Fifth Avenue Girl

 

This is a less enthusiastic My Man Godfrey.  It's directed by the same guy so it makes sense - Gregory La Cava.  Part of the fault lies in Ginger Roger's monotone performance but then the movie is dull.  I don't like to put Ginger Rogers down since she's usually a very excellent charming actress.  This is one of those movies that focus on the rich/poor social status and favors the poor.  A wealthy man brings home the poor girl Ginger to his household.  Then you also see that his daughter loves the chauffeur.  I'm not against the pro poor plot.  There are several movies that do it well.  This wasn't a bad movie.  It just wasn't exciting either. 

Awaara

 

This was a pretty good old Indian movie.  A judge leaves behind his pregnant wife because he says the baby is from another man.  The truth is he's a coward who can't take the gossip surrounding him in his town.  His philosophy is that if the boy came from a bandit he will be a bandit.  The boy starts out good but soon his surroundings affect him.  The boy meets his childhood friend Rita again and soon they find themselves in love.  However, his life of crime catches up with him and soon he is on trial with his father as the judge.  This movie is an interesting tale about the effects that the environment can have on a person.  The ending wasn't what I expected.  

The Magician

 

This is one of Bergman's lesser works but it is still worth watching.  I think Criterion did well by adding the movie in its collection.  It's about a magician played by Max Von Sydow who comes across as a phony at times and wondrous at others.  Bibi Andersson plays a woman who may be under the influence of a love potion.  Bibi Andersson and Ingrid Thulin (who also stars) were regulars of Bergman at this time.  I was such a strange little girl that at 12 Bibi Andersson was one of my favorite actresses. This is worth viewing. 

Thirst

 This early Bergman movie is just all right.  Frankly, I think he showed potential but his genius didn't show through until the 1950's when he would make masterpieces like The Virgin Spring and The Seventh Seal.  There are two plots to this movie.  One is about a struggling marriage and a woman who regrets a past affair and abortion.  The other is about a confused lesbian.  I even liked Port of Call more.  I recommend this only for people who are already fans of Bergman.  

The Love Expert

I love the silent comedienne Constance Talmadge but this was a hit and miss.  This reminds me of Jane Austen's Emma.  It deals with a matchmaker who is trying to score romance herself.  However, some of the things she does are questionable, especially how she plays with her father's love life.  Constance Talmadge is a delight still.  I'm happy with Kino's release of two of her movies and hope that more are released.  

Victim

This was a good movie from Basil Dearden about a gay man who is being blackmailed and his lover who has just been killed.  He worries about the effect the news will have on his career and his family life.  At the time of this movie, homosexuality was against the law in England and more taboo than it is now.  Dick Bogarde does a good job as the blackmailed man.  SPOILERS: I like the ending when he tells his wife that he will need her.  She says needing is more important than love.  I don't know if that is necessarily true but it did make me ponder.

Au Hasard Balthazar

It's interesting how different Netflix is than imdb.com.  If you look at imdb.com most of the ratings talk about how this movie is a masterpiece.  If you look at Netflix half of the reviews discuss how they didn't like the abuse of the donkey and the girl.  Somehow this abuse is supposed to be talking about spirituality.  I'm more with the negative half of Netflix.  The torment that the girl's childhood donkey and her receive is unsettling.  I was annoyed with the girl's character.  There was a guy in the movie who treated her right but she had to go for the bad boy.  Of course, this is the story of millions of girls.  It probably got The Criterion Collection because it was made by Robert Bresson who did make excellent movies like Pickpocket.  I thought the actress though in the movie was interesting Anne Wiazemsky.  She was Jean Luc-Godard's wife for a time.