September 30, 2013

"Congo Jazz" & "The Booze Hangs High"



"Congo Jazz" (short) & "The Booze Hangs High" (short), 1930. Bosko dances with jungle animals, and Bosko dances with barnyard animals.

Directed by Hugh Harman & Rudolf Ising. Starring Johnny Murray.

Concept: 1/4 (Bad)
Story: 0/4 (Terrible)
Characters: 1/4 (Bad)
Dialog: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Pacing: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Cinematography: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Special effects/design: 3/4 (Good) for "Congo" / 2/4 (Indifferent) for "Booze"
Acting: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Music: 4/4 (Great)
Subjective Rating: 7/10 (Good, 3/4). These cartoons are kind of wonderful. They've changed Bosko's voice to a Mickey Mouse type thing, which means I wouldn't recognize him as a racial stereotype if I hadn't seen his earlier incarnation. And the lack of a plot doesn't hurt quite as much as it did in "Sinkin' in the Bathtub," maybe because they don't even bother to pretend there might be a story. It's just a lot of whimsical, old-timey dancin'. And, occasionally, something really bizarre happens.
Objective Rating (Average): 2.0/4 (Indifferent) / 1.9/4 (Eh)

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