Director: Richard Wallace
The opening sequence of Sinbad, the Sailor shows the eponymous hero attempting to regale an audience with a story about one of his most extravagant adventures. Unmoved, the spectators explain that they’ve heard the legend already, which prompts the braggadocios Sinbad (Douglas Fairbanks Jr.) to indulge in the telling of his most recent exploit. That the eventual voyage has very little to do with the fantastical seems to suggest that Sinbad, the Sailor is attempting to tell a more “authentic” story than is typical of the hero, focusing slightly more on the human drama than on his various battles with creatures big and small. It’s a bold choice to characterize the most flamboyant of adventurers as a prodigious liar, but the film doesn’t do much with that story thread. Indeed, it’s an overlong picture and devoid of enough ideas to sustain the gluttonous running time, even if the cinematography quite beautifully details the gowns and the impressively scaled sets. Maureen O’Hara gives a rare fiery performance, sparring with Fairbanks Jr. early on as her allegiances seem to shift from scene to scene. In one remarkable moment, the two lovers-to-be are verbally sparring before he kisses her. There’s a brief pause as the audience waits for O’Hara to react, and surprisingly her response is to give him as aggressive a kiss as a leading lady has ever given her leading man–it’s a slap as much as it is a smooch. There are some nice moments that utilize rear projection, foregrounding the actors from behind as they look at massive oncoming objects. Fairbanks Jr. imitates his father with extreme gestures (and even his dad’s boisterous laughter) to mixed results, but O’Hara steals the show.
Director: Richard Wallace
As was often the case, Man of the World stars William Powell as a man who is always one step ahead of his associates. A con man and worldly sophisticate, he gets by as the 1930s equivalent of a tabloid reporter. Unlike many roles that Powell would play, however, this romantic drama casts him as a man who is utterly self-loathing. His growing affection for the niece (Carole Lombard) of his target (Guy Kibbee) doesn’t help his guilt complex, and for much of the film he seems sullen and depressed. In many ways, it’s a modern performance and unlike one you’d expect from the era–his eyes are often fixed on the ground, with his head tilted downwards. Watching the debonair comedian play a man so crippled by shame is a bit of a disappointment, even if Man of the World gives audiences a chance to glimpse some of his range (in the silent era, after all, it wasn’t rare for him to play dramatic roles). Fans of Powell and Lombard might have some interest in watching a film released the year they were married, but the romance doesn’t have much room to grow–Lombard is used as little more than set dressing. Wynne Gibson, as Powell’s ex-girlfriend and partner, steals the show with her bitter jealousy.
Director: Richard Wallace
This update of the Joel McCrea/Miriam Hopkins comedy The Richest Girl in the World is a rare example of a remake improving on the preceding film. The original had it charms–Hopkins was at her peak as a romantic lead at the time–but it was ultimately forgettable. Bride by Mistake, adapted by Henry and Phoebe Ephron, bulks out the roles of the supporting characters and their performances are uniformly terrific. Marsha Hunt is always a winsome presence on screen, capable of conveying a certain honesty and dignity with terrific ease, and Edgar Buchanan is touching in an understated role as the worried guardian of the wealthy heiress. The reliable Allyn Joslyn just about steals the show as the exasperated husband who must bite his tongue while his wife plays a bachelorette. In the end, however, it’s Laraine Day’s picture, who gives a tremendously sympathetic, commanding performance as the heiress who wishes to be loved for more than just her money. Hurt as she is by her suitor’s (a merely serviceable Alan Marshal) dalliances with whom he believes to be the true heiress, she still manages to convey resentment for him. She’s testing him. It’s not simply a film about a victim who waits for a man to come around and realize he’s in love with her, but rather a film about a woman forcing a man to prove himself worthy of her.
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