Claudette Colbert had her annus mirabilis in ‘34 playing rich in IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT, poor but determined in IMITATION OF LIFE, mousy in 4 FRIGHTENED PEOPLE and a goddess in this surprisingly effective C. B. De Mille epic. Though not w/out its howlers ("And all that ‘Friends, Romans, Countrymen’ stuff."), the script & characterizations (other than a botched Octavius) are lively & lifelike. Henry Wilcoxon avoids his typical stiffness as Marc Anthony, William Warren makes for a wily Caesar and Joseph Schildkraut, as Herod, walks off with his few scenes late in the show. But it’s the Paramount design team and Colbert’s amazing sense of self, sex, passion & irony that hold everything together. De Mille must have caught the spirit as he’s a bit looser than his norm, even though the revivified Production Code kept him from showing off all the girls’ belly buttons.
No comments:
Post a Comment