April Movies

Okay, so they weren't technically April movies because I watched them on May 2nd, but I got involved with other things and forgot about the movies until I was in CT this past weekend visiting Bogie and by then it was too late. But these are my movies for April, so there!

First up was "The Adventures of Robin Hood" with Errol Flynn and Olivia De Havilland (1938, dir. Curtiz/Keighley). I enjoyed it a lot, it definitely set the groundwork for every Robin Hood that came after. Not to mention Errol Flynn is downright dashing! I was very happy that I finally watched the one that started it all. There were no surprises, it follows the basic storyline of Robin Hood, but it was still enjoyable. Not gonna lie though, the whole time I'm watching it I kept thinking of "the Scarlet Pumpernickel" (yes, the Daffy Duck cartoon). It's easy to see why they keep remaking it, it's such a fascinating and inspiring story! Definitely watch it if you haven't already, it's worth viewing for the nostalgia factor alone.

Second film was "Arsenic and Old Lace" (1944, dir. Frank Capra) with Cary Grant, Priscilla Lane, and Peter Lorre as (who else?) a timid bad guy. I'd seen short pieces and knew the basic storyline, but had never managed to watch it in its entirety. It's a very amusing dark comedy, with love, murder, and mayhem running rampant through the whole film. Cary Grant pretty much carries the film, his particular brand of slapstick helps lift the film out of campy and make it classy (not easy to do when making a comedy film about murder in the 40's!) All in all, very enjoyable and also worth a viewing!