Saw Transatlantic on June 23 at a special screening at AFI/Silver, in the glorious restored Art Deco Silver Theater. In a joint presentation with the Art Deco Society of Washington an audience of almost 300 people enjoyed a restored copy of a little know early talking film Transatlantic. I was expecting a film like many of the early 30's films, a little slow, flat sets, and a thin story line. I was stunned to watch a fast paced, gripping story line that was definitely Pre Code, with a touch of Noir, and had stunning sets. Its called Grand Hotel on the Ocean, which is a bit unfair. You can see the similarities but this is a piece on its own. The gorgeous Art Deco furnishings, wood work, and grills, the flashing directional signage, exuberant jazz music, and costumes that would be popular today. There is infidelity, corruption, theft, and raspberry pie. The finally is a cat and mouse chase scene through a multi tiered engine room with tracking shots that is as good as any CGI super hero film today. A really amazing and superior film for its time, and you definitely see the talents of James Wong in its design. The AFI presentation included a pre film lecture by Christian Roden on early 20th century ocean liners and how the Liner companies updated their interior designs from the English country house look to the very latest cutting edge designs that are now referred to as Art Deco. The lecture provide helpful context on an industry now known more for Caribbean cruises than necessary and elegant transportation. Pay particular attention to a montage of scenes when the ship is going through high seas - couples on a dance floor and elegantly clad ladies falling down steps provide a look at how the real transatlantic crossing passengers braved high seas in practiced good humor. Many thanks to MoMa for the restoration. They made the overlap transition to subtitle, in sections where dialogue is missing, seamless to the viewer. Many thanks to all the technicians who pulled together the many foreign copies to recreate this film. Many in last nights audience wanted to know if the film would be shown again, and when it will be released for sale. We all want to see it again and again, and hit pause to admire the sets. If you have a chance to see this film, it is worth the time and effort. .

At the rate he's going, he's not going to make it from one side of the Atlantic to the other. Edmund Lowe is the cad of all cads-a bounder, a charlatan, a snake on the ocean. He's on his way to Europe working on the idea for a tunnel from one coast to the other, a ridiculous prospect in itself, and it seems to be his goal to make love to every woman (attached or not) on the ocean liner. Among his intended conquests are Lois Moran, Greta Nielsen and a very young Myrna Loy. Other situations include passengers dealing with a bank crash and a not so surprising murder, followed by a storm at sea. Moran's father, Jean Hersholt, confronts John Halliday over the bank failing while various husbands confront the amoral Lowe.This isn't a great movie, but interesting in its depiction of excess on the high seas just 20 years after the Titanic and only a couple of years before the Moritania. It's early 1930's Art Deco with a mostly unknown cast, with Loy the most famous name in the film, yet not having a lot to do. But while a bit creaky and predictable, there's enough elements of pre-code scandal and sin to keep the audience engaged. Lowe goes to show ya that even a somewhat paunchy middle aged man can get all the girls he wants. The twists and turns come at an alarming rate, so if you remain patient with it, you'll find it an early talkie with many great qualities, not the least of which is its Oscar winning art direction.

Lois Moran may have been F. Scott Fitzgerald's inspiration for Rosemary, the sweet starlet in "Tender is the Night" but it is a pity she didn't inspire studio bosses to find her better movies. Samuel Goldwyn discovered her in Paris and bought her to Hollywood where she was given the role of Laurel in "Stella Dallas". Apart from that and "Transatlantic" she appeared in no other films of note but the next year (1932) she was on Broadway starring in George Gershwin's "Of Thee I Sing" and the sequel "Let Them Eat Cake". Broadway saw something that had alluded Hollywood.In a terrific long panning shot, all the bustle of boarding a huge ocean liner is depicted - from the taxis pulling up, everyone streaming through the entrances, the baggage trolleys, even a little stray dog (looked a lot like Asta) and all the crew working to get the liner off to a smooth start. Jed Kramar (Jean Hersholt) confides to his daughter Judy (Lois Moran) that this will be the start of a new life for them, Monty Greer (Edmund Lowe) is on the run from the police and in the next cabin, Kay Graham (Myrna Loy, spelt Mirna in the credits) is promising her insufferable husband Henry (John Halliday) that she will try to be more cordial to his mistress, Sigrid (Greta Nissen) next time she pops into their cabin.Linking the main characters is Monty - he accidentally makes the acquaintance of Kay while looking for his bag, he already knows Sigrid and tries to convince her to leave Henry to his wife, Kay, who loves him very much. A robbery is being planned and Graham, a successful banker, is the target. Even though news has just come through that his bank has failed, Graham is not bothered as he is fleeing the country with most of the securities and money he could lay his hands on. Kramar, a depositer with the bank, is ruined but when he tries to confront Graham, he is thrown out like a piece of riff raff. An attempt is made on Graham's life and both Kramar and Greer are held on charges of attempted murder.With a plot very reminiscent of "Grand Hotel" (and seeing that Vicki Baum published her novel in 1929, this maybe the first (although slight) adaptation of it) with Edmund Lowe (substituting for John Barrymore) as the debonair thief willing to lend a helping hand to anyone in distress, especially Myrna Loy (substituting for Greta Garbo) as the let down wife, the real star of "Transatlantic" is the atmospheric cinematography of James Wong Howe and the magnificent sets. Fox, more than any of the other major studios, embraced the Expressionism that came out of European movies of the 20s and "Transatlantic" had a very Continental air about it. The film credits and even various newspaper clippings that appeared throughout the film were in French. Also it helped that there were no big name stars - Edmund Lowe, Lois Moran, Greta Nissen, John Halliday, Myrna Loy (when she was still a supporting player) all gave the movie a European feel.Highly, Highly Recommended.

A pretty fair movie -- look for Myrna Loy as she begins her ascent to Queen of Hollywood. The real star for me in Jame Wong Howe's magnificent photography, lovely deep focus work ten years before Greg Toland 'revolutionized' pictures with it.