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Reviews
Street Girl (1929)
Great, if you can hear the actors!
I watched this on TCM and found it interesting, though in many ways just a showcase for the music. Very '20s, very period-piece stuff, with the usual strange choreography. I thought the title Street Girl was a bit of a tease however, as the "girl" turned out to be a homeless violinist who gets involved with a down-at-heels dance band. What stood out for me however was the noisiness of the sound track, the worst I have ever heard. I realize this is an early talkie and they were probably still struggling with ways to muffle the sound of the camera. But every shot seemed to have its own peculiar frequency, from whirring to humming to grinding to something like a garburator. I wonder now if early-talkie audiences noticed or cared about this, but it seems to me that many must have longed for the sophisticated accompaniment that had evolved by late in the silent era. What also amazes me is the leap in sophistication that took place in only a couple of years: by 1931, people had forgotten all about silent movies and screenwriters/actors had hit their stride. This is great to watch if you're a sound technician/film historian or both.
The Vagabond Lover (1929)
Twenty-three skidoo!
Though I don't have a lot to add to the reviews posted here (wooden acting, static players grouped around the microphone, awful wailing by Rudy Vallee), I would mention the godawful humming, ringing, buzzing noise on the soundtrack, punctuated by snapping sounds of static electricity. During lulls in the stilted dialogue, this reached fever pitch and demonstrated that talkies had not yet gotten all the bugs out. Unlike other reviewers, I believe Marie Dressler overacted wildly here and seemed manic-depressive. But I think early talkie audiences were uncritical and in awe of watching words come out of actors' mouths, no matter how lame. It's an interesting period piece, but you may want to hit the fast-forward button during parts of it.
Ravel's Brain (2001)
Very strange, and very beautiful
I stumbled upon this strange, surreal documentary on Knowledge Network in Vancouver, Canada last year. I hardly knew what I was watching until I began to see references to Maurice Ravel, one of my favorite composers. The movie itself was as impressionistic as Ravel's music, combining interviews with Ravel's actual friends and colleagues, dramatized scenes from his life that were very convincing as old home movies, and passages of his music, all swirled together in a way that could not possibly have worked in lesser hands. The strangest element was a sort of mini-opera sung by a baritone "doctor" performing surgery on Ravel, who eventually succumbed to an unknown brain disease. The notion that his disorder somehow shaped his music was intriguing, as there is a repetitive aspect to some of it as if he is crossing back and covering the same ground over and over. Bolero is only one example of this. I also think of Une Barque sur L'ocean and its endless hypnotic cycles. When he became "stuck" and could not compose any more, it was heartbreaking to watch. HOW I wish I had recorded this program to watch again, as I was barely able to take in what I was seeing and have not been able to find a DVD. Somehow I don't think it will be re-broadcast ever again. Did I dream this?