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Showing posts with label H. G. Wells. Show all posts
Showing posts with label H. G. Wells. Show all posts

Sunday, January 29, 2012

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:


Thursday, November 10, 2011

The invisible man 1933 - A new kind of horror movie with humor!


IMDB link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0024184/
IMDB rating: 7,7


Director: James Whale
Main Cast: Claude Rains, Gloria Stuart, William Harrigan



"Based on H. G. Wells' novel, James Whale's The Invisible Man was a new kind of horror movie in 1933 - one that made audiences laugh almost as much as it frightened them. Whale might simply have relied on the dazzling impact of John Fulton's special effects, which did an extraordinary job of creating the illusion of an invisible man on screen. Instead, he challenged his audience's expectations by playing many of the key scenes for laughs, such as that of the shirt dancing around the room while the police officer chases it; the scenes between the inn keeper (Forrester Harvey) and his hysterical wife (Una O'Connor); and the confusion of various characters trying to describe what they've seen (or, more properly, haven't). Wittily scripted by R.C. Sherriff and an uncredited Philip Wylie, and brilliantly directed by James Whale, The Invisible Man is a near-untoppable combination of horror and humor. Also deserving of unqualified praise are the thorouhgly convincing special effects by John P. Fulton and John Mescall. With the exception of The Invisible Man Returns, none of the sequels came anywhere close to the quality of the 1933 original. Audiences feel as though they've seen two films for the price of one, and the mixing of genres and moods worked so well that Whale was emboldened to try for even more extremes of humor, irony, and horror in his next major movie, The Bride of Frankenstein, 18 months later, and succeeded even further beyond anyone's expectations, creating that rare sequel that outstrips its predecessor. It is on that film, and The Invisible Man, that much of Whale's 70-year-plus reputation as a master filmmaker and horror creator rest, and from these two movies that dozens of modern filmmakers, from Wes Craven and Tobe Hooper to Tim Burton, derived much of the inspiration for their work and their careers." - http://www.allmovie.com/movie/the-invisible-man-v25334

DVD links:


Wednesday, November 2, 2011

Island of lost souls 1932 - A taboo-flaunting, blood-curdling spectacular


IMDB link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0024188/?ref_=nv_sr_1
IMDB rating: 7,6


Director: Erle C. Kenton
Main Cast: Charles Laughton, Richard Arlen, Leila Hyams, Bela Lugosi, Kathleen Burke



"This first film version of H.G. Wells' Island of Dr. Moreau stars Charles Laughton as Dr.Moreau, a dedicated but sadly misguided scientist who rules the roost on a remote island. The Island of Lost Souls is that rarity, a horror film from the 1930s that still seems scary. While it may seem a bit creaky by contemporary standards, the film has retained its raw power to unnerve, thanks largely to Charles Laughton, who brings a vivid, sweaty amorality to his performance that's truly disturbing; lots of mad scientists in the movies have played God, but few made it seem more morally repugnant than Laughton. Make-up man Wally Westmore's creations genuinely resemble a grotesque middle ground between humans and animals; if make-up technique has improved considerably since this film was made, the crudity of the effects actually works in this context, giving Moreau's creations a rough, unpolished quality that suits the story perfectly. And while the film is extremely modest in its onscreen violence, the offscreen mutilations are quite shocking in context; the hideously pained overheard screams of Moreau's 'manimals' (and later Moreau himself) are as chillingly effective as a hundred Tom Savini-designed limb-loppings. In its day, The Island of Lost Souls was considered a film that went too far (it was banned in England until the late 1960s), and its rough audacity gives it a power that hasn't dulled all these years later; it's inarguably superior to its latter-day remakes, both titled The Island of Dr. Moreau, after the H.G. Wells novel on which the films were based." - http://www.allmovie.com/movie/island-of-lost-souls-v25463

Download links:


(DVDrip, 613 MB):

http://www.filefactory.com/file/3jfik4895vz9

Or:

(480p BRrip, 347 MB, Password: TinyBearDs):

http://uploaded.net/file/4gbbnfpd/Islnd.Of.Lst.Sls.1932.CC.BRRip.480p.TBD.part1.rar 
http://uploaded.net/file/d2rtp7do/Islnd.Of.Lst.Sls.1932.CC.BRRip.480p.TBD.part2.rar