BEST FILMS OF 1941
by Mike Lorefice

Citizen Kane
Orson Welles

****

Full Movie Review

The Devil & Daniel Webster
William Dieterle

***

Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde
Victor Fleming

***

47 Ronin Part 1
Kenji Mizoguchi

***

47 Ronin Part 2
Kenji Mizoguchi

***

High Sierra
Raoul Walsh

***

The Lady Eve
Preston Sturges

***

The Little Foxes
William Wyler

***

The Maltese Falcon
John Huston

****

Man Hunt
Fritz Lang

***

Meet John Doe
Frank Capra

****

Mr. & Mrs. Smith
Alfred Hitchcock

***

The Sea Wolf
Michael Curtiz

Psychological, psychopathic sea noir finds sheltered intellectual writer Humphrey Van Weyden (Alexander Knox) and fugitive poet Ruth Webster (Ida Lupino) "rescued" from a ferry wreck by sadistic schooner captain "Wolf" Larsen (Edward G. Robinson). The embittered captain scratched and clawed his way up from humble beginnings, setting his sights on robber baronhood, and shedding pounds of humanity as he ascended each rung. "Wolf" doesn't value education; the only worthwhile knowledge is that which will keep you more powerful than everyone else. Seeing no point in love or friendship since they theoretically constitute some sense of equality, all Larsen's relationships are based upon his tyrannical unquestioned domination. Jack London envisioned The Sea Wolf as an attack on the superman philosophy espoused by Nietzsche, while screenwriter Robert Rossen updates Larsen to make him purposely reminiscent of Adolph Hitler. Intrigued by his contradictory character, the sensitive silver spooner Van Weyden takes an interest in the dignity stripping dictator, who despite subscribing to the better to be the big captain in a small ship theory spars intellectually with Van Weyden for the fun of beating him at his own game. Rossen's attempts to maintain all of London's philosophical implications are as literal as they are literate, often turning meaningful into melodramatic by maintaining the dialogue while scrapping the narrative basis. The strength of the film lies in the contrast between "Wolf", who uses his head to abuse, feeding a titanic ego by running rampant over his poor demoralized crew of broken men and hardening them through cruelty, and tender mild mannered Van Weyden, whose money has protected him from adversity, allowing a false sense of humanitarianism. Robinson probably gives his best performance as the conflicted going blind captain who is at once pitiable and repulsive. He's terrifyingly relentless though hardly heartless in spite of never being able to rise above being a wolf in sheep's clothing. Robinson often created larger than life characters, but here he scraps the broad strokes and cartoon mannerisms of his weaker performances such as the hammy Little Ceasar, playing big and small as he needs to and constantly surprising with subtle aspects of his character. Knox's restrained even-headed character provides a suitable sometimes opposite, while cast against type Barry Fitzgerald scores as a character who is in many ways worse than Larsen because he mocks, taunts, and demeans the rest of the crew simply for pleasure. Unfortunately, Rossen switches Ruth's love interest from Van Weyden to George Leach (John Garfield), a spirited roughneck who signed up to evade the law, and literally takes on the task of getting the blood flowing in the spiritless jinx. Though among the finest actors, the love story between Garfield and Lupino is never developed beyond the point of distracting filler. Stranded at sound stage, the dark shadows and fog that permeate the piece are far more atmospheric than expressive, but cinematographer Sol Polito and noted special effects man Byron Haskin keep the studio origins from impeding on Michael Curtiz's psychodrama. [6/17/07] ***

Sullivan's Travels
Preston Sturges

***1/2

Suspicion
Alfred Hitchcock

***1/2

Full Movie Review