The Bank Dick (The Criterion Collection)
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Movie Reviews of The Bank Dick (The Criterion Collection)
Movie Review: Is that thing loaded???
Summary: 5 Stars
Sure, its one of The Great Man's best movies, but wher are the Paramount classics, Man On The Flying Trapeze and The Old Fashioned Way??
These two Fields movies sum up his character better than any of 'em!
Movie Review: W.C. Fields, the unlikely star, in one of his best movies
Summary: 4 Stars
I've seen "The Bank Dick" so many times, it's a little hard to review it. It's been on TV for decades and was probably one of the first movies I ever saw. I think I like it so much because it, as well as its star, W.C. Fields, is quite atypical of the Hollywood of the time [1940]. Indeed, the very fact that Fields became a star who commanded a fortune is a happy anomaly in movie history. He had a bulbous nose, he was overweight, and he is reputed to have been drunk much of the time, both on the set and off. He didn't like children or dogs. He drove the Hayes office, the self-censorship arm of the industry at the time, mad with his double entendres and with his characters who lied, cheated stole, and, worst of all, almost never paid for their sins. There are several reasons he was so successful, I think. The primary one is that he was relentlessly funny. Another is that he was always honest because, in his poking fun at everyone, he never forgot to include himself. Finally, he appealed then, as he still does today, to those who love to see hypocrisy satirized.Like all Fields movies, "The Bank Dick" barely has a plot at all. It simply careens from one improbably situation to the next. Fields is Egbert Souse of Lompoc, CA. He lives with his wife, mother-in-law and two daughters. They constantly henpeck and ridicule him. One day a movie company comes to town, and somehow Souse finds himself hired as the picture's director. This leads to his apprehending a bank robber, which, in turn, leads to his getting a job as a guard at the bank. Then, there is the character who comes along selling stock in a failed mine. One of the hapless buyers is souse's future son-in-law, who `borrows' the money from the bank for a few days, only to have a bank auditor show up moments later. You call this a plot? Well, forget about the story. It's all just an excuse for the wonderful physical comedy, the sharp, witty dialog, and Field's remarkable line deliveries.
I should mention that Fields surrounded himself with some of the great character actors of his time. The cast of "The Bank Dick" includes Una Merkel, Cora Witherspoon, Frank Pangborn, Grady Sutton and Shemp Howard, who later became famous as one of the Three Stooges.
Movie Review: FIELDS OF NIGHTMARES
Summary: 4 Stars
The world of W.C. FIELDS is a very peculiar one ; it is filled with clouds of smoke and empty bottles, with terrible children deserving to be lashed to blood and with nightmarish wives and mother-in-laws. Always ready to help his fellow companions, our poor hero must also cope with heartless bankers and dishonest crooks (yes, they exist ! ).If you are a movie lover, this particular world deserves a royal place on your library's shelves, W.C. FIELDS playing, in my opinion, in the same league than Buster Keaton, Charles S. Chaplin, the Marx Brothers or Jerry Lewis. The League of the Champions of the Absurdness.
Nevertheless, the price of this Criterion release, without bonus features, except for english subtitles, could discourage the average amateur. THE BANK DICK lasts only 74 minutes but offers two or three scenes worthy to appear in an anthology of the best comic scenes ever filmed. I specially loved the car chase, involving three cars, a motorcycle and a W.C. FIELDS destructing his car while driving at 70 miles per hour. But dialogs are also extremely funny, completing the pleasure that you are certainly going to have with one of the Masters of comic movies.
A DVD dedicated to mother-in-laws.
Movie Review: "I offer you a heart handclasp!"
Summary: 4 Stars
The Bank Dick is the story of a drunken man who finds himself appointed to be the security guard of the bank after a robbery falsely paints him as a hero. This man is in no way qualified for such work, but he takes the job happily. In the midst of his job, he is swindled into investing a large sum of money that he borrows from the bank into a beefsteak mine.
WC Fields is a very natural and understated actor in this film, whose lines seem ad-libbed and whose comic timing is well tuned. He is a likable, clumsy drunk whose antics are obviously damaging but forgivable.
This film features other film favorites. Una Merkel plays Fields' daughter, a cute, innocent character which is unlike her usual personality. Shemp Howard of the Three Stooges plays the bartender. He is frequently in the film, but his character is not developed.
This comedy involves many standard devices including the slow-burn, sarcastic comments, and an overall outrageous story. The background music is sometimes a hindrance to the jokes because it cheapens them rather than emphasizing them.
Overall, however, this is a cute film.
Movie Review: Buy quickly! Limited availablility!
Summary: 4 Stars
This review is to inform any prospective buyers out there that have a remote interest in this film, to buy 'The Bank Dick' as soon as possible. The studio, Criterion Collection, has stopped printing this DVD and thus, it has become an OOP (Out-of-print) like many more of Criterion Collection's films.
So, if you are a Criterion Collection completist, or have put this film in your wishlist, I recommend that you buy it now, before it is unavailable.