I've just watched the English version of Night Birds and was very pleasantly surprised having read the earlier comment.
As previously stated, this is an early talkie so allowances have to be made. However, unlike many British films of that period which were painfully slow and stilted, this one moves along at a cracking pace. Yes, the plot is utterly ridiculous but no more so than many other films coming out of Hollywood at that time. As for the camera work, at times it can be very fluid and the use of light and dark in some scenes makes the film look as if it had been made several years later. The quality of the acting varies enormously but occasionally the director does manage to coax slightly more natural performances out of the actors than I would have expected from a British film of 1930, especially from the ladies. The dressing room scene dialogue is decidedly pre-code too!
It isn't perfection by any means and can be very creaky in places but it still manages to be an enjoyable and entertaining film. Critics rave about Hitchcock's Murder from the same year but despite it's technical innovations, I find that film much harder to sit through than Night Birds where the pace and performances seem much more refreshing.
Give it a try, you might be pleasantly surprised too!
As previously stated, this is an early talkie so allowances have to be made. However, unlike many British films of that period which were painfully slow and stilted, this one moves along at a cracking pace. Yes, the plot is utterly ridiculous but no more so than many other films coming out of Hollywood at that time. As for the camera work, at times it can be very fluid and the use of light and dark in some scenes makes the film look as if it had been made several years later. The quality of the acting varies enormously but occasionally the director does manage to coax slightly more natural performances out of the actors than I would have expected from a British film of 1930, especially from the ladies. The dressing room scene dialogue is decidedly pre-code too!
It isn't perfection by any means and can be very creaky in places but it still manages to be an enjoyable and entertaining film. Critics rave about Hitchcock's Murder from the same year but despite it's technical innovations, I find that film much harder to sit through than Night Birds where the pace and performances seem much more refreshing.
Give it a try, you might be pleasantly surprised too!