Gun crazy 1950 - One of the most fascinating and thought-provoking crime films of its era.

IMDB Link
IMDB rating: 7,8

Director: Joseph H. Lewis
Main Cast: Peggy Cummins, John Dall

"The definitive Joseph H. Lewis-directed melodrama, Gun Crazy is the 'Bonnie and Clyde' story retooled for the disillusioned postwar generation.
John Dall plays a timorous, emotionally disturbed World War II veteran who has had a lifelong fixation with guns. He meets a kindred spirit in carnival sharpshooter Peggy Cummins, who is equally disturbed - but a lot smarter, and hence a lot more dangerous. Beyond their physical attraction to one another, both Dall and Cummins are obsessed with firearms. They embark on a crime spree, with Cummins as the brains and Dall as the trigger man lacking the courage to kill. As they dance their last dance before dying in a hail of police bullets, the audience is half hoping that somehow they'll escape the Inevitable.
The best and most talked-about scene in Gun Crazy is the bank robbery sequence, shot in 'real time' from the back seat of Dall and Cummins' getaway car. Originally slated for Monogram release, Gun Crazy enjoyed a wider exposure when its producers, the enterprising King Brothers, chose United Artists as the distributor. The film was based on a magazine article by MacKinlay Kantor; one of the scenarists was uncredited blacklistee Dalton Trumbo." - www.allmovie.com

Download links:

(720p Blu-Ray rip, 3 GB)

http://rapidgator.net/file/a1498450d44506127cf6c6638567715a

OR:

(Blu-Ray rip, 700 MB)

http://rapidgator.net/file/3dbc8eb8d56c99ab157997b6e31e16e6

DVD links:

Goodbye Mr. Chips 1939 - Donat gives one of the best performances in movie history

IMDB Link
IMDB rating: 7,7

Director: Sam Wood
Main Cast: Robert Donat, Greer Garson, Terry Kilburn, John Mills, Paul Henreid

"Goodbye, Mr. Chips (based on James Hilton's novel) is another classic from 1939, featuring a performance by Robert Donat that is one of the most fondly remembered in 20th century filmmaking. A crisp and intelligent film in all aspects, it avoids the maudlin sentimentality that often hinders films of this sort. It has held a continuing influence on filmmakers - for example, both Dead Poets Society and Mr. Holland's Opus would seem to be direct spiritual descendants. The film is at its most powerful when evoking an appealing view of the past, when manners and honor were primary values, and when spending one's life in service to others was a noble art. Donat was the recipient of a Best Actor Oscar for his portrayal of the title character, and the film features the debut performance of a young Greer Garson.While its two remakes have substantial merit, the original version remains the best. It may, however, be too old-fashioned to appeal to some of today's moviegoers." - www.allmovie.com

DVD links:

Rich and strange 1931 - One of Hitchcock's best early talkies

Joan Barry in Rich and Strange (1931)

IMDB Link
IMDB rating: 6,0

Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Main Cast: Henry Kendall, Joan Barry, Percy Marmont, Betty Amann, Elsie Randolph

"Rich and Strange is an off-beat and interesting, if not totally successful, film. Clearly, devotees of Alfred Hitchcock will take to it more than average filmgoers; the latter will probably be disappointed to discover that it is not a thriller, as they might expect from the 'Master'. But if they can get over this disappointment, they will find much to appreciate, including a story that doesn't go exactly where one expects and an odd mixture of the comic and the melodramatic. True, Hitchcock doesn't blend these two styles seamlessly, but that helps to give the film its unique impact. The film is schizophrenic in other ways, especially in its attempt to be both a silent film and a talkie, and this can be disconcerting; but it does allow the director to take advantage of the fluidity of the silent camera. (He also has a delightful time experimenting with a few new effects, such as making the words on a dinner menu fly off the page.) And the opening commuter sequence is a gem. Henry Kendall and Joan Barry are a bit wan as the leads; she in particular has a peculiar delivery, and he has several moments that grate, but they overall are adequate. Much better are Betty Amann as the gold digging princess and the wonderful Elsie Randolph, whose old lady is both annoying and strangely endearing. If the various components of Rich and Strange never really coalesce, the film is still intriguing and enjoyable.
Partly a sophisticated sex comedy, partly a grim seafaring melodrama, Rich and Strange had the negative effect of confusing the public in general and Hitchcock's fans in particular, and as a result the film, which remains one of Hitch's best early talkies, died at the box office." - www.allmovie.com

DVD links:

The bad sister 1931 - Bette Davis' film debut as the good sister

IMDB link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0021636/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1
IMDB rating: 7,2

Director: Hobart Henley
Main Cast: Conrad Nagel, Sidney Fox, Bette Davis, Humphrey Bogart, Charles Winninger, Zasu Pitts

"'Any intelligent woman could make any man fall in love with her' - No, it has nothing to do with The Bad Sister, but it was Sidney Fox's creed that she practiced. Who would have thought that in just 3 years, the quiet, dependable 'good sister' would be making Hollywood sit up and take notice while the star, the 'bad sister' who got most of the good reviews and publicity would be almost at the end of her career.
Sidney Fox had both father and son (the Laemmles) twisted around her little finger. Junior was the first to fall in love with her - he saw her in the play 'Lost Ship' in 1930 and signed her to a contract. She came to Universal with great fanfare, nothing but the best for little Sidney and The Bad Sister was a flashy debut.
Marianne (beautiful Miss Fox) is the spoiled darling of the Madison household - sleeping late, insulting the maid, Millie (Zasu Pitts) is all in a day's work for her. Being a 'little town flirt' keeps her busy as well - Wade (Bert Roach) is madly in love with her, as is Dick Lindley (Conrad Nagel) - or so he thinks! She also manages to almost lead her family to the poor house because of her extravagant ways and a father who cannot refuse her. While out with Dick, she meets Val Corliss (Humphrey Bogart) or rather 'very neatly' picks him up. She begins a flirtation with Val - but Val is different to the other boys as he is a sophisticated con man. His story goes - he is planning to build a factory on the outskirts of town and wants to bring some local businessmen into key positions. He tries to hook Marianne's father (Charles Winniger), even though he has no money, all Val wants is his name and the influence he has over the town. Strangely, he is the one man in town who is unconvinced of Val's honesty - plus he hasn't made a thorough background check of the company yet. Marianne tries to use her wiles to get her father to sign the contract but when he refuses there is a huge scene. Miss Fox pulls out all the emotional stops as she belittles him, shaming him for his honor and respectability and in the end calling him a failure - until he has a heart attack. Poor, mousey 'good sister' Laura (Bette Davis) has a secret - she is secretly in love with Dick and has written all about it in her diary. Heddie finds the diary and gives it to Dick who is then caught with it by Laura. The movie which until now has been full of small town whimsy turns dramatic as Marianne uses her father's convalescence to take a forged letter to the townsmen stating that Val's scheme is all above board. With that she elopes with Val - only to return home sadder but wiser (Val has run out on her) and also to find that Dick has realised that quiet, dependable Laura can give him true happiness and Wade is her only, still ardent beau.
Apparently Bette Davis lamented for years that she had desperately wanted to play the bad sister but at that stage (it was her first film) she didn't have the vivacity or flirtatiousness of Sidney Fox, who was ideal in the role."

Download links:

(Youtube, 7 parts)

Possessed 1931 - Mature pre-code Hollywood drama

IMDB link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0022276/?ref_=fn_tt_tt_15
IMDB rating: 6,7

Director: Clarence Brown
Main Cast: Joan Crawford, Clark Gable, Wallace Ford, Richard 'Skeets' Gallagher, Marjorie White, John Miljan

"Clarence Brown creates an effective melodrama that interestingly examines some of the social mores and topical concerns of the 1930's. The position of women in society is the key theme addressed by the competent director, with Crawford's portrayal being both realistic and touching. Crawford makes great use of the close-up to express inner thoughts and feelings, suggesting a whole range of emotions when she overhears Gable speak of his reluctance towards marriage. Crawford is the film's best asset and she does some great work here, providing the most memorable scenes in the picture.
The film's other triumph is the slick narrative economy employed by Brown. Possessed clocks in at around 73 minutes and is a very efficiently-produced film. MGM's trademark opulent production design suits the penthouse scenes well, with Crawford looking terrific in jewels and well-cut Adrian dresses. Cinematographer Oliver T. Marsh provides some inspired visual style in an early scene that sees Marian standing in awe at the luxury and splendor passing by her on the train. The juxtaposition of Marian's two lifestyles in this short sequence is a nice effect.
The film is let down by Gable's distinct blandness and an average script. Gable conspicuously lacks presence alongside Crawford in their scenes and his dialogue delivery is very wooden here but Crawford manages to cover for him in their romantic scenes, putting in a top-drawer 'cover all bases' performance.
Based on a 1920 play by Edgar Selwyn, Possessed had been filmed previously in 1924 as The Mirage, a vehicle for silent star Florence Vidor."

DVD links:

The sin of Madelon Claudet 1931 - The definitive sacrificing mother saga of the 30's

IMDB link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0022386/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1
IMDB rating: 6,8

Director: Edgar Selwyn
Main Cast: Helen Hayes, Lewis Stone, Neil Hamilton, Cliff Edwards, Jean Hersholt, Marie Prevost, Robert Young, Karen Morley, Charles Winninger

"Legend has it that Helen Hayes was somewhat embarrassed at winning an Oscar for a work as blatantly manipulative and melodramatic as The Sin of Madelon Claudet, but Hayes' performance overcomes the limitations of the material and, more importantly, even manages to elevate that material. Hayes is simply stunning, investing every moment of this sudsy tearjerker with an honesty that makes even its most stilted dialogue come alive. Her naïveté in the early segment of the film is endearing rather than cloying; it feels real rather than manufactured and, therefore, makes all the more powerful her strongly ambivalent feelings at the birth of her son. Hayes handles the transformations into each of the stages of her life with remarkable facility. In each stage she is practically a different character, yet the audience never once questions that they are all the same woman - nor questions whether one woman could exhibit so many different facets. While it's hard to see past the star performance, it must be noted that she gets some very solid support from the rest of the cast, especially from a wonderful Lewis Stone and an engaging Marie Prevost." - http://www.allmovie.com/movie/the-sin-of-madelon-claudet-v44814/

DVD links:

Mata Hari 1931 - One legend portrays another

IMDB link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0023196/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1
IMDB rating: 6,8

Director: George Fitzmaurice
Main Cast: Greta Garbo, Ramon Novarro, Lionel Barrymore, Lewis Stone, Karen Morley

"Mata Hari is the kind of experience that one can get only from motion pictures. Which isn't to say that it is a great film, mind you. The script is a lot of claptrap, for example. As expected, it is totally inaccurate as biography, but it is also excessively melodramatic and filled with dialogue that makes modern day viewers wince when they don't laugh. But it does provide a showcase for the one and only Greta Garbo, and only a motion picture could do justice to this unique talent. The filmmakers dispense with concessions to reality, creating a visual wonderland that exists solely to point up the beauty and allure of their star. William Daniels' stunningly lit cinematography, Adrian's plethora of gowns, capes and furs, and Cedric Gibbons' fanciful sets are all icing on Garbo's cake, as is leading man Ramon Novarro. His performance is perfunctory, but that's almost beside the point: he looks like the kind of man Garbo should be exchanging passionate kisses with. And Garbo makes all the trouble well worth while. She exudes that strange, indefinable attraction in every frame, somehow making even the sappiest scenes (of which there are several) palatable - and occasionally genuinely moving. As for the rest of the cast, Lionel Barrymore is decidedly over-the-top, but that's in keeping with the general 'film-ic' quality of the piece; C. Gordon Henry has some good moments; and Karen Morley is memorably feisty in her brief appearance." - http://www.allmovie.com/movie/mata-hari-v31795/

DVD links:

Romance 1930 - A romance with Garbo for all time

IMDB link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0021310/?ref_=fn_al_tt_9
IMDB rating: 6,1

Director: Clarence Brown
Main Cast: Greta Garbo, Lewis Stone, Gavin Gordon, Elliott Nugent

"Although Greta Garbo in her 17 year-long Hollywood career (1925-1941) made 7 movies with the director Clarence Brown, the ones that have remained popular till our modern era of technical effects and shallow actions are only three: Flesh and the devil (1926), Anna Christie (1930) and Ana Karenina (1935). Indeed, those movies deserve appreciation since each of them carries something special deeply associated with certain moments in both MGM's history and Garbo's career. Yet, the early talkie that Garbo made soon after her introduction to sound is almost a forgotten, yet a very beautiful movie, Romance.
It is a film loosely based on the life of the opera singer Lina Cavalieri (1874-1944), a film in which, perhaps, not much happens but it offers everything that may be considered subtle, genuine, touching and beautiful, everything that may supply us with an affectionate journey into the old days of cinema when the cast were a true elite of artists.
So this time Greta Garbo stars as an Italian singer who seduces a young priest into falling for her. She admits that she had been the kept woman of an older man and when she returns to her former lover, her visit is misinterpreted by the priest as a liaison.
Garbo was Oscar nominated for this role in 1930 along with her role of Anna Christie, but lost to Norma Shearer."

DVD links:

The unholy three 1930 - The only talkie of Chaney ('Man of a thousand faces")

IMDB link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0021505/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1
IMDB rating: 6,8

Director: Jack Conway
Main Cast: Lon Chaney, Lila Lee, Elliott Nugent

"While this 1930 sound remake of The Unholy Three is not quite up to the 1925 silent version (which also starred Lon Chaney), it is nevertheless a gripping little melodrama - and what's more, it offers the only chance to hear Chaney speak on screen. That Chaney should die so soon after the release of this film is a crime, depriving the American public of a 'second act' that could easily have been the equal of his illustrious silent-era first act. Chaney takes to the microphone like a duck to water; his performance shows a fine mastery of 'talkie' acting that combines the emotional resonance of his physicality with a sense of just how far to mute that physicality to make it palatable when combined with sound. He is a joy to watch and in enthralling from start to finish. Lila Lee is good as his love interest, and Harry Earles and Ivan Linow are appropriately creepy as the other parts of the titular trio; it must be admitted, however, that Earles' voice is irritating and often hard to understand. Unholy isn't as good as the original only because Tod Browning's nightmarishly personal vision has been replaced by Jack Conway's professional and efficient but impersonal one." - http://www.allmovie.com/movie/the-unholy-three-v51855/

DVD links:

Paid 1930 - Crawford seeking revenge but finds love

IMDB link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0021228/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1
IMDB rating: 5,7

Director: Sam Wood
Main Cast: Joan Crawford, Robert Armstrong, Marie Prevost, Douglass Montgomery

"Joan Crawford dominates the screen in tandem with Robert Armstrong in this surprisingly edgy crime-based melodrama, scripted by Charles MacArthur (and based on Bayard Veiller's stage play). There's surprising chemistry between the two in this fast-paced early talkie, which also benefits from an unusually realistic, down-scale slant on the world of criminals. Armstrong's Joe Garson is the real article when it comes to the latter, whereas Crawford's Mary Turner is a vengeful victim of the legal system - in the end they each displays a touching nobility and loyalty to each other, which helps drive the final section of the film to a powerful conclusion. Directors Sam Wood and Tod Browning end up turning in one of the more enduring dramas of the early sound era;  MGM remade this reliable property (again!) under its old title Within the Law (1939), with Ruth Hussey in the lead." - http://www.allmovie.com/movie/paid-v105382/

DVD links:

The rains came 1939 - Exotic melodrama with a great spectacle

IMDB link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0031835/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1
IMDB rating: 7,0

Director: Clarence Brown
Main Cast: Myrna Loy, Tyrone Power, George Brent, Brenda Joyce, Nigel Bruce, Maria Ouspenskaya, Joseph Schildkraut, Mary Nash, Jane Darwell

"Devotees of Louis Bromfield's novel that provides the basis for The Rains Came - even any such devotees there still are - will be disappointed by the film version of the novel, but they're likely to be the only ones. True, Rains simplifies the book in the most basic way, stripping it of its social context and commentary and leaving little more than the love story and the plot outline. But Rains works like gangbusters on film, precisely because of this treatment. Modern audiences, more accustomed to this sort of tragic romance, will perhaps find it a bit familiar, but they'll be swept up in the story and won over by the struggle of Man against Nature. They may be less won over by the casting of white-only performers in the lead Indian roles, but this was standard practice at the time. As the chief 'Indian', Tyrone Power turns in a delicious performance, the kind of movie star turn that the film requires. Even better is the delectable Myrna Loy, back in her old 'not-so-good girl' territory and having a blast, while at the same time spreading her special celluloid magic over the whole proceedings. George Brent is so-so, but young Brenda Joyce is vivaciously refreshing and old Nigel Bruce gets a chance to stretch beyond his traditional Doctor Watson persona and does so notably. There's also a nice, characterful turn from Maria Ouspenskaya as the Maharini. Clarence Brown directs with assurance and flair, and he makes the most of the earthquake/flood sequence that is the film's undeniable highlight. This is truly spectacular and impresses even today, in the world of CGI effects. Thrilling and engaging, Rains is dynamite fun." - http://www.allmovie.com/movie/the-rains-came-v107209

DVD links:

Intermezzo 1939 - Ingrid Bergman's impressive American debut

IMDB link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0031491/?ref_=nv_sr_1
IMDB rating: 6,8

Director: Gregory Ratoff
Main Cast: Leslie Howard, Ingrid Bergman, Edna Best, John Holliday, Cecil Kellaway, Ann Todd

"The film that introduced Ingrid Bergman to an adoring American public, Intermezzo is pure, old-fashioned melodrama. Were it to be attempted today, the result would be pure schmaltz, but Intermezzo succeeds because its creators seem to believe in its story, and therefore make the audience care about it too. They also know that this kind of story works best if the viewer doesn't have time to think too carefully as he or she is watching it, and so they keep it to an incredibly brief 70 minutes. Director Gregory Ratoff keeps the pacing swift and turns in some of his best work here. He is helped immeasurably, of course, by Bergman. Radiant, exuberant, and totally mesmerizing, Bergman combines stunning beauty and dramatic intelligence with an intuitive sense of 'movie star' acting, to give a performance that is a pleasure to watch. She practically glows in every scene, her joy in simply appearing onscreen coming through in every frame. Leslie Howard has a hard time keeping up with her, and on the whole, his performance is rather perfunctory; however, there is a chemistry between the two stars and that makes up for his otherwise bland portrayal. Bergman's career stalled somewhat after Intermezzo, with several films that didn't capitalize on her unique talents, but it was jump-started again in 1942 with Casablanca." - http://www.allmovie.com/movie/intermezzo-v25072/

Download links:

Dark victory 1939 - An ultimate tear-jerker with Bette's victory

IMDB link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0031210/?ref_=nv_sr_1
IMDB rating: 7,6

Director: Edmund Goulding
Main Cast: Bette Davis, George Brent, Humphrey Bogart, Geraldine Fitzgerald, Ronald Reagan

"Adapted by Casey Robinson from a short-lived Broadway play starring Tallulah Bankhead, Dark Victory (1939) is one of Bette Davis's most affecting melodramas. Davis's superb performance taps a range of emotions, as her Judith Traherne transforms from a flippant playgirl into a spiritually redeemed terminal cancer patient, complete with a multiple hankie death scene rendered all the more poignant and moving by Davis's dramatic restraint. Fresh from her Oscar for Jezebel (1938), Davis is surrounded by a sleek production worthy of wealthy Judith, including beautiful gowns and furs by Warner designer Orry-Kelly and sparkling Ernest Haller cinematography (not to mention Humphrey Bogart and Ronald Reagan as spurned admirers). Receiving rave reviews, particularly for Davis, Dark Victory became one of four 1939 Bette Davis hits, and earned Oscar nominations for Best Picture and Best Actress. Davis, however, lost to Vivien Leigh for Gone With the Wind." - http://www.allmovie.com/movie/dark-victory-v12394/

DVD links:

Stella Dallas 1937 - The complexity of maternal love

IMDB link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0029608/
IMDB rating: 7,5

Director: King Vidor
Main Cast: Barbara Stanwyck, John Boles, Anne Shirley, Barbara O'Neil, Alan Hale, Marjorie Main

"The height of multiple-hankie melodrama, King Vidor's Stella Dallas is also the most affecting screen adaptation of the Olive Higgins Prouty novel. The combined talents of Samuel Goldwyn, director King Vidor and star Barbara Stanwyck lift this property far above the level of mere soap opera. As the ultimate self-abnegating mother, Stanwyck endows her upwardly aspiring Stella with a potent mixture of crass fashion sense, hedonistic energy, self-aware pathos, and maternal love, while Anne Shirley's Laurel is visibly and poignantly torn between embarrassment and daughterly attachment. Stanwyck's dignity gives Stella's sacrifice to the class system the emotional punch that it requires, as she memorably stands outside a bay window in the rain, watching her refined daughter finally get what Stella always wanted for her. Critically praised for its superior performances, Stella Dallas garnered Stanwyck the first of her four Oscar nominations for Best Actress, as well as a Supporting Actress nomination for Shirley. Previously filmed in 1925, Stella Dallas was remade again in 1990 as the Bette Midler vehicle Stella." - http://www.allmovie.com/movie/stella-dallas-v46809

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/

Download links: