300 FILM CLUB
PROGRAMME
7.15 17 NOVEMBER 1949
 

DOCTOR JACK (U.S.A. 1924) Starring HAROLD LLOYD & MILDRED DAVIS.

One of the earlier comedies made by Lloyd's own producing company, and co-starring his wife, Mildred Davis, DOCTOR JACK is an interesting combination of the small-town boy type of humour which characterised his previous "Lonesome Luke" films for Hal Roach, and the sheer slapstick of his later successes Safety Last, Welcome Danger and The Freshman. The slight plot presents Lloyd as a country doctor who feigns lunacy in order to frighten away a crooked specialist who is exploiting a rich girl patient by prolonging wrong treatment for big fees.

The development is, for the most part, along leisurely lines, although the traditional fast-action slapstick is well in evidence in the hearty knockabout climax. Apart from some rather obvious studio sets for interior scenes, the film wears quite well technically, although it will be appreciated that as one of Lloyd's earlier production efforts it was made on a somewhat limited budget. It has been cut slightly since its original release; the version you are to see today, with a musical score and sound effects added, was prepared in 1933, and today's screening is believed to be the first in almost 15 years.

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A YANK COMES BACK (Gt. Britain, 1948). Crown Film Unit production for C.O.I.
Distributed by United Artists. Written and produced by Burgess Meredith.


Although a trifle pretentious and with a certain air of irresponsibility about it, this is nevertheless a most interesting and unusual documentary, which has so far failed to garner more than isolated commercial bookings. (All credits are displayed on the notice board).

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ATOMIC PHYSICS (Gt. Britain 1948)

As a documentary this film is obviously of little use or interest to any except the highly specialised audiences for which it was intended. However, in view of the fact that it is unlikely to receive any commercial distribution at all after its West End failure we considered that our members would be glad of the opportunity to see at least an extract - and consequently we have selected part 5 of the film, titled "Uranium Fusion and Atomic Energy," which although still overloaded with technical jargon, has a greater degree of clarity than the preceding four sections - probably due to the fact that it was planned as a “summing-up" sequence.

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LES GOEMONS (France 1947) Directed by Etienne Lallier.

Just off Cape Finistere lies a small island, almost completely barren, and quite cut off from the rest of the world. Its chief product is seaweed. This film shows the laborious life led by the families of the island, gathering and storing their harvest of seaweed. The musical score is impressive, the photography of an unusually fine standard, and the film received a high award at the 1948 Venice Film Festival.

 


 

PROGRAMME 15 DECEMBER 1949 :-  

HAMNSTAD (Swedish)
Men under Prague.
Paradiso Perduto.

 

Guest tickets available during the interval.

 

 © William K. Everson Estate