Four's a Crowd

After three adventure-filled pictures, Warner Bros. decided to put their popular screen couple Errol Flynn and Olivia de Havilland in something lighter. In this instance, a comedy of the romantic screwball variety. Admittedly it's the lesser-known of their eight films but it doesn't warrant it as one that should be completely ignored.

Released the same year as The Adventures of Robin Hood, Michael Curtiz's Four's a Crowd has both Flynn and de Havilland in particular delivering their lines at a decidedly more frenzied pace than their earlier collaborations. (An expectation of comedy back then?) It's sort of a shame that neither of them indulged in the genre more often.

But Flynn and de Havilland aren't the only stars of Four's a Crowd. Also with them are Rosalind Russell (who would soon do The Women and His Girl Friday) and Patric Knowles (who was in the last two Flynn/de Havilland films). And both of them hold their own, Russell in particular.

This must've been an interesting undertaking for Curtiz. Prior to Four's a Crowd, he'd done the likes of gangster pictures and adventure flicks. (He had yet to make Casablanca and Mildred Pierce.) Comedy was something he didn't frequently dabble in (that fact becomes obvious in some scenes) though Curtiz did have luck within a few other scenes.

Being the lesser-known of the Flynn/de Havilland collaborations, it's understandable as to why Four's a Crowd isn't as prominent. But that shouldn't deter one from seeking it out. After all, it showed that should his swashbuckling days end abruptly, Flynn could've made a name for himself in a similar vein to Cary Grant.

My Rating: ****

Santa Fe Trail

As we've learned over the years, movies can provide the best form of temporary escape. Adventure, romance, the things that take us away from the mundane aspects of everyday life. It doesn't require to be of the best quality; what matters is that it entertains its audience.

And Michael Curtiz's Santa Fe Trail falls into that category. Though it's not the strongest of Errol Flynn's adventure films, it does have its perks. (For instance, Flynn is alongside Olivia de Havilland for the seventh of eight times.)

Santa Fe Trail also features the likes of Raymond Massey and Van Heflin in villainous roles. (It also stars Ronald Reagan long before his foray into politics.) Of course the main draw of the film is the reunion of Flynn and de Havilland. (Which, to be honest, was probably the main selling point of all their films post-Captain Blood.)

Indeed Curtiz has done his fair share of action pictures prior to Santa Fe Trail but when it comes to the western, he misses the mark more than once. Yes, he was a director more interested in spectacle more than story most of the time but that's not always a bad thing. (It works well in some of his other films.)

Santa Fe Trail has its moments but overall it's the weaker of Flynn and de Havilland's collaborations. (And least they rebounded the following year.) Still, Massey and Heflin's supporting work makes the most of it. But apart from some of the names attached, there's not a lot to it.

My Rating: ***1/2

The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex

If looks could kill, Bette Davis' glare would've had her on trial for murder several times a year. (Same goes for her sharp tongue.) This was a woman who didn't give a damn about what others thought of her. As her epitaph says, she did it the hard way.

Not long after her second Oscar win for Jezebel, Davis starred in Michael Curtiz's The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex. Alongside popular Warner Bros. couple Errol Flynn and Olivia de Havilland, she easily claims the show as her own. (Not a hard task for her to be honest.)

Though Flynn manages to hold his own fairly well. (Not bad for someone whose big break was only four years prior.) In contrast to Davis' persistent glowering, Flynn is of a more subdued frame of mind when it comes to acting. (Davis wouldn't realize it until years later.)

The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex is similar to the previous year's The Adventures of Robin Hood in that it puts its costume designs on full Technicolor display. (And like the earlier film, de Havilland's smile just dazzles in this format.) And the cinematography by Sol Polito and W. Howard Greene is in vivid detail. (To think it lost to Gone with the Wind.)

It may have gotten lost amid the many big titles of 1939 but The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex does have its merits. From the work of its three stars to the decadent set design, it's one of several sumptuous titles of Curtiz's career. Clearly, that man knew how to do spectacle.

My Rating: ****

Dodge City

After years of playing the dashing swashbuckler (and in an attempt for Warner Bros. to keep up with the times), Errol Flynn soon started starring in westerns. Flynn himself thought he was miscast in the eight westerns he appeared in (he blamed his accent) but moviegoers didn't seem to mind.

The first of his octet of westerns was Michael Curtiz's Dodge City and with Flynn alongside regular leading lady Olivia de Havilland, it didn't take much for it to be a hit back in 1939. But how well does it hold up all these decades later?

To some, the sight of Flynn in cowboy gear may look silly but bear in mind this was someone who spent half of the previous decade in tights. Anyway, the point isn't about what he wore but how his character presented himself. And his Wade Hatton is definitely of the heroic variety.

Similar to The Adventures of Robin Hood the previous year, Dodge City is a Technicolor-drenched delight. (It certainly wouldn't have had the same effect had it been shot in black and white.) With the sweeping landscapes and a number of de Havilland's outfits, Sol Polito's cinematography is in full effect.

Dodge City may not rank among the great westerns but it's still entertaining. (And not just because of Flynn and de Havilland.) Its sense of adventure gave audiences an escape from the woes of the world. And let's be honest; considering what had yet to happen then, that's a good thing.

My Rating: ****

Captain Blood

Several times during Hollywood's Golden Age, studios would pair up actors frequently based on the strength of their chemistry on screen (and sometimes off). William Powell and Myrna Loy, Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn, Walter Pidgeon and Greer Garson...the list goes on and on.

The most famous screen pairing is easily Errol Flynn and Olivia de Havilland. Making eight films together in a span of six years, she was the calm to his storm. And to think their first union was the result of Warner Bros. taking a risk.

How so? When they were cast in Michael Curtiz's Captain Blood, neither Flynn nor de Havilland were the big names they would become in the coming years. (Warner Bros. had Robert Donat and Jean Muir originally in mind.) But boy, did that gamble pay off in the long run.

As often seen with their later collaborations, he's the dashing rouge while she's the independent-minded (and often only) woman. (Hey, there weren't a lot of opportunities for actresses back then.) The end result's an obvious one if you've seen enough films from the era but that doesn't matter. What matters is its entertainment value.

Captain Blood was easily the proof that Hollywood had a new leading man in the form of Flynn. His natural charisma became a selling point almost instantly. And de Havilland's radiant smile was also proof that she'll be a draw to moviegoers for years to come. Thank you, Warner Bros., for being willing to take a shot at them.

My Rating: ****1/2

The Charge of the Light Brigade

History more often than not tends to take a backseat when it comes to movies (especially those from Hollywood's Golden Age). Admittedly most moviegoers are more interested in action (and perhaps a little romance) than a history lesson. Sure, some focus more on the facts than the spectacle but it's still a rarity.

Michael Curtiz's The Charge of the Light Brigade is no exception. But when you have a film starring Errol Flynn (and his leading lady is Olivia de Havilland), the outcome is obvious if you've seen any of his films. That said, however, it's surprisingly solid beyond its many action sequences.

Altered facts of the real-life events aside, The Charge of the Light Brigade does maintain the viewer's attention from the get-go. (Again, having a dashing leading man like Flynn helps.) As is frequently the case with Curtiz and his films, he knows how to entertain his audiences.

Back to Flynn and de Havilland for a moment. Being the second of their eight collaborations, it was their pairing that was a selling point for The Charge of the Light Brigade. However, the whole romantic subplot feels like it was shoehorned into the story. (That's Golden Age fare for you.)

Though it was quickly overshadowed by the next film between Curtiz, Flynn and de Havilland two years later, The Charge of the Light Brigade still holds its weight after all these years. It's a bit long in the tooth in some scenes, yes, but that's to be expected. Why? It's an Errol Flynn picture, that's why.

My Rating: ****

Mildred Pierce

This year I was introduced to the work of Bette Davis and Joan Crawford. Interestingly enough, the films I first saw them in (Davis in All About Eve, Crawford in Mildred Pierce) had them in similar roles: a woman's life slowly gets controlled by a ruthless younger woman.

Now Crawford's Mildred Pierce isn't exactly like Davis' Margo Channing (Margo is a veteran of stage, Mildred a rookie in business), but they are both at an insecure stage of their lives. Enter the younger woman, here to make their lives more troublesome. Mildred knows that her life's becoming more complicated, but she's willing to turn a blind eye. Big mistake.

Oh, what to say about Ann Blyth's Veda? How about these three words: what a brat. Seriously, is she ever happy at what her mother does for her? If you think Anne Baxter's Eve Harrington is bad, you haven't seen Veda.

Mildred Pierce has to be one of the best movies I saw. It's a film noir and a women's picture mixed together. A good combo if you ask me. Crawford is excellent while Blyth is ruthless. A must-see in my book.

My Rating: *****

The Adventures of Robin Hood

Who doesn't love an adventure? Most adventure movies today are a tad flimsy, but older one weren't so.

Now what I said in the opening paragraph implies that I'm against today's movies. Well, yes and no. Yes because they lack originality way too much; no because a few gems shine out. Anyway, back to that review.

I've seen interpretations of him (The Princess Bride, My Favorite Year), but I hadn't seen the real McCoy in action. Errol Flynn was definitely the right man to play Robin Hood. He has the correct amount of wit and charisma for the role.

The Adventures of Robin Hood has this certain zest that wows people when they first see it. That can definitely apply to me when I saw it. It's an excellent movie that's great for all ages.

My Rating: *****

Yankee Doodle Dandy

There's something really enjoyable about seeing an actor playing against type, whether it's a good guy playing bad (Henry Fonda in Once Upon a Time in the West) or a comedian going straight (Bill Murray in Lost in Translation).

Now James Cagney, as we all know, is renown for playing the street smart tough guy. So what's he doing in a movie where he's portraying song-and-dance man George M. Cohan? Simple: blowing away that tough guy status in a way more effective than a hail of bullets. I have to admit I was reluctant to see him in a role like this but once I saw the energy he had on-screen, I almost completely forgot about his earlier work.

Song and dance aside, Cagney's role of Cohan is a departure personality-wise from earlier roles like The Public Enemy's Tom Powers or The Roaring Twenties' Eddie Bartlett. Powers and Bartlett are both short-tempered and go by their own rules; Cohan is optimistic and flexible (figuratively and literally).

There is a scene in Yankee Doodle Dandy that really got to me. As Cohan tries to talk to his dying father, he drops his head, unable to speak knowing that this is the last time he'll be able to talk to him. A scene like this can make an actor go over the top with emotions. Not Cagney. He gives the scene the right mixture of believability and heartache.

So did Cagney deserve that Oscar for Yankee Doodle Dandy? Indeed he did. His work is probably one of those rare performances that actually deserved the award. As for the rest of the movie, it's a very well done musical biopic.

My Rating: *****

Casablanca

Casablanca. When that title is uttered, a number of quotes come to mind: "We'll always have Paris", "Here's lookin' at you, kid", "Louis, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship", "Play it, Sam. Play 'As Time Goes By'", "Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world, she walks into mine", to name a few. But amid all the quotes lies a love story that's truly unforgettable.

As World War II rages on, some civilians find refuge in thw Moraccan city of Casablanca while waiting for a chance to go to America. Nightclub owner Rick Blaine (Humphrey Bogart) comes upon two letters of transit, just as his former lover Ilsa Lund (Ingrid Bergman) re-enters his life, along with her husband Victor Laszlo (Paul Henreid).

Many people consider Casablanca as the greatest romance movie of all-time. Who could blame them? Bogart and Bergman have great chemistry throughout. In a word, Casablanca is poignant.

My Rating: *****