There is this store in Nashville, TN, called McKay’s. It is a huge place, and it sells used DVDs, CDs, books, memorabilia, toys, and electronics. My wife and I go to it every time we are in the area and spend way too much money. They have a very good classic-movies section, and I tend to spend most of my money there. I’ve gotten in the habit of buying these little sets that box together several films from one particular actor, or a very specific genre, or maybe several films that feature the same character.
Buy Joan Crawford Collection Blu-rayI love these sets, especially the ones that focus on an actor. There are lots of classic actors who I know from a couple of their most beloved films, but I’ve never dug deep into their careers. Sets like this allow you to watch a variety of their films at a reasonable price.
Also, as a physical-media collector, I appreciate a set that saves space. I have six DVD shelves in my living room, another one in my office, and I’ve converted an old chest of drawers into DVD storage, and they are all overflowing with movies. Boxed sets often combine half a dozen movies into the space 2-3 films usually take up.
And here we have this lovely collection of four films from Joan Crawford. For a time, Crawford was one of the biggest movie stars in the world. Through the 1930s, she was one of the biggest box-office draws in movies, and she epitomized the glamour and splendor of what Hollywood had to offer.
But it wasn’t always that way. In the 1920s, she struggled to find parts she thought good enough for her talent. So much so that she essentially created her own publicity campaign, becoming one of the most prominent flappers of the decade. This led to more roles and her becoming a star. But a series of flops at the end of the 1930s made her become labeled as “box-office poison.” She took two years off and came roaring back in 1945 with Mildred Pierce, for which she won an Academy Award.
She remained a popular performer for the remainder of her career but was plagued with personal problems. She was considered difficult to work with on set, was divorced three times, and famously, her adopted-daughter Christina wrote a tell-all book in which she claims Crawford was an abusive alcoholic.
Wherever the truth lies, Crawford was a magnetic performer, and a very fine actress. The four films included in this set demonstrate her wide range, and uncanny ability to steal the limelight from even the biggest stars.
Interestingly, two of the films featured in this set are ensemble pieces, with Crawford not even being first billed. In Grand Hotel (1932), she’s third billed behind Greta Garbo and John Barrymore, but she completely outshines them both. The film is one of the earliest examples of a star-studded ensemble piece. It takes place inside the luxurious Berlin hotel of its title. Early on, one of the permanent hotel residents notes that nothing ever happens there, but as we’ll soon see, he couldn’t be more wrong.
Crawford plays Flaemmchen, a stenographer hired by a ruthless industrialist named Preysing (Wallace Beery). He’s desperately trying to negotiate a deal that will keep his company afloat. By happenstance, one of his lowly employees, Otto Kringelein (Lionel Barrymore), is also at the hotel. He’s just learned he has a grave illness and has decided to spend his entire life savings living in the lap of luxury for his few remaining days. Also at the hotel are Felix von Gaigern (John Barrymore), a baron who has the title but none of the money, and Grusinskaya (Greta Garbo), a famous ballerina whose star power is starting to slip.
Over the course of a few days, this cast of characters lives will intersect, bringing them joy, romance, sadness, and even death. The film is an utter delight. It is one of the great studio pictures of the 1930s. The entire cast is magnificent, but it is Crawford who shines. Her lowly stenographer is full of life and joy, and Crawford just beams.
The Women (1939) is another ensemble piece. Crawford gets second billing here, but her screen time is actually much less than the rest of her stars. It is a very good but curious film. It is an all-female cast; there isn’t a single man to be found on screen (even the pets are girls). Although I’m not sure if it would pass the Bechdel test, as the women spend most of their time talking about men.
Its focus is on Mary Haines (Norma Shearer), a happy, wealthy socialite who is married and has a precocious little daughter (Virginia Weidler). She spends most of her days shopping and hanging out with a close circle of friends. One day, she learns her husband has been cheating on her with Crystal Allen (Crawford), a beautiful, young perfume-counter girl.
Though her mother advises her to not make a scene, Mary demands a divorce. She heads to Reno, NV (where the courts are lenient on the reasons one is asking for a divorce and the residency requirement was only six weeks). Before her six weeks are up, most of her friends show up needing a divorce themselves.
From a modern perspective, the film is weird. Mary’s mother continually scolds her for getting a divorce, at one point even declaring that things were better when divorce was outlawed, for women figured out a way to make the marriage work. But Mary is a modern woman, stating that women are equal to men and have every right to their independence. Yet she spends the entire film still pining for her husband, and (spoilers!) she winds up back with him for the film’s happy ending.
But the film is a lot of fun to watch. Shearer is just lovely, giving Mary a kindness and sensitivity that makes you love her from the start. Rosalind Russell steals the show as Mary’s catty, gossipy cousin who talks just as fast as she did in His Girl Friday. Crawford doesn’t get a lot of screentime, but when she does show up, she’s terrific. She’s the perfect gold-digger, willing to do whatever it takes to live in luxury.
The Possessed (1947) is a much smaller film and the worst out of this collection. Crawford plays Louise Howell, a mentally ill woman who begins the film wandering the streets trying to find someone named David. She’s taken to a hospital where they (and we) learn what happened to her in flashbacks.
David (Van Heflin) is an architect and her old flame. He broke it off because she was too needy and he didn’t want to be nailed down. She works as a nurse for Dean Graham (Raymond Massey) whose wife is very ill. When the wife commits suicide, Dean asks Louise to marry him. She’s not in love but agrees because he’s rich and she secretly figures this step might make David jealous.
There is far too much melodrama in the film for my tastes and while it does treat mental illness with a certain amount of respect, it still comes off very dated and weird.
The Damned Don’t Cry! (1950) is a mostly good film noir with Crawford portraying a woman who will manipulate everyone who crosses her path in order to get what she wants, which is really just more, more, more. Ethel Whitehead (Crawford) starts out living in a squalid, dirty factory town with an angry husband and a little boy. She tries to give the boy nice things, but they have no money, and her husband constantly complains about her spending his earnings. When the boy dies, she doesn’t hesitate and leaves, striking out to the big city.
She quickly gets a job at a counter, then uses her charms to land a modeling gig. She mistakenly thinks mild-mannered Martin Blackford (Kent Smith) must be rich because he’s an accountant and deals with money all day. She introduces him to some gangsters and talks them into using his services, and talks Martin into working with guys who break the law on the regular. He doesn’t like the gangsters, but sticks with them in order to keep her.
But she drops him the first chance she gets in order to be with the mob boss (David Brian). And on and on it goes with her scheming, manipulating, and using everyone she can to get everything she wants.
Crawford was born to play these kinds of roles. She’s so good at being cold-hearted women willing to break the molds in order to succeed. The film peters out a little by the end where she winds up with yet another gangster, this one cruel and mean and she learns that maybe she’s exactly like that. But mostly it’s a cracking little noir with yet another fine performance from Crawford.
This box utilizes previously released Blu-rays discs of all four of these films. As far as I can tell, there are no new transfers here or any new extras. But if you don’t already own any of them this is a great way to get them all at a good price.
