M-1931

Germany

Length: 117 minutes

Director: Fritz Lang

Cast: Peter Lorre, Ellen Widmann, Inge Langut, Otto Wernicke, Theodor Loos

www.imdb.com/title/tt0022100/

Eric's Impressions: One of cinema's most haunting films, this one will leave you confused in the end as you will find some sympathy for a person who kills children. Played brilliantly by the always memorable Peter Lorre, the main character is a man running from the police for the crimes he has committed. At first you want the murderer to be caught, but when you find out how corrupt the police and government of this German city are, you almost want him to get away. Lorre will creep you out with his pre-killing whistling and overall demeanor. The stories of how director Fritz Lang mistreated his actors are legendary, but in a way they may have assisted Lang in reaching a higher level of acting prowess.

Natalie's Impressions: What struck me most about this film was its timeless message. This film is still very relevant today and that is a frightening fact. When Eric first told me about this film, I swore I would never watch it because it sounded like a really stupid horror movie but it is not at all a stupid horror movie. Above all, it is sad. Very very very sad. I am glad I did finally see it because it moved me a great deal. It is a film that will stay with you for a long time. A perfect film, in my opinion. The timing of the scenes, the length of them, the action-reaction time of the actors with each other is flawless. This is superb directing by Lang.

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City Lights- 1931

U.S.

Length: 87 minutes

Director: Charlie Chaplin

Cast: Virginia Cherrill, Florence Lee, Harry Myers, El Ernest Garcia, Hank Mann, Charles Chaplin

www.imdb.com/title/tt0021749

Eric's Impressions: When people ask me to list my all-time favorite movies, this one comes up early in the discussion. If the final scene between the blind girl and the Tramp - in what is arguably film's greatest scene - doesn't make you cry then you probably don't have a heart. This movie has it all and makes a poignant statement on the social class system. You'll never forget the comedic and choreographed sequences - the party and boxing scenes stand out - and it also reminds us of how love can overcome all obstacles. It's interesting to note that even though he could have made it as a talkie, Chaplin refused to do so and kept it silent. I think it was the right choice. I was very happy to see it make a major jump in the latest American Film Institute rankings of the to 100 films (from 76 to 11).

Natalie's Impressions: This movie marks my introduction to Chaplin. Although I had seen some of his shorts before watching this film, I didn't become aware of his genius until after seeing this movie, which is my favorite Chaplin film even after subsequently watching all his other films. I agree with Eric that this film is way better as a silent film than it would have been as a talkie. I think it would have lost a lot of its charm and innocence in a way. The silent aspect somehow makes the message all the more powerful and heartfelt. I would mind seeing this film jump into AFI's top ten- maybe next time.

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Frankenstein-1931

U.S.

Length: 71 minutes

Director: James Whale

Cast: Collin Clive, Mae Clark, John Boles, Boris Karloff, Edward Van Sloan, Frederick Kerr, Dwight Frye, Lionel Belmore, Marilyn Harris

www.imdb.com/title/tt0021884/

Eric's Impressions: Though I much prefer the Mel Brooks' classic, "Young Frankenstein," I have to give this movie it's due in horror film history despite it not being all that scary. I know I'm in the minority based on all the vampire movies out there, but I always found the Frankenstein story much more interesting than the predictable blood-sucking fare. Boris Karlof is superb as the monster as is Colin Clive as Dr. Frankenstein.

Natalie's Impressions: Most important horror film ever made. Yay. Whoopie. This film reminds me why I don't like the horror genre- cheesy, pastiche, parody. I personally find it all somewhat pointless. Six years ago I had to read Shelley's book the summer before my freshman year in college. That year I learned way more about the Frankenstein phenomena than I ever cared to. My college's library had a large collection of Frankenstein, Dracula, Vampire movies. We watched this film and the many spin-offs of the Frankenstein story in several required classes so that I now not only have analyzed the literature but also the films in academic settings. None of that analysis really stuck with me, but I certainly see why this movie is included because I would agree that it is the epitome of the horror film. I also like Boris Karloff and was not so disappointed by Collin Clive.

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Dracula- 1931

U.S.

Length: 75 minutes

Director: Tod Browning

Cast: Bela Lugosi, Helen Chandler, David Manners, Dwight Frye, Edward van Sloan, Herbert Bunstom, Frances Dade, Joan Standing, Tod Browning, Michael Visaroff, Charles K. Gerrard

www.imdb.com/title/tt0021814/

Eric's Impressions: This was always my favorite vampire movie until I saw "Nosferatu." It's hard for me to think of anyone playing the title character better than Bela Lugosi. Who will ever forget the classic line, "Cheeldren of the naight, leesten to thaim." I've mentioned my admiration for director Tod Browning - the Tim Burton of his time - in other reviews. This movie is often credited for making the horror genre more mainstream and despite a weak ending, it's still an all-time classic.

Natalie's Impressions: The original Dracula! My expectations were perhaps too high before I saw this film. I think our society is slightly desensitized to high tech Dracula movies- at least I am. Vampire and Dracula movies were already pasé for me before I even saw my first one. I sit through each one incredibly bored, trying to find something other than the ridiculous plot to interest me. This film's acting was mildly interesting, but I knew that it would be going into it. So no surprise there. I was actually underwhelmed with the lack of dramatic climax and was not overly impressed with the use of sound or with the art direction. Maybe I was just not in the right mood when I saw this film but I think I could have died happily not ever seeing it.

COUNTDOWN: Just 956 movies to go!

Tabu- 1931

U.S.

Length: 84 minutes

Director: F.W. Murnau

Cast: Anne Chevalier, Reri, Matahi, Hitu, Jean, Jules, Ah Kong

www.imdb.com/title/tt0022458/

Eric's Impressions: I probably didn't give this film a fair shake as I was so glad to be out of the Silent Era when we watched it, only to realize that it in fact was another silent film. Though the film is filled with beautiful imagery and landscapes in Bora Bora, I couldn't help but think I was just watching a tropical "Nanook of the North." With that being said, I'm a big fan of two of Murnau's other films - the previously discussed, "Nosferatu" and "The Last Laugh."

Natalie's Impressions: Of the Murnau films I have seen, this is probably my favorite, besides The Last Laugh. He was such a versatile director. He did everything from horror to comedy to drama. This film has a documentary aesthetic to it in the way it was filmed, seemingly documenting a tribe of French Polynesians. I can see how it won an Oscar for best cinematography. I can only imagine how spectacular the film could have been in color! Although no professional actors were used in this film and the names of the main characters in the film were the names of the actors, the acting was pretty good. The stoic facial expression of the chief, the desperate look of Reri, and the determined, hopeful and despairing looks that move across Matahi's face over the course of the film are what will stand out in my memory.

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Le Million- 1931

France

Length: 89 minutes

Director: René Clair

Cast:

www.imdb.com/title/tt0022150/

Eric's Impressions: This film packs a pretty solid 1-2 punch for director Rene Clair as he made the last entry, "A Nous La Liberte," the same year as this one. Like Natalie, I enjoyed this one much more, especially because it got so ridiculous at times that you have to applaud the filmmakers for letting it get out of hand. I need to look further into it, but I wouldn't be surprised if the Monty Python troupe listed this as one of their most influential films. The chase sequences would make Benny Hill blush and the entire cast is in on the joke as they have no problem letting their hair down to move the story along.

Natalie's Impressions: I found this Clair film to be much more entertaining than A Nous la Liberté. I laughed out loud many times, but not necessarily because of the physical comedy, but rather for the pure silliness of the whole thing. The chase scenes were excellent, especially the one scored to the sounds of a rugby game where a jacket gets tossed around like a ball in rugby. The score as a whole, in fact, was one of the strongest parts of the film, in my opinion. I thought this film had a better balance of dialogue, songs and silence than the previous film. I didn't find the songs that were used as storytelling vehicles as annoying, but rather entertaining because they were so silly.

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