Double indemnity 1944 - The definitive American film noir

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IMDB rating: 8,5

Director: Billy Wilder
Main Cast: Barbara Stanwyck, Fred McMurray, Edward G. Robinson

"Directed by Billy Wilder and adapted from a James M. Cain novel by Wilder and Raymond Chandler, Double Indemnity represents the high-water mark of 1940s film noir urban crime dramas in which a greedy, weak man is seduced and trapped by a cold, evil woman amidst the dark shadows and Expressionist lighting of modern cities. The idiosyncratically attractive Stanwyck, generally thought of as pretty but hardly a bombshell, was rarely as sexy as she was as Phyllis Dietrichson, and never as sleazy; Phyllis knows how to use her allure to twist men around her little finger, and from the moment Walter Neff lays eyes on her, he's taken a sharp turn down the Wrong Path, as Phyllis oozes erotic attraction at its least wholesome. While MacMurray was best known as a 'nice guy' leading man (an image that stuck with him to the end of his career), he was capable of much more, and he gave perhaps the finest performance of his life as Walter Neff, a sharp-talking wise guy who loses himself to weak, murderous corruption when he finds his Achilles Heel in the brassy blonde Phyllis. (MacMurray's only role that rivalled it was as the heartless Mr. Sheldrake in The Apartment, also directed by Wilder.) And, while they followed the Hays Code to the letter, Wilder and Chandler packed this story with seething sexual tension; Neff's morbid fascination with Phyllis's ankle bracelet is as brazenly fetishistic as 1940s filmmaking got. Double Indemnity was not a film designed to make evil seem attractive - but it's sure a lot of fun to watch. Double Indemnity ranks with the classics of mainstream Hollywood movie-making." - www.allmovie.com

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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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Alice Adams 1935 - Hepburn as Tarkington's loveliest heroine

IMDB link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0026056/?ref_=nv_sr_1
IMDB rating: 7,1

Director: George Stevens
Main Cast: Katharine Hepburn, Fred MacMurray, Fred Stone, Evelyn Venable, Hedda Hopper, Hattie McDaniel

"Alice Adams does a credible job of transferring Booth Tarkington's popular Pulitzer Prize-winning novel to the screen, even if it adds a happier ending than the one in the book. A significant part of the credit belongs to director George Stevens, who keeps the film briskly paced without sacrificing character development and atmosphere. Filmed during the Great Depression, Alice Adams takes a satirical view of the 1920s, reminding 1935 audiences of some of the shallowness of those 'better days'. Hepburn's performance dominates the film, and the supporting cast functions mostly as props, though Fred MacMurray, Hepburn's nominal co-lead, manages to shine in moments. The film received two Oscar nominations, for Best Picture and for Hepburn's performance. Alice Adams was the first major directorial assignment for George Stevens, as well as one of the few Katharine Hepburn vehicles of the 1930s to score a hit with the public." - http://www.allmovie.com/movie/alice-adams-v1471/

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