Customer Reviews

Show Boat [Magnólia - O Barco DAS Ilusões] (1936), Import

5 star:		(40)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This film version of "Show Boat," while not perfect, is the best one available. Not only does it follow the story more closely (except for the end) but it also preserves three performances by members of the original Broadway cast -- Sammy White, Charles Winninger, and Helen Morgan. White is very good, his frenetic dancing a highlight, and Winninger is a real winner as Andy. However, Morgan's performance is a revelation -- we get a chance for once to sample a bit of musical theatre history first-hand. She is what Kern and Hammerstein originally intended, a frail, touching, tender Julie, who also sings her songs in the original soprano keys. In addition to this, Irene Dunne as Magnolia is lovely (she took over the role on Broadway from Norma Terris, the original Magnolia), and we are truly lucky to have Paul Robeson's Joe, the original choice for the role. You can hardly get closer to authenticity than this cast, and the entire production was supervised by Kern and Hammerstein themselves. This film is the one to own if you want the best "Show Boat."

I'm grateful now that I saw the Keel-Grayson version from the 1950s
first. Had I seen it after the 1936 version, I'm not sure if I could
have handled the letdown. Remarkably, the recent film based on the
life of James Whale, director of the original
"Frankenstein," made little mention of this film, one
Hollywood's historic achievements. This film has charm, pacing, a
blend of cinematic and musical values, and above all a supreme
performance by one of Hollywood's underrated, virtuosic actresses,
Irene Dunne. Her version of "Can't Help Loving the Man"
came as a revelation, capturing all of the bluesy, folksy charm of the
tune and setting it in the African-American context Kern had in mind.
Those viewers who are so indoctrinated by "political
correctness" as to experience knee-jerk reactions to any
"white" intepretations of the pain/joy of black culture will
simply have to remain content in their segregated righteousness. The
musical is about the integration of the races, and Dunne's
"shuffle dance" celebrates her innocent joy over black
traditions and her assimilation of them, to the approval of those
characters who assumed such music and dance was off-limits to white
folk. The musical is also about the assimilation of musical styles,
and Dunne's rendition of "You Are Love" is a lovely
expression of Kern's operatic, European roots. The only major
disappointment in this fast-paced film is the omission of the
standard, "Why Do I Love You"?

Sadly not available yet on DVD, the classic black-and-white 1936 version of the seminal 1927 Oscar Hammerstein-Jerome Kern musical is rarely seen these days since it's been overshadowed by the far more elaborate 1951 MGM color remake (which is on DVD). That's a shame since this one is like a piece of cameo jewelry from a bygone era, a sublimely entertaining piece of Americana so naïve in its approach that its pervasive use of racial stereotypes comes across more as quaint than demoralizing.

Directed by James Whale (the protagonist of 1998's Gods and Monsters and most famous for his 1931 classic, Frankenstein), it's a multi-generational story that starts with the Hawks family who runs a variety entertainment showboat in the 1880's. The jovial Captain Andy is the boat's impresario who is constantly goaded by his mean-spirited wife Parthy. They have a musically inclined daughter Magnolia who is best friends with the show's star, mulatto chanteuse Julie LaVerne. The local sheriff forces Julie out of the show for being half-black. Andy has Magnolia take her place just as gambler Gaylord Ravenal comes to town and becomes recruited as the show's leading man. Gaylord and Magnolia fall immediately in love, marry, move to Chicago and have a girl they named Kim. There, he gains and loses a fortune and then leaves Magnolia and Kim. Over the years, Magnolia becomes a big stage star and passes the torch to Kim.

The music, of course, is unbeatable with standards, chief among them "Make Believe", "Can't Help Lovin' That Man" and "You Are Love". Even though Irene Dunne was in her late thirties when she made this film, she amazingly gets away with the first half where she plays Magnolia as an ingénue. What's more, she was the rare actress who could act and sing (quite beautifully) at the same time, even when she is required to perform in blackface in "Gallivantin' Around". Allan Jones is a fine singer as Gaylord, though not as interesting an actor especially in the second half when misfortune takes over. When they sing "You Are Love" together, it's still quite magical.

What a treat to be able to see the redoubtable Paul Robeson as Joe singing "Ol' Man River" so powerfully (and filmed with an intriguing montage of woeful images), as well as legendary torch singer Helen Morgan play Julie and perform her signature song, "Bill", so touchingly. Familiar character actor Charles Winninger probably has his best role as Captain Andy, while Hattie McDaniel plays Joe's forceful wife Queenie in a performance as good as her Mammy in Gone with the Wind. The film is really an intriguing mix of melodrama and great music with socially relevant observations regarding racism, alcoholism and gambling addiction.

Jerome Kern's and Oscar Hammerstein's SHOWBOAT is a landmark Broadway musical. It was brought to the screen in 1936 by Universal Studios with most of it's drama, joy, and heartbreak intact. James Whale (BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN, THE INVISIBLE MAN) might seem an odd choice for this project, yet his direction hits the mark: realistic and gritty when it needs to be, stylized and theatrical when it can afford to be. The film is blessed with a magnificent cast, most of whom had previously played their roles on stage: Irene Dunne played Magnolia in the 1927 touring company, Allan Jones appeared as Ravenal in summer stock, and Paul Robeson starred as Joe in the 1928 London production and then again in the 1932 Broadway revival. Charles Winninger, Helen Morgan, and the underrated Sammy White starred in the 1927 and 1932 Broadway productions and understand their characters thoroughly. White's eccentric dancing is hilarious and Morgan's turn as the tragic Julie may well have you fighting back tears. While some favorite songs are missing, three were written specifically for the movie; one of them,"I Have The Room Above Her," found it's way into the recent Broadway revival directed by Harold Prince. SHOWBOAT isn't perfect: Hammerstein's screenplay unnecessarily alters the final section of the story, and Irene Dunne's performance in blackface of "Gallivantin' Around" might possibly offend some in this day and age. But SHOWBOAT has so much to delight and engage the viewer that these minor flaws can, and should, be overlooked. By the way, keep an eye open for Eddie "Rochester" Anderson in the opening scenes.

SHOW BOAT was one of the most original musicals of the 1930s and was, indeed, years ahead of its time. One has to compare it with all of the other movie musicals of its decade to realize just how unusual it was. Most other musicals of the decade were focused on the musical theater (think of all those Busby Berkeley musicals) or contained a heavy element of romantic comedy. There is certainly some of both of those elements in SHOW BOAT, but it completely exploded the boundaries that restricted the other films. There is an epic quality to SHOW BOAT that is completely missing in the other films, as well as a sense of Americana.

Virtually no one who sees this and the later MGM version will prefer the latter. This black and white version has a visual dynamism and energy completely lacking in the MGM color one. The editing is crisp and often startling, and the screen often shifts from one performer's face to another when one least anticipates it. The vitality the film emits carries the viewer along with it, something that can hardly be said of the later version. I even prefer the performances of the famous numbers, not least because MGM seemed determine to make each one more of a big performance number, which oddly had the effect of making them seem less personal and more remote. Even the greatest performance in the 1951 version, that of the great William Warfield as Joe, is surpassed by Paul Robeson's performance, more on the strength of his personality than his singing ability (Warfield was one of the truly great lieder singers of the past half century, but Robeson was both a great singer and a great actor).

The cast of the 1936 film also far surpasses that of the 1951 one. Irene Dunne was a much better actress than Kathryn Grayson and was, therefore, able to imbue Magnolia Hawks with far more depth. Though Allan Jones and Howard Keel are comparable, in every instance I would take the performer from the 1936 version over the later one. It is with a sense almost of regret that one watches Paul Robeson in this one. They added the song "Ah Still Suits Me" to the film to give Robeson a larger role, but even so one wishes that his screen time had been doubled. Robeson was, by any standard, one of the most amazing Americans of the 20th century, and is perhaps less well known than he deserves to be by the fact that he seemed to be capable of doing everything well. His resume seems impossible. He was Phi Beta Cappa valedictorian in his class at Rutgers where he was also an All American football player, played professional football while attending Columbia Law School, able to speak a couple of dozen languages, and excelled as an actor (both stage and screen), a singer, as an author, and as a political activist. The part of Joe was written specifically for him, as was "Old Man River," though his schedule prevented him from being in the original production. Although he recently appeared on a U.S. stamp, he should be remembered even more than he is. Partly because of his politics (he refused to cooperate with the Un-American Activities Committee) and partly because he refused to be in films in demeaning roles, he appeared in very few films.

James Whale is better known today than he was a few years ago, largely because of the film GODS AND MONSTERS, in which Ian McKellan portrayed him in his final days. The truth is that Whale was one of the great directors of the first decade of sound film, and his disappearance from the directing corps in Hollywood only a few years following SHOW BOAT is a tragedy. He was especially innovative in his use of the more technologically advanced and mobile cameras developed early in the 1930s, and the number of first-rate films was substantial. Most know of FRANKENSTEIN, THE INVISIBLE MAN, and BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN, but he also directed such stellar films as WATERLOO BRIDGE, JOURNEY'S END, and the remarkable THE OLD DARK HOUSE. Like Robeson, Whale, though known, deserves even more acclaim than has been given him.

This truly is one of the great classics of the American movie musical, and a film that anyone who loves movies should know. It has a great score, a great visual style, fine performances, and a magnificent cast. Now all it needs is the appropriate DVD treatment.

Man this is an awesome movie and i dont see why it hasnt come out on DVD yet. This is the best cast for this movie, the 1936 version is the best one out there. there is only one thing to make it better get it out on DVD. James Whale as the director of America's first true musical makes him such an awesome director, you dont even have to talk about Frankenstein, this is his greatest film. With the best song ever written Ol' Man River sung by Paul Robeson the only Joe ever. Get this Whale's Favorite of his movies out on DVD soon

This middle version of SHOW BOAT is the most authentic. Although the 1951 M-G-M version is mighty pretty to look at in its ravishing Technicolor, this version is much truer to what Edna Ferber had in mind. Without going into great detail about the story, I'll just say that the film is about the life and loves of the personnel on an old-time Mississippi showboat. Charles Winninger is terrific as Captain Andy (he played the role on Broadway). The little-seen-in-movies Helen Morgan played her role of Julie on the stage as well, and her performance is unforgettable: a rare chance to watch a legendary artist at work: she would die in obscurity via alcoholism in 1941. Irene Dunne is fine as Magnolia, few movie-goers know that she was a professional singer as well as a fine dramatic actress and a wonderful Screwball comedienne. Paul Robeson is magnetic when he sings that classic paean to the the Mississippi river, Ol' MAN RIVER. Helen Westley and Hattie McDaniel shine in their supporting roles as Parthy Hawks and Queenie Joe's wife respectively. In fact, the cast is full of diverse character actors: Barbara Pepper (Doris Ziffle on GREEN ACRES), Elspeth Dudgeon (the ancient patriarch in THE OLD DARK HOUSE), Flora Finch (she was a silent star circa 1915 in comedy shorts called "Bunnyfinches" with her co-star John Bunny) Marilyn Harris (whom Frankenstein's monster threw into the lake), Harry Barris (one of the original Rhythm Boys with Bing Crosby & brother of blues singer Mildred Bailey), Helen Jerome Eddy (Annie Alden in Mae West's KLONDIKE ANNIE). The story had been filmed less successfully priorly in 1929 with the now-forgotten Laura LaPlante as Magnolia. The acting kudos went to the heroin-addicted Alma Reubens as Julie; Reubens would die in an insane asylum at the age of 33.

Someone needs to petition Warner Bros to release a DVD version of MGM's COMPLETE SHOW BOAT Laser Disc set, with the 1929, 1936 and 1951 versions, and the SHOW BOAT segment from TILL THE CLOUDS ROLL BY. If it ever happens, I hope they will be able to include all the LD audio bonuses from the 1951 recording sessions and still photo galleries of the three films as contained in the Laser Disc set. If George Feltenstein is lurking about reading these posts, it would be really nice to get some of the Criterion content from their release, if they're willing. Could we also please have as much of the 1929 Ziegfeld Prologue as possible? And while I don't usually recommend this type of thing, the alternate stereo mix of the last LD issue of the 1951 film (with the Ava Gardner vocal tracks in place) would be a dream come true!
In fact, after BEN-HUR and GWTW, an entire fourth disc of bonuses would not be out of the question.

I have had the pleasure of seeing this film twice. James Whales' "Show
Boat" is a wonderfully crafted film filled with great performances, lovely
songs and outstanding black and white cinematography. This film is one
of the first effort by a hollywood studio to bring a broadway musical
intact to the screen. Whoever owns the rights to this unjustly forgotten
film should bring it out on DVD so that future generations may learn
what real film making is about.

This film version of this story is the definitive version. Please disregard the horrid 1951 re-make of this classic. The more sensitive and politically correct will be offended by the minstrel shows that are part of the entertainment on the showboat, but this is really part of the history of entertainment. Minstrel shows were very popular at the time, and enjoyed by both black and white audiences. The portrayal of the black characters in this film, and the lampooning of them in the minstrel show sections, to me is very revealing of the ignorance of white people, if they indeed actually thought that this is what African-Americans were really like. Also, this was the first film to show black characters in serious roles that explored the problems of race and discrimination. Paul Robeson's stunning rendition of "Ol' Man River" stops the show, and brings home the brutality of slavery in a very poignant and accessible way. But I am spending an inordinate amount of time on a relatively small portion of the film; because that is the only reason I can find that this great old movie has been abandoned. Fantastic performances by Irene Dunne, Helen Morgan, Hattie McDaniel, and Helen Westley make this a cinematic showpiece, and a must-see. Truly a gem of film history.