You and Me

You and Me (1938)

Runtime: 94 minutes

Directed by: Fritz Lang

Starring: Sylvia Sidney, George Raft, Barton MacLane, Harry Carey, Roscoe Karns

From: Paramount

An odd movie like this somehow seemed appropriate for my schedule the past few days, and in fact the rest of November. It wasn’t the plan for yesterday but I posted a list of the films I’ve seen of Ingmar Bergman. Another list should be done of Fritz Lang, another director who I’ve rated more than one of his pictures *****. I won’t post reviews or lists every day and if I do they may be at odd hours for me; I was glad to have seen this before it left the Criterion Channel in a few days.

This early Lang in Hollywood picture starred Sylvia Sidney & George Raft; that enough intrigued but the plot is unique. Word of advice: do NOT read the Letterboxd synopsis for the film as it reveals a major plot point which the film does not unveil until early in the second act. All you need to know is that Raft works at a huge department store (Morris) where Mr. Morris hires people on parole to staff some of the many jobs. He’s an ex-con who falls in love w/ Sidney--understandable. However, people from his past come knocking…

The most peculiar aspect: randomly, apropos out of nowhere there are several musical numbers from Kurt Weill. They at least expand upon the plot. The ditties themselves are bizarre. The opening, for example, is a hysterical, bombastic WTF song about how everything costs money; it was like something Elon Musk would have written! Another has criminals nostalgic for prison, which I’m rather dubious of. Otherwise, it’s a movie where Sidney and Raft are charming around each other—albeit it’s an unhealthy relationship as they aren’t truthful to each other.

It isn’t my favorite from Lang by any means; be that as it may, the moments above plus a rather unexpected turn in the final act kept my interest throughout. It’s not as focused on the crime aspect as you’d expect but it’s a yarn you might love because it’s unconventional & still possesses Lang’s style.