The decade where the baby of the 1920's, the Talkie, grew up and developed into a fully grown, sometimes grand creature. My favorite romance of the decade, Gone with the Wind (also my favorite film, period) is one of those grand experiences: a massive, beautiful and perfectly flawed epic affair.
As Scarlett irritatingly ignores Rhett during the whole 4 hours, it's impossible not to be marveled at how the story develops: the wonderful dialogues, beautiful settings, the very amazing performances and that very Hollywood air to it. However discussion might fit into its status as "the best movie of all time" it's definitely Hollywood's grandest affair. And I adore every minute of it.
Not to say, of course, it's the only great romance of the decade. As sound grew up, some of the greatest screen legends did as well: Gary Cooper, Bette Davis, Errol Flynn, Joan Crawford, Jean Harlow, Cary Grant, Clark Gable, Katharine Hepburn, Greta Garbo (eek) - some of the owners of the 30's. One of the greatest actors in history, sir Laurence Olivier, also saw his birth as a star in this decade... most notably starring in the gorgeous 1939 adaptation of Wuthering Heights.
A movie that never seems to be mentioned, even if it gave birth to possibly my favorite genre, the screwball comedy. It Happened One Night, to this day, remains to be one of the freshest romantic comedies in existence, with a very fun script that feels quite natural, and a god-like performance from sexy Clark Gable, as he tries to tear down the Walls of Jericho - biblical references were never as sexy...
Just because I can, another wonderful romantic comedy, this one starring the goddess Kate, lovely Cary and the most famous leopard in film history: Bringing Up Baby. One of the single wackiest movies ever made, it's a perfect example of what a screwball comedy should be: fun, crazy, nonsensical and simply a joy to watch. Not as favored as It Happened One Night was in its original release (which was the first film to win all 5 major awards: Picture, Director, Screenplay, Actor and Actress) in this day and age it's possibly the most loved movie of its genre, and it damn right deserves it.
And finally, for the man who stood by what he believed and made two of the greatest movies ever, let alone the 30s, without falling into the new fashion. Always, Charlie Chaplin's beautiful 30's films: the fantastic Modern Times and my favorite silent film, City Lights.
1 comment:
the 30s really was ace wasn't it? I love the mentions for It Happened One Night and Bringing up Baby (woohoo) but of course Gone with the Wind was the grand old daddy of them all, what a way to sign a decade out.
and also excellent mention for Modern Times, totally love that flick.
Excellent work as ever!
Post a Comment