The Cat and the Canary (Paul Leni) ***1/2

Director: Paul Leni

Cast: Laura La Plante, Creighton Hale, Martha Mattox, Creighton Hale, Forrest Stanley, Tully Marshall, Flora Finch

Background: Paul Leni had made a name for himself with the 1924 German horror film Waxworks and was brought to America by Universal Studios. His first film was the adaptation of John Willard's stage play, The Cat and the Canary.

The Story: A group of relatives get together at a creepy mansion for the reading of their late uncle's will. Annabelle West is the one named to inherit his fortune, but the will has a stipulation. She has to be found sane by a doctor, or the fortune goes to a person named in a separate envelope. The problem is that a series of events begin to make her seem insane to the others.

Thoughts: This is a very creepy early horror film. Leni was one of the German Expressionist filmmakers, but perhaps lesser known than his counterparts Murnau and Lang. That doesn't mean he didn't know what he was doing. Leni invents the classic haunted house genre by lending some vivid atmosphere to the intense psychological premise. A strong cast helps, with Laura La Plante making an excellent heroine, but it is Martha Mattox's wonderfully dry turn as the mansion caretaker Mammy Pleasant that steals the show. There's a great use of sound effects, especially when an ancient clock suddenly starts working again. Leni perhaps could have milked the heroine is crazy theme a bit longer and Creighton Hale's bumbling performance as the male lead is difficult to watch, but this is still a solid horror film.

Postscript: The Cat and the Canary was a success and ended up being a very influential horror film. It was remade several times, but the most successful was the 1939 version starring Bob Hope and Paulette Godard. Director Paul Leni would only make three more films before succumbing to food poisoning. Laura La Plante kept very busy throughout the 30s and then made brief appearance in the 40s and 50s. Martha Mattox would make 38 more films, but mostly in minor roles.

It (Clarence Badger) **1/2

Director: Clarence Badger

Cast: Clara Bow, Antonio Moreno, William Austin, Priscilla Bonner

Background: After the great success of her 1925 film The Plastic Age, Clara Bow became a huge celebrity. She was one of the most talked about stars of her era, gaining as much attention for her off screen escapades as her on screen performances. In 1927, Elinor Glyn adapted her own novel It for the big screen and Bow was cast in the lead role.

Story: Betty Lou Spence (Bow) is a salesgirl who falls in love with her rich boss, Cyrus Waltham Jr. (Moreno), despite the fact that he's already engaged. Their courtship has some roadblocks, including differing social classes, Cyrus's silly friend Monty, and a misunderstanding about her living situation.

Thoughts: This one is certainly better than My Best Girl, mainly because Clara Bow is allowed to be a real woman. If "It" = sex appeal, then Clara has it in spades. She almost makes this film work all on her own. There are still some problematic developments. Moreno is not an interesting enough leading man for her. William Austin's memorable comic turn as Monty completely overshadows him throughout the film. The other problem is the contrived conflict created to separate the couple in the third act. It's all a silly misunderstanding that anyone with two brain cells would have figured out much sooner. The real road block should have been the fact that Cyrus is engaged, but his fiance is given an alarming lack of sympathy. We see nothing that shows why she deserves the treatment she gets in this film, other than a speech from Monty at the end that explains she just doesn't have "It". That's a pretty harsh message for a romantic comedy.

Postscript: It was a huge success at the box office and Bow would become known as The "It" Girl. The same year, she would appear in eventual BEst Picture winner Wings. However, the introduction of talkies and her own personable problems severely limited her career and she made her last film in 1933. Moreno continued getting roles as romantic leads and his career would span through the 50's. Austin played mostly supporting roles throughout his career, including a turn as Alfred in the 1943 film version of Batman. This was the last notable film that Clarence Badger would direct.

My Best Girl (Sam Taylor) **

Director: Sam Taylor

Cast: Mary Pickford, Charles 'Buddy' Rogers, Sunshine Hart, Lucien Littlefield, Hobart Bosworth

Background: Pickford made a name for herself playing little girl roles in films like Pollyanna and Little Lord Fauntleroy and was called "America's Sweetheart". At the time, she was the biggest female box office star, commanding a salary as high as $10,000 a week. She picked this project out of her desire to play a more adult role.

Story: Joe Merrill (Rogers) is the son of a millionaire who conceals his identity to take a job in the stock room and prove that he can be a success without relying on his father. He meets and eventually falls for co-worker Maggie (Pickford), but his family would rather he marry the sophisticated Millicent Rogers.

Thoughts: This one is pretty bad. Pickford may be playing an adult role, but her character behaves like a child throughout the film. For example, Joe gets promoted over her and her only response is, "I'm surprised you still want to have lunch with me!" The story is pretty slight, although the director attempts to explore the differences between Joe and Maggie's families, he's unable to do so with such a short running time (72 minutes). I can see why people loved Pickford back then, but it's not enough to make this movie work.

Postscript: The film was a success, grossing over $1 million and (according to Wikipedia) was the 11th highest grossing film of the year.

My Best Girl was Pickford's last silent film. Two years later she would star in Coquette and win the Oscar for Best Actress. The sound era would eventually kill her career, and she made her last film in 1933. She would go on to marry her co-star Buddy Rogers, who acted in supporting parts through the 50's.

Tropic Thunder (Ben Stiller, 2008) ***

Dir. Ben Stiller
Starring Ben Stiller, Robert Downey Jr., Jack Black, Jay Baruchel, Brandon T. Jackson, Steve Coogan, Nick Nolte, Danny McBride

A little over a decade ago, Ben Stiller directed a film called THE CABLE GUY. It was a daring move considering it starred the biggest box office star at the time, Jim Carrey, and put him in a dark comedy that many of his fans didn't get. The movie wasn't without flaws, but it showed plenty of promise for Stiller as a director willing to take chances. It was unfortunate then to see Stiller mired in a bunch of predictably boring choices such as MEET THE PARENTS, STARSKY & HUTCH, NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM, and ZOOLANDER. That's why Stiller’s latest effort TROPIC THUNDER is so refreshing, because it recalls the Stiller that was willing to take chances and risk offending his audience.

TROPIC THUNDER is about the making of a war movie set during the Vietnam war. The production is running through several problems, mainly because the big name stars are not getting along on the set. They include the big action movie star Tugg Speedman (Ben Stiller), whose career has been dwindling of late; serious Australian thespian Kirk Lazarus (Robert Downey Jr.), who has undergone a procedure so he can play an African-American sergeant; and lowbrow comedy star Jeff Portnoy (Jack Black), who battles a serious drug problem. These egos cause major disruption on the set, so the frustrated director decides to send them into the jungle so they can experience firsthand what combat was like. The actors get more than they bargained for when they accidentally find themselves in a very real war with a drug kingpin.

Stiller quickly introduces us to the characters by showing the trailers for some of their most notable films. This is cleverly done without any notice that the movie has started. The trailers are a little too over the top and not quite as funny as the ones seen in GRINDHOUSE or THE HOLIDAY, but they’re funny enough to open the movie to a good start. It’s an early sign that Stiller isn’t interested in keeping things realistic. The whole film exists in a kind of exaggerated reality that is close enough to be recognizable but far away enough to prevent a real connection with the characters. In a satire, that isn’t too bad, as long as it still makes incisive points and does so in a funny way.

Thankfully, unlike the surprisingly impotent satire that Hollywood has delivered of late (THANK YOU FOR SMOKING and AMERICAN DREAMZ), Stiller is willing to push the boundaries of taste and offend just about anyone. TOPIC THUNDER includes among other things: a young boy being tossed off a bridge for comedic effect, Robert Downey Jr. in black makeup, a spoof of movies about mentally disabled people, and an extended Jack Black comedic riff where he offers some disgusting things if his co-stars will untie him from a tree. Of course, Stiller avoids being considered completely mean-spirited because he’s really attacking the same Hollywood system that has made him a success, and many of the jabs could be considered jokes at Stiller’s expense as much as anyone else.

TROPIC THUNDER owes a lot to the films of Judd Apatow, whose works have brought adult comedy back to life. It’s not a surprise then that several Apatow regulars show up here. Jay Baruchel (UNDECLARED, KNOCKED UP) plays perhaps the only sensible person in the entire film, and is incredulous that none of the other actors have read the novel the movie is based on, or even read their script. (Downey’s hilarious nonsensical retort: “I don’t read the script. The script reads me.”) Danny McBride hops on over from a hilarious performance in the very recent Pineapple Express and is very funny once again as the overly enthusiastic special effects coordinator. Finally, Bill Hader (SUPERBAD, KNOCKED UP, FORGETTING SARAH MARSHALL) appears as the studio chief’s assistant, whose boss tells him that his job could be done by a trained monkey.

However, the performance that really deserves to be talked about is Robert Downey Jr. He’s had an inconsistent career, but when he’s on his game (SOAPDISH, NATURAL BORN KILLERS, TWO GIRLS AND A GUY) he proves to be one of the most talented actors in Hollywood. He already started his comeback earlier this year with a stellar turn in IRON MAN, and his brilliant performance here completes the turnaround. Downey’s not doing blackface, as some people have erroneously reported. He’s playing an ultra-serious Australian method actor (think Russell Crowe) who has undergone a procedure to play an African-American character. Downey’s performance is pitch perfect, hilariously lampooning the Hollywood view of what a black character should look and sound like. Everything Spike Lee was trying to say in Bamboozled was said in a much more incisive (and funny) way here. In an era where Hollywood pats itself on the back for the ludicrously simplistic examination of racial affairs in the Oscar winning CRASH, Downey’s character is a welcome wake up call.

Stiller’s movie isn’t without flaws. It runs into several problems during the third act that really slow down the proceedings. The revelation of the leader of the drug gang is a joke that falls completely flat, as the character is incessantly annoying, sapping much of the comic momentum created by the rest of the cast. Also, the third act relies too much on conventional plot elements to find an ending. There’s still some good stuff there, but not quite as funny as the more loosely structured middle act. Despite the flaws, TROPIC THUNDER is a very funny movie that proves Stiller still has talent as a director and Downey is one of the best modern actors.

The Kid Brother (Ted Wilde and JA Howe) ***1/2

Director: Ted Wilde and J.A. Howe

Cast: Harold Lloyd, Jobyna Ralston, Walter James, Leo Willis, Olin Francis, Constantine Romanoff

Background: Harold Lloyd was one of the most successful silent comedians at the time, having had great success with Safety Last! (which features one of the most memorable stunts in film history), Girl Shy, and The Freshman. Harold brought in eight writers to this one because he wanted it to have more gags than any other film. It is inspired by the 1921 silent classic Tol'able David.

Story: Harold Hickory (Lloyd) is the youngest of three brothers, and his father is the town sheriff. His two older brothers are bigger and tougher, and earn more respect from dad. They also like to pick on poor Harold constantly. One day, a medicine show travels to town, and Harold falls in love with Mary Powers (Ralston), one of the performers. When the medicine show burns down, the proprietor steals money from the sheriff, who is now accused of being a thief. Harold must try to get the money back so he can earn the respect of his father and the love of Mary.

Thoughts: It's interesting that Lloyd wanted this film to have the most gags, because it is actually a pretty plot heavy movie. That doesn't detract from the humor, though. This one might not be quite as funny or memorable as Safety Last!, but it still contains some wonderful comic set pieces. One of my favorites is an extended sequence where Harold is being chased by his brothers. He poses as his father to get away, but they're on to him. However, Harold pulls a clever switcheroo at the last minute and the brothers end up attacking their own father. There are many other great moments, including a cute climbing sequence that brought back memories of Safety Last!. The story is a classic one of an underdog trying to prove his worth, and it's very easy to root for Harold here.

Postscript: The Kid Brother performed well at the box office and is considered one of Lloyd's best films. (It has the 2nd highest score of all of his films on IMDB.) Harold would make only one more silent film (Speedy) before transitioning to the sound era, where he had moderate success in the 30's. He would make a comeback in the late 40's with the Preston Sturges' The Sins of Harold Diddlebock. Jobyna Ralston would have a supporting role in the box office smash Wings (also in 1927), but her career would be over by 1931.

Metropolis (Fritz Lang) ****

Director: Fritz Lang

Cast: Alfred Abel, Gustav Frohlich, Rudolf Klein-Rogge, Brigitte Helm, Heinrich George

Background: Director Fritz Lang had already made a name for himself with early silent films Spiders, Destiny, and especially Dr. Mabuse the Gambler. Armed with a budget bigger than any film of that time, Lang co-wrote the screenplay of his next film, an ambitious science fiction story.

The Story: Lang’s story is about a futuristic city where there is big dividing line between the classes. The privileged planners and thinkers sit high in the beautiful skyscrapers living a life of luxury. Down below, the miserably treated workers toil to keep the city running. Joh Frederson (Alfred Abel) is the unsympathetic ruler of the city. One day his naïve son Freder (Gustav Frohlich) follows a beautiful woman down to the worker’s city and gets his first glimpse of their life. He is horrified and quickly joins their rebellious cause.

Thoughts: It doesn't get much better than this. I'd already seen Fritz Lang's 1921 film Destiny, and was impressed with how the plot moved with so much purpose. But that was a pretty simple 1-2-3 narrative structure. With his ambitious science fiction story, Lang had a much more complex narrative to deal with, and even the impressive sets constructed for Destiny were simplistic compared to what would be needed to fully visualize his screenplay. It's amazing then that not at one single moment does this movie drag or get lost in the intricate plot. Lang moves us through several different story points and fascinating twists, and he does it with a mesmerizing visual flair that stands up as an impressive achievement even today. Metropolis remains one of the most impressive achievements of art direction in cinematic history. The actors should get some credit, too. They all turn in splendid work, especially Klein-Rogge as the classic mad scientist Rotwang. Amazing that the Nazi party was fascinated with the film, considering that they clearly weren't interested in the kind of mediation that was at the heart of Lang's message.

Postscript: Not many people have seen the full version of Metropolis, because it was heavily edited after the German premiere, and the uncut version was thought lost for many years. The version I saw had title cards inserted to explain missing scenes. However, the good news is that a complete edition of the film was recently found and is being set for a 2009 DVD release. Metropolis

Fritz Lang would continue to make movies through the 50's, leaving for Hollywood after divorcing his wife (she joined the Nazi party.) HIs later films had mixed results, but 1931's M is considered by some to be a masterpeice on the same level as Metropolis. The cast mostly continued to work in German films, but none was able to branch out to Hollywood with any kind of major success.

The Jazz Singer (Alan Crosland) **

Director: Alan Crosland

Cast: Al Jolson, Warner Oland, Eugenie Besserer, May McAvoy, Otto Lederer

Background: Al Jolson was a very successful theater star. Playwright Samson Raphaelson wrote a play based on Jolson's life. The play was a Broadway hit and Warner Bros. acquired the rights. After failing to get their first two choices, they ended up with Jolson, the person it was based on, in the lead role. The Jazz Singer would be the first feature length film to have synchronized dialogue.

The Story: Jakie Rabinowitz is a talented singer, but prefers singing jazz tunes and dreams of a show business career, while his father (Warner Oland) would rather he follow in the family footsteps and become a cantor. After getting caught singing jazz tunes at a night club, Jakie and his dad get into a huge fight, eventually leading to Jakie's departure from home. The next time we see him is ten years later, performing at a cabaret. No matter how successful he gets (including winning a major role in a Broadway show), Jack is conflicted about his father, especially as the old man gets sick.

Thoughts: The first problem we run into is Jolson's performance. He certainly does do a good job with the song and dance numbers. There's no denying Jolson's musical talent. However, as a film actor, Jolson is definitely lacking. He wears the same earnest expression throughout the entire film, and is unable to convey the complex emotions that his character would be experiencing. Compare that to the exquisite performance from Warner Oland as his father and it's easy to see how Jolson doesn't really belong in the same medium. The story itself if pure hokum, and it would take a captivating actor to make it work. No matter how good Jolson does with his song and dance numbers, that's a minimal portion of the film and the dramatic moments are undercut by his inexpressiveness. Yes, he does blackface at the end, and yes it is distracting (whatever his true intentions were), but the film has enough problems before you even start that discussion. Notable only for inspiring the onset of talkies.

Postscript: The Jazz Singer was the #1 box office performer of the year. The success of the film ushered in the sound era. AFI chose it in their intitial 100 Greatest American Movies list, but dropped it from the update in 2007.

Jolson was now a big box office star and his next film (The Singing Fool) made even more money than The Jazz Singer. After that, his films were less successful although he did receive some critical acclaim for Lewis Milestone's Hallelujah, I'm a Bum. In 1946, a very successful biopic (The Jolson Story) was released about Jolson's life. Director Crosland kept making movies for another decade, but none of them were very notable. Warner Oland would hit it big as Charlie Chan.

Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans (FW Murnau) ****

Director: FW Murnau

Cast: George O' Brien, Janet Gaynor, Margaret Livingston

Background: FW Murnau had already made a name for himself with his German films Nosferatu, The Last Laugh, and Faust. He caught the attention of William Fox, head of the Fox Film Corporation, who invited him to Hollywood and gave Murnau complete creative freedom to make whatever movie he wanted. Murnau decided to adapt a German novel (The Excursion to Tilsit) and the result was Sunrise: a Song of Two Humans.

The Story: A married man (O' Brien) is cheating on his wife (Gaynor) with a woman from the city (Livingston). The woman wants him to move to the city with her, and conceives a plan for him to kill his wife by drowning her. The man can't go through with it, but the wife is now afraid and runs away from him. He follows her to the city, where they spend the rest of their day as he tries to get her to forgive him.

Thoughts: It's not hard to see why this is considered one of the greatest films ever made. Murnau's ability to tell a story without using extensive title cards is very impressive (he previously made the Last Laugh without a single title card). The film really comes alive once they hit the city. The city is portrayed very energetically. For example, I love the shots where the couple crosses the street seemingly unaware of the cars speeding by them. There's also some unexpected comic relief. A sequence where the man chases down a drunk pig would feel right at home in a Chaplin, Keaton, or Lloyd film. Gaynor's performance is particularly remarkable. She portrays the wife as a lonely and then frightened woman who is rejuvenated by her husband's newfound love for her. I did find the ending to be a bit curious. The jarring juxtaposition of the final two scenes suggests that Murnau was going for something darker than most people have attributed. This is still a great film, whatever the intent of the ending.

Postscript: Sunrise was the 12th highest grossing film of the year, and went on three awards at the very first Oscar ceremony (Best Artistic Production, Best Actress, Best Cinematography). It appeared on Sight and Sound's 2002 top 10 list of greatest films ever made, and the updated 2007 AFI list of 100 Greatest Films at #82.

Murnau would only make three more films, none of them reaching the same acclaim as this one. Janey Gaynor continued to be very successful over the next decade, with her most notable performance coming in 1937's A Star is Born. George O'Brien kept acting through the 50's, but was never a notable star.

It All Begins - 1927

The Top 10 Movie Project originally started as its own separate blog. The purpose was a way to catch up with classic cinema. Plus I'm a list junkie, so being able to form top 10 lists after each year added some appeal to the idea. The idea is to watch a certain number of films from each year (20-30) comprising of a mixture of the most notable films, films from directors or actors that I really like, or films that have been recommended.

You may be asking why I started with 1927. I looked through several different years and it seemed to be the first year with enough quality movies (available for release) to form a top 10 list. 1927 is considered an extremely strong year for cinema and it was also the first year for the Academy Awards. It is possible that I will go back to earlier years once I complete the project, assuming more films will be released from that era by then.

The list of films I'm watching for 1927 includes the obvious classics (Metropolis, Sunrise, The General), noteworthy films (The Jazz Singer, Wings), films with big stars (Mary Pickford in My Best Girl, Clara Bow in It, Lon Chaney and Joan Crawford in The Unknown, Douglas Fairbanks in The Gaucho), a film from by one of my favorite classic directors (Lubitsch's Student Prince in Old Heidelberg), some rare curiosities (Josef von Sternberg's Underworld, Marion Davies in Quality Street), some notable foreign films (Bed and Sofa, The End of St. Petersburg, The Chess Player), and many more. The full list is on the right.

Almost all of these are available on Netflix. There are three movies I had to purchase. I bought VHS editions of The Student Prince in Old Heidelberg and Wings, and bought a rare DVD version of Underworld from a private collector.

Films are counted for the year of their US premiere, as long as that is within a reasonable amount of time from their international release year (no more than 3 years.) Otherwise, the film is counted for the international release year. This rule pushes Hitchcock's The Lodger, Eisenstein's October, Pudovkin's The End of St. Petersburg, Barnet's The Girl With the Hatbox, and several other films to later years.

The most interesting movie that is not available is Barbed Wire, starring Pola Negri. I'm looking out for it.