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Reviews
Dishonored (1931)
Under-rated von Sternberg
Having just viewed this movie for the first time, I must say that from what I've seen written about Dishonored it seems somewhat unappreciated. While perhaps not a masterpiece on the level of other von Sternberg/Dietrich pairings, such as the two greats The Blue Angel and Blonde Venus, like them both it oozes with the unmistakable marks of its director: the stark dialogue, the lavish attention to atmosphere (such as all the wonderful interiors), and a pervading sense of marvelous oddness. Von Sternberg shows us that the real triumph of his cinema is not one of the reality it affords, but one of style, of which Dishonored has enough to spare.
Merrily We Live (1938)
What I find odd
about this movie is how at times Merrily We Live only makes sense in terms of its references to other screwball comedies, not in reference to its own plot. As the reviewer above mentions the water-splashing scene at the end of MWL comes right out of GODFREY; but in the earlier movie it only proves how kooky Carole Lombard's character is when she declares it proof of Godfrey's love for her after he has revived her in the shower from pretended unconsciousness -- while the copycat scene in MWL is meant to be the actual vindication of the faux-tramps's love for the society girl when he slashes her with a bucket of well-water. Which makes no sense, but very little else does at that point, and that's the fun of it.