The year my late grandmother was born.
82 Years ago.
Damm!!
Today while learning about the many beautiful intricacies and techniques involved in creating a film, I suddenly had an idea. Why not watch a key feature film from every year since the dawn of movie-making in the early 1900s?!
This will not only uncover the evolution of cinema but also lets us appreciate the fascinating facets of the differing pages and eras of the film-making journey.
Come with me on this project, where we will explore some of the finer trivia of cinema and the movie industry for each year and also the best pictures, actors, actresses and other bits and pieces, Bric-Ã -brac and knick-knacks along the way.
LEGGO~
1940
Why start with 1940 you might ask. Wellll.. I always enjoyed comedy films and nothing is as hilarious and charmingly nostalgic as a screwball comedy from the golden era of Hollywood (even though I was not born in the 40s..go figure..). A screwball comedy is a comedic film that has a quirky couple (who most of the time are at loggerheads) going through an adventure together. Their whacky escapades almost always lead to romance and a happy ending. Because everyone loves a happy ending.. non?
In the 1940's and leading to the post-war years, films like that had to be gay and full of happiness and joy since the world was often the horror show that nobody wanted to endure. As a result, the screwball comedies of that era are like the métier of classic cinema and has a lasting impact that many modern day examples try to but cannot replicate. Like "Hail, Caesar" (2016) by the Coen Brothers and "She's Funny That Way" (2014). SO A LITTLE MORE ABOUT THE SIGHTS AND SOUNDS OF 1940...
TRIVIA
Top-Grossing Films
Boom Town made $73,580,448 (USD) at the box-office in today's money.
"REBECCA" won Best Picture
Acting Awards at the 13th Academy Awards
Best Actor
Best Actress
Best Supporting Actor
Best Supporting Actress
Other cool stuff:
Tom and Jerry made their debut
The Best Picture winner, "Rebecca" was Alfred Hitchcock's first US film.
Mr Bugs Bunny also makes his debut.
The film that I chose to watch and review for 1940 is the classic Slapstick masterpiece:
His Girl Friday
Director: Howard Hawks
Starring: Cary Grant and Rosalind Russell
Films are not made like this anymore. The period of time where more people talk the talk than walk the walk. Talkies were getting increasingly popular back in the days of the Golden Era of Hollywood. In fact, it was not uncommon to watch movies with not much happening save for diabolically ingenius dialogue.
No other film exemplifies the flair of the talkie much like Howard Hawk's rapid-fire masterpiece. Cary and Rosalind churn out one-liner after another, each one upping the other with their acerbic wit. And this goes on for the entirety of the slapstick showpiece's 90 minutes. (Quick fact: It is estimated that the normal rate of verbal dialogue in most films is around 90 words a minute. In His Girl Friday (1940), the delivery has been clocked at 240 words a minute.)
In essence, the plot centers around the riotous lead, Cary's devious scheme to keep his ex-wife Rosalind in the Newspaper business and back into his arms. Rosalind has other plans of her own including a life of 'feeding her children cod liver oil' and to 'wipe the nose' of her new beau-Ralph Bellamy. Thus begins a chaotic and I mean really chaotic story that involves guns, criminals hiding in closets and Rosalind breaking her office telephone and then trying to communicate with her husband on the other end of the line.
Rosalind: "He treats me like a woman...."
Cary: "How did I treat you? Like a waterbuffalo?!"
They do talk incredibly fast, almost like spitting rhymes. And they sure withhold mincing their words. Some of the insults are done so quick that you have a hard time processing them before the next one is thrown. Especially so with Cary's flourish of almost all of the closing screen time of the film. The man is like a walking spotlight and demands all the attention onto him from start to finish. It does get a little exhausting keeping up with his boundlessly energetic, almost verging on ADHD-performance.
As a matter of fact, you can see it on Rosalind's face when in one pivotal scene- she echoes the audience and yells at Cary to shut the hell up.
Watch it if you like scathing and clever sparring of tongues and for a movie that encapsulates the exceptional period of a pre-war Hollywood. I cannot help but remind myself that what I witnessed in the picture: the American gangster-esque outfits, actors smoking cigars in the office, Cadillacs and Rosalind asking if 'Hitler will start another war', were all the zeitgeist of the times and not props or set pieces.
That always makes me gravitate towards oldies like this one; to learn about how the world has changed and yet stayed the same. Almost like a time capsule of sorts.
Just imagine, if someone my age watched this in 1940.
That someone would be turning 110 this year.
Just imagine that...
Other brillain films that came out in 1940:
Hope you enjoyed reading this.
Happy viewing,
LEON
