For Alfred Hitchcock, the 1930s were a time of immense productivity (he made 15 movies), but it also marked the end of an important period in his career. For starters, Hitchcock left England for Hollywood in 1939 and released Rebecca, his first American movie, the following year. However, with the move to England came a more important change to a different tone in his movies. Starting with Rebecca and continuing on through the end of his career, Hitchcock's movies were much darker and more serious, lacking the lighthearted breeziness of his British productions. The best of Hitchcock's British films combine plenty of humor and charm with the mystery and suspense he is famous for; they are movies that don't just inspire to put you on edge, but also to bring a smile to your face as well. The Lady Vanishes does this better than any other of his films, and as well as any movie in history. The movie begins in a fictitious European country on the brink of World War II. As a train full of passengers are stopped by an avalanche, a young woman named Iris (Margaret Lockwood) who is on her way back to England to get married, meets Miss Froy, an elderly lady also on her way back to England. They form a friendship and sit together on the train, but after Iris dozes off, she awakes and not only has Miss Froy (Dame May Whitty) disappeared, but no one else on the train seems to remember that she ever existed. Iris begins to investigate the disappearance, but find resistance at every turn, except for Gilbert, a young folk musicologist (Michael Redgrave, in his film debut). As with many of Hitchcock's films, it's not so much about reaching the solution to the mystery as it is about getting there. As Iris and Gilbert investigate they encounter diverse, eccentric characters such as the mysterious Dr. Hartz (Paul Lukas), or the duo of Charters and Caldicott (Basil Radford and Naunton Wayne), a pair of English gentlemen who are more concerned with the cricket scores than the looming World War. The movie does that so well, taking an intrigue-laden espionage story and mixing in humor and romance without it ever feeling forced. Released just 11 months before war broke out, The Lady Vanishes is one last lighthearted, optimistic view of the world before the dark reality of the next years set in, yet the same optimistic spirit that permeates from the movie would be crucial for Britain's survival as they faced down hell the hell of World War.
While Georges Mellies introduced them decades earlier, audience's obsession with special effects began in 1933 with a giant gorilla, some dinosaurs, and a girl who just couldn't stop screaming. When King Kong was first released, there really hadn't ever been anything like it before; movies like Metropolis (1927) and The Thief of Baghdad (1924) had huge, futuristic sets, while the horror films of the early 30s had great, terrifying makeup, but never before had the kind of larger-than-life, unbelievable sense of grand scale of King Kong been captured on screen before. While it may not look as realistic now, at the time Kong was both terrifying and awe-inspiring; previously impossible and unimaginable horrors of a giant monster were all of a sudden available for all to see. From that point on, movies could take you to anywhere you wanted to be, and show you any fantastical creature or spectacle a mind could imagine. King Kong isn't just an important landmark of special effects, it is also a terrific monster movie that still thrills to this day. The plot is well known, and often has been repeated in monster movies since, it follows film director Carl Denham (Robert Armstrong), as he heads out to shoot at an exotic jungle location on board a ship called the Venture. Denham can't secure an actress in time, so hires Ann Darrow (Fay Wray) a struggling, out-of-work girl off the streets to play the lead in his movie. Along the voyage, Ann meets and begins to fall in love with the Venture's first mate Jack Driscoll (Bruce Cabot) as they head towards what is eventually revealed to be the lost Skull Island. On the island, Denham to shoot his movie around the island, featuring the beast of legend known only as "Kong." Of course, as is wont to happen in monster movies, everything goes to heck and Darrow is kidnapped by the natives and offered up to Kong, setting in motion the whole rest of the movie and it's iconic ending in New York City. What is interesting to note about the plot involving the movie crew is that, unintentionally, it revels the future of movies. The film crew is simply trying to capture the wonder of the great ape. The movie is smaller than the effects, dwarfed by Kong, the special effect is the focus, the movie is secondary. That is not a trap, however, that the movie itself falls into, but the same cannot be said for many movies. Ever since it was was released, movie studios have striven to go farther and farther to top the previous high of special effects, but unlike King Kong, so often they let the effects become the main selling point instead of the movie itself, which turn movie magic into the mundane.
The heart of comedy is, of course, finding the humor in a subject, whether it be a situation, an organization, or a person. The better known the subject of the humor, the more it will resonate with the audience. Groucho Marx's famous joke about an elephant and pajamas wouldn't make any sense to a person who didn't know what either was, while someone who didn't know much about westerns would miss a lot of the humor in Mel Brooks' Blazing Saddles. Perhaps that is why, of all their movies, Duck Soup is the funniest Marx Brothers movie because it lampoons something every American has come to know and for the most part dislike: politics. It has become such a part of our lives, from the ads on TV, to the speeches, to news channels, politics are rapidly becoming inescapable. In Duck Soup, the Marx Brothers mock both politicians and policies, as well as mixing in plenty of humor on other subjects (or occasionally about nothing at all) as well. Groucho Marx plays Tufus T. Firefly, the newly appointed leader of "Freedonia" a fake European country who has strained relations with the neighboring Sylvania and their embassador Trentino (Louis Calhern). Trentino secretly wants to take over Fredonia and hires two spies, Pinky (Harpo Marx) and Chicolini (Chico Marx) to dig up dirt on Firefly, which of course doesn't work at all. Over the course of the movie, things go from bad to worse for the two countries and war is declared, giving the opportunity for the brothers to spoof that as well. One of the most impressive parts of Duck Soup is that despite the subject, there is no political statement being made, no sides are taken, left or right, everything is up for grabs. And exposing the silliness of politics isn't even the point either, they aren't even trying to be inappropriate for that's sake either, the point is to make fun of everything because it is all so funny. They more anarchic than republican or democrat. Even beyond the parodying, Duck Soup is all of the Marx Brothers at the top of their game, Groucho's wit, stream-of-consciousness and sarcasm are in top form as are Chico's particular turns-of-phrase, plus Zeppo as Groucho's eternal straight-man, and Harpo's unique brand of mime-like comedy. While each is great in their own right, when all three come together they deliver some of the funniest movie moments ever filmed, such as the famous mirror scene and the treason trial. Physical and verbal jokes, punch-lines and one-liners come flying so fast in every scene that it takes multiple viewings just to peel through all the layers of humor. As with all movies, words only go so far in description and in the end, the best thing to do is to just watch them. That goes doubly so for Duck Soup, it has to be seen, and multiple time at that, to be truly appreciated because of just how plain hilarious of a movie it is.
Some movies strike you right away when you first see them, leaving an immediate impression in the first couple of moments that sticks with you through the rest of the movie and every subsequent viewing. Before an actor even appears on screen, you can't help being swept away by The Adventures of Robin Hood. It starts with the opening credits, displayed like medieval script on a parchment while the wonderful, joyous, heroic overture of Erich Wolfgang Korngold score stirs up an immediate sense of adventure. Then, after the credits, we get our first glimpse of the world of Robin Hood and what a wonderful place it is. Not in terms of the actual happenings in Nottingham and Sherwood Forest, things aren't going so well there, of course, but in the way it looks. After only a few scenes have appeared on screen, the beauty of the art design and cinematography will enthrall you, all the villages and stately castles are fantastically designed, but the amazing part of The Adventures of Robin Hood is the color and the light. Filmed in classic Technicolor, the whole movie is filled with the kind of vibrancy you can only get from the golden age of Hollywood. From the red of the wine Prince John spills early in the movie, to the green of Robin's forest clothes, and the silvery sheen of Maid Marian's dress, every scene in Robin Hood is flooded with a vivid pallet of color. It is only accentuated by the lighting, the flickering fire in Nottingham castle, the sunlight filtering through Sherwood forest, and the moonlight on Marian's castle balcony, light and color work together in perfect harmony in The Adventures of Robin Hood. With such aesthetic beauty, it would be hard for the rest of the movie to live up to the production values, but it does. First of all, it is probably the most perfectly cast movie of all time, no other actor could play the heroic, swashbuckling, lighthearted roguishness of Robin Hood like Errol Flynn (and many have tried), while his frequent leading lady Olivia de Havilland plays the gentle and fair but strong-willed Maid Marian exactly how she should be. Eugene Pallette as the big-hearted and big-bellied and Alan Hale Jr. as gentle giant Little John also completely embody their characters. Then of course, you have the villains, veteran bad guy Basil Rathbone as the proud Sir Guy of Gisbourne with just the right amount of brains and cruelty, while Claude Rains gives Prince John both a sense of upper-crust royalty and base wickedness, and perfect comedic touches Melville Cooper adds to the bumbling Sheriff of Nottingham. And of course, there are exciting sword fights, romance, humor, and daring exploits by the heroes. In every possible way, from the music and the design, to the acting, characters, and story, The Adventures of Robin Hood checks every single box you could hope for from a great adventure movie and so much more.
Contrary to popular belief, The Wizard of Oz was not a resounding success for MGM at the time of it's release. Despite rave reviews for critics, the studio had trouble making back it's budget, only turning a modest profit of less than $200,000, which was low even at that time, for example Mr. Smith Goes to Washington turned a profit of $7.5 Million later that year. However, despite that, The Wizard of Oz is one of the most well know and beloved movies ever made. Since it's initial release in 1939, it has been re-released six times, each time drawing more fans than the last. In addition to that, starting in 1959, The Wizard of Oz was played on the second Sunday of December every single year, becoming a family Christmas tradition for millions of families all over the country. So why is it so enduring and endearing? There are number of reasons, but at the heart of The Wizard of Oz is the very definition of movie magic, it exemplifies what the movies can do to the imagination of an average joe. The movie itself embodies this through it's story, Dorothy plays the role of the audience, going from the bland, sepia-toned Kansas to the wonderful Oz exploding in Technicolor via a tornado, just as movie-goers are transported by the magic of the movie screen from their comparatively mundane lives into a fantastical world of music, magic, and adventure. In addition to that, the story, based on the book by L. Frank Baum, doesn't have the same distant feeling as other fairy tales set in far away countries featuring a high-bred loyalty do, instead the heroine is a normal American girl from a plain America farm. Dorothy could be anyone from any small town in America. The greatness of the movie is found in it's ability to turn us all into Dorothys for 101 minutes. It isn't just the underlying aspects of The Wizard of Oz that makes it so appealing of course, the cinematography is gorgeous and the set design is some of the most creative in history, next time you watch the movie take some time to look at the amazing detail put into background sets that are never part of the camera's main focus. Then of course, their is the classic musical numbers, written by Hebert Stothart and Harold Arlen, many of which are pop culture staples, including of course, the most famous movie song of all time "Over the Rainbow." And these songs are forever tied to their performances in the movies: Judy Garland's wistful eyes as she belts out the famous tune, or Ray Bolger using his vaudevillian training to flop around during "If I Only Had a Brain," Garland, Bolger, Jack Haley, and Bert Lahr skipping arm-and-arm while sing "We're Off To See The Wizard," and all of the Munchkin performers and their squeaking voices, it is impossible to separate the songs from the movie, the actors, and their performances because of how iconic they have become. That's without mentioning the grand Wizard himself, Toto, the Wicked Witch, Glinda the Good Witch, and that source of so many children's nightmares: The Flying Monkeys. Anyone who has seen the movie (who hasn't?) has vivid images immediately pop into their mind when reading that list, it's not just a part of movie history, it is a part of American history. So much of The Wizard of Oz has transcended the movies and become indelible parts of popular culture, but laying aside all that and taking it as pure entertainment, it doesn't get any better than this; from the ground up it has everything and more that defines a classic movie experience. Movies don't get any more magical.
