Run Time - 1:50:52 File Size - 310mb

Title - A Star is Born
Starring - Janet Gaynor, Fredrich March, Adolphe Menjou, May Robson, Andy Devine, Lionel Stander
Directed by - William H. Wellman
Producer(s) - David O. Selznick
Screenwriter(s) - Dorothy Parker, Alan Campbell, Robert Carson

Review

As old classic Hollywood movies go, this is probably one of the best. Enter Esther Blodgett (Janet Gaynor) who has grown up on a farm but like many young girls, dreams of becoming a Hollywood starlet. She makes her way to Hollywood and one of her first stops when she finally arrives in Tinseltown is Grauman’s Chinese Theatre. There she makes a point to find the prints of her favorite cinema star, Norman Maine; who is portrayed by Fredric March.

She manages to get herself a job working as a waitress at a party in Tinseltown and there is noticed by none other than her idol. Maine, who is an alcoholic, immediately turns on the charm. He talks the studio head of production into giving her a screen test and before long Esther finds herself caught up in the glitz and glamour of Hollywood. She and Maine are paired together in leading roles and Esther practically becomes an overnight success.

She and Maine, who has become quite smitten with her, marry rather quickly and Esther finds herself a huge success. Her identity is transformed and she takes on the persona of Vicki Lester, becoming a huge box office success. As she becomes more famous; however, her alcoholic husband grows less popular and the now famous starlet discovers that not all that glitters is gold.

Just about everything in this movie is great; including the acting, direction and writing. The music is also really great. At a time during which a lot of movies were ground out of the Hollywood production machine, this one is one of the best. You don’t even feel like you’re really watching an old ‘classic’ movie because the dialogue and writing are so timeless. Several of the topics are related to issues that you humans are still dealing with today including success and failure as well as alcoholism and its effects.

You feel as though you really get to know the characters, who really come to life. The musical score is excellent and even if the plot and acting of this film weren’t so great, it would be worth it to watch the movie just to hear the music. 

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Title - A Tattered Web
Starring - Lloyd Bridges, Broderick Crawford, Sally Lockley, Murray Halilton, Anne Helm
Directed by - Paul Wendkos
Producer(s) - Bob Markell
Screenwriter(s) - Art Wallace

Review

This is a high tension drama film that is filled with plenty of conflict from beginning to end. A police detective (portrayed by Lloyd Bridges) discovers that his son-in-law has been cheating on his daughter. Bridges, whose character has until this point been a model police officer, becomes incensed with rage and acts out of emotion, killing the mistress of his son-in-law. Realizing that his life is about to spin out of control, if his crime is discovered, he attempts to pin the crime on a wino, played by Broderick Crawford.

For the most part, this film is seen from the perspective of the murderer. While you don’t necessarily like what he does in the film (by killing the mistress) you can’t help but feel empathy for him and even understand why he committed the crime.

This film was originally a "made for television movie" and has all the high tension and drama that you would expect of such a film. If you like nail biting tension and conflicts that really make you stop and think about what you would do when presented with a similar situation, this is a great movie to check out. 

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Run Time - 1:15:07 File Size - 206mb

Run Time - 2:03:55 File Size - 346mb

Title - Black Tights
Starring - Cyd Charisse, Moira Shearer, Zizi Jeanmaire, Roland Petit, Maurice Chevalier
Directed by - Terence Young
Producer(s) - Joseph Kaufman
Screenwriter(s) - Georges Wakhevitch, Henri Morin

Review

If you’re a big fan of ballet, you will absolutely love this film. The film is quite French and features many scenes of Paris. Four different ballets are performed throughout the film and they are linked together by a narrator. The ballets are performed by Les Ballets de Champs Elysees and are breathtakingly beautiful. The gorgeous Technicolor of the filmography only adds to the beauty of this film.

The shots of the costumes alone are worth watching this film. They were designed by Christian Dior and Yves Saint-Laurent.

The film is narrated by Maurice Chevalier. The four dance routines featured in the film are Cyrano de Bergerac, A Merry Mourning, The Diamond Crunchers and Carmen.

A lady mobster is the star of The Diamond Cruncher dance number. Eventually she gives up her life of crime all for the love of a man who isn’t a criminal. In Cyrano de Bergerac, Roland Petit, who also choreographed the film, portrays Cyrano. The music in this film is quite interesting, as it was composed by the same person who composed the music for the Twilight Zone. The story of Carmen doesn’t change much, except that in this rendition you get to see it danced rather than sung. A Merry Mourning is the story of a young woman who finds herself in the midst of a romantic triangle that proves to be rather deadly.

A lot of action and beautiful dancing packed into a movie that runs just over two hours. If you like ballet and anything French, this should be a must see movie on your list. 

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Title - The Day of the Wolves
Starring - Richard Egan, Martha Hyer, Rick Jason, Jan Murray
Directed by - Ferde Grofe, Jr.
Producer(s) - Ferde Grofe, Jr.
Screenwriter(s) - Ferde Grofe, Jr.

Review

This time tested story serves up a criminal mastermind who has put together a team of thieves. These guys have never met one another and it doesn’t look like they’ll ever really know one another either because the head of the group simply assigns them numbers as their new names. In the beginning the whole gig is pretty much a mystery to the team of seven. It isn’t explained exactly what their role in the heist will be but they are told how much money they can expect to make at the end. Together they all board a private jet to a farm on a rather isolated stretch of land. This is to become their training ground where they prepare for the heist. All the while the team of seven are growing beards in order to help disguise their appearance when the big day finally arrives.

Interestingly enough there is also a subplot in the storyline involving the chief of police, named Pete Anderson. He has been forced by the city council to retire, apparently because he’s been stepping on some toes. As luck would have it, the new chief of police is set to take over on the very day that the heist is set to be pulled off. Set in a rather small town, there is plenty of tension; especially when the team of seven come in and take the cops prisoners, locking them up.

Refusing to allow his town to be taken by such criminals, even though he has just officially retired, former chief of police Pete Anderson goes on somewhat of a rampage in order to save his town. Set in the desert, the cinematography is fairly good in this film as is the musical score. The ending is crafted pretty creatively, making you realize what all the mystery was about in the first place. Definitely worth a watch. 

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Run Time - 1:30:27 File Size - 252mb