films should end here because there's seemingly nowhere else to go, but who knows? At the end of the day, this was a fine shoot-em-up and had me guessing a bit at the reasons for the murder.
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