I watched this version for the first time today and was struck by how beautiful it looks. The sets are incredible and the vastness of the landscapes and palaces are brilliantly done for the time. At the end when they are escaping by jumping over a ravine, it could have been filmed much more easily, but they have gone for a really visually effective and more complex shot. Beautiful art deco scenary and worth watching for this alone.
You must be here to fix the cable
I completely agree...I just watched it for the first time on netflix & I love this film.
filmophile?: http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=filmophile
I agree with both you and Filmophile.
I think the art director, more than anyone else behind the camera, is responsible for the "look" of a movie; in this case, Van Nest Polglase.
go catch the novel,read it and then see the film.there is a huge change in the film from the novel.this 1935 version is *beep* made,the director has changed too much plot as compared to novel.
shareAnother "thumbs up!" for the sets. Those enormous doors! That grand staircase! (One of the great staircases in the history of the cinema.) But one visual delight was missed. Randolph Scott never got a chance to take off his shirt! Think how much the sight of Charles Starrett's bare chest added to "The Mask of Fu Manchu."
shareAgree with all of you, J. Roy Hunt and Van Nest Polglase did a magnificent job on this one.
One sequence that hasn't been mentioned that I must acknowledge is the avalanche scene !!
Top notch stuff for 1935.
I was trying my hardest to make a Jacques Tati movie..
Totally agree: what a ripoff not seeing Randy shirtless!
Maybe Cary Grant didn't want him taking it off for the movie-going public???
"Don't call me 'honey', mac."
"Don't call me 'mac'... HONEY!"
If reading the novel is gonna make me dislike a movie why would I do it?
shareIt's sad that the quality of the print is so poor but thank you Buster Keaton for saving it! It has some of the most ambitious backdrops and matte paintings of any film ever. Black Narcissus will always be number one for matte paintings but for shear ambition this film is jaw dropping. Parts of it rival King Kong just without the stop motion. I've wanted to see it so thank you Netflix. I'm definitely buying a copy. I bought The Golem for similar reasons, ambitious sets. It's too bad because with a better script, acting and direction the film could have been remembered as a classic. It breaks my heart the original nitrate negative was lost. Lost Horizon is similar and portions of it were completely lost except for sound. The restored print gives you a hint to what it once was.
shareand the fire.
I doubt any other film has had so many extras carrying large bowls of flaming chemicals around. The lighting was so well done in that scene. Genuinely impressive, even by today's standards.
I hope no one was hurt filming that scene.
I understand. Thank you for telling me. -The masked bandit
For its era, it is visually impressive.
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