The heiress 1949 - Olivia de Havilland's Oscar-winning performance

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IMDB rating: 8,2

Director: William Wyler
Main Cast: Olivia de Havilland, Montgomery Clift, Ralph Richardson, Miriam Hopkins

"Henry James based his 1881 novella Washington Square on a real-life incident, wherein a young actor of his acquaintance married an unattractive but very wealthy young woman for the express purpose of living the rest of his life in luxury. Washington Square was turned into a stage play in 1946 by Ruth and Augustus Goetz; this, in turn was adapted for the movies under the title The Heiress. Olivia DeHavilland won an Academy Award (her second) for her portrayal of Catherine Sloper, the plain-Jane daughter of wealthy widower Dr. Austin Sloper (Ralph Richardson). Catherine is not only unattractive, but lacks most of the social graces, thanks in great part to the domineering attitudes of her father. When Catherine falls in love with handsome young Morris Townsend (Montgomery Clift), she is convinced that her love is reciprocated, else why would Morris be so affectionate towards her? Dr. Sloper sees things differently, correctly perceiving that Morris is a callow fortune hunter. Standing up to her father for the first time in her life, Catherine insists that she will elope with Morris; but when Dr. Sloper threatens to cut off her dowry, Morris disappears. Still, Catherine threatens to run off with the next young man who pays any attention to her; Sloper, belatedly realizing how much he has hurt his only child, arranges to leave her his entire fortune. Years pass: Morris returns, insisting that he'd only left because he didn't want to cause Catherine the 'grief' of being disinherited. Seemingly touched by Morris' 'sincerity', Catherine agrees to elope with him immediately. But when Morris arrives at the appointed hour, he finds the door locked and bolted. Asked how she can treat Morris so cruelly, Catherine replies coldly 'Yes, I can be very cruel. I have been taught by masters'. Though The Heiress ends on a downbeat note, the audience is gratified to know that Catherine Sloper has matured from ugly-duckling loser to a tower of strength who will never allow herself to be manipulated by anyone ever again. World War II had forever changed the role of women in U.S. society, and The Heiress, in the guise of a period drama, carried the theme of women's increasing power in the postwar years. This is just one of several films from the era that were thus both excellent dramas and interesting allegories. " - www.allmovie.com

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The four feathers 1939 - 'When war was war and men were men!'

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IMDB rating: 7,7

Director: Zoltan Korda
Main Cast: John Clements, Ralph Richardson, C. Aubrey Smith, June Duprez

"This was the first sound production of A.E.W. Mason's classic adventure novel, which was brought to the screen three times in the silent era. Zoltan Korda's 1938 The Four Feathers was the last and best traditional patriotic film of the pre-World War II era. The movie benefited from glorious Technicolor photography and unique location shooting: Korda and his second unit crew, under Osmond H. Borradaile, not only shot the action scenes where the battles really took place but also included among the extras people who'd actually seen the fighting (and participated in it) 45 years earlier. Coupled with Korda's skills as an action director (he'd been a cavalry officer, and he knew how to move men and their mounts quickly and to good effect), the result was a movie that captured the imagination of the public on the eve of World War II with its vision of self-sacrifice and gallantry. The movie is a reminder of a time when it was possible to believe that armies could liberate peoples from tyranny, and that the use of force could be a good thing. The film is not unquestioning in this belief, as attested by its brutally humorous treatment of the aging general played by Sir C. Aubrey Smith ('Those were the days when war was war, and men were men'), but ultimately it comes down on the side of action as opposed to inaction. Korda's and Borradaile's African footage was so good that it has been reused in dozens of other movies (including remakes of this one).
The Four Feathers was a great critical and commercial success and received an Academy Award nomination for Best Cinematography.
Follow That Camel, by the British Carry On company, was a direct and savage satire of The Four Feathers." - www.allmovie.com

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The citadel 1938 - A superior look at the medical profession

IMDB link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0029995/?ref_=nv_sr_1
IMDB rating: 7,3

Director: King Vidor
Main Cast: Robert Donat, Rosalind Russell, Ralph Richardson, Rex Harrison

"Although made in 1938, The Citadel remains a powerful, haunting and rewarding drama. True, time has lessened its impact somewhat, as modern viewers have likely been exposed to other films that traffic in Citadel's general theme of the power of wealth to corrupt the spirit - and even other films that also specifically deal with this theme as it applies to those in the field of medicine. Nevertheless, Citadel still seems fresh, and the care with which it has been made ensures that it retains a great deal of impact. Credit goes to any number of people, starting with the team of screenwriters who did a skillful job of adapting A.J. Cronin's novel; the screenplay is by necessity less complex than the novel, but it is highly effective and affecting. King Vidor also deserves applause for his sensitive yet powerful direction; Vidor examines humanity in both its glory and its shame, reveling in the former and expressing sadness and regret rather than condemnation for the latter. Finally, there's the expert cast, with Rex Harrison and Ralph Richardson turning in sterling support for stars Rosalind Russell and Robert Donat. Russell is surprisingly good, her 'American-ness' not getting in the way as much as one might think; she delivers a finely nuanced performance that is a small gem. And Robert Donat delivers a carefully wrought performance that is a large treasure, calling upon all of his considerable talents and detailing a character whose changes are made true and easily believable. His climactic speech is everything one could wish for and more. Add in some lovely Harry Stradling camerawork, and the result is a fine, stirring classic." - http://www.allmovie.com/movie/the-citadel-v9728/

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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."

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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/

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