BEST FILMS OF 1927
by Mike Lorefice

The General
Buster Keaton & Clyde Bruckman

Keaton's best known film is not up to the comic genius and innovation of his earlier masterpieces, though it's arguably more ambitious in scope. It's too conventionally silly to be his masterwork, marred by such lame plot points as the same Yanks swiping both his train and girlfriend, at different times! Keaton usually utilized the what could go wrong will, but her could is questionable and it's done to the point of overkill. That said, Keaton is the master of silent comedy and the film is a perfect example of what non-stop action can be. Keaton's film is joyful comic silliness with the romance simply established and then growing or shrinking through actions that are actually misunderstandings. Today's films aren't funny because they attempt to be taken as serious suspense even though everything is so obviously artificial and ludicrous, and they aren't romantic because they have to constantly force the issue due to their insistence to be plot based and follow a conventional arc. The General has it's flaws to be sure, but it's a cohesive constant comedy that never becomes less by trying to make us believe it's more. [9/12/05] ***1/2

The Kid Brother
Ted Wilde & J.A. Howe

***

The Lodger
Alfred Hitchcock

The first film where Hitchcock explores the wrong man theme is perhaps accidentally his best take on the topic. Ivor Novello was a big favorite of the ladies so the producers wouldn't allow Hitchcock to end the film like Marie Belloc Lowndes' novel, which suggests he's probably guilty after all. What Hitchcock does here is the opposite of his subsequent films. Rather than let us know he's innocent right off the bat and have the film focus on the attempts of the wrongly accused and his new loving girlfriend to exonerate him, he spends the majority of the film making us think he's guilty. Though Hitchcock and Lang are generally considered to have very different ways of handing serial killers, they weren't so far apart at this point because Hitchcock was still a disciple. The way he focuses on the killer's effect on the entire town and shows the insanity of the mob are right out of Lang. Lodger's early portion is the most effective because it's so inclusive, taking jibes at the media for their exploitation of the serial killer story and showing the effect of their sensationalism on the people. One funny bit has a showgirl decide to give up being a bleach bland because "The Avenger" only kills ladies with fair hair. Lodger is a very effective piece of visual storytelling utilizing the two technical schools of the time German expressionism and Soviet montage. It rarely relies on intertitles, but it would have been better if it told multiple stories at the same time like Lang's all-timer M. Instead, once the Lodger arrives the action is almost consolidated to the lodge, meaning only a handful of characters are involved. [12/24/05] ***1/2

Full Movie Review

Metropolis
Fritz Lang

***1/2

Napoleon
Abel Gance

****

The Unknown
Tod Browning

One of Tod Browning's greatest twisted tales of the macabre has Lon Chaney is on the lamb in the circus, pretending to be an armless man. He loves (or rather is obsessed with) Joan Crawford, his assistant in his knife throwing act (he uses his feet), but a Chaney character can never tell a woman he loves her. His method of showing his love always traps him in perpetual friendship; he becomes a safe father figure type. Chaney is determined to win Crawford at any and all costs, but he cannot get anywhere with her in his current state where a mere hug could reveal him. Crawford is also somewhat mentally unstable, petrified of men because they've pawed her all her life, and in a fit of hysteria she screamed she wished they were all armless. Chaney faces a great quagmire in that he's been deceiving her like everyone but his friend Cojo. He can take the chance and trust her or he can "solve his problems" and make "an improvement" by permanently mutilating himself. Chaney has to do something quickly because he's facing competition from the circus' muscle narcissist Malabar. This is Chaney's greatest performance because the character is diverse and complex, allowing Chaney to come at him from many perspectives. The basic love story is similar to many Chaplin films, but with Browning and Chaney it's not all sentiment and pathos, there's deep and intense psychological study and a willingness to take things all the way. Chaney portrays a character you understand, and yes you do feel sorry for him but with Chaney that's largely duo to his impeccable expressions rather than simple manipulation. He's ultimately far more human because he also has (very) bad points that are allowed to come across as weaknesses and we are able to understand why the younger girl wouldn't choose him (even if we don't always agree or would choose none of them). Chaney's supposed to be friends with Crawford and Malabar (he saved him from a beating), so he must hide his own selfish motives (at least until he's willing to act on them). He's certainly put to the test when he thinks Crawford means she's ready to marry him, but it turns out to be Malabar. In this excruciating scene Chaney, caught between the truth and his front, attempts to laugh and laugh until the shock, disappointment, and anger wear off. Chaney's facial acting in this scene is just amazing, the best ever according to Burt Lancaster. [10/14/05] ***1/2