In the night, an oceanic light
It is pouring right now, but this morning we had a fantastic sunrise. ![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
spatch got the best picture of it, melding the literary angles of my office into the commercial-residential lines of Somerville. Edward Steichen, eat your heart out.
I watched Pen Tennyson's Convoy (1940) because I couldn't get hold of The Cruel Sea (1953) and I'm glad it was the most popular British film of 1940 according to Kinematograph Weekly because it had to have something going for it. I overstate—I can't totally hate any war film that answers a German "Heil Hitler!" with a British "Heil my fanny!"—but despite its efforts away from triumphalism and some impressive if awkwardly integrated location shooting in the North Sea, it's the most conventional propaganda I've seen from Ealing. I like that its love triangle isn't and that both the ex-husband and the ex-lover who have been performing their accustomed roles of cuckold and cad get snapped out of it by the reappearance of the woman who's cheerful to be on friendly terms with both of them and no more, but in a naval picture it is probably not ideal that Clive Brook's most interesting scenes should be with Judy Campbell and not HMS Apollo. John Clements remains an ornament to every film in which I've seen him and until he's overtaken by the moralistic necessities of self-sacrifice, I enjoy how ironically he plays down to his reputation as a dashing slacker on a ship where he's best known for breaking up the captain's marriage. "Glass must be falling," he remarks to no one in particular, rapping the barometer in the wardroom his mere presence drinking has cleared. "Deep depression." In other news, I seem to be able to watch and think about movies again. Unfortunately, what I need to be able to think about is my job.
spatch got the best picture of it, melding the literary angles of my office into the commercial-residential lines of Somerville. Edward Steichen, eat your heart out.
I watched Pen Tennyson's Convoy (1940) because I couldn't get hold of The Cruel Sea (1953) and I'm glad it was the most popular British film of 1940 according to Kinematograph Weekly because it had to have something going for it. I overstate—I can't totally hate any war film that answers a German "Heil Hitler!" with a British "Heil my fanny!"—but despite its efforts away from triumphalism and some impressive if awkwardly integrated location shooting in the North Sea, it's the most conventional propaganda I've seen from Ealing. I like that its love triangle isn't and that both the ex-husband and the ex-lover who have been performing their accustomed roles of cuckold and cad get snapped out of it by the reappearance of the woman who's cheerful to be on friendly terms with both of them and no more, but in a naval picture it is probably not ideal that Clive Brook's most interesting scenes should be with Judy Campbell and not HMS Apollo. John Clements remains an ornament to every film in which I've seen him and until he's overtaken by the moralistic necessities of self-sacrifice, I enjoy how ironically he plays down to his reputation as a dashing slacker on a ship where he's best known for breaking up the captain's marriage. "Glass must be falling," he remarks to no one in particular, rapping the barometer in the wardroom his mere presence drinking has cleared. "Deep depression." In other news, I seem to be able to watch and think about movies again. Unfortunately, what I need to be able to think about is my job.
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I had understood that it was the Law that all Clive Brooks scenes were interesting, though!
I take it this is one of those WWII gov't propaganda films? You're braver than me. One of them turned up on a Ealing Variety selection and I couldn't quite work up the courage to try it. :lol:
(I'm sorry I haven't been keeping up lately with commenting, but generally: *hugs* for everything else still being sucky; congrats on your kickstarter doing so well! *\o/* And nice photos? XD Hopefully, I will be a bit more present for a while, but I daren't seem to promise anything these days. <3)
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Clive Brook is constitutionally incapable of being boring as far as I'm concerned, but since the stated reason his marriage went on the rocks was not the advent of John Clements but his wife's realization that her husband loved being at sea far more than he enjoyed being ashore with her, then the script should remember and reflect that! Fortunately he is marvelous in Shanghai Express (1932), which I just watched for the first time. Someday I will own a disc of Underworld (1927) as opposed to just the Alloy Orchestra's—very good—score.
I take it this is one of those WWII gov't propaganda films?
"'Convoy' is dedicated in all gratitude to the Officers and Men of the Royal and Merchant Navies. Their cheerful co-operation made it possible to present the many scenes in our film which were taken at sea under actual wartime conditions."
You're braver than me. One of them turned up on a Ealing Variety selection and I couldn't quite work up the courage to try it.
Some of their propaganda is genuinely weird! Went the Day Well? (1942) is crack and a half and I've heard good things about The Next of Kin (1942) and The Halfway House (1944). Convoy did what it said on the tin and the tin unfortunately contained all the things you'd expect it to.
(I'm sorry I haven't been keeping up lately with commenting, but generally: *hugs* for everything else still being sucky; congrats on your kickstarter doing so well! *\o/* And nice photos? XD Hopefully, I will be a bit more present for a while, but I daren't seem to promise anything these days. <3)
*hugs*
Thank you! I hope things improve such that you can be more present; I like when you're around.
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*nods* I've seen him in three of the Ealing Rarities so far (I think, I might be forgetting one), and he was definitely never dull. The Ware Case (1938) was particularly non-boring. (I'm not sure it was a good film, but it was not dull; it was like three different films by turn.)
I checked to see which one it was I didn't watch & it was The Big Blockade (1942), described on the back as a "wartime propaganda docu-drama" about the effects of the Allied blockade of Nazi Germany, and I felt that 3/4 films watched was a fine total for Vol.2. XD I think Went the Day Well is one of several films that you've recommended to me and I snagged via Talking Pictures and am still awaiting sufficient strength to watch at some point.
Btw, one of the side-effects of making gifs on tumblr is that now sometimes people attach them to their own posts and I get a little notification, and yesterday I got this and was amused, because clearly Silver is lurking about sending anon asks...
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You have mentioned that one to me! It hasn't turned up anywhere I can see it yet, but it's on my radar.
I checked to see which one it was I didn't watch & it was The Big Blockade (1942), described on the back as a "wartime propaganda docu-drama" about the effects of the Allied blockade of Nazi Germany, and I felt that 3/4 films watched was a fine total for Vol.2.
I might watch it just for the cast, but I don't blame your decision.
and yesterday I got this and was amused, because clearly Silver is lurking about sending anon asks...
That's adorable.
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I think the trouble with the films I've seen is that they're not called Ealing Rarities for nothing!
That's adorable.
XD Silver, you're not very anonymous!! Try harder.