Catalogo - Cineteca di Bologna

Man’s Castle
materiale. Il tutto si svolge con seducente
candore, senza facili compromessi. Sono
le persone a contare: la loro presenza, il
loro aspetto fiducioso, il modo in cui si
toccano a vicenda. Le ultime immagini
del film – sul treno – sono le più trionfanti
del cinema romantico: niente al
mondo è impossibile, nulla è improbabile,
specialmente se i cittadini sono come
Spencer Tracy e Loretta Young, la coppia
più memorabile di Borzage (naturalmente
insieme a Janet Gaynor e Charles Farrell,
diretti da Borzage in tre film a partire da
Settimo cielo).
Frank Borzage, the noble and romantic
mystic of the American cinema, often
went to the heart of the most poignant
themes of the times he lived in – the World
War, the rise of Nazism and the Depression,
the last of these never so movingly
as in Man’s Castle – once again armed
with poetry coupled with pain. As often,
paradoxes and unlikely images prevail,
starting with the way Borzage lights a story
that takes place in the most notorious
landmark of the Great Depression, named
after a failing president – Hooverville. The
ghetto of the homeless Lumpenproletariat
is real in the sense that the trouble shown
is mortally present.
At the same time the narrative is like a
proud, romantic dream – it’s Hollywood
in its plenitude, with ethereal facts of
human faith, or small human victories in
unofficial places, that prevail in spite of
tragic material realities. This happens with
winning naiveté, with no trace of cheap
compromise. It’s people themselves who
count: their presence, their look of confidence,
the way they touch each other. The
last images of the film – in the train – are
the most victorious in all romantic cinema:
nothing in the world is impossible, nothing
is improbable, especially with citizens
like Spencer Tracy and Loretta Young, the
greatest Borzage couple (of course, along
with Janet Gaynor and Charles Farrell, who
made several films together for Borzage
starting with Seventh Heaven).
HARD TO HANDLE
USA, 1933 Regia: Mervyn LeRoy
█. T.. it.:. L’affare si complica.. Sog.:. Houston.
Branch.. Scen.:. Robert. Lord,. Wilson. Mizner..
F.:. Barney. McGill.. Mo.:. William. Holmes.. Scgf.:.
Robert.M..Haas..Mu.:.Cliff.Hess..Su.:.C.A..Riggs..
Int.:. James. Cagney. (Myron. C.. ‘Lefty’. Merrill),.
Mary. Brian. (Ruth. Waters),. Allen. Jenkins.
(radioannunciatore. della. maratona. di. ballo),.
Ruth. Donnelly. (Lil. Waters),. Claire. Dodd.
(Marlene.Reeves),.Robert.McWade.(Charles.G..
Reeves)..Prod:.Warner.Bros..Pictures..Pri..pro.:.
28.gennaio.1933. █.35mm..D.:.78’..Bn..Versione.
inglese. /. English. version. █. Da:. BFI. National.
Archive.per.concessione.di.Park.Circus
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