Movies Came Out In (1935)
Winner:
Mutiny on the Bounty – I recently watched this film and I had seen all the remakes. I thoroughly enjoyed the original, really good acting, decent scenery, and great story. Clark Gable really shines in his role and I haven’t seen him in anything other than Gone With The Wind, so that was cool. Definitely would recommend watching this film for any movie buff.
Alice Adams – Saw this recently, and found it to be just “ok”. I wouldn’t recommend anyone go out of their way to watch it, but it wasn’t terrible. Katharine Hepburn played a different role than what I’ve been accustomed to seeing her play, so that was a little bit refreshing. But overall, the film/plot just wasn’t extremely compelling.
Broadway Melody of 1936 – Watched recently, and thought this film was probably pretty entertaining for 1935. For 2018, not so much. The plot was incredibly transparent. A broadway producer is trying to put on a show, an old love interest comes into town, a local gossip reporter is making waves for the producer and in the end everything works out for the best. There were a number of song/dance routines in the film, none especially memorable. I didn’t hate it, but I didn’t love it either.
Captain Blood – I watched on TCM and rather enjoyed this film. It was a pretty good story, the scenery was good, the acting was believable. I think sanitized killing (not a drop of blood) was a bit silly, but overall I really thought this film was good.
David Copperfield – I watched on TCM and did not enjoy this film. I have never read the book, so I wasn’t familiar with the story. But I found it to be really boring, and would not recommend watching this film.
The Informer – Just watched recently, the movie is set in 1922 and is about an Irish rebel that informs (rats) on his friend and then feels the repercussions of it afterwards. I did not like this movie. I thought it was slow moving and somewhat stupid. The informer comes into the money (20 pounds) for ratting on his friend and then appears to spend 100’s of pounds at various places (buying drinks and handing out money to homeless, etc…) and then still has money at the end when he meets his demise. The characters were unlikable, the acting was pathetic, and the plot was just dumb and boring.
The Lives of a Bengal Lancer – I watched on TCM and thought this story was pretty good. The plot is: Three British soldiers on the Northwest Frontier of India struggle against the enemy – and themselves. Given the year it was made (1935), the fight scenes and effects were pretty good. I could actually see this film getting remade and modernized and being pretty successful. It’s one of the few films that I’ve seen Gary Cooper in which wasn’t completely corny. Overall, I would recommend watching.
A Midsummer Night’s Dream – I just watched recently, and hated every minute of this film version of Shakespeare’s play. I especially hated Puck, played by Mickey Rooney, he was beyond annoying in this role. Unless you want to be confused, bored and aggravated for 2+ hours, skip this film.
Les Misérables – Les Mis is one of my favorite musicals, so I’m very familiar with the plot and I’ve seen the story in film before, but not this version. I enjoyed this black white (original?) version very much. It was quite well done. I highly recommend it if you’re a fan.
Naughty Marietta – Watch on TCM and it wasn’t my typical fair for watching a movie, but I didn’t mind it. Had a good story, the acting was typical from the period, based on what I’ve seen thus far. The music/songs were pretty good. The plot (princess doesn’t want to marry, she escapes to America disguised as a commoner) is used/borrowed in quite a few modern movies.
Ruggles of Red Gap – Watched recently on TCM, and the movie actually does have some funny moments/dialog and pretty decent message in the end. The plot is that an English man loses his butler in a poker game to an American family that’s a bit like the Clampett’s. The butler has a hard time adjusting to American life, but eventually settles in and “finds” his voice. I think for 1935, this movie is pretty well done and if you watch with that mindset, I think you’ll enjoy it.
Top Hat – Just watched recently, and it’s a Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers picture, for which it’s obvious they had perfected the script to by this time (see: The Gay Divorcee). A rom-com, in which there’s a misunderstanding, Fred & Ginger show off their dancing, they sing a couple of tunes together, and everything works out perfectly in the end. That being said, the formula does work and I can definitely see why audiences at the time found it entertaining.
Brian’s Winner:
Mutiny on the Bounty, but a very decent year of choices
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Ceremony Year (1936) – Movies Came Out In (1935)