Saturday Evening Cartoons: Frozen II (2019)

     Frozen II was released on November 22nd, 2019. The 58th animated film produced by the Walt Disney Animation, it is written and directed by Chris Buck and Jennifer Lee. In this sequel to the 2013 hit, Elsa and Anna are living an idyllic existence which is interrupted when a mysterious, mystical force from the past returns to haunt Arendelle. 

     The film opens with a flashback, wherein a young Elsa and Anna are told by their parents the story of the Enchanted Forest. Their grandfather, King Runeard, established a treaty with the inhabitants of the forest, the Northuldra, by building them a dam, but when a fight broke out between them the elemental spirits of the forests were angered and trapped everyone within the forest in a wall of mist. Only their father, Agnarr, lived to tell the tale, saved by a mysterious rescuer. In the present, Elsa hears a mysterious voice calling out to her, and follows it only to awaken the elemental spirits who strip many of the kingdoms resources away, forcing the inhabitants to flee. Elsa, Anna, Kristoff, Sven and Olaf must discover the secret behind the Enchanted forces and set things right.

     As with the first film, Frozen II features some stunning animation but the unique setting and more diverse atmosphere this time around allow for some really gorgeous landscapes. The first film was remarkable for the way it animated snow, but the sequel also plays with water, ice and snow in ways I've never seen before. The addition of a new culture here means we get plenty of new, elaborate costume designs this time around as well. 

     But if the sequel surpasses the original in the areas where it excelled, it stumbles even more in the areas where it fell short. The music is, once again, a mixed bag. The songs are memorable but inconsistent in tone and style, and never really mesh with the orchestral score. "Lost in the Woods," which Kristoff sings around the halfway point, after Anna and Elsa leave him behind, is particularly out of place, starting off somber and then turning into self-parody by the end. It also features 80's style rock instrumentals, which clash with the films Nordic, choral infused score.

     The big weakness of Frozen was its script. The source of Elsa's fear of her powers, namely her parents misguided reaction to them, was rather contrived. This film exacerbates this issue by revealing that Elsa's mother was one of the Northuldra. If this is true, why hide it from her husband and daughter and why not be more supportive of her gifts? But the problems don't end their. If the first film was lacking in focus at times, this one is even more so. Elsa's arc here seems to be about discovering her true heritage and the source of her power. Anna's arc is being able to let go of her sister and allow her to pursue her own destiny. Meanwhile, Kristoff is given a subplot of his own, trying to propose to Anna throughout the film but bungling every opportunity. This is mostly played for comedic effect and, while I actually found it the most consistently entertaining part of the film, it's perhaps selling his character a little short.

     In any case, it's in the climax where the film really gets lost. Discovering that her grandfather tricked the Northuldra and made the dam to reduce their resources, she sends this information to Anna before becoming frozen as a result of wandering too far into Ahtohallan. It appears, at this point in the film, that Elsa has died and Olaf, without her magic, fades away as well. Anna is distraught, having lost the person she loves most in the world, and must decide to go on herself. She determines to destroy the dam, even though this will mean the destruction of Arendelle. 

     This decision is made far too quickly considering its disastrous consequences and no alternatives are considered. There is really no reason for this urgency as the Northuldra have been trapped in the enchanted forest for years anyways. The whole thing comes across as needlessly reckless. Compounding these problems, Elsa is quickly thawed out as a result of the dam being broken and she saves Arendelle from being destroyed in the flood. Soon after Olaf too is restored to life. So the stakes, which were pretty high even in a contrived way, are almost instantly deflated. The denouement is equally frustrating. Why does Elsa decide to stay with the Northuldra, who she's only just met? In many ways this seems to go against the message of the first movie. Perhaps this is why fairy-tales films should not, generally, have sequels. 

Score: 5/10

Western Wednesdays: The Squaw Man (1914)

    The Squaw Man was released on February 12th, 1914. The first feature length film to be shot in what we now call Hollywood, it is written and directed by Cecil B. DeMille and Oscar C. Apfel. In it an English Calvary Officer named James Wynnegate (Dustin Farnum) leaves his homeland to go out west after taking the blame for his cousins embezzlement of the 16th Lancer's orphans fund in order to protect the family name. 

     Arriving in America, Wynnegate befriends a ranch-hand named Big Bill (Dick La Reno), who takes the Englishman to Wyoming where he starts up his own ranch. In Wyoming he befriends Tab-y-wana, chief of the Utes (Joseph Singleton), and his daughter Nat-u-Ritch (Lillian St. Cyr) and runs afoul of fellow rancher and cattle rustler Cash Hawkins (William Elmer) when he saves the chiefs daughter from him. Nat-u-Ritch shoots the vengeful Hawkins to protect James and they eventually fall in love but, when the sheriff finally traces the murder back to Nat-u-Ritch, the future of Wynnegate's new found family is placed in jeopardy. 

     For a film based on a play The Squaw Man has a rather disjointed narrative. Much of the film is taken up with pointless excursions like the fire that takes place aboard the boat which brings Wynnegate to the United States. At other times the film obtrusively jumps forward in time with no real transition. It all makes for a frustrating experience. This is too bad as the film features some really innovative filmmaking. Already, director Cecil B. DeMille was experimenting with his unique lighting style. Paticuasalry impressive is the scene where Wynnegate daydreams about his life in England, which uses double exposure to superimpose an image from the magazine Wynnegate is looking at with the memory of the woman he left behind in England. The film also features some really good performances, particularly from  Dustin Farnum and co-star Lillian St. Cyr. 

      It is of note that Lillian St. Cyr, better known as Red Wing, was born into the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska and, along with her husband James Young Deer was one of the first successful Native Americans in Hollywood. I'd imagine that the romantic pairing of Red Wing and Dustin Farnum caused quite a stir back in 1914 when interracial marriage was still illegal in many states. Miscegenation is a major theme in the movie. When his cousin dies near the end of the film and admits his wrongdoing, James is told that he can return to England and claim his cousins fortune but he refuses to leave his Indian wife, who he knows will not be accepted in the old country. With his ranch failing and the sherriff after his wife however, he is persuaded to send his young son back to England in order to secure his financial future. The end of the picture, where Nat-u-Ritch kills herself (possibly out of grief or possibly to ensure that her husband and son are not seperated) is truly tragic.

Despite this, the films awkward pacing prevents it from really coming together in a satisfying way. It's no wonder DeMille would go back to this material, remaking the film in 1918 and again, with sound, in 1931.

Score: 6/10

Western Wednesdays: Fort Osage (1952)

     Fort Osage was released on January 1st, 1952. Produced by Monogram Pictures it is directed by genre veteran Lesley Selander and stars Rod Cameron. In this film Cameron plays wagonmaster Tom Clay, who is hired by the unscrupulous Arthur Pickett to lead a wagon train of homesteaders from Missouri to California. 

     On his way in to town to meet Pickett, Tom comes across a massacred wagon train and, believing that the Osage are on the warpath, tries to dissuade Pickett from sending the homesteaders through. Unbeknownst to Clay, Pickett has been withholding government supplies from the Osage and is responsible for their current discontent. George Keane (Douglas Kennedy), the leader of Pickett's hired thugs, is convinced that the wagon was attacked by a small party of rogue Osages and insists on bringing the wagons through but Clay refuses. To complicate matters, Clay falls for Pickett's daughter Ann (Jane Nigh) who is unaware of her father's treachery and tries to convince Tom to take the job as wagon-master.

     Eventually, he agrees to go and meet with the Osage chief and get to the bottom of the conflict. He finds out that a group of the Osages were massacred by Keane and his men while going to pick up their supplies. From here things begin to escalate, as Keane goes to town to bring Pickett and his band to justice while Keane and his men raid the Osage camp to discourage them from taking further action. In the end, Clay must take down Keane and his gang and prove to the Osage that it is they, and not the townsfolk, who are responsible for the violence. 

      For a series western, Fort Osage is fairly complex in its treatment of the relationship between the settlers and the Osage. It is fairly par-for-the-course to have the Indians play be innocent victims of unscrupulous white villains but we rarely get to see their point of view and the tragic violence we see here would generally be avoided in your average B-western. Pickett's last minute change of heart is also a little more nuanced then one would usually expect for a villain in this type of picture, though Kennedy's character remains thoroughly irredeemable. It is also worthy of note that Cameron's character is friendly with the Osage and speaks highly of them throughout the film.

     Rod Cameron makes for a strong protagonist. His imposing figure (he was 6' 5"!) and rugged visage give him a real onscreen presence. Tom Clay is a pragmatic, world-weary man and Cameron sells it really well. He has surprisingly good romantic chemistry with Jane Nigh, who is able to hold her own in there scenes together and imbues her character with a sense of integrity and spirit. The film is well cast in general. Morris Ankrum does a good job playing Arthur Pickett, who at first seems trustworthy but ultimately turns out to be crooked. He really sells the character change of heart and grows increasingly uncomfortable with Keane's violent methods as the film goes on. Douglas Kennedy is also great as the despicable Keane, and brings a real sense of perfidiousness to the role of George Kean while Francis McDonald brings a lot of of humanity to the beleaguered Osage Chief. The film also features solid performances from John Ridgely as Henry Travers, I. Stanford Jolley, Dorothy Adams and Anne Kimbell as a homesteader family the Winfields, and Myron Healey, a familiar face for any fan of the genre, as one of Keane's henchmen.

     The film's direction is deftly handled by Lesley Selander who does an especially good job with the action, which is plentiful in this film. He is greatly aided here by Marlin Skiles score, which has a warmth and affectiveness unusual for a film of this sort. The Cinecolor photography by Harry Neumann is quite well done, even if it lacks the vibrancy of the more expensive Technicolor. Like Trucolor it provided an inexpensive 2-color alternative to Technicolor, but tended to have a more teal look as compared to the muddy appearance of Trucolor.

     Overall, Fort Osage is a really solid little gem from the last days of the series western.

Score: 8/10

Western Wednesdays: Three on the Trail (1936)

     Three on the Trail was released on April 24th, 1936. It is the 5th film in Harry Sherman's Hopalong Cassidy series and is directed by Howard Bretherton and written by Doris Schroeder and Vernon Smith. In this installment Hoppy and Johnny Nelson (played by William Boyd and James Ellison respectively) come to the aid of the new schoolmarm Mary Stevens (Muriel Evans), rescuing her from the clutches of saloon owner Pecos Kane (Onslow Stevens) who tries to coerce her into working for him. It turns out that Kane is up to all sorts of mischief, from robbing the local stage to rustling cattle, and it's up to Cassidy, Nelson, Windy and the rest of the Bar-20 gang to bring him to justice. 

     Johnny, of course, falls for Mary and becomes jealous when he sees her dancing with Hoppy. This is a bit tedious but, thankfully, the film doesn't focus on it too much. On a similar note the main problem with the film is that it is generally lacking in focus. Johnny's romance with Mary is not really connected in any way with Kane's schemes except for the fact that they happened to witness his men holding up the stage. As with many villains in the series, Pecos is unable to effectively combat Cassidy. The only reason he is successful at all is because he has paid up the corrupt Sheriff Sam Corwin (John St. Polis) and the gullible rancher J. P. Ridley (Claude King) who, for some unexplained reason, has the authority to issue arrest warrants!

     All of the cast acquit themselves well. Onslow Stevens is a thoroughly despicable villain even if his goals are a bit vague. Muriel Evans is a fine ingenue and has decent chemistry with Boyd and Ellison. John St. Polis is a good choice to play the crooked sheriff as is Claude King for the well-intentioned but naive European rancher. Gabby Hayes is featured once again, here for the first time playing the woman-hating Windy Halliday (he played another character named Windy in the Bar 20 Rides Again, the third film in the series). His constant complaining about "dern persnickety woman" would become something of a trademark for the actor after this. William Duncan and Clara Kimball Young do a good job as Buck and Muriel Peters, the the latter has some fun moments with Windy.

     The film moves at a decent clip and features a really top-notch climax, where the Bar 20 gang faces off with Pecos men in an awesome gunfight around his saloon but it's not enough to save the film from its flimsy plot.

 Score: 6/10