A Not To Be Missed Film | Tales of Manhattan [VHS]

fields | Tales of Manhattan [VHS] | Charles Boyer, Rita Hayworth

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	• Tales of Manhattan [VHS] Charles Boyer, Rita Hayworth 20th Century Fox, 1996 average customer review:based on 12 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Fun all-star life-is-a-circle film undone just a bit by overly sappy ending

*Bit of an ending SPOILER ahead*

I'm a sucker for the concept of the "life as a circle" in film, with some plot device used in most cases to carry the story from character to character through the whole film, possibly back to the person it started with and possibly not. This is one of the earlier examples I know of; Max Ophüls' 1950 French film LA RONDE is probably the best-known and loved classic example; a couple of other well-known renditions of the basic idea are THE YELLOW ROLLS ROYCE (1964) and SLACKER (1991). It's always fun to see just how the filmmakers will maneuver the story to get back to the beginning, and just how readily they can make the characters' crossing of paths both interesting and at least faintly realistic. In this case, the ending is truly bizarre and unlikely, and almost kills a film which was a whole lot of fun up until that point.

There's a jacket, see, a handsome tailcoat that belongs to a famous Broadway start, and it's the jacket that migrates, from Charles Boyer the start to playboy Caesar Romero, on to would-be composer Charles Laughton and down-and-out lawyer Edward G. Robinson, while also touching friends, lovers and enemies like Elsa Lanchester, Rita Hayworth, Thomas Mitchell, Ginger Rogers, W.C. Fields, and Henry Fonda. All well and good with plenty of moments of intrigue, romance, and good old fashioned star-power, until the coat makes one last journey, out of an airplane and into the hands of a poor black man in some unnamed and somewhat unearthly southern town. Paul Robeson's voice and presence are certainly powerful enough, but they aren't alone enough to keep the last segment's religious mawkishness from leaving a bad taste in the mouth as songs are sung and massive amounts of money are miraculously found and put to good use by the poor townspeople. Well, it was the war, and I guess they needed an uplifting ending, and maybe at the time it seemed like nothing less than a miracle would do...

Still absolutely worth seeing, and one of the better all-star "revue" type films from the era. Director Julien Duvivier really ought to be better known generally; this probably isn't one of his best films by any means, but he invests it with a great deal of wit and a very facile and light touch in the transitions that keeps the film from betraying the essential determinism of the plot for quite a while.

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A Not To Be Missed Film

I first saw this movie years ago on AMC - I'd never heard of it but there wasn't anything else on, so I settled in to watch. After all, with the cast of stars including Rita Hayworth, Ginger Rogers, Henry Fonda, Charles Laughton and Edward G. Robinson, I figured it couldn't be too bad. I was wrong - it was GREAT! The story involves a tailcoat which is passed from one story to the next and affects the lives of each person who receives it. Some of the stories were pure 40's fluff and that's okay - I like fluff. But two of the "tales" especially touched my heart - so much so that here I sit, years later, writing a review that I hope will inspire someone else to watch this hidden gem. You'll see other people talk about the vignette with the great Edward G. and I agree - it's absolutely one of the best stories and the performance he gives is one for the ages. However, my personal favorite is the piece with Charles Laughton - a truly gifted and underrated actor. He plays a man of little means whose love of music leads him to a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to conduct a symphony orchestra performing his own composition. I don't want to give away too much but suffice it to say that there is a single moment in this story that will cause tears to form in your eyes - much in the way that I cry everytime I watch Harry Carey as the Vice President looks at Jimmy Stewart's Mr. Smith (Goes To Washington) at the very end of the film when it looks as if all hope is lost (that little smile he gives gets me everytime!) Tales of Manhatten is a wonderful film to watch again and again - it doesn't feel dated at all - because the glory of the human spirit is the same now as it has always been....enjoy!

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fields

The studio apparently agreed with the previous reviewer, since the W.C. Fields segment was cut from the movie when it was initially released in theaters.

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Great movie from a great source

I have been wanting this movie and searching for it locally. The new price is too much. Great source - the quality of the movie and the speedy delivery were outstanding. Would buy again from this seller!!

That mythical place where everyone gets what he/she deserves

Other reviewers have given plenty of information regarding the general shape of this film--stars, cast, vignettes. A wonderful collaboration of ten different writers who together with a cast of stars, character actors, the Hall Johnson Choir (one of the gems of the Harlem Renaissance), and probably every extra then available in Southern California trace the path of a tailcoat cursed by it's tailor. This film was released in September 1942, the same month the German 6th Army began it's advance on Stalingrad; it was, and should be, considered light entertainment. Not Frank Capra-ish, each vignette weaves into the next with the final feeling of the film leading the viewer to believe that people, good and bad, somehow get what they deserve. A gentle gem with a particularly wonderful performance by Edward G. Robinson. Watch it with an open mind.

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reviews: page 1, 2, 3

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