In 1934, two comedies came out that are widely credited with being the prototype for the soon-to-be popular genre of screwball comedy. I'd have to rewatch It Happened One Night, but that didn't feel like a screwball comedy at all. It was the prototype for every romantic comedy that ever existed, but the screwball part was lost on me.
Twentieth Century on the other hand, certainly is a screwball comedy. It doesn't feel like one until the second half of the film, but it sort of makes sense that one of the first - if not the first - would ease the audience into a new style of comedy.
It's probably best to put this here, but I don't actually know if I like screwball comedies. Twentieth Century appears to be my fifth of the genre, if you consider Frank Capra's one (which I wouldn't, but if it counts, it counts). I've only really liked one of them, Bringing Up Baby. Well correction: I actually really like It Happened One Night, but if that's screwball, every romantic comedy in existence is screwball.
And unfortunately, I didn't like Twentieth Century very much, which does not leave me with much hope. Because you have to search for people who don't like this movie. Because when I was about to list what I didn't particularly like about Twentieth Century, it seems like it's endemic to the very genre itself.
Namely, the overacting. In my review of Gaslight, I explained that one of the biggest hurdles to older movies is in fact the acting. It took movies a long, long time to figure out they did not need to act as if they were in a theatrical production. I should have saved that rant for this post, because that movie actually has good acting with a few theatrical parts that lost me, while this movie is ALL theatrics.
Let me put it this way. Even for 1934, the acting was considered over the top. Which means it's REALLY over the top in 2021. The acting is not this over the top in the other screwball comedies I've watched, but it is certainly not tethered to the same reality as any modern movie, so that's why I'm worried I may just not like the genre.
Twentieth Century is about a theater producer who finds a virtual unknown whom he sees the potential in and helps her rise to stardom. She ends up leaving him to become a star in Hollywood, which she does. While her fortunes rise, his fall with her departure. He and her find themselves on the same train, and he tries to corner her and sign her again. I'm really simplifying the movie's plot here, but that's the movie.
Anyway, I write out that plot, because I think the movie's intentions are to make both characters insufferable where you come to the conclusion that they belong together. They are both insufferable, but I'm not necessarily sure I agree with that conclusion!
It's here where I must be THAT guy and judge a movie in 1934 for 2021 standards, because boy I just can't get on the level that Carole Lombard's character is as bad as the theater producer. He's not meant to be a good guy, even in 1934, but I can't help but feel his actions weren't seen as quite as bad as they'd come across nowadays.
Cause, he uses his power to control and seduce this actress. He ends up running three popular plays with her, and has an iron grip on her. He won't let her do anything. And he's crazy manipulative, doing anything and everything to keep her with him, including threatening suicide. Her worst offense? Being a parody of a diva actress.
I don't want to give the impression that this movie thinks Oscar Jaffe, as played by John Barrymore, is a good guy. It does not think he's a good guy. But I honestly think we are supposed to root for Lombard to go back to him to act in another play, and she should stay very fucking far away from this guy.
The performances are very hammy. They were meant to be hammy in 1934. Which again I stress that a lot of performances were hammy prior to Marlon Brando, which means they are REALLY hammy by today's standards. John Barrymore is at least entertaining, but Carole Lombard, who I liked very much in To Be or Not to Be, is insufferable in this movie. Lots of hysterical fake crying. Lots and lots of overdramatic yelling. I get it, that's the point.
Anyway, I fully expected to like this and sadly, I didn't really. Not all old classics are gonna age well.
2/4 stars
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