Our last full day at T-Fest was Monday. Chad R and I have gotten interested in the work of Douglas Sirk (Magnificent Obsession; All That Heaven Allows). Last time Chad brought some pre-Soap entries–a murder story in a monastery, a movie with Jack Palance playing Genghis Khan (!).
For my part, I had obtained Kino’s recent set of Sirk’s first two movies, made in Germany before he fled like so many as the Nazis ascended. Girl From Marsh Croft is prime Sirk, a social drama about an unwed mother and the social pressure she endures. It’s actually pretty good. As you can see, its in black and white, so Sirk’s crazy primary color scenes are not in evidence, but his eye for composition is definitely on display. It was pretty good.
