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Reviews (135)

Great Film!
Rebecca is one of my very favorite movies. I have seen it many times and I never tire of it. The story is ageless and simple. An aristocratic widower marries a shy young girl and takes her to his castle-like home. There, she lives haunted by the shadow of Rebecca, his first wife. It is Rebecca did this, Rebecca did that, Rebecca all the time. A stunning classic.

A Hitchcock Movie for People Who Don't Like Hitchcock Films
Looking back in retrospect, I truly believe this film was the launching point of Hitchcock's career. He went on to have one of the most glorious careers in Hollywood history. Although he never won an Academy Award Oscar for the Best Director award; Hitchcock showed that he truly belonged in the top echelon of directors. Especially in his golden era: circa 1951 to 1959.
Classic Version Of The Romantic Suspense Novel. A-List Cast+Excellent Script+Flawless Direction=The DEFINITIVE Version.
Alfred Hitchcock's first film made in America was an adaptation of the highly successful novel "Rebecca." In the role of the mysterious, but handsome, Maxim DeWinter, is Laurence Olivier (coming off the success of "Wuthering Heights" the year before; please see my review on it), giving a complex performance yet again. Joan Fontaine plays the nameless heroine, Judith Anderson plays the sinister Mrs. Danvers and George Sanders plays Rebecca's devious cousin. Very faithful to the novel, this film is. Recommended for English classes. Not Rated. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Mystery / Suspense   

Editorial Review

David O. Selznick wanted Read more

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Reviews (629)

Forget PC Culture for a Few Hours and Just Enjoy the Movie!
I still remember the first time I read "Gone with the Wind".I was in my native Georgia, in high school, and spent a weekend in bed with the book.Once I started reading it, I could not put it down.Margaret Mitchell's characters were sparkling with vitality and a contagious energy that made you feel as though they were your own neighbors and family!
Oh, those poor racists lost their slaves, how sad!
(1) Scarlett O'Hara is the least likable "heroine" I've ever seen. She has no redeeming qualities.
Long and laborious, and so very stupid... how is this a classic?
This is another of those movies I wonder "HOW is this a classic?". Maybe the book was a lot better than the movie! I was watching this, not expecting much, but expecting to earn my respect, the way "Scarface" or "Casablanca", movies I don't like but have earned my respect as classic movies.
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Subjects:  1. Drama    2. Feature Film-drama    3. Movie   

Editorial Review

In this 1949 dramatization of Henry James'sRead more

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Reviews (45)

Great film
I disagree with the characterization of most of the reviews here.I didn't see the father as a heartless man, but as a father trying to protect his overly dull and reclusive daughter from a fortune hunter.At first meeting, he seems very happy that his daughter, Catherine, has found a suitor and welcomes him cordially, but after talking to him he discovers that he is a selfish fortune hunter, a mercenary, who cares only for himself, and nothing for his daughter or anyone else, even his own aunt who has several children.
CLASSIC !
A must see classic film.
DeHavilland's Best Performance
Great film, they don't make them like this anymore. Great performances, great script, gorgeous sets and costumes, this film is timeless. What is taking so long getting this out on dvd????? ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Drama    2. Feature Film-drama    3. Movie   

Editorial Review

The last film in Hollywood of director Douglas Sirk (Read more

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Reviews (117)

Somehow, I can never resist watching a broadcast of this one
I shall confess that this film is a 'guilty pleasure' for me as well. The story is unrealistic and melodramatic. Lana Turner's outdated, 'plastic' leading lady ways show that her acting abilities are on the lowest level of anyone except the 'cute and perky' Sandra Dee. Dialogue is dreadful, from the photographer's saying he'll have a 'love affair with Lora's bones' to Lora's telling Annie, whom she had known and shared a residence with for over a decade, that she never thought she had any friends.
Love, Race, Mothers and Daughters
This movie is a classic.Although, I can barely stand to watch it.It takes me on an emotional rollercoaster ride.I bought it for my mother on Mother's Day.Growing up, she and I would watch it everytime it came on television.I wanted her to be able to see this tear-evoking memorable movie any time she pleases.Great Mother's Day gift.

Great CLASSIC film
This film tugged at ALL of my emotions....I was angry, dissapointed, and sad.This is a must see for everyone of any age. Its one of my favorites! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Drama    2. Feature Film-drama    3. Movie   

Editorial Review

Hollywood's legendary "woman's director," George Cukor (Read more

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Reviews (204)

My Fair Lady
All time classic musical/drama/love story.
A Wonderful Movie
I loved this movie.It is a very classic story set to wonderful music.The interactions between Audrey Hepburn and Rex Harrison make this a real gem worth seeing over and over.

fantastic!
My Fair Lady is wonderful. (A bit chauvanistic for our time though). Eliza is a spitfire. The music is wonderful.
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Subjects:  1. Drama    2. Movie    3. Musicals   

Editorial Review

Gary Cooper plays Alvin York, the real-life country lad and sharpshooter drafted to fight during World War I but blocked from killing by his pacifist sentiments. Howard Hawks makes a rousing, heroic film out of the tale, and Cooper gives one of his best performances (for which he won an Oscar). The 1941 feature seems as much a valentine to wartime America (and a not-so-subtle piece of propaganda) as anything, with Hawks capturing splendidly shot scenes of life in York's home state of Tennessee, which in turn provide a striking contrast to the battlefield. A key scene in the film, in which York is presented with an argument in favor of killing in war, is still thought provoking. Read more

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Reviews (68)

This movie has a lot of heart
This is one of those movies that never gets old.
WHEN OSCAR MET COOPER....A TIMELESS TRIUMPH!
For those who wonder why it took so long for SERGEANT YORK to make his journey to DVD, all you have to be familiar with is how AWFUL this movie looked when TCM ran it on TV. Like so many older Warner pictures, it needed to be restored, and over and over again, the grand old studio founded by the brothers Warner is restoring is glittering gems for DVD to look and sound terrific.
Took them long enough!!!
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Subjects:  1. Drama    2. Movie   

Editorial Review

James Hilton's novel

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The Valley of the Blue Moon
James Hilton's novel was fashioned by a young Frank Capra in the 1930's into this flawed but must-see film classic. Robert Riskin's screenplay is too preachy at times, with less emphasis on the romance than there should have been, but an exciting finish and terrific individual moments make this a great film anyway.
FDR's Secret Base revealed in this Classic film
The impact of this work over the years has been considerable. James Hilton wrote the novel as an anti-war ideal. Hilton was an intelligent man and saw what was coming for the world in the 30's and tried to create an imaginary place of ease, cultural pursuits and knowledge free from the toil and terrors of the world, especially death itself. It became a great novel in the history of fiction. The book became really big after pocket books produced the FIRST paperback and made this work the object of that new development. Then Capra made the monumental movie that we have all come to appreciate, once again, prophetic about the coming war and suggestive of continuance after humanity is done tearing each other apart. Yet, it was NOT finished, the spirit continued into World War II,after the first daring bombing of Tokyo, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt told the press that the source of the bombers came "from our secret base in Shangri-La Gentlemen!". With this in mind, Father Perot continues to deliver the message of "Be kind" to this day and Shangri-La is carried into every human mind that understands the basic philosophy behind this picture. Of course, since it was made in the 30's, it is somewhat dated now in characterizations, which remind you of Flash Gordon serials done at a slightly slower pace. Coleman reminds us of the cynical attitude we take as we roll with the punches that life throws upon us. When you get to this point, usually somewhere in your 40's, you are ready to throw in everything for just a chance at Shangri-La. Escape from the toils of the world into a physical ideal place is of course, a set in the imagination of writers, even Evelyn Waugh's Charles Ryder in 'Brideshead Revisited" (1945) sought "that low door in the wall that opened to an enchanted garden, where others I knew had gone before me, not overlooked by any window in that gray city". Our nature is like a restless Henry David Thoreau in "Walden" or a wandering Walt Whitman in "Leaves of Grass", always seeking that magic place where we will finally be able to sleep without worry. THIS is Shangri-La. It is part of the American Spirit and that is why this movie is such an important picture despite it's faults. Capra spent a lot on this production. Young people need to see it and understand that famous quote "those who do not learn from History are doomed to repeat it". Once again, forms of Fascism are on the Horizon. The "Lost" Horizon may be our own if we fail to communicate this to future generations. Let us hope that we can build Shangi-La in reality someday as more than just an ideal in our imagination.

Mr Chang and his Shangri-La.
When I heard this film LOST HORIZON (1937), was being painstakingly restored and with much more footage found in the vaults, after seeing some of the footage, I thought I had to see it some day.They say every film student and movie buff should see it.
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Subjects:  1. Drama    2. Movie   

Editorial Review

Elia Kazan made his directorial debut with this adaptation of Betty Smith's novel about a bright, young girl growing up in turn-of-the-century Brooklyn, trying to rise above her tenement existence. Sensitively filmed by Kazan, and graced with wonderful performances by James Dunn as the wistful, alcoholic father and Dorothy McGuire as a strong-willed mother. Peggy Ann Garner won a special Oscar for her performance. Read more

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Reviews (53)

A Fine Old Timer !

BUY IT IN THE UK
I bought this DVD from AMAZON-UK and it played flawlessly in my multi-region DVD player. After figuring the exchange rate it cost me less than $18.00, shipping included, and I received itabout a week from placing my order.

Bravo!
Peggy Ann Garner is superb in this film.I read the book, also.A must have movie.Peggy is one of the best actors I have ever seen. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Drama    2. Feature Film-drama    3. Movie   

Editorial Review

They call it Read more

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Reviews (80)

rural sprawl
edna ferber was never able to transfer very well from page to screen (see "ice palace", "so big", "cimarron", either "show boat"), but the movies all were entertaining.this george stevens production stars rock hudson, liz taylor, and james dean in the saga of competing texas billionaires.its a sprawling mess but individual moments (to be truthful, mostly from dean) are so good as to make it always worth a viewing.
Giant acting, current issues.
The actors are all superb in this extraordinary film about the issue of bigotry with regard to Mexican-Americans, women and the poor.There is not even a hint of melodrama in the portrayals of either the villains or the heroes, making it a film that I never tire of watching.The issue of bigotry is just as relevant today as it was in 1956 when the movie was made and in 1952 when the book was published.James Dean reveals his true range of acting ability in his portrayal of Jett Rink from a poor and rebellious young kid to a middle-aged oil tycoon.Rock Hudson's portrayal of a rich Texas patriarch is quite realistic, despite the overly romantic roles he usually played.Elizabeth Taylor, too, is convincing as a young woman from a family of privilege in Maryland adjusting to life in the modern west without sacrificing any of the values she had acquired while growing up.Everyone in this film does not appear to be "acting." They all seem true-to-life, making this film a joy to see many times without tiring of the lessons about bigotry.

George Stevens' Oscar winner
It's very easy to forget that this wonderful, entertaining, and nostalgic epic film won George Stevens an Oscar.As the special features included in the set indicate, Stevens was a very special director who enjoyed a long, productive, and rewarding career.Prior to World War II, Stevens directed mostly comedies and did quite well, particularly when he worked with Hepburn and Tracy on "Woman of the Year."Wartime service, where he produced a number of special films using Kodachrome film, changed Stevens greatly, especially when he saw the atrocities in the German concentration camps.
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Subjects:  1. Drama    2. Feature Film-drama    3. Movie   

Editorial Review

This minor 1955 work by Alfred Hitchcock, one of the lighter entries of his creative peak in the 1950s, is still imbued with the master's stock themes of shared guilt and romantic ambivalence. It is also hardly lacking in Hitchcockian cinematic inventiveness, such as a famous, often-imitated sequence in which some smooching between stars Cary Grant and Grace Kelly is intercut with a fireworks show that just happens to be going on outside in a Riviera setting. Grant plays a reformed cat burglar who is suspected of reviving his trade, though he knows someone else is using his old methods. A very enjoyable experience, but don't get this confused with Hitchcock's other Cary Grant film of that decade, which was a masterpiece: Read more

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Reviews (110)

Good edition of the movie.
Everybody knows the plot of this movie. So, I can't add anything in that respect. However, I can tell you that the quality of the DVD is very good. Clear picture and sound - great buy.

Hitchcock's Combo Platter: Style, Suspense and Comedy
This is Hitch's least "heady" film -- the sheer physical beauty of Grace Kelly in her prime, Cary Grant in his, and the French Mediterranean in its, they all conspire to confound intellectualization. The screen seems slick with the vapors of the stars' physical luminosity.
To Catch a Thief
You don't get much better than Cary Grant, Grace Kelly and Alfred and Edith Head.Full of fun, danger, and suspence, this suspenceful thriller shows how Hollywood used to make a romantic movie. Alas, can one imagine how this movie would be made today? All guns, car chases and explicit sex and very little plot! Let us be glad we have means of saving these classics for our future entertainment!!!! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Classics    2. Drama    3. Movie    4. Mystery    5. Mystery / Suspense    6. Suspense   

Editorial Review

Rock Hudson became a beefcake star playing a self-absorbed, thrill-chasing millionaire playboy in the first of Douglas Sirk's glossy Technicolor melodramas. In a classic example of the wicked machinations of soap opera fate, Hudson's showboating antics kill the most saintly man in motion-picture history and stalk his newlywed widow (Jane Wyman), driving her into an accident that leaves her blind. The kindly attentions of a bohemian painter and part-time guardian angel help turn Hudson's life around, and he rejects his irresponsible lifestyle and dedicates himself to his new "magnificent obsession" of philanthropy and good deeds, meanwhile romancing Wyman in a sincere, soft-spoken voice and with a phony name. Read more

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More Than A Movie...
This is about a man laying hold of the greatest power in the world.In this film we see Rock Hudson undergo a transformation from irresponsible playboy to a dedicated, caring, passionate man with purpose.The supporting cast played beautifully by Jane Wyman, Agnes Moorehead, and Otto Krueger enriches the whole film.Douglas Sirk directed this masterpiece and of course, as usual, uses lavish color as he weaves a certain mood across the entire movie.I can't understand why no one in Hollywood can find it in them to make movies like this anymore.Especially in today's world, the message is even more relevant.This is a movie you will want to own and see over again.

The soundtrack is the best part!
The story is sentimental yet illuminating, and the acting is fine, but the most significant achievement of this film is its lovely soundtrack.Based on haunting themes by Chopin and Beethoven (the beautiful choral movement of his 9th symphony), the mesmerizing melodies of Magnificent Obsession deserve to be noted.
I can't believe people don't see what this movie is about!
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Reviews (44)

Five Stars Just Aren't Enough!
There aren't many films from any era that come close to being "perfect" (though that's not really the right word) in just about every way--probably you could count them on your fingers and have some left over.
The Way (we might like to wish)We Were
Friendly Persuasion (1956) is my favorite 1950s movie. It always reminds me of Fiddler on the Roof (1971) as both films have analogous existentialist values; questions of faith, meaning and test of personal resolve. Tevye the Milkman must face the challenge to his sense of self and traditional way of doing things, by the increasingly independent ways his three daughters go about selecting a husband. Jess Birdwell (Gary Cooper) and his family must face the challenge to their pacifist Quaker values by the personal demands of the American Civil War.
"I Will Not Harm Thee"~Can Family, Faith And Passivism Endure In Time Of War?
`Friendly Persuasion released in '56 is a life affirming tale of faith, family and passivism against the heartbreaking backdrop of the bloody American Civil War. Directed by William Wyler the film focuses on a small Quaker community in the South, more specially on one particular family in that community, the Birdwell's.
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Editorial Review

Ranking No. 21 on the American Film Institute's list of the 100 greatest American films, this 1940 classic is a bit dated in its noble sentimentality, but it remains a luminous example of Hollywood classicism from the peerless director of mythic Americana, John Ford. Adapted by Nunnally Johnson from John Steinbeck's classic novel, the film tells a simple story about Oklahoma farmers leaving the depression-era dustbowl for the promised land of California, but it's the story's emotional resonance and theme of human perseverance that makes the movie so richly and timelessly rewarding. It's all about the humble Joad family's cross-country trek to escape the economic devastation of their ruined farmland, beginning when Tom Joad (Henry Fonda) returns from a four-year prison term to discover that his family home is empty. He's reunited with his family just as they're setting out for the westbound journey, and thus begins an odyssey of saddening losses and strengthening hopes. As Ma Joad, Oscar-winner Jane Darwell is the embodiment of one of America's greatest social tragedies and the "Okie" spirit of pressing forward against all odds (as she says, "because we're the people"). A documentary-styled production for which Ford and cinematographer Gregg Toland demanded painstaking authenticity, Read more

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Reviews (62)

New Orleans and the Dust Bowl are the same thing
It is defined still today as one of the most socialists film to come out from mainstream Hollywood.Contains scenes of authoritarian brutality and the awakening of proletarian consciousness.A film like this would be impossible in today's political context, and for sure it will not win Oscars (nowadays some throwaway things like "Crash" get the golden uncle).Despite a populist epilogue added by master producer Zanuk the events depicted in the film remain as the strongest warning against capitalism that I ever seen from an American movie.Greg Tolland's photography and the sweeping force of the story will blow you away.
seeing "Grapes of Wrath" is reliving my family's past!
I've seen "Grapes of Wrath" many many times, and I bought the DVD to show my grandchildren what life was like and still is for many farmworkers. The Mexican farmworkers also went thru alot of hardships trying to survive and barely exist on what little they earned by harvesting the crops in California, Texas, Idaho, etc. etc.I show my Grandchildren this film to show the importance of getting an education, so as to break the cycle of living impoverished by working in the fields.Also, the more education you have, then you can do more to bring about justice to the lives of FarmWorkers by getting involved in making changes, and sometimes taking risks. I lived that life, so I know what I am talking about when I mentioned the hardhsips one had to endure in order to survive! and I enjoyed the way the film is told and Henry Fonda has always been one of my favorite Actors , as well as his daughter Jane Fonda. I recommend this movie to anyone that wishes to understand the plight of the Farmworker, whether they be "Oakies","Mexican",Filipinos", etc.
Meaningful
This was a very interesting movie. It starts out slow, with the Joad family losing their farm and heading west, and mostly follows the storyline of the original novel. However, unlike other movies (from books), it has its own spirit and excitement.
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Editorial Review

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Reviews (59)

The End of An Era
The mid-1960s was a point of intersection for American movies. It is a bit of a lost era and one of the lowest points in Hollywood's history. It is situated long after the peak glories of the `golden age' of Hollywood and just before the New Hollywood movement that would breathe such new and invigorating life into the ailing medium. In many ways the films from this era are the ones which new filmmakers would react so strongly against; movies high in budget but sparse in originality, cast with aging movie stars playing worn characters; bloated, lifeless, and out of touch with the rapidly changing social climate of the day. "El Dorado", released in 1967, is most assuredly a film of this era. It is a western of such a standard concept that it could have been made thirty years prior. Its stars, John Wayne and Robert Mitchum, are well past their primes and here look stiff, heavy, and old. It is, like so many others of the time, a film that seems irrelevant and washed up; a product of `going through the motions.' Its one saving grace, however, is that it occasionally seems all too aware of this fact.