Paisan

Paisan (1946) starring Carmela Sazio, Gar Moore, Bill Tubbs, Harriet White, Maria Michi. Directed by Roberto Rossellini. This movie is one of Rossellini's neorealist films, which takes a look at conditions in Italy near the end of World War II. In this case, he looks at the Allied invasion of Italy, starting in Sicily and working its way up the peninsula. His object is to illustrate the problems that were caused when the liberators (mostly Americans who spoke only English) were unable to communicate effectively with the Italians they were liberating. My problem with this film is mainly that when the Americans spoke, their English was not subtitled, and I could rarely understand what they were saying. So I missed out on a large part of the movie. Nevertheless, there was enough that I could understand that I was able to get the gist of most of the scenes, and I really felt that this film had a lot to say. It's an episodic movie, told in six parts, and each part takes place a little further north in Italy. Some of the episodes were better than others, but in general they were very well done. The film is mostly in Italian, with English subtitles. Grade: A- 

The Hound of the Baskervilles

The Hound of the Baskervilles (1939) starring Basil Rathbone, Nigel Bruce, Richard Greene, Wendy Barrie, Lionel Atwill, John Carradine. Sherlock Holmes (Rathbone) investigates a murder on the moor. When an old family legend is revealed (the Hound of the Baskervilles), Holmes is not fooled, and uses his deductive powers to catch the murderer. It's a very atmospheric movie, with lots of mist and howling by the hound. Oddly enough, Rathbone has little actual screen time. Mostly Holmes is in London while Watson (Bruce) is on the moor acting as his eyes and ears. This is not a great film, but is notable for being the first pairing of Rathbone and Bruce as Holmes and Watson in a Sherlock Holmes mystery. (Subtitles in English are available, but not closed captions.) Grade: B  

Pollyanna

Pollyanna (1960) starring Hayley Mills, Jane Wyman, Richard Egan, Karl Malden, Nancy Olson. A young orphan named Pollyanna (Mills) arrives in town to live with her Aunt Polly (Wyman). Although the town is divided and contentious, Pollyanna gradually wins them over with her optimistic "glad girl" philosophy of always finding something in any situation to be glad about. When tragedy befalls Pollyanna, the people of the town rally round her and lift her spirits. This is a good Disney movie, suitable for family viewing. (Subtitles in English are available on the disc, as well as closed captions.) Grade: B+     

Love Finds Andy Hardy

Love Finds Andy Hardy (1938) starring Lewis Stone, Mickey Rooney, Judy Garland. In a throwback to a more innocent time, Andy Hardy (Rooney) finds himself in a pickle -- he has two dates to the big Christmas dance. In the final reel, it's girl-next-door Betsy (Garland) who steps in and saves the day. Judy performs three songs, and is charming as heck in this movie made the year before The Wizard of Oz. Also featured is Lana Turner as one of the girls whom Andy has invited to the dance. Although some might find this movie corny, I found it lighthearted and somewhat charming. Even Mickey Rooney wasn't too terribly irritating. (Subtitles in English are available, as well as closed captions.) Grade: B+ 

Treasure Island

Treasure Island (1950) starring Bobby Driscoll, Robert Newton, Basil Sydney, Walter Fitzgerald. Disney takes a shot at the Robert Louis Stevenson classic, turning it into a pretty good family entertainment -- probably enjoyed most by young boys. In 1765, young Jim Hawkins (Driscoll) is recruited to be cabin boy on a voyage in search of buried treasure. The cook on the voyage is Long John Silver (Newton), who turns out to be capable of both loyalty and treachery. Many dramatic events take place on the voyage, most of them faithful to the book. Only the ending is changed drastically, but not badly enough to ruin the movie. This is one Disney movie that has aged well. (The English subtitles supplied on the disc are quite good, and closed captions are also available.) Grade: B

The Third Man

The Third Man (1949) starring Orson Welles, Joseph Cotten, Valli, Trevor Howard. American writer Holly Martins (Cotten) arrives in Vienna to meet his friend Harry Lime (Welles) only to find that Lime has been killed in a traffic accident. Martins smells something fishy about Lime's "death," and decides to stay on in Vienna and find out what's going on. This is one of the better movies I've seen lately, full of iconic imagery and carried along by a fast-moving plot. Based on a novel by Graham Greene, adapted for the screen by Greene. (The furnished subtitles are at times hard to read. Closed captions are not available.) Grade: A

A Tale of Two Cities

A Tale of Two Cities (1935) starring Ronald Colman, Elizabeth Allan, Edna May Oliver, Reginald Owen, Basil Rathbone. Dickens' sweeping tale of the French Revolution and its impact on England is brought to the screen. Colman plays an alcoholic English lawyer who is drinking his life away, but finds that his love of a woman (Allan) causes him to commit a noble act on behalf of an innocent French aristocrat. (Subtitles are not included, but closed captions save the day -- again.) Grade: A-

Shall We Dance

Shall We Dance (1937) starring Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers. American Pete Peters (Astaire), who goes by the ballet stage name of Petrov, falls in love with jazz dancer Linda Keene (Rogers) during a trans-Atlantic crossing. Naturally, Peters and Keene end up dancing with each other, and even go so far as to get married. The music for this movie is by George and Ira Gershwin, and there are some standards here, including "They Can't Take That Away from Me." Overall, this film is lightweight piffle, but it's good quality piffle. Subtitles in English are available on the disc, as well as closed captions. Grade: B

The Seventh Seal

The Seventh Seal (1957) starring Max von Sydow, Gunnar Bjornstrand, Nils Poppe. Directed by Ingmar Bergman. A knight (von Sydow) and his squire, returning from the Crusades, come back to a land infested with the Black Plague. Death comes for the knight, but the knight talks him into playing chess for his life -- and the lives of his companions. The movie is a strong meditation on the meaning of life and death, although I must confess I was less impressed than most critics seem to be. The film is in Swedish, with English subtitles. Grade: A-

Sense and Sensibility

Sense and Sensibility (1995) starring Emma Thompson, Alan Rickman, Kate Winslet, Hugh Grant. When the Dashwood family are thrown on their own by the death of a patriarch, they are forced to subsist on 500 pounds a year. They must leave their grand house and move into a "cottage" on a relative's land. In the manner of all movies based on Jane Austen novels, there is romance, though it is frequently unspoken; and there is always the consideration of property and inheritance, both of which favor men over women. The acting is fine throughout this film, and although some might call it a chick flick, I found it to be profoundly enjoyable and satisfying. The disc offers both subtitles for the hearing impaired and closed captions. Grade: A

Forbidden Planet (DVD)

Forbidden Planet (1956) starring Walter Pidgeon, Anne Francis, Leslie Nielsen, Robby the Robot. In the 23rd century, an advanced spaceship arrives on Altair IV to investigate the disappearance of a ship that landed there earlier. The commander of the ship (Nielsen) encounters the one survivor of the earlier voyage, Dr. Morbius (Pidgeon), and his daughter Alta (Francis). There are strange forces at work on the planet, and the visiting spacemen must investigate. Morbius reveals that an ancient race known as the Krell once occupied Altair IV, and rose to great heights. But there is also a sinister, invisible monster which stalks the crew of the spaceship. This must have been quite the sensation in 1956, but today it comes off as crude special effects, bogus reasoning and a weak script. Kind of fun to watch, but not a great movie. The subtitles are good. Grade: B-

Pride and Prejudice (DVD)

Pride and Prejudice (1940) starring Laurence Olivier, Greer Garson. Olivier plays Mr. Darcy and Garson plays Elizabeth Bennet in this adaptation of Jane Austen's novel about social mores in the early 1800s in England. The five Bennet sisters -- and their mother -- are all aflutter when Mr. Bingham and Mr. Darcy, two very eligible bachelors, arrive in town. But Mr. Darcy gets off on the wrong foot with Elizabeth, and it will take the entire movie for things to be put right. Although this film was made 70 years ago, it holds up rather well. The English subtitles are very good. Grade: B+

Oliver Twist (DVD)

Oliver Twist (1948) starring Alec Guinness, Robert Newton, John Howard Davies, Kay Walsh, Francis L. Sullivan, Anthony Newley. Directed by David Lean. The Charles Dickens story gets the movie treatment, with young Davies in the title role. Orphan Oliver Twist, born and raised in a workhouse for the destitute, is apprenticed at age 9 to an undertaker. He soon finds himself in trouble at his new post, however, and runs away to London. There he meets up with the Artful Dodger (Newley), who introduces him to the despicable Fagin (Guinness, with a big fake nose). Complications ensue, as those familiar with Dickens can imagine. All ends well, of course. The subtitles are a little hard to find, but adequate. Grade: B+

Great Expectations (DVD)

Great Expectations (1946) starring John Mills, Valerie Hobson, Bernard Miles, Francis L. Sullivan, Alec Guinness, Jean Simmons. Directed by David Lean. The novel by Charles Dickens becomes a movie, and a grand one at that. I confess that I have not read the book, but I get the sense that this is a pretty faithful adaptation -- and that a lot has been left out, of necessity. The film seems a bit dated by now -- it's in black and white, and the actors are for the most part unfamiliar. But it's still a good entertainment, and worth spending an evening with. Simmons, who recently died, appears as the young Estella. The subtitles are hard to find, but they are quite adequate. Grade: B

My Darling Clementine (DVD)

My Darling Clementine (1946) starring Henry Fonda, Linda Darnell, Victor Mature, Walter Brennan, Cathy Downs. Directed by John Ford. Classic Western has Wyatt Earp (Fonda) and Doc Holliday (Mature) facing off against the Clanton gang, climaxing in the gunfight at the O.K. Corral. Downs plays Clementine, the young woman who travels from Boston to Tombstone to find Doc Holliday, whom she loves. This movie is a little rough around the edges, but it's an American gem nonetheless. The subtitles are very good -- although they don't include the songs. Grade: A-

Mutiny on the Bounty (DVD)

Mutiny on the Bounty (1935) starring Charles Laughton, Clark Gable, Franchot Tone. Laughton is the tyrannical Capt. Bligh, and Gable plays Fletcher Christian, leader of the mutiny against him. The movie is set in 1787, and it's as interesting for historical details as for the mutiny plot. The script is very good, and Laughton makes a suitably despicable and sadistic Bligh. It's shocking at the beginning of the film to see a press gang (led by Gable) grab men out of a pub and send them off for two years at sea! The ship's visit to Tahiti is memorable. The actual mutiny takes place 90 minutes into the movie, which is a bit excessive. The film won the Oscar for Best Picture. The subtitles are just adequate. Grade: B+

Horse Feathers (DVD)

Horse Feathers (1932) starring the Marx Brothers, Thelma Todd, David Landau. Professor Wagstaff (Groucho) somehow gets himself appointed president of Huxley College, and soon he is involved in scheming involving the upcoming football game against Darwin College. Groucho, Chico and Harpo are in fine form, and Zeppo serves his usual function as wet blanket. Expect the customary Marx Brothers wackiness, and all I can say is, it's good for what ails you. This movie also has the rare virtue of being very short; at 68 minutes, it leaves you wanting more. The subtitles are very good, and a great help in several spots where the soundtrack of this 1932 film is not in such great shape. Grade: A-

Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (DVD)

Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (1936) starring Gary Cooper, Jean Arthur. Directed by Frank Capra. Cooper plays Longfellow Deeds, a young small-town man who inherits $20 million and confounds the big-city folk by wanting to give it all away to needy people. Arthur plays Babe Bennett, the hard-boiled reporter who wants to get the scoop on Deeds -- and, of course, falls for him. It's an American classic. The subtitles -- yellow with a black outline -- are perfect for a black-and-white film. Grade: A-