I'm not sure that German Expressionism is to blame here. I
have not seen
TOUCH OF EVIL, and therefore can't comment on that movie in
particular, but
I'm a big fan of Weimar-era expressionism in general--and I
still can't
stand CITIZEN KANE (I know, that's high heresy.). It seems to
me that
Expressionist films (I'm thinking particularly here of
JOYLESS STREET),
while they're certainly melodramatic, "know" that they're
movies and don't
take themselves overly seriously; I think CITIZEN KANE takes
itself quite
seriously *and* is melodramatic, which is a tough
combination. Also,
CITIZEN KANE is sophisticated enough in many ways that the
melodrama seems
all the more grating, which certainly isn't the case in most
Expressionist
films--or at least not the one's I'm familiar with.
In
> fact, if young viewers weren't so schooled to revere
Bogart, I'll bet
many
> would admit that films like THE MALTESE FALCON or THE
BIG SLEEP have
scenes
> that are too theatrical for their tastes.
Absolutely, the acting and camerawork go over the top in
those and similar
films at some points, but it's not a sustained melodrama.
Rather, there
are bits and pieces where you roll your eyes and shake your
head, but then
you settle back into the rest of it. One of my favorite
examples of this
is the grocery store scene in DOUBLE INDEMNITY, which is
utterly and
completely unbelievable--but certainly doesn't ruin the rest
of the film
for me (especially when you cut them some slack for the time
they were
filmed in).
Sorry--this is a little off-topic, but I couldn't not respond
to this.
Slainte,
Vicky
(a young viewer in Indiana)
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