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I have 517 dvds in my home and I decided to log them all on Letterboxd so that I can keep a log. I want to go through through all the ones I haven’t seen in forever and the ones I’ve bought over the last few years, which have really bulked up my collection, to see what I want to keep or unhaul!
At the moment, I stand at 6% watched (includes the films we’re going to talk about below), which is pitiful! I’m here to make steps, no matter how small in getting this percentage higher.
This post is a little shorter than I’m hoping the next ‘episodes’ to be as I was finding it hard to focus on films and just in general. And I’ll try to make my reviews better for the future too!
I was really in the mood at the end of August to watch some black & white Old Hollywood films.
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Top Hat (1935)
Keep? ✖️
“Showman Jerry Travers is working for producer Horace Hardwick in London. Jerry demonstrates his new dance steps late one night in Horace’s hotel room, much to the annoyance of sleeping Dale Tremont below. She goes upstairs to complain and the two are immediately attracted to each other. Complications arise when Dale mistakes Jerry for Horace.”
I wanted to love this so much. Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers are so fun to watch together when they’re dancing, but this film had no substance. The jokes all fell flat and the misunderstanding hijinks weren’t fun, and just made the already flimsy plot feel extra long.
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It Happened One Night (1934)
Keep? ✔️
“A runaway heiress makes a deal with the rogue reporter trailing her but the mismatched pair end up stuck with each other when their bus leaves them behind.”
I hope that every single person who worked on this film knows that they created a masterpiece!
I was absolutely enchanted by this! So many tropes that we see in modern rom-coms are playfully sprinkled throughout and the romance builds in such a sweet funny way.
Our main characters are so different from each other, but they match so well. Claudette Colbert is such a joy to watch on screen as a somewhat spoilt, but playful heiress. Clark Gable plays the grumpy, yet teasing male lead who couldn’t help but be a gentleman – even if he did so begrudgingly.
The lighting and set production were also really pretty. There is a scene where light shines on Claudette as she cries and it’s stunning!
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The Lady Vanishes (1938)
Keep? ✔️
“On a train headed for England a group of travellers is delayed by an avalanche. Holed up in a hotel in a fictional European country, young Iris befriends elderly Miss Froy. When the train resumes, Iris suffers a bout of unconsciousness and wakes to find the old woman has disappeared. The other passengers ominously deny Miss Froy ever existed, so Iris begins to investigate with another traveller.”
Margaret Lockwood is stunning in this and I love the tenacity and playfulness she brings to Iris. The mystery was a little over the top, but it was fun and I didn’t see a lot of things coming. The last third really kept me on my toes.
The pairing of Iris and Gilbert was cute and fun from the get go. Despite Iris being standoffish with him at the start, it was nice to see Gilbert take her side even when he was dubious himself.
I love mysteries set on train in this time period because they’re great at allowing for more avenues of deception and clue finding. I love the carriage compartments and dining cart; it makes it feel cosy!
Because of the ending and actual mystery resolution I couldn’t give it a full 5 stars, but it’s definitely down to preference and I can see myself going back to this!
Thanks for reading! I hope you’re having a lovely day and staying safe 💕
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