DELUGE: Pre-Code Catastrophe

DELUGE (1933)

Starring Peggy Shannon, Sidney Blackmer, Lois Wilson, Matt Moore, Fred Kohler, Ralf Harolde. Directed by Felix E. Feist. (70 min)

Essay by D.M. ANDERSON💀

Ever since seeing 1974’s The Towering Inferno as an impressionable 11-year-old, disaster has been my favorite genre, and it’s been an ongoing quest ever since to see every damn one of them. The journey has taken me to some interesting places over the years - other countries, other eras - and I’ve experienced more than my share of the good, the bad and the ugly (an example of the latter being a 1943 German film, Titanic, yet another depiction of the sinking, along with a heaping helping of Nazi propaganda).

But the most unusual one might be 1933’s Deluge, a low budget, pre-code apocalyptic disaster movie released by RKO Pictures. For those of you who spent most of your formative years at Waffle House instead of the classroom, ‘deluge’ is fancy French-speak for ‘lotsa water.’ There’s certainly lotsa destruction, especially during the first act. Dispensing with the narrative foreplay typical of most films of the genre, Deluge wastes no time getting to the disaster at-hand…cataclysmic weather, earthquakes and tidal waves, all apparently triggered by an eclipse (and you thought the science in Armageddon was wonky). 

Ocean views ain't all they're cracked up to be.

Those pesky eclipses…always ominously foreshadowing a variety of things, and none of them good (in movies, anyway). I had a similarly horrific experience a few years back, when I lived within driving distance of an approaching eclipse’s path of totality. Packing the family into the car, we drove 20 miles south with viewing glasses I just purchased from 7-Eleven (is there anything they don’t have right when you need it?). 

We managed to make it to our destination with time to spare, and that’s when one of my daughters’ IBS started flaring up. The impending celestial event may or may not have been the catalyst for her sudden and urgent need to defecate, but with no restroom in the vicinity, we had no choice but to speed back home and pray her bowels didn’t explode along the way. I missed the last opportunity to view an eclipse in my lifetime, but hey, at least I didn’t end up spending the rest of that Sunday cleaning shit out of the backseat. Fair trade, I guess.

The poor bastards in Deluge aren’t so lucky. Skyscrapers topple, cities are submerged and millions die. Though it's established that this is happening all over the world, most of the onscreen mayhem occurs in New York. On a related note, Deluge holds the distinction of being the first film to visually depict the total destruction of a major American city.

And I do mean total. Nearly every building crumbles and falls apart spectacularly, interspersed with scenes of people fleeing in panic, only to be crushed by falling debris. And this is all before a massive tsunami comes rolling into Manhattan to finish the job. The special effects are a bit quaint compared to what Hollywood is capable of these days, but still pretty damn good for a film that’s almost 100 years old. So good, in fact, that Republic Pictures later bought the rights to reuse them in other movies (most notably, 1939’s ultra-daffy SOS Tidal Wave). 

All this happens during the first 20 minutes. The remainder of Deluge largely focuses on three survivors, Martin (Sidney Blackmer), who lost his wife and kids, shapely swimmer Claire (Peggy Shannon), and horndog thug Jephson (Fred Kohler), who quickly establishes his rapey intentions when he finds Claire washed ashore. Keeping her captive in his cabin, Jephson fights with equally rapey roommate Norwood over who gets to have her, resulting in the latter’s death. 

Fred Kohler...the Marjoe Gortner of his day.

Rapey guys are no strangers to movies about earthquakes. 2012’s Aftershock is a recent example, with gang rape o’ plenty. But the most famous and disturbing seismically stimulated rapey guy is Marjoe Gortner as an unhinged National Guardsman in 1974’s Earthquake. After making a dubious living as a child evangelist, Gortner turned to acting, where he excelled at playing psychotic villains. Even in rare cases where he was cast as a protagonist, the man and his awesome afro were inherently intimidating. If you were a director in the ‘70s and your movie needed a rapey guy, you gave Marjoe a call.

Made and released before the Hayes Code, Deluge not only features a rapey guy as one of the main characters, but a gaggle of rapey guys who show up later. Before that though, Martin rescues Claire from Jephson and they eventually fall in love, setting-up house in a cozy cabin. However, two things complicate their relationship. First, Jephson hooks up with a gang of lecherous thugs...and he's hellbent on revenge. Second, they meet a community of other survivors trying to restart civilization again, including the wife he assumed was dead, Helen (Lois Wilson), and their two kids. So not only does Martin have to contend with a mob of Marjoe Gortners, he finds himself in a soapy love triangle.

From a narrative standpoint, Deluge kind of runs contrary to other films of this type. All the spectacle occurs during the first act. Afterwards, the film struggles to maintain interest, no matter how many rapey guys the story throws at us. The whole thing slowly winds down into a mess of preachy melodrama with a Debbie Downer of an ending. That’s no way to end a disaster movie. What would’ve been really great is to cap things off with a bang by throwing in another round of nature getting nasty. Still, the opening of Deluge delivers the disaster goods and is worth catching just for the massive onscreen destruction, a creative combination of miniatures and matte paintings. Seeing New York drowned and gobbled up by the Earth (without the aid of CGI) is a hell of a lot of fun.

A Big Batch of SPENCER TRACY

SPENCER TRACY 4-FILM COLLECTION (Blu-ray)

1936-1955 / 399 min (4 movies)

Warner Archive Collection

Available at www.MovieZyng.com

Review by Mr. Paws😸

I like what Warner Archive has been doing these past few years…gathering four classic films featuring one particular star and putting them out as a set. Sure, they’re just collections of previously released Blu-ray titles, but it’s cheaper than buying them separately, and if you’re like me, you might even discover a gem or two that’s new to you.

The Spencer Tracy 4-Film Collection is a solid batch of films showcasing one of classic Hollywood’s greatest actors. Personally speaking, it might be the best collection so far, partially because it includes one of my all time favorite films, but also because it introduced me to an absolute banger.

That banger is 1936’s Fury, an early Tracy film directed by Fritz Lang. A knockout from beginning to end, it’s about everyman Joe Wilson (Tracy), who’s on his way to marry his sweetheart, Katherine (Sylvia Sydney), when he’s arrested as a kidnapping suspect. Though he’s innocent, gossip and rumors about his capture turn the townspeople into a mob that escalates into violence while taking the law into their own hands. Afterwards, Joe’s presumed dead, but he actually survived the lynching (but not his dog!) and now wants to see those same people tried for murder. Equal parts courtroom drama and revenge thriller, certain aspects of it are also unnervingly timely (if you’ve been paying attention to current events). 

Released the same year, Libeled Lady is charming comedy with Tracy as part of an ensemble cast that includes Myrna Loy, William Powell and Jean Harlow. Perhaps something that more prominently showcases Tracy would’ve been preferable (I’d throw my hat in the ring for Pat and Mike), but let’s not nitpick. In this one, newspaper editor Warren Haggerty (Tracy) is trying to save his paper after it prints a libelous story about a millionaire’s daughter, Connie Allenbury. He concocts a scheme by arranging a "marriage" between his beleaguered fiancé Gladys Benton and ex-reporter Bill Chandler. Then Chandler will romance Connie so she’ll be caught in an actual scandal. Instead, he ends up falling in love with her. This film boasts a witty screenplay with enough rapid-fire dialogue and throwaway one-liners that we can’t catch it all the first time.

Spencer's plan to dine 'n' dash is unexpectedly thwarted.

In 1940’s Northwest Passage, Tracy plays Major Robert Rogers, who commands a group of soldiers known as “Rogers’ Rangers” on an arduous journey, facing enemy French troops and vicious Native American tribes. Though not a bad film, it’s the weakest of the four. Tracy is solid as usual, which is a testament to his abilities because his character isn’t particularly dynamic to begin with. While sometimes exciting, with great use of wilderness locations, it’s ultimately exhausting and ends rather anticlimactically. It also must be said that certain aspects of this film haven’t aged well at all, mainly how it presents Native Americans. While I understand that many older movies need to be viewed in the context of the time they were made, the racial depictions in this one are kind of cringeworthy. 

Capping things off is a true masterpiece, 1955’s Bad Day at Black Rock, featuring Tracy in one of his greatest roles…John MacCready, a deceptively docile stranger who steps off a train in the tiny town of Black Rock, stirring up the locals while inquiring about a missing war buddy. Congenial and passive at first, he grows increasingly determined as he begins to uncover the town's terrible secret. The outstanding supporting cast includes Anne Francis, Ernest Borgnine, Walter Brennan, Lee Marvin and a menacing turn by Robert Ryan as ringleader Reno Smith. Director John Sturges is renowned for some sprawling epics, but with Bad Day at Black Rock, he gives us a lean, mean mash-up of film-noir and classic western with thought-provoking themes, trimmed of all the fat and presented with such narrative efficiency that not a single one of its 81 minutes is wasted.

As with most Warner Archive Blu-ray releases, the picture and sound restorations for these movies are quite good. Content-wise, the set is worth grabbing for Fury and Bad Day at Black Rock alone, but overall, the great Spencer Tracy is nicely represented here.

EXTRA KIBBLES

FURY - Audio Commentary; Trailer.

LIBELED LADY - 3 Short Subjects; Radio Promo; Trailer.

NORTHWEST PASSAGE - Promotional Featurette; Trailer.

BAD DAY AT BLACK ROCK - Audio Commentary; Trailer.

A Big Batch of ERROL FLYNN

6-FILM COLLECTION: ERROL FLYNN (Blu-ray)

1938-1948 / 709 min (6 movies)

Warner Archive Collection

Available at www.MovieZyng.com

Review by Mr. Paws😺

Is this a collection of Errol Flynn’s greatest work? Not by a longshot, nor is it intended to be. Instead, this set gathers six Blu-ray titles that were previously released separately. So while we might scream “What?? No Captain Blood??” (there’s still no Blu-ray for that one), this does offer a varied selection of movies Flynn did during his tenure at Warner Brothers. 

Of course, it would have been a crime not to include The Adventures of Robin Hood, which many feel is his greatest film. While I’m not inclined to agree, it remains the definitive telling of the mythical Saxon outlaw. Filled with action, humor, romance and Flynn at his most charismatic (all in beautiful Technicolor), it’s impossible not to be swept along, even 87 years later. Since we don’t get Captain Blood, at least there’s 1940’s The Sea Hawk, which I do think is Flynn's greatest film. Released at the height of his popularity, The Sea Hawk is an epic adventure with Flynn as sea captain Geoffrey Thorpe, England's most infamous privateer, defending his country against enemies through piracy. The final showdown remains one of the greatest sword fights ever filmed.

Yet another collaboration with director Michael Curtiz, 1940’s Santa Fe Trail is a historical drama that plays fast and loose with history, with Flynn as confederate general Jeb Stuart and Raymond Massey as abolitionist John Brown. While not a great film, it’s certainly watchable, though I personally think Flynn is miscast. Flynn fairs much better in 1943’s Edge of Darkness, though he’s just one part of a uniformly excellent cast. Aptly titled, the film is somber in tone and occasionally infuriating when depicting injustice against a Norwegian town at the hands of the Nazis, but this leads to a stunning - and surprisingly violent - final act once they've been pushed too far. This one ranks among Flynn’s best films.

"Yo, Guy! Read between the lines!"

If you’ve seen Northwest Passage with Spencer Tracy, then you’ve seen 1945’s Objective, Burma!, which tells the same story, with Flynn leading his squad as Captain Nelson. Though I doubt anyone would argue that Flynn’s a better actor than Tracy, this one is ultimately more entertaining (though a little too long). Rounding out the set is 1948’s Adventures of Don Juan, and who better to take the role of the world’s most famous womanizing swordsman? Considering his own reputation and behavior, he’s arguably just playing a version of himself. And that’s just fine, because the movie’s a hell of a lot of fun.

Again, none of the Blu-rays in this collection are new. The restorations and transfers (generally pretty excellent) are identical to previous releases, as are the bonus features. Quantity and quality of the content varies, running the gamut from loaded (Robin Hood) to bare-bones (Santa Fe Trail). Robin Hood, Don Juan and The Sea Hawk also include “Warner Night at the Movies” as a great viewing option, with a cartoon, newsreel, short subject and trailers preceding the feature, just like the ol’ days. While the set isn't definitive, it's worth grabbing if you don't already have most of these particular titles.

ULTIMATE GANGSTERS COLLECTION is Essential Viewing

ULTIMATE GANGSTERS COLLECTION: CLASSICS (Blu-ray)

1931-1949 / 357 min (4 movies)

Warner Bros (of course)

Available at www.MovieZyng.com

Review by Mr. Paws😸

During Hollywood’s classic era, MGM was synonymous with musicals, while Universal was renowned for its monsters. Warner Bros chose a darker path, establishing itself as the premier purveyor of gangster films. This indispensable five-disc set, originally released in 2013, collects four of their most iconic examples with generally excellent restorations and a slew of entertaining bonus features. Now that it’s back in print, it’s a must-grab for gangster fans who might’ve missed it the first time around.

Kicking things off is 1931’s Little Caesar, which is pretty much the movie that started it all (once talkies took over, anyway). It also turned Edward G. Robinson into a star. His oft-imitated (and parodied) turn as ruthless rising gangster Rico Bandello remains one of his most memorable, and the movie itself, while comparatively quaint, established the template for what was to come (it’s hard to imagine either version of Scarface without it). 

That same year brought The Public Enemy, which did for James Cagney’s career what Little Caesar did for Robinson’s. He’s electrifying as ambitious career criminal Tom Powers, who, along with childhood buddy Matt Doyle (Edward Woods), achieve wealth and power as prohibition era bootleggers. Though not nearly as violent as its reputation suggests, this is a dark film with tragic underpinnings, as exemplified through Powers’ tumultuous relationships with his disapproving brother, Mike (Donald Cook) and doting mother (Beryl Mercer). The revenge-driven final act is still a stunner. Then, of course, there’s that classic grapefruit scene.

While Humphrey Bogart is best remembered for playing antiheroes and romantic leads, he made his first big splash as a cold-blooded villain. He doesn't actually have the lead role in 1936’s The Petrified Forest, but he lights up the screen and steals the entire movie from his bigger (at the time) co-stars. Set mostly in a remote diner where on-the-lam killer Duke Mantee holds assorted patrons hostage, the movie is occasionally stymied by melodrama, but it’s obvious Bogey was destined for greater things.

Cody welcomes his new neighbors.

While all the films in this collection are classics, 1949’s White Heat is an inarguable masterpiece. As psychotically unstable gang leader Cody Jarrett, James Cagney makes Tom Powers appear downright benevolent. Yet at the same time, despite his violent and vindictive nature, Jarrett is a complex character whose dependence on his domineering mother (Margaret Wycherly) has disturbing undertones and renders him somewhat sympathetic. The compelling story is tension filled, fast moving and comes to one of the most memorable climaxes in movie history. Featuring an excellent supporting cast, tough, violent action and strong direction by Raoul Walsh, this ranks among the greatest gangster movies ever made.

One could easily list other great Warner Bros gangster movies that are just as worthy for including in this collection, but it’s hard to argue with the choices here. All of them are exemplary films of the genre, featuring iconic performances by three legendary tough guys. The video and audio transfers are excellent, though I’m assuming that Little Caesar’s workprint was a bit too old and worn for a pristine restoration. It’s a minor quip over an otherwise must-own collection for gangster movie fans.

EXTRA KIBBLES

PUBLIC ENEMIES: THE GOLDEN AGE OF THE GANGSTER FILM - Made in 2008, this is an outstanding feature-length look at gangster film origins and the classics Warner Bros built its reputation on. Loaded with clips, analysis and appreciation by a variety of critics and historians. Included on a bonus DVD.

MOB OF GANGSTER-THEMED CARTOONS - 4 classic Looney Tunes shorts: I Like Mountain Music; She Was an Acrobat’s Daughter; Racketeer Rabbit; Bugs and Thugs. Included on a bonus DVD.

WARNER NIGHT AT THE MOVIES - Each disc includes the option to view the movie as experienced back in the day, with a preceding newsreel, live-action short, cartoon short and a trailer for another film. Introduced by Leonard Maltin.

FEATURETTES - Each disc includes a 15-20 minute appreciation by various historians, critics and the one-and-only Martin Scorsese.

AUDIO COMMENTARIES - Little Caesar, by Richard B. Schull; The Public Enemy, by Robert Sklar; The Petrified Forest, by Erix Lax; White Heat, by Dr. Drew Casper.

GULF SCREEN THEATER BROADCAST - Radio broadcast of The Petrified Forest from 1940.

1954 RE-RELEASE FORWARD - This was used when Little Caesar and The Public Enemy were re-released as a double feature.

Four CLARK GABLES In One

4-FILM COLLECTION: CLARK CABLE (Blu-ray)

1935-1939 / 441 min (4 movies)

Warner Archive Collection

Available at www.MovieZyng.com

Review by Mr. Paws😺

Warner Archive has recently released a few 4-film collections showcasing such legendary stars as Elizabeth Taylor, Gary Cooper and (the set we’re reviewing) Clark Gable. The included titles are the same Blu-ray editions that were previously available separately; this is simply a more economical way to grab all four at once. 

The Clark Gable collection features movies he did in the 1930s while under contract at MGM. There’s no Gone with the Wind here (haven’t we seen that one enough anyway?), but it does boast of couple of his all-time best.

1935’s Mutiny on the Bounty is generally considered the definitive adaptation of the oft-told incident, and for good reason. While playing fast and loose with history, the film is a dramatically gripping account of Fletcher Christian (Gable) seizing control of the HMS Bounty from cruel, tyrannical Captain Bligh (Charles Laughton). Though featuring one of Gable’s better early performances, the film is stolen by Laughton, who’s deliciously hateful.

EXTRA KIBBLES - Pitcairn Island Today is a promotional short; 1936 Newsreel features Oscar awards footage; Trailer.

1936’s San Francisco is not the first disaster film. However, it’s the first one with all the elements that would come to define the genre...melodrama, subplots, tumultuous relationships, an all-star cast, epic destruction and a narrative blueprint followed by countless other films since. It’s also the first disaster movie with special effects that are more-or-less convincing. Even today, its depiction of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake is pretty damned impressive. Like some of the soapier entries in the genre, San Francisco dedicates a great deal of its running time to trials and tribulations of its main characters, but once the fight for survival begins, the film is thrilling.

EXTRA KIBBLES - Clark Gable: Tall, Dark and Handsome is an enjoyable 45 minute documentary; Bottles (cartoon short); Cavalcade of San Francisco (short); Night Descends on Treasure Island (short); Alternate ending; Trailer.

"I swear...it was like this when I got here."

Released the same year, Wife vs. Secretary is a romantic comedy co-starring Myrna Loy and Jean Harlow. Gable is Jake, a magazine publisher whose loving wife, Linda (Loy), is led to believe (through gossip and misunderstandings) that his relationship with dedicated secretary ‘Whitey’ (Harlow) might be more than purely professional. Not bad as these things go, but hardly one of Gable’s essential films. It also features James Stewart in one of his earliest roles.

EXTRA KIBBLES - The Public Pays is a short from MGM’s “Crime Doesn’t Pay” series; Trailer.

Finally, 1939’s Idiot’s Delight was Gable’s last film before Gone with the Wind made him Hollywood's dreamiest dreamboat. Based on a popular play, it’s mostly remembered for being the only time Gable performs a musical number in a movie. Elsewhere, there’s plenty of comedy and melodrama, but while the film is held in high regard by some, this writer felt it could have benefited from a little trimming, including that musical number (with all due respect, Mr. Gable, you ain’t much of a singer).

EXTRA KIBBLES - The Good Egg and It’s an Ill Wind are two Looney Tunes shorts; Alternate ending; Trailer.

As with most Warner Archive Blu-ray releases, the picture and sound restorations for these movies are quite good. Contentwise, the set is worth grabbing for Mutiny on the Bounty and San Francisco alone. Though the other two aren’t completely without interest, neither rank among the best of their genre or Clark Gable’s lengthy filmography.