Men Without Women

The first of Ford's submarine pictures, this film is most notable for being part talkie, part silent. This creates an almost surreal experience as we are occasionally jolted out of the silent picture ethos and its fluid camera for the talking scenes shot on tripods. I'm not sure I've seen a better example of the visual step back that talkies were initially as we see here with the contrast between the two kinds of scenes. Also, I loved the shot that starts above water and descends--innovative.

"Men Without Women" is a unique hybrid of silent film and early talkie. The interspersed written words were a welcome aid, given the difficulty in discerning the dialogue. The film starts compellingly, depicting shore leave in 1930s China. However, the title could benefit from further clarification to enhance understanding.