Movies

Le main du diable (1943) Painter buys demonic talisman which replaces his hand with a possessed occult hand, fulfilling his dreams of greatness. The catch is, he must sell it before he dies for less than he paid or be eternally damned, plus the devil is ruining his life just for fun. No big surprises, but a pretty nice deal with the devil movie in general. 6/10

Riptide (1934) Ponderous depression-era melodrama with Norma Shearer the vivacious victim of stuffy husband Herbert Marshall's suspicions, and Robert Montgomery the boozing nitwit into whose arms she flees. Not a speck of reality intrudes into this tale of the desperate problems of fantastically wealthy and beautiful people scampering gaily around the mediterranean or weeping in lavish chambers. Though it is ferociously romantic for the first fifteen minutes, this is really the same story as 1930's wonderful The Divorcee, with slower pace and less appeal. Gowns by Adrian are fantastical and fabulous, angular and asymmetrical with huge contrasting lapels, or slim glittering sheaths with miles of train, but the characters are all a bit much, the dialog is heavy and repetitious, the action is slow and the abrupt ending seems like a quick fix to what might have been more satisfying as a tragedy. 4/10