brchthethird Reviews

The Purchase Price (1932)

Good-natured but plain

[7/10 · 11 April 2024]

I have absolutely no memory of watching this before, but here I am. Barbara Stanwyck plays a chorus girl/torch singer who becomes a farmer's mail-order bride in order to escape her life in the big city. What follows is mostly a fish-out-of-water story where the newlyweds struggle to accustom themselves to each other, peppered with some colorful townsfolk. In other words, there wasn't really a lot of dramatic stuff going on. By the time a couple things do happen, when a man from Barbara's recent past shows up, it almost feels a little too late. This was well-presented with good performances and technical aspects, and in line with Warner Brothers' more working-class focus, it portrayed that part of society in a very considerate, nuanced manner. The problem for me is that much of the middle section of the film was kind of boring. Not bad, but also not the best thing I've seen from any of the talent involved. And towards the end, it reminded me of the better Murnau film, City Girl. Good-natured, but plain.

Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV (2024)

"I don't care how old you were. Who was in charge?" (May December)

[6/10 · 8 April 2024]

R. Kelly Hugh Hefner Armie Hammer Bill Cosby Nickelodeon Diddy...?

You have every right to be angry over the things that were exposed and discussed. I would question your character if you weren't. Nevertheless, a culture reaps what it sows, and in the mode of expression most appropriate to it. These kinds of confessional exposes are having a moment right now, and things will continue apace if we don't return to some sort of sanity and a knowledge of objective right/wrong. This particular docuseries started out strong, like most of these do, but didn't stick the landing because, out of fear or ignorance, it never penetrated beneath the surface of its individual case histories.

"In the age of psychologizing, clarity about oneself supersedes devotion to an ideal as the model of right conduct."

• Philip Rieff, 'The Triumph the Therapeutic: Uses of Faith After Freud'

The Divorcee (1930)

Paul was the bigger jerk than Ted #ChangeMyMind

[7/10 · 8 April 2024]

Another Pre-Code standard that I'm revisiting after such a long time it was almost like watching it for the first time all over again. In this one Norma Shearer finds out her husband cheated on her and, figuring what's good for the goose is good for the gander, returns the favor. They end up divorcing and she wears herself out playing the field.

There's something about the plot that never sat well with me. It plays like a feminist fantasy until Norma Shearer's character gets a reality check in the third act, which salvages a lot of what came before (imo). Coming at an intermediary period between first- and second-wave feminism, women had had the right to vote for a little over a decade and were moving out into the workforce in increasing numbers. Still, there was a lot of uncertainty about exactly what sexual equality could/should mean.

Perhaps the most glaring/pressing issue, especially after the age of the flapper in the 1920's, was about sexual behavior/sexual double standards between men and women. While not exactly progressive (by modern standards, at least), one can appreciate the attempt the film makes to see how things might play out when a woman exercises the sexual freedom that was usually reserved to men. Ultimately, though, she comes to her senses.

The problems I have with the film, which are probably inherent in the source material, have to do with the reduction of marriage to a pursuit of personal happiness. This film is populated mostly with men and women of means who are shallow and materalistic, with not a child in sight. Things probably would have gone down differently were children involved... All that to say that the characters in this aren't that relatable or likeable. That is, until Paul is exposed as the jerk he is for even considering leaving Dorothy because of her disfigurement.

Overall, I vaguely remember being lukewarm on this film the first time around. Perhaps that had to do with my own immaturity, or this being an early(ish) talkie where the lack of a soundtrack in many places (and the static of old age) may have made things awkward. Watching it now as a slightly older and (hopefully) wiser person, I still don't find myself loving it, per se, but is certainly an interesting one that manages to redeem itself in the end. And it solidifies my preference (as much as one exists) for Norma Shearer in current-day roles instead of period ones.

Virtue (1932)

'Tis pity she's a, you know...

[7/10 · 6 April 2024]

Although there have historically been tacitly sanctioned (and highly delimited) incorporations of the world's oldest profession into society, the best one can say is that it was tolerated. And then, the women who engaged in it were usually seen as tainted, incapable of the fidelity required to sustain a marriage and its concomitant family life. Periods of economic instability/deprivation have often resulted in people going onto the street to get what money they can to survive, something I'm reasonably certain was the case in 1930's America. All of that longwindedness to say that this was the basic setup for this Pre-Code film, with Carole Lombard playing a former prostitute and Pat O'Brien the man willing to take a chance on her. I felt that the melodrama that came out of that, with an assist from some classic misunderstanding, was quite organic and believable. Although better known for comedic roles later, Carole Lombard did an excellent job in this dramatic role and had good chemistry with Pat O'Brien. The rest of the film was also good, although the ending --like many of this era-- felt a bit rushed and unearned. But then again, when there's tragedy all around you, why not have an escape in motion pictures? Overall, I liked this, and it ended up being one of the better titles in the Columbia Pictures Pre-Code collection.

Wish (II) (2023)

"Every man and every woman is a star." (Aleister Crowley, The Book of the Law)

[5/10 · 21 March 2024]

If someone wanted to be uncharitable towards this latest Disney animated feature, they might say that it is a satanic perversion of everything Disney fables used to represent (see above quote). While that's something I did consider while watching this, I don't think I'll explore that path much further. What Wish definitely is is an attempt to appeal to nostalgia and subverting expectations at the same time, while not really succeeding at either. The animation was fine; the songs inoffensive, if unmemorable (Chris Pine was a pretty good singer, though); the humor in short supply. The best things I can say are that it didn't overstay its welcome and was marginally better than Strange World. But what a disappointing way to celebrate Disney's centennial.

It Should Happen to You (1954)

A breezy romantic comedy that masks serious social commentary

[10/10 · 19 March 2024]

Perhaps I was misled by the last Judy Holliday film I saw that this would be a breezy romantic comedy. While it had the skeleton of one, the real meat was a satire/cautionary tale about the perils of seeking fame for its own sake. While the general message might come across as hypocritical or at least naive in our day in age, that's more a sign of how much we've fallen than of the rightness/wrongness of what this film explores. It was more or less enjoyable for the first two-thirds or so before taking a more sinister/melancholic turn that didn't feel as shocking as a certain scene in Born Yesterday. Not as a criticism, but that it deftly handled the tonal shift. It even managed to take a quick but potent potshot at the deliberately constructed "reality" of documentaries. As much as the media would like, their packaged "authenticity" and "reality" is anything but. As for the lust for fame/fortune/power/notoriety, it makes prostitutes of all its acolytes. Democracy just means that everyone can be their own pimp. What is daring, then as now, is to be a true individual as part of the crowd. Anyhow, while this wasn't exactly what I expected, it packed a lot to consider in its 87 minutes.

Forbidden Planet (1956)

This Morbius didn't suck, in both senses

[8/10 · 17 March 2024]

Though arrayed in the cold, utilitarian finery of what 1950's America envisioned the distant future would be and decorated with a bit of Freudian psychology for flair, the story that Forbidden Planet tells is as old as civilization itself: Man's attempts at self-transcendence/divinization are doomed to failure because of his nature. While a bit less viscerally entertaining than I would have liked, the film rests securely on its performances, production design, and visual effects. And while the narrative itself (apparently loosely based on Shakespeare's The Tempest) is quite an old one, it was cool to see the nascent elements of everything from Star Trek to Marvel comics. So while not my absolute favorite 1950's sci-fi I've seen so far, it was still very good.

Daddy Long Legs (1955)

This Jervis ain't Tetch-ed in the head...

[7/10 · 16 January 2024]

For contemporary audiences, the single biggest hurdle to fully enjoying a film like this is the relationship between its two leads, Fred Astaire being significantly older than Leslie Caron. Fortunately, the narrative goes to great pains to remove any sense of untowardness. Julie falls in love with Jervis sight unseen, building up in her imagination what he might be like. And only when he learns about her feelings for him --although she doesn't know it's him-- does Jervis respond in kind. All that to say, there really isn't anything predatory. And at least, this was less unsavory than similar May-December romances in Love in the Afternoon and Gigi (the latter also starring Leslie Caron). Beyond that, the film is generally enjoyable, although it takes it sweet time getting to the third act. The highlights for me were a pair of dream sequences, one focusing on Astaire and the other on Caron. Caron's extended dream sequence was a ballet that recalled similar climactic scenes in An American in Paris and The Band Wagon. Overall, this was pretty good for late Fred Astaire, classy to the end, and Leslie Caron, who met him with an equal adorability/cuteness.

Boys' Night Out (1962)

"What the boys are out after, the girls are out after too"

[6/10 · 10 January 2024]

With the Sexual Revolution already seeping into the culture, it was only a matter of time before it made its presence felt in Hollywood's most conservative studio, MGM. What might have come across as risque or boundary-pushing then comes off as a bit tame/passe now, but you kind of have to admire the effort, even if the status quo is reaffirmed at the end. That's just how storytelling has worked since time immemorial. For this film in particular, it teases quite well. As is the issue with many comedies, sex-related or not, the third act becomes a little too convoluted only to have an overly simple resolution. All that to say, this started out really good, but the ending was underwhelming at best. The cast and the rest of everything else was fine. Not too big on James Garner; Tony Randall, more so. It was a bit shocking for me to see Howard Morris --best known to me as Ernest T. Bass on The Andy Griffith Show-- to be playing such a buttoned-down character, but he was just as good. Kim Novak, the primary reason for me checking out this in the first place, was very attractive (as expected), and gave a decent performance. Nothing earth-shaking --the American mainstream would have to wait at least five or six years-- but suitably entertaining, just the same.

Rose Marie (1954)

Guess there's more than Mountie that doesn't get his man (or woman)...

[6/10 · 6 January 2024]

Bears little resemblance to the (better) MacDonald/Eddy version, at least what little I can remember of it. Very much in the style of musical that MGM would do for the better part of the 50's, for better and worse. As such, it was fine. Would have improved had they cut the entire Duval/Wanda subplot and just focused on Howard Keel and Ann Blyth. Busby Berkeley worked on the staging of the musical sequences --his last major theatrical film until 1962's Jumbo-- but there was really only one short sequence which clearly bore his fingerprints: the one involving the Native American medicine man (Thurl Ravenscroft, best known for How the Grinch Stole Christmas) and a group dance centered around Wanda. In retrospect, considering Berkeley's Hollywood career as just about over, this was a fitting bookend to someone whose very first Hollywood job was on the Eddie Cantor musical, Whoopee!, faint echoes of which appeared in that aforementioned sequence. Aside from that sequence, the best part of the film was a comic number by Bert Lahr, doing a more up-tempo variation on his big number from The Wizard of Oz ('If I Were King of the Forest'). For me, this lost steam about two-thirds of the way through and never really recovered. And I didn't like the ending either. Well-produced, but still rather middling.

Small Town Girl (1953)

Serviceable musical with great supporting players

[7/10 · 6 January 2024]

A feature-length episode of The Andy Griffith Show with musical numbers staged by Busby Berkeley. At least that's how it starts. Once the plot gets to its obligatory forward motion, then things are a little more, shall we say, plain. The principals were fine, but the supporting cast stood out more. My personal favorite was S. Z. Sakall, playing the type of role he did so well. The musical numbers were also fine, although Busby Berkeley really only had one in which he was able to go wild, that one being Ann Miller's big dance number, in which she taps up a storm on a stage filled with a sea of disembodied hands playing (miming) instruments. The ending this built up to was a happy one, but done in a rather clumsy way. That had to be the single weirdest use of the 'Hallelujah Chorus' in isolation I've seen in a movie. Almost as weird as Berkeley's fascination with bodies (or body parts) in motion. Overall, this was one I liked, even though it wasn't anything to rave about.

The World Moves On (1934)

Hasn't aged that well

[6/10 · 28 December 2023]

Part of a seemingly endless stream of WWI films that attempted to process the trauma of that war or bemoan the fact that it happened and was the most barbaric one in recent memory. The World Moves On falls more comfortably into the former camp, although the way in which it conflates familial loyalty and national comity, particularly through the avenue of financial connectedness, comes off a little tone-deaf. And to be honest, the central drama of the family weathering the tides of time was rather tepid and uninvolving, for the most part. The film's strongest segment was the war itself, which captured its chaos and neverendingness in an extended montage. The film's ending attempts to reconcile the impending feeling of another war on the horizon with the hope that the "family" will continue on as before. But when that "family" is so tied up with Old World sentiments that, through blindness and idealism, led WWI to sneak up on them, it rings hollow. Those Old World certainties are dead, and the liberal myopia that led them into the conflict needs to die as well. As a film, I admire the craft that John Ford put on display, but it left a bit to be desired thematically.

Playground (1990 Video)

A sign of things to come

[6/10 · 27 December 2023]

AKA, Zack Snyder's directorial debut, and a sign of things to come. He certainly had and still has an epic, cinematic sensibility with regard to visuals. Slow-motion is clearly something that fascinates and excites him, and the dynamism of bodies in motion is something that goes all the way back to the birth of cinema itself. His background in sports-adjacent TV programming of course means that he shares some key elements in common with Andy Sidaris, down to the idolization/fetishization of the human form. As for this relatively minor mini-doc, there's nothing egregiously bad or terribly special about it. It merely exists. My favorite part was when the documentary/after-school special pretense is dropped at the end, and it turns into a New Jack Swing music video.

This Could Be the Night (1957)

A solid romcom-slash-ensemble workplace comedy

[7/10 · 27 December 2023]

One of my former music professors summed up the Classical Period as follows: Tonic always wins. As with Classical music, so with this classic-style romantic comedy, in more than one sense. That being said, the central romance plot was actually the least interesting part to me. This turned out to be a surprisingly solid ensemble piece where every character gets at least one moment to shine. ZaSu Pitts got one scene early on where she expresses her distaste at Jean Simmons taking a job as a nightclub secretary, making more of an impression than Joan Blondell (God bless her!), who was given a mostly one-note character as a pushy stage mom to Neile Adams' bubbly ecdysiast, who had more, shall we say, domestic ambitions. The three leads all did fine, but Neile Adams and Julie Wilson were the highlights for me. The latter with her sparkling cabaret numbers, and the former with a well-choreographed, saucy striptease, "Hustlin' Newsgal." In no way did this rewrite the book on romantic comedies, but it was undemanding and, courtesy of the dying Production Code, allowed to be a little more risque than had been the norm five or ten years prior. A nice a little gem of a movie.

As an addendum: 1. Don't date the help, they say. But what is Paul Douglas' pet name for Jean Simmons (that everyone else ends up using)? Baby. Well played, script, well played.

2. It is an unwritten movie rule that any literature quotations/references must be a meta-commentary on the movie's plot.

Birth (2004)

A different kind of nativity

[8/10 · 25 December 2023]

Although I hadn't planned it this way (scheduled this film over a year ago without knowing what it was really about), this turned out to be an interesting, if unconventional, Christmas movie. Not in the sense that this was all peace, joy, and goodwill toward men -- which this clearly wasn't. The main theme was about processing grief/loss, and the hope that persists in restoring what was lost. That is the kinship I found with the Christmas story. In both you have a child who, despite all appearances, might be the incarnate answer to the greatest problem faced by someone. In the Bible, Jesus is the way back from alienation from God. In this film, the boy is potentially Nicole Kidman's dead husband come back to life. Maybe I'm stretching, but I honestly don't care. The third act goes off in a different direction, but the thematic parallels, however strained, are there. Anyway, there's my mini homily. The film itself was well-made and had good performances from all. And the ending was something more poignant than I was expecting from the director of Under the Skin. Quite a pleasant surprise overall.

Meet Me in St. Louis (1944)

"There's no place like home."

[9/10 · 18 December 2023]

Just to get this out of the way first, I generally prefer musicals in the more over-the-top, fantastical mold. That being said, Meet Me in St. Louis has a charm all its own. Its focus on the life of a family over the course of a single year, while episodic, allowed for a deeper attention to character and relationships than one usually gets in the classic Hollywood musical. It should go without saying that Judy Garland was luminous in this, but her co-stars --Margaret O'Brien in particular-- were excellent as well. The title song is justly famous and really catchy, but it's the Christmas segment which really made the half-star difference for me. "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas," indeed, and thankfully they changed the original lyric to what everyone knows now. The only negative I can really think of is that, even though coming in under two hours, you start to feel the length by the end. It won't be a Christmas classic in the same way as others I grew up with, but it's still one I'd like to return to at least once a year.

The Docks of New York (1928)

A simple yet profound silent era proto noir

[9/10 · 4 November 2023]

For my money, this is the best of the three films in this Josef von Sternberg silent film set. It has well-drawn characters, stunning visual compositions, and clear themes that transcend its time period. And it was very clearly in the noir mold, as evidenced by the Expressionist visuals that played with light and shadow, and in the gender dynamics on display. Being a proto-noir, though, means that the world-weary cynicism characterizing much of what we consider classic noir had yet fully take over the bloodstream. And in the story itself, I see a snapshot of changing American mores/attitudes toward marriage as a civilizing institution in a creeping mutual distrust between the sexes which, if desired, could be traced to different social movements which were beginning to hit their (initial) stride during the 1920's (and maybe a bit before). Other than my wishing for more of a crisis to occur than "Will they stay together or not?" I absolutely loved this. And Robert's Israel's score was one of the best-fitting scores to a silent film I've ever heard.

The Sin of Harold Diddlebock (1947)

Early example of a legacy sequel

[6/10 · 20 September 2023]

I mean, who hasn't had a midlife crisis, gotten hammered, and bought a circus?

Once again proving that there is nothing new under the sun, The Sin Harold Diddlebock is one of the earlier examples of a legacy/belated sequel to a popular film that, while having its moments, is underwhelming and not the best work of any talent involved (the main two people being Harold Lloyd and Preston Sturges). The film opens with the climactic football game from The Freshman and has Harold moving on from college to an ad agency as an "ideas" man. Because of ageist policies, he is unceremoniously let go, with his remaining company investment acting as his severance pay. He then proceeds to go on a drinking binge and ends up buying a circus, which he tries to unload on someone else once he sobers up. There wasn't a lot here that was very funny or clever, although to be fair, it wasn't offensively bad either. The best sequence was a throwback/homage to highwire stunts he did in High and Dizzy and Safety Last, this time involving a lion named Jackie. While The Freshman was the prototypical college comedy, this film's major contribution is setting the stage for belated sequels that pick up with their main character after a long period of time (think Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny or Top Gun: Maverick). When it comes down to it, the end result was merely mediocre, and is (like me) for Harold Lloyd completists.

Random aside: Where's our belated sequel to Adam Sandler's movie, The Waterboy?

Arizona (1940)

A different kind of Western, in a good way

[8/10 · 8 September 2023]

At the time this movie was released, Arizona was the most recent addition to the United States, having been admitted only 28 years earlier, in 1912. As the last contiguous state, one can see in it, and this film, the culmination of the US's project of westward expansion. As such, the villain this time around weren't the perennial ones, the Indians, although they do get used a bit. This time, the villain is theoretically one of our own, an interloping grifter who is out for numero uno. No nation-building or common good for him. That and a general feeling of prestige set this apart from the hundreds of cheap Westerns cranked out since the early days of the film industry. The structure and pacing were a little wonky at times, but I thought this was generally quite good. And the cast was fantastic. Jean Arthur played a legit girlboss, William Holden was his usual charismatic self, and Warren William did a solid version of the scoundrel character he perfected in the Pre-Code era. Overall, a really interesting Western that I had a good time with.

Lucky Star (1929)

"To love is to will the good of another" (St. Thomas Aquinas)

[10/10 · 27 June 2023]

The third pairing I've seen of Charles Farrell and Janet Gaynor, and they just keep getting better. While I was more attracted to the technical aspects before, this time I thought a lot more about the story and what it was saying. Among the several things this had going on, what stood out the most to me was the examination of what love really is, and how each of the leads --but especially Farrell-- show it to each other as their relationship blossoms over the course of the film. Nearly as important, there were also two incompatible versions of manhood/masculinity on display. Which one wins at the end tells you what you need to know about which version is the correct one. And by dint of a major plot point, there's also a subsidiary message about having sympathy for, and acknowledging the full humanity of, the disabled. I know I've used these words a lot when describing the Borzage films I've seen recently, but they are truly apropos: Lucky Star is a sweet, heartfelt story with an important moral message, and provides yet another great showcase of Farrell and Gaynor's easygoing, natural chemistry. A "Hollywood movie" in the best sense.

Napoleon (1927)

Perhaps THE historical epic

[9/10 · 18 June 2023]

My first Abel Gance film, and now also the longest film (not miniseries) I've ever seen, exceeding 1900 by 15 minutes. And my god, what a film it was! Howard Hawks said that a great film has three great scenes and no bad ones. Napoleon has at least that many in each of its four acts. There was so much to absorb here that I know one viewing will not be enough. But to single out one thing (really a battery of things), I really liked the visceral and, at times, chaotic editing style during the action sequences that reminded me a lot of what I remember from Battleship Potemkin and the general idea I have of Soviet montage. And the way all of this is brought to glorious fruition in the famed triptych sequence was awe-inspiring. Oh, to be able to see this on the big screen would be incredible! I should also mention Carl Davis's score, which complements the epic-ness of the film in the best way. As you would expect, the Marseillaise comes up a lot, and having much of the fourth act unfold to Beethoven's 'Eroica' symphony was certainly an apropos choice. Anyway, this was as monumental a film as I've ever seen, and I am certain a lot of it will stick with me.

Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ (1925)

An outstanding epic, silent or otherwise

[10/10 · 5 June 2023]

Unbelievably, I hadn't seen either version of Ben-Hur until today (although I have seen short clips of the 1959 version and was familiar with the basic plot). The 1959 version has a lot to live up to, and I don't really see it improving much on what was here, at least in terms of basic storytelling (Technology is another matter...). Everything about this was just BIG. Even with the acting as melodramatic as it often was back then, Carl Davis' score makes it where you can't help but be swept up in the drama and emotion of it all. The two obvious stand-out sequences, as many people have probably noted since it first came out, are the sea battle and the chariot race. I also liked the selective use of Technicolor which gave those sequences the look of a tableau vivant, particularly impactful when recreating well-known parts of the Gospels (although, oddly, nothing from Mark). Overall, this was the best kind of epic movie, where I was so wrapped up in it that I barely noticed time passing by.

Downhill (1927)

Excellent early Hitchcock

[7/10 · 4 June 2023]

One of a few films Hitchcock made in 1927. And, as with The Lodger, featuring Ivor Novello. The basic story is about two young men who have made some sort of pact with each other. One of them has an indiscretion (implied sexual) with a young lady and Ivor Novello takes the fall for it, resulting in him being expelled from school, and his hopes of attending Oxford dashed. The film then follows him as he becomes a stage actor, marries, gets cheated on, and finds his lowest point as someone who dances with female customers for money in a French music hall. More so than other Hitchcock films, at least his earlier ones, this one takes you on an emotional journey. Not that you aren't taken on a similar journey in his suspense thrillers, but this one went beyond mere sensation and explored a single character's journey in a way I don't think you see much of in this era of filmmaking. Part of the reason for the emotional resonance is the natural feeling evoked by homecoming, making this story kind of a riff on the Prodigal Son narrative in the Gospels (although the instigating circumstances are quite different). To this point, Hitchcock also makes use of circles as a visual motif. And to further put the viewer in his shoes, there are a number of uses of first person POV that were probably quite innovative at the time. I went into this with no real expectation, and I came out at the end of it with this being my second favorite Hitchcock silent (so far). Not exactly a masterpiece, but a highly effective dramatic story with some visual panache that bodes well for the other Hitchcock silents I have coming up.

Dinosaur (2000)

Impressive technical achievement

[6/10 · 30 May 2023]

Disney kicked off the new millenium with their first all-CG animated motion picture, so its place in the history books will be assured based on that alone. As for the story itself, it was hardly original, having been cobbled together from elements and themes better done by Disney and other studios. Still, those themes of survival, hope, sticking together, etc., work for a reason. At the time, the animation must have been close to the best the industry could do, although it is not appreciably better than similar animation in older films like Jurassic Park and Jumanji. To be fair, it didn't look as bad as something like Mortal Kombat: Annihilation. The voice cast was good, although I couldn't help but hear Sebastian whenever Samuel E. Wright spoke as Kron, the hard-driving herd leader. My overall first impression is that Dinosaur is easier to appreciate than love. Something more important for its historical position than anything it brought to the storytelling table.

The Temptress (1926)

The template for Garbo's Hollywood career

[8/10 · 26 May 2023]

Garbo's second American film, and one that provided the template for much of her acting career going forward. She would play some variation on an alluring, mysterious woman whose seductive charms brought men to ruin. Ultimately, though, given the morality of the time (and, to my mind, the true one), the woman must herself eventually fall, either to the point of destitution (as here), or death (like in Flesh and the Devil). The religious overtones are a bit much, to be fair, but completely understandable given the narrative and moral framework they operated in. Thematic content aside, The Temptress is also just a well-made film. The drama and pacing are excellent, and cinematographer William Daniels captured some powerful and beautiful images. For me, the most memorable ones are a Paris dinner party where the host ends up committing suicide, and a whip fight between the male lead and an Argentinian bandit. In the latter, intercutting between the fight and Garbo's arousal in reaction to it was quite effective. There were also some great wide shots of the Patagonian Desert. Overall, I'd place this a little below Flesh and the Devil, but it was still very good and entertaining.