Re: What movies have you seen recently?
Broken Dreams (1933)
Will I ever get past 1933? Yep, next movie will be from '35 (thank goodness LOL)
Anyways, this was an interesting little melodramatic movie from poverty row studio Monogram Pictures. Apparently at this time in his career Randolph Scott was looking for work wherever he can get it because he was the headline star of this production. This movie also served as a template of sorts for the kinds of films that Shirley Temple would end up doing just a few short months later that launched her superstar career as the story centers around Randy Scott's leaving his newborn son after his wife dies in childbirth leaving the boy to his older uncle/aunt. That kind of reaction is a bit understandable but Scott's character is rather unsympathetic as he runs off to Europe to finish his medical studies and never once inquires about the boy.
Six years pass and he's back at his hometown with a thriving pediatric practice and set to marry a socialite. Of course, he never once checks up on the boy and the aunt finds out all about this in the newspaper whereupon she takes the boy (Billy) to see him. Well Scott immediately becomes enthralled with the boy and wants to be in his life. Later on his wife suggests they take the boy in as their own which is met with stiff opposition but legally they have to give him up much to the boy's displeasure......
So that's the basic rub of the story there. It's not a bad film and the actors that portray the aunt and uncle are EXCELLENT. The scene in the judge's chamber where they have to give up Billy is heart wrenching to watch as Beryl Mercer (the aunt) really wrings all the emotion out of her. This is where not having a score actually ADDS to the drama as the actors really have to be convincing rather than rely on music to help build the emotion.
Randolph Scott was pretty good in this and while his character is a bit of a boob (He isn't bad per se just insensitive) he's still likeable enough especially when it comes to interacting with the kid played by Buster Phelps. Phelps didn't really have much chance to be "cute" as he had to be petulant and upset most of the time but there are a couple pretty cute scenes. He never made it big like Temple but as I noted above this was the kind of thing Temple was doing over at FOX with a bigger budget and musical numbers.
Like with most poverty row productions the movie is flawed but that doesn't make it bad as it's entertaining enough on its own. I give this about ** stars.
Broken Dreams (1933)
Will I ever get past 1933? Yep, next movie will be from '35 (thank goodness LOL)
Anyways, this was an interesting little melodramatic movie from poverty row studio Monogram Pictures. Apparently at this time in his career Randolph Scott was looking for work wherever he can get it because he was the headline star of this production. This movie also served as a template of sorts for the kinds of films that Shirley Temple would end up doing just a few short months later that launched her superstar career as the story centers around Randy Scott's leaving his newborn son after his wife dies in childbirth leaving the boy to his older uncle/aunt. That kind of reaction is a bit understandable but Scott's character is rather unsympathetic as he runs off to Europe to finish his medical studies and never once inquires about the boy.
Six years pass and he's back at his hometown with a thriving pediatric practice and set to marry a socialite. Of course, he never once checks up on the boy and the aunt finds out all about this in the newspaper whereupon she takes the boy (Billy) to see him. Well Scott immediately becomes enthralled with the boy and wants to be in his life. Later on his wife suggests they take the boy in as their own which is met with stiff opposition but legally they have to give him up much to the boy's displeasure......
So that's the basic rub of the story there. It's not a bad film and the actors that portray the aunt and uncle are EXCELLENT. The scene in the judge's chamber where they have to give up Billy is heart wrenching to watch as Beryl Mercer (the aunt) really wrings all the emotion out of her. This is where not having a score actually ADDS to the drama as the actors really have to be convincing rather than rely on music to help build the emotion.
Randolph Scott was pretty good in this and while his character is a bit of a boob (He isn't bad per se just insensitive) he's still likeable enough especially when it comes to interacting with the kid played by Buster Phelps. Phelps didn't really have much chance to be "cute" as he had to be petulant and upset most of the time but there are a couple pretty cute scenes. He never made it big like Temple but as I noted above this was the kind of thing Temple was doing over at FOX with a bigger budget and musical numbers.
Like with most poverty row productions the movie is flawed but that doesn't make it bad as it's entertaining enough on its own. I give this about ** stars.
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