Finishing School (1934/RKO/Warner Archive DVD)
Picture:
C+ Sound: C+ Extras: D Film: B-
PLEASE NOTE: This release is only available
from Warner Bros. in their Warner Archive series and can be ordered from the
link below.
Because
the RKO catalog has been part of other studio holdings since Desilu sold the
catalog, their film output is often underrated and not seen as much as it
should be, only outdone by early Paramount
releases. They started early enough to
make silent movies and to make films before the censorship of the Production
Code kicked in. Warner Bros. now owns
the catalog and are issuing many of its gems through their terrific Warner
Archive on-line program. George Nichols
Jr. and Wanda Tuchock (who co-wrote the screenplay) co-directed a very
interesting film in 1934 called Finishing
School that deserves a wider audience.
Frances
Dee (Becky Sharp, I Walked With A Zombie) plays a young
lady sent to the title locale to learn how to become a “fine young lady” but
finds it is more about conformity, snobbery and blatant class division. Her new roommate (a young Ginger Rogers on
her was to super stardom) encourages her to have fun instead, causing her to
come into conflict with the women who run the place. Billie Burke is very different in the role of
her mother and the great Bruce Cabot (King
Kong, Diamonds Are Forever) is
here in an early role playing her love interest.
This is
very smart, intelligent moviemaking for its time taking on subjects political
correctness and other Hollywood formulas since
have gotten in the way of. No one is
painted as a cartoon and it is a mature work.
I can see why Warner wanted this to get press coverage as it is a work
worth rediscovering. Film fans
unfamiliar with it will be pleasantly surprised.
The 1.33
X 1 black and white image shows some age for a film nearly 80 years old and
some shots are soft, but Video Black is good for a DVD or DVD-R and many shots
were in fine shape. The Dolby Digital
2.0 Mono can also show its age with some rough spots and distortion from the
RCA optical source, but it often sounds better than expected for its age. There are sadly no extras, though you’d think
a trailer was in the vault somewhere.
To order,
go to this link:
http://www.wbshop.com/Finishing-School/1000180313,default,pd.html?cgid
-
Nicholas Sheffo
