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| The mood turns ugly at the Bioscope as the flapjacks run out! |
For breakfast...
The
Fighting Smile (USA 1925) with Meg Morley
Directed by Jay
Marchant and staring Bill Cody (who was neither Wild or related...) – a baby-faced Audie Murphy for the silent era -
this film also featured Jean Arthur who would go onto eventual success with
those talkies and their comedy of the screwball… Here she wears jodhpurs very
well and provides plucky romantic interest for Cody’s character to rescue
whilst sometimes rescuing him.
This was a very
neat and enjoyable western featuring some vertiginous horse-charges down
dangerous slopes, almost non-stop action and the good humour of Mr Cody and his
smile of fight. It’s a likeable smile and one that is based on confidence and
can-do in a world where trust is always qualified by friendship and a good
heart.
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| Bill on the horse and Jean Arthur to the right |
Cody plays Bud
Brant who is returning home to help his father save his ranch from ruin caused
by careless cow counting. On his way he spots what looks like a young man
struggling with a bucking bronco… seeing the young fella thrown to the ground
he drives his horse down a steep incline to intervene only discover ‘taint a he
but a she and a mighty pretty one too, name of Rose Craddock (Miss Arthur).
The two make
eyes only to be rudely interrupted by her step-father and his foreman (George
Magrill and Billie Bennett respectively) who is all dressed in black - never a
good sign - and intend on marrying Rose. Bill, sorry Bud, is naturally undeterred
and heads onto his father’s ranch to quickly spot the solution to the mystery
of the disappearing cattle – a man named Shorty (he’s not that tall you see)
who has been playing both sides.
As luck would
have it, Bud once saved the fella’s life and feelings of loyalty are stirred
only for Shorty to get cut short by Black Hat’s bullets. Luckily there’s time
for the dying man to sketch out the location of the rustler’s secret hide-away
and the game is on!
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| Bill Cody and friend |
It is formulaic fair
but you can’t help but be won over by the pace and the players – it’s good to
see a happy cowboy for a change and that fighting smile is also a winning one.
Meg Morley put
on her ten-gallon hat and spurs for some country-flavoured accompaniment for
this rhinestone cowboy, soon she’d be on home turf…
Paradise
(GB 1928) with Lillian Henley
Now back to Britain
for the country’s Queen of Happiness, Betty Balfour to show us just how good an
actress she was. This film progressively gets darker after an opening which
sees our girl – as Kitty Cranston - struggling to complete a crossword on a
crowded tube – as I type I’m on the Victoria Line – there are shades of Underground and it’s nice to see that
commuter-mood hasn’t really changed.
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| Our Betty Balfour |
Now keep that
crossword in mind as it’s going to be important. Kitty’s one word away, eight
letters… a place of enduring happiness? “Public ‘ouse?” miscounts a lady
crammed to the left of her, “Sarf ‘end” suggests a boy to the right… it’s only
when she goes to meet her boyfriend, handsome Doctor John Halliday (Joseph
Striker) in his crowded waiting room (plus ca change) that his ironic comment
about the state of things makes the penny drop: “Paradise!”
The Doc wants to
settle down but Kitty is fed up of the rain and the grey and the rain and the
trains… she wants the sunshine where people can “live”!
She gets her
chance when her crossword wins her £500 and whilst her father Reverend Cranston
(Winter Hall) says it should be used to help the needy Kitty decides that
self-actualization is more important and heads off on a lone mission to The
Riviera!
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| Alexander D'Arcy enjoyed a long and varied career and everywhere he went, he took is 'tache with him! |
Cue bleached
images of Monte Carlo as director Denison Clift’s real agenda is revealed…
Kitty ignores the warnings of the Doctor and the Reverend and starts to enjoy
herself in five star luxury. But it’s not long before she attracts the
attention of the local gigolo, Spirdoff (Alexander D'Arcy) who opts to stop
dancing with older woman for money in favour of this much younger model and her
money.
Spirdoff has a
moustache so sharp it could cut a deck of cards and he’s as smooth as all get
out. He introduces Kitty to a group of his fellow emigres, all artists who fled
the revolution and who, being honest, seem like a pretty fun crew.
Now, I’m not
sure whether the film is being subtly subversive but many of us took to this
diverse group of bohemians and, when the inevitable call comes to return with
Honest John we were in two minds… But things don’t quite pan out that simply…
Lillian Henley,
dubbed The Queen of the Twenties by Bryony Dixon – the BFI Baroness - in her
introduction, was clearly right at home duetting with Betty – can we have more
Bronson-Henley please?!
Sentimental
Bloke (Australia 1920) with Meg Morley
Made in 1919 and
on general release from 1920 this Australian film confounded so many
expectations it’s hard to capture them all although Stephen Morgan – almost –
the token Aussie for this day, did his best in his introduction.
Firstly, the
film is based on a poem – by CJ Dennis – and retains much of the verse to form its
title cards. Secondly, that verse is in colloquial Aussie, written phonetically
to create the genuine idioms of the time: bonzer mate! isn’t even the half of
it: it’s about stoushing the johns, cracking a boo and piling on the dog… all
as perfectly understandable as a magic eye picture or a paragraph with vowels
turned upside down. A brave choice but we all got it right mates?
Thirdly, this
film is set mostly in Sydney and not in the outback – this is no Barbeque
Western but a tale of ordinary working class lives in Woolloomooloo – a tough
neighbourhood, with the odd moments in the Royal Botanical Gardens and beyond
Finally… this is
a film in which a man, changes and makes sacrifices to be with the woman he
loves. Now as then this is not always the case – Betty B in the above film has
to be the more pliant in her relationship. There’s something in Australia’s
willingness to self-examine and to be humble (if the occassion calls for it…).
Raymond
Longford directed and produced and directed and his partner, Lottie Lyell
acted as ‘Er later identified as Doreen for whom our hero, the rough and ready
Billy the Bloke aka The Kid (although with that mug, I’d opt for the former)
played by Arthur Tauchert.
Billy starts in
trouble and ends up in jail for illegal gambling, he’s very much a man of his
environment and yet he wants to do better. After his release he searches fro
self-improvement but it’s tough work staying strong and out of the pub.
Then one day he
catches a glimpse of “’er” and his World turns… but there’s a long, rocky road
to escaping his roots and to winning Doreen over on her terms, not with his
fists or his wits: he needs to understand…
Meg Morley added
antipodean cadence to the film and matched this most rhythmic of films with
consideration and precision throughout. Had my mate Kevin from Adelaide been
here he would have shouted, ”go you good thing!”
but the Brits just clapped and smiled – a lot!
At this point, Father’s
Day called and I headed home to be unconditionally-worshiped by my family…
So, I missed:
Napoleon (FR
1927)
This was Kevin
Brownlow's original, 60-minute long, 9.5mm print of Abel Gance’s epic and
as such is of historical interest in itself: helping to inspire the man who
played a major part in the film’s restoration. The full five and a half hour Napoleon is being screened again with
full orchestra at the Royal Festival Hall on Sunday 6th November –
last time I screamed like a 1D fan at an appearance of Harry Styles and I shall
no doubt rave on about it again.
Cyrano
De Bergerac (FR 1923)
This is a
sumptuous film and one I have already written about on this blog. I’d like to have
seen it live to see the full impact of the colours and the sheer opulence of Augusto
Genina’s production
Three
Bad Men (USA 1926) with John Sweeney
I have this film
on DVD but again it was a shame to miss seeing it on proper film – the BFI’s 35mm copy.
It’s one of John
Ford’s major silent westerns and no doubt made for an interesting cowboy
bookend to Day Two.
Again all credit
to Amran, John, Cyrus, Lillian, Meg, Stephen, Costas and the crew in arranging a flawless two days – special
mention also for the Bioscope’s projection wizard: Dave Locke.
To be continued…
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