Moto Cairo
Think Fast, Mr. Moto (1937)
directed by Norman Foster
rating: 4 out of 5 cravats
on DVD from Netflix
On one level, there's Mr. Moto, who's on the case before the movie even begins. On the second, Peter Lorre, who acts like he's a step ahead of the joke the rest of the actors are trying to catch up to. Surely his enthusiasm for the role tapered over the ensuing two years (eight features!), but not here. Moto makes Charlie Chan, with his vaudeville hijinks and badly paced reactions, look like a history lesson from the pre-funny years. Less a relic than maybe the most fundamentally "international" production ever made, solely for the sweat of one dear man's brow. Highly recommended (thanks Syl).
directed by Norman Foster
rating: 4 out of 5 cravats
on DVD from Netflix
On one level, there's Mr. Moto, who's on the case before the movie even begins. On the second, Peter Lorre, who acts like he's a step ahead of the joke the rest of the actors are trying to catch up to. Surely his enthusiasm for the role tapered over the ensuing two years (eight features!), but not here. Moto makes Charlie Chan, with his vaudeville hijinks and badly paced reactions, look like a history lesson from the pre-funny years. Less a relic than maybe the most fundamentally "international" production ever made, solely for the sweat of one dear man's brow. Highly recommended (thanks Syl).
posted by NPK at 12:43 PM
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