Reviews (51)

The Sap Head
This l949 black and white movie still looks good. It has a screenplay written by ultra-individualistic Ayn Rand, based on her classic novel. But other than everyone being complete miscast and the film looking nothing like the book, this is a major dissapoint to this faithful Randist. Director King Vidor initially wanted Greta Garbo as Dominique but of course she refused. John Garfield was mentioned as Howard Roark. He would have been fantastic. Instead, they got laconic, low-keyed, much too old Gary Cooper who always made you think of a straw-sticking-out-of mouth cowboy. Patricia Neal simply ain't no Dominique Francon. Edward Carrere was the production designer, capturing nothing of hte grandeur of over-the-top architecture described in the book. William Cameron Menzies (who had designed Gone with the Wind, King's Row) should have designed this flick. Art direction should have been genius Anton Grot, instead of insipid william Kuehl. (Grot was the genius who designed the now legendary, nearly surreal sets of the Bette Davis/Paul Henreid camp classic, "Deception" with its football sized penthouse of the supposedly poor, struggling Bette--"I had to take in piano students!") Miles Anderson costume designs for "Fountainhead" were uninspired. Why didn't they get--again from "Deception"--the fabulous Bernrd Newman? Max STeiner actually did the film score but you'd never know it? He also created a masterpiece with his musical of Bette Davis' greatest film, the l949 "Beyond the Forest." They should remake this film today, have mature actors in the roles, not the MTV brat pack. Rand supposedly had a bloody time trying to keep her screenplay from being watered down--which it was.

Pressure can have unintended consequences . . .
Is what Howard Roark (Gary Cooper) tells Dominique Francon (Patricia Neal) about her fireplace. They're talking about er...marble.

This is in a scene which occurs shortly after their first encounter, when Dominique spots Roark and his muscular forearm working at a quarry operating a drilling machine into the stone.

After a long and prolongued silence which ranks among the best moments in cinema, she asks, from her height above the pit: "Why are you looking at me?" Roark replies: "For the same reason you're looking at me."

And if you think that's a good moment, wait till Roark's climactic speech to the jury. Over five minutes long. (What! A movie audience sitting still through a speech? Impossible!) and absolutely spellbinding.

The film version of Ayn Rand's bestselling novel was directed by the expressionist master, King Vidor, and the screenplay written by, of all people, Ayn Rand.

Who, during a pre-production party accosted Jack L. Warner and warned him that if he cheapened or otherwise dumbed down her work, she would dynamite his studio. She nmeant it. Jack smiled and gave her a cigar.

The Fountainhead is the story of a hero who wins.

By hero, we mean an uncompromising man of genius and absolute integrity. This seems as far fetched to us as Cyrano fighting a hundred armed swordsmen---and winning! (Rostand was a major influence for Rand ) It's clearly impossible. He's not in Russia, so he won't be shot, it's not that explicit--it's America, he's bound to quietly fade into obscurity and failure. It would be naive to suppose otherwise, so how can this be a triumph instead of a tragedy?

Thematically that's the question that Roark's alter egos Gail Wynand (Raymond Massey) and Dominique Francon ask themselves. Gail is the billionare owner of an "Enquirer" type of news rag who rose from poverty by giving the suckers what they wanted. He lives by the credo "Oppress or be oppressed."

Dominique wants to want nothing, the logical credo of a beautifull woman who is convinced that beauty and greatness have no chance at all in this world. We first meet her as she's destroying of a statue of a Greek god. She's fallen in love with it and can't bear the pain of neeeding it, or anything else.

As usual with Rand, these are tortured giants, not the "folks next door"

Critics of Rand are right in stating that they are improbable beings. (Name a great man or woman of history who isn't).

Roark does make Conan the Barbarian look like a wimp by comparison. But you see, that's the fun of it. As are her villains, who are NOT romanticized ( forget "Bonnie and Clyde" , "The Godfather" and the rest of zillions of ever so cool bad guys we've been fed by Hollywood for decades) they are chilling parasites, exemplified in the character of Ellsworh Toohey.

I'ts Ayn Rand, people. Teenage girl sexual fantasies out of Danielle Steele combined with the mind of an Aristotle! A strange but wonderfull combination.

And as to Cooper, Neal and Massey, their acting is phenomenal. Perfect casting and flawless directing by Vidor.

A true classic.

You don't need to know about the book to enjoy this film
While it was based on Ayn Rand's book, Ayn Rand personally altered the story to adapt it to film. It is a great movie that really makes the viewer think about many things including individualism, selfishness, and even what is right and wrong. For many people who take these notions as given from a very young, questioning them with an adult mind is a good idea. If you enjoy this movie, be sure to pick up and read some of Ayn Rand's non-fiction.

Absolute Hookum and a pure joy!
As an Architect, my opinion is biased by actual experience in this field, but, this movie made me laugh so hard the first time I saw it, it became one of my all time favorites. No architect I have ever met acted anywhere near as self rightious as Roarke, they'de be working at MickieD's the rest of there lifes, as NO ONE would ever hire them, not even to clean pools. Architecture is about knowing your client needs and providing a solution that meets all the requirements of the client, city, and context. That being said, this movies a HOOT!!!

First off, too all the Rand-ites out there, THIS IS A MOVIE! get over the fact that the book is better, every book is better than the movie, thats the nature of the beast.

For the Non-Rand-ites out there, SEE IT SEE IT SEE IT. This movie is a melodramotic potboiler of bad movie bliss. Dont get me wrong, the production values are excellent, its beautifully shot and the cinematography is terrific. The archtectural projects are really spectacular and completely impossible to build, so they are way over the top. But the script is pure Hooey! and the music is sooooo overly-dramatic. Thats what makes this such a great film too watch. Only Ann Rand could take a good novel and cram it into such a laughably compacted screenplay. I felt I has watching cliffnotes from the novel. In the first 5 minutes a year of the story goes by, and the whole film is like that.

There are some very good moments in the film though, topped by Coopers speech to the jury. But the best sceen is after the "drills in the quarry" scene when Patrica Oneill is thinking of Cooper and in the background are images of drills with this completely campy Xylophone music acompanying it. Its one of the most overtly sexual suggestive scenes ever put of film and it hilarious, and dont forget to wait till the end, when you can see the Worlds Greatest 200 story Phallic Symbol ever created on film in the Wymann Building, with Cooper standing on top of course!

Great!!
If you liked the book... get this movie. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

A solid member of the Charlie Chan series
This is a terrific film that shows the quality of the Charlie Chan series. Set in a theatre showing an opera, Chinese private detective Chan and his son solve a baffling murder mystery with plenty of false leads.

The opera being performed was actually written for the film by Oscar Levant and the recording is still available today. One of the main suspects Karloff seems to have wondered in from a Universal horror film, but it does not detract from the overall quality of the film. It is great fun.

It is not possible today to watch Charlie Chan without seeing some racial undertones. It is worth noting that it is an Asian character who is mentally faster and far more polite than his counterparts that solves the mysteries. He never resorts to violence and is calm in all situations. Rather than being racist, perhaps the films were a slap in the face to those who considered whites to be superior. But it must be said some scenes do jar a bit.

The mystery is played fair. All the clues are there. So go and enjoy it.

Karloff Used His Own Singing Voice
Warner Oland played Chan for the thirteenth time and Boris Karloff co-starred in this somewhat overrated film. Music credits were shared with two others by none other than Oscar Levant. Boris Karloff's role was that of an operatic baritone. He actually used his own singing voice. Lee Chan was again played by Keye Luke.

One of the finest in the series
Charlie Chan films are frequently accused of pandering to racial stereotypes. There is a certain truth to this, but Charlie Chan and company were neither more nor less stereotypical than such other popular series as the "Blondie" or "Dr. Kildare" series, and--while we may occasionally roll our eyes at a few 1930s sensibilities--its stereotypes are never mean-spirited and Charlie (along with his various sons) is always presented in a positive light.

CHARLIE CHAN AT THE OPERA is certainly one of the finest--and some argue the single best--of the series for the film was not made as quickly or inexpensively as most in the series. OPERA is given the first class treatment, and producers even went so far as to have Oscar Levant write an opera ("Carnival") for use in the film. The film pits Warner Oland's Chan, played with typical drop-dead aplomb, against none other than Boris Karloff, who plays a mysterious patient escaped from an insane asylum and now haunting an opera house during a stellar performance. Keye Luke appears as Chan's "number one son" Lee, and the supporting cast also includes such notables as Netta Harrigan and the always welcome William Demarest. The story and script are slight, but every one concerned is clearly having a terrific time with the project, and the result is quite a bit of fun. Fans of the series will enjoy it, and it is a recommended introduction to Charlie Chan for newcomers as well.

Boris Karloff makes this the best of the Charlie Chan films
"Charlie Chan at the Opera" is one of the best films in the series starring Warner Oland as the great sleuth, with Keye Luke as his Number One Son. The reason is that the villain this time around is played by Boris Karloff, who plays the great operatic baritone Gravelle. Everyone thinks the singer died in a theater fire, but he survived and ended up as an amnesiac in a mental asylum. One day he sees a newspaper photo of his wife, the soprano Lilli Rochelle (Margaret Irving), and suddenly Gravelle remember that she and her lover, Enrico Barelli (Gregory Gaye), tried to murder him by locking him in his dressing room when they set the place on fire. When Lilli learns her life is in danger, she calls Charlie Chan to save her. During a performance of "Faust" the two lovers are stabbed to death on stage. Is Gravelle the murderer or does Chan have another suspect?

Seeing Karloff dressed up as Mephistopheles is a treat, but what I like best about "Charlie Chan at the Opera" is that the script, by W. Scott Darling and Charles S. Belden, actually makes good use of the opera "Faust." Oland and Luke continue to work well off of each other, but the scenes between Oland and Karloff have a nice spark. This 1937 film was directed by H. Bruce Humberstone, who directed three other films in the series. But this one is the best, even taking into account the inherent racism of these films. Ironically, the following year Karloff made the first of his movies as the other great Chinese detective of cinema James Lee Wong in "Mr. Wong, Detective."

good mystery//great music
This Charlie Chan entry is 1st rate.The racial slurs might offend some people///remember it was made in the 30's//. The original operatic music was composed by Oscar Levant and it is quite good. Boris Karoff is an extra added attraction. The production is excellent and the supporting cast is in top form. This is an enjoyable 30's who done it..Sit back and enjoy this film ... Read more

Reviews (20)

Abott & Costello's Best
By far my favorite Abbott & Costello movie ever. Costello is considered a traitor and sentenced to live in a well until he as a ghost can prove that he wasn't a traitor. He haunts Bud Abbott who plays a great great grandson of the man who betrayed Costello until he finally helps Costello...who plays a tinker, prove his innocence. The movie is very funny and in my opinion the best plot of any of the Abbott & Costello films. If you want one Abbott & Costello movie, this is the one you should get!!!

Slapstick and Sentiment
Lou Costello stars as a tinker who is mistakenly shot and killed as a traitor during the American Revolution, and then cursed to spend the rest of time until doomsday on the property where he died. Marjorie Reynolds is also trapped there with him as a ghost, and they develop a warm friendship as time goes by. The film fast forwards as a young couple restore the estate and move in, only to discover that the rumours about it being haunted are true. Bud Abbott stars as a visiting friend of theirs, a man who is a descendant of one of Costello's enemies. This is not a typical Abbott and Costello film, since they are not really teamed together, despite sharing some scenes, and it is also unusual because this film not only has the expected slapstick, but it also displays a lot of heart and sentiment. Costello and Reynolds are very effective as the unfairly accused traitors trying to put their pasts behind them (even after death), and Gale Sondergaard as the clairvoyant housekeeper is an excellent choice for that role. Fans of the duo and people who generally don't watch their films will want to catch this one because it will probably surprise them quite a bit.

The Greatest Abbott & Costello movie ever
I just finsihed reading everyone's reviews and agree wholeheartly: this is the BEST Abbott & Costello movie ever! I remember watching their movies every Sunday morning at 11:30 when I was a kid. But this one is by far the best and is my all time favorite! The funny thing is, I haven't met too many peoole who know this movie!

Bring on the DVD!!

The Creme de la Creme
There is a lot of silliness in most Abbott & Costello movies -- but not this one.

This is a great film, and so much more than an Abbott & Costello vehicle.

Truly great stuff.

The time of their Lives
I saw this when I was a kid and was facinated and enjoyed it immensly. It was a change from the slapstick comedy Abbott and Costello usually do. Costello is an intelligent man and I always hated when he was abused by Abbott. This was a movie that I would see a million times and am trying to get it on DVD ... Read more

Description

With ANNE BAXTER, THOMAS MITCHELL, SELENA ROYLE, WARD BOND, BOBBY DRISCOLL. Directed by LLOYD BACON. This heart-wrenching drama was made at the height of World War II, when American mothers and fathers were sending their sons off to battle. In too many cases, these young men never were to return. It opens with a simple declaration: "This is a true story." What follows is the account of five young men named Sullivan. They enjoy a typical all-American small town childhood as they share youthful adventures and mischief. The Sullivans go fishing and boating. They worship in church. They boyishly slide down the banister of their house and squabble among themselves and with others. Their hardworking father tries to set for them a good example. Their mother cooks their meals, cleans their clothes and mediates their differences. The years pass too quickly and the Sullivans become young men. They date and go to dances. One of them falls in love and marries. Then terrible!news comes, on December 7, 1941. The Japanese have launched a surprise attack on Pearl Harbor. America is at war. "Its always been the five of us," one of the Sullivans proclaims. So they join the navy to do their patriotic duty. This is a tremendously moving account of boys grown into men and of honor and obligation, courage and sacrifice. The film is extremely well-acted, especially by Thomas Mitchell as the Sullivans father and Anne Baxter as the bride of the youngest Sullivan. Highly recommended. 113 minutes. ... Read more

Reviews (42)

An American family sends its five boys off to World War II
"The Fighting Sullivans" is the true story of five brothers who died together when their Navy ship, the Juneau, was sunk in the South Pacific during World War II. But only the last act of this 1944 film, directed by Lloyd Bacon, shows the Sullivans at war. Most of this film is pure Americana, following the lives of the boys from their childhood in Waterloo, Iowa. Thomas Mitchell and the marvelous Selena Royle are the loving parents, while the five boys are played by unknown actors: Edward Ryan (Al), John Campbell (Frank), James Cardwell (George), John Alvin (Matt), and George Offerman (Joe). Trudy Marshall plays their only sister, Genevieve. Top billing actually goes to Anne Baxter as the young girl who marries into the family and will be left a widow with a baby in arms. Ward Bond plays the Navy lieutenant who befriends the family when the Sullivans insist that they will only join up if they can serve together. Eventually the Navy relents and the boys get their wish.

Audiences knew the tragic fate of the Sullivans, although the film was originally released as "The Sullivans" and pretty much bombed at the box office. Retitled "The Fighting Sullivans" and re-released, it became a smash hit. The use of unknown actors made the film all the more effective, especially since it refrained from the sort of cliches you would expect. If the scene where the parents learn all five boys have died does not get you, the next scene will: Mr. Sullivan goes off to his job on the railroad and as the train passes the water tower where his boys waved to him as kids, he salutes them. Actually, this film works so well that the final shot, of the Sullivans in uniform striding across the clouds of the afterlife does not seem one whit hokey. There is a documentary available on the Sullivans, which tells how one of the boys survived the sinking before dying in the waters off of Guadacanal. I would not have thought anything could have made this story more tragic, but that bit of information certainly made it worse for me.

True story of 5 brothers who fought & died together in WWII
"The Fighting Sullivans" is a moving tribute and true story of five brothers who served together on the same ship in WWII. The story begins with the birth of each child (including one daughter) and then continues on showing the close and loving relationships in the family through the years. There's one great scene where the father (Thomas Mitchell, who was Scarlet's father in "Gone With the Wind) teaches some of the sons a lesson about smoking -- very funny! One of the sons marries prior to the war and the movie shows some good old-fashioned "courting" (kids today should see what courting is all about!). This is a great movie for the whole family to see (as most movies were back then) with great examples of family togetherness, wholesome values, and the willingness of honorable men to do what is right even if this means that they must "pay the price" as well. Even my daughters, when they were young girls, loved this movie and still quote the line of the brother who tells his family of the girl he wants them to meet and adds, "She's swell!" This would be a great movie to see any time, but especially on Memorial Day or Veterans Day when we remember those who served and gave their all to protect and defend the United States of America.

First step in an interesting American story
The movie makes up for what it lacks in historic facts with it's ability to show the family as they truly were- a close-knit, hard-working Irish American family. The movie is an excellent example of 1940's American war-time propaganda, but is an excellent starting off point for learning more about the Sullivan's story, about their lives,their deaths, and their family, which continues to this day to carry on the legacy of the Sullivan brothers.

Today, the USS The Sullivans (DDG-68) is commissioned United States destroyer working hard to protect the country. The crew is well aware of the brother's story and the ship's motto is taken directly from one of the brother's upon joining the navy as a group- "We Stick Together". Watch the movie, and keep in mind the sailors who are out there today risking their lives in much the same way the Sullivan Brothers did 60 years ago.

Always been a favorite
I saw this movie years ago with my grandmother, and I hadn't seen it in years. Naturally, I wanted to see it again. It begins as the story of a close-knit family growing up. It follows them right into WWII into their untimely demise. A true tear-jerker...and a classic that ranks up there with "It's a Wonderful Life."

Excellent
This movie is great. I first saw it as a kid about 15 years ago, & fell in love with it immeadiately. Even then it made me cry. Everyone should see this movie about 5 brothers who make the ultimate sacrifice. They are mentioned in Saving Private Ryan, but its' a shame that more people don't know about the Sullivan Brothers. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

"CAIRO"
Although I'm so old as to have one foot already in the grave, I had never heard of this one before seeing it adverted in Amazon's list. I had first become old enough to go to the show alone the year this movie was made, 1942.Somehow I was fortunate enough to miss it.Musical numbers are as far apart in this movie as are water holes in a desert and good ones are non-existent. A severely truncated version of The Bell Song from Lakme'-a medley done by Jeanette,Ethel Wathers,and Robert Young(1 song) includes, "To A Wild Rose","Beautiful Ohio","Waitin' For The Robert E.Lee" and "Home Sweet Home" which would be a good place to go if it's not 'too late' in your case. Ethel Waters is out of her element in this cinematic quagmire,being so far ABOVE it, she rises to the surface like cream in milk.At one point she says to a would be swain "Don't be lookin' toward me---I aint Mecca--just bow three times and...blow!" At one point Jeanette opines to her maid Cleo,(Ethel Waters).."I"malways left holding the bag." wellduno 'bout always, but...a man snoozing in a movie theater says to a woman who has just sat down in front of him and taken off her big flouncy hat,"Madam,would you mind putting your hat on?" She does and he proceeds to continue napping. Which just abouts sets the tone for this movie,and not the high C (for century note) ofJeanette's which serves to open things for her. Since I can resist anything except temptation (Oscar Wilde) I paid the $... required to sate my curiosity,and since I plan to be lowest priced when I re-sell this one I figure I can say it was good for a laugh and didn't cost me too much. You could do the same y'know not funny 'nuff to play at parties like was Florence Foster Jenkins.I'm awarding this movie 2 stars. One,for having been made,and one for the opportunity to see Ethel Waters who was destined for greatness,and for Lionel Atwill who was his delciously menacing spooky character. Robert Young's name as Jeanette's butler his Juniper Jones, an odd name,but so is this flick. (His real name was Homer Smith)* (correction) "The Bell Song" should be "Les Filles De Cadiz." &"To a Wild Rose" may be instead "To a Water Lilly" By Mc Dowell.

Faten Hamamah Speaks English!
I knew that Faten Hamamah, the Egyptian superstar, played a role once in am MGM movie. But it didn't know it was Cairo until I had seen the movie. Unlike Omar Sharif, her ex-husband, who became a Hollywood superstar after Lawrence of Arabia; this movie had never been a fare chance for her.

Anyhow, still many Arabs, including myself, want to hear and see Faten Hamamah (and some other Egyptian stars at that time) speaks English! ... Read more

Reviews (40)

The 2nd Best Marx after Duck Soup
Night at the Opera is different from their first 5 - in a nutshell, as everyone else had commented, there's no Zeppo, more music, Margaret Dumont is back, bigger role for romantic leads, and the comedy is somewhat more disciplined, i.e., the antics are perhaps less spontaneous than earlier films.

I understand criticisms leveled by those who prefer to skip the plot, musical numbers, and romantic plot development, but I wholeheartedly disagree that the movie is somehow lesser because of it, particularly the music. The brothers were an extemely musically talented trio, and throughout their lives saw themselved less as a Comedy show and more a variety show. To disregard the musical numbers as "filler" is to show a lack of appreciation for a performing art they held in very high regard.

I have always felt The Marx Bros. were more "in Character" here than in most of their other films (Duck Soup, Horse Feathers, Animal Crackers, are also good in this regard, as is Day at the races, to a lesser degree). Everything from the contract swindle ("the party of the first part...") to the organized fooling of sgt. Henderson ("now there are four beds - I know I'm crazy!") to the stateroom bit ("Is my Aunt Minnie in here?") to the methodically brilliant destruction of Il Trovatore in the finale are examples of great writing that suited the personalities of the brothers.

Duck Soup or Horse Feathers may be their funniest films, and Animal Crackers may be more memorable for it's classic scenes, but Night at the Opera in my opinion is the most well-balanced of all thier movies. I feel it's the best-written, best-produced, has the best plot, and contains BY FAR the best acting among suporting roles. If Duck Soup weren't so well-paced and funny, Night at the Opera would be my favorite.

The Marx Brothers at their very, very, best. Classic Comedy
On the one hand I want to say that I think "A Night at the Opera" is the greatest Marx Brothers comedy because their peculiar brand of lunacy works better when given a real world target such as Opera than in the fantasy land of Freedonia in "Duck Soup." On the other hand I want to say that I think "A Night at the Opera" has more funny stuff in it than "Duck Soup." I do not even want to begin to get into any consideration of what difference the retirement of Zeppo meant in all this. I just want to laugh my head off.

Groucho is Otis P. Driftwood, too busy trying to fleece Mrs. Claypool (Margaret Dumont) to waste time running an Opera Company. Harpo is Tomasso, the much abused valet to the pompous tenor Rudolpho Lassparri (Walter Woolf King), while Chico is Fiorello, self-appointed agent for the unknown but talent young singer Ricardo Baroni (Allan Jones), who is in love with Rosa Castaldi (Kitty Carlisle). When Groucho loses his job to stuffed shirt Herman Gottlieb (Sig Ruman), it is up to the Marx Brothers to restore order and sanity to the universe.

In terms of classic comic routines "A Night at the Opera" gives you (1) the Stateroom scene with all those people (and don't forget the hardboiled eggs); (2) Groucho and Chico discussing the clauses in a contract (including the Sanity Clause); (3) Chico and Harpo working "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" into the overture of the opera (get your peanuts); (4) a dinner date between Groucho and Margaret Dumont (looking at him is the price you have to pay); and (5) Chico the Russian aviator explaining how they flew across the Atlantic Ocean in a boat (always remember to take enough gas or else you will have to turn back). There are more-you now Chico plays the piano, Harpo plays the harp, and Groucho deflates a pompous windbag at some point--but I want to talk about other things now.

I think the person who really helps sell this film is Kitty Carlisle. In every Marx brother movie there are the boys, there is Margaret Dumont as the foil, and then there are the young boy and girl who sing their way into your hearts. Carlisle and Jones (the only boy singer to appear in more than one Marx Brothers movie) are clearly the best pair to ever take on these thankless roles. The boys clearly like her and take her seriously, which she does in return, giving "A Night at the Opera" a sense of heart. This does not happen in Marx Brothers movies (compare it to the campy efforts of the young lovers in "Animal Crackers"). On top of all this, Carlisle and Jones can sing and their duet from the end of Il Travatore is much better than all the sappy songs that the lovers usually sing in these films.

"A Night at the Opera" is directed by Sam Wood (who would later spend some time directing scenes on that "Gone With the Wind" film you hear so much about). James Kevin McGuineess receives story credit but the key thing is that George S. Kaufman had a major hand in the script (until it ended up in the hands of the actors of course).

Notes: Look for the father of the Marx brothers on the pier when the ship sets sail and please remember that it Leonard's stage name is pronounced "Chick-o" not "Chico." Put an end to this Marxist reinterpretation nonsense.

The beginning of the decline
Many think this film the best or one of the best the Brothers Marx ever did. It's probably a matter of taste (well, it's certainly a matter of taste), but I think the first MGM comedy by the Marx Brothers is scattershot. Groucho, Chico and Harpo are in top form, and when they're on -- and allowed to dominate a scene -- the film is terrific. The stateroom scene is still funny after 70 years, and the finale at the opera is Marxist anarchy at its finest.

But when they're off screen (at least a third of the movie), you're left with an embarrassing melodrama I'm sure the movegoing audiences of 1935 found as sappy as I did. Bad enough the young Italian lovers sound like they're from New England section of Italy; worse are the musical interludes, which bring the film to a halt and destroy any comedic momentum the Marxes have created. A scene where Chico, Harpo and Jones show off their musical prowess goes on far too long and completely stops the film. Their earlier comedies had musical interludes, but they were woven into the films better. The opening number in Duck Soup, for example, is a lengthy set-up to the first joke; ditto the "We're Going to War" number. When the young lovers in A Night at the Opera sing "Alone," there's nothing but the youngsters staring moonily at each other. Their voices are fine, but the studios of the time were never short of movies with beautiful youngsters singing to each other. It's unnecessary here, and it reminds you the Marx Brothers aren't on screen.

"A Night at the Opera" was the Marxes' most successful comedy at the box office, and probably the most popular film they ever did. But time has been kinder to their earlier Paramount productions. Those films are stagebound, but they have a madcap energy the MGM films never recovered.

If you're a real fan of the Marx Brothers, you've probably already seen this; the rest of you should start with Duck Soup or Horse Feathers. A Night at the Opera was, unfortunately, the beginning of the end for this legendary team.

"No need of you reading that, because these are duplicates."
Many have argued that A NIGHT AT THE OPERA is the Marx Brother's finest film, pointing out that it combined the best of the Brother's comedy with the biggest and boldest in MGM production values. Personally, while I really like the film, I wouldn't quite put it in the top slot. Any of the sequences containing the Marx Brothers themselves are gold, but I find that I'm not as enamored with the romantic subplot and singing as other reviewers have been (notably Leonard Maltin in this DVD's commentary). Still, arguing about which one of the fine films is actually the best is a little pointless. This is a great movie, regardless with how it compares to the others.

The biggest thing this film has going for it (outside of the wonderful Marx Brothers themselves, of course) is the big production values that MGM splashed out on. I have mixed feelings about this. On the one hand, it's nice to have some great big sets for the Brothers to clown around in (Harpo's stunt double swinging through the rafters is great), but all things considered, I think I prefer the tongue-in-cheek send-up of the big dance numbers (as done in DUCK SOUP) to the production dances which are played straight here.

Margaret Dumont is underused, which is a shame since her dignified outrage usually accounted for big laughs. She gets a good scene at the beginning, and a handful of opportunities to look indignant later in the film, but she isn't the constant presence that she had been in other films.

Still, while I can pick out a few flaws here and there, this is overall a hilarious and fun movie. Much of what is considered classic Marx Brothers material is from this film: the too-many-people-in-the-stateroom scene, the Marxian deconstruction of a legal contract (if anyone thinks that "'The party of the first part' shall be known in this contract as 'the party of the first part'" isn't realistic, then I can show you fine print I've received from credit card companies that are even more tautological than that), and, of course, the grand finale wherein the three brothers completely destroy an opera-in-progress.

The DVD also contains an all-new documentary, which features (among other people) co-star Kitty Carlisle, who is amazingly sharp for being in her 90s, and Dom DeLuise, who talks a lot about food and appears to have been interviewed in the middle of making breakfast (no, I'm not sure why he's here). This is mostly a talking heads interview documentary and there's not a whole lot of brand new material or trivia, but it is nice to see some differing perspectives on things. The story of how Groucho got his name contradicts the anecdote given on the commentary track, and Carlisle refutes the conventional wisdom that states that Margaret Dumont didn't get any of the jokes Groucho was bouncing off her.

A short except from a 1961 broadcast of "The Hy Gardner Show" (who?) reveals Groucho recounting the story of he and his brothers stripping naked and roasting potatoes in the office of Irving Thalberg after the famed producer kept them waiting once too long. I trust you will enjoy the anecdote, because it's told a whopping three times during the course of these DVD extras. Shockingly, none of the tellings blatantly contradict each other.

Two shorts have been included as extras, though I'm not sure I understand their relevance. Robert Benchley's HOW TO SLEEP won the Academy Award in 1935 for Best Short Subject/Comedy, and it's certainly entertaining enough. As for the other short, SUNDAY NIGHT AT THE TROCADERO, well, I'm baffled. I can't make heads or tails of it. Set in a nightclub, a Hollywood talent scout is visiting this ritzy affair. Numerous song and dance people are attempting auditions, while the club's doorman is trying to impress by doing very bad celebrity impersonations (it didn't help that half the time I didn't recognize the name of the person he was impersonating or the name of the person people actually thought he was doing). Cameos by stars of the day abound by having the camera cut to different tables and a voice over shouting, "Hey, look! It's Bob Has-been!" (or whoever). It isn't helped by the fact that most of the careers of these minor celebrities ended soon after the shoot, so for me I was watching cattle call of anonymous hotshots. I couldn't figure out why these people were appearing as themselves. Was the audience supposed to believe that these people really hang out at this fictional locale? Groucho Marx (out of character and costume) has a three-second cameo where he looks as confused as I felt.

I'm wary of commentaries performed by people who weren't actually born when the film they're talking about was made, but Leonard Maltin does a fine job here. He relates a lot of anecdotes about the Marx Brothers, points out how the script is layering the subplots, and relates a lot of trivia that I had never heard before (for example, the only surviving print is actually an edited version made during WWII when all references to Italy have been removed, which explains why the film bizarrely never tells you were the first scenes are set). He even gets into the fun, shouting "What a twit!" when the evil opera singer refuses to sing on the cruise-liner for free.

Although the DVD of A NIGHT AT THE OPERA is included in "The Marx Brothers Collection" box set, it is also available for individual sale. Although I slightly prefer A DAY AT THE RACES (also out on DVD now), I couldn't recommend anyone not pick up this film. For Marx novices, there's a great movie. For Marx aficionados, there's informational material that may be enjoyed. In any event, the powers that be have given a great film an excellent treatment on the DVD format.

Tiresome
Almost everything I write about stuff for Amazon gets either ignored or negative responses. I hardly expect this to fare any better. My original intent was to buy the 7 disc set of the Marx Bros (also just released), I grew faint-hearted near the deadline and canceled it and ordered the only 3 I wanted: Opera, Races and Casablanca. I think the first 5 "lost" Marx Bros movies (I have them on DVD and treasure them, all but Duck Soup, with a screenplay by one of their song-writing teams) are (so far) their funniest. Chaos, pandemonium, idiosyncrasies, personality. Either I was despondent when I watched this flick or else the Marx Bros' antics had worn thin for me. (I remember loving all their movies 30 years ago.) I was bored, saw what was supposed to be funny and didn't think it was. There were a few witty remarks, but those came from either Kaufman or Ryskind, not the Marx Bros. And on that subject, I never (at least not before The Solid Gold Cadillac) thought I'd ever watch or read a Kaufman play and not think it was hilarious. I did not think this was hilarious. The opera they featured at the end was Verdi's Il Trovatore, I don't like that opera anyway, particularly the mezzo gypsy song, particularly all of it. I thought the whole movie was watery, thin, dull and not the best of the Marxes, and not particularly funny. I just opened Casablanca. Tomorrow morning I'll take a crack at it, though I remember much of it now. I remember (and make the connection between that movie and this) that Harpo had gone from being an innocent who chases girls to a character who gets knocked around a lot by the heavies. I don't like the change. The characters, the (well, I said it already) idiosyncrasies and personalities of the brothers just weren't there in this movie. Sigh. I have 2 more to go. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Tyrone `Apollo`, what a great movie!
I was really impressed by this flick! I couldn't imagine how marvelous it was when I bought it at Amazon...It's one of the best gangster movies I've ever seen.Tyrone is brilliant as usual
and I really enjoyed Lamour's singing too...Go for it!

A great prewar gangster flick
A dazzling proto-noir gangster film, featuring Tyrone Power in one of his best roles, as "Johnny Apollo," a wealthy man's son who changes his name and turns to a life of crime after his father is exposed as an embezzler and sent to prison. Power effectively sheds his pretty-boy image as a romantic leading man, and does an excellent turn as a cynical tough guy -- even more astonishing is Dorothy Lamour's performace as Lucky, a hard-bitten gun moll who takes Johnny under her wing. Snarling out her lines in a thick urban accent, Lamour is about as far away from her Polynesian and exotic hottie typecasting as possible; she also gives one of the most convincing gangster gal portrayals I've ever seen. Better still, is Lloyd Nolan's turn as crime boss Mickey Dwyer, whose grinning, boyish enthusiasm and charismatic charm belies his violence yet completely explains Apollo's devotion to him. Nolan plays a cheerful psychopath -- the kind of role that Robert Deniro and Joe Pesci have so artlessly beaten to death -- with such naturalness and ease that his performance may actually be the heart of this film. Look for his scene with the icebox lock, and you'll see what I mean. I really enjoyed this film: if you're looking for a good gangster flick, or a Hollywood classic, check this one out!

Tyrone Power and Dorothy Lamour shine
This gangster film marked a distinct change of pace for both Tyrone Power and Dorothy Lamour. Indeed the shift really shows both performers in a very favourable light and reveals other sides to their performing abilities.

Tyrone Power by 1940 was at the peak of his popularity and had been named Box Office King of Hollywood the year before. He was however unsatisfied with being regarded solely as the glamour boy of Hollywwod and was eager to stretch himself as a performer in more serious roles. "Johnny Apollo" provided him with such a vechicle and he portrays an interesting multi dimensional character who is at times a likeable innocent but who develops into a hardened criminial because of circumstances beyond his control.

Dorothy Lamour was borrowed from Paramount for this role and in her Autobiography "My Side of the Road" she states how excited she was to find herself teamed with the number one heartthrob of Hollywood. Like all his co stars she found Tyrone to be a total joy to work with and someone who lacked any ego normally associated with alot of leading men. Dorothy had already enjoyed stardom at Paramount in such notable films as "The Hurricane" where she usually played a native girl in a sarong. In "Johnny Apollo" she has a complete change of pace playing Mabel 'Lucky' DuBarry the girl friend of gangster Lloyd Nolan who develops an interest in Tyrone's character. She is excellent portraying the world weary singer and gangsters mole with the heart of gold . Edward Arnold also is a stand out in the role of Tyrone's father Robert Cain Sr. His initial arrest on corruption charges is the catalyst which sends Johnny's life crashing down around him and while he reforms and learns the errors of his ways it has the opposite effect on Johnny who moves into a life of crime and corruption. Arnold, a superb character actor in many diverse performances has never been better than in this role and his great chemistry with Tyrone is obvious from their interactions and really gives the film an electricity and dramatic build up.

Twentieth Century Fox went all out with this production showing the seamy side of the gangsters world and included one very violent and brutal scene when Tyrone apprehends a gang member and has a fight with him in the street involving smashing his head into the pavement. Brutal stuff which gives the scenerio a raw edge which seems very realistic. Even Tyrone's very famous goodlooks have a more mature, darker look about them as if anticipating a more mature outlook in his screen presence for the future.

"Johnny Apollo" may lack a little of the gritty quality so evident in the classic Warner Bros gangster movies of the early thirties but it shows an interesting variation on the crime theme by displaying White Collar crime and in displaying prison as a possible place of rehabilitation that can have a positive influence.

Being a big Tyrone Power fan I do tend to enjoy him in his famous swashbuckling roles but "Johnny Apollo" is a particular favourite of mine as it combines a gripping story with great characterisations by Power, Lamour, Arnold and Nolan. These four really set the sparks flying in the story and all reveal pleasing aspects of their screen personas not greatly utilised before. If you like well written gritty dramas combined with just that touch of exciting melodrama you can't go past "Johnny Apollo" .

Captivating Drama
"Johnny Apollo" is one of those films that seem merely interesting at first, yet by the end, you're waiting breathlessly for the final word, your heart clenched with anticipation over what will befall the characters you've learned to care for.

Dorothy Lamour is excellent in this movie, fully convincing as the gangster's girl with a soft heart. Edward Arnold is simply wonderful as the title character's father, stubborn and standing by his morals no matter what the cost. Lloyd Nolan's performance is top notch, as well, the hard-hearted gangster whose ability to care for someone else is overwhelmed by his self-serving nature.

Tyrone Power gives the performance of his life (up to this point) as the son of a convicted criminal who is soon in over his head but too blind to see it. He lacks the light-hearted charm that is so much appreciated in many of his other films, but that kind of attitude would be out of place in a gangster movie such as this. His is a dark, brooding performance, excellently mature and moving, restrained yet honest. Such is his performance that his looks, strange as it may sound, are noticed only as an afterthought.

This is a taut, gripping human drama with nothing seeming out of place. Witty dialogue, surprising moments, wonderful cast, and little enough predictability to spoil anything. Certain things you know will happen, and it's the execution that counts. And here it's superb. ... Read more

Reviews (11)

Joan Crawford Shines !
This is a wonderful film about middle aged love. The casting features Cliff Robertson as the object of devotion as well as Vera Miles and many more. Nat King Cole provides the theme song which is a really nice touch. This was directed by Bob Aldrich who also directed "What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?" featuring Joan Crawford and Bette Davis. The VHS (video) version of this film is extremely difficult to get. ...

"LEGACY!"
Yes, SHE knew her craft - and knew it well!

JOAN CRAWFORD! Always a Star, always an inspiration, who do we have today who can walk into a Studio facility and instantly know what would or would not work - Costume, make-up [created for her], script [the required "telephone scene", etc.]? The unmistakable voice - never quite duplicated.

It wasn't just about the glitz, it took hard work to get there. [She was also directed by Spielberg!]

This is a seldom seen, but great story about misapplied middle-aged love. Quite a few casting surprises too - Cliff Robertson as the love object, Vera Miles [pre-Psycho] and more! Great theme song - Nat King Cole, perfect for anytime!

Director Bob Aldrich went on to do "Whatever Happened to Baby Jane" with her [and who was that "other" star?]

This VHS version is quite good, but Fans deserve a DVD Crawford set!

Worth a look
Never one of Joan Crawford's best films, Autumn Leaves nevertheless still contains a fine production matched with a very strong and memorable performance by Joan. Having been in love with her since I was 11 years old, I will try to put my biased fan opinions aside and review this film for what it really is. Although many reviewers have noted Joan's expert portrayal of the vulnerability and loneliness present in her character, I will say her performance was strong but not entirely convincing. Joan had her stiff moments..and she has a few in Autumn Leaves, although her emotional abilities are consistent and affecting throughout. There is, however, something a bit creepy about Joan's appearance during this stage in her career. Perhaps it is her hair style or the lighting and plain costumes (she is deglammed for this role), but one has a hard time believing Joan when she doesn't have a fur wrapped around her shoulders.
There are essentially two main problems with Autumn Leaves.. First, the film is in very poor condition (sound and visually). It is begging for restoration and a dvd release. Secondly, there is an unsettling harshness to the story (her husband goes nuts in a not-too-subtle fashion) which comes off the heels of a charming romance. It is just jarring and not entirely effective in an artistic, cathartic way. Still, the ending is quite wonderful...and so is the Nat King Cole theme song. Basically, it's a mixed bag, but all true Crawford fans will cherish having this film in their collection.

Where's the Camp?
I have seen a slew of campy Joan Crawford movies recently, many of the so-bad-they're-brilliant ilk (Strait-Jacket, Sudden Fear), a few with memorable one-liners but not enough to become kitsch classics (Torch Song, Queen Bee, Female on the Beach) but I found Autumn Leaves utterly disappointing. The first half of this film is boring and becomes stagnant to the point of wanting to fast-forward. I kept hoping for some over-the-top histrionics which are a Crawford trademark. The only satisfaction I got was from the typewriter scene listening to her odd, gurgling wails, and the encounter with Vera Miles and Lorne Greene outside her bungalow. If you're looking for camp, watch Strait-Jacket again, and avoid Autumn Leaves.

Joan Crawford shines in stellar later day performance
"Autumn Leaves" has always been a personal favourite of mine. Being a fan of any stage in Joan Crawford's career I find her in "Autumn Leaves" to be both a powerful performer but also able to display a rather touching vulnerability in her performance as Millicent Wetherby a single early middle aged woman who is alone in the world and feels that that is the way it will always be.

By this time in her career Joan Crawford's great days as a top flight star at MGM and then Warner Bros. were passed but in early 1955 Joan signed a 3 picture deal with Columbia pictures for a considerable sum of money and proved once again that she was expert at reinventing herself as a more mature performer in roles that further explored areas of her formidable character. The 3 films she starred in were "Queen Bee" 1955, "Autumn Leaves" 1956, and "The Story of Esther Costello" 1958. All were very different but all reaped good profits and kept Joan in "A" pictures till the end of the decade. "Autumn Leaves" directed by Robert Aldrich, who Joan would work with again in 1962 on the memorable "Whatever Happened to Baby Jane" with Bette Davis, is I feel the best of the three and gives Joan an opportunity to work with a sympathetic character at a time when her roles where getting more and more domineering in character.

Joan's character of Millicent (Millie) is a typist who is very efficient in her work but finds her personal life is non existent. She lives in a row of apartments which are run by her friend and landlady liz (Ruth Donnelly) who is in the same predicament with no man in her life. Millie by chance meets and falls in love, and marries a much younger man Burt Hanson (Cliff Robertson)only to find her new found love turn to horror when it is revealed he suffers from a mental health condition. She also has to deal with Burt's former wife and his conniving father, Vera Miles and Lorne Greene respectively, who are involved with each other, have caused the grief that Burt has gone through, and want Burt out of the way.

"Autmun Leaves" is a dramatic and stirring story and is an early attempt to put a more realistic light on the tragedy of mental illness and the effects it causes. I feel this issue is handled in a mature and non judgemetal manner in the film and makes for a most engrossing story. Joan Crawford gives the role of Millie her all and she is just right in her early scenes as the lonely single lady just wanting some love in her life. Her later acting in the scenes where Burt's condition and family history becomes apparent to her is superlative. Her interactions with the characters played by Vera Miles and Lorne Greene are extremely powerful and it is interesting to see Lorne Greene in an early role just before he found everlasting stardom on "Bonanza". It's Joan however who keeps your attention and her development in the story from a victim through to some one who is capable of deciding her own future is excellent. It is by far her best performance in her later years.

I strongly recommend "Autumn Leaves" to you if you appreciate a good mature story, strong acting and a production with a good heart to it. Joan Crawford fans will undoubtedly enjoy her work here. Her chemistry with the much younger Cliff Robertson is wonderful and reveals Joan's courage in taking on this quite difficult role at a time when film offers were not so numerous. Enjoy!! ... Read more

Amazon.com

Director Henry Hathaway never hesitated to return to a picturesque location that had served him well. There's no more striking example than his sequel-in-spirit to the enchanting early-Technicolor Trail of the Lonesome Pine (1936). This time, the enchantment is darker, just as Charles Lang Jr.'s stunning cinematography represents a quantum leap in sophistication over Trail's pleasant pictorialism. The long-running Appalachian feud of the earlier film is replaced by a spooky familial curse that has almost literally poisoned one Ozark household and could perpetuate a tragic cycle of violence and vengeance in another.

John Wayne would win an Oscar under Hathaway's direction three decades later (for True Grit), so it's all the more noteworthy that his performance in this singular yet neglected film--as a son sworn to kill the father he has never met--was his most complex to date. Perhaps Wayne was challenged by the company he was keeping, including New York stage veterans Betty Field (as his tomboy love), James Barton, and Marc Lawrence (cast against type as the mute, lightning-struck cousin who dotes on Wayne's every move). Or maybe it was the prospect of sharing the screen with that old lion and premier Western role model, Harry Carey. There's also powerful work by Beulah Bondi, who as a matriarch from hell all but gives off sulfur fumes, and by the amazing Marjorie Main, playing a blind woman who sees for the first time on a mountaintop above the clouds. Get ahold of this movie, and it will get a hold on you. --Richard T. Jameson ... Read more

Reviews (1)

An Interesting and Unusual Film
Shepherd of the Hills is a fine film with wonderful colour photography of stunning mountain locations. There is a real sense of remoteness about the places filmed, which is vital for the story, for the people living in the hills have had little contact with the outside world and are thus unaware of things like personal cheques and telephones. Their lives are governed by such things as superstitions, curses and long-running feuds and they try to keep the outside world out. Thus they resent excise men, intruders and any strangers.

The story of the film revolves around the appearance of one such stranger, Harry Carey. John Wayne may be the nominal star of the film, but the larger and more important role is Carey's. Carey was once a major silent Western star, but his more familiar roles to modern viewers are smaller parts in such films as Mr Smith Goes to Washington, and later Wayne Classics The Angel and the Badman and Red River. It is a great pleasure to see him in a major part for his acting is subtle, quiet and undemonstrative. Wayne admired and learned a lot from Carey, their scenes together are some of the highlights of the film. The acting of the whole cast is in fact one of the main reasons to watch this film. There are many familiar faces giving fine performances, including Marjorie Main, as an old blind woman who regains her sight, Beulah Bondi as a vicious matriarch and Ward Bond, who sometimes seems to be in every other film made during this period. Also worthy of special mention is the beautiful Betty Field who is adorable as Wayne's girlfriend trying desperately to tame his wildness.

Shepherd of the Hills can be described as a sort of Western. It has many typical Western features, fistfights, shootouts, but it also has many elements which are unusual and surprising. This film is really worth getting for John Wayne fans and it is surprising that it is not better known, for it includes one of his best performances. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Striking Style But Disappointing Story
Looks like I'm going to swim against the tide and give the film a negative review. Lee Tracy stars as a fast-talking, wisecracking newspaper reporter trying to solve the case of a maniac killer who murders people on nights with full moons. The police have narrowed the chase to Doctor Xavier's (Lionel Atwill) labs, convinced that someone working there is responsible. Atwill devises a series of experiments to determine which of his fellow scientists might be the lunatic. There is a very effective creepy feeling established in the film. The early Technicolor glows, giving everything an eerie quality. The sets are vintage horror film staples, and everybody seems weird. The make-up is extremely well done as well. The actors do as well as you can with this material. Scream queen Fay Wray, as the doctor's daughter, does her thing, shreiking needlessly a few times. But despite the impressive look, the film failed to engage me. I found it slow moving, with a lot of holes in the script. It's stylish and unique, but without a script to match it, I found it disappointing and long. Horror film fans will definitely want to check it out, but others will probably find it tough going.

Moo-hoo-hoo-hah-hah-hah!!!
A delightfully campy MGM horror film, featuring Lee Tracy as a fast-talking news reporter on the trails a moonlight serial killer to a special research academy headed by the lofty Dr. Xavier (Lionel Atwill). An interesting, if uneven, mix of horror and comedy, balancing over-the-top scenery chewing by a truly bizarre collection of mad scientists with Tracy's slapstick interludes. (By the way, is it just me, or does he remind anyone else of Edward Norton?) Fay Wray is completely dishy as Dr. Xavier's sassy, wise-cracking daughter. Best of all, though, is the pioneering early version of Technicolor, which perfectly accentuates the beautiful German-influenced impressionistic cinematography. A fun film, and a total hoot.

5-Star Sleeper!
DOCTOR X has everything fans of "olden days" horror classics want. An array of quirky, creepy characters. Great,fog-enshrouded ambience of MONSTER menace.Really scary-looking feature-Creature; and beautiful heroine in peril. Fay Wray is Joanne Xavier...ready on-cue (or not) with her KING KONG scream...daughter to Lionel Atwill. The Doc is head "researcher" to a collection of Head-Case scientists...one of whom is a mad-to-the-max serial killer. Their Lab is pre-House on Haunted Hill, G/E gentrified with bizarre snap, crackle and popping Frankenstein-like electric "stuff". Lee Tracy plays Reporter/Hero who hams-it up...3 Stooges-style...while saving Fay from "The Full Moon Strangler" (who butchers victims a la Jack The Ripper).

Such PM grotesquery, however, is not displayed. This is classy black & white (originally Technicolor B & W) mood-driven, monster-mash where bad-mad-monster-scientist gets his very just desserts, and the good guy gets the girl. Corny? No: cool. The climactic JUDGMENT scene is effectively eerie and nightmarish ((cf: Nicholas Roeg's DON'T LOOK NOW! killer-closing)). DOCTOR X belongs DOWN-THERE in Monster Movie Heaven.It's super-fun, 5-star sleeper that won't let you...without The LIGHTS-ON!

Absolutely the Best!
I must say that this is just amazing. The sets, dialog, atmosphere, and more... This movie is just about the best i have ever seen. Lionel Atwill and the others are fabulous. I love old horror and murder mysteries and this movie does it all. The only thing is, please try to get your copy of this movie in its orig technicolor as it is much better to see than in black and white. It makes the sets and feel of the movie much better. Thanks Norm, it was your review that led me to this movie ! P.S. I agree, Night Monster is another great movie! I love it!

Chills! Thrills! Masterpiece!
This glorious old horror movie from l932 was made during an era when Universal was electrifying the world with its stream of classics: The Mummy, Dracula, etc. This was Warner Brother's entry into the horror field and Doctor X should rank with the great ones. The great early Technicolor, making everything sinister and gloomy; Ray Rennahan's photography, Anton Grot's fabulously gothic sets, everything saturated with ravishing shadows, greens and pinks and oranges. Fay Wray is a classic damsel in distress; her father is horror movie stalwart, Lionel Atwill. IT all takes place in a weird, 30s type mansion near the sea, with the wind howling and when you see the monster, you'll be chilled. The collection of doctors at the mansion are wonderfully enacted by a cast of Grade A supporting actors. If you watch this one, be sure to watch it's companion, MYSTERY IN THE WAX MUSEUM, also filmed in gorgeous Technicolor and some of the same cast. Both directed by the amazing Michael Curtiz whose flair for the grotesque is obvious. A great double-feature to watch on a Halloween night--or when the wind's howling around your eaves. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Horsin' Around
Below par Abbott & Costello film. Would be good a very good movie on it's own standing but not quite as good as other Abbott & Costello flicks. The picture has one of the better stories and in my opinion is one of the pictures they've done that the whole family could watch together. There are very funny parts as with all Abbott & Costello pictures but it certainly could've been better. I would not recommend this is a purchase...if you want a good Abbott & Costello picture try "Time Of Their Lives", "Buck Privates" or "Hold That Ghost". This one you can skip.

Basic Good A&C Fun
One of Abbott and Costello's better excursions, this film was out of ciculation due to legal entanglements. Whatever circumstances allowed its video release, Universal MCA certainly didn't involve itself, and that is a shame. Their print would have been clean and fresh, as indicated by their other Abbott and Costello releases. The current video copy of "It ain't Hay" is a muddied, multi-generational print. To be fair, it still is very watchable (no splices). I recommend it.

it aint hay....nay
Not one of Abbott@ Costello's best. They seem to be going through the motions...routines are too short... Costello tries pathos with mixed results....Abbott is really mean to Costello when he slaps his face.... The music and dancing is grade z.......................Disappointing! ... Read more

Reviews (42)

An American family sends its five boys off to World War II
"The Fighting Sullivans" is the true story of five brothers who died together when their Navy ship, the Juneau, was sunk in the South Pacific during World War II. But only the last act of this 1944 film, directed by Lloyd Bacon, shows the Sullivans at war. Most of this film is pure Americana, following the lives of the boys from their childhood in Waterloo, Iowa. Thomas Mitchell and the marvelous Selena Royle are the loving parents, while the five boys are played by unknown actors: Edward Ryan (Al), John Campbell (Frank), James Cardwell (George), John Alvin (Matt), and George Offerman (Joe). Trudy Marshall plays their only sister, Genevieve. Top billing actually goes to Anne Baxter as the young girl who marries into the family and will be left a widow with a baby in arms. Ward Bond plays the Navy lieutenant who befriends the family when the Sullivans insist that they will only join up if they can serve together. Eventually the Navy relents and the boys get their wish.

Audiences knew the tragic fate of the Sullivans, although the film was originally released as "The Sullivans" and pretty much bombed at the box office. Retitled "The Fighting Sullivans" and re-released, it became a smash hit. The use of unknown actors made the film all the more effective, especially since it refrained from the sort of cliches you would expect. If the scene where the parents learn all five boys have died does not get you, the next scene will: Mr. Sullivan goes off to his job on the railroad and as the train passes the water tower where his boys waved to him as kids, he salutes them. Actually, this film works so well that the final shot, of the Sullivans in uniform striding across the clouds of the afterlife does not seem one whit hokey. There is a documentary available on the Sullivans, which tells how one of the boys survived the sinking before dying in the waters off of Guadacanal. I would not have thought anything could have made this story more tragic, but that bit of information certainly made it worse for me.

True story of 5 brothers who fought & died together in WWII
"The Fighting Sullivans" is a moving tribute and true story of five brothers who served together on the same ship in WWII. The story begins with the birth of each child (including one daughter) and then continues on showing the close and loving relationships in the family through the years. There's one great scene where the father (Thomas Mitchell, who was Scarlet's father in "Gone With the Wind) teaches some of the sons a lesson about smoking -- very funny! One of the sons marries prior to the war and the movie shows some good old-fashioned "courting" (kids today should see what courting is all about!). This is a great movie for the whole family to see (as most movies were back then) with great examples of family togetherness, wholesome values, and the willingness of honorable men to do what is right even if this means that they must "pay the price" as well. Even my daughters, when they were young girls, loved this movie and still quote the line of the brother who tells his family of the girl he wants them to meet and adds, "She's swell!" This would be a great movie to see any time, but especially on Memorial Day or Veterans Day when we remember those who served and gave their all to protect and defend the United States of America.

First step in an interesting American story
The movie makes up for what it lacks in historic facts with it's ability to show the family as they truly were- a close-knit, hard-working Irish American family. The movie is an excellent example of 1940's American war-time propaganda, but is an excellent starting off point for learning more about the Sullivan's story, about their lives,their deaths, and their family, which continues to this day to carry on the legacy of the Sullivan brothers.

Today, the USS The Sullivans (DDG-68) is commissioned United States destroyer working hard to protect the country. The crew is well aware of the brother's story and the ship's motto is taken directly from one of the brother's upon joining the navy as a group- "We Stick Together". Watch the movie, and keep in mind the sailors who are out there today risking their lives in much the same way the Sullivan Brothers did 60 years ago.

Always been a favorite
I saw this movie years ago with my grandmother, and I hadn't seen it in years. Naturally, I wanted to see it again. It begins as the story of a close-knit family growing up. It follows them right into WWII into their untimely demise. A true tear-jerker...and a classic that ranks up there with "It's a Wonderful Life."

Excellent
This movie is great. I first saw it as a kid about 15 years ago, & fell in love with it immeadiately. Even then it made me cry. Everyone should see this movie about 5 brothers who make the ultimate sacrifice. They are mentioned in Saving Private Ryan, but its' a shame that more people don't know about the Sullivan Brothers. ... Read more

Reviews (24)

Solid Sequel to The Robe
Demetrius and the Gladiators is a good, solid direct sequel to the The Robe. Victor Mature (Demetrius the slave) reprises his role from the earlier movie as his master (played by Richard Burton in The Robe)is dead and Demetrius is now free and protecting the robe of Christ that the mad emperor Caligula seeks thinking, in his twisted mind, that it will make him a god. If you are a fan of Roman epics such as Quo Vadis, Spartacus, or The Robe then this movie will be a wonderful treat for you!

Wonderful Caligula-Jay Robinson and much more.
I've come to love this movie. "Camp" or not "camp", it doesn't matter. I find it clearly superior to "The Robe", for which this one was intended as a sequel, in view or the former's success and the appreciation that Victor Mature got as Demetrius. What I like about this movie is:

-The intelligent subtext. With all the fights and -admittedly cheesy- effects and spectacle, it is about a man's fundamental doubts. Demetrius's faith is shaken because he can't cope with the fact that an evil world, in which harm is done to the innocent, is the creation of an all-loving God that fails to show Himself when most needed.

-Extraordinary supporting cast. Jay Robinson is wonderful "over the top", as they say. Absolutely and unashamedly flamboyant. I imagine that he liked the part very much and had fun with it. It is unfortunately that his career wasn't successful enough afterwards. He is Caligula! Or rather, I wish Caligula were this way: at least he would have been funny, cunning and extravaganly alluring! Susan Hayward is not wrong as Mesalina. See the final farewell to Demetrius,in which see seems experiencing an imagined or remembered orgasm. Michael Rennie is an over-dignified "Peter", but the most noble character, as another reviewer has suggested is Glycon. Clearly a superior to all the others, particularly to Demetrius himself. At the end he is put on the same level as the Apostle himself. The fact that he was a black actor is very positive (the film was realeased in 1954).

-Great score: Franz Waxman at his most heroic and religious. Or sometime, ominous, as the sinister fanfare that accompanies the gladiators to the arena, in order to perform "the marriage of life and dead", is.

-The film has given me food for thought. About slavery, about the plight of men forced to fight or die, about faith and religion, about men as warriors... "Demetrius and the gladiators" can be read as mere entertaiment, but if you habor some thought about those bygone ages and how human fate was tackled in the Classical world, it gives you material -forceful images and plot- to do that. Don't expect, of course, historic accuracy. This is not necessary at all and it is not the fuction of cinema.

Well, I have here "Demetrius and the Gladiators", I've watched it a couple of times, and I know that I can watch in many more. Then, worth the purchase. By the way, "Spartacus" depends on this one in many places.

Better than Gladiator.
Victor Mature makes a better gladiator than Russell Crowe in this sequal to "the Robe."

Join Demetrius in his journey as he battles gladiators, tigers, Caligula, and most dangerous his feelings for the wiley and seductive Susan Haywood. What makes this movie so entertaining is the moral dilemma he faces, and his fall and redemption. This is a real man facing real temptations in an immoral world, much like we are in today.

Jay Robinson makes a welcome return as the emperor Caligula, chewing up the scenary with his wonderful performance.

This is like gladiator with heart.

HEY!
We ordered this apooey movie and it has never come to us! Three months ago! HUMPH! I WAAAAANNNA SEE IT! AAAAAAAAAMAAAAAZOOOOOOOOOOOOON! WHERE'S MY STUFF!????(I hope my Eowyn Figure comes....)

A pivotal role for an African-American actor
The sequel to 1953's "The Robe" sports the same quality production values, three of the principal actors, a wonderful score, and the same reverence for the Scriptures. One of the bonuses in this film is the addition of the supporting character, Glydon, portrayed by stage actor William Marshall. Although he is Demetrius's servant, "Glydon" is in no way subservient to the gladiator. In fact, in some scenes, the actor, with his commanding speech and stature, comes across as an intellectual and spiritual superior. This role is somewhat a trend setting one for a film from the mid-50's.

Even at the film's end, Marshall is seen walking as an "equal" with stars Victor Mature and Susan Hayward.

Film buffs may not list this film as a benchmark in cinematic, history but African-Americans can count Marshall's performance as much a breakthrough as anything by his more established contemporaries Sidney Poiter or Harry Belafonte. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

A Fantastic Fun Movie
I absolutely love this movie. It is heartwarming! Shirleys talent shines in this movie.

Ching-Ching the Witch is Dead
Soon Wizard of Oz would come but in " 37 " for now Shirley was the queen of the screen. You wouldnt believe how much talent showed in this movie of hers. She spoke chinese and amazed the crowd. She did a hilarious imitation of Giner Rogers and Fred Astaire. I was surprised how well she did in this more dramatic film of hers not only was she all you wanted to see but the story of the other characters was really entertaning too. I was glued to the screen for the entie film!

Shirley at her dramatic best!
I love Shirley! This is one of her best dramas vs. musical. Her chemistry is good with Robert Young, and she even does well with foreign language. A must for a Shirley Temple collector.