Liliom (1930)
Directed by Frank Borzage

Film Review

One of Frank Borzage's more unusual films is his adaptation of Ferenc Molnár's play Liliom, which is now best known in its later incarnation as the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical Carousel (1956)  Rarely seen today, Borzage's Liliom is an oddity in terms of both its storyline, which appears to sanctify domestic violence, and its visualisation, which has fairytale expressionistic feel to it.  The film was not a great commercial success and was ill-received by the critics when it was first released.  The sequences set in the Heaven-bound train were particularly controversial and resulted in the film being truncated by around thirty minutes in some countries or else not distributed at all in others.

Liliom may not match up to the excellence of Borzage's previous masterworks, but it clearly fits within his oeuvre as it deals with the themes that we most associate with this director, namely the enduring and redeeming power of love and the notion of starting over again with a second chance.   Had this been made as a silent film, it would surely have ranked as one of the director's most remarkable films.  It is imaginatively shot, the high contrast chiaroscuro and sombre shadow-laden sets emphasising the hardship and hopelessness faced by the film's main protagonists.  Most memorable are the starkly expressionistic sequences in which Liliom makes his ascent into the after-life on a train.  The flurry of fantasy-stylisation and understated black humour come as a surprise, reviving the film just at the point when it seems to have (excuse the pun) run out of steam.

Whilst Liliom is as visually interesting as any of Borzage's previous films, it falls down spectacularly on the acting front.  The stilted performances from just about the entire cast rob the film of the poetry, realism and emotional intensity that we expect of Borzage.  After a while (approximately five minutes) it becomes excruciatingly painful to listen to the slow expressionless delivery of the principals, Charles Farrell and Rose Hobart.  Farrell was one of many stars of the silent era who found it hard to make the transition to sound, and watching (or rather hearing) him in this film you will understand why.  This was Hobart's first film role and it is obvious that her background was in theatre.   The stagey performances may appear hammy by today's standards but were pretty typical for a film of this era, necessitated by the primitive sound recording equipment which required every line to be clearly (even laboriously) enunciated.

Liliom also suffers from a lack of sympathetic characters and ideas that today are dated, if not downright offensive.  When the distinctly unlikeable Liliom arrives back on Earth, he redeems himself not by some noble and selfless act, but by slapping his daughter around the face.  This prompts his devoted wife to remember him with great affection, and she assures us that being beaten up by the one you love is like being kissed.  Oh, really?  Even allowing for the fact that attitudes have changed a great deal since the film was made, it is hard not to feel slightly sick at this point. 

Just what is the film trying to say?  If you want to be remembered favourably after your demise you should treat your spouse and little ones like a punch bag?   Unlike Fritz Lang's subsequent (and superior) adaptation of Liliom, which tells the same story in a much more ironic vein, Borzage appears to be sincere in his expression of this notion of tough love, and this is perhaps why most audiences today will find the film distinctly unpalatable, if not shocking.  The R&H musical Carousel manages to get away with telling the same story thanks to some sentimental window-dressing and a prettier presentation.  (A spoonful of saccharine can work wonders.)  By contrast, Borzage's film is more honest and, consequently, quite repellant.

Film Synopsis

Budapest, circa 1900.  Julie, a waitress in a café, is in love with Liliom, a rough fairground barker.  Liliom is a good-for-nothing who has a reputation for exploiting young women and yet Julie is infatuated with him.  After spending an evening together, Liliom and Julie lose their jobs.  With Liliom unable or unwilling to find work, it is left to Julie to support him.  When he learns that Julie is pregnant with his child, Liliom finally realises he must start earning money.  Unwilling to return to his old job as a barker, he agrees to help his friend The Buzzard rob a passing cashier.  The robbery does not go as planned.  Cornered by the police, Liliom stabs himself to death with a knife and finds himself on a train bound for Heaven.  After a brief stint in Hell, he is given a special privilege, to return to Earth for one day so that he can visit Julie and his daughter...