JEALOUSY

Nils Asther and Jane Randolph

JEALOUSY (1945). Director: Gustav Machaty.

Peter Urban (Nils Asther of Storm at Daybreak) was a successful author before he fled Europe, but in the U.S. he has become a bitter, alcoholic and suicidal failure. His wife, Janet (Jane Randolph of The Mysterious Mr. M) drives a cab to make ends meet. One afternoon she meets a kindly doctor, David Brent (John Loder), and the two fall in love. Although she feigns happiness over this development, Brent's assistant, Monica (Karen Morley of The Mask of Fu Manchu), is secretly heartbroken. Then someone gets shot in the head ... Jealousy is an interesting romantic melodrama with some poetic touches that just misses being really special. The screenplay could have used more development (and more running time) and the two leads -- Randolph and Loder -- are barely adequate as the lovers. Asther is more effective as Peter, and the best performances come from Morley as the complicated Monica and Hugo Haas (who directed quite a few cheap thrillers) as Peter's amiable friend, a minor actor named Hugo Kral. There's a lovely scene when Monica first learns that David is in love with someone else, and she goes into the bedroom to change, making happy talk for his sake, but we see in the mirror a true reflection of her inner feelings. Another interesting moment occurs when Monica, who has written a medical tome, inscribes it lovingly to her "friend," Janet, as Janet and David talk of their plans in the next room. Director Machaty, who was responsible for Hedy Lamarr's Ecstasy, does his best to add some stylish camera angles and the like to the low-budget production. The story was by Dalton Trumbo. Machaty also directed Within the Law, but much of his directorial work in the U.S. went uncredited.

Verdict: Interesting entry from Republic pictures. ***.

THE MASK OF FU MANCHU

THE MASK OF FU MANCHU (1932). Director: Charles Brabin.


Loosely based on the 1932 novel by Sax Rohmer, the movie takes the basic idea of Fu Manchu taking over a re-emerging cult, turning the "prophet" of the book into Genghis Khan and moving the location to China. Fu Manchu (Boris Karloff) wants to get his hands on a mask and sword taken from Khan's tomb and will stop at nothing to do so in order to use their power for his own ends. Out to foil his plans are Lionel Barton (Lawrence Grant), an archaeologist; Sir Denis Nayland Smith (Lewis Stone) of Scotland Yard; Barton's daughter Sheila (Karen Morley); and Terrence Granville (Charles Starrett). Rounding out the cast are Jean Hersholt as Professor Von Berg and Myrna Loy as Fah Lo See, Fu's sinister daughter. Of course, the plot doesn't matter half as much as the atmosphere, the creepy sets, the scenes of whipping and torture, and Smith suspended above a pit of snapping crocodiles while Von Berg is trapped between closing walls with spikes. While the fiendish Oriental genius is much more dimensional in Rohmer's wonderful novels, The Mask of Fu Manchu does capture some of the strange, delightful flavor of the books with their weird creatures and uncanny scientific devices. Karloff is fine as an alternative Fu, and the other cast members are also swell, but Karen Morley gives the best and most sincere performance.

Verdict: Lots of Fu fun! ***.

MATA HARI

MATA HARI (1931). Director: George Fitzmaurice.

A romantic film fashioned from the legend of the famous spy Mata Hari, here enacted by the equally legendary Greta Garbo. Mata is a German spy working in Paris in 1917, taking her orders from Lewis Stone. Her latest assignment is the boyish Russian soldier, Lt. Alexis Rosanoff (Ramon Navarro). Lionel Barrymore is an aging General who is obsessed with Mata and Karen Morley is Carlotta, another, ill-fated German agent. The second half of the film turns into a surprisingly poignant love story with Garbo and Navarro both giving excellent performances. It takes a while to accept both of these actors in their respective roles, but once you do they are very creditable and convincing. This probably has very little to do with the real Mata Hari, but it's a very compelling movie. Lewis Stone is also excellent as the head of the spy ring.

Verdict: One hanky tearjerker at least. ***.