Wed 24 Nov 2010
A Movie Review by Walter Albert: BACK DOOR TO HEAVEN (1939).
Posted by Steve under Crime Films , ReviewsNo Comments
BACK DOOR TO HEAVEN. Paramount, 1939. Wallace Ford, Patricia Ellis, Aline McMahon, Stuart Erwin, Van Heflin, Bert Frohman, George Lewis, Bruce Evans, James Lydon. Director: William K. Howard. Shown at Cinefest 28, Syracuse NY, March 2008.
This low-budget production had some promise with the superior cinematography of Hal Mohr, a good cast, and the experienced direction of William K. Howard.
However, the grim, downward spiral of the fortunes of a poor but decent kid gone wrong (played by Jimmy Lydon, with Wallace Ford portraying him as an adult) climaxed in a scene bathed in a synthetic pathos that undid much of the gritty, late Depression realism of the film.
An overwrought score by Erno Rapee constantly undercut the director’s restraint in the handling of a script based on his original story and personal experiences. This film continued what seems to be a tradition at Cinefest of disappointing openings.