ironhorse_iv
Stylish Hollywood film noirs, particularly such that emphasize cynical attitudes and sexual motivations were really big in the 1940s to the late 1950s. However, I never thought for once, that a big time studio like Universal, at the time, would market one, during the holiday season, but surprisingly, they did in 1944 with 'Christmas Holiday'. Although, the movie directed by Robert Siodmak was a huge success at the box office at the time. It hasn't aged well, overtime with general audiences. Partially, because of the forgettable generic title of the picture, the little reference to the event, and the fact that this movie isn't your typical, feel good, family friendly Frank-Capraism, Christmas film. Another reason, why this film doesn't stand out, much, is because the Hays Codes at the time, rejected many of the risqué themes from the 1939's novel of the same name like prostitution, misandrist beliefs toward war & politics, and the physical abusive toward women. This cause the film's version to be so water down, that it barely mirrors, the novel by W. Somerset Maugham. It was not a faithful adaptation. It was a far cry from the original. Instead, of having an rich naive bourgeois Englishman painter meeting a beautiful Russian woman who has chosen a life of prostitution as penance for her husband's sinful act of murder in Paris, France, the film screenplay written by Herman Mankiewicz change it to a wartime, bitter, U.S. military officer, meeting a beautiful tragic depress, nightclub American lounge-singer, trying to escape from her in-prison, murderous husband & his family, while on layover in New Orleans, Louisiana. Even the melodrama flashbacks, are different from the book. Instead, of the woman losing everything, due to her husband's actions during the Russian Civil War (1917-1922), causing her to live in physical abusive, poverty, outside of her own country. The film has the nightclub singer, "Jackie" AKA Abigail Manette (Deanna Durbin), lose everything, due to her ex-husband, Southern aristocrat Robert Monette (Gene Kelly)'s gambling, resulting her to live, in a somewhat quiet, yet gentler life. While, Deanna Durbin was a fine actress, in portraying melancholy, both in her singing and acting. Her character's struggles are merely adequate, and not as strong as the novel. In the book, we can understand, more on why the woman would still love her partner & why she choose the life of the prostitute. She sees her ex-husband's murderous actions as acts of desperation to survive, much like, her selling her body, in order to feed herself. While, in the film, it makes little to no sense, why Abigail would still continue to love Robert. Nor get the idea, that singing the blues is just as rough as prison-like. In the end, most of her scenes, come across, as over-dramatic. As for Gene Kelly as Robert. It's an astonishing change from his typical inconsequential musical fare, as he gave a pretty good yet, ominously performance, as a man with something to hide, while also coming across as very charming. You really can't tell, if he has ulterior motives or not, at times. As for Dean Harens as Charlie Mason. His character by far, the weakest of the trio, as much of his bourgeois original character was butcher to generic, American all-around boy-scout stereotype. However, he does do a good job, on being on edge at times, especially, at the beginning, where he finds out that his love to be, marry somebody else. Still, I wish, the movie made more, use of him. He's pretty much, has little to do or say, when Abigail begins tells her story. Much of this, has to do with the awkward story structure of the film, which carry from the novel. In the novel, the flashbacks are needed, as they were showing a different settling and time. In truth, much of this story of the film, could easily be, told in the present day, as the past events, are not so different from the present. Don't get me wrong, I understand, why they went with the oddly place, story structure, as a way for Abigail to slowly fall in love with Robert in the end, after first, exposing the mysterious, then reminiscing with Charlie, but I really could do, without the multiple flashbacks. The reasons, why, are very clear. It's highly slow down the pace. Scenes like the church & concert, went a little long. Even, musical numbers sung by Durbin like "Spring Will Be a Little Late This Year' by musical artist, Frank Loesser and "Always" by composer, Irving Berlin kinda dragging a times. Much of this movie, could had been told better, eliminating the irrelevant. Nevertheless, the atmospherically low-key black and white visuals by cinematographer, Woody Bredell with classic music were great. The use of shadows and silhouettes, were also pretty impressive. However, I can't say, this movie is the best film noir, I have seen. In the end, while, it was insightful, and intriguing. It falls short of being quietly profound. It's mediocre, at best. It would had dig darker depths, but falls into routine. No wonder, why it doesn't stand out.
morrison-dylan-fan
After watching the fun romantic Christmas drama Holiday Affair,I decided that I should try to hunt down a Film Noir which takes place during the Xmas period.Asking for advice on this websites fantastic Film Noir board,I got suggested a very interesting,grim Film Noir,that features the future star of Singing In The Rain in a leading role!The plot:Prepairing to take a break from the army and get married to his girlfriend,Lt Charles Mason gets a heart breaking letter shortly before Christmas from his long-time girlfriend,who has written to give him the news that she is leaving him.Deciding to make the most of a bad situation,Mason decides to tag along with his army buddies,and get away from the barracks.Sadly Mason's luck continues to nosedive,when the plane that he is on has to make an emergency landing.Chatting to other poor souls stranded,Charles is eventually taken to a bar,to chill out for the night.Suddenly the owner of the bar appears and goes over to Mason's table,to offer him some "quality entertainment" for the night.Before he has the chance to reply,the owner calls one of the very best "bar" girls over to the table: Jackie Lamont.After originally being uneasy around her,Mason soon gets use to Jackie,and ends up inviting her to a mass!.Part way through the mass,Charles is caught off-guard when Lamont begins to have an emotional break down.Attempting to comfort her after the mass,Jackie explains that she decided to attend the mass with him,so the she would at last have the opportunity to become a part of something.Calming herself down,Lamont surprises Mason when she tells him that her real name is in fact Abigail Martin.Feeling strangely at ease around Mason,Jackie begins to tell him about her "past life" with her husband Robert Manette,who she feels will never be let out of jail,after he was found guilty of murder.Unbeknowst to Martin,whilst she is telling Charles everything that her husband and his mother put her through,Robert is beginning to plan away out of jail,to finally be reunited with his wife Abigail Martin.. View on the film:Looking at the brilliant,atmospheric directing of Robert Sidodmak,two of the scenes that struck the most with me were the scenes of Abigail at mass,and another scene of her watching a music performance.With the mass scene,Sidomak films the scene in shadows,which suggest,that despite Abigail's desire,there is no chance at all of her "seeing the light" at the mass.As Abigail starts to discuss with Charles about the start of her relationship with her former husband,Sidodmak goes into a flash back that features one of Abigail's happiest ever moments:attending a music concert.For the brightly-lit concert,Sidodmak shows Abigail and her future husband on the very top balcony of the venue,looking down at the mass audience below them.Shortly after the performance finishes,Abigail says that watching music performances "When I hear the music,I feel that something has been added to my life…that wasn't there before."As the credits to the film started to reach their end,I was shocked to see Citizen Kane's co-screenwriter Herman J. Mankiewicz credited as the writer of this wonderful film.Interestingly both films feature flashbacks that show the characters happiest moments before their "fall",with Kane remembering his winter childhood,and Martin remembering the experience of a music concert.For Abigail's marriage,Herman makes sure that the character gets put through hell with both barrels.Thanks to making the husbands (Robert Manette) mother Mrs Manette (played by a wonderfully cunning Gale Sondergaard) someone who kicks in Abigail's anxiety at every waking moment,due to Mrs Manette having a vice-like grip on her "mummys boy" son Robert.Whilst Deanna Durbin and Gene Kelly are both more well known for their famous musical performances,both actors show that they have what it takes to become engulfed in a Noir world.Although Deanna's role as a "bar escort" is only hinted at,Durbin is still able to make Abigail Martin into a tremendous Femme Fatale,thanks to showing Abigail to be a very fragile character,who goes from living in almost total bliss with her new husband,enjoying the finer things in life and doing everything possible to become accepted via Robert's mum.To gradually living in constant fear,which is unhelpfully heightened when she discovers that Roberts trousers have a spot of blood on them, (a reference to Macbeath?)and that his mother is being a prison-warden type figure to her,who makes sure that punishment is served whenever Martin falls out of step in the slightest.For his strong performance,Gene Kelly turns Robert Manette into one real creep.Initially in the scenes that show Robert and Abigail meeting for the first time,Robert just seems to be a bit of a "wise guy",with Kelly showing Robert to be goose bump-inductively all over Abigail.As the flashbacks to their married life expand,Gene starts to cleverly show Manette's mask gradually removed,and show that behind his "wise guy" image,Robert is someone in a pre-Psycho era,who will do what ever possible to get into the good books of his mother,who both cause Abigail to walk on egg shells around them.Until everything gets too much,and begins to crack for her. Final view on the film:A tremendous Film Noir that can be enjoyed any time of the year.
dougdoepke
Pairing sunny star Deanna Durbin with stormy director Robert Siodmak is like coupling Snow White with Orson Welles. So who's going to win out—Universal's top money earner or noir's artistic vision. It's a struggle between luminous halos, on one hand, and creepy shadows, on the other. Actually the odd pairing works pretty well, thanks to Durbin's genuine acting ability, Gene Kelly's subtle ambiguity, and an unusually suggestive script. Clearly, Durbin is looking to change her virginal type casting, while Kelly has yet (I believe) to settle into his premier dancing career.But, it's really Kelly's Manette who steals the film, with both a startlingly sly performance and the script's unconventional suggestions of incest and homosexuality. For example, there's a rather emphatic reference to Manette's being his mother's "all", plus mom's (Sondergaard) consuming attachment throughout the film. There's also repeated reference to Manette's "weakness", just ambiguous enough to go beyond a gambling habit. Couple that with his shaded behavior in several scenes, especially in the "anything goes" gambling den. Needless to say, such forbidden themes could only be hinted at in 40's Hollywood. Adding to the 40's exotica is Durbin playing what amounts to a barroom hooker. She may remain pure at heart—confirmed in the midnight mass scene—nonetheless, the role amounts to a risky departure for Universal's teen idol. Thus director Siodmak's challenge is to reaffirm Abigail's (Durbin) basic innocence no matter what else happens, which he does through selective cameo lighting, even though that conflicts with his noirish sensibility. Then too, Dean Haren's sweetly normal escort is there to reassure fans that underneath it all, Durbin remains Durbin.And to think the studio entitled this odd excursion into the dark side, Christmas Holiday, of all things. I sympathize with unsuspecting fans plunking down money to see the usual Durbin fluff. Nevertheless, the movie remains a fascinating study in conflicting styles and ambiguous characterization.
