Barbara Grimaldi

there are about 14 producers, maybe another 14 assistant producers--and that means every one of them had to throw in a few bucks to get this thing to happen. Saying it is existential is a copout...it is thoughtful in some scenes, but mostly dark and listless. The young girl is the only breath of life in the film, until the very end. I know about Our Town and other books and stories that walk this territory, asking us to value living more than we do...but the interior shots are so dim and dreary...we do not understand what the two guys do when they walk out at night and rummage through whatever. Who has the power between the two organizers is a push and pull...confusing...at the end, i thought i heard Whitman's Song of Myself, and that was enjoyable, if it was his poem. I wish i could say better things about it, and i cannot understand why it gets such high ratings...i love film and see all types...but this one left me cold

it stuns you with its truths...we know little about this event or these people, and this film brings them to life from the inside out, not the reverse...this is about the Panthers, now defunct, and the white police who constantly clash in the South Side of Chicago. The brutality on the part of the police is tragic...and who was behind all the shooting and killing of black people? JE Hoover. A stunning piece of history

a stunning film from start to finish...not easy to watch but necessary to know...acting is really excellent, especially from the main character...i shudder to think this is true

magnetic...the two leads are superb...the lighting, the clothing, the sets--all artistically presented...sorry that the 2 lead actors received no awards...the film won a French prize for best screenplay. From beginning to end, this film pulls you in, asks you questions, shows you emotions that awaken your memories...the ocean setting, the ocean sound, its significance...all superb. Third actor was wonderful as a servant...and i have to give credit to the director, the cinematographer, the artist who actually did the drawings and paintings, the makeup artist--this film is new but it is already on the Criterion list. The last scene will affect you deeply.

Had never seen this film before, nor heard about it, but as soon as I identified Bert Lahr, I looked more closely at the woman who was chasing him and knew asap it was Charlotte Greenwood. For 1931, this is not bad...i have never fully understood why men had to wear lipstick in films in the 20s and 30s--my guess is the quality of the film would make a face all white instead of making the mouth more evident...Charlotte Greenwood was a one and only...loved her in all her films, kicking high as she always did!

no matter how many years it's been since you have seen this gem of a film, see it again! it is still fresh as a daisy, exciting, funny, thrilling--and a unique and wonderful love story. The great John Huston directed, and when Bogart went overboard to fix the screw of the boat, he came up and aboard with leeches that Hepburn had to apply salt to to rid him of them. That scene is 100% real...another classic that will live forever...universal in its appeal and story

this film will never grow old...it is a classic, and Lemmon's acting is top of the mark and Shirley is also excellent...just a superb film, and Billie Wilder's touch is obvious

The cast merits 5 stars. Not who they are, but what they did in the film. So many memorable moments, but some stand out: Vivian Leigh doing the Charleston in an empty hallway; the wonderful actor who said Germany has been good to Jews and vice versa; the fantastic dancing troupe, especially one young woman who danced alone--her feet went so fast you almost could not see them; the dog at the table; the revelation of who it was that jumped overboard to save the dog that kids had thrown overboard, the dwarf who was spectacular in his role in every scene, and finally, Simone Signoret and Oskar Werner as lovers...two more different people would be hard to find, but Signoret's frailty and raw emotion plus Werner's German ship doctor meltdown...just classic all the way. I disliked Marvin and Ferrar--their roles were too annoying and distasteful, which means they did the roles correctly. The last scene with the two sons--very appropriately placed and moving. No one can ever make this film again...it is a perfect film classic the way it is.

This director has a style that you could not miss if you were in a tornado. His closeups, his fetish for fabric designs...but i love his work and i adore Dietrich. The focus on her face is incredible...she was so beautiful. The film is particularly ornate for 1934 but the sets and the classical music accompaniments rise to the moment each time. The clothing Dietrich wore are spectacular. I could not figure out who the dimwitted Duke was--at first, I thought it was Harpo Marx!! So it was a surprise to find out it was Gunga Din himself! The horsemanship is amazing, particularly because much of the riding and parading is indoors, supposedly at Peter III's request (he is the dimwitted Duke). Horses going upstairs is a new one for me. I honestly had such a good time looking at this film--like many old films, it telegraphs the next part of the story, but i know that and just enjoyed the theatrics the director was known for. I do not know who played the first Empress because i missed the credits at the start of the film, but i thought she was perfect in her part. The men all look like puppets that react to the women...dressed to the 9s and suffering under heavy wigs and uniforms. A really enjoyable old film if you enjoy seeing directors at work and adore seeing film goddesses in their very first roles. Dietrich goes from an awe-struck teenager to a wiser woman to an Empress--you will never forget how Von Sternberg had her put on the facial expression that closes the film.