"FINALLY Some WARREN WILLIAM Films REMASTERED......"
This seventh volume of TCM/Warner Brothers/Warner Archive's FORBIDDEN HOLLYWOOD series finally makes available on DVD for the first time two of Warren William's best films, both of which were responsible for rocketing him to the top of his profession, albeit briefly. This set, the third under Warner's Archive imprint is set to be released on factory-pressed DVD's for it's initial run, as were the previous volumes. I was hoping that Warner Archive would release a remastered set featuring EMPLOYEE'S ENTRANCE and SKYSCRAPER SOULS with two of his other star performances, THE MOUTHPIECE and THE MATCH KING (I even contacted them a while ago), but hopefully these will also be released in the near (I hope!) future. Now on to the contents......
"Love is as useful as wings upon a cat..." or so thinks Tong leader Nog (Dudley Digges, THE EMPEROR JONES) in 1932's THE HATCHET MAN from First National directed by William Wellman (NOTHING SACRED, A STAR IS BORN). Edward G. Robinson...
Another strong entry in an interesting series.
All of these movies have something going for them. I was kind of wary of having to see the great Edward G. Robinson and Loretta Young made up as Chinese but, in its own way, it works as a story of morality and redemption. The leads play their characters straight, not as caricatures. Though the "San Francisco" Chinatown is anything but, it is still interesting and pretty believable. Loretta Young actually looks beautiful and frankly, I really like her in these pre-code films as opposed to her later, sanitized image. It's also nice to see Edward G playing a "nice", though dangerous, guy. Both "Skyscraper Souls" and "Employees Entrance" are the best films in this collection. Much intrigue and "scandal" in these. Warren William is an absolute cad and once again, Loretta is in danger with her morality. The on-the side romantic stories, there are several, in "Skyscraper Souls" are excellent and inventive. The skyscraper in question effects all...
Average "pre-code" selections
This selection of pre-code films isn't as daring as Volumes 1 and 2, but the storylines are fairly good. I purchased this set because I'm a Bette Davis fan and I don't have "Ex-Lady" in my collection (except for the snippet from the film that is used in "What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?"). Also I have "Skyscraper Souls" and "Employees Entrance" on a "Forbidden Hollywood" laserdisc set, so I wanted to replace them. The pre-code elements of "The Hatchet Man" include adultery,"hitman" style murder, and an ending that would do "Friday the 13th" proud. "Skyscraper Souls", like "3 on a Match" in Volume 2, contains a fairly shocking suicide scene. Also it, along with "Ex-Lady" and "Employees Entrance", contains lots of pre-marital sex, which, of course, the Hays Code would ban in 1934. A note of interest is Hedda Hopper as Warren William's wife in "Skyscraper Souls", before she gained notoriety as the famous Hollywood gossip columnist.
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