Forbidden Hollywood Collection Volume 3

One has to admit that not all of these six pictures directed by William Wellman are masterpieces. But it is nevertheless fascinating that "Wild Bill" was able to turn a mediocre script within a limited time schedule and budget to good, vivid, fast-moving entertainment. And one should honour TCM to have made these six pre-code B-pictures available in good quality and with English subtitles. Therefore, I will rate the entire collection five stars, even if not any of the movies deserves this highest score. Note that three of the six pictures are accompanied by an audio commentary and that the fourth DVD contains two Wellman-documentaries (60 and 90 minutes long) which are both worth watching. I will now give some indications about the six movies:"Wild Boys Of The Road" (1933) is one of two films in this collection dealing with the not-so-great depression. It gives a deep and realistic insight in the mass phenomenon of juveniles roaming through the country, trying to escape poverty and founding their own half-legal colonies, sometimes battling with the representatives of the public order. It is valuable that Wellman is far from any MGM- or Paramount-polishing and that he has the courage to cast only unknown teenage actors who behave as good or bad as adults do - but who are also more progressive than their predecessors (and than other movies of the time). Note that under precarious circumstances, the kids cannot afford to cultivate their parents' prejudice and that they have, at last, equality of races and equality of sex (one tough and courageous girl is first taken for a boy and wins a fistfight against a boy). It is clear that Wellman sympathizes with the teenagers - but this also weakens the film considerably. Especially in the final scene, the old, wise judge who has only to look at a picture of his well-dressed and very fat own child in order to understand that the juvenile delinquent has to be given his second chance, is pure stereotype and cliché and almost unwatchable. As a bad ending may ruin a whole picture, I'd rate it only three stars, although most parts of it are very good."Heroes For Sale" (1933) is the much better "depression movie" which shows the problems of a Word War I-veteran to re-integrate in civil society. The war action scenes are much more dynamic than those in Raoul Walshs "The Roaring Twenties" (1939), the characters are less stereotype than in "Wild Boys Of The Road", and you have not only (as it was often the case in a Warner picture of the period) a fascinating overview of American History and its impact on the masses and the working class, but also great performances of Richard Barthelmess, Aline MacMahon and Loretta Young. Five stars without any hesitation.While Loretta Young is only a supporting actress in "Heroes For Sale", she is the star in the title role of "Midnight Mary" (1933), which is the only MGM picture of the collection. But don't expect the usual MGM polishing! Maybe the look is a little different from the Warner Brothers' social dramas, but this does not dilute the hard-boiled character Wellman was able to impose on the film even under MGM conditions. In an interesting flashback structure, Mary (who is to be trialed in court for murder) lets her life pass by, from the age of nine until today, at the age of 23 (note that the 19-year-old Loretta Young plays Mary in ALL scenes, which, believe it or not, is totally convincing). One may realize that an MGM production, even a B-picture like this one, was done very attentively, with much care for all aspects of filmmaking like acting, camerawork, lighting, props etc. These aspects heightened, "Midnight Mary" is better in the details than a typical Warner Picture shot in only a few weeks. But Wellman has managed the sharp social realism not to be washed out! The young Loretta Young is already a very fine actress with a smile you hardly can resist... and she can be the charming and the down-to-earth tough girl at the same time. Wellman has imposed a fast-moving editing on this picture, renouncing on the usual fade-out/fade-in-structure, but passing from scene to scene by fast pan shots without apparent cutting which gives the film a more realistic and less artificial tone. It moves from scene to scene as Young passes continuously from lot to lot, from the guts to the big shots and to the guts again. Young has some remarkable scenes, such as her reaction on another job refused, where she first seems to laugh at a concurrent, but than her laughter gets a somehow lunatic attitude and turns into a strange sort of sobbing. This is far from the full frontal devotion to the obvious in a Warner Picture! It seems that Wellman and MGM knew quite well what a fine young actress they had, because in a scene, every ad Mary sees on the street turns for her into a "no jobs"-announcement. And when she walks by a cinema, even the announcement of a new JOAN CRAWFORD vehicle (one of the MGMs A-stars at that time) does the same, maybe suggesting that compared to Loretta Young, Crawford could get out of work... Young indeed reminds a little of a very young and less harsh Crawford. Not only because of her, this B-picture is to be highly acclaimed and clearly deserves five stars."Other Men's Women" (1930) is not to be forgotten and/or underrated. This again is one of the typical working class Warner Brothers pictures, situated among a group of railroaders, portraying their work, their private relationships and their dreams. Although it has some unknown actors in the leads, it is more than a typical fast-moving B-picture, because the psychological relationships are very attentively elaborated and the actors are directed likewise. Besides, you will find some interesting symbolisms like a rail fork indicating the difficulties of a man in finding a suitable way of life. The action scenes are enormously vivid for a picture of 1930 - a year in which some (especially MGMs) pictures still were much related to the silent era and had a very boring and static camerawork and editing.The lighting sometimes even reminds me of later films noirs. And Wellman is even able to direct the lead running on the wagon roofs as if he was doing his private little dance of hope and fear. Wellman only shows the man running, perhaps dancing, and slowly departing from the spectator (and his girl), becoming smaller and smaller. He fears that there won't be a reunion, but there is hope, little as it may be. Wellmans best idea was not to over-accentuate this by a cut and/or close-up. But with this minimalistic and naturalistic composition, he gets the maximum of emotion, because WE are the girl and we feel what she feels. A wonderful scene in a wonderful picture with Mary Astor in an almost leading role and James Cagney and Joan Blondell in supporting parts. Five stars!Although Barbara Stanwyck is one of the best actresses ever, "The Purchase Price" (1932) is clearly not one of her best films. But Wellman manages quite well to get along with a mediocre script and even gets a remarkable performance by the eternal leading ladies' co-star George Brent. A nightclub singer (Stanwyck) has to flea from gangsters and therefore is glad to hear that her costumer has accepted a farmer's marriage advertisement, sending Stanwyck's photograph instead. Stanwyck accepts to be married to the farmer (Brent) and has to shift from Champaign to milk and from night life to getting up at daybreak... The storyline being somehow silly and erratic, Wellman's film is anything but coherent. But seen as a collection of single scenes, most of them are funny, vivid, well acted, witty, highly emotional and dynamic. It is worth watching how the nightclub girl and the farmer get along with each other and developing something similar to an alliance... Four stars!Unfortunately, I would rate "Frisco Jenny" (1933) only three stars. It suffers from the same disease as "The Purchase Price": In these two pictures, Wellman is very good in giving attention to single scenes, but neglects the film as a whole, i.e. its coherence. This leads to a greater disadvantage in "Frisco Jenny". While it is clear that the outline of "The Purchase Price" is silly, "Frisco Jenny" wants to turn into a drama in the last twenty minutes, which totally fails. Jenny (Ruth Chatterton) is a typical pre-code-character and Wellman is good at providing a deep insight into a San Francisco brothel just by little hints portraying the daily work of the whores. They swallow oil not to be too disgusted (nice symbolism, because oil won't let any other ... [let's call it liquid] pass through and mix), they mark those who are already ripped off by a piece of chalk, they give their customers the keys for their rooms, but never forget to make them drunk enough to get it back in time... It is to be honored that Wellman shows these things with neither sensationalism nor bigotry, but with remarkable implicitness. Thus it appears to be a job as any other and the whores are portrayed just as ordinary people. Jenny becomes their boss after her father's death, but soon she has to leave the brothel and the film follows her "career" for 25 years. Unfortunately, Chatterton is not Stanwyck and her "scandalous" behavior is always a little too one-dimensional and obvious. Therefore the first third of the movie is its best part and it becomes weaker when the plot turns away from the group of whores and concentrates on Jenny. During these 25 years, Jenny/Chatterton never seems to get older, and finally, her decline and atonement is far too abrupt to be convincing. The story of her illegitimate son who becomes a public prosecutor and seeks the death penalty for Jenny (not knowing her being his own mother) is pure cliché and all but credible. This makes me rate it three stars, although it deserved five for the first and four for the second act.

All six of the entries in this set were directed by William Wellman. Since the announcement I've heard some people complain about what's in this set, but I take my hat off to Warner Home Video for going into their archives and pulling out some lesser known titles. Besides, who says WHV is through with the franchise? They have enough films of this type to fill up several more volumes. This set looks at some of the working conditions of depression era America in "Other Men's Women", and some of the worst social issues of the depression itself in "Wild Boys of the Road" and "Heroes for Sale", in addition to the films with sexual themes for which pre-code films are primarily remembered.1930's "Other Men's Women" stars Grant Withers as railroad worker Bill White who becomes enamored of the wife (Mary Astor) of his close friend Jack (Regis Toomey). Both men are railroad workers, and prior to coming home to live with Jack and his wife Bill has been romancing a tough waitress (Joan Blondell) among others, getting drunk every night to the point of almost losing his job, and finally gets ejected from his rooming house. At Jack's house he finds the kind of home he's never had, and he and Jack's wife, Lily, fall in love, but due to their mutual loyalty to Jack, do nothing about it. However, Jack does find out and he and Bill have it out one night on the train in what turns out to be a bad place for a fist fight. Grant Withers never made it as a leading man, and it is interesting to see him in this film, and also in his previous leading role "Sinner's Holiday", getting upstaged by the dynamic James Cagney, who has a very small role in both movies.1933's "Wild Boys of the Road" shows that the folks in "Other Men's Women" were lucky to at least have a steady paycheck. Here the depression invades the lives of a group of boys whose families are down to their last nickels. The movie starts out with the boys going to a high school dance, and ends up with them living in a shanty town full of youth in similar situations - looking for work and figuring that they are doing their families a favor by not being one more mouth to feed. A kindly judge gives the film a rather pat ending, but overall this is a very good movie.BONUS FEATURES:Commentary by William Wellman Jr. and Frank ThompsonClassic Cartoons:Sittin' on a Backyard FenceOne Step Ahead of My ShadowThe Trans-Atlantic Mystery ShortTheatrical Trailers1933's "Heroes For Sale" stars Richard Barthelmess as Tom Holmes, a man who lives through a series of improbable events more as a symbol of the times than a reasonable expectation of what could happen to one single man. Tom is cheated out of a medal for bravery in WWI, becomes addicted to morphine as a result of a battle wound, loses his job in a bank when his addiction is found out, becomes rich through the invention of a machine that is the creation of his neighbor, becomes an outcast in the "Red scares", and ultimately becomes one of the many men marching from town to town in search of nonexistent jobs. Most remarkably, Tom never seems to get beaten down or chewed up by life. His hopeful spirit remains intact.BONUS FEATURE:Commentary by John Gallagher1932's "The Purchase Price" has Barbara Stanwyck as Joan Gordon, a torch singer who wants to get away from her lifestyle. A maid in the hotel in which she is staying has arranged to become a mail-order bride for Jim Gilson (George Brent) a North Dakota farmer. Joan gets her to agree to let her to take her place as the mail order bride. On their first meeting Joan makes it clear she isn't ready to be a real wife to Jim yet, but roughing it on the prairie together and the reappearance of her slimy boyfriend in her life eventually bring the pair closer together.BONUS FEATURES:Classic Cartoons:You Don't Know What You're Doin'!Moonlight for TwoThe Wall Street Mystery ShortTheatrical TrailersIn 1932's Frisco Jenny Ruth Chatterton stars as someone who lives through the Great Earthquake of 1906 to become the head of a very profitable brothel. Louis Calhern is Jenny's slimy friend who convinces her to give up her son, and this whole thing plays out somewhat like Chatterton's 1929 film "Madame X". This is the weakest of the films in the bunch, but Calhern and Chatterton make it worthwhile viewing.1933's "Midnight Mary" has Loretta Young in the title role. At the beginning of the film she is awaiting a jury's verdict on her guilt in a murder case. As she waits she looks back on her life from her being wrongfully convicted of a theft and sent to reform school, to getting involved with an older man after her release, and her downward slide that ends when she meets Tom Mannering Jr. (Franchot Tone). However, the players in her old life are not content to just let her go.BONUS FEATURES:Commentary by Jeffrey Vance and Tony MaiettaShorts:The Studio Murder MysteryGoofy Movies #1Classic Cartoon: Bosko's Parlor PranksTheatrical TrailersBonus disc with two full-length documentaries.Wild Bill: Hollywood MaverickThe documentary traces Wellman's life from his birth in Brookline, Massachusetts in 1896, through his distinguished World War I career as a flier (which later got him the job of directing the classic silent film Wings), his start as a mail boy at Goldwyn, his rise to director in the 20's, his five marriages and stormy career through the 30's to late 50's, with a total filmography of more than 80 films.The Men Who Made the Movies William Wellman, the Oscar-winning screenwriter-director of the original A Star Is Born (1937), was called "Wild Bill" during his World War I service as an aviator, a nickname that persisted in Hollywood due to his "larger-than-life" personality and lifestyle. He excelled as an athlete and particularly enjoyed playing ice hockey, but he also enjoyed less savory pastimes, like joy-riding in stolen cars at night.I've seen the "Men Who Made the Movies" documentary on TCM, and it is excellent. All in all, this looks like another enjoyable entry in the Forbidden Hollywood Franchise.

Perfect condition, brand new. Everything I wanted :)

The documentaries on Wellman alone are worth the price!! A must buy!!!!

Die DVD-Box kommt etwas unscheinbar daher, hat es aber durchaus in sich. Sie enthält Tonfilme aus der frühen Tonfilmära, der sogenannten Pre-Code Era. Es ist die dritte Box, die Turner Entertainment unter dem etwas dramatischen Reihentitel ›Forbidden Hollywood‹ herausbringt. Während die anderen Boxen der Reihe eher gemischte Zusammenstellungen präsentieren, ist die vorliegende Sammlung ganz einem einzigen Regisseur gewidmet: William A. Wellman (1896-1975).Vermutlich kennt jeder, der sich ganz gerne mal klassische Hollywood-Filme anschaut, mindestens irgend einen Wellman-Film. Von den frühen 1920ern bis in die späten 1950er Jahre hat Wellman sich in fast jedem Genre versucht und zahlreiche Erfolge hervorgebracht. Am bekanntesten dürften der Cagney-Film »Der öffentliche Feind« (1931), »A Star Is Born« (1937), »Beau Geste« (1939), »Ritt zum Ox-Bow« (1943), »The Story of G.I. Joe - Schlachtgewitter am Monte Cassino« (1945) und »Der gelbe Strom« (1955) sein. Nicht zu vergessen ist, dass Wellmans »Wings« (1927) den ersten Oscar für den besten Film bekam. Einen Regie-Oscar hat Wellman allerdings nicht erringen können. Dass es dazu nie gekommen ist, dürfte mit zwei Faktoren zusammenhängen: Erstens hat Wellman es sich im Verlauf seiner Karriere mit zahlreichen Produzenten, Studiobossen und Schauspielern verscherzt, – nicht umsonst galt er als ›Wild Bill Wellman‹. Und zweitens hat Wellman fast ausschließlich Genre-Filme gedreht, die in den Augen der Oscar-Juroren noch nie viel gezählt haben.Was diese Box bietet, sind Wellmans Arbeiten, die er nach dem Weggang von Paramount als Studioregisseur für Warner Bros. gedreht hat (bzw. für First National). Es sind Filme aus jener Phase, aus der auch »Der öffentliche Feind« stammt. Sie sind sicherlich keine Filme, die mit Oscarambition produziert wurden. Die Filme sind verhältnismäßig kurz (65 bis 75 Minuten) und schnell und routiniert produziert. Wellman hat innerhalb von ungefähr vier Jahren mehr als zwanzig solcher Filme gedreht.Der Inhalt der Box:Disc 1:– »Other Men's Women« (1931, 70 Min.) – Darsteller: Grant Withers, Regis Toomey, Mary Astor, J. Farrell MacDonald, Fred Kohler, Joan Blondell, James Cagney.– »The Purchase Price« (1932, 68 Min.) – Darsteller: Barbara Stanwyck, George Brent, Lyle Talbot.Disc 2:– »Frisco Jenny« (1932, 70 Min.) – Darsteller: Ruth Chatterton, Louis Calhern.– »Midnight Mary« (1933, 74 Min.) – Darsteller: Loretta Young, Ricardo Cortez, and Franchot Tone [Extras: Audiokommentar der Filmhistoriker Jeffrey Vance und Tony Maietta, Kurzfilm: »The Studio Murder Mystery« (1932), Kurzfilm: »Goofy Movies Number One« (1933), Cartoon »Bosko's Parlor Pranks« (1934)]Disc 3:– »Heroes for Sale« (1933, 71 Min.) – Darsteller: Richard Barthelmess, Aline MacMahon, Loretta Young, Gordon Westcott [Extra: Audiokommentar von Filmhistoriker John Gallagher]– »Wild Boys of the Road« (1933, 68 Min.) – Darsteller: Frankie Darro, Edwin Phillips, Rochelle Hudson [Extras: Audiokommentar von William Wellman, Jr. und Filmhistoriker Frank Thompson; Kurzfilm: »The Trans-Atlantic Mystery« (1932), Cartoons: »One Step Ahead of My Shadow« (1933) und »Sittin' on a Backyard Fence« (1933)]Disc 4:– »Wild Bill: Hollywood Maverick« (1995, 94 Min.) – Regie: Todd Robinson.– »The Men Who Made the Movies: William A. Wellman« (1973, 58 Min.) Regie: Richard Schickel.Von den sechs Filmen, die die ersten drei Discs bieten, ist nicht jeder ein Volltreffer. »Other Men's Women« und »Frisco Jenny« sind von der Story her sogar regelrecht belanglos. Doch es ist überaus hilfreich, all diese Filme im Zusammenhang sehen zu können. Auch den Filmen, die ihn inhaltlich nicht sonderlich interessiert haben dürften, prägt Wellman seinen Stil auf. Stets drängt die Handlung dynamisch voran, und immer herrscht eine Lakonie vor, die die emotionalen Momente gerade dadurch hervortreten lässt, dass der Zuschauer nicht mit filmischen ›Gefühlsverstärkern‹ bombardiert wird.Die Highlights dieser Sammlung sind die beiden Filme, in denen Wellman die Depression Era thematisiert: »Heroes for Sale« und »Wild Boys of the Road«. Für letzteren bringt Martin Scorsese – ohnehin ein Wellman-Bewunderer – immer wieder seine Wertschätzung zum Ausdruck. Bemerkenswert ist aber auch »Midnight Mary« mit Loretta Young. Es ist kein Zufall, dass dies die drei Filme sind, für die Audiokommentare zur Verfügung stehen. Der Barbara-Stanwyck-Film »The Purchase Price« leidet etwas unter einem wirren Drehbuch, fügt sich thematisch aber gut in den Kreis der übrigen Filme, – auch hier ein Frauenschicksal vor dem Hintergrund der Wirtschaftskrise.Die vierte Disc bietet zwei Filme über William Wellman. Der erste der beiden ist von Wellmans Sohn produziert worden, der sich auch sonst rührend um das filmische Erbe seines Vaters bemüht. Der von Todd Robinson geschriebene und inszenierte Film hat das biographische Standardformat: Chronologisch geht man Leben und Werk entlang der wichtigsten Etappen durch. Man sieht etliche Talking Heads (Wellman-Schauspieler und sonstige Mitarbeiter), die vor allem rühmende Worte finden. Dazu werden die wichtigsten Filme und deren Entstehungs- und Rezeptionskontexte rekapituliert. Trotz der sehr einseitigen Haltung des Films erfährt man doch recht viel über Person und Werk. Interessanter ist aber der zweite, schon über vierzig Jahre alte Film von Richard Schickel. Er präsentiert ein Gespräch mit dem alten Wellman, ungefähr zwei Jahre vor seinem Tod. Zwischen den einzelnen Gesprächssegmenten sind kurze präzise Berichte zu einzelnen Lebensabschnitten und vor allem Filmen eingeschoben. Das Gespräch ist nicht allein wegen des Inhalts der Aussagen von Wellman hoch interessant, sondern auch aufgrund der Art, wie er sich und seine Erinnerungen präsentiert. Die Lebhaftigkeit, Entschiedenheit und Präzision der Erzählungen spiegelt eindrucksvoll den Stil der Wellmanschen Filme wider.Zu den DVDs: Sämtliche Filme liegen in sehr guter Bild- und Tonqualität vor. Englische Untertitel sind verfügbar. Was die Extras angeht, sind die beigegebenen Kurzfilme und Cartoons am ehesten verzichtbar, doch sie bieten immerhin die Gelegenheit, die damalige Rezeptionssituation partiell nachvollziehbar zu machen. Sehr hilfreich sind die Audiokommentare. Die Zusammenstellung ist definitiv geglückt.Fazit: Man muss William A. Wellman wohl unter die Autorenfilmer in Hollywood rechnen, auch wenn ihm die Möglichkeiten, die Ford oder Hawks hatten, verwehrt blieben. Für diejenigen, die schon Filme von Wellman kennen, bietet diese Box eine sehr gute Ergänzung. Wer Wellman noch nicht kennt (und außerdem keine Berührungsängste bezüglich älterer Filme hat), der findet hier einen exzellenten Einstieg. Wer seine Wellman-Erfahrung dann mit »Wings« und »Der öffentliche Feind« ergänzt, wird die kreative Unruhe, ja Explosivität dieses Filmemachers deutlich vor Augen haben. Nimmt man dann noch »Star Is Born« und »Nothing Sacred«, beide von 1937, hinzu (natürlich in der exquisiten Edition von Kino Lorber), so dürfte endgültig klar werden, welch große emotionale Tiefe bei Wellman hinter der oft so raubeinigen Oberfläche steckt.

This collection offers the marvelous pre-code films of William Wellman, one of the most under-rated directors in Hollywood history. He is truly one of the great directors in its history, yet he is relatively obscure and unknown to modern audiences.My favourate film in this collection is without question Heroes for Sale, starring a forgotten but very talented Richard Barthelmess. Seeing his performance in this film, one cannot help but wonder why he did not emerge as a major star in the 1930's. His charisma and acting range contribute much to a film that does a wonderful job describing the social reaction to the suffering of the great depression, the dehumanization of the poor, and offers an interesting perspective of the social consequences of technology making valuable jobs redundant and obsolete. Though Barthelmess had been a major silent film star, unlike many of his peers, his voice carried well on film, so it is rather regretful we did not see more of him in sound films.The second best film in this collection stars a very young and beautiful Loretta Young in Midnight Mary. I cannot recall a film in which she was any more sensually beautiful as she is in this film. The story may be a bit weak and corny, but this is secondary to enjoying Young's performance and the social commentary of the film about how difficult it is to economically survive during the depression era, particularly if one is a woman and/or background of poverty and low social status. Wild Boys of the Road has a similar theme, and though relatively well done, lacks the charisma or star presence of a Loretta Young, and as a result is somewhat forgettable.Other Men's Women is a sad film about heart wrenching betrayal. Mary Astor plays the wife of a railroad man that allows herself to fall in love with his best friend, and as does the best friend in turn. A conflict ensues with tragic consequences. The film tends to drag on a little melodramatic, verging on embarrassing corniness, but the film is notable for its theme of betrayal, though it seems to shy away of implying any sexual consummation on the part of Astor and her new love. Another interesting side note is the small supporting role that a young James Cagney has in this film. I usually find it fun to see screen legends in a screen performance prior to their emergence as superstars.Finally, in Frisco Jenny, we have the familiar story of a woman sacrificing her child to another family so that they can have a better life. I usually find such films have characters that are grossly misguided, masochistic, and melodramatic to the extreme, and this film is no exception. Even though the film does offer a very compelling performance by Ruth Chatterton, I still have to say it is the weakest film in this collection.Given that these films were all made close to the very beginning of the sound era, I cannot help but marvel at the quality and professionalism of these films. It is a reflection of the high craftsmanship and talent of William Wellman, who in many respects was a director ahead of his time, and as a consequence I have to say these films hold up very well in comparison to many of their contemporaries.

The six films featured in this collection: Other Men's Women; The Purchase Price; Frisco Jenny; Midnight Mary;Heroes for Sale; Wild Boys of the Road, offers a varied mix of pre-code area films - some more worthwhile than others.There are also bonus features, including two documentaries on the life and work of the famous director,William Wellman.Frisco Jenny and Heroes for Sale, were the two films which stood out from the rest, as both had a 'deeper significance' in terms of the point in history they represented - the back drop of the San Francisco Earthquake in the former and the 'depression era' in the latter.I would recommend this for those who would like to see how 'tame' films compared to now.