Anthony Adverse 1936 - A huge best-seller adapted in only 141 minutes screen time

IMDB link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0027300/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1
IMDB rating: 6,6

Director: Mervyn LeRoy
Main Cast: Fredric March, Olivia de Havilland, Donald Woods, Anita Louise, Edmund Gwenn, Claude Rains, Louis Hayward, Gale Sondergaard

"When David O. Selznick produced the film version of the 1000-plus page novel Gone with the Wind, he declared he could not make a film running any less than 222 minutes. When Warner Bros. adapted the even longer Hervey Allen best-seller Anthony Adverse, the studio managed to pack everything - except the most censorable passages, which had made Allen's novel a best-seller in the first place - into 141 minutes. Surprisingly, the film version of Anthony Adverse moves rather smoothly, though it is nowhere near as involving (or as much fun) as Gone with the Wind.
Anthony Adverse is a handsomely made film, albeit one with considerably less passion than its best-selling source novel merits. Despite a talented cast, the acting is uniformly sterile and the story is ploddingly presented in by-the-numbers fashion. What shines through is Anton Grot's elegant production design and the fine orchestral score of Erich Wolfgang Korngold. The usually superb Fredric March can only be as good as the formulaic script allows him to be. The film attempts to cram too many incidents into too little story space and offers only expurgated versions of what occurs in the richly structured novel. The result is a story that is more of a highlight reel than a compelling dramatic narrative. Nonetheless, the film has compensating virtues and represents a step forward on the road toward the more compelling epic storytelling of Gone With the Wind. The geographically diverse 19th century settings are generously re-created, and Tony Gaudio's cinematography effectively alters the atmosphere as needed. Anthony Adverse received seven Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture, winning four awards, including for Gaudio's cinematography, Korngold's score, and Gale Sondergaard's supporting performance (the first ever in that category)." - http://www.allmovie.com/movie/anthony-adverse-v2606/

Download links:

(rar, 1 GB, English audio with French hardsubs):

http://rapidgator.net/file/f2a3c3f3ed58f35f4c2b0dfa028510e2

Things to come 1936 - An early science fiction example

IMDB link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0028358/?ref_=nv_sr_1
IMDB rating: 6,8

Director: William Cameron Menzies
Main Cast: Raymond Massey, Edward Chapman, Ralph Richardson, Margaretta Scott, Cedric Hardwicke, Ann Todd

"This early sci-fi masterwork by Herbert George Wells with music by Arthur Bliss is a powerful piece of film-making. Adapted from Wells' somewhat different work by the author, it presents a look at the human future with the subject of periods of war as versus periods of 'peace'. The structure is that after a contrasted-pair of episodes of normalcy and gathering clouds of war, the script allows the war to happen. Two families, the Cabells and the Passworthys disagree about what may happen; Passworthy takes a hopeful view of civilization's 'automatic' progress; Cabell is the thinker, the doubter. The climax of the plot is the firing of the space gun successfully; the denouement and ending is a speech by Cabell praising worth and science that is universally considered to be the most profound defense of the mind ever penned. 'It is all the universe - or nothing!' Cabell tells Passworthy. 'Which shall it be?' As Cabell, Raymond Massey gives perhaps his greatest screen performance; he is thoughtful, compassionate, and reasonable, a true scientist. As the rabble-rouser who wants to end the Age of Science, Cedric Hardwicke is perfect and powerful. Edward Chapman playing Passworthy does admirably impersonating the voice of convention and fear. The storyline is logical, frequently beautiful and always interesting. Given the near-extinction of mankind, the idea of a civilization run by rebuilder scientists is rendered plausible and credible to the viewer. This is a triumph for the director, William Cameron Menzies, for Bliss and for all concerned."

DVD links:

Romeo and Juliet 1936 - Stars who could overcome their ages

IMDB link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0028203/?ref_=nv_sr_4
IMDB rating: 6,8

Director: George Cukor
Main Cast: Leslie Howard, Norma Shearer, John Barrymore, Edna May Oliver, Basil Rathbone, C. Aubrey Smith

"William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, the classic story of two doomed lovers from rival clans, was a favorite subject of filmmakers throughout the 20th century, with more than a dozen different feature versions. One of the best was MGM's big-budget, glossy production of 1936, overseen by George Cukor, one of Hollywood's most respected directors. It was a pet project of producer Irving Thalberg, who cast his wife, Norma Shearer, as Juliet. Shearer, then 32, was too old for the part, as was 43-year-old Leslie Howard as Romeo (just two years later, he would play a crusty middle-aged professor in Pygmalion). Fredric March, Robert Donat, and Robert Montgomery reportedly all turned down the starring role before it was offered to Howard. But Howard and Shearer used mesmerizing acting to try to overcome the age problem, and Shearer was nominated for an Oscar, as was Basil Rathbone as Tybalt. John Barrymore also steals scenes with a riveting performance as Mercutio. Romeo and Juliet was also nominated for an Oscar as Best Picture, losing to The Great Ziegfeld." - http://www.allmovie.com/movie/romeo-and-juliet-v42026/

DVD links:

The milky way 1936 - A brilliant Harold Lloyd movie

IMDB link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0027969/?ref_=fn_al_tt_2
IMDB rating: 6,8

Director: Leo McCarey
Main Cast: Harold Lloyd, Adolphe Menjou, Verree Teasdale, Helen Mack, William Gargan

"One of the funniest, most sharply paced comedies of the 1930s, and perhaps the best of all of Harold Lloyd's talkies, The Milky Way was based on the Broadway play by Lynn Root and Harry Clork.
Directed by Leo McCarey and produced by and starring Harold Lloyd, The Milky Way is one of the most finely etched and precisely paced comedic romps ever to grace the screen, and a dazzling showcase not only for Lloyd, but also for the entire cast. Naturally, he is the star and the main spark plug for the film, but Veree Teasdale as Ann Westly, Gabby Sloan's smart, long-suffering fiancée, steals most of the scenes that she's in with a wisecracking gem of a performance, like Eve Arden with a sharper edge; Adolphe Menjou's Gabby Sloan is a manic whirlwind of neurotic tics and apoplexy-in-the-making; William Gargan and Lionel Stander as the middle-weight champion and his stooge make a boundlessly funny dumb-and-dumber duo (Stander was so good in the part of the stooge that he repeated it in the Danny Kaye remake The Kid From Brooklyn a decade later); finally, Helen Mack and Dorothy Wilson are refreshing and delightful as two young women who are smarter than most of the men around them and not afraid to show it. The screenplay, by Frank R. Butler, Richard Connell, and Grover Jones, is a marvel of verbal and physical humor in perfect balance, while McCarey pulls it all together seamlessly as a vehicle for Lloyd's eager-beaver, go-getter screen persona.
The Milky Way wasn't a huge success when it was originally released, but over the decades it has retained its comedic edge and its charm where many other celebrated comedies of the period have faded - and today, along with The Freshman, Safety Last, and Mad Wednesday, it's essential viewing for anyone who wants to appreciate Harold Lloyd's work, and for any fan of classic screen comedy." - http://www.allmovie.com/movie/the-milky-way-v32684/

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Intermezzo 1936 - A star-making performance for Bergman

IMDB link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0027796/?ref_=fn_al_tt_3
IMDB rating: 6,9

Director: Gustaf Molander
Main Cast: Ingrid Bergman, Gösta Ekman, Inga Tidblad

"The Swedish Intermezzo was the film that brought Ingrid Bergman to the attention of Hollywood. Bergman plays a fresh-faced music student who falls in love with Gosta Ekman, a very-much-married violin virtuoso. Ekman leaves his wife to live with Bergman and to tour with her on the concert circuit. His daughter's near-fatal accident awakens Ekman to his familial responsibilities. Streamlined from 88 minutes to 70, the plot of Intermezzo was transferred intact to the 1939 American version of the same name, which served as Bergman's Hollywood debut." - http://www.allmovie.com/movie/intermezzo-v25074

DVD links:

Three smart girls 1936 - Deanna's debut feature

Barbara Read, Deanna Durbin and Nan Grey

IMDB link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0028373/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1
IMDB rating: 6,9

Director: Henry Koster
Main Cast: Barbara Read, Deanna Durbin, Nan Grey, Binnie Barnes, Charles Winninger, Alice Brady, Ray Milland

"A mere footnote to most modern day viewers, in her day Deanna Durbin was a tremendously popular star, whose appeal is often credited with pulling Universal out of a sea of red ink. Her debut feature, Three Smart Girls, established her as a cute, wholesome teen-ager who also happens to have a truly impressive operatic voice. Durbin was never an especially imposing actress, but rarely was she asked to be. Girls certainly doesn't tax her, but it does showcase her very engaging personality and presents a lightweight story that makes up in charm what it lacks in significance (or believability). Henry Koster directs in a fluid, easygoing style that makes the material seem simple rather than simplistic, and there's a genial air to the whole enterprise which is hard to resist. Durbin is in very good voice, with a marvelous 'My Heart is Singing' and a stunning 'Il Bacio'. She is well supported by Nan Grey and Barbara Read - they have a rapport makes them credible as sisters - and Charles Winninger, Alice Brady and Binnie Barnes are all in good form. A delightful film, Girls has aged much better than many other family-themed films from the same era." - http://www.allmovie.com/movie/three-smart-girls-v113605/

DVD links:

The great Ziegfeld 1936 - The greatest showman

IMDB link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0027698/?ref_=nv_sr_1
IMDB rating: 6,9

Director: Robert Z. Leonard
Main Cast: William Powell, Myrna Loy, Luise Rainer, Frank Morgan, Fanny Brice, Virginia Bruce, Reginald Owen, Ray Bolger

"The Great Ziegfeld manages to combine an interesting story with spectacular production numbers, something that MGM musicals of the early sound era achieved on only an occasional basis. William Powell is fine as Florenz Ziegfeld, but it is Best Actress Oscar winner Louise Rainer who shines as Anna Held. Among the film's several pleasures are seeing real-life performers from the Ziegfeld era playing themselves, particularly Fanny Brice, later immortalized by Barbra Streisand in Funny Girl. Despite its 176-minute running time, The Great Ziegfeld maintains interest between its superb musical production numbers." - http://www.allmovie.com/movie/the-great-ziegfeld-v20813/

DVD links:

The trail of the lonesome pine 1936 - A tear-jerker with fine performances

IMDB link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0028401/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1
IMDB rating: 6,9

Director: Henry Hathaway
Main Cast: Sylvia Sidney, Fred MacMurray, Henry Fonda, Nigel Bruce, Beulah Bondi

"Paramount's first outdoor Technicolor feature, Trail of the Lonesome Pine was the third film version of John Fox Jr.'s novel. Inspired by the Hatfield-McCoy feud, the story is set in the Blue Ridge mountains of Virginia.
Pine is a somewhat dated but still enjoyable backwoods melodrama. Still, the basic conflict definitely has power, there's plenty of 'down home' atmosphere to add flavor to the story, and individual moments pack a great deal of power. The beautiful Technicolor lensing may have a few flaws, but overall, the color and photography create a visual feast. Sylvia Sidney's delectable looks are a feast unto themselves; if her performance is occasionally shrill, it's still effective. Even better are Fred MacMurray and Henry Fonda, both of whom were pretty boyish at the time but deliver performances that are man-sized in their power and presence. Fonda, in particular, makes the most of his dramatic moments, partially because his role is a bit showier than MacMurray's. Of the supporting cast, Beulah Bondi is all stubborn pride and strength, Nigel Bruce is gruffly appealing, and Spanky McFarland makes the tear-jerking climax work well." - http://www.allmovie.com/movie/the-trail-of-the-lonesome-pine-v114282/

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Poppy 1936 - Another W. C. Fields comedy classic

IMDB link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0028120/?ref_=fn_al_tt_3
IMDB rating: 6,9

Director: A. Edward Sutherland
Main Cast: W. C. Fields, Rochelle Hudson, Richard Cromwell, Catherine Doucet

"Poppy is the film version of the Dorothy Donnelly musical comedy which made W.C. Fields a Broadway star back in 1923 (an earlier, less-faithful version, also starring Fields and retitled Sally of the Sawdust, was directed by D. W. Griffith in 1926). Finishing Poppy on schedule was quite a trial for W.C. Fields, who, in addition to breaking a vertebra while filming a chase sequence, further damaged his spine in a household accident. As a result, he could barely stand up during shooting, and many of his scenes had to be completed by a stunt double. One would never know that Fields was in excruciating pain throughout the film, however: Comedy-wise, he's at the top of his form, especially when he sells a 'talking dog' to a gullible rube and finagles a free lunch from an equally dense hot-dog vendor. Poppy is also the film in which Fields imparts a sage bit of advice to his screen daughter: 'Never give a sucker an even break'." - http://www.allmovie.com/movie/poppy-v106376

DVD links:

The charge of the light brigade 1936 - Fictional version of historical charge

IMDB link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0027438/?ref_=nv_sr_1
IMDB rating: 7,2

Director: Michael Curtiz
Main Cast: Errol Flynn, Olivia de Havilland, Patrick Knowles, Henry Stephenson, Nigel Bruce, Donald Crisp, David Niven

"The film that cemented Errol Flynn's reputation as the most dashing leading man in Hollywood, The Charge of the Light Brigade is a notoriously inaccurate recounting of a key battle in the Crimean War. It's very loosely based on the famous poem by Alfred Lord Tennyson that recounts the battle of Balaclava, in which Russian resisters swamped the British. It depicts the charge as the outcome of an old grudge against an Indian leader who has joined the Russians. Most of the film takes place in India and involves a battle for the affections of a character played by Olivia De Havilland. An extremely popular and successful film, this 1936 Hollywood production was directed by the famed Michael Curtiz, whose second wife married Flynn. A sweeping and monumental piece of entertainment despite its inaccuracies, this Charge of the Light Brigade was superior to a 1968 British version.
Animal lovers be warned, however: several horses were killed during the climactic charge, a fact that compelled Hollywood (under the auspices of the ASPCA) to install safer and more stringent standards concerning the treatment of animals." - http://www.allmovie.com/movie/the-charge-of-the-light-brigade-v8927/

DVD links:

Rembrandt 1936 - A portrait of a genius - by a genius

IMDB link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0028167/?ref_=fn_al_tt_3
IMDB rating: 7,1

Director: Alexander Korda
Main Cast: Charles Laughton, Gertrude Lawrence, Elsa Lanchester

"Looking uncannily like the real artist, Charles Laughton makes Rembrandt a memorable motion picture experience. Not that the film is without other assets. The script is literate (a bit too much so in places, bogging down in dialogue when it needs to soar a bit more), although it follows the grand cinema tradition of taking dramatic license with historical fact. And while it is hardly more than a series of vignettes, it does provide Laughton with the requisite big scenes and chances for character delineation. Director Alexander Korda and his cinematographers also do a fine job of giving the film a visual texture that is reminiscent of Rembrandt's work. And the supporting cast, especially marvelous Elsa Lanchester and the rarely-seen (on film) Gertrude Lawrence, are a definite plus. Still, the film rises or falls upon Laughton, and he is up to everything that is required of him. The tortured soulfulness that is underlie so much of Laughton's work - that feeling that there's an angel caught inside a monster's form - is given greater rein here. Laughton also perfectly captures the stubbornness (or determination, depending upon one's point of view), temperament, scorn and tenderness, and he takes full advantage of such showcase pieces as the declamations on the wonder of love and on the foolishness of humans that frame the film. Although the film could have used a more cohesive script, Laughton's performance alone makes it a not-to-be-missed classic." - http://www.allmovie.com/movie/rembrandt-v40892/

DVD links:

The man who could work miracles 1936 - A parable on power and human conditions

IMDB link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0029201/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1
IMDB rating: 7,2

Director: Lothar Mendes
Main Cast: Roland Young, Ralph Richardson, Edward Chapman, Joan Gardner

"The Man Who Could Work Miracles is a cheerful excursion into somewhat whimsical science fiction - 'somewhat' because it is more the treatment than the subject matter itself that is whimsical. Indeed, the basic messages behind Miracles are familiar ones of H.G. Wells: that mankind must find some way to end its obsession with wars and pointless aggression, that the differences between people make it impossible for one point of view to always prevail, and that absolute power by itself cannot bring about a utopia. But director Lothar Mendes treats most of this with a very light touch, helping to keep some of the preachiness at bay and therefore rendering it all the more effective. The plot itself is rather delightful and the screenplay has a number of inventive elements, starting with the trio of gods that open the film. Miracles also benefits from the performance of Roland Young in the title role, who is perfect as the non-descript, average "little" man suddenly elevated to heights of unimaginable power. What may be a surprise to modern audiences is how well the special effects have held up. While not on par with today's computer-generated work, they are still quite impressive and add considerably to film's impact." - http://www.allmovie.com/movie/the-man-who-could-work-miracles-v31099/

DVD links:

San Francisco 1936 - A major Hollywood spectacle from the 30's

IMDB link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0028216/?ref_=nv_sr_1
IMDB rating: 7,4

Director: W. S. Van Dyke
Main Cast: Clark Gable, Jeanette MacDonald, Spencer Tracy, Jack Holt, Shirley Ross

"San Francisco had removed Miss MacDonald from the wooden Nelson Eddy and right into the arms of Clark Gable, with Spencer Tracy as her guardian angel, of sorts, to boot. MGM had assigned the dependable W.S. Van Dyke to direct this the company's second blockbuster of 1936. Nominated for both The Great Ziegfeld and San Francisco, Van Dyke ended up competing against himself at the Academy Awards, eventually losing to Frank Capra (Mr. Deeds Goes to Town). Perhaps that was fair enough. If Mr. Deeds stands as a testament to Capra's genius (and writer Robert Riskin's), both San Francisco and The Great Ziegfeld remain crowning achievements of the studio system, MGM-style. Quite a few writers worked on the screenplay to San Francisco, including Herman J. Mankiewicz and Anita Loos, but only the latter earned an onscreen credit. While Van Dyke obviously stood for the major portion of the direction, everyone from special effects designer James Basevi to, reportedly, D.W. Griffith had a hand in there, the latter often credited with helming MacDonald's rousing pre-earthquake rendition of Gus Kahn, Bronislau Kaper, and Walter Jurman's famous title song. Had there been an award for Best Special Effects in 1936, Basevi would almost certainly have won, San Francisco's earthshaking tremors remain far more effective than such later 'spectacles' as Earthquake (1974), Panavision and Sensurround notwithstanding. Then again, maybe not -  nominated for Academy Awards in four categories, San Francisco lost in all of them, including Spencer Tracy as Best Actor, an honor which instead went to Paul Muni of The Story of Louis Pasteur." - http://www.allmovie.com/movie/san-francisco-v42760/

DVD links:

The story of Louis Pasteur 1936 - More fiction than fact

IMDB link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0028313/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1
IMDB rating: 7,4

Director: William Dieterle
Main Cast: Paul Muni, Josephine Hutchinson, Anita Louise, Donald Woods

"Although there's a bit of fiction in The Story of Louis Pasteur, on the whole this is one of the more factually based of Hollywood's legendary biopics. Some incidents have been altered, others invented, and of course a great deal of telescoping of time has been employed, but Pasteur is still a valuable history lesson. Of much more importance, it's a thoroughly engaging dramatic experience, with a solid script that is filled with excitement, power, and suspense. True, some of the moments are a bit contrived, but one is more than willing to buy them for the payoff they bring. One of the more interesting aspects of the screenplay is that it doesn't spend much time bothering with Pasteur's early days. By the time we meet him, he has already created the process of pasteurization (which, ironically, he is probably most famous for among members of modern audiences), and the film concerns itself with his campaign for proper sterilization of medical equipment and for cures for anthrax and rabies. It sounds dry, but it's presented in a fascinating and involving manner by director William Dieterle, who also keeps things going at a rapid clip and doesn't let the film ever get bogged down. Pasteur's biggest asset, however, is its Academy Award-winning performance by the magnificent Paul Muni. It's a wonderful achievement, a flashy yet nuanced turn that brings life and vitality to the film while finding plenty of time for quiet, reflective moments. Muni finds a great foil in Fritz Leiber's perfectly played antagonist and gets beautiful support from Josephine Hutchinson." - http://www.allmovie.com/movie/the-story-of-louis-pasteur-v47092/

Download links (Youtube with Spanish hardsubs):

Theodora goes wild 1936 - The turning point in Irene Dunne's career

IMDB link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0028355/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1
IMDB rating: 7,4

Director: Richard Boleslawski
Main Cast: Irene Dunne, Melvyn Douglas, Thomas Mitchell

"If Theodora Goes Wild falls just a little bit short of being a truly classic screwball comedy (like Bringing Up Baby or My Man Godfrey), it's certainly not for want of trying on the part of the actress assaying the title role. Recognizing her chance to break out in new directions, Irene Dunne grabs Theodora (the part and the movie) and runs with them for all they're worth. It's a delicious, irresistible star turn by a delicious, irresistible star, and the joy, the skill, and the humor that Dunne brings to the film make up for any of its deficiencies. There are a few problems, however, but most notably that the film is never as wild as its title indicates - and as its setup dictates it must be. It's not the fault of the extremely well-structured screenplay (although it could stand a few more laughs here and there) so much as it is of director Richard Boleslawsky, whose work is good but not as sharp and pointed as is needed to make a perfect screwball comedy. Fortunately, Dunne and the rest of the cast are so good that most viewers won't notice, let alone care, about this. Melvyn Douglas is the perfect partner for Dunne, Thurston Hall is blustery fun, and Spring Byington is dead-on as the town gossip. All in all, Theodora is enormously entertaining." - http://www.allmovie.com/movie/theodora-goes-wild-v113178/

DVD links:

Our relations 1936 - What's better than Laurel and Hardy? Two of them!

IMDB link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0028070/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1
IMDB rating: 7,5

Director: Harry Lachman
Main Cast: Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy, Alan Hale, Sidney Toler

"Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy are two solid citizens, happily married and highly respected in their community. One morning, Hardy receives a letter from his mother, containing an old photo of himself and Laurel with their twin brothers, Alf Laurel and Bert Hardy. Mamma also reveals that Alf and Bert turned out to be 'bad lads' and ran off to sea, and that reportedly they'd been hanged for taking part in a mutiny. 'Isn't that calamitous!' remarks Hardy, who conspires with Laurel to hide the facts about their no-good brothers from their wives. Meanwhile, in another part of town, the S.S. Periwinkle pulls into port. Among the crew members are the selfsame Alf and Bert, who have decided to entrust their pal Fin (James Finlayson) with their month's salary. Fin has promised to invest the dough so that the boys will become millionaires 'before you can say Jack Robinson'. Alf and Bert are then summoned to the cabin of their captain (Sidney Toler), who orders them to pick up a valuable package for him, then meet him later at Denker's Beer Garden. While waiting for the captain at Denker's, Alf and Bert are captivated by a pair of waterfront floozies, Alice (Iris Adrian) and Lily (Lona Andre). Talked into buying the girls a huge meal for which they haven't the necessary funds, Alf and Bert decide to go back to Fin and reclaim their money, leaving the contents of the captain's package-a valuable pearl ring-with tough waiter Joe Groagan (Alan Hale) as security. Later, Laurel and Hardy take their wives Betty (Betty Healy) and Daphne (Daphne Pollard) to lunch-and, inevitably, they end up at Denker's Beer Garden, where the equally inevitable mix-ups begin to occur. Things snowball from bad to worse before both sets of twins, an angry captain, a disgruntled Fin, the wives, the floozies, a genial drunk (Arthur Housman) and a brace of smooth gangsters (Ralf Harolde and Noel Madison) all converge at the upscale Pirate Club. Several slapstick complications later, Laurel and Hardy are captured by the gangsters, who threaten to dump the boys in the river with their feet encased in cement if they don't cough up the pearl ring. Alf and Bert come to the rescue, and all is well, at least until the film's boffo punchline." - http://www.allmovie.com/movie/our-relations-v36771

DVD links:

The prisoner of Shark Island 1936 - "Your name is mud!"

IMDB link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0028141/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1
IMDB rating: 7,4

Director: John Ford
Main Cast: Warner Baxter, Gloria Stuart

"The team of director John Ford, screenwriter Nunnally Johnson, and producer Darryl F. Zanuck was best remembered for its work on the classic The Grapes of Wrath (1940). Four years earlier, the same three men crafted the excellent The Prisoner of Shark Island (1936), memorable as Ford's only foray into docudrama. While much of the depiction of Dr. Samuel Mudd (Warner Baxter)'s relationship with his crusading wife (Gloria Stuart) was probably invention, the adherence to a mostly accurate historical viewpoint was unusual for Ford. The director's most successful forays into historical storytelling, such as Young Mr. Lincoln (1939) and My Darling Clementine (1946), liberally blended fact with fiction in films that bore little resemblance to reality. The Prisoner of Shark Island was the first of three Hollywood efforts to exonerate Mudd, the Maryland physician who was probably falsely accused of participating in the conspiracy to assassinate Abraham Lincoln in 1865; the other films were Hellgate (1952) and, for television, The Ordeal of Dr. Mudd (1980). In real life, Mudd earned an 1869 pardon from his valiant efforts to save fellow prisoners and captors during a yellow fever epidemic at the remote island fort in the Dry Tortugas where he was in captivity. However, Mudd, whose name gave birth to the insulting expression, 'your name is mud', was not pardoned for the crime he allegedly committed until nearly a hundred years after his death. That pardon owed no small debt to the trio of popular films that uniformly depicted him as an innocent victim of justice gone wrong." - http://www.allmovie.com/movie/the-prisoner-of-shark-island-v106712/

Download links:

The Prisoner of Shark Island by crazedigitalmovies

Le roman d'un tricheur (Confessions of a cheat) 1936 - A very charming movie from Guitry

IMDB link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0028201/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1
IMDB rating: 7,8

Director: Sacha Guitry
Main Cast: Sacha Guitry, Marguerite Moreno, Jacqueline Delubac

"The Story of a Cheat (Le Roman d'un Tricheur) is widely regarded as one of French writer/director Sacha Guitry's best and most personal films. Guitry himself stars as a charismatic cardsharp who survives solely through the auspices of Lady Luck. The story is told almost completely in pantomime; the only voice heard is the narrator's (Guitry, but of course). Among the film's many highlights is the opening sequence, in which the young Guitry misbehaves and is banned from a family picnic - where his parents and siblings all die from eating toadstools. This segues into a side-splitting 'black' gag in which an exhausted priest huffs and puffs as he tries to keep pace with the long line of coffins! It has sometimes been suggested that Sacha Guitry was telling his own life story in Story of a Cheat, equating the ins and outs of the film industry with the chicanery of the cardsharp." - http://www.allmovie.com/movie/le-roman-dun-tricheur-v111840

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(rar, 728 MB):

http://depositfiles.com/files/rdsdcib16

Or:

(avi, 700 MB):

https://mega.co.nz/#!B9EzGZyL!EZ3vJCAWUFHiXEERlM7YUGODbEA1fHpR-JzKoq0iChs

subtitle:
https://mega.co.nz/#!QsUz0RRQ!dk4Uz0z9jg7-oN4CxUjb4lLpd3BsbIjExMv1MJNixWo

Gion no shimai (Sisters of Gion) 1936 - An early Mizoguchi masterpiece

IMDB link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0027672/?ref_=fn_al_tt_2
IMDB rating: 7,7

Director: Kenji Mizoguchi
Main Cast: Isuzu Yamada, Yoko Umemura, Benkei Shiganoya, Eitaro Shindo

"Along with Osaka Elegy (1936), Sisters of the Gion is widely considered one of Kenji Mizoguchi's finest prewar films. The movie takes a realistic look at the life of a geisha in Kyoto's Gion district. Omocha is a geisha with 'modern girl' sensibilities; she resents the way that men callously treat women, and she is inclined to ignore the traditions and expectations of her profession. She sets out to beat men at their own game, jumping from patron to patron (a no-no in the geisha business) in order to attain money, nice clothes, and fancy meals. In the process, she deceives and ruins a bumbling, though sincere, store clerk. Her sister Umekichi, on the other hand, possesses all the qualities of the legendary geisha. In spite of Omocha's mockery, she remains devoted to her bankrupt former patron. Eventually, the wronged store clerk exacts revenge against Omocha, landing her in the hospital, while Umekichi's patron abandons her, returning to his wife.
As in much of his oeuvre, Mizoguchi shows a deep sensitivity towards the plight of women in society and, as in much of his postwar work, he emphasizes the inevitability of fate. Neither Omocha's guile nor Umekichi's loyalty can do much to alter their cruel predicaments; however, this acknowledgement of their fate yields little of the transcendence seen in such later films as Life of Oharu (1955)." - http://www.allmovie.com/movie/sisters-of-the-gion-v44923

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Swing time 1936 - Heavenly dancing from Astaire & Rogers

IMDB link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0028333/?ref_=nv_sr_1
IMDB rating: 7,7

Director: George Stevens
Main Cast: Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, Victor Moore, Helen Broderick, Betty Furness

"Perhaps the perfect example of the Fred Astaire-Ginger Rogers appeal, Swing Time is a charming romantic-fantasy that's almost impossible to resist when its musical set pieces are in motion. The plot, however minimal, only distracts from the classic melodies and entertaining dance sequences. Directed by the venerable George Stevens, Swing Time was the fifth Astaire-Rogers film, and came out during the peak of their popularity; it's of a piece with the duo's other successes, and in fact markedly resembles their earlier hit, 1935's Top Hat. Perhaps the most cherished dance number is "Bojangles of Harlem," during which Astaire dances with shadows and pays tribute to famous dancer Bill Robinson. The Jerome Kern-Dorothy Fields score also includes such standards-to-be as 'Pick Yourself Up', 'A Fine Romance', 'The Way You Look Tonight', and 'Never Gonna Dance. The peerless supporting cast of Swing Time includes Helen Broderick, Victor Moore, Eric Blore, and Landers Stevens, the actor-father of the film's director, George Stevens." - http://www.allmovie.com/movie/swing-time-v48170/

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