Set in No Name City California during the gold rush this musical comedy concerns prospectors Ben and Pardner and their unusual nuclear family. The business partners strike a deal to share Ben's wife Elizabeth whom Ben purchased from a Mormon. But the free-thinking Ben is worried about rivalry over Elizabeth from the town's all-male population hungry for female company. So he arranges to kidnap a stagecoach full of working girls on their way to a nearby city and sets up a brothel
As accomplished as it is superfluous, Willard is a stylish horror film with plenty of style but precious little horror. Genre buffs will appreciate it as a visually superior sequel/remake of its popular 1971 predecessor, giving Crispin Glover a title role perfectly suited to his uniquely odd persona, in the same league as Psycho's Norman Bates. This time, Willard's the psychotically lonely son of the original film's now-deceased protagonist: a milquetoast introvert who befriends an army of obedient rats--lethal allies when Willard's pushed to his emotional breaking point by his abusive boss (R. Lee Ermey). In keeping with his memorably macabre episodes of X-Files, writer-director Glen Morgan excels with dreary atmosphere and mischievously morbid humor (including an ill-fated cat named Scully), and Glover gives his best performance since River's Edge. But even the furry villain Ben--an oversized rat with attitude--is more funny than frightful. With some justification, Glover's fans will appreciate the open door to a sequel. --Jeff Shannon
Hollywood journeyman par excellence Michael Curtiz directs this historical Western which tells the stories of confederate soldier Jeb Stuart (Errol Flynn) and General George Armstrong Custer (Ronald Reagan) as they fight abolitionist John Brown (Raymond Massey).
Based on the play by Tennessee Williams and scripted by Francis Ford Coppola (amongst others) 'This Property Is Condemned' features an outstanding performance from Robert Redford as Owen Legate; the man sent to shut down much of Dodson town's railway. Owen meets Alva a beautiful girl whose affections are keenly sought after in Dodson. Whilst axing jobs Owen tries to woo Alva in an attempt to whisk her off to New Orleans so they can start a new life together. Now Alva must make
This Hitchcock thriller is mainly famous for its climax, which finds the villain (Norman Lloyd) hanging by his sleeve from the torch on the Statue of Liberty as the seam begins to unravel. Otherwise, it's not one of the director's great pictures, though it's still worth a look. Set during the initial stages of World War II, the story concerns a ring of Nazi fifth columnists who plot to weaken American military defences by blowing up a munitions factory, a dam and a battleship. In an early example of Hitchcock's celebrated "wrong man" theme, the hero Barry Kane (Robert Cummings) gets falsely accused of sabotage and becomes a fugitive, hunted from coast to coast. Eventually, he hooks up with the heroine Pat Martin (Priscilla Lane), a super-patriot who takes some convincing of his innocence and plans to turn him in--until the inevitable chemical reaction occurs. It's a highly episodic tale that may put you in mind of Hitchcock's previous The 39 Steps (1935) and his later North by Northwest (1959).The miscellaneous incidents (a shoot-out at a cinema, a bizarre encounter with the freaks in a circus troupe) are often exciting in themselves. The trouble is they just sort of lie there like so-many scattered marbles, never building into a coherent and satisfying whole. The bland dialogue supplied by novice screenwriter Peter Viertel doesn't help matters much. Neither does the casting of the two stars, square, wholesome types, entirely lacking in the perversity and eccentricity one associates with the Hitchcock universe. (It's tedious to hear Lane endlessly mouthing off about the American way, while Cummings must be counted one of the dullest leading men in Hollywood history.) Still, this half-hearted effort by the pot-bellied master of suspense would probably make the reputation of a dozen lesser directors. --Peter Matthews
On the brink of Civil War, King Henry IV (John Gielgud) attempts to consolidate his reign while fretting with unease over his son’s seeming neglect of his royal duties. Hal (Keith Baxter), the young Prince, openly consorts with Sir John Falstaff (Orson Welles) and his company of “Diana’s foresters, Gentlemen of the shade, Minions of the moon”. Hal’s friendship with the fat knight substitutes for his estrangement from his father. Both Falstaff and the King are old and tired; both rely on Hal for comfort in their final years, while the young Prince, the future Henry V, nurtures his own ambitions. Orson Welles considered Chimes at Midnight his personal favorite of all his films. Perhaps the most radical and groundbreaking of all Shakespeare adaptations, the film condenses the Bard’s Henriad cycle into a single focused narrative. Its international cast comprises of Jeanne Moreau, Fernando Rey, Margaret Rutherford, and Ralph Richardson as the narrator, in addition to Welles and Gielgud. The film’s harrowing war scenes have proven especially influential, cited in Kenneth Branagh’s Henry V as well as Mel Gibson’s Braveheart.
Factory worker Barry Kane (Robert Cummings) finds himself branded an industrial saboteur after a fire breaks out in the workplace. The extinguisher he handed to his colleague and best friend itself burst into flame, and Kane is now on the run, determined to find the real culprit and so prove his innocence. The only person who believes his story is Patricia Martin (Priscilla Lane), who aids him in his flight from the authorities. Alfred Hitchcock's suspenseful chase film, a contribution to America's wartime propaganda, can be seen as a precursor to his later success 'North by Northwest'. Special Features: Saboteur: A Closer Look Alfred Hitchcock's Sketches Saboteur Theatrical Trailer
The Delavine Affair: Peter Reynolds stars as Rex Banner, a newspaperman who makes it his life's mission to track down a vicious gang of thieves. When his informant winds up dead, Rex finds himself framed for murder. The End of the Line: An American writer living in London gets involved with the wife of a well-known jewel fence. She goads him into robbing her husband, who is found dead soon after.
History and Hollywood have always made strange bedfellows. And there's no better example of that than Santa Fe Trail (1940) from director Michael Curtiz. Historical accuracy is never allowed to interfere with setting up a great action sequence. Errol Flynn is Jeb Stuart. Ronald Reagan is George Armstrong Custer (a part Flynn would play in 'They Died With Their Boots On'). Raymond Massey makes a flamboyant John Brown. And rounding out the cast are Oliveia de Haviland Alan Hale Van
Errol Flynn is Jeb Stuart. Ronald Reagan is George Armstrong Custer (a part Flynn would play in 'They Died With Their Boots On'). Raymond Massey makes a flamboyant John Brown. And rounding out the cast are Oliveia de Haviland Alan Hale Van Heflin and Ward Bond. With a talent roster that includes cinematographer Sol Polito ('Sergeant York') and composer Max Steiner ('Gone With The Wind') 'Sante Fe Trail' is lousy history but great Hollywood!
Hollywood journeyman par excellence Michael Curtiz directs this historical Western which tells the stories of confederate soldier Jeb Stuart (Errol Flynn) and General George Armstrong Custer (Ronald Reagan) as they fight abolitionist John Brown (Raymond Massey).
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