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"By the time you read this letter, I may be dead," reads aging bon vivant Louis Jourdan from a letter found in his tiny hotel room. With tousled hair and a tux tired from yet another night of meaningless flirtation, he's startled by these opening lines and suspends his preparations to flee a duel in order to read the history of a love affair that he can't remember. For the rest of the film we're transported to the life of Joan Fontaine's awkward young Viennese woman, who has been hopelessly enthralled by the dashing pianist ever since adolescence. For a moment she was his lover, the emotional pinnacle of her life but for the philandering rogue simply another fling in a blur of women passing through his bedroom. This was Max Ophüls's first personal project in Hollywood, and he injects this exquisitely stylish romantic melodrama (based on a novel by Stefan Zweig) with his continental sensibility. Both lush and restrained, the endlessly moving camera tracks, cranes, and circles around the characters while maintaining a measured distance. Fontaine delivers one of the best performances of her career, vulnerable and yearning without lapsing into sentimentality--and ultimately showing a hidden strength as she risks all for one more moment with the love of her life. Jourdan is genial and callow, an empty figure faced with the meaningless of his life and shamed with self-discovery. It's a sensibility more European than American, right down the empty gesture that concludes this sad melodrama. --Sean Axmaker ... Read more

Reviews (13)

Bittersweet, memorable, tragic love story
This bittersweet turn-of-the-century romance about a young girl who falls in love with a narissistic, womanizing, concert pianist may appear to a cynical viewer as a somewhat obsessive love story of unrequited love. Lisa (Fontaine), the "Unknown Woman," turns a adolescent crush into a lifelong love for someone (Jourdan) who scarcely knows she is alive. Nonetheless, the story is a wonderful tale of hopeful and innocent love which is able to last a lifetime, even if unrecognized and unappreciated until the very end. Max Ophuls's wonderful directing abilities completely pulls one into the movie, the time, the setting, and the characters, making one feel genuinely sorry for not only Lisa, whose love is ultimately in vain, but also for Stefan, who realizes too late the love he has been searching for all his life in this tragic love story. It is truly a classic in its elegance and timeless beauty.

Masterpiece not always recognized
LETTER FROM AN UNKNOWN WOMAN remains one of those cinematic masterpieces that has never gotten its rightful due. In Europe, it has been listed, in various cinema circles, as one of the 10 Best of Films. But, here, it has been unjustly ignored, perhaps due to its initial lukewarm public and even critical response. The superb Max Ophuls has directed a mood piece of substance, one that captures its milieu and time period with perfection. Joan Fontaine, who, at her best, was one of the best of American film actresses, here is remarkable, always capturing the changing character tones of a young woman growing into a lovesick woman. Louis Jourdan is impeccable as well.... the rogue, the handsome and dashing man who favors his romantic interludes over his composing acuumen. Everything is right in this film, and its black-and-white photography is expertly reproduced in the VHS version. Music and supporting players (including Mady Christians) add to the piece's effectiveness. It is a treasure of a film, a romantic work that eschews the pitfalls that make some moviegoers avoid love stories. Excellence is paramount.

An odd, brittle melodrama
Joan Fontaine stars as Lisa, an odd, possibly mentally disturbed young woman who adopts a stalkerlike, lifelong fixation on a rakish concert pianist, played by Louis Jordan, who beds her then forgets her, leaving her with child yet still obsessed with her one true love. Fontaine's cockeyed performance may project more creepiness into the role than was originally intended -- her Lisa is a genuinely disturbing character, and her clumsy attempt at an Austrian accent (the story is set in late-19th Century Vienna) gives her lines that much more of a twisted feel. It's an odd film: Jordan's character is a complete cipher, and nothing in the script redeems either one of them, really. It's hard to tell what the moral of this melodrama may be, but it will definitely elicit a visceral reaction, either of repulsion or boredom.

Unforgettable... An Exceptional Film
"Letter From an Unknown Woman" is a touching, emotionally-involving movie about a
woman's life-long obsession with a handsome, charming musician who is truly not worth all of her
love and devotion. This is the kind of movie you watch when you want to lose yourself in
a whole other world--it's that engrossing. Joan Fontaine and Luis Jourdan are excellent in
their roles, and Fontaine is especially convincing as a woman hopelessly in love with
Jourdan (or the perfect man she imagines him to be). I agree with the previous reviewer
that the scene where she realizes for a second time that he doesn't recognize her is just
agonizing to watch. At 87 minutes, it doesn't drag on like many classic movies do.
Nothing is superfluous--every scene and line of dialogue is essential. I'll also mention that
besides the great acting and storyline, the direction and cinematography are also
exceptional. This is an unforgettable movie that is so overwhelming that it will literally leave you speechless. It's one of my favorite movies and I can't recommend it enough.

Enduring Classic, by fermed
Stefan Zweig wrote tales of obsessions (Amok, Royal Game), and this is one of his creations. The problem with obsessions as a theme of literature (an by extension, of movies) is that there is very little room for character development...in fact there is no room for development of any kind. The obsessed are to perish, consumed by their narrow, intense, cravings; thus obsessions lend themselves more to short stories than to novels, and indeed "A letter from an unknown woman" is based on a short story.

I had read the story as a kid, thinking I was as expert on matters of love which, of course, I was not. A few years after reading the story (and after experiencing love) I saw the film "A Letter..." and I was shocked. For one, I understood the story better, and was saddened by it; but in addition I gazed upon Joan Fontaine and became convinced that she was the most beautiful object in the entire Universe. I promptly fell in love with her and started hating Louis Jourdan, the sociopath who could have made her happy and did not. I saw the movie over and over, just to feast my eyes on Joan, and in the hope of a miraculously happy ending (that never took place).

Now, in what seems like a couple of hundred years, I revisited "A Letter..." and it still holds up. It is not as dramatic as when I was full of youth and hope, but the movie still stirs this old codger; and it does so strongly enough to allow me to recommend this dramatic tale, this fine classical film, to all who have not yet seen it. ... Read more

Description

Nancy Archer has had an alien encounter and it's left her 50 ft. tall! Now she sees the men in her life from a new angle--looking down on them--and it's time to fight back! Year: 1993 Director: Christopher Guest Starring:Daryl Hannah, Daniel Leroy Baldwin, William Windom ... Read more

Reviews (16)

Attack of the 50ft Woman...er...for 15 minutes anyway
Although a weak movie in it's own right, it is actually a B-Movie classic. Allison Hayes is perfect for the towering Nancy Archer on the rampage in search for her cheating husband, Harry. But the actual 'attack' is only at the last 15 minutes of the film and Hayes barely scratched the actual city and just scares people off. As many people have heard, the special effects are an absolute joke, what with the huge rubber hands and when Hayes, with all her strength, picks up...er...a cotton woll doll (which was meant to be Harry). The movies not really worth buying but may be worth recording from the TV.

fun cinema stuff
This movie was great fun, terrific acting, amusingly poor special effects but a camp 1950s scary movie classic that would definitely would be worth the purchase if it had been restored and presented in widescreen. I've seen this film many times but now I'd like to see the complete film.

Hey, it might be bad but a giant Allison Hayes ain't boring
"Attack of the 50 Foot Woman," the 1958 cult classic, is everything that the 1957 science fiction film "The Incredible Shrinking Man" is not. It is about a woman instead of a man, growing bigger instead of shrinking, vengeance instead of philosophy, and bad instead of good. However, I come down on the side of those that think this film is gloriously bad and therefore an enjoyable camp romp.

Heiress Nancy Archer (Allison Hayes) is driving around in the California desert on Route 66 when a satellite crashes to earth and she has an encounter with a giant. Nancy heads back to town and tells everyone what happened, but the police just think she has been off on one of her drinking binges again (Nancy has been institutionalized in the past, you see). As for her husband, Harry (William Hudson), he is too busy paying attention to that cheap tramp Honey Parker (Yvette Vickers). Only now Harry sees his big chance to have Nancy declared mentally incompetent so he can get her $50 million inheritance and that big diamond she wears on the cheap chain around her neck. Fortunately, Nancy is again abducted by the giant alien and when she comes back to town she is 50-feet tall and ready to go on the attack with Harry her prime target.

The sequence as Nancy slowly but surely trashes the town as she tracks down Harry redeems the rest of the film, even if the same shot shows up repeatedly (albeit sometimes backwards). The sight of Allison Hayes in her cloth bikini is as memorable an image as you will find in science fiction films from the Fifties, right up there with Gort's appearance in "The Day the Earth Stood Still." Up to that point the film belongs to Yvette Vickers, who attains a level of performance as a bad girl usually reserved for your more traditional exploitation films from this period.

"Attack of the 50 Foot Woman" can be read as a proto-feminist film, with Nancy's crashing through the roof of her house being viewed as a metaphor for breaking the boundaries of repression which limited the growth of women in the real world. But where is the fun in that? Harry done Nancy wrong and fate has given Nancy the opportunity to engage in payback. This movie was made in 1993 with Darryl Hannah and while the special effects were vastly improved, the net gain was just not as enjoyable as the original romp in the desert, which remains a touchstone for fans of bad science fiction films.

ZZZZZZZ
I LOVE the old 50's movies (The Incredible Shrinking Man, It Came from Outer Space,The Blob, The Body Snatchers") but, come on.....I literally fell asleep during this one. Slow, tedious and downright stupid! It's right up there or should I say down there with "Village of the Giants". Don't waste your money. Save it for something worthwhile.

Dumb Fun
This is a good Saturday night popcorn movie...and Allison Hayes is a wow! ... Read more

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This laugh-a-minute farce takes place in Occupied Germany, in the years following World War II. French officer Henri Rochard (Cary Grant) gets assigned to pair up with Lt. Catherine Gates (Ann Sheridan) to track down black marketers; they're already well acquainted and can't stand each other's presence. Eventually their antagonism turns to love, however, and they marry. Problem number two: navigating through U.S. Army red tape, which necessitates that Rochard be classified as a war bride and cross-dress to gain entry into the States. Grant makes an even less convincing woman than he does a Frenchman. The alternate title of this movie was You Can't Sleep Here, a phrase Grant hears over and over as he sleeps in all manner of horribly awkward and uncomfortable circumstances. Sheridan is utterly charming, and the many gags are a reminder of Grant's gifts for physical comedy. The film harks back to the screwball comedies of the '30s, only with a somewhat more leisurely pace. Sample lines, with Grant being handed a soggy infant: "Oh, how cute! What is it?" "It's a human fire extinguisher. Want to hold it?" "What's its name?" "Niagara!" --Jerry Renshaw ... Read more

Reviews (12)

Timeless humour
Ann Sheridan is a perfect match for Cary Grant in this romantic comedy that involves a French army officer (Grant) and an American WAC (Sheridan) who share a mission in post-WWII Germany. Their relationship moves from mutual antagonism to love. The situation becomes complicated when they decide to marry & return to the US with Grant as the war bride.

Two aspects of the movie, made in 1949, stand out - Grant, as a French army officer who speaks not a word of French, and the on-location filming which adds tremendously to the overall impression of the film. It is very similar in this respect to Roman Holiday made four years later with Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck . A studio-bound version would have possibly turned this from a classic comedy to a forgettable farce.

Highly recommended. One of my all-time top 10.

Classic Cary Grant
I saw this movie on TV for the first time a couple years ago. I have been looking for a copy of it DVD ever since. Thank goodness it's finally out.
When I saw this movie for the first time, I laughed harder than I had for any other Cary Grant movie (Or any classic movie for that matter). This movie is seriously funny and I would stack it up against any comedy by any actor to date. I will admit that it isn't Grant's best performance. He has done so many great movies that a lighthearted comedy like this isn't going to go down as another of his oscar-caliber performances. All that aside, this is a hilarious movie and well worth the purchase.
The storyline for this movie is just terrific. It gives Grant plenty of room to be flustered. Being flustered is something that Cary Grant does better than any other actor in the history of film. If you thought you had seen the best of it in "Bringing up Baby," you really need to take a look at this one. Cary Grant endures every imaginable calamity with his classic poise.
If you want to see Cary Grant endure abuse from a woman he can't stand (ie Father Goose, Bringing Up Baby) only to fall in love with her in the end, this is your movie. I know that might sound a little formulaic (especially for a Cary Grant movie) but this one is a cut above the rest. As stated before, this isn't going to be remembered as one of the greatest movies of all time, but for a movie that you can just sit down and enjoy, this is one of my favorites.

Over-rated Cary Grant vehicle. Not one of his best.
I know this film is supposed to be a classic, but I wasn't pleased with this purchase. The gags seemed obvious and tired. Cary seemed tired. This was really the beginning of his most lackluster period on screen. This and the films that followed (CRISIS, PEOPLE WILL TALK, ROOM FOR ONE MORE, DREAM WIFE, MONKEY BUSINESS were all pretty disappointing efforts).

Ann Sheridan was better in her earlier roles at Warners. She seems wasted here.

Was impressed
Everyone else covers the plot well enough. I was impressed by the quality of DVD for the price. You won't be disappointed.

CLASSIC HAWKS'S SCREWBALL IN A BEAUTIFUL NEW TRANSFER
Howard Hawk's "I Was A Male War Bride" has become a benchmark in screwball comedy. Grant plays a French officer stationed in post-war Germany, who falls for stubborn American WAC officer, Ann Sheridan. This is one of those great comedy of errors, in which two people, destined to be together by the final fade out, have to go through the rarest of hoops to acheive their blissful conclusion.
TRANSFER: In a word - gorgeous! A stunning black and white picture with an exceptionally balanced gray scale. Near pristine film elements - perfect contrast levels, solid blacks and NO DIGITAL ANOMALIES, result in a smooth visual presentation that can't be beat. The audio is mono but well balanced.
EXTRAS: NONE! Oh well, nobody's perfect!
BOTTOM LINE: An absolute must for collectors. ... Read more

Reviews (16)

Attack of the 50ft Woman...er...for 15 minutes anyway
Although a weak movie in it's own right, it is actually a B-Movie classic. Allison Hayes is perfect for the towering Nancy Archer on the rampage in search for her cheating husband, Harry. But the actual 'attack' is only at the last 15 minutes of the film and Hayes barely scratched the actual city and just scares people off. As many people have heard, the special effects are an absolute joke, what with the huge rubber hands and when Hayes, with all her strength, picks up...er...a cotton woll doll (which was meant to be Harry). The movies not really worth buying but may be worth recording from the TV.

fun cinema stuff
This movie was great fun, terrific acting, amusingly poor special effects but a camp 1950s scary movie classic that would definitely would be worth the purchase if it had been restored and presented in widescreen. I've seen this film many times but now I'd like to see the complete film.

Hey, it might be bad but a giant Allison Hayes ain't boring
"Attack of the 50 Foot Woman," the 1958 cult classic, is everything that the 1957 science fiction film "The Incredible Shrinking Man" is not. It is about a woman instead of a man, growing bigger instead of shrinking, vengeance instead of philosophy, and bad instead of good. However, I come down on the side of those that think this film is gloriously bad and therefore an enjoyable camp romp.

Heiress Nancy Archer (Allison Hayes) is driving around in the California desert on Route 66 when a satellite crashes to earth and she has an encounter with a giant. Nancy heads back to town and tells everyone what happened, but the police just think she has been off on one of her drinking binges again (Nancy has been institutionalized in the past, you see). As for her husband, Harry (William Hudson), he is too busy paying attention to that cheap tramp Honey Parker (Yvette Vickers). Only now Harry sees his big chance to have Nancy declared mentally incompetent so he can get her $50 million inheritance and that big diamond she wears on the cheap chain around her neck. Fortunately, Nancy is again abducted by the giant alien and when she comes back to town she is 50-feet tall and ready to go on the attack with Harry her prime target.

The sequence as Nancy slowly but surely trashes the town as she tracks down Harry redeems the rest of the film, even if the same shot shows up repeatedly (albeit sometimes backwards). The sight of Allison Hayes in her cloth bikini is as memorable an image as you will find in science fiction films from the Fifties, right up there with Gort's appearance in "The Day the Earth Stood Still." Up to that point the film belongs to Yvette Vickers, who attains a level of performance as a bad girl usually reserved for your more traditional exploitation films from this period.

"Attack of the 50 Foot Woman" can be read as a proto-feminist film, with Nancy's crashing through the roof of her house being viewed as a metaphor for breaking the boundaries of repression which limited the growth of women in the real world. But where is the fun in that? Harry done Nancy wrong and fate has given Nancy the opportunity to engage in payback. This movie was made in 1993 with Darryl Hannah and while the special effects were vastly improved, the net gain was just not as enjoyable as the original romp in the desert, which remains a touchstone for fans of bad science fiction films.

ZZZZZZZ
I LOVE the old 50's movies (The Incredible Shrinking Man, It Came from Outer Space,The Blob, The Body Snatchers") but, come on.....I literally fell asleep during this one. Slow, tedious and downright stupid! It's right up there or should I say down there with "Village of the Giants". Don't waste your money. Save it for something worthwhile.

Dumb Fun
This is a good Saturday night popcorn movie...and Allison Hayes is a wow! ... Read more

Reviews (6)

How I fell in love with Shirley MacLaine
Considering all that has happened since, it becomes easy to forget just how great Martin and Lewis were in the early to mid fifties. This was the first of their films that I saw and, to me anyway, it remains the best and a showcase for just how much fun they were. An additional plus is a very young Shirley MacLaine, who even then displayed an incredible screen presence in what could have been a throwaway role. She outshines Dorothy Malone and set my five-year-old heart on fire. They don't make movies like this any more and that's a shame. Shirley, wherever you are, I've been waiting.

My 8 year old's favorite rental!
This movie was a ton of fun. The classic scene "Bat Lady & Fat Lady" scene between Martin & Lewis made the picture. A very young (and quite attractive) Shirley MacLaine adds to the picture with a bit of wit.

When I showed this picture to my son he couldn't stop watching it. Whenever we go to the video store he asks to rent it. I figure that there are a lot of clean movies out there like this one that kids would love if only we adults would expose them to em. Of course for its time it shows quite a quantity of lovely ladies.

My wife absolutely died over the scene when Jerry tries to get his back fixed. This will definately be bought for my son's next birthday. I suggest you don't wait that long.

Even if you don't like Martin and Lewis-
It is difficult not to like this brilliant Frank Tashlin film. He did cartoons in the 1940's, and he adds surreal cartoon gags here as he did in his other under-rated film THE GIRL CAN'T HELP IT. Made when Washington was investigating pin up girls like Bettie Page and horror comic books, the subplot and plea in support of kids comics was very rare for the era.
I have often said that you don't have to like Martin and Lewis to like a Frank Tashlin movie. This is the film to show people who don't get the pair. Dean gets to sing entire songs, Lewis does a scene imagining a steak dinner that works on any age group, and you will not believe how hot the young Shirley MacLaine looks in a Bat Girl costume.
Now, if they could get a letterboxed dvd out........

A Worthwhile Effort
Although the humor is a little childish and cartoonish at times, it was meant to be! In this Tashlin outing, Martin and Lewis team together again in a light and entertaining spoof of censorship and comic book culture. The Cold War plot thrown in at the end is timely, though out of place, in an otherwise exceptionally goofy live action cartoon.

do u want to laugh?
Each time is the first time...the scene with Shearly and Jerry is so funny and each time seems to be the first! ...And Dean is so handsome! ... Read more

Reviews (1)

She was a goddess playing a princess!
Maureen O'Hara played her part in Bagdad to perfection. She became such a part of the movie that the viewer was drawn into the play and you could not be released even after the movie was over. You will compare all other films about that part of the world to this movie for the restr of your life! ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Okay but not an Oscar candidate.
Probably more interesting if you have actually been to or worked in Frankfurt. Unusual as you actually get to see inside Supreme Allied HQ, later V Corps HQ in Frankfurt now part of the University of Frankfurt (the former IG Farben Headquarters, where, among other things, Cyklon B poison gas used in the concentration camps was developed). Not particularly a bad film, but there are better.

Boring, but interesting photography
This is an incredibly boring film, with lots of meaningless talk and talk. However, there are nice outdoor shots of Frankfurt in 1948, with all the post-war rubble all around. There were other films with scenes of Germany during this post-war period. One that comes to mind is Billy Wilder's "A Foreign Affair"; which is more interesting than this bland film, even though it is not one of Wilder's best. Another great film of this type is "The Third Man", but that has scenes of Vienna, not Germany.

Dated but still gripping
Berlin Express was the first post war American movie to be shot on location in defeated Germany and the evocative location shots of bombed out townscapes and the depiction of a nation so economically and spiritually depressed that cigarettes are its chief currency and the spirit of resentment towards its conquerors still burns brightly are the most striking aspects of the picture.
The plot revolves around the attempts of dissident Germans,unwilling to accept the reality of their crushing defeat in World War two ,to foil the plans of a prominent politician to press ahead with unification plans and greater co-operation with the occupying Allied powers
Out to stop them are some of his travelling companions on the eponymous train--his secretary(Merle Oberon) an American nutritionist,an English teacher ,a Soviet military man and an individual whose nationality remains elusive(Charles Corvin)
The tale takes them to low cabarets and abandoned warehouses ,coming to a climax back on ther train with one of their number turning out to be a traitor

Strong performances by Ryan as the nutritionist and Walter Slezak as the politician keep things rolling along and some atmospheric direction by the under-rated Jacques Tourneur help sustain interest

The tension between the occupying powers and the mutual suspicion between the Soviets and the Western powers is put over succintly and well

The movie is over-relaint on voiceovers and has dated but still has interest.The Internet Movie Database puts this in its bottom 10 film noir list which is silly
Its neither that bad nor is it a film noir,but rather is a neat thriller with an optimistic ending and a belief in progress and the possibility of peace between nations It might be naive but it isn't noir ... Read more

Reviews (13)

Bittersweet, memorable, tragic love story
This bittersweet turn-of-the-century romance about a young girl who falls in love with a narissistic, womanizing, concert pianist may appear to a cynical viewer as a somewhat obsessive love story of unrequited love. Lisa (Fontaine), the "Unknown Woman," turns a adolescent crush into a lifelong love for someone (Jourdan) who scarcely knows she is alive. Nonetheless, the story is a wonderful tale of hopeful and innocent love which is able to last a lifetime, even if unrecognized and unappreciated until the very end. Max Ophuls's wonderful directing abilities completely pulls one into the movie, the time, the setting, and the characters, making one feel genuinely sorry for not only Lisa, whose love is ultimately in vain, but also for Stefan, who realizes too late the love he has been searching for all his life in this tragic love story. It is truly a classic in its elegance and timeless beauty.

Masterpiece not always recognized
LETTER FROM AN UNKNOWN WOMAN remains one of those cinematic masterpieces that has never gotten its rightful due. In Europe, it has been listed, in various cinema circles, as one of the 10 Best of Films. But, here, it has been unjustly ignored, perhaps due to its initial lukewarm public and even critical response. The superb Max Ophuls has directed a mood piece of substance, one that captures its milieu and time period with perfection. Joan Fontaine, who, at her best, was one of the best of American film actresses, here is remarkable, always capturing the changing character tones of a young woman growing into a lovesick woman. Louis Jourdan is impeccable as well.... the rogue, the handsome and dashing man who favors his romantic interludes over his composing acuumen. Everything is right in this film, and its black-and-white photography is expertly reproduced in the VHS version. Music and supporting players (including Mady Christians) add to the piece's effectiveness. It is a treasure of a film, a romantic work that eschews the pitfalls that make some moviegoers avoid love stories. Excellence is paramount.

An odd, brittle melodrama
Joan Fontaine stars as Lisa, an odd, possibly mentally disturbed young woman who adopts a stalkerlike, lifelong fixation on a rakish concert pianist, played by Louis Jordan, who beds her then forgets her, leaving her with child yet still obsessed with her one true love. Fontaine's cockeyed performance may project more creepiness into the role than was originally intended -- her Lisa is a genuinely disturbing character, and her clumsy attempt at an Austrian accent (the story is set in late-19th Century Vienna) gives her lines that much more of a twisted feel. It's an odd film: Jordan's character is a complete cipher, and nothing in the script redeems either one of them, really. It's hard to tell what the moral of this melodrama may be, but it will definitely elicit a visceral reaction, either of repulsion or boredom.

Unforgettable... An Exceptional Film
"Letter From an Unknown Woman" is a touching, emotionally-involving movie about a
woman's life-long obsession with a handsome, charming musician who is truly not worth all of her
love and devotion. This is the kind of movie you watch when you want to lose yourself in
a whole other world--it's that engrossing. Joan Fontaine and Luis Jourdan are excellent in
their roles, and Fontaine is especially convincing as a woman hopelessly in love with
Jourdan (or the perfect man she imagines him to be). I agree with the previous reviewer
that the scene where she realizes for a second time that he doesn't recognize her is just
agonizing to watch. At 87 minutes, it doesn't drag on like many classic movies do.
Nothing is superfluous--every scene and line of dialogue is essential. I'll also mention that
besides the great acting and storyline, the direction and cinematography are also
exceptional. This is an unforgettable movie that is so overwhelming that it will literally leave you speechless. It's one of my favorite movies and I can't recommend it enough.

Enduring Classic, by fermed
Stefan Zweig wrote tales of obsessions (Amok, Royal Game), and this is one of his creations. The problem with obsessions as a theme of literature (an by extension, of movies) is that there is very little room for character development...in fact there is no room for development of any kind. The obsessed are to perish, consumed by their narrow, intense, cravings; thus obsessions lend themselves more to short stories than to novels, and indeed "A letter from an unknown woman" is based on a short story.

I had read the story as a kid, thinking I was as expert on matters of love which, of course, I was not. A few years after reading the story (and after experiencing love) I saw the film "A Letter..." and I was shocked. For one, I understood the story better, and was saddened by it; but in addition I gazed upon Joan Fontaine and became convinced that she was the most beautiful object in the entire Universe. I promptly fell in love with her and started hating Louis Jourdan, the sociopath who could have made her happy and did not. I saw the movie over and over, just to feast my eyes on Joan, and in the hope of a miraculously happy ending (that never took place).

Now, in what seems like a couple of hundred years, I revisited "A Letter..." and it still holds up. It is not as dramatic as when I was full of youth and hope, but the movie still stirs this old codger; and it does so strongly enough to allow me to recommend this dramatic tale, this fine classical film, to all who have not yet seen it. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

BORIS KARLOFF? LON CHANEY? TOGETHER AGAIN?
This is a true horror film, one in which I have at the top row of my horror movie shelf. Boris Karloff and Lon C haney are back in another great horror film. Packed with sword fights, murder, jealousey and obsession. Also with a great climax in which the two lovers are trying to escape from THE BLACK CASTLE. Starring Richard Greene,Boris Karloff, Stephen McNalley, Lon Chaney and the beautiful Paula Corday. A true must have horror movie.

An atmospheric leopard hunt on a Black Forest estate
I knew sooner or later I would find a horror film where Boris Karloff did not turn out to be the bad guy! Set in the 18th-century, "The Black Castle" tells of Sir Ronald Burton (Richard Greene), who believes two of his friends have been murdered by the one-eyed Count von Bruno (Stephen McNally) on his Black Forest estate. Burton arrives at the castle to investigate and discovers the Count's unhappy wife, Elga (Paula Corday) and his physician, Dr. Meissen (Karloff), are essentially prisoners. The Count and his giant, mute henchman Gargon (Lon Chaney, Jr.), recognize Burton as the person who had them captured and tortured by natives for ivory poaching in Africa. They decide to kill Burton during a leopard hunt.

That leopard hunt is the showpiece of this 1952 film directed by Nathan Juran, although the story continues for a while afterwards. Greene shows why his reputation as a dashing hero of B-movies is well deserved while Karloff shows that you should never count his character out just because he gets killed. As I indicated above, I like the fact that Karloff gets to play against type, just to confuse everybody. "The Black Castle" is not a great horror film, but it is a solid effort and the leopard hunt is extremely atmospheric. Well worth a look for fans of Karloff.

Interesting/suspenseful
This isn't as bad as Leonard Maltin's review would indicate. I liked this far better than the Black Room in which Karloff had the lead role. Here, Karloff has a supporting, not a staring role, but the movie is worth a look. Sets are done nicely, music reminds you of Frankenstein, and acting is good. Basic plot is about an evil Count who lives in a gothic castle, and has killed two Englishmen, whom he sought revenge on. Enter Richard Greene who is out to find what happened to them. In the process, his own life is in 'grave' danger. I won't ruin the ending, which is as good and suspenseful as any. Lon Chaney Jr plays a loyal brute butler, Karloff a doctor of the Count who's not so loyal. ... Read more

Reviews (18)

Their "last but not least" film
...The Marx Brothers left us one more amusement in the form of movie for the final time. For the first time, on the other hand, Harpo Marx headed the characters' and story credit. In this respect, many fans and critics see "Love Happy" as a Harpo's solo vehicle. Still, I believe that there are quite a few great moments for the other Brothers, Chico and Groucho (*saluting Chico, the eldest sibling!).

Chico first appears with his usual warm smile attempting to get a job from Mike Johnson (Paul Valentine) at a financially struggling theater company. He makes it, after all, after showing a trace of his frindly and mild stupidity. Grouncho, on the other hand, opens the door of the film appearing as a private eye agent named Sam Grunion. In his all-time rapid-fire talks, we find many clever and funny wisecracks every time he opened the mouth to talk.

In addition to its unique "sentimental" atomosphere, the greatest and most brilliant moments of the entire film should be definitely when the Brothers present musical numbers respectively (*the exception is Groucho, who unfortunately did NOT sing any songs this time!). In the chronological order, Chico performed "Gypsy Love Song" on the piano and "shot" the keys as usual. In this number, Chico features Mr. Lyons (Leon Belasco) on violin, or more correctly, trying to stop him to take away every stage property belonging to him as a result of the company's bankrupcy.

Now hearing Harpo play the solo harp is the biggest excitement on this fim, I believe. We may realize it has been many years since "Horse Feathers" or "Duck Soup" when we see him in a close-up shot, but his performing "Swanee River" proves that Harpo is timelessly great!

Along with a rare brief appearance of young Marilyn Monroe, I think that "Love Happy" should be recognized the "last but not least" film of the Marx Brothers.

Marx Brothers...the conclusion.
This was the final act of the Marx Brothers and yes, it was their weakest film. I wouldn't even technically call this a Marx Brothers movie considering Chico & Groucho have no scenes together and Groucho & Harpo only have 1 scene together. Groucho also gets the lone scene with miss Marilyn Monroe. Marilyn Monroe appears on the screen for maybe 30 seconds and although I was never a fan of hers you could kind of sense a strong presence about her for that brief time she was in the movie. I couldn't enjoy this movie thoroughly with Groucho narrating and Harpo as the star. The plot was ok but it was an extremly bad ending and just not what you would expect from the Marx Brothers...their true last performance was in "A Night In Casablanca" which was actually a pretty good movie. This movie is just out of sheer curiousity for Marx Brothers and Marilyn Monroe fans.

MARILYN MONROE in a bit role that helped launch her career!
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If Marilyn Monroe weren't in this movie, I would only give it 2 stars. However, because of the fact that she made a memorable cameo appearance in the film rates it a full 5 stars.

Marilyn Monroe made a very small cameo appearance in this film which helped to launch her career. Her one brief scene (she appears in the film for less than one minute!) shines with the spark of excitement that Marilyn always brought to the screen.

It's hard to believe that an actress with less than a minute of screen-time in a movie created a sensation everywhere she appeared during a cross-country press junket to promote the film. Marilyn was a huge draw wherever she appeared on this promotional tour, proving that her mere presence in the film was noteworthy enough to attract crowds wherever she appeared.

For any Monroe completist, this is of course a must-have to add to your collection. It's a historical early on-screen apearance of a woman who lives on in the hearts and minds of people more than 40 years after her death.

This is classic Marilyn, at her young and glamorous best, just at the brink of stardom.

Mmmmmm-marvelous Marilyn!

Not at all bad for a final film
In the first place: God never meant for 60 year old Marx Brothers to make movies. That being said, the story goes that Harpo wanted to do a film by himself. But he couldn't get the up front financing unless he included Chico and Groucho. And, as such, Chico and Groucho make mainly "cameo" appearances. The plot is as flimsy as a "survivor" episode: Harpo protrays a kind of loving angel for a group of struggling artists. And, in one case, while stealing some food for his friends, he unknowingly swipes some diamonds. And the rest of the "plot" involves the disposition of the diamonds. Some plot, huh? But there ARE some real gems in "Love Happy," though: just Marilyn Monroe's mere presence, her all-too-brief cameo with Groucho justifies the film. And Chico delivers one of his funniest lines in all thirteen of the Marx Brothers films: while trying to divert a creditor from repossessing >something, I don't know, does it matter?< Seems the creditor likes to "noodle" around with the violin - and Chico, trying to buy time, replies, "Well, you noodle on that and I'll macaroni on this." That one line evoked as genuine a laugh as anything Groucho said in all the movies. Long Live The Marx Brothers!

Gorgeous transfer &.NEVER BEFORE SEEN FOOTAGE!!!!
That is correct fellow Marx Fans. I have always had a fond place in my Marxian Heart for Love Happy. Now there is MORE happy to love! In fact, over 6 minutes of footage I have never seen. Not on previous release versions on VHS, Laserdisc, at the LaPaloma Theatre when I projected it in 35mm or in my own 16mm print! The footage adds a LOT to the movie. In one scene Groucho describes how he has tracked the sexy Madame Egelich (Illona Massey) all over the world. He whips out a series of Photos showing them to us the audience with him holding Illona in various sexy poses. Concluding with one photo of her in a 1950's style batheing suit. Another restored scene has Chico, who assigns himself the task of stopping the owner of the theatre from kicking the troupe out for lack of rent payment. Before the drooling owner is paraded a bevy of beauties. Groucho says in the voiceover, "He wisely chose the Blonde on the end". Pretty racy by 50's standards. We even get a new scene where Raymond Burr tortures Harpo by placing him in a giant washing machine! There are additional small scenes sprinkled thruout, but those are the best. WOW! It is so great to see new footage of Groucho, Harpo and Chico. BUY this disc! You will be Happy you did. Johno ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Bad, Boring, and not even Camp
This movie is boring--so boring that I kept checking the box to see how long it was--too long. The acting is amateurish, the script probably writeen in a few hours, and the special effects (what there is of them) really lame. Why the production company wasted filming this BOMB in Carlsbad Caverns is beyond comprehension. Some movies are so bad that they are camp and fun to watch--not this turkey. NOTHING really happens. The characters talk a lot ("do we go on or go back?")and they shift their position on this topic often--so I wonder if the actor's scripts got mixed up. Fortunately (a matter of opinion), this Alpha DVD is made from a watchable print, so it is not as grainy or as scratchy as others in their catalog. I watched this DVD once and gave it away to my daughter in college. Now I feel guilty because life is too short to watch stuff such as this. If you are very short of money and need a DVD to give someone as a cheap gift, pass by this DOG and select Alpha's B-Western DVD "The Whispering Skull" with Tex Ritter or one of the Basil Rathbone Sherlock Holmes efforts.

UGH!
Let me start off this review by saying that this is a low budget 50's atomic paranoia flick. If this genre is your bag read on, if not there is a hundred other films of this ilk that will appeal to you. I suggest buying ANY of them instead of this [one].

The plot boils down to this...

A team of scientists decide to drive this wacky machine (called a cyclotram) into the heart of the earth to discover a shelter where human kind can hang out while an atomic war rages above. A few misadventures later (of the extremely boring variety) they eventually find an underground cavern that serves thier purpose. More misadventures later they return.

I usually dig low budget 50's sci-fi/horror films with bad acting and absurd plots...however, this movie is as lousy as can be. Where are the giant mutant whatevers? where are the blind morlock looking creatures? Give me anything! something! arrrrgh!

Not only is this a lousy boring movie, it's also a very poorly done DVD. Absolutly no extras, and as with all Alpha Video releases the scene selections don't even seem to work correctly. The print is grainy and full of cigarette burns. constant mult-colored banding runs throughout. There was not even a token attempt to digitally clean this movie! Save your money - and steer clear of Alpha Video's releases.

Kinda deep down there, isn't it?
This 1951 offering from Lippert Pictures takes us 2500 miles underneath the surface with a group of somewhat annoying scientists. Dr. Morley (dubbed the Prophet of Doom by at least one newspaper reporter) is an obsessive opponent of all things nuclear. Fearing that atomic weapons will destroy all life on earth, he recruits a group of scientists for his Society to Save Civilization, and they make plans to find a living space deep within the earth where man can survive and rebuild from the nuclear holocaust they see just over the horizon. After the group fails to secure any funding, a rich newspaper publisher's son forks over the cash and accompanies them on their monumental journey. It's your typical group of B-movie scientists: there is Morley, who seems lost and mad at the world all the time, a couple of scientists who basically push buttons and read dials, a young and attractive feminist scientist, an explosives man, and the paperboy. Of course, the group is constantly bickering and fighting, and no one likes the paperboy at all-at first. This had to change somewhat because, as you would expect, he has to put the moves on the lady scientist and she has to pretend to resist. How do our intrepid explorers go about their task? They design a cyclotram, basically a great big ugly metal boxcar with a humongous drill for a nose, ascend to the top of an extinct volcano, go down into the crater and start drilling through rock as they make their way downward. Every so often, they stop for a minute to fight or to provide an opportunity for one of them to die. They are rather bumbling amateurs when it comes to the deep exploring gig; you would have thought one of the scientists would have remembered to pack a lot of water. They sometimes even seem surprised to discover that it's actually pretty dark miles underground.

I was led to believe the group ran into dangerous animals in the depths of the earth, but that is not true. There are similarities between Unknown World and Jules Verne's Journey to the Centre of the Earth, as you would expect, but this film never develops the aura of plausibility that Verne's work had. To answer the question of how they will survive the intense heat of the earth's core, the geologist amongst them simply announces the fact that the temperature at the earth's core is actually lower than that on the surface. This movie is only about 70 minutes long, so it's short enough to not become too aggravating too quickly. Taken in the context of its time, it's really not such a bad movie. Some may also be interested to know that part of the movie was actually filmed inside New Mexico's Carlsbad Caverns.

"Unknown World" a 1951 "gem" to be discovered!
This is an early Sci Fi film from 1951 and in that context deserves to be appreciated!

Years ago I saw this film on TV and I never forgot it ... there was a kind of lonely mystique about it.

It has a very strong anti-nuclear orientation... The thesis of the film is a group of scientists fearful of nuclear war decide to explore vast caverns under the earth's surface as a refuge. There are no phoney looking monsters running around... Some of the scenes were taken from actual caverns such as Carlbad Caverns, New Mexico.

The vehicle used for this exploration called a "Cyclotram" reminded me a little of a 1950 Lincoln...

BETTER THAN YOU'D EXPECT
Years before James Mason and Pat Boone undertook a "Journey to the Center of the Earth," a team of resourceful explorers made the same sort of trip inside a metallic contraption rather resmbling a house-trailer equipped with a big drill on the front. Their goal is to find underground caverns large enough to shelter the human race should nuclear war render the surface of the planet uninhabitable.

Not surprisingly, the low-budget special effects are amusing rather than impressive, and the no-name cast can't enliven the uninspired lines they'd asked to deliver.

Despite these expected failings, "Unknown World" earns a recommendation as one of the early 1950's least-known and most-underrated sci-fi efforts. It has an imaginative plot which, after awhile, almost seems plausible, and it avoids the B-movie cliches you might expect in this sort of thing. (No subterranean dinosaurs, no tribe of lost cavewomen, no signs of Atlantis.) It also has the sense to stick to business and not detour into romantic subplots or "comic relief" episodes.

If you can see beyond its dated, low-budget look, you'll find this "World" one that's worth exploring. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Bad, Boring, and not even Camp
This movie is boring--so boring that I kept checking the box to see how long it was--too long. The acting is amateurish, the script probably writeen in a few hours, and the special effects (what there is of them) really lame. Why the production company wasted filming this BOMB in Carlsbad Caverns is beyond comprehension. Some movies are so bad that they are camp and fun to watch--not this turkey. NOTHING really happens. The characters talk a lot ("do we go on or go back?")and they shift their position on this topic often--so I wonder if the actor's scripts got mixed up. Fortunately (a matter of opinion), this Alpha DVD is made from a watchable print, so it is not as grainy or as scratchy as others in their catalog. I watched this DVD once and gave it away to my daughter in college. Now I feel guilty because life is too short to watch stuff such as this. If you are very short of money and need a DVD to give someone as a cheap gift, pass by this DOG and select Alpha's B-Western DVD "The Whispering Skull" with Tex Ritter or one of the Basil Rathbone Sherlock Holmes efforts.

UGH!
Let me start off this review by saying that this is a low budget 50's atomic paranoia flick. If this genre is your bag read on, if not there is a hundred other films of this ilk that will appeal to you. I suggest buying ANY of them instead of this [one].

The plot boils down to this...

A team of scientists decide to drive this wacky machine (called a cyclotram) into the heart of the earth to discover a shelter where human kind can hang out while an atomic war rages above. A few misadventures later (of the extremely boring variety) they eventually find an underground cavern that serves thier purpose. More misadventures later they return.

I usually dig low budget 50's sci-fi/horror films with bad acting and absurd plots...however, this movie is as lousy as can be. Where are the giant mutant whatevers? where are the blind morlock looking creatures? Give me anything! something! arrrrgh!

Not only is this a lousy boring movie, it's also a very poorly done DVD. Absolutly no extras, and as with all Alpha Video releases the scene selections don't even seem to work correctly. The print is grainy and full of cigarette burns. constant mult-colored banding runs throughout. There was not even a token attempt to digitally clean this movie! Save your money - and steer clear of Alpha Video's releases.

Kinda deep down there, isn't it?
This 1951 offering from Lippert Pictures takes us 2500 miles underneath the surface with a group of somewhat annoying scientists. Dr. Morley (dubbed the Prophet of Doom by at least one newspaper reporter) is an obsessive opponent of all things nuclear. Fearing that atomic weapons will destroy all life on earth, he recruits a group of scientists for his Society to Save Civilization, and they make plans to find a living space deep within the earth where man can survive and rebuild from the nuclear holocaust they see just over the horizon. After the group fails to secure any funding, a rich newspaper publisher's son forks over the cash and accompanies them on their monumental journey. It's your typical group of B-movie scientists: there is Morley, who seems lost and mad at the world all the time, a couple of scientists who basically push buttons and read dials, a young and attractive feminist scientist, an explosives man, and the paperboy. Of course, the group is constantly bickering and fighting, and no one likes the paperboy at all-at first. This had to change somewhat because, as you would expect, he has to put the moves on the lady scientist and she has to pretend to resist. How do our intrepid explorers go about their task? They design a cyclotram, basically a great big ugly metal boxcar with a humongous drill for a nose, ascend to the top of an extinct volcano, go down into the crater and start drilling through rock as they make their way downward. Every so often, they stop for a minute to fight or to provide an opportunity for one of them to die. They are rather bumbling amateurs when it comes to the deep exploring gig; you would have thought one of the scientists would have remembered to pack a lot of water. They sometimes even seem surprised to discover that it's actually pretty dark miles underground.

I was led to believe the group ran into dangerous animals in the depths of the earth, but that is not true. There are similarities between Unknown World and Jules Verne's Journey to the Centre of the Earth, as you would expect, but this film never develops the aura of plausibility that Verne's work had. To answer the question of how they will survive the intense heat of the earth's core, the geologist amongst them simply announces the fact that the temperature at the earth's core is actually lower than that on the surface. This movie is only about 70 minutes long, so it's short enough to not become too aggravating too quickly. Taken in the context of its time, it's really not such a bad movie. Some may also be interested to know that part of the movie was actually filmed inside New Mexico's Carlsbad Caverns.

"Unknown World" a 1951 "gem" to be discovered!
This is an early Sci Fi film from 1951 and in that context deserves to be appreciated!

Years ago I saw this film on TV and I never forgot it ... there was a kind of lonely mystique about it.

It has a very strong anti-nuclear orientation... The thesis of the film is a group of scientists fearful of nuclear war decide to explore vast caverns under the earth's surface as a refuge. There are no phoney looking monsters running around... Some of the scenes were taken from actual caverns such as Carlbad Caverns, New Mexico.

The vehicle used for this exploration called a "Cyclotram" reminded me a little of a 1950 Lincoln...

BETTER THAN YOU'D EXPECT
Years before James Mason and Pat Boone undertook a "Journey to the Center of the Earth," a team of resourceful explorers made the same sort of trip inside a metallic contraption rather resmbling a house-trailer equipped with a big drill on the front. Their goal is to find underground caverns large enough to shelter the human race should nuclear war render the surface of the planet uninhabitable.

Not surprisingly, the low-budget special effects are amusing rather than impressive, and the no-name cast can't enliven the uninspired lines they'd asked to deliver.

Despite these expected failings, "Unknown World" earns a recommendation as one of the early 1950's least-known and most-underrated sci-fi efforts. It has an imaginative plot which, after awhile, almost seems plausible, and it avoids the B-movie cliches you might expect in this sort of thing. (No subterranean dinosaurs, no tribe of lost cavewomen, no signs of Atlantis.) It also has the sense to stick to business and not detour into romantic subplots or "comic relief" episodes.

If you can see beyond its dated, low-budget look, you'll find this "World" one that's worth exploring. ... Read more