Anton Walbrook night

One of the nice things about TCM is that they often shine a light on people who wouldn't otherwise be highlighted, something that is especially true for the people who work behind the camera. That having been said, tonight's lineup is dedicated to one of the people in front of the camera: Anton Walbrook.

You've probably seen some of the movies he was in, since I've recommended several of them. Probably my favorite among them would be 49th Parallel, which is not on tonight's TCM schedule. Of course, Walbrook has a smaller part in that, like most of the people playing Canadians. Walbrook was the star of the original 1940 version of Gaslight, but that one isn't airing either.

Instead, the night kicks off at 8:00 PM with The Red Shoes, a movie that's beautiful to look at albeit one with a story that I find difficult to get into. Coincidentally, I used the same turn of phrase when I last mentioned The Red Shoes last October. That, and I made roughly the same comments but using different expressions back in 2012. I'm sorry I have different tastes and find this movie a slog. But then I often like to say that you should watch a movie and judge for yourself, and The Red Shoes is an excellent movie in that regard.

The Red Shoes will be followed at 10:30 by a movie that, I have to admit, is new to me: The Soldier and the Lady. Reading a bit about it on IMDb, it sounds as though it has a very strange provenance. Just seeing it on the schedule, I would have guessed it was a UK film made by the Kordas or something, but that doesn't seem to be the case at all; instead, the movie is a reworking of a German production.

Finally, at midnight tonight, is I Accuse!, which tells the story of Alfred Dreyfus (Jose Ferrer). Walbrook plays Major Esterhazy.