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The Cabinet of Caligari (1962), starring Glynis Johns

The Cabinet of Caligari (1962)

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The Cabinet of Caligari (1962), starring Glynis Johns

The Cabinet of Caligari (1962), starring Glynis Johns

buy The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1962) from amazon.com First off, it needs to be noted that this is not a remake of the classic horror film.  It is, instead, more of a psychological thriller.  The Cabinet of Dr. Calibari begins with young Jane (played by the lovely Glynis Johns – the mother in  Mary Poppins, the heroine in  The Court Jester) driving along, and having a tire blowout. She walks for what seems like hours until she happens upon a house.  Where she is taken in by the titular Dr. Caligari (Dan O’Herlihy). But the next day, when she wants to leave, she finds she cannot.  She is a prisoner in the house, along with several others — and the doctor’s staff.

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The Picture of Dorian Gray (1945) starring George Sanders, Hurd Hatfield, Angela Lansbury, Donna Reed, Peter Lawford

The Picture of Dorian Gray

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The Picture of Dorian Gray (1945) starring  George Sanders,  Hurd Hatfield, Angela Lansbury, Donna Reed, Peter Lawford

The Picture of Dorian Gray (1945) starring George Sanders, Hurd Hatfield, Angela Lansbury, Donna Reed, Peter Lawford

The Picture of Dorian Gray is one of the great movies. It’s about a young man who, after an off-hand wish, finds himself unaging, with age — and corruption — affecting his portrait. But he himself is apparently untouched. He is guided down the path of corruption and self-indulgence. He leads, directly or indirectly, to multiple deaths and suicides. Can he find salvation?

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The Black Room, starring Boris Karloff

The Black Room (1935)

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Synopsis of  The Black Room (1935)

Boris Karloff is superb in a dual role as twin brothers (one evil, one good), born to the ruling family in the early 1800’s in Czechoslovakia. The bad twin inherits the castle and becomes infamous for his sadistic behavior and murders the good twin, assuming his identity so that he might continue his heinous acts.

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M - directed by Fritz Lang, starring Peter Lorre

M – Peter Lorre, Fritz Lang

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M (1931) directed by Fritz Lang, starring Peter Lorre

I’ve known for a long time that Fritz Lang was a ground-breaking movie director (Metropolis for example)–but I’ve never truly appreciated that for myself, until I recently saw his black and white movie about a search for a child murderer, titled M.  Fritz Lang described M as a documentary, and I would have to agree with that–it looks, and feels, like a documentary.  

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Our Vines Have Tender Grapes (1945), starring Edward G. Robinson, Agnes Moorehead, Margaret O'Brien

Our Vines Have Tender Grapes

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Our Vines Have Tender Grapes (1945), starring Edward G. Robinson, Agnes Moorehead, Margaret O’Brien

Synopsis of Our Vines Have Tender Grapes

 An endearing and quietly rhapsodic slice of Americana about a single year among the Norwegian immigrants in a Wisconsin farm town, Our Vines Have Tender Grapes enthralled 1945 audiences and critics with its timeless joys. Told from the viewpoint of little Selma (Margaret O’Brien), the film explores grand childhood adventures: making friends, a pet calf, Christmas, a terrifying trip down a flood-swollen river, a barn fire and a ride on a circus elephant’s trunk. In a change-of-pace role, Edward G. Robinson is a revelation of wisdom and compassion as Selma’s father, leading a fine cast that illuminates the profound power of everyday triumphs and sorrows.

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A Hole in the Head (1959), starring Frank Sinatra, Edward G. Robinson, Eddie Hodges, Eleanor Parker, Carolyn Jones, Keenan Wynn directed by Frank Capra

A Hole in the Head

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A Hole in the Head (1959), starring Frank Sinatra, Edward G. Robinson, Eddie Hodges, Eleanor Parker, Carolyn Jones, Keenan Wynn directed by Frank Capra

Synopsis of A Hole in the Head

Buy from Amazon Frank Sinatra stars as Tony Manetta, a widower living well beyond his means. He lives in Miami where he’s raising his young son, Alvin (Eddie Hodges). With a limited understanding of the word “responsibility,” Tony, finding himself in debt. With his back against the wall, decides to reach out to his older brother, Mario. For yet another in a string of loans. He lies that the money is needed for Alvin who has taken ill. The plot takes full-swing when Mario and his wife decide to pay Tony and Alvin a visit.

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The Stranger (1946) starring Orson Welles, Edward G. Robinson, Loretta Young

The Stranger

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The Stranger (1946) starring Orson Welles, Edward G. Robinson, Loretta Young

Synopsis of The Stranger

In The Stranger, Wilson of the War Crimes Commission is seeking Franz Kindler, mastermind of the Holocaust, who has effectively erased his identity. Wilson releases Kindler’s former comrade Meinike and follows him to Harper, Connecticut, where he is killed before he can identify Kindler. Now Wilson’s only clue is Kindler’s fascination with antique clocks; but though Kindler seems secure in his new identity, he feels his past closing in.

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Anastasia (1956) starring Ingrid Bergman, Yul Brinner, Helen Hayes

Anastasia

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Anastasia (1956) starring Ingrid Bergman, Yul Brinner, Helen Hayes

Synopsis of Anastasia

 Russian exiles in Paris plot to collect ten million pounds from the Bank of England by grooming a destitute, suicidal girl to pose as heir to the Russian throne. While Bounin is coaching her he comes to believe she is really Anastasia. In the end, the Empress must decide her claim.

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The Hasty Heart (1949) starring Richard Todd, Ronald Reagan, Patricia Neal - Warner Brothers most raved-about hit since "Johnny Belinda"

The Hasty Heart

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The Hasty Heart (1949) starring Richard Todd, Ronald Reagan, Patricia Neal

Synopsis of The Hasty Heart

 In The Hasty Heart, a group of Allied soldiers are recovering in a hospital of Burma, when a dour Scot is added to their ranks. The Scot is dying, unknown to himself.  Can the soldiers and nurse reach out to him?

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The Man Who Knew Too Much (1934) starring Leslie Banks, Edna Best, Peter Lorre, by Alfred Hitchcock

The Man Who Knew Too Much 1934

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The Man Who Knew Too Much (1934) starring Leslie Banks, Edna Best,  Peter Lorre, by Alfred Hitchcock

Editorial review of The Man Who Knew Too Much courtesy of Amazon.com

 Alfred Hitchcock himself called this 1934 British edition of his famous kidnapping story the work of a talented amateur, while his 1956 Hollywood remake was the consummate act of a professional director. Be that as it may, this earlier movie still has its intense admirers who prefer it over the Jimmy Stewart-Doris Day version, and for some sound reasons. Tighter, wittier, more visually outrageous (back-screen projections of Swiss mountains, a whirly-facsimile of a fainting spell), the film even has a female protagonist (Edna Best in the mom part) unafraid to go after the bad guys herself with a gun. (Did Doris Day do that that? Uh-uh.)

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