This is the second review I've done for a DVD set compiling movies from before the adoption of the Production Code. So, in order to explain the Code to the uninitiated I feel I'm especially fortuitous that I'm able to quote from my favorite source on Everything - Me.
"The Hays Production Code was a lovely piece of censorship authored by a Catholic Priest and, for some reason, adopted by all of the American Film Industry at the time without question. The Code included such lovely components as the prohibition of 'nakedness and suggestive dances' and 'Pictures shall not imply that low forms of sex relationships are the accepted or common thing'."
Based on the first set I was really expecting something cool out of this one - even though it was from a different studio. Sadly this was not to be the case. While I didn't hate any of the three-of-six that I watched, neither did I love them.
I chose the first based solely on title, "Merrily We Go To Hell". The first thing that hit was the director's credit: Dorothy Arzner. The only female director of the era, apparently. I never even knew such a thing existed prior to Penny Marshal!
The movie starts off like any other romantic comedy. The young party animal meets a princess - they begin to date. Then you realize, he's not a lush - he's a severe alcoholic. Well the beautiful young gal changes his life for the better and he's able to kick the bottle so he can follow his dream of being a playwright.
And he does and is successful. When his play is picked up by a producer, the first thing said producer does is hire as the lead the very girl who broke the young man's heart in the first place and drove him to drink.
This all spirals down to the playwright and his innocent wife partying and drinking and enjoying a publicly "Open" marriage. They feign happiness for a while but it all goes downhill very quickly.
The next was "The Cheat" with Tallulah Bankhead. Honest, hard-working husband. Manipulating, gambling addict wife. Wealthy antiques dealer/world traveler with the hots for the wife. She ends up owing a lot of dough to an upper class casino party but loves her husband too much to want him to have to pay or even find out she'd been so irresponsible.
Enter the sleazy antiques dealer with an indecent proposal. After trying to avoid it for some time she winds up needing his money. The culmination of the story is a lot darker and more violent than I ever would have expected - and the characters are somewhat rich and all – but the flick still only rated about "ok".
The last flick was easily my favorite. "Murder at the Vanities". As a lifelong John Ford and John Wayne fanatic I went all wobbly kneed when I saw Victor McLaglen as the main cop in this murder mystery. Oddly enough, it seemed like this movie was the one that broke the Hays code least - just more talent on both sides of the camera.
It's a great ensemble piece that does an amazing job of constructing a mystery and a line-up of suspects before the promised murder ever even takes place! The title of the film is actually quite expertly used to help build suspense. Told entirely against the backdrop of the opening night of a huge play the murder/mystery/investigation all take place in the wings and catwalks and there's never a frame lacking for activity.
I wouldn't mind owning this movie all by itself with its own special features if that were possible.
I hope the rest of the movies in the set are like this one. If you can pick the set up relatively cheap I say go for it. The small print-out of the Hays Code included inside the case is an interesting read and a great idea, I think.
Pre-Code Hollywood Collection is now available at Amazon . As of yet, there is not a release date for the UK. Visit the DVD database for more information.
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