Big Brown Eyes (1936)

I love this movie so much

As somebody who had not heard any of this before, it became a curious phenomenon to sit and watch a film and slowly have the realities begin to click into place.

If you like to be scared, if you like to laugh, and if you like to learn a thing or two at the movies, this absolutely cannot be missed.

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

Cary Grant will probably be remembered well into the future for three films that he made. "Arsenic and Old Lace" is a comedy, crime and thriller of 1944. "An Affair to Remember" is a drama, light comedy and love story of 1957. And, "North by Northwest" of 1959 is the Alfred Hitchcock action, adventure and mystery film that is likely to remain on the IMDb top 250 list for decades to come. Before, between and after those films Grant made many more movies – most of them big box office successes. Aside from the three most familiar films, he made a slew of comedy-romances. When we hear the name, Cary Grant, most movie buffs are likely to think first of "My Favorite Wife" of 1940, or "The Awful Truth" of 1937, or another one of his hilarious comedy-romances. Yet, besides "North by Northwest," Grant made a dozen other mystery-crime-thrillers. Most were very good. "Big Brown Eyes" of 1936 is one of those films, but a somewhat lesser one. The acting is very good by all of the cast, and the plot is very good. But this film suffers from a disjointed screenplay, weak direction, and poor film editing. Grant plays a police detective sergeant, Danny Barr. Joan Bennett is his sweetheart, Eve Fallon, who works as a manicurist. She leaves her job to work for a newspaper and tries to help Danny solve a jewel robbery. Walter Pidgeon is Richard Morey, an insurance investigator and adjuster. He runs a secret, crooked operation on the side. Among the rest of the supporting cast are Lloyd Nolan as Russ Cortig, Joe Sawyer as Jack Sully, and Edwin Maxwell as the editor. This is an interesting and fun film that most should enjoy. With better writing, direction and overall care in the making, "Big Brown Eyes" could have been a much better film. Danny and Eve have a scene with back and forth dialog that reminds one of the famous routine of Bud Abbott and Lou Costello – "Who's on First?" Eve, "Where are you going?" Dan, "I don't know yet. I haven't made up my mind." Eve, "Can I go with you?" Dan, "Where?" Eve, "Where you're going." Dan, "Well, I just told ya. I don't know where I'm going." Eve, "Well, when do you leave?" Dan, "I don't know that either." Eve, "Well, why can't you take me along?" Dan, "Where?" Eve, "That's what I'm asking you." Dan, "I'm asking you that." Eve, "Say, who's going – you or me?" Dan, "Where?" Eve, "I don't know. I'm not going – you are." Dan, "Well look, what time is it?" Eve, "What time does your train leave?" Dan, "How do you know I'm going by train? I might be going by boat." Eve, "What kind of a boat?" Dan, "I don't know. I haven't seen it yet."

This is by all means a 10/10 film, the very kind that I watch an actor's entire filmography to find. After having watched the film, I was absolutely shocked to learn that it actually lost the studio money and that it hardly has a wikipedia article at all. Perhaps I appreciate things in a different way than some other people: a lot of reviewers here have written off this film as being second-rate, or something only that die-hard films of the protagonists would enjoy. The fact is that when watching this film, I couldn't help but say to myself "there's something amazing about this film." Essentially, it's the way that the camera would focus on faces in a titled way; it's how three or so times they utilized a scene of angled talking faces being done over in a barber/manicure salon to provide for distinct segmenting transitions. Though maybe most of all is the cast itself, I mean Joan Bennett and Cary Grant. Joan Bennett here, as apparently I gather she does in this period in general, plays that perfect sort of woman that only existed in this era. She's full of energy and does everything with such coordination and awareness, it's simply glorious to see in another person. Then there's the little things. The scene where the two young guys were called and they were laying on a bed sideways on their backs smoking, and how after that they started talking about airplanes and parachutes -- or when the baby-killer was listening to the radio about flowers, and seemed to have a genuine interest in horticulture in general. Or what about Cary Grant leaving the police station and scraping his cigarette against the engraved plaque in the wall, the one which exhorts the necessity of justice for freedom to work? The thing is, this is clearly a film where a ton of thought and innovation has been poured into it: this film was obviously someone's darling. Those little things like that aren't found in the normal routine film either past or modern, and that's what makes it so spectacular. By all means, this is a cult film, and it is absolutely "ahead of its time" while also being so quintessentially a part of it. A total thrill, and something I hope to see again.

Joan Bennett is a manicurist/reporter, and Cary Grant is a police detective. They have a few funny lines in "Big Brown Eyes"; and, along comes Walter Pidgeon with his gang of jewel thieves. The main problem, for me, was the clash between the humor, and the crime drama. The major crime is the accidental shooting of a baby, in its baby carriage, in the park - the scene give you a jolt, and kills the "comedy". Later, a man is shot after he delivers a witty line. It doesn't mix well.Ms. Bennett and Mr. Grant are the main attraction; they are fun to watch, and show promise as a movie "team". I did not care much for the story (or the slanted camera angles), however. ***** Big Brown Eyes (1936) Raoul Walsh ~ Cary Grant, Joan Bennett, Walter Pidgeon

An adequate comedy/mystery, one that is serviceable while playing but will scarcely be remembered long after it concludes. In all fairness, the jumbled screenplay by Bert Hanlon and director Raoul Walsh has a reasonable degree of intriguing ideas spread throughout the picture's scant runtime, but the various story threads never gel into a completely coherent picture and the film is further hindered by some woefully leaden dialogue among it's lead characters. The film is still wholly watchable, and even enjoyable during certain stretches due to it's lead performers. The chemistry between Cary Grant and Joan Bennett (as a bickering couple thrown into a case involving stolen jewels and murder) is breezy and natural, and the duo significantly better the film with their thoroughly winning performances.