mfgen-consultant Reviews

Under a Texas Moon (1930)

The first Western in color.

[22 January 2005]

This film premiered on 1st April 1930. The first sound Western in color. It survives as a single nitrate Technicolor print, faithfully copied by UCLA. The story of cattle rustling has a clever twist and the whole film greatly benefits from a lightweight approach. It opens in spectacular fashion. Frank Fay and his two followers ride into a small town Fiesta. Every possible shade of rose and sage green is flashed at the camera. Location filming richly enhances the photography. Typical Michael Curtiz direction brings arty shots of trees in shadow and an impressive location tracking shot for the finale. One single song is the theme tune of the film and becomes a motif for the film in a quite unexpected way. Some pre-code scenes involve a nude swimming scene and some adult references. It is a deliberately slow paced film, but the Technicolor gives the film a rich and glowing look. The whites are pearly, the reds rich and earthy, lending gorgeous close-ups of sun tanned female cast members. Fay is a forgotten star today, but his style has not dated because he treats the film partly as fun, which it is. A great pity that the film has been little seen (apart from infrequent archive screenings). It deserves a DVD release).

Champagne Charlie (1944)

Champagne drinking is his game.

[10/10 · 22 January 2005]

This film is the nearest that Ealing Studios came to making a musical, but the final result is something quite different from that of MGM or Warner Bros. Imagine a full blooded b/w Victorian etching, lit by gas lamps and studded with glittering period detail. The songs are brash, catchy and bright. The direction by Cavancanti brings in his documentary realism with fast cutting, high and low angle shots - breaking with convention at every chance. The result of all this is that the film has hardly dated. It isn't well known, but it ought to be rediscovered. The photography sparkles and shines on carefully recreated 1860 London settings. If the film has a fault, it is that in trying to avoid formula, it often skips over details. For example, we aren't given time to understand how many of the songs are written. The title character was a real life singer - George Leybourne. Wartime comedian Tommy Trinder is obviously enjoying the part and Stanley Holloway provides strong support. In 1944 this film was designed to raise morale and generate goodwill. It still does.