"Jew Suss", 1934, Conrad Veidt, Cedric Hardwick, directed by Lothar Mendes. A stunning performance from Veidt, even with his broken Englilsh. The film provided the proverbial two fingers to defy Hitler after Veidt absolutely refused to cowtow to the Nazis. The film is of historical interest.
"Blackout" (AKA "Contraband"), 1940, Conrad Veidt, Valerie Hobson, Anglo American/Michael Powell, Emeric Pressburger. Uncharacteristic performance from the wonderful and much-loved Veidt, full of humour, some romance and intrigue. Hobson is assured and her performance belies her youth and inexperience. Her 'love interest' (Veidt) is 24 years her senior. I couldn't keep my eyes off Veidt during the whole film!!
"The Men in Her Life", 1941, Conrad Veidt, Loretta Young, Eugeni Leontovich, Directed by Gregory Ratoff. The film is a double order of cheese, but it has Conrad Veidt as Rosing, the ballet master, and deserves consideration.
"Under the Red Robe", 1937, Conrad Veidt, Raymond Massey, Annabella, directed by the Swedish Victor Sjöström
An unusual film, funny and serious in parts with some very 'quirky' performances from some other cast members. A confusing film and plot but what's not to love about Conrad Veidt??
"The Chess Player", 1938. France. Conrad Veidt, Francoise Rosay. Directed by Jean Dreville. Released in the USA in 1939. A fascinating look at early robotics, with a twist. Veidt had to learn from scratch both English and French and here he is in French after having just been granted British citizenship!!
All these films are in desperate need of restoration, especially "Jew Suss" and "Under the Red Robe".
Name Five Films Worthy of Rediscovery
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jameselliot
- Posts: 57
- Joined: October 23rd, 2022, 9:36 am
Re: Name Five Films Worthy of Rediscovery
"Absolute Beginners--at the time this 1986 musical was best known for being incredibly unsuccessful. Later the title song would be known as David Bowie's last top five hit in the UK. But I find this musical adaptation of the late fifties novel strikingly shot and refreshingly innovative."- Skimpole
Absolute Beginners has an explosive opening that's exhausting. The rest of the film never reaches the energy levels of that beginning and taps out. The music, cinematography and editing blend into a synergistic whole, masterfully done. Anita Morris brought some mature sex appeal that wasn't out of place and James Fox, the anti-hero gangster from Performance, brought his brand of gravitas. While Dave Carger discusses the film's novel roots in his intro (he doesn't return to do an outro), the earlier music-driven Brit films and teen idols that definitely influenced Julien Temple were not mentioned: Beat Girl aka Wild For Kicks with Gillian Hills and rocker Adam Faith, Espresso Bongo with Laurence Harvey in full hipster mode and Cliff Richards, and to a lesser degree, Dangerous Youth with Frankie Vaughn and Rock Around The World with Tommy Steele.
Absolute Beginners has an explosive opening that's exhausting. The rest of the film never reaches the energy levels of that beginning and taps out. The music, cinematography and editing blend into a synergistic whole, masterfully done. Anita Morris brought some mature sex appeal that wasn't out of place and James Fox, the anti-hero gangster from Performance, brought his brand of gravitas. While Dave Carger discusses the film's novel roots in his intro (he doesn't return to do an outro), the earlier music-driven Brit films and teen idols that definitely influenced Julien Temple were not mentioned: Beat Girl aka Wild For Kicks with Gillian Hills and rocker Adam Faith, Espresso Bongo with Laurence Harvey in full hipster mode and Cliff Richards, and to a lesser degree, Dangerous Youth with Frankie Vaughn and Rock Around The World with Tommy Steele.