The 1940s List: Discussion and Suggestions (Decade Project Vol. 4)

[therewillbeblus]

The Cross of Lorraine is a mixed bag. The momentum gains and loses energy in strange intervals - it has an episodic nature that's not supported by the overall narrative structure, and the acting isn't great. But there are enough surprising and exciting inclusions to warrant a soft recommendation. Firstly, there are some creative devices utilized by the POWs to gain small wins over the Nazis, particularly in a scene where Cronyn gets his comeuppance. And the violence is extraordinary, going above and beyond what I expected was even allowed at this time. The very ending is a showstopper, but the way Lorre gets taken out is gruesome, and there are a handful of scenes that startle with brief pockets of suspense. Unfortunately the rest of the picture just doesn't measure up - these strange pieces don't have cohesion, so the whole thing kind of exists as a patched-together curio

[therewillbeblus]

I also watched a pair of duds, the first being Boom Town, where Clark Gable and Spencer Tracy are frenemies in the oil biz. It's dull, overlong, and the romantic leads are miscast and oddly written characters. Green Hell is worse - a short jungle adventure pic with wonderful stars like George Sanders, Joan Bennett, and Vincent Price, all who do absolutely nothing interesting. There's some brief well-shot action in the end, with Whale showing off one skill at least, but that's about all this has going for it