Moontide (Fox Film Noir) | 
| Directors: Archie Mayo, Fritz Lang
Actors: Jean Gabin, Ida Lupino, Thomas Mitchell, Claude Rains, Jerome Cowan
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Category: DVD
List Price: $14.98
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Avg. Customer Rating:  10 reviews
Sales Rank: 14061
Format: Black & White, Closed-captioned, Dvd-video, Full Screen, Subtitled, Ntsc
Languages: English (Original Language), English (Subtitled), Spanish (Subtitled), French (Subtitled)
Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Number Of Items: 1
Running Time: 94
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.1
Dimensions (in): 7.4 x 5.3 x 0.6
MPN: FOXD2252859D
UPC: 024543528593
EAN: 0024543528593
ASIN: B001CC7PLW
Theatrical Release Date: 1942
Release Date: September 2, 2008
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| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.com
The little-known but affecting film noir Moontide is full of surprises, especially for the many film fans who may not have seen it until its release on DVD. It stars Jean Gabin, a huge star in his native France, who was trying to cross over to Hollywood stardom in this film, but ended up making just two Hollywood features. It also stars Ida Lupino as his love interest, and who is very affecting and memorable in what could have been a two-dimensional role. Gabin plays Bobo, a wharf rat with a drinking problem working up and down the West Coast of the U.S., and happens on the desolate Anna (Lupino), whom he sees trying to kill herself in the sea. That two such broken characters can find love and help heal one another is one of the main themes of the film, and an unexpected one in the hard bitten genre of film noir. Gabin and Lupino really shine, though Gabin can be a bit hammy in his jauntiness. Playing against type as the bad guy, with unspeakable intentions, is Thomas Mitchell (at the time much beloved, having just played Scarlett O'Hara's Pa in Gone With the Wind). Claude Rains is also affecting, as the local failed intellectual. The story behind Moontide is at least as engaging as the film itself, and happily, this DVD edition includes a 25-minute documentary on the hurdles, some nearly fatal, that faced this little film on its way to be made in 1941. First, it was to have been filmed on location in San Pedro, California--but then the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor and every port on the West Coast was suddenly girded for possible attack, so the elaborate wharf set was created on the Fox lot. There were tons of risque themes in the original book upon which the movie is based, and the tales of getting it past the censors are riveting. And the behind the scenes drama was also intense; master director Fritz Lang started the film, but quit in a snit, and was replaced by the journeyman Archie Mayo. Surrealist Salvador Dali was hired to create a hallucinatory alcoholic dream sequence, but his imagery was reportedly too disturbing to use, so the studio threw it out, but replaced it with an appropriately "Dali-esque" scene, complete with menacing clocks and shuddery imagery. Film buffs won't want to miss this fascinating mini documentary. --A.T. Hurley
Product Description
Studio: Tcfhe Release Date: 09/02/2008 Run time: 94 minutes Rating: Nr
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| Customer Reviews: Read 5 more reviews...
 A good film noir November 23, 2008
I'm partial to film noir and especially to Ida Lupino, so it's always
a treat to watch one which has my favorite cast, director and a good story. I do recommended it and will not give away any of the plot!
Enjoy!
An exquisite film noir November 19, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
For those who like their film noirs earthy and raw, this one's a gem. French screen idol Jean Gabin turns in a fine, multi-textured performance as a dissolute, drunken French sailor, drinking his way up the coastline of California, who is waylaid by love, in the person of an equally hard-bitten Ida Lupino. They were made for each other, but their domestic bliss is soon threatened by the possibility that Gabin's character may be a bit darker and more violent than we'd previously imagined. There are several great character actors here, but the real doozy of a role is that of Thomas Mitchell, who is perhaps best remembered as the doddering Uncle Bill Bailey in Frank Capra's "It's A Wonderful Life," and who is quite a bit more sinister here. This flick is pretty rough and raw, and definitely worth checking out! (DJ Joe Sixpack, Slipcue film reviews)
The sea wall of love November 4, 2008
A lovely, lyrical film about the power of the ties that bind us. I see that it was nominated for an Oscar for cinematography, and it definitely shows.
Bobo (Jean Gabin) is a world traveler, a longshoreman who typically comes in to town and leaves with the tide. He is, unfortunately, a very strong man and a bit of a capricious drinker. Due to these tendencies, he has picked up a ramora fish who is unwilling to let go of his meal ticket. When Bobo goes on a bender and an old man ends up dead, the ramora ("Tiny" played by Thomas Mitchell) tucks this nugget into his nasty little pocket to use against Bobo when the time comes. The time comes in the form of lovely frail Anna (Ida Lupino), saved from drowning. Claude Rains shows up as the conscience and soul of the whole affair. "Nutsy" never sleeps ("Not since 1936. Or was it 1937?") maybe because he doesn't want to miss a second of the gorgeous love story unfolding in front of him.
The early drunk scene is truly odd and revelatory. I said to the King of Noirs "looks like German Expressionism". Little did I know how right that was, as Fritz Lang was replaced as the director. That makes sense with the inclusion of both Claude Rains and Jean Gabin...the whole thing rolls like a gently psychedelic germano-french new wave Noir.
Ida is lovely and the performances are first rate all around. The allegory of the sea wall, with the giant anchors along the top, should be inducing film school theses galore. Excellent. Highly recommended.
Moontide - DVD October 16, 2008
Moontide is marvelous!
A must for "Noir" fans.
The commentary is particularly fascinating.
 A Flawed Gem October 5, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
One thing this film does feature is fine acting. From the supporting actors to the lead stars the performances in this picture are stellar. Jerome Cowan, a character actor whose film credits read like a list of 'who's who' is in top form as the doctor whose chance encounter with the principle characters proves to be life changing. Robin Raymond turns in a solid portrayal of a dance hall hustler. Even Victor Sen Yung in a role that could have played as nothing more than a stereotype is believable as the bait pedlar who more or less adopts the film's leads. Claude Rains is wonderfully empathic as the picture's resident philosopher.
But it's the principles who really shine. Ida Lupino combines a nice mixture of vulnerability and street-wise toughness to form the basis of the troubled 'Anna'. Jean Gabin, in one of his rare North American films, is fabulous. This man comes across as rough and crude, but also sweet and kind. There's never a moment when he isn't believable. Thomas Mitchell comes close to stealing the show. And if it weren't for the calibre of the performances around him, he probably would have. He is magnificent in what proves to be a rare turn as a complete heel who steps away from but never quite loses his humanity.
The cinematography by Charles G. Clarke makes excellent use of the lines the sets provide him with. The film's score (by David Buttolph and Cyril J. Mockridge) is compelling and follows the drama well. The lighting (which is uncredited) alternates between darkly atmospheric and warmly radiant according to the demands of the script. And the Directing by Archie Mayo keeps the story moving at a brisk pace. Most importantly he seems to have encouraged the players to take their characters and flesh them out.
The story, from a novel by Willard Robertson, is a good one. Screenwriter John O'Hara apparently had to change it drastically but he did it well. This is a character driven piece in the truest sense of the word. The people it portrays are flawed. Their stories are never less than compelling. They're strong and weak all at once, kind but selfish, driven by greed but never completely greedy. They're the down and out, the lost souls of society, yet as the film reveals, turn out to be anything but lost. They're characters who can be believed and felt for. Even the worst among them never becomes completely unsympathetic.
The one failing of the picture is that the quality of the sets doesn't match the quality of everything else that was done. It's not entirely the fault of the production crew. This was supposed to be a 'location' shoot but the attack on Pearl Harbour rendered the intended place off limits. After that the Studio had to 'make do', which is exactly what they did. The backdrops that depict the 'coastline' look like what they are. The basic designs are good enough but most of them lack depth. Most of the scenes set near the ocean look as if they were filmed in a tank. And the walkway that leads to the barge where Lupino and Gabin reside is close to laughable. Only the sets that were supposed to depict the indoors are any good.
That said, this is a piece that transcends its failings. The characters come across as real people and their drama could be real. The transfer to DVD is good and the extra's, especially the documentary about the making of the film, are good. It loses a star for the shoddy backdrops but this is one to have.
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