Perhaps because the Swedish silent film director Maurice Stiller flopped in Hollywood while his protege, Greta Garbo, became legend, his earlier films are slightly over praised, especially his calling card pic, THE SAGA OF GOSTA BERING. His best film is undoubtably SIR ARNE’S TREASURE from 1919, but here’s a pleasingly advanced boulevard comedy that wouldn’t have shamed Lubitsch. A remarkably lux production for the time, it’s the story of three ladies & three men, each romantically mismatched and, scandalously, no doubt, the film uses divorce to set the couples right. Tora Teje & Lars Hanson make a fine leading couple while Karin Molander is always fun to watch, but it’s Stiller’s production, not so much his direction (a little heavy-handed) or pacing (a bit over-extended) that impress. A ballet sequence that mirrors the plot shows how extravagant the Swedes could be in those days. Alas, the odd modernistic chamber score doesn’t help move things along, but the print is watchable.
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You can check on all our titles by typing the Title, Director, Actor or 'Keyword' you're looking for in the Search Engine of your choice (include the phrase MAKSQUIBS) or just use the BLOGSPOT.com Search Box at the top left corner of the page.
Feel free to place comments directly on any of the film posts and to test your film knowledge with the CONTESTS scattered here & there. (Hey! No Googling allowed. They're pretty easy.)
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Sunday, May 18, 2008
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