Was this written by the VFX department? Heavy on effects and light on story, a couple of kids from a poor family dream an angel takes them to heaven and reminds them of all the good stuff in life. To pull this off we get reverse footage, double exposures, stop animation, painted sets, creative editing and so on - all the high tech tricks of the era, which are still being used in cinema today, if a little more convincingly. The feel of the film is part Melies, part 1914 'The Wizard of Oz' - complete with humans dressed as animals - and part the dream sequence of Tourneur's earlier 'Poor Little Rich Girl'. Despite some campiness, the visuals are the most interesting thing going for it - there is some nice photography here.
But what is the good stuff the angel shows them, you ask? Well, mostly just pretty girls dancing in the outdoors, as it turns out. These images are meant to symbolise ideas, such as 'the joy of pure air'. The 'souls' of inanimate objects like milk and water and light are also symbolised, and guess what they turn out to be - pretty girls!
I have no issue with a moral reminding us of the natural virtues of life and the people around us, but a moral alone does not a great film make, and this film is sorely lacking in the most important element - story.
But what is the good stuff the angel shows them, you ask? Well, mostly just pretty girls dancing in the outdoors, as it turns out. These images are meant to symbolise ideas, such as 'the joy of pure air'. The 'souls' of inanimate objects like milk and water and light are also symbolised, and guess what they turn out to be - pretty girls!
I have no issue with a moral reminding us of the natural virtues of life and the people around us, but a moral alone does not a great film make, and this film is sorely lacking in the most important element - story.