White Lies: When the Newsman Becomes the News

Is it worth your time?

If you like old, grumpy men getting their comeuppance, then yes, absolutely. It is one of those classic dramas that moves at a breakneck speed, which I love. If you prefer slow-burn character studies or hate movies where everyone is a bit of a jerk, you might want to skip this one.

John Mitchell is the kind of guy who probably eats his own young if it nets him an extra thousand copies sold. He is a newspaper publisher, and he treats people like paper clips—bendable and easily thrown away.

Cinematic perspective: Exploring the visual vocabulary of White Lies (1934) through its definitive frames.

There is this moment early on with the cop, Terry Condon. Mitchell tries to ruin him just for doing his job, and it’s genuinely gross. You can feel the grease coming off the screen.

Then there is Dan Oliver. Poor guy. He made a mistake, he’s paying it back, but that does not matter to Mitchell. He prints the story anyway. Boom. Life over.

Cinematic perspective: Exploring the visual vocabulary of White Lies (1934) through its definitive frames.

The pacing here is wild. It does not wait for you to catch up. Things go from 'oops, I embezzled money' to 'I am shooting people in the street' in about ten minutes. It’s a little ridiculous, honestly, but it keeps you glued.

The whole courtroom drama section is where the movie finally drops the act. It’s not about the news anymore; it is about Mitchell staring at his own mess.

Cinematic perspective: Exploring the visual vocabulary of White Lies (1934) through its definitive frames.

I couldn't help but think about how much more brutal this feels than something like Power. It lacks that polished, studio-sanitized sheen. It feels like a punch in the gut.

• The lighting in the apartment scene is oddly claustrophobic. It makes you feel like the walls are closing in.
• The dialogue is sharp, maybe too sharp? Nobody talks like that, but in 1934, maybe they did.
• I kept waiting for a soft moment, but the movie just refuses to give you one. It stays mean until the end.

Is it perfect? No. The motivations get a bit blurry when the shooting starts, and some of the extras look like they are just waiting for lunch. But who cares? It has heart, even if that heart is cold.

It reminds me a bit of the frantic energy in Fantômas: The False Magistrate, though obviously a totally different vibe. It’s just people acting on impulse, over and over again.

Anyway, go watch it if you want to see a rich guy lose his grip. It’s pretty satisfying. 📰