The Bishop murder case 1930 - A very satisfying Philo Vance entry

IMDB link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0020695/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1
IMDB rating: 6,0

Directors: David Burton, Nick Grinde
Main Cast: Basil Rathbone, Leila Hyams, Roland Young, Alec B. Francis, George F. Marion

"Nine years before stepping into the role of Sherlock Holmes, Basil Rathbone essayed the character of S.S. Van Dyne's dilettante detective Philo Vance in The Bishop Murder Case. While the film is more of interest for curiosity value, it's not a bad detective movie. A large part of what is wrong with it is related to when it was made; in 1930, films were still trying to come to grips with sound. Like many other films from the era, Bishop is quite static - and the sound is so poor that the dialogue is frequently incomprehensible. It also suffers from 'acting schizophrenia', also not uncommon for the time, in which part of the cast is fairly comfortable with dialogue-centered acting, while another part is still acting as if in front of a silent camera. Fortunately, star Basil Rathbone belongs in the former category (as does the estimable Roland Young). Both turn in very good performances, Rathbone's of a quality that makes one wish he had been given the opportunity to make more Philo Vance films. With an imaginative use of 'natural' sound in the exterior scenes, The Bishop Murder Case is ultimately laid low by its molasses-slow pacing, though things become moderately exciting when the heroine is kidnapped in the last reel. The basic story of Bishop is quite solid and the screenplay is pretty good, but the direction is terribly sluggish. Nonetheless, fans of the detective genre - or of Rathbone - should definitely check this one out." - http://www.allmovie.com/movie/the-bishop-murder-case-v85130/

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Sin takes a holiday 1930 - Ahead of its time for liberated thinking

IMDB link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0021377/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1
IMDB rating: 6,3

Director: Paul L. Stein
Main Cast: Constance Bennett, Kenneth MacKenna, Basil Rathbone, Zasu Pitts

"This pre-Code comedy is more interesting for its decor and reflection of the morals of the day than for its acting or story. The plot revolves around three characters, each in love with the one who isn't in love with her or him. Things work out in a way - two characters find each other and the third is left to move on. All this happens in an atmosphere of wealth, where amoral dalliance is both expected and titillating.
Gaylord (Kenneth MacKenna) quickly arranges a marriage of convenience to his secretary, Sylvia (Constance Bennett) to avoid the advances of his socialite friend, Grace (Rita le Roy). Gaylord draws up a 1 year contract with Sylvia so that there is an understanding about how they can both behave and he encourages her to travel to France and do her own thing. However, after spending time in France with Reggie (Basil Rathbone), Sylvia returns to Gaylord to ask what he truly feels....
In this film no-one is correct - everyone behaves atrociously. The men are ultimately revealed as cads or blind to their actions while the women are calculating and far more deliberate and nasty in their actions. It's interesting to watch to see who Sylvia will end up with - she ain't no angel - don't be fooled by her apparent innocence. She's just as much of a bitch as Grace as her behaviour demonstrates. We have a confrontation at the end between all the characters involved which is what we have been anticipating and the dialogue is very entertaining.
In real life Kenneth MacKenna was married to Kay Francis for about 3-4 years in the early 30s (they were divorced in early 1934). He preferred being behind the camera directing rather than out in front, so that explains his disappearance from film acting after 1933."

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Son of Frankenstein 1939 - 'He does things for me!'

IMDB link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0031951/?ref_=nv_sr_1
IMDB rating: 7,2

Director: Rowland V. Lee
Main Cast: Boris Karloff, Basil Rathbone, Bela Lugosi, Lionel Atwill, Josephine Hutchinson

"Son of Frankenstein is unusual because it maintains its quality despite being the third film in a series, and despite a change in directors. While Roland V. Lee was hardly in the league of predecessor James Whale, he was an above average director who could do good work with the proper material and resources. Here he has a strong story, fine inherited production motifs, and an excellent cast that includes Basil Rathbone, Bela Lugosi, Lionel Atwill, Josephine Hutchinson, and Boris Karloff, in his final movie performance as the Monster. The film established several motifs that would later be used in similar films - for example, the initially uninterested son who gradually becomes obsessed with the work of his mad-scientist father. Mel Brooks fans will instantly recognize the story line of Young Frankenstein (1974), which borrowed several other bits of this film, including a delightful satire of Atwill's stiff-armed performance. Son of Frankenstein is a step down from the expressionistic heights of Whale's Frankenstein and The Bride of Frankenstein, but the step is not so great as to leave the film without its own substantial merits." - http://www.allmovie.com/movie/son-of-frankenstein-v45612/

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If I were king 1938 - The mesmerizing screen team of Colman & Rathbone

IMDB link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0030265/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1
IMDB rating: 7,4

Director: Frank Lloyd
Main Cast: Ronald Colman, Basil Rathbone, Frances Dee, Ellen Drew, Henry Wilcoxon

"If I Were King is a delightful costume adventure tale set in 14th century France, during the reign of Louis XI, and inspired by the legend of the rebel poet François Villon, whose exploits were filmed earlier as The Beloved Rogue (1927) with John Barrymore, and later transformed into the musical The Vagabond King on Broadway and onscreen.
A rousing, thoroughly enjoyable adventure film, If I Were King plays fast and loose with historical fact and truth, but it's so entertaining that few people are likely to care. The basic premise - that Louis XI would appoint a rag-tag poet as king for a week - is pure fiction, but it's the kind of high concept that, when it works, pays off with big dividend, and it certainly works here. Credit for this must be spread around, starting with Preston Sturges and Brandon Fleming's delightful, quick-witted screenplay. Sparkling dialogue flows like French champagne, especially when Ronald Colman and Basil Rathbone have the chance to tear up the screen together, and the script contains plenty of action and drama, as well as ample opportunity for opulence. Director Frank Lloyd takes shrewd advantage of all these elements, never letting the opulence outweigh dramatic necessity, and balancing the humor with moments of genuine emotion. The cast is also first-rate, with top honors going to Colman and Rathbone. Colman is the anchor that holds the film together, and he delivers a captivating, immensely appealing performance that is invaluable. Yet Rathbone, almost unrecognizable beneath a heavy makeup job, still manages to upstage the star, creating one of the most delightfully evil villains the screen has ever known. King is a marvelous film, swashbuckling adventure at its best." - http://www.allmovie.com/movie/if-i-were-king-v96239/

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(avi, 980 MB):

http://u7231061.letitbit.net/download/34598911/17763.15d3e1840948f6be01c923f1e108/If_I_Were_King.1938_filmadventure.org.avi.html

The dawn patrol 1938 - They roared through the dawn... with death on their wings

IMDB link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0030044/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1
IMDB rating: 7,7

Director: Edmund Goulding
Main Cast: Errol Flynn, Basil Rathbone, David Niven, Donald Crisp, Barry Fitzgerald

"The Dawn Patrol is a good example of how a remake can improve on the original version. John Monk Saunders's Oscar-winning story provides a solid basis for the efforts of screenwriters Seton Miller and Dan Totheroh. Though director Edmund Goulding stays safely within the guidelines of the war genre, Dawn Patrol shows the varying attitudes of the aviators toward combat, and particularly toward enemy pilots. Complementing the material is a star-laden cast led by the charismatic team of Errol Flynn and Basil Rathbone, and featuring solid supporting work from David Niven, Donald Crisp, and Melville Cooper. Brought to the screen with Warner Bros.' customary high production values, Dawn Patrol provides an excellent showcase for its stars, representing another winning entry in Goulding's prolific career." - http://www.allmovie.com/movie/the-dawn-patrol-v12575/

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The adventures of Robin Hood 1938 - Errol Flynn is the ultimate hero of Sherwood forests

IMDB link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0029843/
IMDB rating: 8,0

Directors: Michael Curtiz, William Keighley
Main Cast: Errol Flynn, Olivia de Havilland, Basil Rathbone, Claude Rains, Patric Knowles, Eugene Pallette

"The adventures of Robin Hood is one of the screen's greatest adventure films and an excellent example of how the studio system's production-by-committee method could create synergistically what, in that era, likely could not have been created by any single force. The hero behind the camera is co-director Michael Curtiz, who was installed by the corporate chiefs at Warner Bros. midway through production. Curtiz had little to do, though, with the impeccably selected cast. Errol Flynn may not have been the studio's first choice, but he is the screen's greatest Robin Hood. Among the film's many pleasures, you can watch for the meticulous attention to detail that was a hallmark of Curtiz's work. Incidentally, if you're wondering how the special effects were done on the split arrow stunt, there were no special effects. The astonishing shot was performed by professional archer Howard Hill who needed only one take.
James Cagney was originally announced for the role of Robin Hood, just before Cagney left Warner Bros. in a salary dispute. William Keighley was the original director, but he worked too slowly to suit the tight production schedule and was replaced by Curtiz (both men receive screen credit). A lengthy opening jousting sequence was shot but removed from the final print; portions of this sequence show up as stock footage in the 1957 Warners film The story of mankind. The chestnut-colored Palomino horse ridden by Olivia de Havilland in the Sherwood Forest scenes later gained screen stardom as Roy Rogers' Trigger."

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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/

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Captain Blood 1935 - The film that transformed the 26-year-old Errol Flynn into a star

IMDB link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0026174/
IMDB rating: 7,8

Director: Michael Curtiz
Main Cast: Errol Flynn, Olivia de Havilland, Lionel Atwill, Basil Rathbone

"Captain Blood adapted from the novel by Rafael Sabatini, is typical of the better-grade Warner Bros. efforts of the mid-1930s, combining first-rate production values with heavy-duty star power. Directed by Michael Curtiz with his usual economical style and talent for staging complex sequences, the film is among the best of the adventure films of its era, if at times too talkative for a film with only formulaic things to say. The United States was still suffering from the Great Depression in 1935, and films like Captain Blood provided audiences with inexpensive relief from the struggles of the era: the hero is handsome, the beautiful maiden is appealing, good triumphs over evil, and there's a happy ending, all to the stirring music of Erich Wolfgang Korngold
When British actor Robert Donat dropped out of Warner Bros. Captain Blood, the studio took a chance on its new contractee, Tasmania-born Errol Flynn.
The film also represented the cinematic debut of composer Korngold, who wasn't completely happy with his hastily written score and asked that his on-screen credit be diminished to 'musical director'." - http://www.allmovie.com/movie/captain-blood-v8083

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A tale of two cities 1935 - A stepping stone for Selznick to Gone with the wind

IMDB link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0027075/
IMDB rating: 7,9

Director: Jack Conway
Main Cast: Ronald Colman, Elizabeth Allan, Edna May Oliver, Reginald Owen, Basil Rathbone

"A tale of two cities is well remembered for its rich production values and the charismatic performance of Ronald Colman as the dissipated lawyer drawn to a cause greater than his personal problems. Jack Conway's directing work is solid, but he was pretty much the hired hand of producer David O. Selznick, who was largely responsible for the film's artistic vision. Selznick had the best of MGM's production team, including composer Herbert Stothart, art director Cedric Gibbons, sound engineer Douglas Shearer, and film editor Conrad Nervig. The result is a first-rate example of the production quality typical of big-budget Hollywood studio films of the mid-1930s, particularly the ones from MGM. Surprisingly, the film received only two Academy Award nominations, for Best Picture and Best Film Editing, as MGM successfully focused its awards efforts for that year on The great Ziegfeld.
This adaptation of Charles Dickens' classic novel, set during the French Revolution, revolves around two men - English lawyer Sydney Carton and French aristocrat Charles Darnay - who share similar looks and a love for the same girl, Lucie Manette." - http://www.allmovie.com/movie/a-tale-of-two-cities-v48478

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