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lynch-dennis
Reviews
Safe in Hell (1931)
I want to see this again.
I caught this film on TCM in Dec. of 2007. It was being shown as part of their William Wellman festival. I had not heard of it before, and didn't recognize any of the cast names. The story is a bout a woman accused of a murder in New Orleans, who is helped by her sailor boyfriend to an island in the Caribbean. This is a refuge for scoundrels and criminals. Romantically, the sailor marries her in a very private ceremony, and then he leaves her behind while he sails away for work. Clearly, the focus is on her, since he has very little screen time. The bulk of the film is the long time she has to wait for his return, fending of the lecherous advances of the motley criminals and a corrupt lawman. The ending was dark and surprisingly odd for any Hollywood film. And I was so surprised that I need to see it again, just to make sure I didn't imagine it. It is a somewhat slow film, but it is also intriguing in ways that only pre- code features can be. It seemed even modern in it's dark sensibilities. Also, the lead role, portrayed by Dorothy MacKaill, is a fascinating mix of spunky and trashy, showing more depth and complexity than one might expect from a standard H'wood feature. I'll be looking for her in other films. Definitely a noir predecessor. The black major-domo and the woman running the bar are terrific, too.
Jeremiah Johnson (1972)
Why an Intermission?
I just rewatched this film on Turner Classic Movies and was surprised that there was an intermission in a movie that only ran 116 minutes, less than 2 hours.
I don't remember if there was one during the original theatrical release.
I think the break came at around 80 minutes in, leaving only about 36 minutes afterwards.
Is there a reason for this break?
Was it to stir up audience who were calmed and settled by the generally liesurely pace of story telling?
Was it intended at one time for the film to be even longer, so the intermission was created for that eventuality?
It was not badly placed, but I've never seen a break like this in any film this short.
I still like the film, and so did my 12 year old son.