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128 Shorter Reviews
Because the film concentrates almost solely on Gyppo, it takes on the guise of a tragic progression from temptation to betrayal to forgiveness. Every scene contributes to the overall effect and there is no padding to weaken the drama except perhaps in the dialogue between the Commandant and Frankie's sister. The photography is not flat and boring, but faithfully and imaginatively recreates the atmosphere of the fogshrouded city. The white haze softens the backgrounds and brings to the fore the awkward and bumbling Gyppo who wanders helplessly in the dream-like night. Without this type of photography the film would lose much of its power. The fog is not just an added effect but organic. (Contrast Richard Griffith's harsh view in The Film Till Now (p. 483) : The film's reputation "rests mainly on a self-conscious and basically false use of the camera.")
The realism of the film is not helped by the rather artificial "thirtiesstyle" make-up and mannerisms of the women, nor by the occasional madonna lighting, nor by the Commandant who is much too "American", nor by the mother of Frankie McPhillips who appears unintentionally rather comic, nor by the ending which is perhaps a bit sentimental. In spite of these drawbacks, however, the film is definitely worth seeing. Needless to say, the stature of the film is considerably aided by Victor McLaglen's real, full-bodied, and remarkably touching performance. It is too bad that Ford in his subsequent career did not fulfill the promise of this film and his Grapes of Wrath.
{Contemporary Films)
THE LATE MATTHEW PASCAL
(France, 1924)
Directed by Marcel l'Herbier
This film has the dubious distinction of being almost universally disliked by members, officers, and even the hearty apologists for the silent film who belong to the Wisconsin Film Society. The director, Marcel FHerbier, apparently was unable to decide whether he was doing farce or tragedy, and ended up accomplishing neither. It isn't grotesque enough to be funny for more than a few moments, nor is it serious enough to force one to maintain his suspension of disbelief. Occasionally there are some fine sets, but otherwise the film is probably the least entertaining and the least valuable of any European silent film available from the Museum of Modern Art. The impossible script and the bad acting are stretched over ten reels.
(Museum of Modern Art)
THE LIVING DEAD
(Germany. 1932)
Directed by Richard Oswald
Only the inveterate "horror" film bug would find this anything but a waste of time. The title itself is misleading, for there are no vampires. The story concerns itself with a mad inventor who is inconsistently made the protagonist in a potpouri of stories by Poe and Stevenson which