Movie Review: The Private Life Of Henry VIII (1933)

A costume drama-comedy, The Private Life Of Henry VIII is dominated by an over-the-top Charles Laughton performance, and otherwise enjoys a few laughs in amongst the flying chicken bones.

It's the 1500s in England, and King Henry VIII (Laughton) impatiently awaits the beheading of his second wife Anne Boleyn (Merle Oberon) then immediately marries Jane Seymour (Wendy Barrie). She conceives a son but dies at childbirth. Henry is crestfallen, but under pressure to increase the number of of male heirs he agrees to another marriage.

Although he is attracted to Catherine Howard (Binnie Barnes), a member of his court, the King reluctantly accepts an arranged union with Anne of Cleaves (Elsa Lanchester) from the German royal family. However once Henry sets eyes on Anne he finds her unattractive, triggering more marital troubles.

A British production directed by Alexander Korda, The Private Life Of Henry VIII features the husband-and-wife team of Charles Laughton and Elsa Lanchester having some on-screen fun. With the historical context and seismic changes triggered by Henry's actions either completely ignored or reduced to monologue fragments, the film is less concerned with history and more focused on caricaturish portrayals.

And so Laughton creates the enduring cinematic image of Henry VIII as a boorish, unsophisticated, uncouth, lusty man driven by impulses, lording over his court with frequent bellowing and disgusting table manners. Almost defining what it means to chew the scenery, literally in some cases, Laughton casts a huge shadow over everything and everyone else, most of his various wives reduced to snippets of screen time.

First wife Catherine of Aragon never makes it to the screen, while Anne Boleyn and Jane Seymour come and go in a flash. Elsa Lanchester enjoys chemistry with her husband and plays Anne of Cleaves purely for laughs, matching Laughton for pantomime buffoonery. Catherine Howard is portrayed as ambitious but always in love with courtier Thomas Culpeper (a wasted Robert Donat) in an example of two people reduced to elementary descriptions.

Korda directs with flair and brisk pacing, moving the action quickly between the many royal chambers. The set designs are reasonably impressive, and enjoyment is found in the gaggle of animated court servants, attendants and staff gossiping behind the King's back as they go about their daily business. 

As a child-like introduction to a complex monarch, The Private Life Of Henry VIII is good for a few clucks.



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Movie Review: The Hunchback Of Notre Dame (1939)

A stylish adaptation of the Victor Hugo classic, The Hunchback Of Notre Dame captures the turbulence of a society on the cusp of foundational changes.

Paris in the late 1400s. King Louis XI (Harry Davenport) recognizes the enlightening benefits of the new printing press technology, while his evil advisor Jehan Frollo (Cedric Hardwicke) opposes educating the people. The Notre Dame Cathedral towers over the city, and the disfigured hunchback Quasimodo (Charles Laughton) operates the massive bells. Archbishop Claude Frollo (Walter Hampden), Jehan's brother, ensures the Cathedral is available for anyone in need of sanctuary.

Spirited dancer Esmeralda (Maureen O'Hara) sneaks into the city, hoping to convince King Louis to stop the harassment of her gypsy people. She quickly attracts the attention of Jehan, Captain Phoebus (Alan Marshal), poet Pierre Gringoire (Edmond O'Brien), and Clopin (Thomas Mitchell), the leader of Paris' beggars and petty criminals. Quasimodo is also enchanted by the newcomer and attempts to abduct Esmeralda, but is arrested and faces public humiliation. When Esmeralda is implicated in a murder plot and sanctuary traditions are threatened, the Cathedral and Quasimodo are thrust into the middle of dangerous unrest.

Already the sixth cinematic treatment of Hugo's popular novel, the 1939 edition of The Hunchback Of Notre Dame is the first sound version and a prestige RKO Radio Pictures production. The script by Sonya Levien and Bruno Frank conveys Hugo's favourite themes of oppression, class struggles and humanity throbbing beneath superficial differences, and effectively taps into the parallels evident in rising pre-war tensions in Europe.

The mammoth budget of $1.8 million allows director William Dieterle to recreate a corner of Paris, and the set designs inside and outside the Cathedral are impressive. And in the large crowd scenes, including an arts festival attended by the King and the gathering of beggars and thieves at Clopin's compound, hundreds of extras animate every corner of the screen, bringing Paris to life as city teaming with people, most of them struggling to eke out an existence and praying for divine intervention at the Cathedral. 

As the King notes, until the masses are educated and supplied with knowledge to self-improve, the towering Notre Dame will remain the one and only dominant cultural force. And Quasimodo ironically brings the people together for prayer and at times of tragedy, the same people who are quick to turn away from his presence and mock his physical appearance.

Esmeralda is the catalyst for all the key events, and Maureen O'Hara, radiant in her Hollywood debut, carries the load of disruptor. From praying for her people instead of for herself, to being the only person showing Quasimodo any sympathy, Esmeralda points the way to a better future. Standing against the regressive Jehan Frollo, the other forces of good include the progressive King Louie XI and the poet Gringoire, representing the emerging critical influence of words and the arts in the country's evolution.

In relative terms Quasimodo's role is tangential, serving as a mirror to his society, but from beneath layers of excellent makeup Charles Laughton still brings the hunchback to life in heartachingly soulful notes.

Immense in scope and dramatically captivating at both the individual and societal scales, The Hunchback Of Notre Dame rings all the right bells.



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Movie Review: Mutiny On The Bounty (1935)

Hollywood's first adaptation of the famous events that helped shape marine history, Mutiny On The Bounty is a grand and ambitious seafaring adventure. Thanks to stellar performances, quality execution and the timelessness of the struggle against abuse of power, the film has lost none of its impact, and remains an exceptional achievement.

The time is 1787, and English ship crew members are treated no better than slaves, often press ganged into service against their will and severely disciplined by pompous officers for the smallest infractions. Captained by the authoritarian Captain William Bligh (Charles Laughton), HMS Bounty sets sail from Portsmouth on an arduous two year return journey to Tahiti. Fletcher Christian (Clark Gable), the Bounty's lieutenant, is more sensitive to the crew members' needs, and finds Bligh's methods distasteful. Also on board are inexperienced officers, including Fletcher's friend Byam (Franchot Tone).

Bligh takes every opportunity to abuse, humiliate, and torture his crew members. After a long and difficult journey the Bounty arrives in Tahiti, where the men get a respite for a few months while the ship is loaded with supplies. Fletcher and Byam meet and fall in love with two local beauties. Soon after setting sail again, Bligh returns to his autocratic methods, and with memories of Tahiti fresh in his mind, Fletcher snaps. He seizes control of the Bounty, and casts Bligh and his loyalists adrift in a small boat. But for Bligh, Fletcher and Byam, there are many more choppy seas to navigate.

Directed by Frank Lloyd as an adaptation of the novel (by Charles Nordhoff and James Norman Hall) that dramatized the real event, Mutiny On The Bounty is an ambitious epic, and an early milestone in what the cinematic art form can deliver on a big budget, with big stars and unconstrained ambition. The film quickly creates an impressive level of tension on board a relatively small ship sailing the high seas, and notably sustains the drama throughout the 132 minutes of running time.

Lloyd divides the story into four tidy segments: pre-sailing, the journey to Tahiti, the stay on the island, and then the mutiny and its aftermath. Each segment serves its purpose, with the key characters introduced and rounded into individuals early on, the Captain's brutality emphasized on the long journey across the Pacific, the men exposed to an entirely different and enticing lifestyle in Tahiti, and finally emotions boiling over, swords drawn, and destinies and lives altered forever with an audacious act of mutiny. The script (by Talbot Jennings, Jules Furthman and Carey Wilson) keeps the drama at a simmering level through every chapter.

While the epic scope of the film stands out, from impressive scenes of the Bounty traversing the ocean to the hordes of crew members populating every corner of the ship and then the natives bringing Tahiti to life, Mutiny On The Bounty draws its true power from the conflict between the three central characters.

Captain Bligh is a phenomenal navigator but a hateful, antagonistic leader. Fletcher Christian is much more people-oriented and in tune with the needs of the common man. Byam is caught in the middle, drawn from the upper classes where he need not worry about the crew members, mindful of his position of privilege, but friends with Fletcher and easily able to appreciate other perspectives. While Bligh and Fletcher will spin off in opposite directions as a result of their actions, Byam will be the most exposed both when the mutiny erupts and later at the court martial.

The film presents life upon the open sea as a series of challenges to be overcome with bravado, muscle, perseverance and willpower. From severe storms to a lack of wind, days and weeks of boredom to brief moments of exhilaration when land is sighted, the rigours of long voyages on the ocean both compliment Bligh's skills and condemn his methods.

The performances of Charles Laughton and Clark Gable (without a moustache) are an absolute delight. Both actors create men who strongly hold on to core beliefs in the face of terrible adversity. Laughton snarls his way towards making Bligh an authority figure worth despising, while Gable's charisma brings the idealistically heroic Fletcher to life as initially tolerant but ultimately forced into rogue action.

Franchot Tone is unfortunately not of the same calibre and often seems overwhelmed. The cast also includes Donald Crisp, Henry Stephenson, and Spring Byington, while future stars James Cagney and David Niven are uncredited extras.

Mutiny On The Bounty is a rousing saga, a transformational story told with artistry and conviction that has stood the test of time.

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Movie Review: Witness For The Prosecution (1957)

A masterful adaptation of Agatha Christie's play, Witness For The Prosecution is a playful and taut courtroom drama, filled with compelling characters, sharply defined twists and turns, and a memorable Charles Laughton performance.

Celebrated defence lawyer Sir Wilfrid Robarts (Laughton) has just returned to his practice after a spell in hospital due to ill health. Although hassled by his nurse Miss Plimsoll (Elsa Lanchester) and advised to not accept any difficult files, Sir Wilfrid cannot resist. He agrees to take on the case of Leonard Vole (Tyrone Power), who is accused of murdering an old rich widow, Mrs. Emily French (Norma Varden). She had a crush on Leonard, and he was the main benefactor in her will, inheriting a large sum of money upon her death.

Chief Inspector Hearne (Philip Tonge) arrests Leonard based on circumstantial evidence, but Leonard insists he is innocent and that his wife Christine (Marlene Dietrich) will support his alibi. Meanwhile, Emily's housekeeper Janet McKenzie (Una O'Connor) never liked Leonard and has damaging testimony that he was arguing with the victim the night of the murder. The trial starts, and Sir Wilfrid appears to be making good progress in casting doubt on the case made by the Crown prosecutor Mr. Myers (Torin Thatcher). But suddenly the case is transformed when the prosecution calls a surprise witness, and Sir Wilfrid will need to be at his best to counteract devastating testimony.

Directed and co-written by Billy Wilder, Witness For The Prosecution is a delight. A courtroom drama filled with personality, humour and an undercurrent of unease that something is just not quite right in the case against Leonard Vole, the film contains plenty of surprises to maintain interest and easily sustains the two hours of running time. Crisp black and white photography, fluid camera movements within the courtroom and stark shadows and contrasts infuse the film with a restive dynamic.

At the middle of it all is Sir Wilfrid, a man born to question authority, question his own clients and question adversarial witnesses, usually as he strolls to an easy courtroom triumph. A large part of the film's appeal comes from Sir Wilfrid suddenly realizing that this case is much more of a challenge than even he realized. When the astonishing witness is followed by startling new evidence, even Sir Wilfrid struggles to map out the endgame, and his uncertainty heightens the carefully cultivated sense that in this case, anything can happen and the truth will be incredibly difficult to tease out. Charles Laughton has a blast with the role, creating in Sir Wilfrid the genius buffoon huffing his way past medical advise to occupy his zone of comfort in the middle of an arduous court battle.

Christie and Wilder provide the three central characters with plenty of colourful context and interest that seeps into the courtroom. Sir Wilfrid heads-up an entourage of assistants, but it is his running mental battle with his dogged nurse Miss Plimsoll that most taxes his abilities. Meanwhile, there is obvious tension between Leonard and his wife Christine, perhaps partially attributable to her German origins, and maybe because Christine resented Leonard's liaison with the now deceased Mrs. French. But as the trial progresses, the relationship between the accused and his spouse emerges as a tight knot, convoluted in construction, intent and implications.

In his last completed role and just a year before his death at age 44, Tyrone Power gives Leonard Vole persuasiveness hampered by a selective recollection of the truth. Marlene Dietrich is a dark and spectral figure, adept at saying one thing while her body language hints at quite another.

Witness For The Prosecution is an exquisite film, dominating the courtroom with commanding arguments to easily win its status as a classic.

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Movie Review: Spartacus (1960)

The story of a slave revolt in Italy in the last century before Christ, Spartacus is a grand Hollywood spectacle, filled with a long list of stars and an army of extras. In addition to the grandeur, director Stanley Kubrick creates compelling characters engaging in surreptitious sparring for political dominance.

Strong-willed slave and gladiator-in-training Spartacus (Kirk Douglas) inspires the slaves of Italy to revolt and pursue their dream of freedom. The slaves organize themselves into an army, create a functioning society and march across the country. Meanwhile, behind-the-scenes plotting and backstabbing erupts in Rome, as conniving general Crassus (Laurence Olivier), sleazy senator Grachuss (Charles Laughton), emerging military leader Julius Caesar (John Gavin), and naive commander Glabrus (John Dall) use the slave rebellion to try and outmanoeuvre each other in a great power struggle.

A combination of epic thrills and political gamesmanship, Spartacus has surprisingly few all-out action scenes, as Kubrick keeps the focus on characters and motives. Strong men exert authority and influence both in the countryside and the corridors of government in a stirring display of what it takes to shift the course of history, either for the greater good or personal advancement. Extras are deployed in grand canvasses portraying the journey of the slave army to the Italian shore seeking a naval passage to freedom, but also on a collision course with the Roman legions.

Kubrick also provides due attention to the romance between Spartacus and the slave girl Varinia (an earnest Jean Simmons) to humanize the otherwise larger than life protagonist.

Two less powerful but more memorable characters steal several scenes: Peter Ustinov won an Academy Award for his turn as Betiatus, a slave dealer and gladiator trainer who finds himself having to draw on his substantial shrewdness to survive as he is sucked into the political battle in Rome. Tony Curtis wanders into the movie as Antoninus, a slave boy who escapes his master Crassus and joins the rebellion, becoming a trusted advisor to Spartacus. A restored scene, with master Crassus in the bath seducing his slave Antoninus by talking about oysters and snails, is a sneaky attempt at censor evasion.

The narrative eventually narrows down to a battle of wits between Crassus and Spartacus, and with the weight of the Roman Empire's military might on the side of Crassus, the outcome is never in doubt. Spartacus needs to be satisfied with his men's enormous displays of loyalty, culminating in the "I am Spartacus!" classic scene, and a more hopeful future for the next generation.

Both as an intimate portrayal of courage and a sweep-of-history spectacle, Spartacus thunders with conviction.

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