Mata Hari (George Fitzmaurice) ***

Director: George Fitzmaurice

Cast: Greta Garbo, Ramon Novarro, Lionel Barrymore

Background: Greta Garbo continued her successful transition into talkies, following double Oscar nominations the previous year. Ramon Novarro fills in for usual Garbo costar John Gilbert, whose career had begun to fall apart in 1929. Longtime film star Lionel Barrymore rounded out the cast.

Story: Very loosely based on a true story, Mata Hari (Garbo) is a legendary spy outwitting the secret police. She has seduced a Russian General (Barrymore), but problems arise when she develops feelings for the young Lieutenant (Novarro) who is the target of her latest mission.

Thoughts: This is a fairly straightforward film without a lot of depth, but it is nonetheless entertaining thanks to an interesting story and solid performances from the entire cast. Garbo had issues the previous year in Anna Christie, which was her first talkie, but they seem to have been fixed as she gives a confident, relaxed performance here. Lionel Barrymore is much better here than his hammy Oscar winning performance in A Free Soul. And it's nice to see the talented Ramon Novarro (so good in Lubitsch's The Student Prince in Old Heidelberg) in a talkie for the first time. The story unfolds at a nice pace as we gradually begin to like each of the characters, giving the film some emotional resonance. This is much, much better than Garbo's earlier spy film The Mysterious Lady, which included ridiculously idiotic mistakes by the supposedly great spies. None of the stupidity that doomed that film exists here. Instead, we get a fun story about a cool female spy and the men who love her.

Postscript: Barrymore's career was far from over. After winning an Oscar for A Free Soul, he would continue acting for another two decades, including a memorable turn in It's a Wonderful Life. Garbo would receive two more Oscar nominations (Camille, Ninotchka), but would retire in 1941.

M (Fritz Lang) ****

Director: Fritz Lang

Cast: Peter Lorre, Otto Wernicke, Gustaf Grundgens, Ellen Widmann, Inge Landgut, Rudulf Blumner

Background: This was Fritz Lang's first sound film, and like most of his earlier films, he co-wrote the screenplay with his wife Thea von Harbou. This was the first major role for theater actor Peter Lorre.

Story: Hans Beckert (Lorre) is a serial killer who murders young girls. The police have been unable to catch him, but the criminal underworld sets out to get the job done themselves.

Thoughts: Every modern filmmaker and moviegoer should be required to watch Fritz Lang's M. Maybe then we'd be spared the ADD crap of modern blockbusters. M shows how brilliant a film can be when it has the patience let the suspense slowly build throughout the story. The most notable sequence is a long, mostly silent passage where a blind man notices the killer's presence and the underworld network tracks him to a building, where he hides in the attic as they get closer and closer to finding him. But the film isn't just visually brilliant, it explores the story through multiple levels, with a fascinating sequence at the end showing how the criminal underworld ironically views defense attorneys in a much different light when the tables are turned. Peter Lorre's performance is far removed from the standard one note villain. He doesn't play Hans Beckert as a purely evil psycopath, but as someone who feels he does not have control of his own actions. M is a film that plays against your expectations, where the criminals are self-righteous and child murderers are human beings. It's a thoughtful and frightening movie, coming from a director who by this point was a complete master at his craft.

Postscript: Fritz Lang regarded this film as his finest work. He went on to direct for three more decades. Lorre would be typecast for a bit as villains, but still had a successful film career, including supporting roles in classics such as Casablanca and The Maltese Falcon.

Bad Girl (Frank Borzage) **1/2

Director: Frank Borzage

Cast: James Dunn, Sally Eilers, Minna Gombell

Background: Borzage was the master of melodrama, but here he took a departure from that concept for a more realistic exploration of love. In doing so, he cast two relative unknowns as his leads.

Story: A lower class young couple (Dunn, Eilers) falls in love and gets married, but a pregnancy threatens to doom their marriage.

Thoughts: This is the second time Borzage has attempted a departure from his usual style, and once again the result is merely an interesting failure. Here he doesn't necessarily abandon the melodrama, but the stark realism of the story is a contrast to the fanciful backdrops he's used for his previous films. The main problem here is the events move at an excruciatingly slow pace. The most interesting aspect of the film is the exploration of the difficulties of married life for people who don't have alot of money. Unfortunately, almost half the film is over before they even get married and it's quite a chore to make it to that point. It's interesting that the main problem between them was mostly a simple misunderstanding, which actually feels pretty authentic for the kind of troubles married couples go through. I just wish Borzage had gotten to that point a little sooner, because the first half of the film is almost a complete wash.

Postscript: Borzage won his second Best Director Oscar and the film also won for Best Screenplay. Dunn's most notable work after this would be Elia Kazan's A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. Sally Eilers made a pretty nice career of supporting roles through the late 40s.

A Free Soul (Robert Z. Leonard) *1/2

Director: Clarence Brown

Cast: Norma Shearer, Lionel Barrymore, Clark Gable, Leslie Howard, James Gleason

Background: Clarence Brown received an Oscar for directing Anna Christie, which was Greta Garbo's first talkie and also got her an Oscar nomination. Norma Shearer was coming off a Best Actress Oscar for The Divorcee. This is one of Gable's earliest major roles.

Story: Defense attorney Stephen Ashe (Barrymore) wins the acquittal of a gambler (Gable) on a murder charge, but is not happy to see that his daughter (Shearer) begins dating the man.

Thoughts: This is a movie that doesn't seem to know what it wants to be about. It alternates from love triangle to father-daughter drama about alcoholism to courtroom drama. Ultimately, it is not successful at any of them. The script doesn't seem to know what to do about the various characters. At one point in the third act, the film does a complete 180 on how we're supposed to view Gable's character. It's an abrupt and jarring twist that completely derails the movie. Once Barrymore wanders back into the film for a ridiculously contrived courtroom sequence, it's hard to take anything seriously. At the very least, we get confirmation on Norma Shearer's skill as an actress. She brings an astonishing elegance to her role and her wonderful presence makes the film somewhat bearable.

Postscript: Lionel Barrymore won the Best Actor Oscar for this film. The film also received nominations for Norma Shearer and Clarence Brown. Clark Gable and Leslie Howard would late appear together in Gone With the Wind.

The Smiling Lieutenant (Ernst Lubitsch) ****

Director: Ernst Lubitsch

Cast: Maurice Chevalier, Claudette Colbert, Miriam Hopkins, George Barbier, Charles Ruggles

Background: This was the third of Ernst Lubitsch's early talkie musicals, the first of which (The Love Parade) also starred Maurice Chevalier and made him a star. Claudette Colbert also previously starred with Maurice Chevalier in 1930's The Big Pond.

Story: Niki (Chevalier) is a Lieutenant in the Austrian Royal Guard who falls in love with Franzi (Colbert). One day, he is winking at her on duty when his gestures are mistaken for a visiting princess (Hopkins) from the small kingdom of Flausenthurm. Niki is able to charmingly talk his way out of punishment for that offense, but can't talk his way out of the arranged marriage with the princess who now loves him.

Thoughts: Another delightful Lubitsch musical and among his best films overall. Maurice Chevalier and Claudette Colbert make a terrific romantic pair, and the musical numbers between them are outstanding. However, the biggest surprise in the film is Miriam Hopkins. Her character appears at first to be a one note spoiled brat, but Hopkins (and Lubitsch) makes her a wonderful, charmingly naive person. This really sets the film apart from most that deal with love triangles by allowing us to like both choices. In fact, one of the best scenes is when the two women meet and actually gain an understanding of one another. There's quite a bit of sexual innuendo in this pre-code talkie and Lubitsch "touches" are found all throughout the film. My favorite is when Niki tries to talk his way out of the marriage:

"When you winked at my daughter, were your intentions honorable?"
"They were."
"Well, then naturally, you'll marry her."
"My intentions were dishonorable!"
"Then you'll have to marry her!"

Dialogue like that just can't be found in most films. Lubitsch wraps things up with a surprisingly satisfying ending that mixes sadness and happiness, and is a whole lot of fun.

Postscript: The film was nominated for Best Picture. Lubitsch would make his final musical the following year, a film called One Hour With You, also with Chevalier. He would also release Trouble in Paradise that same year, which turned out to be one of his most notable films and also starred Hopkins. Colbert would win the Lead Actress Oscar for the enormously successful 1934 film, It Happened One Night.

The Bachelor Father (Robert Z. Leonard) **1/2

Director: Robert Z. Leonard

Cast: Marion Davies, C. Aubrey Smith, Ray Milland, Ralph Forbes, Guinn 'Big Boy' Williams, Nina Quartero

Background: Leonard had received an Oscar nomination for 1930's The Divorcee and had previously worked with Marion on in the abysmal 1929 musical Marianne.

Story: A wealthy Englishman (Smith) bachelor who has illegitimate children around the world tries to unite them so they can finally spend time with him. After an iffy beginning, they begin to bond, but Toni (Davies) isn't aware of the secret that he isn't her father after all, while she falls in love with his assistant (Milland).

Thoughts: Another vehicle for Marion that just doesn't live up to her talents. Once again, she's stuck in a film with a very static visual design and a script that doesn't give her the right material to work with. She brings as much as she can, with a winning enthusiasm that makes the film far more pleasant and entertaining than it should be. There is also a decent chemistry between her and Ray Milland. However, this film just doesn't have a strong narrative drive. It just kind of sits there, with very little plot progression until a rushed third act twist which is wrapped up too neatly. It's a shame because Marion is a very talented comedienne as she proved in Show People and The Patsy, but so far she has not picked very good projects in the sound era.

Postscript: Director Robert Z. Leonard would go on to direct Best Picture winner The Great Ziegfeld in 1936, for which he received his second Oscar nomination. Marion continued acting for another 6 years, including films with Clark Gable and Gary Cooper. Ray Milland would have a long and successful career, including a Best Actor Oscar for 1945's The Lost Weekend.

Schedule for 1931

Coming off the weakest year of the project so far, there appears to be a lot of promise for 1931. There are several entries by directors who have dominated my previous top 10's, such as Josef von Sternberg, Fritz Lang, Frank Borzage, King Vidor, and FW Murnau. We also get one of Chaplin's most notable films, not to mention the first appearances of Yasujiro Ozu, Frank Capra, James Whale.

Here is the full list, which is subject to change depending on availability...

An American Tragedy (Josef Von Sternberg)
Arrowsmith (John Ford)
The Bachelor Father (Robert Z. Leonard)
Bad Girl (Frank Borzage)
The Champ (King Vidor)
Cimarron (Wesley Ruggles)
City Lights (Charles Chaplin)
Dishonored (Josef von Sternberg)
Dracula (Tod Browning)
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (Rouben Mamoulian)
Frankenstein (James Whale)
Freedom For Us (Rene Clair)
A Free Soul (Clarence Brown)
Little Caeser (Mervyn LeRoy)
M (Fritz Lang)
Maltese Falcon (Roy Del Ruth)
Mata Hari (George Fitzmaurice)
Miracle Woman (Frank Capra)
Monkey Business (Norman Z. McLeod)
Platinum Blonde (Frank Capra)
The Public Enemy (William Wellman)
Rich and Strange (Alfred Hitchcock)
Svengali (Archie Mayo)
The Smiling Lieutenant (Ernst Lubitsch)
Tabu: A Story of the South Seas (FW Murnau)
Tonight or Never (Mervyn LeRoy)
Tokyo Chorus (Yasujiro Ozu)
Waterloo Bridge (James Whale)