Reviews (3)

Another Blockbuster Production from Samuel Bronston
Samuel Bronston producer of epic productions such as "El Cid" and "55 Days at Peking" turns to the circus for his setting of "Circus World." John Wayne plays Matt Masters who brings his exciting Wild West show to three rings under the Big Top across Europe. Veteran director Henry Hathaway applies his reputation for atmosphere and characterizations to make this more than just another formula movie. Dimitri Tiomkin's score lends just the right touch of melancholy often associated the circus. The ship disaster and the climatic fire sequences are truly spectacular. The film also features Rita Hayworth, Claudia Cardinale, Lloyd Nolan, John Smith and Richard Conte. This was originally filmed in single lens Cinerama Super Technirama 70.

I really loved it !!!
I remember seeing circus world when I was a kid! I really enjoyed seeing it again. John Wayne is one of my all time favorites. He played in alot of westerns and military movies, it was great to see him play in something different. If you have kids it's a great circus movie to show them and they will remember it like I did. I highly recommend this movie to all ages.

Hmm....Not quite what I was expecting
I watched this movie a couple of days ago, and I was really very surprised. I LOVE John Wayne's movies, and have seen around 90 of them. (The number is steadily increasing!) *Circus World* was a good movie, but I didn't think it was quite as impressive as the rest of Duke's movies, especially his later ones. The filming quality seemed a bit poor, and the storyline wasn't the best. Don't get me wrong, I think this movie's a great one-timer! Just not my favorite. Watch it, enjoy it, and see if you agree! ... Read more

Amazon.com essential video

John Wayne hams it up as a one-eyed, broken-down marshal in this 1969 adaptation of Charles Portis's bestselling novel. Kim Darby plays the formal-speaking adolescent who goes to Wayne for help tracking down her father's killer, and singer Glen Campbell straps on his guns to join the quest. Directed by old lion Henry Hathaway (Rawhide), this is largely a showcase for Wayne (who finally won an Oscar), but it is also a decent Western with a particularly stirring final act. --Tom Keogh ... Read more

Reviews (45)

True Grit-True Hit!
John Wayne scores big points in this memorable western. He won his only Oscar for his larger-than-life portrayal of the drunken, overweight, and completely fearless one-eyed Marshal, Rooster Cogburn. It's not hard to tell that Glen Campbell is an amateur when it comes to acting, but he in no way ruins the film. Kim Darby is terrific as Mattie Ross, the little spitfire girl who gives even the Duke almost more than he can handle.

Robert Duvall and Strother Martin almost steal the show themselves as villians you'll love to hate. Although Duvall's character does expose a sensitive side near the end of the film, he is still an outlaw, and his thirst for revenge against Cogburn ultimately gets the best of him.

Campbell's character suggests the brash, arrogant, inexperienced macho man who is really more talk than walk, while Darby's character is defiant even in the face of pure evil. In this respect, the two characters are a bad complement, but that's precisely why they are so entertaining. The many confrontations and disagreements that Campbell and Darby's characters have throughout the film even provide a bit of comic relief to the Duke's hard-lined, albeit amazing, performance.

All in all, if you want a movie with larger-than-life heroes, villains that are dirtier than a sandbox after a rainstorm, and just a bunch of great actors in a great movie, look no further. One of my all-time favorites, and I'd recommend it to anyone.

Entertaining late era John Wayne western
True Grit is an entertaining western starring John Wayne as Rooster Cogburn, a US Marshal, who is enlisted by a murdered man's daughter played by Kim Darby, to track down and get his killer.

Wayne is excellent as the ornery Cogburn. There is real chemistry between he and Kim Darby, and that chemistry really propels the movie along towards the great climax at the finish. Kim Darby does a fine job as Mattie Rose. She's a no frills by the numbers young women and her run-ins with the men in "True Grit" make for some very fun viewing.

Glen Campbell is adequate as the Texas Ranger who is involved in tracking the same killer, but he's a bit wooden and a different actor might have brought more to the role. There is also a wonderful supporting cast. Look for Strother Martin, hilarious as a suffering horse dealer who must deal with Mattie and also Robert Duvall and Dennis Hopper.

"True Grit" delivers some decent fun and entertainment. If you enjoy westerns and John Wayne you won't be disappointed.

western masterpiece
This is only the second wayne movie I have ever watched. So I basically went into it with my eyes wide shut. This is a remarkably likable movie in which I think co star kim darby steals the show! This movie had alot of funny one-liners that were very witty. I figured this movie would be just like all the rest of the westerns I have seen, but this one stands out. John Wayne won an oscar for this movie. Very impressive!

"Baby Sister"...and..."The Big Fella".....
This review refers to the Paramount(Widescreen Collection) DVD edition of "True Grit"...

A great big nod to Paramount for giving us The Duke's Academy Award winning role as "Rooster Cogburn" on this superb DVD. This fabulous Wayne western from 1969 looks immaculate. Presented in widescreen, the picture is clear and sharp, and all the beautiful scenery in Technicolor is glorious.The sound in DD2.0(MONO) was surpisngly good as well.(Could be great in surround though).If you love this film, John Wayne or a great western, grab this one up!

The story for those that may have missed it, is very adventurous as well as highly amsuing. Rooster Cogburn is a take no prisoners U.S. Marshall. That's not all he is though...he's an old, overweight,brash drunkard. But he's got 'grit'. And that is exactly what young Maddie Ross is looking for when she hires him to go after the man who killed her father.Maddie(Kim Darby), now affectionatly called "Baby Sister" by our guy, is also a take no prisoner's kind of gal..but not exactly in the same way as Cogburn is. Maddie is a proper young lady, who's family "has property", and brandishes her lawyer as her weapon of choice. And what's more..she's going along on the hunt for this bad guy who has joined up with a group of some really bad hombres. Also in on the ride is an inexperienced but gung-ho Texas Ranger(Glen Campbell)who Maddie is immediatly at odds with.The sparks fly as this trio hits the trail.

John Wayne IS Rooster Cogburn.Rooster Cogburn IS John Wayne. The Duke delivers the lines as only he could.There's a great scene, where a drunken Cogburn falls off his horse, flat on his face, but yet doesn't spill a drop of the open whiskey bottle he holds.Later on you'll thrill to seeing him riding in, guns blazing in each hand as he goes after the bad guys.It's pure Wayne! The bad guys by the way are legends in themselves, Robert Duvall and Dennis Hopper among them. Strother Martin also adds to the fun going toe to toe with Maddie on a horse deal. Elmer Bernstein provides the glorious music, and Campbell sings the title song. Directed by the great Henry Hathaway, it's a film filled with immense talent.

It's fun and adventurous and is rated G, but there are some scenes that may be a bit too violent for younger viewers.
The DVD also includes English Subtitles for hearing impaired viewers. There are no special features, but for me, seeing this film restored so beautifully, having The Duke looking so great on my screen was bonus enough.

Saddle up with "The Big Fella"...and enjoy...Laurie

This is one of Wayne's best!

This is typical John Wayne, in his later years, and one of his best. I think his best was The Shootist, perhaps closely followed by The Quiet Man.

The supporting cast, played by Kim Darby (Mattie Ross), and the villainous Robert Duvall, and Dennis Hopper as a young Texas Ranger was a good foil for Wayne, played their parts admirably.

This was great entertainment, with John Wayne playing John Wayne (as he always did, with only the name changed to protect the guilty.)

If there is anyone left who has not viewed this film, it is trime you did--perhaps even for the second or third time.

Joseph (Joe) Pierreauthor of Handguns and Freedom...their care and maintenance
and other books ... Read more

Reviews (13)

Nick Bianco- True Noir Protagonist
Henry Hathaway's 1947 noir drama Kiss of Death is one of the first films to deal with the subject of criminal informing. An informer, commonly referred among criminals as a squealer, stoolie, rat, or pigeon is often trapped in an earthy purgatory. Shunned by the underworld and suspectly viewed by law enforcement, an informer's life becomes shrouded in self doubt concerning the principles of right and wrong. In Kiss of Death, Nick Bianco's ( Victor Mature) decision to turn informer against a demented, murdering gangster named Tommy Udo (Richard Widmark) is justified by his duty as a father to provide security for his two young daughters. When Nick Bianco's testimony fails to convict Udo, Bianco's safe environment becomes disrupted and threatened by the violence that was once part of his criminal past. Widmark making his screen debut as the cackling Udo is memorable with shaven eyebrows,intimidating drawl, and dark gangster suits. Mature's performance is first rate as the ex-hood who showers his new wife (Coleen Gray ) and children with the bliss of blue collar euphoria. Hathaway's New York filming locations add to the realism of Bianco's plight. Legendary Sing Sing prison in Ossining, "The Tombs" prison cells in NYC, St. Nicholas Boxing Arena in the Bronx, and the gray streets of Greenpoint Brooklyn provide ample imagery to the noir motif. Hathaway deftly and subtlely escorts Udo and Bianco into a private bordello. Most viewers are not aware that the double entry doors manned by the tall, dark figure is a whorehouse. ( Bianco- "What's that smell?" Udo- "Perfume"-camera fades out). The one major flaw is Coleen Gray's fairy tale voice over ending. After being shot at close range, four times with a 45. automatic, why did Hathaway allow Bianco to survive? Hathaway succumbed to the false noble notion that squealers will enjoy long idyllic lives. Not so- has anyone checked on Sammy the Bull, Joe Valachi, or Henry Hill lately?

What A Film Debut!
Kiss of Death is a crime thriller that kept me more involved then I was expecting. Perhaps it's the fact that the Victor Mature character is pretty sympathetic. Mature (a better actor than he was given credit for) plays the internal conflicts of his character with a lot of conviction. The location filming and the straightforward direction help to add a lot of realism to the film. The supporting cast, with the exception of Colleen Gray, contribute good performances. But it's Richard Widmark, in his film debut, that leaves the strongest impression. His giggling, psychopathic killer Tommy Udo is one of the most memorable characters you'll ever see, and the wheelchair scene is justifiably famous. Kiss of Death is a gripping crime drama.

"I wouldn't give you the skin off a grape."
In the film "Kiss of Death", when Nick Bianco (Victor Mature) is sentenced to 20 years in prison for a botched armed robbery, he arrogantly rejects Asst DA Louie DeAngelo's (Brian Donlevy) deal to squeal on his accomplices, and Bianco states that he'll take care of his family "his way". But after a few years in prison and after his wife's suicide, Bianco's two young daughters are stuck in an orphanage. And then Bianco decides to deal with the DA....

"Kiss of Death" includes some stunning performances. Most notable is Richard Widmark as Tommy Ugo ("you know what I do to squealers?"). Widmark is remarkably chilling as the young thug who giggles his way through violence and killing. A few casual scenes with Ugo in a nightclub are convincing enough to anticipate Ugo's ultimate showdown with Bianco. Donlevy is the ethical DA whose hands are tied at crucial moments--he's a man just trying to do a job he believes in. Victor Mature is well cast as Nick Bianco--the man who started off on the wrong path in life, but he loves his children and wants to ensure their safety. The final scene of the film is one of the most suspenseful I've ever seen.

On another note--I was taken by surprise when Donlevy announces that Ugo as a three-time loser will be sent up for life. Apparently the three-time loser thing is not a new idea by any means. Also of interest--some of the film was actually filmed in Sing-Sing. For Film Noir fans, I recommend "Kiss of Death"--it was an excellent film--displacedhuman.

Nick Bianco vs. Tommy Udo
It was a nice December day in Dark City (in this movie, Dark City takes the name of New York City). "Christmas is a happy time - for the lucky ones," we are informed via a voiceover by Nettie, Nick's second wife, played to smarmy imperfection by Coleen Gray. We follow a guy named Nick Bianco who looks like he just ate something that didn't really taste good (Victor Mature) and some of his trench-coated buddies into a huge twenty-story building. We know, of course, that they're criminals. Not only do they look the part, but we have been told rather ominously by Coleen that, "this is how Nick goes Christmas shopping for his kids" after she already showed us Nick's futile attempts to go straight and get an honest job. That just shows you; a clean slate is worth a lot.

Needless to say, they get caught; or, rather, Nick gets caught. His buddies had the brains, at least, not to start pushing past the police after the heist, which is why Nick found himself locked in the slammer on the way to Sing Sing with the district attorney Louie DeAngelo (Brian Donlevy) trying to convince him to squeal on his accomplices in return for a parole.

But Nick doesn't squeal - I suppose because he's afraid he'll get in trouble for breaking the criminal code, or something. Of course, as DeAngelo points out, his wife and kids get a pretty rotten deal out of the whole thing, but Nick doesn't say a word, not even while he's waiting in a local cell with a psychotic gunsel named Tommy Udo (Richard Widmark) who is tittering some dark plans for the warden of the jail.

We think we've seen the last of Tommy after Nick arrives in Sing Sing, but, unfortunately for Nick, there's more to come. His wife has committed suicide because she was running out of money and his children have been sent to an orphanage. ("It's a good one, though," Nick is reassured by Nettie who is visiting him in Sing Sing. This is also one of two scenes where she cries explosively over him.)

One thing leads to another, and Nick finally begins to realize that maybe squealing on his sidekicks isn't such a bad idea after all. At first things seem to be going all right - until Tommy Udo gets involved. Even then, Nick is safe for the moment. One of the top criminals (who happens, by the way, to be Nick's defense lawyer) is worried by the sudden rash of squealing that seems to be going on. Thanks to DeAngelo, Nick is free from suspicion and the defense lawyer thinks that it's one of the guys who was part of the jewel thief. Frantically, he dials up some guy saying that he has to speak to Tommy Udo. The next thing we know, we're following Tommy into an old tenement and we see him not only push an old lady in a wheelchair down a flight of stairs, but giggle the whole time.

And after Nick is used as the primary witness in a murder trial in which DeAngelo is trying to get Tommy convicted for a murder that he committed, he knows exactly who the real squealer is. That would have been all right if it hadn't been that the defense team did their job a little too well and Tommy got away - and that's when the excitement begins.

This movie is classic noir suspense at its best. But anyone who has watched this movie will agree that without Richard Widmark's fantastic performance as the crazy gangster Tommy Udo, this movie would never have achieved its status of 'classic' that it has now. But, though it's hard to believe, the director Henry Hathaway didn't want Richard in the role of Tommy. He thought he looked to intelligent and 'high-brow' for the part. Needless to say, though, not everyone agreed with Hathaway's point-of-view, and Widmark got the part.

Fraternities set up Tommy Udo fan clubs and I suppose you could argue that it was one of those movies that became a cult classic practically overnight. Of course, not everyone was thrilled with Tommy. Some women actually slapped Richard in the face saying, "Take that, you squirt!" - a reaction that doesn't really make sense when you remember how Dan Duryea, whose characters were pretty nasty pieces of work themselves and didn't have any qualms about slapping women around, was flooded with female fan letters.

Perhaps the best description of Tommy should be left to James Agee who described him as "a rather frail fellow with maniacal eyes and a sinister kind of baby talk laced with tittering laughs. It is clear that murder is one of the kindest things he is capable of."

Henry Hathaway
Henry Hathaway,s fine drama with something extra. Real New York locations are seen in this film.....(tombs etc)

Widmark makes his startling first entrance as the psychotic Tommy Udo..Mature fools all of hollwood again with another fine performance..and the supporting cast of Karl Malden, Millard Mitchell and Taylor Holmes are in good form.

"She got her Nick"! ... Read more

Amazon.com

The postwar vogue for documentary-style realism, prompted by The March of Time and the critical success of Roberto Rossellini's Open City, cross bred with film noir to create a compelling strain of crime films; this is one of the most low-key and credible, based on the true story of a Chicago reporter (James Stewart) who became convinced of the innocence of a death-row inmate (Richard Conte). Director Henry Hathaway (whose Kiss of Death started the trend) stages the action on the actual Chicago locations, providing a fascinating documentary record of an underfilmed metropolis (the convict's mother is a washerwoman at the Wrigley Building), and leads his cast to appropriately restrained, naturalistic performances. Stewart is just beginning to explore his newfound, postwar maturity here, and there's an undercurrent of obsessiveness in his performance that anticipates the haunted figures he would soon be playing for Anthony Mann and Alfred Hitchcock. --Dave Kehr ... Read more

Reviews (11)

Henry Hathaway Special!
A Classic of sorts in that Henry Hathaway was making films like these( Kiss of Death) , that were shot on location.

This time its in the Chicago area and very ethnic story telling this film really is. Richard Conte plays one of the "two" convicted of murder. His mother slaves away at mopping floors to come up with money to pay an attorney to help her son ( Conte)

Another peerless performance by Stewart probably the most versatile actor ever( Probably? ) Here he plays the newpaper reporter drawn in to the drama in trying to exonerate ( Conte) Frank Weicek.

Dark alleys, old houses , trash cans cant stop Stewart. Betty Garde plays ( Wanda Skutnik) , the supposed eye witness who Stewart feels is lying.

Filmed in pure documentary style, It would be interesting to observe the events on screen if this was during the Mayor Daly period in Chicago Fine acting by all.

A Search For Truth...and Justice
Jimmy Stewart is a Chicago newspaper reporter who does a small human interest story about a woman who runs a newspaper ad offering reward money to anyone who will help clear her son of a murder charge. Stewart's editor thinks there is more to the story and Stewart begrudgingly starts prying it open. Through much of the film Stewart has to struggle with himself wondering if he is righting a wrong or helping to free a cop killer. In the second half of the film, now convinced of the man's innocence Stewart turns from reporter to crusader. We go along for the ride as Stewart meets dead ends, cautious politicians, and cynical prosecutors. There are good scenes between Stewart and Helen Walker as his spouse as well as with Kasia Orzazewski playing the mother of the convicted man. The real strength of the film however is its knowledge of Chicago, especially the Polish immigrant experience. Based on a true story, written with genuine feeling and suspense. Excellent viewing for an entire family.

Stop the Presses
For my money this is the best film ever made about American journalism. James Stewart is a staff writer made cycnical over the years by the grubby sensationalism and shallow hackwork that fills most American newspapers. When he actually latches onto a case of genuine injustice it's an episode that transforms his life almost as much as that of the convict he's trying to free. This is certainly director Henry Hathaway's masterpiece and he has never been given sufficient credit for it. The straight-on realism he achieved filming on location in Chicago has rarely if ever been equalled in the American movies in my view, and no effort was made to clean up the untidy skeins of the story either as Hollywood was wont to do. For instance, nothing was done to free the man unjustly convicted along with Richard Conte's character, around whom the story revolves. If you were to make a list of Stewart's 4 or 5 greatest performances this would have to be on it. He uses methods both praiseworthy and ugly to get what he's after and no American movie actor ever brought home that kind of mixed morality better.

ignore John Grave`s review
This is a good film for any jimmy stewart fan.His acting is top-notch as usual.

No passion, no surprises
Realistic, documentary-style recreations are one thing, but call Northside 777 falls off the mantle.

Sorry, guys, I give thumbs down on this one. This film is directorially unimaginative, the dialogue is lousy and lacks spontaneity, and a stone cold soundtrack almost totally devoid of music make Call Northside 777 a film I would rather have missed.

I am a serious fan of Lee J. Cobb and James Stewart, so I really can't fault the casting at all. The actors are appropriately cast in their roles; they make a great pair. But the director kind of plods along, the first half of the film so cumbersome, so utterly predictable. The emotional impact "hits" seem especially ill timed.

Henry Hathaway fails to plant any questions in the audience. In short, Call Northside is not a "whodunit", but rather a "Who- didn't-dunit"

Maybe the film editor blew it. But more than anything else, it's the lack of a score, a lack of passion, a lack of flow; cold, analytical, sluggish. Maybe this film could have been great if Alfred Newman had been cut loose to do something creative. But this time out, the composer seems to be in a straightjacket, and I doubt it was his choice. Someone taped up Newman, I swear it.

What this film needs more than anything else is a score. A score to richly stir the emotions: paranoia, loathing, suspicion, determination, insinuation. Instead, we have only the persistent crackling of the optical sound.

The best thing about this motion picture may be the locations, especially the rounded penitentiary location, which is stunning.

-John ... Read more

Reviews (5)

All for one, one for all
Gary Cooper playing Lieut. MacGregor is his strong, stoic self in the 1935 British colonial adventure set in India, "The Lives of a Bengal Lancer". The free spirited MacGregor is too random and impulsive for his straight laced, principled commanding officer Colonel "Ramrod" Stone played authoritatively by Sir Guy Standing. Cooper is compelled to nursemaid Col. Stone's son, a junior officer new to the regiment and fresh out of military school, played by the baby faced Richard Cromwell. The cocky smart aleck Franchot Tone playing Lieut. Forsythe aids Cooper and completes the trio around which the plot is based.

The Lancers are guarding the northern frontier of India and have been menaced by Oxford educated Afghan prince Mohammed Khan. Khan, leader of a large band of rebellious zealots has designs on capturing a huge supply of ammunition meant for the British.
He kidnaps the younger Lt. Stone to force his fathers hand. Cooper and Tone obviously go to his rescue against orders.

"Lives" is a noteworthy B&W period piece from the 30's but is slightly inferior in its scope and magnitude to both Gunga Din and The Four Feathers, which were both unquestioned cinema classics

41st Bengal Lancers, Form Sections Right, Walk March!
A classic 1930s B/W epic of the British empire in India. Sure you have some old fashioned colonial overtones here, but the movie itself is one of the best of its kind. Good character development, solid action, and fine sets. This film provides a really good look at pre-WW2 cavalry life. In fact many british cavalry regiments did not mechanize until 1939! So this film shows a lot of accuaracy in its period details of regimental life. The standard plot is here that we have seen before, distant outpost on the frontiers of Afghanistan, rumbling tribes, conspiracy, and betrayal. All quite well done. Even the usual heroics at the end are believeable and leave one moved with emotion. This film shows that Afghanistan has always been a problem locale. The British knew how to deal with it then. Can the US learn how today?

Classic B&W adventure film
Cary Cooper does a restrained slow burn as an independently-minded but highly capable colonial soldier, stationed in the remote, volatile edges of the far-flung and perpetually shaky British empire. The locale is the rugged, untameable mountain terrain of Kashmir and Afghanistan, where local warlords and would-be kings wreck havoc with the disciplined, top-heavy imperial armies. Sound familiar? Yeah, I thought it might. Anyway, this is a thoroughly enjoyable, good old-fashioned, black-and-white adventure flick, which includes a few interesting character studies inside the barracks walls. Franchot Tone is particularly appealing as the tart-tounged newcomer who antagonizes Cooper, but inevitably becomes his best friend and comrade in arms. Recommended!

a definite classic
I first saw this film as a boy, and it immediately struck me; then I remembered it for years as one of the best films I had ever seen in terms of plot, characters, exoticism, and historic appeal. Twenty five years later I was able to purchase a copy - and saw the magic working all over again, this time with my children. It is a story of friendship, courage, cowardice and redemption. Lieutenants Stone and Forsythe are assigned to the 41st Lancers in Bengal. The tribes under Mohammed Khan are on the verge of rebellion. A Russian spy tries to promote her country's interests in the region. Then Lieutenant Stone is captured and Mc Gregor -played by Gary Cooper, superb as usual- and Forsyth try to find him and defuse the crisis ... One scene of torture (Mohammed Khan inserts burning sticks under the nails of his prisoners one after the other) makes the film unsuitable for younger children -with a traditional education I suppose- as nightmares are likely to follow. Recommended age bracket 10-15 - and older of course ! The film (1935) is of course in black and white - good for your children's artistic education and never a hindrance to their pleasure. What makes the film a classic is that it embodies the spirit of 19th century colonization- the British are of course right, Mohammed Khan is of course cruel and wily. The film can therefore -with older children ?- be used to start a discussion on historical perspective and the use of national and cultural stereotypes. But above all, this is a well-played, attractive, breathtaking film with a superbly moving finale - and good action scenes without the special effects you would expect from much, much later years which too often prove disturbing for children.

Best of Victoriana Action/Adventure
The best of the lot (IMHO much better than Gunga Din). Great action scene, and a pretty good story line. None of the philosophical insight of the original novel, but hey, who watches this stuff for inner wisdom anyway? Watch out for a uncredited appearance of Myrna Loy as a native Pathan Temptress (do I get extra points since this is not in IMDB?) ... 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

Amazon.com

One of the first of the big disaster films, this stodgy Hollywood product lumbers and creaks as it tries to sort out the various plot threads of Arthur Hailey's doorstop of a novel. Set at (what else?) a busy metropolitan airport, it details what happens one eventful night when, among other things, a huge blizzard threatens to disrupt air traffic for the airport manager (Burt Lancaster) even as a suicidal bomber (Van Heflin) heads into the air with mayhem on his mind. There's also an impish old lady (Helen Hayes, who won an Oscar for this role) who specializes in sneaking aboard airliners, and the married pilot (Dean Martin) is having an affair with a stewardess (Jacqueline Bisset). An old-fashioned movie that inspired a bunch of sequels, the Airplane spoofs, and a host of other disaster films. --Marshall Fine ... Read more

Reviews (50)

The Widescreen version on DVD was worth the wait!
This movie is based on the first novel I read in high school. The book was both engaging and suspenseful and the film brings it to life on the screen (right down to verbatim dialog from the book). When I saw this film in the theater the first time I was blown away.

Veteran film makers Ross Hunter and George Seaton gather an excellent cast and crew to do justice to the book (material not used in this film was developed to make Airport '75). It's no wonder the film, though panned by critics of its time, garnered 10 Academy Award Nominations, including Best Picture (Helen Hayes received the Best Supporting Actress award)!

This is a must film for those who are fans of its genre. A 30 year anniversary documentary of the film would still have been an appropriate tribute to honor all those involved with its making (many are no longer with us). Remastering it digitally in its original widescreen presentation is quite an improvement!...

This is where it all began
There have been a few disasters and monsters before this movie. However this is the one credited as the beginning of the airplay disaster movies. These have included some sequels and even the "Air Plane" spoofs.
It is fun to look back at the different actors and remember or see them for the first time in a younger body.
The film has several overlapping and intertwining stories; some of the stories seem like soap operas.
A few mentionable scenarios are Mel Bakersfield (Burt Lancaster); airport manager is accused of placing his work before his family. He gets berated in the middle of a crisis by his probably to be ex-wife Cindy Bakersfeld (Dana Winter). Does he also get distracted by his beautiful and efficient assistant? Throw in a pilot playboy, Capt. Vernon Demerest (Dean Martin) that is forced to evaluate fatherhood. For comic relief we have Ada Quonsett a geriatric stowaway. Then for the drama there is someone who has nothing to lose and everything to gain if the plane mysteriously does not reach its destination; the man with an attaché case D. O. Guerrero (Van Heflin.)
I am not going to go through the whole story it is for fun if you get to speculate on what is going to happen. How ever I must say one of my favorite characters is Joe Patroni (George Kennedy) operations chief that is tasked with clearing the runway of a stuck 707. See him again as the corrupt lawyer, Uncle Andrew, in Agatha Christie's "Death on the Nile."

Airport
The movie Was Well Made.ive seen this more than 20 times.The cast was great.I liked Helen Hayes she was funny.

good but not great
One of those All-Star production during the seventies.
Much better than the following Airport-Films.
A sentimental Oscar for Helen Hayes,she was really a great actress,but her performance was only solide and not outstanding.
Maureen Stapleton gives the best and greatest performance in this
film,her role was small but but most interesting.The Academy Award had should goes to her.Fine Turns by Lancaster and Martin.

Still a Thrill
Burt Lancaster and Dean Martin star in this film about life and work around an airport for the employees and passengers. It is a mix of suspense and drama, of the sort that is still a thrill today, and while airports were safer during this time, the film exposes the caps that were apparent even then.

Dean Martin's performance is especially memorable, as it is very different from his work with Jerry Lewis or parts thereafter (no singing). However, in the form of a brainy teener there is still something of a Jerry Lewis-type-character for the man of "That's Amore" to contend with. A film that will entertain and intrigue! ... Read more

Reviews (7)

TEMPLE, COOPER & LOMBARD SHINE.
With a knock-out cast like this movie has, it will almost certainly please lovers of vintage movies. Jerry Day and Toni Carstairs (Cooper & Lombard) are a pair of vagabond thieves in love. On a boat from Shanghai, Jerry receives word from Connecticut that the parents of his dead wife want to take possession of his little daughter, Penelope. Jerry is willing to sell the tyke to his brother-in-law for $75,OOO - but Toni has different ideas....Although this "Temple film" isn't exactly ideal for the kids (its theme is really too mature) it will please those who will appreciate the clever antics which ensue. The talented, chubby Alice Faye-like Dorothy Dell was originally supposed to play Lombard's role but she was killed in an auto accident. Dell played the female lead in LITTLE MISS MARKER. If vintage moviegoers saw her sing WITH MY EYES WIDE OPEN I'M DREAMING - in SHOOT THE WORKS - you haven't forgotten her. The original title of the source material for this film was entitled HONOR BRIGHT by Jack Kirland and Melville Baker.

Deeper than it first appears,
... I hasten to say that Now and Forever is a worthwhile
film. Shirley Temple gives a great performance with memorable scenes
and lines, as in "Oh, Daddy, you said Honor Bright," when Cooper, as
her father, breaks a promise.

Gary Cooper is trying hard not to be
completely villanous,and he has his daughter's best interests at
heart. My favorite thing about the movie is the way it shows life as
being more complicated than just right vs. wrong. That a child is
affected by grownup vices seems realistic to me.

No easy answers,
and good acting. I loved it.

Not a movie for young children
My entire family disliked this movie and found it inappropriate for children. First of all, Gary Cooper is featured much more than Shirley Temple, and Shirley seems tired throughout most of movie, especially during her dull, listless song and dance routine. Gary Cooper and Carole Lombard were not able to rise above their unrealistic, jaded dialogue, which failed to make them sympathetic characters nor explain why they'd chosen a life of swindling and double-dealing.

I think several events in this movie would be disturbing to children: Gary Cooper's attempt to sell his daughter for a large sum of money, his theft of a valuable necklace and his lies to his daughter about it, his murder of another man, and finally his supposedly selfless act in giving his daughter to a wealthy old woman--without telling his daughter that she was being given away!

This movie could have had some redeeming value if the Gary Cooper character had undergone a true reformation. Carole Lombard's character does but then essentially becomes a filler role. The ending is quite depressing, because it offers no hope for their family. Perhaps one positive aspect is that it does demonstrate the consequences of one's actions, but I still don't see that children would enjoy or be uplifted by a movie featuring as many serious crimes and breaches of ethics as this one.

One of little Shirley's best roles
Now and Forever is a perfect showcase for the acting ability that Shirley Temple had as a young child. Less contrived than some of her later pictures, the script gives her the chance to really play a three-dimensional character. Her range of emotion is simply stunning, considering she was only six years old at the time. Although there is little of the singing and dancing Shirley was known for, this is nonetheless a great movie.

Now and Forever Shirley Lives
Well for a while in this movie (the beginning) Shirley hasn'came on the screen yet and you wonder,is this the right movie ? But it later is ,as she is cute little Penny Day. I think in this movie she really is adorable,although she always is in this movie she is even more precious. I think the most touching thing in the movie is when she finds out her daddy stole the necklace,when she finds it on her bear. She breaks into a crying scene which I think is so sad. " Oh Daddy,and you said Honor Bright" says young Penny. The movie isn't the most interesting movie but I wouldn't miss it just because of that.Some scenes in the movie look very fake like the rollercoaster,but then remember this is the 30's ,you're lucky they made movies! I would also say if your looking for one which Shirley Temple totally stars in this isn't exactly the one.Although she's in it,it's not exactly her movie.The movie follows Gary Cooper mainly but she's in it alot though. I wouldn't recomend this movie as great but I wouldn't recomend it as horrible. But I do recomend it for you to see.I hope you find this helpful. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Even people habitually hostile to John Wayne movies tend to cast an indulgent eye on this rumbustious comedy-Western--partly because the Alaska gold rush setting seems more exotic than, say, Texas or Arizona, and because there are no Indians to discriminate against and no macho gunplay to fret about. As for John Wayne as all-purpose icon of male chauvinism, Big Sam McCord (the Duke) spends much of North to Alaska in a state of growing discombobulation because he has fallen in love with, and is thoroughly flummoxed by, "Angel" (Capucine), the woman he's brought back from Seattle to marry his heartsick partner George (Stewart Granger). Henry Hathaway directs in a broader vein than usual, but he hits pay dirt. Even Fabian, the latest pop music idol to be dragooned into supporting the elder roughnecks, is fun, and Ernie Kovacs is droll casting as chief "villain." --Richard T. Jameson ... Read more

Reviews (12)

John Wayne, Stewart Granger & co. shine in Alaskan adventure
The tremendously entertaining "North to Alaska" is easily John Wayne's most light hearted and fun filled movie and is wonderful viewing for all ages !!

Henry Hathaway's lively film is loosely based on the play "Birthday Gift" by Ladislas Fodor and Hathaway shows a wonderful hand in the romantic, comic nature of this film.

Confirmed bachelor Wayne and love lorn Grainger strike it rich in Nome, Alaska at the turn of the century and there begins all there problems. Wayne returns to Seattle to bring back Grainger's fiance, finds she has married another man, and ends up in a dance hall and brings back to Nome the glamorous Capucine (she was a knock out in her day !) for Grainger, but the big Duke falls for her womanly charms himself ! Songster Fabian is loads of fun as Grainger's overly amorous kid brother, Billy...and noted funnyman Ernie Kovacs is slick conman Frankie Cannon...eager to get his hands on anyone's fortune. And Johnny Horton's resonant voice sings the title track to the movie !

Henry Hathaway often got the best out of the Duke on screen, and if you never thought screen tough guy John Wayne could be funny...see this film...the honeymoon cabin sequence with cunning Grainger and reluctant Capucine stirring up trouble with an irate Wayne listening is simply priceless !

Watch closely during the all out brawl in the snow and the mud at the conclusion of the film where Wayne cops a hit on the jaw, falls backwards, and his toupee flies off !

Fun, action & romance..."North to Alaska" has got it all !

The Duke......
It's the Duke. What more can I say. John Wayne was one of the most wonderful actors that ever existed. North to Alaska has incredible scenery, memorable music and quite an interesting cast. The fight scenes are hilarious. The romance is so French and refreshing. There truly is something for everyone in this movie. As was said in "Rio Lobo" with John Wayne, he's just so comfortable.

John Wayne Strikes Movie Gold!
They must have had a blast making this movie, set in the snowy mountains of Alaska during its exciting boomtown days. Complete with romance, hilarity AND and some really fabulous fist fights, North to Alaska is definitely one of John Wayne's best.

Claim jumpers, love triangles and power plays keep best friends Granger and Wayne on their toes, and almost at each other's throats, and right smack in the middle of it all is a delectable French lady named Capucine. Her cap is set for Wayne, but she soon finds out he's one of the most mule-headed men in Alaska!

Capucine really shines in her comically romantic role. As she employs all of her feminine wiles you will actually find yourself rooting for her! Granger and Wayne are fabulously paired up in this movie as partners, especially since they are exact opposites. This film has it all - love, laughs and lots of exciting action. A definite gold mine.

We Go North - the rush is on!!
Great fun here in gold rush fevered Nome sees John Wayne as his inimitable self playing (suprise suprise) himself aka Sam McCord the man's man in gold country. A gentle comic tale sees him return to Seattle and bring back a girl for his lovesick partner played superbly by Stewart Granger. He begins to regret this trip, and task after the initial maiden he is sent to fetch has unexpectantly married whilst Granger was away panning for Gold, and he must quickly find a replacement. Add in some claim jumpers, a romantic subplot, a greedy villian and the ever present sandpaper like comic tension between the main characters, and the end result is a real treat. With an excellent supporting cast, great scenery and nothing too serious to get excited about, this is quality family viewing. The location alone precludes the usual Wayne western formula, but the action and laughs come thick and fast. A great classic. Enjoy

My favorite John Wayne film!
"North To Alaska" caught my attention when I first heard the title song by Johnny Horton. I decided to watch this film, considering I like John Wayne and his movies. There's a lot of what anyone who enjoys a western comedy; John Wayne, of course, a humorous good-natured storyline, funny antics, and fisticuffs. There aren't many gunfights, just fistfights, with sucker punches here and there. Wayne is Sam McCord and is sent by his partner George Pratt (Stewart Granger) to Seattle to bring back his love, Jenny. However, she has married someone else. Sticking around Seattle, he finds a dance hall girl named "Angel", played by French model-actress Capucine. Can George accept her in place of Jenny? Find out for yourself. If you're a John Wayne fan, it's a must! ... Read more

Amazon.com

Landmark films never lose the ozone-snap excitement of their special historic moment. The Trail of the Lonesome Pine was the first feature shot outdoors in three-strip Technicolor, and its exhilaration in forest and lake, mountain and cloud remains as fresh and privileged today as it must have been in 1936. Director Henry Hathaway, already a seasoned veteran, had a fine pictorial eye along with sturdy storytelling instincts; he knew just how to place his cast in dynamic settings without getting fussy about it (a talent still going strong 33 years later in True Grit). No one would mistake Trail for a great film, but it's abundantly enjoyable, and a model of golden-age craftsmanship.

This was Hollywood's fifth version of John William Fox's novel about a long-running Appalachian feud and its interruption by modernity in the form of a mining engineer (Fred MacMurray). The very young MacMurray, Henry Fonda (the scrappingest of the Tolliver clan), and Sylvia Sidney (as the cousin he loves) form an appealing romantic triangle, while elders Beulah Bondi and Fred Stone (the Tollivers) and Robert Barrat (patriarch of the rival Falins) nurse generations' worth of sorrows. Nigel Bruce is droll as MacMurray's colleague, Spanky McFarland represents the Great Smokies chapter of the Little Rascals, and hillbilly Greek chorus Fuzzy Knight gets to sing two peerless ballads, "Twilight on the Trail" and "Melody from the Sky." And if that eldest Falin boy seems familiar, add 20 years and a war bonnet and you've got The Searchers' Chief Scar, Henry Brandon (here Henry Kleinbach). --Richard T. Jameson ... Read more

Reviews (6)

A TECHNICOLOR MILESTONE.
Fred MacMurray plays a city stranger getting caught up in the lives of a primitive Kentucky mountain family and their feud with a neighbouring clan. Sylvia Sidney is good as the girl he tries to educate and comes to love and Hank Fonda scores as the disapproving brother who is killed befored the feud is settled. Beulah Bondi is terrific as usual as is Fuzzy Knight in this saga filmed in the full-hue great outdoors. Paramount ventured away from black and white features for the first time since 1930 with THE TRAIL OF THE LONESOME PINE. The studio had been waiting for an improved 3-colour Technicolor to be perfected, and the new process enhanced the Walter Wanger production's appeal immensely, both on the screen and at the box-office. This was the third filming of John Fox, Jr.'s novel, and the best: the 1916 and 1923 versions had nothing to compare with the pictorial scope and cast strength of the modernised screenplay, written by Grover Jones, Harvey Thew and Horace McCoy. Henry Hathaway directed with a straighforward drive.

It's a Good Idea to Steer Clear of the Hillfolk
Just finished watching "The Trail of the Lonesome Pine" and I have rather mixed feelings about it. I can't say I liked it; in fact, I'm pretty sure I didn't. However, the technicolor treatment is wonderful--the film looks very fresh, and it is only when you see how young Henry Fonda and Fred MacMurray are that you know this is in fact quite an old movie. I didn't care for Sylivia Sydney's role as the daughter of one feud family who takes a liking to railway engineer MacMurray even though she's sort of engaged to her cousin, Fonda (such consanguinuity doesn't bode well for the next generation, I'm afraid). All the trouble in the film stems from her actions, but no one in the movie seems to notice that. I would have much preferred if someone would have at least yelled at her for that, but no. So in that way, she reminded me of Maria in "West Side Story", who got the bright idea to send Tony to stop that rumble, where he just happened to kill her brother--oops. There's a scene when Sylvia demands that MacMurray kill some of the opposing clan in retribution for a recent murder. Rather than just stand there with no reaction, this ought to have been an epiphany for MacMurray's character, where he realizes that she is just like everyone else in her clan, blood thirsty. It is worth seeing that technicolor wilderness, but maybe pass on the story.

Excellent all around
I got this movie because I'm a huge fan of Sylvia Sidney, and as always she's brilliant. The outdoor scenes are beautiful to behold, and it always makes me wonder why they didn't shoot more in color back then after it was invented. They had the technology, so why the heck didn't they do it more often ?. Don't get me wrong, I love b/w films, but it would've been nice to see more movies shot in color. -Take good old Nigel Bruce, this could very well be his only color film, although I'm not sure on that. The only thing that is a little annoying, is the constant singing of a pretty awful song, which seem more than a bit out of place. (-I understand it was even nominated for an Oscar !.) Sidney's character's quick rise to success in the big city is also a little strange and sudden, we don't get the feeling she's been gone very long. Other than that I liked it. All Fonda and Sidney fans should have this movie, and I'm sure they already do.

Trail of the Lonesome Pine
Excellent Movie. Great outdoor,scenic views. Great movie for children and grandchildren. I first saw this movie about 50 years ago and it is still exciting today. ..very heartwarming!

A poor portayal of Appalachian people.
I have read the book by John Fox, Jr. and viewed this movie. If you are interested in negative sterotypes then this is the film for you. I would suggest that you not waste your time. ... Read more

Reviews (42)

"Film Noir, Meet Marilyn Monroe."
Marilyn Monroe was so good at playing the ditzy, sexy blond in upbeat comedies she became typecast in those sorts of roles. Niagara was one of her rare opportunities to show she was a fine dramatic actress, as well.

This is the story of two couples. Ray Cutler (Casey Adams) and wife Polly (Jean Peters) are taking their three-years-delayed honeymoon. George Loomis (Joseph Cotten) is a stressed-out, failed businessman and war veteran, his wife Rose (Monroe), the ex-barmaid plotting with a secret lover to kill her husband. All four characters wind up at the same hotel bordering Niagara Falls.

Things go wrong for Rose when George, proving surprisingly resilient, overcomes the lover, killing him instead, and, realizing his wife set him up, fakes his own death and begins stalking her. The Cutlers, especially Polly, are drawn into the drama when George, post-murder attempt, not realizing the Cutlers have been moved into his and Rose's old cabin, breaks in, intending to stab Rose, surprising Polly instead. Now Polly knows George is alive, but due to her overbearing, not-terribly-bright husband's interference, can't convince anyone else, specifically the police, of that fact.

Jean Peters and Joseph Cotten turn in respectable performances. Casey Adams is irritating - of course, that might be because his character is a moron. For pure movie magic, Niagara belongs to Marilyn. Whenever she's on-screen, the camera loves her. The standout scene has her in a killer, shocking pink dress that does an outstanding job of emphasizing what she has so much of. When Ray sees Rose, he asks Polly (a fresh-faced girl next door type if ever there was one), "Why don't you ever get a dress like that?" Her answer: "Listen, for a dress like that you've gotta start laying plans when you're about 13." Rose has a kid at a party play a record of her favorite song ("Kiss"), then begins singing along. The look on her face then, dreamy, yearning, is mesmerizing. We get the feeling, way before we meet the lover, or even know he exists, it's not thoughts of her husband motivating that look.

Marilyn must've had a ball making Niagara. No one else has ever looked so good just lounging in bed. And when she believes her husband is dead, Rose's look of wicked delight - she has to hide her desire to laugh out loud in front of the Cutlers - is priceless. Rose is beautiful, scheming, deceitful, manipulative, cruel, sultry, and yet, paradoxically, has a sort of little girl innocence that makes you root for her to succeed in offing George - who's a serious whiner, anyway - and live happily ever after with her unnamed lover.

The only problems I had with this movie were: (a) We're never given a compelling reason why Rose plots to murder George. Sure, she wants to be free to be with her lover, but why not simply get a divorce? The motivation of a fat insurance policy, or that her husband would kill her if she tried to leave (difficult to believe in any event - he's pretty pathetic to start with), or any one of several other motives never established, would've gone a long way toward having the basic plot make sense. (b) A key scene has Rose and George locked inside a major tourist attraction after closing hours - which means the employees locked up the building without first checking to see whether anyone was still inside. Not likely.

Joe MacDonald's cinematography is excellent, the scenery - both Niagara Falls and Marilyn - stunning, and director Henry Hathaway makes the most of both. Niagara has been restored as part of the "Marilyn Monroe: The Diamond Collection" DVD project, its colors vibrant and alive. It's deserving of this treatment, if only for Marilyn Monroe as Rose Loomis, and that it proves film noir in bright, brassy Technicolor really can work.

MARILYN IN HER PRIME....
This isn't the ultimate Marilyn movie ("The Seven Year Itch" holds that honor) but it's a prime look at Monroe in an unusual role as a scheming man-trap out to kill her husband (Joseph Cotton, who's excellent). She's the whole show and I wish she could have done more films like this that put her in off-beat situations giving her a chance to stretch as an actress. She's gorgeous in Technicolor and a believable vixen/victim when her plan backfires leaving her to be stalked by Cotton. You feel sorry for her at this point. Jean Peters is good as a sympathetic neighbor but Casey Adams (as Peters' husband) is woefully miscast and clearly out of his league here. He nearly sinks the whole film as a co-star and there's way too much of him in the film. But that's the only complaint. Otherwise, Monroe keeps us glued to the screen when she appears and we root for her no matter what she's up to. There's beautiful Niagara scenery and a great scene where she appears at an outdoor party in a sexy red dress and requests a sexy song to be played. She then proceeds to sing along with the record as she closes her eyes obviously thinking of her lover. The song "Kiss" later is reprised as the lovers' theme song and figures in an unusual plot to lure Monroe to Cotton---whom she thinks has been killed by the lover as part of their plan. Marilyn shows here what she had to become the icon she is now. This movie nicely represents the reasons people fell in love with her. How right they were.

Marilyn Monroe in her first Technicolor starring role!
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This is Marilyn Monroe's first starring role in a glorious Technicolor production. The technicolor film process seems a perfect match for Monroe; her ruby red lips and golden blonde hair are dazzling, and her skin tones are magnificent.

The plot puts Monroe in a dramatic role that allows her to chew up every scene. It's also the only film in her career (fortunately!) in which Monroe's character dies.

Niagara Falls are the spendiforous background in this drama, and Marilyn Monroe proves that she is probably the only star in cinema history that can eclipse such a natural phenomenon.

Marilyn absolutely sizzles on the screen when she performs her sensual rendition of the siren song "Kiss", wearing a dress "cut so low in front you can see her kneecaps" (as stated in the script). Indeed, "a girl has to start making plans when she's thirteen to wear a dress like that!" (Also from the script.)

Enjoy the magic of Marilyn Monroe in dazzling Technicolor in this great movie.

MMMmmmmmmarvelous Marilyn!

Marilyn and Jean and Niagara- what a treat!
All reviews of this movie center on Monroe and her protuberant curves - and I agree, she and her instant fame deserve some of the credit. BUT Niagara Falls and Jean Peters also deserve some special mention here. Whereas Marilyn is sexy in most her scenes, Peters is charming, a good actress and quite beautiful...and then there is Niagara Falls. This torrent of water never looked better.
The acting. Marilyn in her first film as a "star" does okay - but as far as good acting is concerned it is Peters and Joseph Cotten that deserve better credit. Then I do agree with some reviews that Cassey Adams (aka Max Shoewalter) is miscast and a bit over the top in his acting. This role was to be played by another Fox contract player (I think Jeffrey Hunter) but Fox weanted someone funny in the role (big mistake!). And the role of Marilyn's lover was actually offered (enlarged, of course) to Tony Curtis.
The movie originally was planned for Anne Baxter in Peters's role and the role of Marilyn ironically was to be played by Peters. When Baxter got pregnant by her husband, Peters took over her role and Marilyn...well she became a "star". Even the movie's title song (which was to be "Night and Day") was changed for a song Marilyn portrayed in the movie -titled "Kiss". At any rate, it certainly is because of Marilyn that this has become a cult movie and a classic - But Peters, Cotten and Niagara Falls did help a lot in getting NIAGARA to achieve this status .

Sensual, unforgettable Monroe. Made her a star.
One of the best projects Marilyn was associated with. I didn't like Niagara the first time i saw it, because i thought Marilyn was only good for comedy. But this role as the sensual, unfaithful wife of Joseph Cotton's (superbly performed) troubled war veteran is one of her most memorable roles. Pleanty of indelible Marilyn images come from here: Marilyn lying seemingly naked with legs apart under bed in hotel room, purple dress standing against cabin in grammophone scene, and the entire grammophone scene. Pleanty of location shooting made good use of the beautiful location, and the motif of the song the lovers sing to each other is a beautiful touch. The suspense develops well, but i suppose it depends on what you're expecting. I found it a great sensual thriller, but this movie lives and dies with Monroe. She is captivating in every scene, and looks stunning. The belltower climax of the movie is very fine indeed, one of the best scenes she ever played in. Nods to director Hathaway for camera placement in this scene.

Best line:

(Monroe has just done a sensual walk to the grammophone and had them put it on, then had a virtual standing orgasm listening to it, and spent an entire minute of close-up singing along to it, and the happy-go-lucky honeymooner character says to her)

Honeymooner: You seem to really like this song, Mrs Loomis."

Marilyn: "There isn't any other song," she says. But its all in her face - it always was. One of the best moments in her career. ... 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 (3)

Fine WWII suspense/espionage/thriller
The treacherous villainous woman in this thriller is really excellent around which the film twists. She will surprise you guaranteed and for the gents, she's quite a looker too.
Great supporting cast, high suspense espionage and just what your looking for. Based on documentary intelligence records and really excellent first of the realism photoed movies shot on actual locations. First of the post WWII noir-based genres. Good curling-up entertainment with Lloyd Nolan also who is good.

Saving Atom Bomb Secrets
This 1945 film showed how the FBI prevented the secret of the atomic bomb from falling into enemy hands. Aside from the main characters, all of the background persons were members of the FBI. The opening scenes show J.Edgar Hoover and an associate. The "house on 92nd Street" in Manhattan was the local safe house for the Nazi spy ring and Gestapo. It tells how a double agent was able to infiltrate their ranks and gather details on all the spies. (It did not explain how they knew who would be recruited.) This was done by forging a typewritten microfilmed document. About 20 minutes from the start Lloyd Nolan asks that this document be changed to require contact with all the spies; it is done quickly. A few years later in the Hiss Trial they claimed it was impossible to forge typewritten documents! Yet it was known and done circa 1936 by British Intelligence in South America. Read "The Quiet Canadian" for more details on this, and other activities in the US. I wonder what can be done nowadays with ink jet and laser printers?

The Cold War Begins Here
The House on 92nd Street was one of the first Hollywood films to incorporate a semi-documentary edge to the noir/crime genre. The film's technical accuracy is authenticated by actual FBI archive footage of Nazi subversives and location shooting at FBI headquaters in Washington. For the first time ever, J. Edgar Hoover's dictatorial organization is depicted as an organized, structured, and efficient government institution whose existence and purpose is to preserve and protect national security. Hoover allowed director Henry Hathaway unprecendented access to film FBI secret equipment such as: two-way mirrors, video surveillance cameras, wire tapping lines, and a demonstration of the immense fingerprinting tracking system. Hoover gave his stamp of approval since the film justified the Bureau's stand and actions against possible covert foreign operations infiltrating America's military, political, economic, and educational systems. The film was released in 1945, weeks after the atomic bombing of Japan and the plot revolves around Nazi spies and their quest for information about ultra-secret plans dubbed Project 97. Project 97 obviously refered to the Manhattan Project which was the actual government code name given for the construction of the atomic bomb. Dark European mannerisms flood the film, as evidenced by Hathaway's judicious choice in casting. Swedish actress Signe Hasso is nefariously convincing as the Nazi spy ring's mastermind. With the exception of Leo G. Carroll, the remaining subversives are undertaken by unknown players. Their anonymity to the average American film buff heightens their deviousness and subterfuge. Lydia St. Clair is absolutely chilling in her small but malevolent role as a Nazi loyalist. The cast is rounded out by newcomer William Eythe and the dependable Lloyd Nolan who is perfectly cast once again as the paternal figure for American justice. The disappointment is Eythe whose lines are delivered blandly. The film's cinematography is true noir. Shadows seem to move between every contrast of black and white. This is a must see for all classic noir lovers. ... Read more

Reviews (17)

English actor, James Mason, makes a great Rommel.
Originally copyright by 20th Century Fox Film Corporation, in 1951, only six years after the end of World War Two, this black and white film gives a shallow overview of the last years of German Field Marshal Erwin Rommel: the Desert Fox.

Once you get past the opening rather stagey scenes, of British commandos raiding a German headquarters building in north Africa, hoping to kill the Desert Fox in his lair, the rest of the film is carried along guite well, by the great performance of James Mason, as Rommel. This performance is the only reason I rated this film as four stars, without Mason I would have been disapointed.

Other members of the cast do fine jobs too, notably Cedric Hardwicke and Leo G. Carroll. One can find good entertainment based on real events.

D-Day: the invasion of Normandy, is a highlight of this film. There are several minutes of what appears to be genuine newsreel footage of the storming of the beaches: the ships off shore, the guns, the planes, brave men falling. It's all very real at this point.

"The Desert Fox" was made in an era when the directors, producers, and the Hollywood Establishment in general, were less preachy, and less likely to distort the truth in order to promote a social agenda. That is a big plus for this film.

On the down side: the film starts off with several undisclosed advertisements for other videos, of like kind, by Fox. This is borderline dishonest, as consumers have paid for entertainment and expect it to be commercial free. At the very least, the ads should be disclosed, before anyone makes a purchaseing decision.

All in all, "The Desert Fox" is good entertainment and deserves a look.

A Proper Tribute To The Desert Fox
Henry Hathaway's 1951 film on Erwin Rommel, NAZI Germany's most brilliant tactician whose indirect involvement in a failed plot to assassinate Hitler resulted in his untimely death.

The film is a character study and focuses more on Rommel's relationship with Hitler and the German High Command as opposed to his achievements as a military tactician. Because the nature of his death wasn't very well known at that time, the film foc