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This silky smooth film noir pits gruff police detective Dana Andrews, stiff and blunt in his street-bred manners, against a cultured columnist and acidic wit (Clifton Webb at his prissiest) in a battle of wits during a murder investigation. The cop is a romantic hiding under a hard-boiled exterior who falls in love with the beautiful victim through the portrait that hangs in her apartment, when one lonely night he turns from the picture to see Laura walk through the door. It's not a ghost: both the cops and the killer mistook the mutilated corpse for the lady of the house. Gene Tierney, whose heart-shaped face mixes the exotic with the girl next door, brings the poise and calm of a model to her role as Laura, the object of every man's gaze and the target of a killer that missed once but is bound to try again. Laura, handsomely shot in dreamy black and white, is the first and best of Otto Preminger's cool, controlled murder mysteries. In the gritty world of film noir it remains the most refined and elegant example of the genre, but under the tasteful decor and high-society fashions lies a world seething in jealousy, passion, blackmail, and murder. Vincent Price costars as a blithe gigolo and David Raksin's lush theme has become a wistful romantic standard. --Sean Axmaker ... Read more

Reviews (59)

COOL, ELEGANT FILM NOIR....
Although toned down from Vera Caspary's novel, "Laura" is a classic example of sexual obssession in 40's film noir. Otto Preminger (with help from Rouben Mamoulian) created a masterpiece of a mystery film loaded with decadence and sexual tension. Tough streetwise police detective Mark McPherson (Dana Andrews) investigates the violent society murder of beautiful, enigmatic ad exec Laura Hunt (Gene Tierney) and enters the cold, calculating world of high society where everyone has dark secrets. He encounters a list of suspects including ascerbic Waldo Lydecker (superb Clifton Webb) as Laura's "benefactor" and companion who introduced her to the high end of advertising and her gigolo fiance' Shelby (Vincent Price) who is more or less kept by Laura's aunt (Judith Anderson). It is Lydecker who matches wits with Mark every step of the way. Mark has become obssessed with Laura's portrait, her perfume and letters and has obviously fallen in love with the "dead" Laura. The sexual obssession theme lies underneath the complicated relationships including Mark's fascination with Laura's relationships and her personal things and in the flashback sequences, it is clear that Lydecker fancied himself more than just Laura's "companion". He sought to possess her. But it gets stickier as it goes along when Laura turns up very much alive. There is so much to savor in this film along with the performances (especially Webb's) like the beautiful b&w photography that gives the film a dream like quality and the lovely "Laura" them by David Raskin that haunts the film and emphasizes the romantic longing Mark has for Laura and Laura's mysterious, paradoxical personality. Any way you slice it, "Laura" is a classic film heads up above the rest and needs to be available on DVD. It is not to be missed.

A MUST SEE
I saw this movie at least ten times. First time was in my early teens, when it was shown on local TV. I never heard of Gene Tierney before, but after seeing this film, I knew I would never forget her. She was the most beautiful actress I ever saw and her mannerisms reveal a classy keen intelligence. Everything about this movie will haunt you--Tierney's beauty, the musical score by David Raksin, the portrait, and the ending.

The film is about a woman who seemed to have everything--a successful career, beauty, brains, wealth--who is discovered murdered in her apartment. A detective, Mark McPherson, played by Dana Andrews investigates the case and starts questioning possible suspects. One is the Svengali-like Waldo Lydecker (Clifton Webb), a syndicated columnist and radio personality. Another is Shelby Carpenter, a smooth Southern gigolo played by Vincent Price (yes Vincent Price!). And there's Laura's middle-aged socialite aunt, Ann Treadwell, who was using Carpenter as her boy-toy until Carpenter meets Laura. Other possible suspect is Laura's maid, a feisty loyal Irishwoman.

The film shows narrated flashbacks by Lydecker. He idolizes her and intercepts Laura's suitors, all of whom he considers beneath her. He couldn't intercept Carpenter who attracts Laura, and who Laura was supposed to marry the week she was found murdered. The first twist of the film is when McPherson falls in love with Laura, who's presumed dead. From reading her diary and letters and continuously seeing her portrait, he discovers she's the woman of his dreams, an unattainable goddess whose physical presence he can only imagine. So when twist number two happens, the murder investigation understandably becomes secondary to this gumshoe detective.

This is the best film directed by Otto Preminger. I believe it's the first American film he directed, and his following films pale by comparison. Ironically, this is a film full of second choices. The lead was written with Jennifer Jones in mind, but she turned it down. It was then offered to Heddy Lamarr who also turned it down. Tierney claimed in her autobiography that she didn't want the role either and thought the film was going to bomb, due to the fact that many aspects of it were not prepared (the final script, the music) and that Dana Andrews (also a second choice) prior to this film never had a role as a leading man. The portrait that was originally intended for the film was painted by the wife of director Rouben Mamoulian, who was initially hired for the film but was fired by Preminger who was producing it. Paintings don't transcribe well to film so a touched-up photograph of Tierney was used as the portrait. Preminger took the directing himself. He wanted to use the song "Sophisticated Lady" by Duke Ellington as the musical score, but David Raksin made a deal with him, in which he would write a score Preminger would approve of in one weekend. Raksin claimed he kept looking at a photo of Tierney during the composition of the score and that she was his inspiration. Thus second choices made this movie a classic.

The dialogue is witty and biting, particularly that of Lydecker. The film was nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Supporting Actor (Webb), Best Black and White Cinematography and Best Musical Score. It only won for Best Cinematography, and I'd like to learn what films aced it in the other categories. Although awards are not considered important by many film connoisserus, the winners are the ones recognized by the next generation. Thus "Laura" remains one of the most underrated films of all time.

Revised Release Date
Fox now says Laura will be out November 04. We can just hope this is not just another tease after first announcing Sept 03. Are lawyers involved in this delay?

Release date
The review from Utica is correct: Laura was supposed to be out 9/03. It's been on my wish list for almost a year. Maybe Fox should get Eisner to oversee releases (he must be looking for something to do).

Wasn't this supposed to be out on DVD last November?
I ordered this DVD early LAST YEAR, and it is yet to be released. There are so many mediocre if not downright awful films that are always being released onto video and DVD, yet this film, which is truly one of the best classics of all time, is still not available. What is Fox doing? ... Read more

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Otto Preminger turned this 1959 courtroom drama, based on the popular novel, into terrific adult drama. James Stewart stars as a small-town lawyer who defends an army officer (Ben Gazzara) accused of murdering a bartender who assaulted his wife (Lee Remick). The taut script, large performance by Stewart, and then-daring elements of the story (words like "panties" are spoken in the context of discussing a sex crime) give the action a certain immediacy--which you don't find very often in today's movies about jurisprudence. Nice work by Remick and Gazzara, as well as George C. Scott, Arthur O'Connell, and real-life judge Joseph N. Welch, who plays the judge in this film. A very good experience all around. --Tom Keogh ... Read more

Reviews (48)

One of the finest courtroom dramas ever filmed.
Anatomy of a Murder is one of the finest courtroom dramas ever filmed -- on a par with Witness for the Prosecution and Inherit the Wind. Jimmy Stewart gives one of his finest performances as a small town attorney defending an army officer who has coldbloodedly killed a man alleged to have raped his flirtatious wife. The rest of the cast is uniformly good, especially Lee Remick as the beautiful sexy wife and Ben Gazzaro as her jealous husband on trial for murder. Stewart's character is assisted by his old friend, an alcoholic former attorney convincingly played by Arthur O'Connell -- an outstanding character actor whose work, unfortunately, is often overlooked. A young George C. Scott (in one of his first films) plays a skilled and implacable prosecutor. This is movie making at its best; a true classic.

Good movie, if you haven't read the book. Otherwise, lousy
I had the great misfortune of reading the book before watching the movie. The book was a masterpiece, arguably the best piece of courtroom fiction ever written. John Grisham's a head of lettuce compared to Robert Traver's brilliant, accurate portrayal of the controversial (fictional) trial of Frederic Manion.

But if you've read the book, DO NOT WATCH THE MOVIE. It will be a massive dissappointment.

You will be put off by the Duke Ellington soundtrack. Sure, it's good music, but this is the story of rural northern Michigan, not the nightclubs of NYC. Duke's jazz does a disastrous job of complementing the setting of the film, and seems quite jarring in spots.

You will be put off by the inaccuracies, like Biegler's ability to play the piano, which never happened in the book (and which only happens in the movie to make Duke's score fit). You will feel that the story could have happened anywhere, anytime, whereas the book was distinctively Upper Peninsula in atmosphere.

You might agree with me that Jimmy Stewart was miscast. Sure, he does a great acting job as always, but whenever I looked at the screen, I saw Jimmy Stewart: Jimmy Stewart is talking to the bartender, Jimmy Stewart is arguing in a courtroom--as opposed to seeing Paul Biegler. It's like watching a movie where Jimmy Stewart's the lawyer, not Paul Biegler. Jimmy Stewart, defense attorney.

The only real highlight, what saves the movie, is the superb acting job by George C. Scott, whoever played the Irishman, and others. If it weren't for them, I'd be giving this movie a one-star review.

Perhaps if you haven't read the book you'll delight in the movie. It's a good stand-alone movie. It's fairly enjoyable despite its faults. But if you've read the book first, you'll hate it. And if you haven't read the book, I highly recommend you read it now. It's far superior to the movie in every way.

Think of it as a Courtroom Film Noir
The excellence is Anatomy of a Murder lies is how it doesn't try to cram itself down your throat. The movie takes its own sweet time telling an intelligent and challenging story. There really aren't any good guys here and there are no easy answers. That's the point of film noir. Everyone is bad in some way, everyone has motives, and happy endings rarely take place in real life. Very direct for a movie made in the late 50's. A woman's alleged rape and the murder of her alleged rapist by her husband is described repeatedly and in detail. James Stewart is surprisingly effective as a weary cynic who takes the case not because he thinks the accused is innocent or a swell guy but because he thinks he can win and get the guy off. After Stewart returned from the horrors of WWII, he turned away from the cheerful harmless fare of his younger days. It can be fairly said that he had two careers. His post war career is much more serious and mature. Introspective characters. Deeply troubled men. Obsessed men. Men of dubious morality and hard bitten practical values. Stewart never made a WWII movie. He didn't need to, he lived it.

"I beg the court...let me cut into the apple"
This film hooks you in the first minute with Saul Bass' brilliant titles and Duke Ellington's music, and then has you caught for the duration in the next few scenes; the dialogue is sharp and intelligent, and at the age of 50, Jimmy Stewart gives one of the best performances of his illustrious career, as Paul Biegler, an attorney who would rather be fishing than getting fees for his work. Stewart is so natural, so real, and so immensely likable. He's the kind of guy you wish you could have in your family, but wily enough to argue a good defense in court.

Lee Remick has just the right amount of provocative sensuality as Laura Manion to make one wonder what exactly happened on the "fateful night" in question.
After playing Southern belles in both "A Face in the Crowd" (1957) and "The Long Hot Summer" (1958), Remick was offered the role of Laura because Lana Turner, who was supposed to play the part, refused to wear an "off-the-rack" wardrobe, and wanted dresses designed by Jean Louis (hardly what a Army wife would be wearing). It was a big break for Remick, and she makes the most of it.

The entire supporting cast is superb: Ben Gazzara as the intense Lt. Manion, Arthur O'Connell as Biegler's assistant and friend, Eve Arden as Biegler's loyal secretary. George C. Scott is Dancer, the Assistant State Attorney, and Joseph N. Welch, who gained fame for being the Special Counsel for the Army in the Army-McCarthy Congressional hearings, is a delight as Judge Weaver. Duke Ellington makes a cameo appearance as Pie Eye, and even Muffy the beer drinking dog does a great job. Otto Preminger's direction flows at a lovely pace, with a balance between the dramatic tension and thoughtful scenes tinged with humor.

There were Oscar nominations for Best Actor, Supporting Actor (both O'Connell and Scott), Picture, and Editing (all losing to "Ben Hur"), as well as Sam Leavitt's beautiful b&w cinematography (lost to "The Diary of Anne Frank") and Wendell Mayes marvelous screenplay adaptation of the Robert Traver best-seller (lost to "Room at the Top"), proving that 1959 was a great year at the movies.
I love courtroom dramas, and this is one of the best ever made; it's unpredictable, with a very authentic feel to it, perhaps because the author, using the pen name of "Robert Traver", was actually Michigan Supreme Court Justice John D. Voelker.
Total running time is 160 minutes.

A legendary film
Otto Preminger was one of the most creative and brave directors of the american cinema in the fifties and sixties.
His works were loaded with a ravishing realism , they were very expilict , challenging and disturbing .
Imagine what it means the plot around the adultery commited by the wife of an officer in that age . You can reply me with From here to the eternity but this film is more shocking , and overcomes in dramatic punch to From here ...The other examples you may think is Baby doll and Dial M for murder in the fifties, but this one wins the match.
The powerful sequence in the Court has only a serious match in The Nuremberg judgement . Never before there was not a previous film so disturbing like this that film who explicitly turned around the bitter and awful consequences about the adultery .
The plot is overwhelming , magnificient built , without any hole . The cast is incredible . Consider these giants actors as Ben Gazzara , George C. Scott , Arthur O'Donell, James Stewart and Lee Remick in her screen debut .
This film was nominated as the best film but was unlucky , because Ben Hur literally won all the prizes and somehow that fact stroke the undeniable virtues of that superb work.
However the time seems to set in the right place this picture.
Acquire this one.
One of the most remarkable films in the american cinema story.
If I could give this film ten thousand stars , I 'd do it . ... Read more

Reviews (52)

See Exodus
The screenplay by Dalton Trumbo differs from the book but captured the essence of the story of Exodus. A close obsever and listner will learn much of the climate and environment of the time, noted scene, the broadcasting of news to refugees aboard the Exodus while declaring a hunger strike in a harbor on the island of Cyprus. Paul Newman is not particularly strong as Ari Ben Cannon. The character in the book was a bit more masculine. Eva Marie Saint and Sal Mineo are great, and Sir Ralph Richardson. Sal Mineo desrved an oscar. Otto Priminger was atypical for the day, choosing to film outside of a sound stage on location as much as possible. There are mistakes, shadows of the camera on the faces of actors at times but his unique style of direction is the film's power. Ernest Gold's score is stirring and powerful and beautiful. Some may find the story telling a bit slow by today's standards. If patient, a complex, historical and significant drama will unfold. This is an excellent film. See Schindler's List first and then Exodus. Actually, the sequence here should go somthing like this: Lawrence of Arabia, Schindler's List, and Exodus. What a history lession of the Middle East. Enjoyable, too. The widescreen format is the only way to thoroughly enjoy this film.

Where are the pompadours?
Remember the gladiator movies from the 1950's where all the men wore pompadour hairstyles? If this movie had been made five years earlier we would have seen Paul Newman with puffy hair. Sadly, we missed it. Suffice it to say this movie is really quite bad. It is filmed as if the actors were all on holiday and there just happened to be cameras around. In several spots the sound quality is really quite poor. If you are a Paul Newman fan you should give this movie a miss.

Beautiful and tragic
This tale of the subjugation of the Palestinian people will appeal to hard-core Israelites, but will seem amazingly brutal to those of us who still harbor questions about the Zionist Cleansing Experiment.

Right up there with "Bonnie and Clyde" in making you cheer for the bad guys -- and feel badly thereafter.

A Slice of History!!!
This is one of the best films of all time. With Paul Newman, Eva Marie Saint, and Lee J. Cobb, and Sal Mineo, among the ensemble cast, it doesn't get any better than this. The movie tracks the crew of a ship which ultimately wants to go to Israel- they are Jews from Europe who want to repatriate, and Paul Newman is highlighted as the son of Lee J. Cobb, who represents Ben Gurion.

There's lots of action in this movie, and the additional casting of Peter Lawford as an American attache is real interesting as well. There's intrigue, a prison break, romance, a great soundtrack, and an ending which points to the headlines of today.

A marvelous film, and highly recommended!!

How the Movie Exodus Influenced My Life
The movie 'Exodus' has been a very big influence in my life. The first time I viewed it was when I was 10 years old, right after it was first released back in 1960. My older sister explained to me that it was the true story of the rebirth of the nation of Israel in 1948 in fulfillment of bible prophecy ("...shall a nation be born in a day?" Isaiah 66:8). I didn't fully understand it back then, but it made a big impression on me and became a seed in my heart that continued to grow for another 38 years. During that period of time I never forgot the movie or what it represented. The seed came to fruition in 1998, the 50th anniversary of the State of Israel, when I was blessed to be able to visit Israel for the first time. A few days prior to my departure I obtained a copy of the movie and viewed it again. The memories flooded back, but with a much more enlightened understanding of the miracle of Israel and the return of the Hebrews to their ancient covenant land after 2000 years of dispersion ("...I [God] will gather you from the nations and bring you back from the countries where you have been scattered, and I will give you back the land of Israel" Ezekiel 11:17). How could anyone not see that the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob has proven He keeps His word and continues to watch over His word to perform it??!! Why is He doing this? "I [God] do not do this for your sake, O house of Israel, but for My holy name's sake... I will sanctify My Great name...and the nations shall know that I am the LORD" Ezekiel Chapter 36. In other words, God keeps His word and this proves it. And if God can redeem Israel and the Hebrews He can redeem anybody from any nation if they will repent and acknowledge Him as Lord. I recommend the movie, it will help you relive the miraculous moment, and give you a taste for that which is yet to come. The epic musical score is unforgettable... if only it were still available. ... Read more

Reviews (11)

The Granddaddy Of Political Movies!
This ultra-realistic 1962 drama of the goings-on in Washington, D.C. must rank as one of the best films of its type ever made. It's a lengthy one (2 hrs., 19 min.), but it never gets dry. The many veteran actors assembled to comprise this cast see to that. The roster includes Henry Fonda, Franchot Tone, Charles Laughton, Lew Ayres, Walter Pidgeon, and Burgess Meredith! There's also Don Murray, who probably gets more screen time here than anyone else. And I think Murray shines bright in his role as the senator with a deep, dark secret! Pidgeon is also particularly convincing in this film. This was Mr. Laughton's final motion picture.

If you've never seen Advise & Consent ..... then get it today! It's a thoroughly engrossing and powerful movie experience!

American Political Drama from Otto Preminger
This is a good film about the nomination of Henry Fonda for Secretary of State. The only problem is that Fonda has a skeleton hidden in his closet and he perjures himself. The film then shifts focus from Fonda to all the people trying to uncover dirt upon dirt from both sides of the political arena. It is a very interesting film and again we see Preminger as the master technician manipulating the almost documentary style of drama. This film has one of the best casts every assembled and performances to match. Charles Laughton, George Grizzard, Walter Pidgeon, Don Murray, Franchot Tone, Lew Ayres, Burgess Meredith, Gene Tierney, Peter Lawford, Will Geer and young Eddie Hodges are all featured. This film is an exhausting experience and you can really feel for some of the characters. The finale of this drama leaves the viewer numb.

Not as good as "The Manchurian Canidate", from the same
year, (1962). But it is still a very good political mellow drama. The excellent cast presents a primer on how congress works, the presidency, succession & party politics. An almost comatose Henry Fonda plays the Secretary of State nominee, Robert Leffington & suspected Communist. Walter Pidgeon does a fine job as the Majority Leader sheparding the nomination through the Senate. The real scene stealer is Charles Laughton in maybe his best role as Senator Seab Cooley, a red-baiting, red-neck determined to destroy Leffington at all costs.
A fine well know cast included, Lew Ayres, Peter Lawford, Gene Tierney & Burgess Meridith. Charles Laughton however, saved his best performance for last.

A classic for all times
This book is a classic. The acotrs are marvelous. Orrin Knox could have been more involved in the movie like he was in the book. I really didn't like the actor who protrayed Orrin Knox. The ending of the movie was brilliant. Seab Cooley and the vice president have always been two of my favorite characters. The movie is just as good as book (which I have read numerous times) and this is unusal. Both the book and the movied should be required in both high schools and colleges.

"C'mon in! Don't just stand there!"
Talk about an all-star cast: when Otto Preminger brought Allan Drury's epic study of a Senate confirmation of a morally ambiguous nominee for Secretary of State, he got just about everyone in Hollywood to participate. Though the best roles go to Charles Laughton as a manipulative (but intensely likeable) South Carolina senator and Franchot Tone as the tortured President, not everyone got so lucky; the novel had so many characters that some big actors (like Gene Tierney, wasted as a Washington hostess) are pretty much trapped in throwaway roles.

Preminger was pretty progressive by Hollywood standards, and so the Senate he depicts is remarkably diverse, with senators of many ethnic backgrounds. There's a great cameo (the film's standout moment) from Betty White, who, as a shrewd Kansas senator, trounces George Grizzard, the despicable Senator Van Ackerman (from Wyoming, of course, so as to offend the least number of audience members possible) in open debate on the Senate floor. Preminger was really daring (for the time) in his willingness to tackle the subject of the blackmail of homosexuals in the film. It should be said, however, that the film's notorious depiction of a gay bar (the first Hollywood film to do so openly since the institution of the Hays code) as a nightmarish cesspool of vice, where the fat effeminate bartender hysterically beckons in the horrified Don Murray (see my title), probably did more to keep gay men in the closet in the Sixties than anything Hollywood ever did. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

Forever Amber--DVD-time?
Forever Amber is one of my favorite trashy great movies. I remember vividly seeing it in original release as a small child in Cleveland Ohio. Even then, the lavishly filmed story, with its memorable theme music, almost accurate costumes and exciting period detail, burned itself into my memory. Darnell was surprisingly good as the "forever under" (a second title when the book came out, among wags) Amber, who's tail was for sale, as the book put it. It is still fun to watch, the theater performance scenes at Drury Lane, among the most fun, as are the Restoration Court balls and of course, who can ever forget George Sanders' regal bearing as Charles II, and his adorable little "children"--the--what else--King Charles spaniels that follow him everywhere. The script is witty, Preminger's direction very daring for this time. By all means watch it if you like a good old fashioned period drama, as only Hollywood could produce them in the days when details were real and not computer generated images. I just wish they would issue a good digitally remastered DVD version with all that murkiness lightened up so it can be seen as it was released! The Great Fire of London sequences, especially when Amber's evil old husband is thrown into the fire by that wonderful Italian giant of a manservant, and the Plague sequences, are also excellently filmed! Watch it soon!

FROM THE LUSTY NOVEL.
The naughty (and controversial) first novel by the much-publicized and photogenic Kathleen Winsor came out in 1944: it was an instant best-seller competing with the likes of Maugham's THE RAZOR'S EDGE & A TREE GROWS IN BROOKLYN by Betty Smith. It became THE top selling book of 1945 and eventually sold a total of over 3 million copies in both hardback and paperback versions. Linda Darnell plays Amber St. Clair, a poor English lass who sees promiscuity as the only way to wealth and happiness. Amber bed-hops her way through lovers Wilde, Russell and Langan and eventually winds up as the favourite concubine of Sanders, who plays King Charles II. But promiscuity has its price...The lavish 7 million dollar budget (which included lush Technicolor) was a sort of consolation prize: the film suffers from its inability to detail the eroticism of the source material - which gave the novel its distinction. Originally the English actress Peggy Cummins was cast (and partially filmed) as Ms. St. Clair, but it was decided that she wasn't quite right for the role. Regretfully, the beautiful Darnell was somewhat miscast as well: her performance is rather lacklustre and her naturally lovely looks were altered for the part by bleaching her raven-black hair an unsuitable blonde (they would do the same thing to Elizabeth Taylor - in 1949 - when she portrayed Amy in LITTLE WOMEN: neither actress looked particularly convincing as a blonde, somehow).

A historic journey through time
This movie was *such* a disappointment, but then most movies are if you read the book first. One of my favorite books, Forever Amber captures the heart and soul of Amber, a 17th century village maid who scrambles her way to survival, power and fame while facing the challenge of a heart consistently broken by the one man she would die for: Bruce Carlton(even as she becomes mistress to the King himself!) The most powerful passages in the book (dealing with the plague; and her trip to America) are left out of this movie that I suppose just couldn't encompass the entire scope of the book, unfortunately. The most distasteful aspect for me, though, is the ending, which makes a judgment about Amber without the ending the book carries, which is Amber's triumph in spite of the judgments of others. It is a triumph of the spirit, and one that makes the book a classic read, though a forbidden one to those the age I fell in love with it: 15. I would love to see this movie remade in the true spirit in which the book was written. I would even like to take a crack at the screenplay!

Long, lavish look at a "scandalous" lady
One of the most infamous "trash" novels of the 1940s was Kathleen Winsor's Forever Amber, the story of a beautiful but poor young woman (though of noble birth) who sleeps her way up the social ladder until she becomes mistress of King Charles II of England. Her heart, however, belongs only to the roguish Bruce Carleton, who continues to elude her at every turn.

When 20th Century-Fox announced they were going to film the book, howls of protest emerged from the Catholic Church and other organizations devoted to film censorship. Undeterred, Fox went ahead with the film--and what emerged was, surprisingly, a lavish, witty, and bittersweet look at a daring young woman tripped up by her romantic heart.

Originally, the lead role was to have been played by the young British actress Peggy Cummins. (And actresses as diverse as Maureen O'Hara and Angela Lansbury have admitted they had hoped to win the role.) After filming began, however, Cummins was replaced by Linda Darnell, playing her first lead role in a big-budget, prestigious picture. Darnell--a native of Texas and nearly a ten-year veteran of the screen in 1947, although she was only in her mid-20s--makes a memorable impression in the role. Her bearing is regal, her accent (though not truly British) is cultured--and she is spectacularly gorgeous in the many stunning gowns and hair-dos designed for her.

The technical aspects of the film are also memorable. Director Otto Preminger (he and Darnell never did get along well) makes effective use of a sort of sooty, shadowy Technicolor; certain scenes resemble the paintings of the 17th century. And David Raksin's majestic score is among the finest ever written for a film, period.

I heartily recommend Forever Amber!

Forever Amber
I have seen this movie only once....probably 25 years ago. This was one of the best movies I had ever seen (right up there with Gone With The Wind). It was on TBS and that was all I ever heard or saw of that movie. I do remember that Linda Darnell was absolutely great and that the story line was one that captured you immediately. There was a lot of intrigue. The costumes were wonderful, the acting superb. I look forward to seeing this again. ... Read more

Amazon.com essential video

Otto Preminger's sprawling World War II drama packs a lot into its 165 minutes, beginning with the attack on Pearl Harbor (which Preminger re-creates in amazing detail) and ending a couple of years later with America's return to the South Pacific in force. John Wayne and Kirk Douglas star as a career naval captain and his self-pitying commander in the peacetime navy who are thrust into battle when Pearl Harbor is bombed while they are on maneuvers. Minutes into WWII, they are already scapegoated and demoted by the embarrassed military brass. Wayne romances a WAVE nurse (Patricia Neal) and attempts a reconciliation with his estranged, spoiled son (Brandon de Wilde) while Douglas sinks into the bottle after the death of his cheating wife until the American fleet rebuilds and calls upon Wayne to lead one of the initial invasion forces. Henry Fonda makes a brief but commanding appearance as the fleet admiral. Burgess Meredith is a former writer turned witty commander, Dana Andrews a showy but indecisive admiral, and Stanley Holloway a genial Australian scout working with the American invasion forces. Tom Tryon and Paula Prentiss play newlyweds torn apart by the war, and also appearing are Franchot Tone, Carroll O'Conner, Slim Pickens, George Kennedy, Bruce Cabot, and Larry Hagman, among many, many more. Loyal Griggs's handsome black-and-white photography is topped only by Saul Bass's impressive closing credits sequence, a rising cascade of crashing waves and rough surf reportedly paced to mirror the dramatic rhythm of the film. --Sean Axmaker ... Read more

Reviews (51)

A bit overlong, but worth the time. . .
It takes an expert hand to mix historical fiction, solid action, maudlin melodrama and stock romantic entanglements and emerge with a coherent story, much less an effective and entertaining film, but Otto Preminger manages the trick with In Harm's Way. John Wayne's acting is John Wayne's acting (just replace the cavalry smock with WWII working khaki), but the true stars of the film are Kirk Douglas, Burgess Meredith and Patricia Neal, all of whom do a wonderful job of augmenting and supporting the Duke without getting in his way. The combat scenes are few and far between and, by today's standards, rather tame. However, this seeming weakness proves a hidden strength in what becomes an excellent character study of divergent people thrown together in the chaotic early days of the Second World War. This film does a very good job of showing the difficulties commanders faced in dealing with equipment shortages, personnel problems and the myriad headaches of a combat commander trying to fight a war on a shoestring. In some respects the plot is a bit predictable but nonetheless holds one's attention. Like most Wayne pictures, this ends up being a flag-waving tribute to the heroism of the American fighting man and woman. What makes this one a bit different is the degree of character development. It doesn't take long before you actually start caring about the people and the combat becomes a secondary issue. As with most of the Duke's movies, there is a good dollop of tongue-in-cheek humor to lighten the mood. The final result is a very effective, surprisingly realistic look at the people side of warfare.

War in the Pacific

Director Otto Preminger made a good war movie, here. John Wayne plays the part of a captain who initially loses his ship, but comes back eventually as a commodore (1 star admiral). Kirk Douglas is his Exec, Cdr. Ettinger (eventually a captain), who has a bottled up violence in his character (well played). Patricia O'Neal plays a navy nurse (Lt.), Dana Andrews plays an egotisitcal admiral, and Henry Fonda plays CincPac.

The picture is well cast. Even a young Carroll O'Conner has a part, and Burgess Meredith plays an intelligence officer very well. Brandon De Wilde (a new name to me) plays Wayne's son, a spoiled college brat brought up by his mother, also well-played.

I was impressed by the details in the movie, including the plane's designations (except for a reference to an AT6 "Texan," which they should have called by its navy designation, an SNJ, instead of the air corps desgnation), and the Japanese ship designations. The battleship Yamato, for example, was identified as having 18-inch guns, as indeed it did have--larger than the 16-inch rifles on America's battle-wagons.

All together, it was a well-told story which held pretty much to reality, except for the fictional islands' names and the presence of so many females that close to the action.

I enjoyed it, as I do most old Wayne movies. And Otto Preminger knew how to put them together.

Joseph (Joe) Pierre, USN (Ret.)

author of Handguns and Freedom...their care and maintenance
and other books

Great cast!!! Excellent Movie!!
This movie is far from being a typical jingoistic, flag-waving propoganda piece. It deals with several substantive issues (i.e. love, loss, rape, death, etc.) that are dveloping in people's lives at the same time as the war. Interestingly, I felt like a voyeur as I was watching the movie due to an intimate/personal filming perspective and excellent acting.

Overall this movie for mature audiences that can accept steady character development with action being secondary.

Big thumbs up!!

Not As Good As MIDWAY
IN HARM'S WAY is a film about World War II naval action in the Pacific beginning with the Pearl Harbor attack by the Japanese. The movie contains a lot of battle scenes but it soon gets monotonous - especially when one realizes that model ships are used as props.

John Wayne is the star and the supporting cast is strong. Patricia Neal and Kirk Douglas are standouts. In spite of the superior acting and the efforts of Otto Preminger as director, the film never quite achieves the same level of interest as MIDWAY which is definitely a better motion picture.

IN HARM'S WAY received an Oscar nomination in 1965 for Best B & W Cinematography.

Flatly and indifferently made WWII epic
After the triumph that was THE CARDINAL (available on a highly recommended WB disc) Otto Preminger made a big war film based on a bestseller novel. While many find this film wonderful, I find it to be talky, groundbased, and exceedingly unmemorable film. Nearly everything in the film is at a level of artifice that, coupled with the black and white photography and really inexcusable SFX, makes the film look cheap and indifferent. The plotting is cliched when not unbelievable. For example, Jill Haworth kills herself when she fears Kirk Douglas' rape has left her pregnant. WHY did she not consult her fiancee (also John Wayne's estranged son) or press criminal charges? And why did Douglas not seek a divorce from his nymphomanianc wife (Barbara Bouchet)? It doesn't help that the whole picture takes on a buddy-buddy atmosphere totally inappropriate for 167 minute epic. Rumors, by the way, are around that state the film was once even longer and had an intermission (curious fans of the film should pop in their DVD and go to about th 85 minute mark). If the flick was once longer, I will make every attempt never to see the longer version. ... Read more

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When Frankie Machine (Frank Sinatra) comes back to the old neighborhood after a spell in the big house, he wants to stay straight and become a drummer. But his old life--as a poker dealer and heroin addict--comes rushing back to meet him. The subject matter of Nelson Algren's novel was still shocking in 1955, and The Man with the Golden Arm was released without the seal of approval from Hollywood's Production Code. The director, Otto Preminger, used the controversy to whip up interest in the film, and his championing of non-Code pictures such as The Moon Is Blue and The Man with the Golden Arm helped end the influence of the restrictive policy. For Frank Sinatra, the role was a high point; his performance is searching, honest, and (in long scenes of going cold turkey to kick the habit) frighteningly naked. He's touchingly matched with Kim Novak, in one of her best performances; adding a bit of method-acting madness is Eleanor Parker as Frankie's hysterical wife. Sinatra was nominated for the Best Actor Oscar, but lost to Ernest Borgnine--the same guy who beat him senseless in From Here to Eternity. The propulsive jazz score is by Elmer Bernstein. Even the credits sequence staked out new territory: the mod images created by Saul Bass were among his first in a long-standing collaboration with Preminger, and were highly influential on other designers. --Robert Horton ... Read more

Reviews (9)

Sinatra at his best!!
This has got to be one of the best movies ever made which has depicted the heroin addict and his predicament. Frank Sinatra, in one of his earlier roles, plays the part of an ex-convict/drug addict who returns back to the "old neighborhood," and wants to "come clean," and pursue a career as a big band drummer, but he unfortunately comes face to face with the "dealer" (Darren McGavin) and things cook from there. McGavin is a wonderful portrayal of the neighborhood supplier who keeps baiting Sinatra and baiting him until the he cannot say no any longer. Coupled with his own domestic situation, which I dare not give away, but only to tell you that the ensemble cast which makes up this movie is outstanding. The soundtrack is pulsating and keeps your adrenaline moving upward, and that is one of the most unnerving parts of the film, and one which keeps you on the edge of your seat, as the saying goes. This could be classified as a family movie, as there is no sex, nudity, profanity, but only the theme of drug addiction, and a family could watch this film and discuss these issues in an enlightened way. Sinatra once said he thought he should've gotten an Oscar for this movie, and I agree. Highly recommended!!!

An interesting mix of outstanding and plodding sequences
...the most prominent aspects of the movie - Sinatra's unquestionably great performance, Preminger's use of compelling camera angles, the prominently placed Berstein Jazz score, and Novak's performance. All of which are true and I agree that most of these combine to create a positive impression of this movie.

The best sequences in the movie involve Sinatra in the realm of men (and I mean Men as opposed to human) - when dealing the several day long card game while still trying to keep focused on the important audition Monday morning, the interchanges with the appealingly slimy heroin dealer (greasily played by Darrin McGavin in one of his best roles) while succumbing to the pull of the junkie, the failed musical audition, and the outstanding bit when he resolves to kick the habit cold-turkey. All of these were worth watching several times - thank God for chapter selections on DVD.

However, the movie is not perfect, and there are several things that can be readily cited as significant faults. The possessive and yet still possessed wife (Eleanor Parker) was a one-note performance: hysteria. Preminger needed to significantly pull back that character from the precipice that she fell off (long before she literally falls off). The first scene with her and Frankie upon his return home is the only one that was interesting and believable, all others were maudlin and overdone. She clearly had the acting chops to turn in a fascinating performance, as indicated by this first scene. Her character should have been one of the most pivotal in the movie, as she is the reason why Frankie returns and she inadvertently provides the key to his freedom when she gives herself up after killing the heroin dealer. As it is, scenes with her in it are mostly unwatchable.

The sycophantic toady friend of Frankie (Arnold Stang) was, I suppose, intended to be funny, but he is such an undeveloped stereotype as to be merely annoying. He greatly hindered my enjoyment of the movie.

Also the pacing at times really dragged at several points, most notably even during the great sequence with Sinatra kicking the habit. The rather long running time (119 minutes) could have been easily shortened by at least 20 minutes with some simple editing and tightening. Similarly, although the musical score was interesting and compelling - it tied in with Frankie's newly resolved ambition and nicely placed the movie among the heroin junkie jazz lifestyle of the time - it could have been much better utilized. One refrain in particular that recurs so often as to be annoying and at such a loud volume as to be distracting. It is a perfect example of how great music can be diminished by misapplication.

That all being said, these detractions do not so significantly reduce the movie that I would not heartily recommend it to my friends. Dated and imperfect it may be, but it is still compelling and immensely watchable - and not just for Sinatra nuts like myself.

Otto Preminger's Urban Poem
Before the advent of the French "New Wave," director Otto Preminger directed the highly stylized, realistic urban classic "The Man With the Golden Arm." Frank Sinatra was never consistently great as an actor, but his portrayal of heroin addict Frankie Machine is not only the best of his career, but one of the best for anybody's career, for that matter. Set in 1955, this was a pretty risky movie for its time, and was to drug addiction what Billy Wilder's 1945 "The Long Weekend" was to alcoholism: A no-holds-barred, unwhitewashed slice of reality.

Frankie's problem is that he wants to return to normalcy after being released from prison, and then a halfway house. Like the novelist says, "you write what you know," and likewise Frankie lives what he knows, and returns to his seedy Chicago neighborhood. From the moment of his uneventful return, normalcy -- his old life as a card dealer, his neurotic wife (Eleanor Parker) who feels too sorry for herself to help Frankie start clean with a new life, and a small-time heroin dealer, icily played by Darren McGavin -- tries to reel Frankie back into a dead-end routine and sink its hooks to keep him enslaved to his compulsions.

Frankie tries to embark on a new career as a jazz drummer, which provides the movie with the motifs for its streetwise "crime jazz" soundtrack, written by Elmer Bernstein. But, the cycle of addiction sets in lightning-quick because Frankie's wife wants him to bring home the money dealing cards again, which puts him smack dab in the company of the lowlifes he most desparately needs to avoid. Back at dealing, the local heroin dealer could not give a whit about Frankie staying clean; He's desparate to get Frankie to take that one fix and hook another regular customer.

Fortunately, Frankie finds salvation in the arms of Kim Novak, who was involved with Sinatra romantically at the time. Their relationship is a complex one, and Novak's empathy really comes through. Her hard-headed compassion in keeping Frankie away from a fix while he's sweating it out cold-turkey is riveting, because she's putting her own safety at risk. Even before modern theraputic terms like "in denial" were in vogue, we see Sinatra's character -- in the throes of his own addiction -- running down Novak's alcoholic boyfriend as a weakling who can't control his vices. It's beautifully handled, because the point is not to expose Frankie as a hypocrite, but to reveal his blindness to his own weaknesses. Frankie is a tragic hero of Shakesperian dimensions, but whose stage is set in a modern-day tenement.

Visually, this film is very striking, and is edited so that the montage is in rapid-fire sequence during crucial scenes. It's intercut in the same fashion as Saul Bass' pioneering title cutouts; Bass would go on to become Hollywood's most recognizable title designer, his sequences dominated by iconic graphics in movies such as Preminger's "Anatomy of a Murder," "Advise and Consent" and Hitchcock's "Vertigo" and "Psycho."

Of all Preminger's movies, this is the most cinematic. He would go on to use more laid-back camera setups and editing in movies like the one named above, and would break out into less intimate and more worldly settings with epics such as "The Cardinal" and "In Harm's Way."

"The Man With the Golden Arm" catches Preminger at the top of his form as it does his cast. McGavin would never again be so intense, and only in "The Manchurian Candidate" for Sinatra and "Vertigo" for Novak would such powerful, commited and well-written performances again come their way.

A great actor in an average film
Frank Sinatra impersonates a man who is the slave of his neighborhood in a big city that could be any metropolis. He is the slave of the powerful in this neighborhood because of his addiction to heroin, because of his being possessed by a girl who is in a wheel chair, though we know from the very start that she is acting the part of a handicapped girl. Thus enslaved by the local card-games organiser, the local heroin dealer and his responsibility towards the girl, without forgetting the local police, he is unable to realise his dream to become a drummer in some big jazz band...Frank Sinatra is particularly convincing in his part and his going cold turkey is marvellously depicted. A small film, maybe, but powerful and faith-carrying acting.

Dr Jacques COULARDEAU

The Man With The Golden Arm
This budget release from the little known Passport Collector's Edition label is on par with older catalogue titles from major companies such as MGM and Columbia. The transfer is first class in both video and audio fidelity. This looks and sounds damn good for a 45 year old movie. The extras are also well worth viewing. These include brief interviews with Sinatra himself, composer Elmer Bernstein,and a host of others. Trailers to some other FS movies such as From Here to Eternity and The Manchurian Candidate round out this impressive dvd.This will probably be the definitive version of this film classic for the forseeable future. Well worth its budget price of $8.99. ... Read more

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Otto Preminger expanded his vision in the 1960s with a whole series of ambitious, expansive dramas with huge casts and big themes. Advise and Consent, an examination of deal making, party politics, and congressional diplomacy in Washington's legislative halls (based on the novel by Allen Drury), is one of his best. Preminger broke the blacklist with his previous film, Exodus, and it rings through in this drama about a controversial nominee for secretary of state (a confident, stately Henry Fonda) accused of being a Communist. The nomination process becomes the center ring of the political circus, with fidgety accuser Burgess Meredith in the spotlight; devious, silver-tongued Charles Laughton cracking the whip as a southern senator with a grudge against Fonda; and party whip Walter Pidgeon lining up votes behind the scenes. Arm twisting and diplomatic hardball turns to perjury and blackmail, and a melodramatic twist gives this lesson in party politics a salacious soap opera dimension. Preminger's style has been hailed as "objective," but it's really a matter of attentiveness: he gives all the character their due and their say, eschewing heroes and villains for an exploration of people clashing over opposing goals. In fact, the weakest elements of the film are the unscrupulous populist senator played by George Grizzard and the badly dated caricatures that populate a notorious underground club. The video preserves the handsome widescreen black-and-white photography, keeping Preminger's careful and measured editing intact. --Sean Axmaker ... Read more

Reviews (11)

The Granddaddy Of Political Movies!
This ultra-realistic 1962 drama of the goings-on in Washington, D.C. must rank as one of the best films of its type ever made. It's a lengthy one (2 hrs., 19 min.), but it never gets dry. The many veteran actors assembled to comprise this cast see to that. The roster includes Henry Fonda, Franchot Tone, Charles Laughton, Lew Ayres, Walter Pidgeon, and Burgess Meredith! There's also Don Murray, who probably gets more screen time here than anyone else. And I think Murray shines bright in his role as the senator with a deep, dark secret! Pidgeon is also particularly convincing in this film. This was Mr. Laughton's final motion picture.

If you've never seen Advise & Consent ..... then get it today! It's a thoroughly engrossing and powerful movie experience!

American Political Drama from Otto Preminger
This is a good film about the nomination of Henry Fonda for Secretary of State. The only problem is that Fonda has a skeleton hidden in his closet and he perjures himself. The film then shifts focus from Fonda to all the people trying to uncover dirt upon dirt from both sides of the political arena. It is a very interesting film and again we see Preminger as the master technician manipulating the almost documentary style of drama. This film has one of the best casts every assembled and performances to match. Charles Laughton, George Grizzard, Walter Pidgeon, Don Murray, Franchot Tone, Lew Ayres, Burgess Meredith, Gene Tierney, Peter Lawford, Will Geer and young Eddie Hodges are all featured. This film is an exhausting experience and you can really feel for some of the characters. The finale of this drama leaves the viewer numb.

Not as good as "The Manchurian Canidate", from the same
year, (1962). But it is still a very good political mellow drama. The excellent cast presents a primer on how congress works, the presidency, succession & party politics. An almost comatose Henry Fonda plays the Secretary of State nominee, Robert Leffington & suspected Communist. Walter Pidgeon does a fine job as the Majority Leader sheparding the nomination through the Senate. The real scene stealer is Charles Laughton in maybe his best role as Senator Seab Cooley, a red-baiting, red-neck determined to destroy Leffington at all costs.
A fine well know cast included, Lew Ayres, Peter Lawford, Gene Tierney & Burgess Meridith. Charles Laughton however, saved his best performance for last.

A classic for all times
This book is a classic. The acotrs are marvelous. Orrin Knox could have been more involved in the movie like he was in the book. I really didn't like the actor who protrayed Orrin Knox. The ending of the movie was brilliant. Seab Cooley and the vice president have always been two of my favorite characters. The movie is just as good as book (which I have read numerous times) and this is unusal. Both the book and the movied should be required in both high schools and colleges.

"C'mon in! Don't just stand there!"
Talk about an all-star cast: when Otto Preminger brought Allan Drury's epic study of a Senate confirmation of a morally ambiguous nominee for Secretary of State, he got just about everyone in Hollywood to participate. Though the best roles go to Charles Laughton as a manipulative (but intensely likeable) South Carolina senator and Franchot Tone as the tortured President, not everyone got so lucky; the novel had so many characters that some big actors (like Gene Tierney, wasted as a Washington hostess) are pretty much trapped in throwaway roles.

Preminger was pretty progressive by Hollywood standards, and so the Senate he depicts is remarkably diverse, with senators of many ethnic backgrounds. There's a great cameo (the film's standout moment) from Betty White, who, as a shrewd Kansas senator, trounces George Grizzard, the despicable Senator Van Ackerman (from Wyoming, of course, so as to offend the least number of audience members possible) in open debate on the Senate floor. Preminger was really daring (for the time) in his willingness to tackle the subject of the blackmail of homosexuals in the film. It should be said, however, that the film's notorious depiction of a gay bar (the first Hollywood film to do so openly since the institution of the Hays code) as a nightmarish cesspool of vice, where the fat effeminate bartender hysterically beckons in the horrified Don Murray (see my title), probably did more to keep gay men in the closet in the Sixties than anything Hollywood ever did. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

Ladies and gentlemen: another disaster from Artisan!
The back of the box says Full Screen Format! What? This is a CinemaScope picture? So I put it in my player just to check it out. And what do I see? Some kind of letterbox image (about 1:2) far from the correct aspect ratio, but better than full screen. Alas, it is not enhanced for anamorphic playback, and the colors are washed out and fuzzy! So is the focus, and there is some kind of "net" pattern so obvious and distracting most of the time, that I finally decide to rate this DVD as unwatchable! Sad, indeed! Yet another disaster from Artisan, one of many DVD distributors that you cannot rely on. Sure, they have given us some pretty nice transfers, but most are far below acceptable standards. When will these people learn that quality means happy consumers, and happy consumers means better sales?

Flies High, But Not Supersonic...
"The Court Matrial of Billy Mitchell" is a gem, albeit not a precious one.

Gary Cooper is in fine form given the constraints of the material he has to work with. Charles Bickford is perfect as General Guthrie, Ralph Bellamy steals his scenes, and Rod Steiger rules his eight to ten minutes of screen time. Here we also have three future stars of television, who round out the supporting cast; Jack Lord, Elizabeth Montgomery, and a cameo for Peter Graves.

The story of the almost prescient Mitchell, who forsaw the then-fanciful advancements in air power, perfectly captures the views of the Army and Navy at the time; that airplanes were nothing more than unreliable toys.

Mitchell, always a crusader for air power, is muzzled and ignored by the military establishment. Only when the Navy airship Shennedoah is lost due to shortsighted Navy orders does Mitchell break with the Army and make public statements accusing the Army and Navy command of negligence. Inviting his own courtmartial in order to finally have his say, Mitchell is given the opportunity to martyr himself in the name of military airmen everywhere.

If anything holds the film back, it would have to be the combination of the script and the oddly detached direction of Otto Preminger. Neither serves the material well, but the film is compelling anyway. The film bogs down a bit as it transmutes from historical action bio into a courtroom drama, but the legend of Mitchell is enough to carry the film over the rough spots, and keep the viewer watching.

The packaging of the DVD says that the film is in standard (or pan n' scan) format, but the disc is actually (and thankfully), in widescreen. The widescreen framing is not perfect, but close enough for satisfaction. The color is a bit "washed out", and the sets are clearly painted in a color scheme meant for black and white film. This combination makes the colors a bit garish at times, but for the age of the film, it looks pretty good overall barring a full-on restoration.

Of special note is the final set piece, the warehouse that served as location for Mitchell's trial. The set is surprisingly true to the photos taken of the actual location during the real life trial.

Billy's Universal Choice: Obedience or Integrity
The events of December 7, 1941 may have come as a total surprise to nearly all Americans, but not to Billy Mitchell, who years earlier had predicted with astonishing accuracy the details of an attack that would cripple United States naval powers for more than two years. In THE COURT MARTIAL OF BILLY MITCHELL, director Otto Preminger dramatizes the dilemma of Billy Mitchell, who had to struggle with his sense of duty that ran counter to a conscience that refused to let his fellow airmen die in preventable air crashes. Gary Cooper as Billy Mitchell was 54 when he made this film and his true life weariness and evident age did not detract from a performance that did not differ materially from the laid back roles he had earlier showed as Lou Gehrig and Alvin York. As disgraced Colonel Billy Mitchell, Cooper uses his stone face and immense dignity that allows him to maintain his purpose while others lose theirs in the heat of the moment. Colonel Mitchell has seen too many trusted comrades die when he and they knew that their deaths were caused by the criminal negligence of his military superiors. Mitchell does the unthinkable. He goes public with his accusations and is court martialed.

The first half sets up this courtroom drama with sterling performances by Jack Lord, Elizabeth Montgomery, and Darren McGavin. As his friends die, you can sense that Mitchell's iron-bound duty not to break the chain of command is beginning to rust. The dramatic center of the first half is internal, as Cooper portrays a man who knows what he wants to do but is forbidden to do. The second half is the trial itself. Although Cooper has to share center stage with Charles Bickford as the presiding judge and a young and arrogant Rod Steiger as the prosecuting attorney, Cooper manages a rare balancing act. He successfully keeps the military jury's and the audience's attention on the need for aviation reform while not allowing the film to sink into a 'message' movie, that might otherwise have been literally true but less interesting. One of the reasons that enabled Cooper to be the megastar that he was was his ability to say commonsense things in a straightforward way that never let the audience forget that a fully-fleshed character truly believed in the veracity of his words. No matter how hard Steiger tries to make Cooper look foolish on the witness stand, it is Steiger--and by implication the army--that was foolish for not heeding Colonel Mitchell's many warnings about the need to upgrade the American air force. The movie ends rather abruptly with no hint that Mitchell's foresight would one day be vindicated. And if the audience is denied the pleasure of seeing Colonel Mitchell vindicated, then, by contrast, the integrity of a man who had only his gut feelings to guide him stamps him as the rarest of men: one who has strong convictions and is unafraid to place his job and character on the line to express them.

The man who predicted the Pearl Harbor attack!
I am reviewing the movie "The Court Martial of Billy Mitchell", and not the VHS copy of it. Gen. Billy Mitchell was the Army/Air Force General who in the 1920's; said, and showed, that aircraft bombers could sink battleships. He also said,(under oath), in the 1920's that the Japanese could launch a Sunday morning aircraft carrier attack on Pearl Harbor, and devestate the USA Army and Navy units stationed there. ENDING SPOILER-Gen. Mitchell was court martialed and forced to resign his commission more for the way he said what he did, than for what he had to say. Seeing this film with it's great cast, especially Gary Cooper in the title role, makes me think about what might have been IF Gen. Mitchell been a little more tactful, or had his higher ranking officers been a little more willing to listen to him. Citizen Billy Mitchell died in the 1930's, so he was not alive in 1941. This is an outstanding film about the only person a US military aircraft was named for; the B-25 Mitchell, and I think it should be shown every Dec. 7th, along with "Tora, Tora, Tora".

An Air Force History Lesson
Gary Cooper stars as a General advocating the need for developing the Air Force following WWI, at a time when the Army and Navy did not believe it would be useful. His insistence on its usefulness leads to a demotion when he goes against orders, and later on, when he makes accusatory statements about the military, he is brought to trial for court martial. The fact that this is a true story certainly lends interest to it, but the slowness of the pacing offsets that. Cooper has a few good moments as the stubborn, heroic general who puts his career on the line to speak the truth and try to make changes, but to be honest, I did not find his performance to be a complete success. He's inconsistent and his laid back style doesn't always work. The supporting cast does better, with Rod Steiger as one of the prosecutors adding a lot of spark, and Ralph Bellamy relishing his role as Cooper's defender. It's fun to watch a number of up-and-coming young stars such as Elizabeth Montgomery (in a critical role), Jack Lord, Darren MacGavin, and Peter Graves. As a history lesson I learned a few things, and as a courtroom drama, it does come to life at times. But director Otto Preminger keeps things moving pretty slowly, and I wish the film had been tightened up a bit. ... Read more

Amazon.com essential video

More famous as a controversy than a movie, The Moon Is Blue (1953) marked a turning point in the history of frankness in American film. Because producer-director Otto Preminger owned the rights to the hit Broadway play, he stubbornly refused to change the racy dialogue in the script. The offending words included such end-of-western-civilization-as-we-know-it terms as "virgin" and "pregnant." The Production Code withheld its seal, the Catholic Legion of Decency condemned it, and the picture made a bundle. Its subject matter is antiquated now, but the movie remains a cute and well-played example of pre-Neil Simon stage comedy. William Holden and the virgin Maggie McNamara meet atop the Empire State Building, later joining middle-aged roue David Niven for martinis and steaks in Holden's hep bachelor bad. Preminger's gift wasn't necessarily for comedy, but he steers things with his usual calm style, and lets Niven make the most of a tailor-made role. --Robert Horton ... Read more

Reviews (8)

classic sleeper
One of my all time favorites. You forget that it was made in 1953. Very frank dialogue for an early 50's movie. Great acting with many laughs and a little suspense. CAN THEY MAKE IT INTO A DVD PLEASE!!

Maggie McNamara
This movie shows a promising actress Maggie McNamara. She got nominated for best actress and remains a mark as the only person in that category whose career didn't go anywhere. "The Moon is Blue" was put down by the Catholic Legion of Decency because it said the word virgin. Frankly screwball comedies of the 40's were just as suggestive so I don't get the deal.
The connection between this movie destroyed Maggie, right at her career's beginning. It's a shame because Maggie is very cute in this. Afterwards she went on to star in the boring, "Three Coins in the Fountain" and the cheesy "Cardinal." Her stint in Hollywood was then done and she worked as a secretary for the rest of her life. While the movie comes across as stagey, it's worth seeing it just for her.

A CLASSIC LOVE STORY!!
This is a good romantic comedy which features on two characters who meet on top of the empire state building and end up falling in love during the coarse of the night. This film is a bit talkative because it was adapted from the stage play, but it's funny, warm, and romantic because of William Holden, David Niven, and Maggie McNamara.
3 ACADEMY AWARD NOMINATIONS-[1953]
BEST ACTRESS-MAGGIE McNAMARA
Best Film Editing
Best Song-"The moon is blue"

A ONCE CONTROVERSIAL FILM.
A fairly amusing sex farce from nearly half a century ago features the unusual, now-forgotton (and ultimately tragic -- a suicide victim) Maggie McNamara, who is courted, swooned and wooed by both David Niven and Bill Holden. David Niven's career at the time this film was made was in serious jeopardy; he had a contract break-up with the legendary Samuel Goldwyn which was anything but cordial and his pictures prior to this weren't much of any consequence (a good example is a silly, inane "comedy" entitled THE LADY SAYS NO, 1951). The notoriously tyrannical Otto Preminger suddenly came to Niven's rescue ( it was rather like being snatched from drowning by King Kong!). The director was noted for enjoying the experience of striking terror into the hearts of his cast members and technicians alike. Niven emerged unscathed, however, and was ultimately deeply grateful to Preminger for casting him as the middle aged playboy. Niven does a commendable job and there is a certain chemistry between the three leads. THE MOON IS BLUE outraged many in its day by using such words as "virgin" and "seduce". In light of what's allowed in films today, this is hilarious. In 1953, however, it was condemned by the Catholic Church and banned by the censor. Aided by distributors, United Artists and director Otto Preminger defied the ban and released the film -- the first time the American censor had been so defied.

The film about the virgin that was denied a Code seal
Well, if you watched the episode of "M*A*S*H" where the gang tries to get to watch "The Moon Is Blue," you know that this infamous 1953 film directed by Otto Preminger is a moral tale of Patty O'Neill (Maggie McNamara), a young lady who intends to be a virgin when she gets married. Patty fends off guys by asking them if they would try to seduce her or if they have mistresses. Censorship boards went crazy because the film talked about virginity and the Motion Picture Production Code denied the film a Code seal. The result, since there was nothing truly objectionable in the film, all that really happened was Preminger's film got a million dollars worth of free publicity. William Holden as Donald Gresham and David Niven as David Slater who both joust with Patty. Just to make things a bit more interesting, Cynthia Slater (Dawn Addams), is not only the daughter of the aforementioned David, but is ticked at Donald because he was too much of a gentleman on their last date. Based on F. Hugh Herbert's play, today the film is an interesting curiosity and you have to laugh at the idea of people actually being upset by this film. "The Moon Is Blue" received three Oscar nominations, including a Best Actress nod for Maggie McNamara. Niven does a nice job with his role of the aging wolf on the prowl, but Holden seems quite uncomfortable as the unsuccessful seducer. ... Read more

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Robert Mitchum and Marilyn Monroe are abandoned by a bad guy (Rory Calhoun) who steals Mitchum's horse, forcing them to travel down a raging river (along with Mitchum's son) on a raft. The three refugees, all of them living troubled lives to begin with, have to face the rapids together, and director Otto Preminger's allegory for individual salvation through unity becomes a stirring family drama. This 1954 film features Monroe at her golden peak, though not quite at the apex of her sexual iconography. The result is that she gets to play a character whose beauty is not really part of the story line, a character many other actresses might have played. --Tom Keogh ... Read more

Reviews (17)

Lesser Known Monroe Film Worth A Look
Robert Mitchum plays a practical, no-nonsense farmer recently reunited with his young son, Tommy Rettig. They rescue a young couple (Marilyn Monroe and Rory Calhoun) going on a raft down a river by their homestead, and that's where the trouble begins. Calhoun is out to make a gold claim, and he'll do anything, including stealing Mitchum's horse and gun, leaving Mitchum, Rettig, and even Monroe behind to face the Indians without any defence. So they must take to the raft to survive, and that's where the adventure begins. I liked this film a lot. Mitchum is his usual laconinc self, but it works really well with this character. Monroe gets to act in this film, and she does so very well, playing a saloon singer that wants to defend her man, despite what he has done to all of them. Young Rettig is good too, not cloying and irritating like so many child actors can be. The scenery is beautiful, the title song very effective, and although the direction of Otto Preminger isn't very fluid and sometimes the movie lumbers from one scene to another, the performances and relationships among the characters make up for it. Viewers will enjoy the trip down the River of No Return.

Marilyn Monroe and the Canadian Rockies!
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While this is certainly far from Marilyn Monroe's best performance, it is nonetheless an interesting film to watch.

Amazingly, the somewhat artificial beauty of Marilyn Monroe shown floating on a raft down the "river of no return" with a backdrop of the Canadian Rockies can capture one's imagination and make you forget what a truly awful film this is.

Marilyn steals your attention in every scene, and the sheer beauty of her presence more than makes up for the ridiculousness of the plot.

MM sings a couple of numbers in her dance-hall girl phase of the film, most notably, "I'm Gonna File My Claim", about a gold-digger during the gold rush days.

Any Marilyn fan would have to see this movie just for Marilyn's sake. Anyone else can probably skip it.

MMMmmmarvelous Marilyn!

Sometimes it's peaceful, sometimes wild and free
Marilyn Monroe described this movie as a grade-Z cowboy movie where the acting finished third to the scenery and Cinemascope. Okay, the Canadian Rockies and the rapids were utilized to its best for 1950's film-making, and MM's second film in Cinemascope must have made quite an impression in the theatres for the new aspect ratio.

It's 1875 in the wild Northwest. Matt Calder is reunited with his young son Mark in a saloon town and rather than go the usual route of prospecting, start a new life on a farm bordering the River of No Return. Their life is instantly disrupted by two events. One, gambler Harry Weston, who's one a gold claim under dubious circumstances, is eager to file the claim in Council City to prevent the loser from beating him to it. To that end, he steals Calder's horse and rifle, a capital offense in the codes of the West. Second, a group of Native Americans on the warpath descend on the farm. Both Calders and Kay, Weston's moll who stays behind to look after the injured Calder and his son, flee in time in the raft Weston and Kay arrived in.

From then on, it's a struggle to survive the rapids without any weapons, food, and constantly being drenched by that river whenever it's "wild and free." As Calder tells Kay, "The Indians call this the River of No Return. From here on, you'll find out why." He is so dead set on getting his hands on Weston, he'll risk anything, all the time looking after his two charges.

Conflicts arrive in many forms, the primary two are Kay's torn loyalties between Harry and Matt. She doesn't want Matt to kill Harry once the two meet up, and performs acts that range from desperate to being a seductive vamp, yet she realizes in their travails that he is thoughtful and unselfish, as demonstrated in the scene where he looks after her following her collapse from exhaustion. The other involves the circumstances where Matt had to leave young Mark in the saloon town for five years, and while it's justified, there is a certain amount of stigma in it.

Marilyn gets to sing four songs here, the acoustic guitar tune "One Silver Dollar" and the piano bar tune "I'm Gonna File My Claim", "Down In The Meadow", and one of the best songs she's ever sung, the title ballad. Her costumes aren't bad either, from the garish red dress she wears for the first song, the long green dress for the second tune, and the white blouse and anachronistic Levi's jeans she wears throughout the film. And this is the longest her hair has been in films, albeit it being a blonde wig, of course.

Despite the costumes, it's not a Western in the traditional sense of the word, but River Of No Return pales to others in the genre it's purported to be because it's more drama than action. Granted, this is not one of Marilyn's best films, nor is it that of Robert Mitchum's, Rory Calhoun's, or director Otto Preminger for that matter. Monroe would have to wait until The Seven Year Itch for her next biggest hit. However, both Mitchum and Monroe come off well despite the latter's dismissal of it.

Some of MARILYN'S best acting!! And MITCHUM's superb!
Marilyn doesn't play a dolly-girl in this film. She plays a very human female who has seen hardships and goes through many in the film, and takes it like a toughened woman. I've never seen her quite like this in any of her other films. I love all of her films, but this is a stand-out and unique. I wouldn't rate it as one of her best films, but she IS super in it. It's a Level 2 Marilyn film, not quite up there with How to Marry a Millionaire and The Seven Year Itch, but still pretty darn good!
Robert Mitchum is, as always, superb, and there is a good chemistry between the two. A definite must on DVD for any Marilyn fan. If only somewhat interested get the VHS, but Marilyn fans and Western fans will want the Widescreen DVD.

Revenge and Redemption on a Raging River.
The movie: This is an entertaining movie. Although there are some minor flaws and improbabilities in the script, the film is an exciting blend of action and drama, as Marilyn tries to convince a vengeance-driven Mitchum to spare her boyfriend's life. Marilyn has 4 or 5 songs in the movie, and shows some real talent. This does not detract from the realism of the story, either, because her character plays songs for a living. The ending leaves something to be desired, however, because it never answers a question that the film has set up about Mitchum's character. Still, the movie is fun to watch, and the two leads keep things interesting.

The DVD: This is the perfect DVD to use with a home theater. It has surround sound (the best I've encountered), and a whopping 2.55:1 widescreen transfer. (In case you didn't know, that means that the widescreen picture is 2.55 times wider than it is high.) The film has panoramic shots of some genuinely breathtaking locations. Perhaps the DVD's biggest fault is the way that the restoration inexplicably CUTS OUT whenever there is a fade-out or fade-in! You'll be watching a scene, and then suddenly, without warning, the restoration will blink out, leaving you with a washed-out-looking unrestored image. Then the picture will fade out, and you will see a fade-in on a new unrestored scene. About 1 or 2 seconds after this fade-in, the screen will blink, and the picture will look pretty good again. This is awkward, and interrupts the flow of the movie. I can't believe that the manufacturer is unable to fix those brief segments.

Overall, this is a fun piece of 1950s Americana. "River of No Return" is far better than 90 percent of the new movies being made today, and I recommend it. ... Read more

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