1930 Movies
The year 1930 saw the production of what most agree is one of the greatest war pictures of all time, All Quiet on the Western Front. It brought fresh laurels to virtually everyone connected with its making--to the author, Erich Maria Remarque; to Carl Laemmle, of Universal, for his courage in producing a picture dealing with the German side of the World War; above all, to Lewis Milestone, whose handling of the story put him in the first rank of motion-picture directors. Louis Wolheim was magnificent, and Lew Ayres, as Paul, the protagonist of the drama, gave a performance that made him a star.
No one who saw it will ever forget the heartbreaking scene in which Paul, coming upon a French soldier in a shell hole, stabs him in panic, only to realize that both of them are merely bewildered and frightened human beings. Here the Frenchman is trying to give Paul his papers to send back to his wife and children. The role of the dying soldier, played by Raymond Griffith, was another of the masterful performances in the film. Griffith subsequently became a successful director. Universal rereleased All Quiet in 1939, with an interpolated sound track having an unseen narrator talking about the horrors of war. This addition considerably detracted from the picture's effectiveness.
Greta Garbo was a source of great worry to M-G-M. Though she spoke English, she did so with a strong Swedish accent. After anxious consideration, Metro cast her in O'Neill's Anna Christie, where her accent would be quite in keeping. The picture, directed by Clarence Brown, was a complete success, and Garbo became, if possible, an even greater favorite with the fans. She was ably seconded by Marie Dressier, as Anna's hard-drinking friend. Miss Dressier had come a long way from the days of Tillie's Punctured Romance to become a serious actress of force and skill.
Marie Dressler was by no means confined to serious roles. M-G-M cast her in a series of slapstick sentimental comedies, costarring Wallace Beery, that proved as effective box office as the offerings of other more glamorous teams. George Hill directed. Hill directed another Beery picture of 1930, The Big House, from a scenario by Frances Marion about an attempted prison break. Thanks to fine acting by Beery and by Chester Morris (shown here with Beery) and Robert Montgomery, the picture was rated one of the best of the year.
Miriam Hopkins made her screen debut in Fast and Loose, an adaptation of a play by David Gray and Avery Hopwood. The story concerned a rich girl who fell in love with a workingman, if you care. Miss Hopkins is shown here in a scene with Charles Starrett, with Frank Morgan and Carole Lombard at the extreme left. Carole wasn't even mentioned in the billing.
The success of All Quiet inspired Tiffany Pictures to buy and produce R. C. Sherriff's equally fine Journey's End. Colin Clive, the original Captain Stanhope, came from England to repeat his performance on the screen, and James Whale, who had directed the play in London, directed the picture version as well.
No comments:
Post a Comment