The Story of Louis Pasteur (1936)

While this depiction of Pasteur's life is over-simplified and fictionalized in parts, it still correctly paints him as a man too few of us credit today. I thought of him only as the man who taught us to boil stuff to kill bacteria--hence pasteurization. But he's also one of the founders of germ theory who develop vaccines and helped to get doctors to wash their hands.

A very strong film, showing one man willing to fight for the scientific truth no matter the cost to him professionally when the establishment refuses to believe him. Paul Muni won the Oscar for best actor for playing Pasteur. A year later he was nominated again for playing another famous Frenchman in the best picture winner The Life of Emile Zola.

29 to go...

Four Daughters (1938)

Pretty solid. Essentially it boils down to a love triangle between two of the sisters and a family friend whom they both pine for. There's plenty of quick, witty dialogue that prevents the whole thing from feeling too dated. I laughed out loud in the first few minutes when their father, played by Claude Rains responds to his daughters' teasing by saying, "I'm going down to the hall of records to strike my name off of your birth certificates."

Three of the four titular daughters are played by the real life Lane sisters and there are two less heralded sequels - Four Wives and Four Mothers. The film is directed by Michael Curtiz who had an amazing year in 1938. He was nominated for directing both Four Daughters and Angels with Dirty Faces that year and wasn't nominated for his best known 1938 film - The Adventures of Robin Hood. Four years later he would go on to direct Casablanca.

30 to go...

The Long Voyage Home (1940)

Nothing spectacular, but definitely a couple of poignant moments. There's no real through-plot, which makes sense when you consider the film is based off of four one-act plays by Eugene O'Neill. While John Wayne gets top billing, it's much more of an ensemble piece about men aboard a so-called tramp steamer. The movie doesn't clearly establish where this long voyage takes place to or from, but according to Wikipedia they're traveling from the West Indies to Baltimore to England. Ultimately, I suppose, that's not what matters. It's more about the men's lives and what's important to them as WWII is in its infancy.

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Blossoms in the Dust (1941)

This was a bit of a pleasant surprise just because I had very low expectations going in. It's a 6.9 on IMDb and a horrible 33% on RottenTomatoes (though with just nine critic reviews and the audience gives it a 72%). I'll admit it's far from special as a film, but I was very impressed with the story it tells of a woman I'd never heard of - Edna Gladney. She was a major advocate for children who might otherwise become neglected by the state. We also see in the film her fight to get the label "illegitimate" removed from birth certificates as the stigma could have negative effects that followed a person their whole life.

So, just an average film from the time, but a story everyone should familiarize themselves with.

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The Divorcee (1930)

Not knowing anything about this movie going in, my biggest takeaway was the strong performance by Norma Shearer in the lead. I found out afterward that she did indeed win best actress that year at the Oscars. Overall, the film is a mostly lighthearted relationship drama. It's shockingly progressive in dealing with extramarital affairs.

On their third anniversary, Norma's character learns her husband has been cheating on her. In her despair she cheats on him that same week while he's out of town on business. She confesses when he returns saying, "I've balanced our accounts." Her husband, in true 1930s fashion, doesn't seem as understanding about her indiscretion as he expected her to be about his. This leads to her becoming the titular divorcee.

Worth watching and just a brisk 82 minute film.

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Shanghai Express (1932)

A solid film set during the early years of the Chinese Civil War. All our main characters are making the long train ride from Peking (now Beijing) to Shanghai. While they hope it will be uneventful, they are twice stopped by the opposing factions of the war who want to search for their rivals.

I always find the pre-Hays Code films fascinating in that they didn't have to be as concerned with censorship. Marlene Dietrich stars as essentially a prostitute known as Shanghai Lily who stumbles across a former lover on the train. Their attempt to rekindle their relationship is butted up against his role in assisting one side of the civil war. It all holds up pretty well and is an impressive bit of filmmaking.

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The Pied Piper (1942)

Unlike the last couple I've watched recently, this film is pretty darned good. An elderly Englishman is tasked with escorting a couple children home to London as the Germans invade France. Along the way he keeps accumulating more children, hence the film's title. It's a bit of an odd mix of humor and the horrors of the war, but I definitely recommend it.

35 to go...