MACAO (1952), just released on Blu-ray by the Warner Archive Collection, is, as the saying goes, "more fun than a barrel of monkeys."
MACAO has always struck me as a bit in the shadow of
HIS KIND OF WOMAN (1951), the first RKO film starring
Robert Mitchum and
Jane Russell.
HIS KIND OF WOMAN is a wildly entertaining ride, but the final act is frankly quite disturbing at times, mixed in with fun humor.
I don't think I'd seen MACAO since I reviewed it here in
2008. I'd forgotten what a good time it is. It's much more even than HIS KIND OF WOMAN and also more lighthearted, though there's certainly violence mixed in.
Mitchum and Russell play Nick and Julie, two people with shady pasts who "meet cute" on a boat to Macao, where she's fending off an aggressive admirer.
Nick lends a hand, which Julie repays by lifting his wallet...but all's well that ends well, they end up friends.
Once in Macao with their fellow passenger, a salesman named Lawrence Trumble (William Bendix), Julie and Nick meet up with nightclub owner and racketeer Vince Halloran (Brad Dexter) and his comely girlfriend/employee Margie (Gloria Grahame). Halloran suspects that Nick is actually a cop and is none too happy he's in town.
There's all sorts of mysterious crime, hidden identities, and more...not to mention romantic complications. Margie might just prove to be an ally to Nick and Julie's romance because she sees that Vince is interested in Julie, and she wants him for herself...
The movie is only 81 minutes and it flies by. Mitchum and Russell have a marvelous rapport; they remained close friends their entire lives. I especially enjoy their scene together in a boat as their relationship develops; watch their very natural way of conversation closely. They're great together, and I only wish they'd been teamed in more films.
Russell also performs a couple of songs, including "One for My Baby," and unsurprisingly is a pleasure to look at as well.
Bendix is fun as the "third wheel" to Nick and Julie, and I especially like Grahame in this one. I'm not usually her biggest fan but this is one of her most enjoyable roles for me. She looks lovely and plays a great character.
Coincidentally I just saw Grahame a few days ago in a theatrical screening of
SUDDEN FEAR (1952) from the same year, where she plays a much less likeable character.
The supporting cast also includes Thomas Gomez, Edward Ashley, Philip Ahn, and Vladimir Sokoloff.
MACAO was directed by Josef von Sternberg. The screenplay was by Bernard C. Schoenfeld and Stanley Rubin, from a story by Bob Williams; as was typical for RKO films under producer Howard Hughes, there was also uncredited script work by a plethora of contributors.
The superb Blu-ray print is a 1080p master from a 4K scan of the original nitrate camera negative. The black and white cinematography of
Harry J. Wild looks fantastic, crisp and filled with inky blacks and wonderful contrasts. Even back projection scenes look better than the norm.
Disc extras include the trailer; the original DVD commentary with Eddie Muller and Stanley Rubin (plus archival clips of Jane Russell); and the 2006 PRIVATE SCREENINGS interview Robert Osborne conducted with Mitchum and Russell. As always for Warner Archive Blu-rays, optional English subtitles are included.
MACAO is pure fun which I enjoyed very much and will certainly return to in the future. Recommended.
Thanks to the Warner Archive for providing a review copy of this Blu-ray. Warner Archive Blu-rays may be ordered from Movie Zyng, Amazon, and other online retailers.
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home