Movie thoughts and fiction updates.
#13 in my ranking of Fritz Lang's filmography. Based on the poster, I really expected something pulpier than a straight adaptation of a stage play. I expected larger than life characters battling things out with each other in a game of wits to destroy everything around them. I mean, look at that, in the bottom… Continue reading Clash by Night
#20 in my ranking of Fritz Lang's filmography. Fritz Lang revisited the procedural formula he had perfected in M while having to (and probably choosing to willingly) introduce elements that clash with that bedrock, making the unsentimental take on a hunt for an assassin more melodramatic than it should be while also bringing in a… Continue reading Hangmen Also Die
#31 in my ranking of Fritz Lang's filmography. Freed from any kind of fealty to reality, Fritz Lang's sequel to Henry King's original Jesse James is a huge improvement, that is, until it becomes a shockingly dull courtroom drama in its third act. I've read that courtroom finales often end up because of budget issues.… Continue reading The Return of Frank James
*note: The Return of Frank James is a sequel to this film by Henry King, so I decided to watch it ahead of Fritz Lang's film. I didn't imagine that I would miss anything important story-wise, but I thought it would mostly be interesting to compare and contrast.* Let's just imagine that this film is… Continue reading Jesse James
#25 in my ranking of Fritz Lang's filmography. Fritz Lang was brought in late to this project after it had languished for a few years for a few reasons, invited to the project by his female star of his last couple of movies, Sylvia Sidney. I wonder if he had had more time with the… Continue reading You and Me
David Vining, Author 