***52 Westerns in 52 Weeks Challenge
***
Week 6: ****Released in the 1930s**

Really enjoyable despite a few issues. If I’ve learned anything from the four films I’ve now seen directed by Howard Hawks it’s that he really knew what he was doing making these romance scenes, in films like Ball of Fire and His Girl Friday the feelings of romance were some of the best I’ve ever seen and a premiere aspect of the film and Barbary Coast is no different. Miriam Hopkins was fantastic in the lead role and made for the majority of the spark that created that great romance, I just recently watched her act for the first time in William Wyler’s These Three and her work here was a big step up on that, I’ll definitely have my eye out for more movies starring her in the future. Next to her Edward G. Robinson gives another fantastic performance and is someone slowly becoming one of my favorite actors to ever live, his screen-presence is always powerful and this movie is a perfect example of what he can bring to the table. Joel McCrea didn’t get much screen-time for such a pivotal character but I liked the time he did get, the scene where Mary finds his house for shelter in the rain was very charming, after that though I thought he could’ve used more focus. Visually I shouldn’t be shocked it looked this good with Hawks at the helm but I still am, the bar set was solid but I’m mostly talking about the outdoor shots, specifically that final sequence of Jim and Mary in the rowing boat with the fog looked fantastic and way ahead of its time. I have to say though, for a movie I chose in my 2026 western challenge and one that’s clearly remembered as a western I didn’t get much of the feeling that makes me love the genre. Beyond the plot-points of California gold, the bar set with the gambling, and the occasional revolver shot this feels much more like a city-based romance drama than anything western, I’m still able to love it though because I obviously don’t need it to have those aspects of the western to appreciate how good it is.

***52 Westerns in 52 Weeks Challenge
***
Week 6: ****Released in the 1930s**

Really enjoyable despite a few issues. If I’ve learned anything from the four films I’ve now seen directed by Howard Hawks it’s that he really knew what he was doing making these romance scenes, in films like Ball of Fire and His Girl Friday the feelings of romance were some of the best I’ve ever seen and a premiere aspect of the film and Barbary Coast is no different. Miriam Hopkins was fantastic in the lead role and made for the majority of the spark that created that great romance, I just recently watched her act for the first time in William Wyler’s These Three and her work here was a big step up on that, I’ll definitely have my eye out for more movies starring her in the future. Next to her Edward G. Robinson gives another fantastic performance and is someone slowly becoming one of my favorite actors to ever live, his screen-presence is always powerful and this movie is a perfect example of what he can bring to the table. Joel McCrea didn’t get much screen-time for such a pivotal character but I liked the time he did get, the scene where Mary finds his house for shelter in the rain was very charming, after that though I thought he could’ve used more focus. Visually I shouldn’t be shocked it looked this good with Hawks at the helm but I still am, the bar set was solid but I’m mostly talking about the outdoor shots, specifically that final sequence of Jim and Mary in the rowing boat with the fog looked fantastic and way ahead of its time. I have to say though, for a movie I chose in my 2026 western challenge and one that’s clearly remembered as a western I didn’t get much of the feeling that makes me love the genre. Beyond the plot-points of California gold, the bar set with the gambling, and the occasional revolver shot this feels much more like a city-based romance drama than anything western, I’m still able to love it though because I obviously don’t need it to have those aspects of the western to appreciate how good it is.