NZIFF Classic Film Review: "The Cameraman" (1928).

"Buster has a camera, but what he doesn't know about it would make even the little birdie laugh!" This is The Cameraman. This 1928 American silent comedy film directed by Edward Sedgwick and Buster Keaton, who was uncredited. In this silent classic, photographer Buster meets Sally, who works as a secretary for the newsreel department at MGM, and falls hard. Trying to win her attention, Buster abandons photography in order to become a news cameraman. In spite of his early failures with a motion camera, Sally takes to him as well. However, veteran cameraman Stagg also fancies Sally, meaning Buster will need to learn how to film quickly before he loses his job.

In late January 1928, Keaton signed a two-year deal with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. The deal required two films per year from Keaton and paid him $3,000 a week, making him the third highest-paid actor at the studio. Keaton brought most of his own crew with him from his own independent production company. He immediately pitched the idea for The Cameraman to MGM, who paid him $1,250 for it.  According to Keaton, twenty-two writers were assigned to work on the script before and during production, but Keaton convinced MGM's head of production Irving Thalberg to throw out the script and allow him to film it his own way. On his previous films, only three or four gag writers were the norm. MGM countered that only five writers had worked on the film. The film was then overseen by producer Lawrence Weingarten. Weingarten and Keaton fought on set and Weingarten called Keaton a child. According to Rudi Blesh's biography of Keaton, he came on the set the first day of shooting and, unaware of his reduced status as actor-only, began to "feel" for comedy bits and request props and characters, as he had with his own company. Sedgwick took him aside and told Keaton that he was undermining his directorial authority. Buster genuinely apologized and faded into the background. Sedgwick couldn't get the set-ups he wanted, couldn't get the actors to understand his direction, and eventually gave up and asked Buster to take over. As quietly as he had left, Buster regained control of the scene. Buster began to call Sedgwick "Junior" and they became fast friends. Thalberg loved the finished film and laughed during screenings of its rushes, a rare display of emotion from Thalberg. However, at the studio's insistence, Keaton's original ending with him smiling was replaced with the current ending after it received negative reactions when it was previewed. Keaton was accustomed to complete control over his own productions and was unaccustomed to interference from producers. MGM would take away Keaton's creative control over his pictures, thereby causing drastic and long-lasting harm to his career. Keaton was later to call the move to MGM "the worst mistake of my life." This film was used for many years by MGM as an example of a perfect comedy. The studio would get all its directors and producers to watch it and learn. Only two scenes were improvised on the spot by Keaton. The Cameraman would later serve as inspiration for part of the 1950 comedy Watch the Birdie, starring Red Skelton, with Keaton working as a gagman for MGM and serving as an advisor to Skelton. The film was almost lost forever. The master copy of it used today was made using a print that was found in Paris, in 1968, and a master positive copy of nearly the entire film, found in 1991. In modern copies of the film, the quality of the image varies dramatically; the scenes with best quality were obtained from the material found in 1991. It is now considered to be Keaton still in top form by fans and critics alike, and it was added to the National Film Registry in 2005 as being deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant." It is also included among the American Film Institute's 2000 list of the 500 movies nominated for the Top 100 Funniest American Movies.

The picture stars Keaton, Marceline Day, Harold Goodwin, Sidney Bracey, and Harry Gribbon. With very little words obviously, the cast gave remarkable and mind-blowing performances, especially from Keaton, who were able to convey so much through their faces and bodies, especially for Keaton. The featured gags are as much artful exercises in stuntwork and timing as they are orchestrated attempts at humor, and the fact that they work so well as both is testament to Keaton's brilliance as a filmmaker and performer. Keaton has great sight gags and goes to amazing ends to get the thrills he wants. In these times when all risk is assumed by CGI effects, Keaton's squealing funny, exquisitely timed, death-defying leaps are all the more breathtaking. There was only one Buster Keaton, and this film is his swansong.

Not just one of the greatest films of the silent period, but of all time, and arguably the greatest comedy ever made. The Cameraman explores man's tumultuous relationship with technology through the propulsive images and rushing emotion available only to the advents of cinema. The film boasts the most sustained passages of virtuoso slapstick genius Keaton ever shot, and an unflagging momentum that lets it get away with being a reel longer than most of his best-known pictures. It is the highlight of his career's tragicomic performances, featuring not just the awe-inspiring stunts that were his bread and butter, but also a level of fluidity only he and Chaplin attained at the top of their games. Spectacular performances, whether dramatic, comedic and/or stunt-wise, are captured with fluid camerawork. There are no stunt doubles for Keaton and of course no digital effects. A jaw-plunging blend of physical dexterity and bravura moviemaking. A thrilling and hilarious comedy. Among the finest comedies of all time, it wears its greatness lightly, and one of Keaton's most hilarious and most popular comedies. This is a silent film worth making a noise about. A Silent masterpiece is entertainment for all ages.

Simon says The Cameraman receives:

Also, see my NZIFF review for The Dance of Reality (La Danza de la Realidad).

NZIFF Film Review: "The Dance of Reality" ("La Danza de la Realidad") (2013).

From the director of El Topo and The Holy Mountain comes The Dance of Reality (La Danza de la Realidad). This Chilean-French semi-autobiographical musical fantasy drama film written, produced, and directed by Alejandro Jodorowsky. Cult filmmaker Alejandro Jodorowsky presents a fanciful interpretation of his childhood, set against Chile's turbulent social and political environment.

The film marks Jorodowsky's first film in twenty-three years. In early 2011, Jodorowsky scouted for locations at his childhood village in Chile. Jodorowsky received permission from the local Chilean government to shoot in the coming spring. In late August, he held a forum with the locals to discuss his vision for the film. By June 2012, Jodorowsky, as well as his sons Brontis, Adán, and Cristóbal, grandson Jeremías Herskovits, Pamela Flores, Bastián Bodenhöfer, and Andrés Cox were cast. At the same time, with a budget of $3 million, principal photography commenced, and wrapped in August 2013. Filming took place in Tocopilla in the Antofagasta Region, in the north of Chile. The film was shot digitally, on the Red Epic camera with Angenieux Optimo Lenses, the first for Jodorowsky. In January 2013, Brontis stated that the film was in post-production and would be finished by March, saying the film is "very different from the other films that he made". The film blends Jodorowsky's personal history with metaphor, mythology and poetry, reflecting the director's view that reality is not objective but rather a "dance" created by our imaginations. Jodorowsky has expressed his ambivalence towards the film industry and its focus on making money and claimed he did not want to "make money but rather lose money" in the making of this film, asking for it to be funded purely through donations.

The film stars Jodorowsky, as well as his sons Brontis, Adán, and Cristóbal, grandson Jeremías Herskovits, Pamela Flores, Bastián Bodenhöfer, and Andrés Cox. The cast has ample affection for outcasts and much to say about religious hypocrisy. A surreal circus of invention, pretension and astonishment that, like many carnivals, touts the talents of its performers but knows most customers came to gawk at the freaks.

While it's not especially easy viewing, and unquestionably not for all tastes, The Dance of Reality is exhilarating, challenging, enigmatic and distressing, but entirely rewarding and entertaining. Whether or not this is the most accessible of Jodorowsky's films, it is certainly the most accessible "Jodorowksy film," a vision filled with circus imagery, surreal scenes, and grotesque violence. Drawing on his training in mime and his fascination with Gnosticism, Jodorowsky converted a story about his early life into a grand work of art, full of symbols and imagery that reach beyond language to something primal and original. What's probably most amazing about the film is that most of it works, and almost never does it feel like it's being unsettling just for the sake of it. A trip that was calculated carefully, the near constant use of slightly off-key circus music adding to its hypnotic quality. More extravagant, but less controlled than his infamous allegorical western, El Topo (1970).

Simon says The Dance of Reality (La Danza de la Realidad) receives:

Also, see my NZIFF review for Much Ado About Nothing.

NZIFF Film Review: "Much Ado About Nothing" (2012).

"An awful lot of fun", which is what you’re in for with Much Ado About Nothing. This independent romantic comedy film adapted for the screen, produced, and directed by Joss Whedon, from William Shakespeare's play of the same name. It is a modern retelling of Shakespeare's classic comedy.

Much Ado About Nothing is a comedic play by William Shakespeare thought to have been written in 1598 and 1599, as Shakespeare was approaching the middle of his career. The play was included in the First Folio, published in 1623. Much Ado About Nothing is generally considered one of Shakespeare’s best comedies, because it combines elements of robust hilarity with more serious meditations on honor, shame, and court politics. Much Ado About Nothing, though interspersed with darker concerns, is a joyful comedy that ends with multiple marriages and no deaths.

Principal photography started mid-October 2011, and took place at Joss Whedon's residence, in Santa Monica, California. On the choice of location, he told Studio 360, "First of all, my wife built that house. And I knew from the moment I set foot in it that I would want to film something there. Because it's all in one place, that place informs the mood and the feeling and the look of the picture so much, and I was really already comfortable with that". It was filmed entirely in a black-and-white palette over a period of 12 days. Whedon shot it while on a contractual vacation from the post-production of The Avengers (2012). The cast and crew were informed to keep the project a secret until production was finished. Shooting wrapped on October 23, 2011. Whedon explained his initial interest in the project, saying: I fixated on this notion that our ideas of romantic love are created for us by the society around us, and then escape from that is grown-up love, is marriage, is mature love, to escape the ideals of love that we’re supposed to follow. He elaborated on that sentiment, and said "It’s a very cynically romantic text about love, and how we behave, and how we’re expected to behave. It’s a party, but there’s something darker there as well".

The film stars Amy Acker as Beatrice, Alexis Denisof as Benedick, Nathan Fillion as Dogberry, Clark Gregg as Leonato, Reed Diamond as Don Pedro, Fran Kranz as Claudio, Sean Maher as Don John, Jillian Morgese as Hero, Spencer Treat Clark as Borachio, Riki Lindhome as Conrade and Ashley Johnson as Margaret. The performances were fantastic in this film and Whedon's finest collection of performances yet. They had the right mix of drama and comedy all at once. Acker gave a strong performance as Beatrice. Denisof gave a witty and 'cocky' performance as Benedick. Fillion gave a humorous performance. Gregg gave a great performance as Leonato. Diamond gave a great performance as Don Pedro. Kranz gave a emotionally fantastic performance as Claudio. Maher gave a great, cold performance as Don John. Finally, Morgese gave a wonderful performance, in her debut film.

Cheerful from beginning to end, Joss Whedon’s Much Ado About Nothing is a ravishing piece of entertainment. Whedon has, once again, blown away the movie-going public after his triumphant success of The Avengers (2012). This film cements Whedon's status as a great director of Shakespeare, and perhaps of film in general, as well.

Simon says Much Ado About Nothing receives:

Also, see my reviews for The Avengers and I'm So Excited (Los amantes pasajeros).

NZIFF Film Review: "I'm So Excited!" ("Los amantes pasajeros") (2013).

From the director of All About My Mother and The Skin I Live In comes I'm So Excited! (Los amantes pasajeros). This Spanish comedy film written and directed by Pedro Almodóvar. A Spanish flight headed for Mexico runs into technical difficulties. The crew decide to drug everyone in economy class and devote themselves to cheering up the small group of passengers in business class, and themselves, by all available means.

With a budget of €5 million, the film was financed entirely by pre-sales. By early July 2012, Javier Cámara, Antonio de la Torre, Raúl Arévalo, Carlos Areces, Lola Dueñas, Cecilia Roth, Blanca Suárez, with Antonio Banderas, Penélope Cruz, and Paz Vega were cast. At the same time, principal photography commenced, and wrapped in early September. Filming took pace at the decommissioned Ciudad Real Central Airport in Madrid, as well as Castilla-La Mancha, Spain

The film stars Cámara, de la Torre, Arévalo, Areces, Dueñas, Roth, Suárez, with Banderas, Cruz, and Vega. The film is playful fun thanks to the ensemble cast who delivered. All the actors were superb and gave superb performances. The cast slinks devilishly (and expertly) between farce, absurdism and tragedy.

I'm So Excited is a film whose overwhelming liveliness provides an enthusiastic, ebullient rebuke to the despair of its characters. The film's colour scheme is like a makeup counter display, and the narrative has the same sort of spirit, with dabs of humour that gloss over or disrupt the heroine's grief. An ensemble comedy with real bite; it always brings down the house. The film is the gold standard for Almodovar's screwball farces. It is an exuberant comedy of manners drunk on its own outlandish dark comedy drama. The film is a great addition to Almodvar's world and a great introduction for a new generation of Almodovar fans. In the film, Almodovar sets out to charm rather than shock. That he succeeds should not come as a surprise. It is probably Almodovar's most completely accessible film - certainly it's one of his funniest and most popular works. Almodovar's funky widescreen style is captivating, but his madcap story is maddeningly devoid of seriousness. The film doesn't exactly feel like a farce, even though that's quite obviously what it is. It is even wackier than Almodovar's other films -- it also just happens to be more universal. However, when Almodóvar attempts a plot the film becomes tedious. It is a somewhat harsh critique of a Spanish culture that dooms women to indentured servitude. Almodóvar's films have an admirable newness and originality that shouldn't be ignored. The film shows off the bright, gaudy visual style, the breezy manner and the exuberant energy that are Almodovar's particular virtues. Almodovar has already learned how to pull off such a difficult act, by treating the potentially offensive with such cartoonish abandon that it becomes ridiculous to take offense. This new cinematic effort from Spain's enfant terrible is amateurish in both the positive and negative senses of the term, but it already shows his penchant for shock and provocation.

Simon says I'm So Excited! (Los amantes pasajeros) receives:

Also, see my reviews for The Skin I Live In (La piel que habito) and The Crowd.

Film Review: "The Conjuring" (2013).

The film’s opening scroll reads, "Since the 1960s, Ed and Lorraine Warren have been known as the world's most renowned paranormal investigators. Lorraine is a gifted clairvoyant, while Ed is the only non-ordained Demonologist recognized by the Catholic Church. Out of the thousands of cases throughout their controversial careers, there is one case so malevolent, they've kept it locked away until now." Which is not what you’d expect from the director of Saw and Insidious in this summer’s The Conjuring. This supernatural horror film directed by James Wan. The film centers on paranormal real-life investigators, Ed and Lorraine Warren and the 1971 Harrisville, Rhode Island case involving the Perron family.

Edward "Ed" Warren Miney (September 7, 1926 – August 23, 2006) and Lorraine Rita Warren, née Moran, (born January 31, 1927) were American paranormal investigators and authors associated with prominent cases of haunting. Edward was a World War II US Navy veteran and former police officer who became a noted demonologist, author, and lecturer. His wife Lorraine was a professed clairvoyantand a light trance medium who worked closely with her husband. They have claimed to investigate over 100,000 cases that included the controversial and infamous Amityville Haunting, in which they were the first investigators on the case.

Development of the film began over 20 years ago when Ed Warren played a tape of Warren's original interview with Carolyn Perron for producer Tony DeRosa-Grund. DeRosa-Grund made a recording of Warren playing back the tape and of their subsequent discussion. At the end of the tape, Warren said to DeRosa-Grund, "If we can't make this into a film I don't know what we can". DeRosa-Grund then described his vision of the film for Ed. DeRosa-Grund wrote the original treatment and titled the project The Conjuring. For nearly 14 years, he tried to get the movie made without any success. He landed a deal to make the movie at Gold Circle Films, the production company behind The Haunting in Connecticut (2009), but a contract could not be finalized and the deal was dropped. DeRosa-Grund allied with producer Peter Safran, and sibling writers Chad and Carey Hayes were brought on board to refine the script. Using DeRosa-Grund's treatment and the Ed Warren tape, the Hayes brothers changed the story's point of viewfrom the Perron family to the Warrens. The brothers interviewed Lorraine Warren many times over the phone to clarify details. By mid-2009, the property became the subject of a six-studio bidding war that landed the film at Summit Entertainment. However, DeRosa-Grund and Summit couldn't conclude the transaction and the film went into turnaround. DeRosa-Grund reconnected with New Line Cinema, who had lost in the original bidding war but who ultimately picked up the film. On November 11, 2009, a deal was made between New Line and DeRosa-Grund's Evergreen Media Group.

Pre-production began in early 2011, with reports surfacing in early June that James Wan was in talks to direct the film. This was later confirmed by Warner Bros., who also stated that the film would be loosely based on real life events surrounding Ed and Lorraine Warren. In January 2012, Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson were cast to star in the film. That same month, Ron Livingston and Lili Taylor were also confirmed for roles in the film. Principal photography began in late February 2012. Lasting for 38 days, shooting took place primarily at EUE/Screen Gems Studios as well as other locations in and around Wilmington, North Carolina. The film concluded its principal photography on April 26, 2012. All scenes were shot in chronological order. The film was in post-production in August of the same year. Around 20 to 30 minutes of footage was removed from the first cut of the film, which initially ran at about two hours in duration. After positive test screenings, the final edit of the film was locked in December 2012 and awaited its summer release.

The film stars Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga as Ed and Lorraine Warren, and Ron Livingston and Lili Taylor as Roger and Carolyn Perron. The cast gave brilliant, strong and sympathetic performances. Especially for Wilson and Farmiga who, in preparation for their roles, traveled to Connecticut to spend time with Lorraine Warren, who also visited the set during production. Over the course of spending three days at the Warren home, both actors took in information that could not otherwise be achieved from secondary research. "I just wanted to absorb her essence. I wanted to see the details, she has such mad style. I just wanted to see — the way she communicates with her hands, these gestures, her smile, how she moves through space", said Farmiga on her observations of Warren.

This is the scariest film I've seen in years—the only scary film I've seen in years. If you want to be shaken—and I found out, while the picture was going, that that's what I wanted—then The Conjuring will scare the @#!*% out of you. The film is an expert telling of a supernatural horror story ... The climactic sequences assault the senses and the intellect with pure cinematic terror. It is also an amazing film, and one destined to become at the very least a horror classic. Director Wan's film is profoundly disturbing to all audiences; especially the more sensitive and those who tend to 'live' the movies they see. Suffice it to say, there has never been anything like this on the screen since The Exorcist (1973). There's a theory that great films give back to you whatever it is you bring to them. It's absolutely true with this film - it reflects the anxieties of the audience. Some people think it's an outright horror-fest but I don't. It is based on a true story about a normal American family who fell prey to supernatural hauntings and would make people think about the existence of the supernatural.

Simon says The Conjuring receives:

Film Review: "The Wolverine" (2013).

"Life is a gift. Immortality a curse" which is what sums up The Wolverine. This superhero film featuring the Marvel Comics character Wolverine. It is the sixth installment in the X-Men film series. Hugh Jackman reprises his role from previous films as the title character, with James Mangold directing a screenplay written by Christopher McQuarrie, Scott Frank, and Mark Bomback, based on the 1982 limited series Wolverine by Chris Claremont and Frank Miller. In modern day, Wolverine is summoned to Japan by an old acquaintance, he becomes embroiled in a conflict in an unknown world as he faces his ultimate nemesis in a life-or-death battle that will leave him forever changed.

McQuarrie was hired to write a screenplay for The Wolverine in August 2009. In October 2010, Darren Aronofsky was hired to direct the film after Bryan Singer rejected. The project was delayed following Aronofsky's departure and the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami in March 2011. In June 2011, Mangold was brought on board to replace Aronofsky. Bomback was then hired to rewrite the screenplay in September 2011. The supporting characters were cast in July 2012 with principal photography beginning at the end of the month in Kurnell, New South Wales before moving to Tokyo, Japan in August 2012 and back to New South Wales in October 2012.

The film stars Jackman as Logan / Wolverine (respectively), Haruhiko Yamanouchi, Rila Fukushima, Hiroyuki Sanada, Svetlana Khodchenkova and Tao Okamoto, in her debut role. The performances in this film were all fantastic. Jackman brought a great performance once again that not only stole the show, but added a new layer of emotional and physical complexity to the role. Regarding Logan's struggle with immortality, Jackman said, "He realizes everyone he loves dies, and his whole life is full of pain. So it's better that he just escapes. He can't die really. He just wants to get away from everything." Yamanouchi gave a great performance as Yashida, the head of a Japanese technology empire and the man Wolverine once saved during World War II. Sanada gave another great villainous performance as Shingen Yashida: Mariko's father, and crime boss. Khodchenkova gave a great, wicked performance as Viper: a mutant, who has an immunity to toxins and one of the film's main protagonist. Lastly, Okamoto gave a great debut performance as Mariko Yashida, Yashida's granddaughter and Logan's love interest. Okamoto had been known for her modeling with Ralph Lauren. Over the course of watching performances by models starring in their debut films, Okamoto is one of the few models-turned-actress that actually succeeded in delivering a great perfomance whose personality and chemistry with her leading man were nothing but pure emotional gold for a movie fan who longs to see a great emotional plot within the context of a movie like this.

Although its loyalty to its source material is sliced and diced, The Wolverine is one superhero movie that manages to stay true to the spirit of its character while being a solid piece of entertainment.

Simon says The Wolverine receives:

NZIFF Classic Film Review: "The Crowd" (1928).

"A powerful drama of modern marriage- a marriage that goes smash, and how it is saved..." This is The Crowd. This 1928 American silent film directed by King Vidor, and written by Vidor and John V.A. Weaver. The film follows young John Sims as he weathers the death of his father and travels to New York City in search of success. Instead, he becomes a low-level worker in an enormous office of a nameless corporation. After he meets a beautiful young woman , things seem to be looking up, but before long the newlyweds are sullen and bickering, and the arrival of their children leaves John feeling trapped in a dead-end existence. Then tragedy strikes, causing him to reassess his life.

After the critical and financial success of The Big Parade (1925), Vidor conceived the idea for the film. Vidor wanted the new film to be innovative in its story, acting, and cinematography. Influenced by 1920s German cinema and F.W. Murnau in particular, the film mixes striking visual styles and moving camera cinematography – as well as hidden cameras in some of the New York City scenes, and subtle use of scale models and dissolves, with intense, intimate scenes of the family's struggle. In order to attain greater authenticity, Vidor avoided casting big-name stars; James Murray had started as a studio extra, and had appeared in featured roles already, but had made his way to California riding boxcars and doing odd jobs such as shoveling coal and washing dishes. For his female lead, Vidor selected Eleanor Boardman, an MGM contract actress and his second wife. Vidor's great financial success at MGM in the 1920s allowed him to sell the unusual scenario to production head Irving Thalberg as an experimental film. However, MGM chief Louis B. Mayer reportedly disliked the film for its bleak subject matter and lack of a happy ending, and the studio held the film from release for almost a year. According to Vidor's autobiography, as a result, several alternate upbeat endings were filmed, and previewed in small towns at the studio's insistence. The film was finally released with two endings, one Vidor's original ending, and another with the family gathered around a Christmas tree after John has gotten a job with an advertising agency. Exhibitors could choose which version to show, but, at least according to Vidor, the happy ending was rarely shown. The Crowd was a modest financial and critical success upon its initial release on 18 February, 1928. It went on to be nominated at the very first Academy Award presentation in 1928, for several awards, including a unique and artistic production, as well as the award for best director for Vidor. However, Mayer urged his fellow Academy board members to not vote for it. They didn't, instead gave the first (and only) Academy Award for Best Film--Unique and Artistic Production to, ironically, Murnau's Sunrise (1927). Since then, the film has gone on to become an influential and acclaimed film, as well as being hailed as one of the greatest and most enduring American silent films. French New Wave auteur Jean-Luc Godard was asked in the 1960s why more films were not made about ordinary people, and his response was "The Crowd had already been made, so why remake it?" – but at the time, it was released just as the Great Depression had hit, and audiences sought escapist entertainment over the stark realism of the film, which filmmakers would not embrace again until after the end of World War II. Still, the film was popular enough to gross twice its cost. The arrival of sound films at the same time combined to radically change filmmaking. Due to the limitations imposed by early sound filming techniques, the film's moving camera innovations would not be equaled for another decade. In 1989, the film was one of the first 25 to be selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being; "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". It is also included among the American Film Institute's 1998 list of the 400 movies nominated for the Top 100 Greatest American Movies.

The film stars Murray, Boardman and Bert Roach. Terrific performances were given by the cast, who conveyed an entire lifetime of the emotional roller-coaster that is life in ninety-eight minutes. Murray especially gave a haunting performance. Like the character of John Sims, Murray's life ended in a real-life unhappy ending as he succumbed to alcoholism and became a Skid-Row bum. When Vidor saw him on the street, panhandling, he offered Murray a part in his upcoming film Our Daily Bread (1934), but Murray angrily refused, saying "Just because I stop you on the street and try to borrow a buck, you think you can tell me what to do. As far as I am concerned, you know what you can do with your lousy part." In 1936, his body was found in the Hudson River, a possible suicide. Vidor was haunted by Murray's death, and in 1979 attempted to raise funds to film The Actor, a screenplay he had written based on Murray's story, but the film was never made.

Masterfully directed by Vidor, this thought-provoking piece of cinema swings easily between comedy, romance and tragedy without missing a beat, and there are numerous set-pieces of enormous power - even today, the harrowing dramatic scenes would rank among the best ever put on film. The silence does try one's patience but the film is noteworthy in showing us that is often filled with them, both good and bad. The film is a wonderfully poignant social statement, but a bit dated by today's standards, but still powerful. The film is technically impressive, well-intended, even if it's ultimately too melodramatic. A harsh film that reflects the Depression era, Vidor's chronicle is both artistically and ideologically a significant Hollywood feature. It makes for an interesting cinematically humanistic capsule survival film from the Depression-era period. It wasn't strong stuff in 1928, but it has since become and remains strong today.

Simon says The Crowd receives:

Also, see my NZIFF review for Nobody's Daughter Haewon (누구의 딸도 아닌 해원)