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Showing posts with label richard boleslawski. Show all posts
Showing posts with label richard boleslawski. Show all posts

Saturday, April 28, 2012

Rasputin and the empress 1932 - The three fabulous Barrymores together


IMDB Link
IMDB rating: 6,7


Director: Richard Boleslawski
Main Cast: John Barrymore, Ethel Barrymore, Lionel Barrymore, Ralph Morgan, Diana Wynyard




"It's hard to separate fact and fancy from the many accounts of what happened on the set when all three of the fabulous Barrymores - Ethel, John and Lionel - appeared together for the only time in Rasputin and the Empress. As for the end result, John offers the subtlest (!) performance as Russian Prince Paul Chegodieff; Lionel throws all caution to the four winds in the role of 'Mad Monk' Rasputin; and Ethel comes off as rather artificial as Empress Alexandra (Ethel was more appealing in her character roles of the 1940s and 1950s). When seen today, Rasputin and the Empress seems rather choppy in spots, with isolated lines of dialogue and sometimes whole scenes completely missing. This is due to a million-dollar lawsuit brought against MGM by Prince Yusupov, the man who really engineered Rasputin's assassination. The Prince wasn't offended by being depicted as a murderer, but he was distressed when MGM suggested that his wife had been raped by Rasputin. As a result, Rasputin and the Empress was withdrawn from distribution, and all prints were later bowdlerized when released to television. Also as a result, all future Hollywood films were obliged to carry the 'Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental' disclaimer." - www.allmovie.com

DVD links:


Monday, January 23, 2012

Les miserables 1935 - A lavish adaptation of Hugo's oft-filmed novel


IMDB link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0026725/
IMDB rating: 7,7


Director: Richard Boleslawski
Main Cast: Fredric March, Charles Laughton, Cedric Hardwicke, Rochelle Hudson, Florence Eldridge, John Beal, Frances Drake



"Les miserables is one of literature's most durable stories, and this 1935 Hollywood studio effort is one of the best of the numerous English-language film versions, featuring Fredric March and Charles Laughton at the height of their powers. Their battle of wills gives the film its emotional texture. Perhaps more than any other actor who has played Inspector Javert, Laughton captures the insanity of a person who holds concrete values even as those beliefs become a barrier to the happiness of both himself and others. Laughton's performance might be better remembered today were it not for his role as the similarly flawed Captain Bligh in Mutiny on the Boutny. Overall, Les Miserables received four Oscar nominations, winning none, and lost the Best Picture award to Bounty." - http://www.allmovie.com/movie/les-miserables-v28995

Download links:


(1GB):

http://lumfile.com/wg0g4rnl8y4s/Les35mi.part1.rar.html 
http://lumfile.com/i13b7hi27vlx/Les35mi.part2.rar.html