Giant (1956): George Stevens' sweeping Oscar-winning epic about the cataclysmic effect the discovery of oil in Texas has on the lifestyle of the former cattle barons. Dean is Jett Rink a sullen-farm hand who becomes a millionaire overnight. Tough always angry restless bewildered and reckless Rink's animal charm and tycoon's magnetism means he always gets his way. But when he fails in love with Leslie he loses his way with an equal violence... East Of Eden (1955): J
Collection of three classic James Dean films. In 'East of Eden' (1955) two brothers compete for the love of their stern, overbearing, widowed father. However, when Cal (Dean), the rejected 'rebel' son, discovers that his mother is not dead but running a nearby brothel he tells his brother Aron (Richard Davalos). This leads to the destruction of not only his relationship with Aron but also his father. 'Giant' (1956) is an epic saga which begins when Texas cattle baron Bick Benedict (Rock Hudson) takes a non-Texan wife, Leslie (Elizabeth Taylor). The story then traces two generations of his family, alongside the life of disreputable ranch-hand Jett Rink (Dean), who strikes it rich on an oil well and falls in love with Leslie. Director George Stevens won an Oscar for his work and the film garnered nine more nominations, including one for Dean, who was killed soon after filming. Finally, 'Rebel Without a Cause' (1955) takes place over a 24-hour period and follows Jim Stark (Dean), a restless teenager who is always in trouble with the law. When Jim is picked up for being drunk and disorderly he notices Judy (Natalie Wood) at the police station and determines to ask her on a date at high school the next day, which leads him into conflict with her boyfriend Buzz (Corey Allen).
Ealing Comedy--cosy, gentle and whimsical, right? In this case, think again. Alexander Mackendrick was always the most politically aware of the Ealing directors, and in The Man in the White Suit he takes the studio's favourite theme of the little man up against the system and gives it a sharp satirical twist. Sidney Stratton (Alec Guinness at his most unworldly), a maverick scientist working in a Northern textile mill, invents a fabric that never gets dirty and never wears out. He's hailed as a genius--until management and unions alike realise what his brainwave implies. Mackendrick's humour is exact and pointed, and the satire turns savage as a lynch mob of bosses and workers hunt Sidney down through dark narrow streets. Mackendrick's disenchanted view of hidebound, class-ridden British society still rings horribly true, and he draws note-perfect performances from the cream of British character actors: Cecil Parker as the liberal mill-owner (based it's said, on Ealing boss Michael Balcon); Ernest Thesiger as the evil old godfather of the industry; and, wittily sensual as Sidney's confidante, the ever-wonderful Joan Greenwood. Plus, listen out for the "voice" of Sidney's bizarre apparatus, the funniest and most unforgettable sound effect ever devised. --Philip Kemp
Gregory Peck stars as hieroglyphics expert Professor David Pollock in this hugely enjoyable tongue-in-cheek espionage-thriller. Sophia Loren stars alongside as the beautiful but suspect Yasmin Asir the lover of Pollock's employer. David Pollock's routine is turned upside down when he's hired to translate an ancient message written in an obscure mysterious text. Soon everyone from a wealthy oil magnate to a foreign government pursue Pollock for his knowledge desperate to uncover the meaning behind the message. Featuring a score by Henri Mancini and a stylish colourful interpretation of London and the culture of the time Arabesque is never less than a hugely enjoyable witty thriller.
The searing classic of paradise lost. The 24-year old idol-to-be James Dean plays Cal a wayward Salinas Valley youth who vies for the affection of his hardened father (Raymond Massey) with his favored brother Aron (Richard Davalos). Playing off the haunting sensitivity of Julie Harris Dean's performance earned one of the film's four Academy Award nominations. Among the movie's stellar performers Jo Van Fleet won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress.
The life and times of the legendary Mexican revolutionary Emiliano Zapata are brought to the screen in this powerful production of John Steinbeck's screenplay. Marlon Brando gives a stunning portrayal of the outlaw turned revolutionary leader with the film also boasting Anthony Quinn's Oscar-winning performance as Zapata's brother and intelligent direction by Elia Kazan.
A sequence of strange murders baffles the police. Holmes is called onto the scene and discovers the existence of a blackmail ring that uses a female hypnotist to further their skullduggery...
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