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Reviews
Boardwalk Empire (2010)
A fine actor in a fine series
One of the more interesting opportunities in viewing programs such as "Boardwalk Empire" is to become acquainted with the actors who play the parts. Most of these actors would appear to be unknown to American audiences apart from the major stars. Such is the case with Stephen Graham who plays Al Capone. Surprise! Graham is from England and can be seen in the HBO miniseries "Parade's End" in which he plays McMaster, a Scot. The only reason I recognized this was because he looked a lot like Al Capone even though McMaster has a beard. I confirmed his identity as both characters through the IMDb. It's an indication of the enormous range of Graham that he can so convincingly play characters so divergent in accent and personality. I look forward to seeing Graham in other films and TV work. And the same could be said of many other actors in HBO programs such as "Treme" and "Game of Thrones."
The New Adventures of Tarzan (1935)
a politically incorrect Tarzan film
The carnage in this film is appalling. A machine gun is set up and mows down literally dozens and dozens of angry Guatemalan "natives." Why are they angry? Because white people have come into their territory to steal a religious symbol from them. One of the packers is murdered, but his death isn't missed by anyone, not even Tarzan. The film begins with Tarzan fighting and killing a lion, and later on he fights and kills an alligator, but he hasn't even got a scratch on him from these encounters. The natives spared the surviving pilot, but no mention is made of the two passengers and what happened to them. The idea that Tarzan, lord of the jungle, would allow the murder of so many natives without showing any remorse would seem to contradict his responsibility as "lord of the jungle." Compare this concept with the film "Tarzan and the Amazons," where the intruders are justly punished and Tarzan protects the "lost' civilization. I appreciate the interpretation given by Bruce Bennett of an articulate Tarzan, but the writers of the screenplay have a lot to answer for in their stereotyping of native peoples who make good target practice.
Tarzan and the Mermaids (1948)
The worst Tarzan movie Weissmuller made
Johnny Weissmuller knew to get out while the getting was good, but he waited too long by making this stinker. The racism is evident by the total absence of black people in a film supposedly taking place in Africa. Of course, the tipoff comes in the credits when the associate crew is almost entirely Mexicans, and the film made in Mexico. Tarzan doesn't show up until 13 minutes into the 90-minute film. Robert Florey has taken heat from some reviewers for a middling job as director, but the real blame belongs to screenplay writer Carroll Young.
There is something to salvage, here,however. Gustav Rojo and John Lorenz had interesting careers, as did Fernando Wagner. Tracking their work on the IMDb database shows they appeared in many Mexican films but also in some U.S. films and TV series. Here's an example of how being bilingual and get you jobs in more than one country. And Linda Christian had to start somewhere. Dmitri Tiomkin must have owed some poker debts to pay off when he did the musical score, or maybe the music was leftovers from Duel in the Sun.
When compared to the tightly written plots of Tarzan and the Amazons and other earlier Tarzan films, this one is an embarrassment. And where were the mermaids, anyway?