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Brother Superior: When the heart speaks, Brother Orchid, other hearts must listen.
Brother Orchid (1940)
Interested in seeing a screwball-comedy-film noir gangster-western-religious flick? I am always on the lookout for oddball films for Advent and they don’t come odder, or more heart warming, than Brother Orchid (1940). Starring Edward G. Robinson with a fantastic supporting cast including Humphrey Bogart, Ann Southern, Ralph Bellamy and Donald Crisp, it is a trip back to the Golden Age of Hollywood when literate, thoughtful films were considered mass entertainment. It also is a fine exponent of a facet of the human condition that is not much commented upon today: the seductive power of good. A review of the film is below with the usual caveat as to spoilers.
Originally the role of Brother Orchid was to be filled by James Cagney. Instead, the role went to another actor who achieved stardom from gangster roles: Edward G. Robinson. The son of Jewish immigrants from Romania, Robinson was frequently cast as an Italian-American and so it was in this movie. Little John Sarto is the head of a protection racket. The film opens with a meeting between him and his chief lieutenants. His second in command, Jack Buck, portrayed in a surly fashion by Humphrey Bogart, has bumped off a competitor. Sarto is annoyed, viewing murder as being bad for business. He resigns, saying that he is going off to Europe in search of “real class”. All of this is light in tone, indicating the screwball comedy element of this polyglot film. The exception is Humphrey Bogart, who plays his role straight and menacing. It is almost as if Bogart was in a separate film. It is odd, but effective.
Continued below.
Brother Orchid: The Seductive Power of Good
Brother Orchid (1940)
Interested in seeing a screwball-comedy-film noir gangster-western-religious flick? I am always on the lookout for oddball films for Advent and they don’t come odder, or more heart warming, than Brother Orchid (1940). Starring Edward G. Robinson with a fantastic supporting cast including Humphrey Bogart, Ann Southern, Ralph Bellamy and Donald Crisp, it is a trip back to the Golden Age of Hollywood when literate, thoughtful films were considered mass entertainment. It also is a fine exponent of a facet of the human condition that is not much commented upon today: the seductive power of good. A review of the film is below with the usual caveat as to spoilers.
Originally the role of Brother Orchid was to be filled by James Cagney. Instead, the role went to another actor who achieved stardom from gangster roles: Edward G. Robinson. The son of Jewish immigrants from Romania, Robinson was frequently cast as an Italian-American and so it was in this movie. Little John Sarto is the head of a protection racket. The film opens with a meeting between him and his chief lieutenants. His second in command, Jack Buck, portrayed in a surly fashion by Humphrey Bogart, has bumped off a competitor. Sarto is annoyed, viewing murder as being bad for business. He resigns, saying that he is going off to Europe in search of “real class”. All of this is light in tone, indicating the screwball comedy element of this polyglot film. The exception is Humphrey Bogart, who plays his role straight and menacing. It is almost as if Bogart was in a separate film. It is odd, but effective.
Continued below.
Brother Orchid: The Seductive Power of Good
