Stan and Ollie check into a seedy hotel and help a young girl escape the clutches of the landlord. They are forced to flee the hotel with no money and Ollie arranges for Stan to fight at a local boxing hall for $50. Stan's opponent turns out to be Musgy who uses a loaded glove. During the fight the glove is swapped and Stan triumphs only to find that Ollie has bet their fee that he would lose.
05 Apr Any Old Port (1932)
Boxing
If you watch enough movies you can start to see interesting comparisons. One really interesting kind is when a series or sequel sequence is done by a different creative team. Same general idea but completely different movies.
There are other comparisons, but the one that is cogent to this movie is the joke boxing match. Every comic did one, including Chaplin and Keaton. Oh but how different they are! Not until “Raging Bull” and “Rocky” would the camera enter the ring, but watch how Stan draws us in. With Chaplin’s tramp we were supposed to be impressed with the comic ballet of the thing, but here the comedy is more personal.
The notion of noir in film is much discussed, and mostly with error. The core of noir is not in jaggy sets or dark lighting (they are mere cinematic indicators) but in the notion of an average Joe getting caught up in a capricious fate that toys with him.
Credit Hardy with laying the groundwork, at least on the character side.
Posted in 2004
Ted’s Evaluation — 3 of 3: Worth watching.
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