Movies reviewed this week: The Maltese Falcon, Quiet Please, Murder, Shadow of a Doubt, and Flesh and Fantasy.
2/16/2018: The Maltese Falcon (1941): *****
A joy every time I see it. Each of the five core characters gets so much space to act and does so much with the time they have.
2/16/2018: Quiet Please, Murder (1942): ***
Bloody morality play about Hitler, rare books, and librarians. Clumsy writing except when George Sanders is launching into bitterly resigned explanations of his sadomasochistic proclivities. In this movie, librarians symbolize all that is pure and true about America.
2/17/2018: Shadow of a Doubt (1943): ****
Smart small town Hitchcock character study. Thematically, innocence is a lie.
2/17/2018: Flesh and Fantasy (1943): ***1/2
Interesting anthology style film exploring the relationship between predestination and the fates we create for ourselves by our own expectations and fears. Gorgeous, somewhat disjointed, perhaps because of the studio’s interference — they chopped out the intended first segment and stuffed in an awkward framing device.
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