American Madness (Capra 1932). An early Capra message film about a bank owner who refuses a merger and faces a bank run. This one is mentioned in the Wikipedia Pre-Code Hollywood article among movies of Depression-era life that involve angry mobs. I didn’t think as well of it the second time around. It’s directed with precision and panache, but the story involving also a bank theft and an almost adulterous affair with the bank owner’s wife feels like a lot of disparate elements thrown together without a meaningful overarching theme.
Murders in the Rue Morgue (Florey 1932). Really delightful in terms of its strongly expressionistic visuals, with great sets and some strong images that make up for some of the cheap effects, resulting in potent atmosphere. This is such a gruesome, violent film for its era, kind of like the great-granddaddy of torture porn. There’s also a fun Frankensteinian vibe to the doctor’s twisted evolution-inspired ideas, which hints at taboo subjects like bestiality and syphilis. Did Renoir get his inspiration for the girl on the swing shot in
A Day in the Country from a similar sequence in this film?
The Black Cat (Ulmer 1934). This also gets grisly at the end, plus there’s that quasi-incest angle and the Satanic rituals. Watching this again just after
Murders, I find it’s a more successful film overall, with a more serious tone. The atmosphere, acting and visuals are all superior, it has a strong sense of style, and the references to these survivors of the Great War as “the living dead” adds an almost poignant, real-life/historical dimension.
Tabu: A Story of the South Seas (Murnau 1931). A lot of nudity. This is one the Murnaus I like more but I can only get so much out of them. The fable aspect of his narratives, and the deliberately simple characterizations, just aren’t for me in the end. There’s a strong visual resonance with
Nosferatu in the scenes near the end when Hitu, the old warrior chosen to guard the young maiden, shows up with his ship to take her away.
A Farewell to Arms (Borzage 1932). I didn’t like it as much this time, but this adaptation of the Hemingway novel is material that’s tailor-made for the director – a wildly agonizing love story as a spiritual force against the war. I still like the delirious ending that recalls the similar themed
7th Heaven.
You wouldn’t tend to think of this film as a “pre-code” but there are bits of naughtiness strewn throughout that
this blog article lays out.
Trouble in Paradise (Lubitsch 1932). Not necessarily Lubitsch’s funniest film, but there’s just as much pleasure to be had in appreciating the elegance and charm of its construction and direction. It’s also still quite naughty even though it doesn’t have the cruder sexual innuendoes of the Ruritanian musicals. I’d forgotten that it’s quite a Depression-conscious film as well. The ending always leaves me a bit puzzled, though, as to why Gaston, smitten as he’s become with Mariette, ends up making the choice he does.