Princess Yang Kwei-Fei (1955)

Machiko Kyō and Masayuki Mori star in the stunning historical drama, Princess Yang Kwei-Fei (1955), available for streaming on Filmstruck.

This is a Japanese film based on the beautiful poem "The Song of Everlasting Regret", written by Bai Juyi, which details the relationship between Emperor Xuanzong (Masayuki Mori) and serving girl Yuahan Kwei-Fei (Machiko Kyō) during the Tang Dynasty (6th century). 

The emperor - still mourning the loss of his beloved wife - has become neglectful of his duties, which causes much concern with his ministers. In an effort to make him forget his sorrow, the ministers begin a search for a shiny new concubine whom they hope will prove just the thing to set him straight.

In their search they discover a serving girl who just happens to be the spitting image of the emperor's late wife, so she is immediately dolled up and presented to the emperor. At first he is uninterested and a bit peeved at such an obvious manipulation, but as time passes he comes to care for her and before long the two are in love. As the story unfolds their happiness is threatened by political upheaval, corruption and misguided loyalties, which ultimately lead to tragedy.

Directed by Kenji Mizoguchi and co-produced by Japan's Daiei Film and Hong Kong's Shaw & Sons, Princess Yang Kwei-Fei was released in 1955. This is one of Mizoguchi's final films (followed only by Street of Shame in 1956) and is one of just two films he shot in color. The film is gorgeous in every way and the period costumes and decor of the time especially benefit from the director's choice to film in color. 

Both Masayuki Mori and Machiko Kyō were prolific actors during the 1950's and the two had starred together in another Mizoguchi film two years earlier, the fantastically unsettling drama/ghost story Ugetsu (1953). Their performances in Princess Yang Kwei-Fei are understated yet incredibly moving. 

Also among the talented cast are Mizoguchi favorite Eitarô Shindô, along with Sô Yamamura and Haruko Sugimura, who appeared in many of Yasujirō Ozu's films. 


(By the way, if you're interested in reading the poem on which the film is based, you can find one translation here.)

Lady of the Night (1925)

I just happened to turn the channel to TCM last Sunday evening and I'm so glad I did because I was able to catch Lady of the Night, which aired as part of their regular Silent Sunday Nights feature.

Released by MGM in 1925, the film stars Norma Shearer in a dual good girl/bad girl role. The first few minutes of the film introduce us to "bad girl" Molly Helmer who is born into a poor family with a convict for a father. Coincidentally, the judge who sends Molly's father to prison (Judge Banning played by Fred Esmelton) becomes a father at the exact same time when his wife gives birth to "good girl" Florence.

Fast forward eighteen years and the two little girls have grown into two young ladies: Molly is just leaving reform school at the same time Florence graduates from a ritzy private school. Florence has a lovely house and well-to-do father waiting for her, but Molly must take care of herself, so she takes a job as a taxi dancer at a local dance hall.

One night at the dance hall, Molly is harassed by an aggressive dance partner and her boyfriend, Chunky (George K. Arthur) attempts to defend her honor, but he is knocked down to the floor. Chunky's friend David Page (Malcolm McGregor) quickly steps in and saves the day, earning Molly's admiration in the process.

It doesn't take long for Molly to fall for David, and although he remains oblivious to her feelings, Chunky is very much aware of the situation and all he can do is sit back and watch his ladylove pine for another. The three spend quite a lot of time together and we learn that David is an inventor who has just put the finishing touches on a device that can unlock any safe. Chunky suggests David sell his invention to a criminal gang he knows, but Molly urges him to sell the device to a bank instead.

David does as Molly suggests and meets with a group of bank directors, one of whom is Judge Banning, Florence's father. In fact, the meeting takes place at the judge's home and at the conclusion of the meeting, David bumps into Florence on his way out. The two are instantly smitten with each other. From there we must wait and see how this mess of a love triangle (quadrangle, really) will play out...

Norma Shearer is a delight as Molly Helmer, the bad girl with a heart of gold. The role really suited her well. Florence's character was a bit colorless by comparison - a good girl with a heart of gold isn't nearly as interesting as a bad girl with a heart of gold! Seeing Shearer as a vamp with dark hair, dark makeup, painted-on beauty marks and a giant plumed headpiece was a lot of fun to watch.

Malcolm McGregor makes a handsome David (even though he is somewhat dense in his ignorance of Molly's very obvious feelings) and I enjoyed George K. Arthur in the role of Chunky Dunn. Chunky is loyal and sweet and you just feel so bad for him! 

Lady of the Night was Joan Crawford's first movie appearance and if it weren't for Ben Mankiewicz's intro at the beginning of the film I would never have known she was in it. She acted as Norma Shearer's body double - the "other Norma" whenever Molly and Florence are in a scene together - so we never see her face, just the back of her head a handful of times!

Overall I really liked Lady of the Night and found it to be surprisingly moving, especially considering the film is only about an hour long. I look forward to revisiting this one soon. 

In This Our Life (1942)

Released in 1942 by Warner Bros. and directed by John Huston, In This Our Life is a drama adapted from the novel of the same title written by Ellen Glasgow. The film stars Bette Davis and Olivia de Havilland as sisters - Stanley and Roy respectively - two very different women born to the wealthy Timberlake family of Richmond, Virginia.

We learn at the onset that the sisters' father, Asa (Frank Craven) has just lost his portion of a successful tobacco company to his wife, Lavinia's (Billie Burke) brother, William (Charles Coburn).

Roy is married to Dr. Peter Kingsmill (Dennis Morgan) and runs a successful operation as an interior decorator, while Stanley is just days away from marrying her fiance, Craig (played by George Brent).

The evening before her wedding Stanley runs off with Peter and it becomes apparent to everyone that they've been having an affair for some time now. Roy is devastated, but her hurt quickly turns to anger and she vows to move on with her life. She divorces Peter and he and Stanley marry and move to Baltimore soon after.

Stanley's betrayal forms a sort of bond between Roy and Craig and the two become friends then, over time, their friendship turns into romantic love.

Of course, while things are starting to look up for Roy, Stanley's situation has grown progressively worse. Her wild nature and Peter's hard drinking have resulted in an unhappy marriage and soon word reaches the Timberlake clan that Peter has killed himself, which means Stanley is moving back to Richmond...



Bette Davis initially pursued the role of Roy, but was forced to take the role of Stanley instead. She felt she was too old for the role and was dissatisfied with the script and the film, which she thought was a watered-down version of a powerful and moving novel that shed light on racial injustice.

I haven't read the novel, so perhaps my opinion of the movie would be different if I had, but I enjoyed the film and found it to be an entertaining diversion. Bette Davis is always interesting, even if I do think she was miscast - I had no problem with her age, but I didn't find her entirely believable as a femme fatale.

Olivia de Havilland is lovely, as usual. She had the "woman of quiet dignity" part down pat, didn't she? The role of the "good sister" suits her well in the film and she looks absolutely gorgeous.

Charles Coburn is sufficiently creepy as the sisters' uncle who has an unnatural interest in niece Stanley. George Brent and Dennis Morgan are nice additions to the film, though there isn't a lot of dialogue for either of them, which I found disappointing. It was interesting to see Morgan in an unflattering role as a cheating husband.

The film also features Hattie McDaniel as Minerva Clay, Parry's mother and the Timberlakes' maid. Unfortunately, it's a very small role for her. (I was also disappointed with Billie Burke's very boring role as the sickly mother.)

In an effort to avoid spoiler alerts, I won't go into specifics, but I will say that I really enjoyed Ernest Anderson's portrayal of Parry Clay, a young African American man who aspires to become a lawyer. It was so refreshing to see a film from this time period portray a person of color in a positive and realistic light. Anderson won the 1942 National Board of Review award for Best Actor for his performance.

Overall I enjoyed In This Our Life and found it to be a solid drama with a fine cast. An extra ten minutes might have helped to flesh out the characters a bit and I think the film would have been more powerful if we had been given more time to truly understand and care about the characters and what happens to them.

Shanghai Express (1932)

I've been a classic film fan all my life, but it's only in the last few years that I began to develop an appreciation for Marlene Dietrich. I never disliked her. It was more that I couldn't see what the fuss was all about.

Then I saw her in A Foreign Affair and I was blown away by her performance. She is glamorous and just plain sexy. Since then I've made a concerted effort to see as many of her films as I can get my hands on, so when I saw Shanghai Express was airing this month on TCM I set that bad boy to record straightaway.

Released in 1932 by Paramount Pictures, the film stars Dietrich as Shanghai Lily, a notorious courtesan of sorts who books passage on the express train from Beiping to Shanghai accompanied by a fellow "fallen woman" named Hui Fei (played by Anna May Wong).

Also aboard the train is Captain Donald "Doc" Harvey (Clive Brook), a British Army doctor with whom Lily was romantically involved some years earlier. Their relationship ended badly, though we discover that both are still very much in love with each other.


We're introduced to a motley crew of passengers: Mrs. Haggerty (Louise Closser Hale), a prim and proper boarding house proprietor; Mr. Carmichael (Lawrence Grant), an English Christian missionary; Sam Salt (Eugene Pallette), a crass American gambler; Eric Baum (Gustav von Seyffertitz), a German opium "supplier"; and the inscrutable Henry Chang played by Warner Oland.

Everyone on board knows who Shanghai Lily is...except for Doc Harvey. Imagine his surprise when he first lays eyes on the famous "fancy woman" he's heard so much about only to discover that she's actually Magdalen, his former flame whom he hasn't seen in five years. The two reconcile...and then China's civil war intervenes, leading the couple and their fellow passengers into a dangerous situation.

Will the train reach Shanghai? Will Magdalen and Doc get their happily-ever-after?

The role of Shanghai Lily was perfect for Marlene Dietrich. She is strong and sensual, yet vulnerable and she manages to convey this without a lot of dialogue. I enjoyed her chemistry with Clive Brook quite a bit. Their characters both feel betrayed by the other and they have very different ways of expressing those feelings. Lily's wry humor pairs well with Doc's quiet dignity. (I've made a note to see more Clive Brook films.)

Anna May Wong is interesting to watch, as usual, but there isn't much to her role. I wanted more screen time for Wong and I think a bit of back story for her character, Hui Fei could have made her actions later in the film even more powerful.

Shanghai Express was the fourth of seven films Dietrich made with director Josef von Sternberg, who received an Oscar nomination for Best Director.

Fury (1936)

Spencer Tracy is an icon for a reason. His film career spanned over four decades and in that time he portrayed every type of character imaginable: priest, fisherman, politician, father, newspaper man, lawyer...and, perhaps most beloved, male lead opposite Katharine Hepburn in a string of fantastic comedies.

In Fury, Tracy stars as Joe Wilson, a decent, hardworking young man of modest means living in Chicago. He and his fiancee, Katherine (Sylvia Sidney), haven't enough money to marry straightaway, so Katherine takes a better-paying job on the west coast while Joe remains in Chicago.

Months pass and finally their hard work pays off. Joe and his two brothers, Tom (George Walcott) and Charlie (Frank Albertson), purchase a gas station which the three will operate together.

Ecstatic that he's finally reached his goal, Joe hits the road to meet Katherine and bring her home. On the way there he drives through a small town where he is apprehended by the local police and brought into the police station for questioning. Apparently there has been a recent local kidnapping and the police and townspeople are eager to find the culprit and save the abducted young woman.

Of course, Joe had nothing to do with the kidnapping, but circumstantial evidence and being in the wrong place at the wrong time lead to his arrest. He maintains his innocence throughout the interrogation, but since he's the only viable suspect the police have they hold him in a jail cell while the investigation continues.

Word gets out that the police have a suspect in custody and the news quickly spreads through town, losing accuracy with each re-telling. Add booze and a loudmouthed rabble-rouser to the mix and the situation quickly escalates into a mob of angry townspeople gathered outside the police station with lit torches in hand.

A confrontation ensues until, inevitably, the police station is set ablaze...with Joe still locked up inside. Katherine learns of Joe's arrest and arrives just in time to see the horrible scene unfold. She, and everyone else, believes Joe died in that fire.

Of course, not long after, the real kidnapper is apprehended and Joe's name is cleared, but...there's something no one knows. Joe is alive. His brush with death has changed him into an angry, embittered man hungry for revenge.

He meets with his two brothers and persuades them to convince the district attorney (Walter Abel) to take the case to court. In Joe's mind, dead or alive, that mob is guilty of his murder and he won't rest until he sees every last man and woman fry...


Fury is director Fritz Lang's first American film and it's a powerful one, which uses a fictitious story to criticize and condemn anyone who has participated in or supported a real-life lynching. The script is fantastic and I really enjoyed Spencer Tracy's performance. He brings something so raw and so real to his portrayal as poor Joe.

I truly think this is a great movie (despite the cringe-worthy depiction of small-town women as bloodthirsty busybodies, which I'm choosing to overlook) and I have every intention of re-visiting it again someday.

P.S. I LOVE reading original movie reviews and found the New York Times' review of the film quite fascinating!

Dark Victory (1939)

Released in 1939, Dark Victory is a Warner Bros. film starring Bette Davis, George Brent and Geraldine Fitzgerald. I had seen the movie before, years ago, and remembered that it had impressed me, so I was curious to find out if I would still find it as wonderful as I had then.

Well, let me just say, I was glued to the TV and cried like a baby. I was not disappointed.  



Bette Davis stars as Judith Traherne, a young, carefree Long Island socialite with a wild streak and an indulgent lifestyle. 

Judy has been feeling poorly for a while now - headaches, dizzy spells, double vision - but she stubbornly refuses to seek help.  A scare while racing her horse and a tumble down the stairs lead Judy's friend Ann (Geraldine Fitzgerald) to call the family doctor, Parsons (Henry Travers).

Judith is uncooperative, refusing to admit that there is anything the matter with her. Still, Dr. Parsons is worried and feels that she requires a specialist.  He visits fellow colleague Dr. Frederick Steele (George Brent), a brain surgeon who has just closed his practice so he can move to Vermont and devote his time to brain cell research.  Dr. Steele is reluctant to meet the patient, but Dr. Parsons' obvious concern finally convinces him to see her.

Judy is cavalier, even rude, during her meeting with Dr. Steele, responding to his questions with answers intended to shock.  But Steele isn't fooled - he can see that she is scared and it's this fear that is driving her to pretend everything is fine.  He calls her out on it and his directness helps her accept that she is ill and needs help.

"I'm accustomed to a reasonable quantity of tobacco and alcohol..."

Judy is tested thoroughly and the results are not good: she has a malignant brain tumor, just as Steele had suspected.  She agrees to surgery to remove the tumor and puts on a brave face.  Steele performs the surgery and, although Judy survives the procedure, it is not a true success.

The doctors were unable to remove all of the tumor and it will grow back over time. A second surgery is impossible. Judy  has only months to live.  

Dark Victory is filled with emotion - tragic, hopeful and quietly powerful. Many of its most potent and poignant moments can be attributed to a single expression - Davis could say more with one look than many actors could with a hundred words.  

Davis' role as Judith Traherne was her own personal favorite and garnered a nomination for a Best Actress Oscar, but she and the film were up against tough competition that year and the award instead went to Vivien Leigh for her role as Scarlett O'Hara in Gone With the Wind.  The film was nominated for Best Picture (but lost to Gone With the Wind) and the score, which was composed by Max Steiner, also received an Oscar nod.  In fact, Steiner received two nominations that year for Best Original Score, one for Dark Victory and the other for Gone With the Wind, but the award went to Herbert Stothart for The Wizard of Oz.

Overall, the supporting cast is good.  George Brent’s Dr. Steele is self-possessed and kind, the perfect steadying influence on Judy.  I was particularly touched by his performance during the scene where he explains his reasons to Ann for keeping Judy’s prognosis from her.  It was evident even then that he had already fallen in love with Judy.  I was surprised to discover that Brent appeared in many films - thirteen of them - with Bette Davis.  I remember him best for his role in The Spiral Staircase.

I loved Geraldine Fitzgerald in this film  – her performance as loyal, caring Ann is fantastic.  She embodies the ideal friend. It was a real treat for me to see Fitzgerald once again as a young woman - I am a rabid fan of The Golden Girls, so I see her two performances in that show as an elderly woman often.  She was a wonderful actress all throughout her career.  In fact, her role as Anna in the Mother's Day episode of The Golden Girls earned her an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Guest Performer in a Comedy Series.  (I adore that episode!)

Henry Travers has a small role as Dr. Parsons and he is solid, as usual.  Humphrey Bogart's part as Irish stablemaster Michael O'Leary seemed unnecessary to me.  I don't know if it was just the role or if it was Bogart's performance, but I felt the film would have been better without his role.  (And I'm a Bogie fan, so that's saying something.)  Another notable part was that of Alex, one of Judy's society pals, played by a very young Ronald Reagan.  The role was one of his earliest and one he apparently hated.

So, I guess all I can say is: if you like Bette Davis (and crying your eyes out), watch this movie!  It is, simply put, beautiful.