Witness for the prosecution 1957 - A courtroom drama with suprise twists and shocking climax

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IMDB Rating: 8,5

Director: Billy Wilder
Main Cast: Tyrone Power, Marlene Dietrich, Charles Laughton, Elsa Lanchester

"Witness for the Prosecution is multi-faceted director Billy Wilder's stab at the courtroom genre, and he handles it with aplomb. Reworking Agatha Christie's stage play, based on Christie's own short story, Wilder retools the play in order to develop a humorous subtext in the interplay between the physically fragile defense attorney (Charles Laughton) and his overbearing but well-meaning nurse (real-life wife Elsa Lanchester). Laughton and Lanchaster have great chemistry and give fully realized performances that transcend the limitations of the genre. Wilder also jiggers Marlene Dietrich's role, wife of the accused, to make use of moments from her personal life, particularly the wonderful "Berlin cabaret" flashback sequence. The twists and turns of the plot are allowed to emerge unobtrusively in this methodically paced drama, and while the finale stretches credulity in order to circumvent the inevitable Production Code restrictions, Wilder's film is a completely satisfying experience anchored by a handful of memorable performances, including the last in Tyrone Power's illustrious career.
A delicious Billy Wilder mixture of humor, intrigue and melodrama, Witness for the Prosecution is distinguished by its hand-picked supporting cast: John Williams as the police inspector, Henry Daniell as Robards' law partner, Una O'Connor as the murder victim's stone-deaf maid, Torin Thatcher as the prosecutor, Ruta Lee as a sobbing courtroom spectator, and Elsa Lanchester as Robards' ever-chipper nurse (a role especially written for the film, so that Lanchester could look after Laughton on the set).
The movie was nominated for six Academy Awards, but ran up against David Lean's The Bridge on the River Kwai juggernaut, and was shut out." - www.allmovie.com

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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

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Jesse James 1939 - A highly romanticized account of the infamous criminal

IMDB link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0031507/?ref_=fn_al_tt_5
IMDB rating: 7,1

Director: Henry King
Main Cast: Tyrone Power, Henry Fonda, Nancy Kelly, Randolph Scott, Henry Hull, Brian Donlevy, John Carradine, Jane Darwell

"Historians will shudder at Jesse James, a biopic which is much more interested in the legend of the famous outlaw than in the facts, but viewers looking only for entertainment will be quite happy with this rip-roaring adventure tale. While the story has been whitewashed, credit should be given to the creators of Jesse for at least not making the title character as pure as the driven snow. Though the motivation they have devised for his first forays into crime make him out to be something of an avenging angel, as time goes on they show that greed does enter into his continued career. Still, with matinee idol Tyrone Power playing the part, there's only a certain amount of 'sullying' that can come into play. Power does very well with the part, turning in a powerful performance that anchors the film and handling his dramatic scenes with aplomb. As brother Frank, Henry Fonda's role is much smaller, but he makes a terrific impact; granted, the part is written as a bit of a scene stealer, but Fonda really runs with it and his scenes are especially memorable. Nancy Kelly is only so-so, but the rest of the supporting cast is right on target. Henry King's direction is nimble and deft, staging the action sequences in glorious outsized fashion, notably the famous bank-robbery scene in which Jesse rides his horse through a plate glass window. Jesse James was filmed largely on location in Missouri, resulting in crowd-control nightmares for the picture's beleaguered assistant directors." - http://www.allmovie.com/movie/jesse-james-v26071/

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In old Chicago 1937 - Hollywood's version of the 1871 Chicago fire

IMDB link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0029047/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1
IMDB rating: 6,9

Director: Henry King
Main Cast: Tyrone Power, Alice Faye, Don Ameche, Alice Brady, Andy Devine, Brian Donlevy, Phyllis Brooks

"In Old Chicago was 20th Century-Fox's spin on MGM's San Francisco - a personal saga played out against the backdrop of a famous 19th Century disaster. We have Tyrone Power and Brian Donlevy here as the primary antagonists who, in this case, battle to the near-death of their city. The movie benefits considerably from opulent production values and a solid supporting performance from Alice Faye as a woman who is convincingly vivacious enough to turn the heads of several key male characters; and Alice Brady adding a memorable turn as the well-intended but ill-fated Mrs. O'Leary, mother of two of the protagonists. Don Ameche also gives a rich, rounded performance as Power's straightarrow brother, and Andy Devine adds some comic grace notes while Rondo Hatton - with some lines of dialogue, no less - is hanging about in the background adding menace to the proceedings. And even several decades later, it seems as though no expense was spared on the climactic fire (a masterwork of special effects courtesy of 20th Century-Fox's Fred Sersen) or the depiction of its aftermath, which is as impressive a screen spectacle as anything seen before Gone With the Wind's burning of Atlanta." - http://www.allmovie.com/movie/in-old-chicago-v96405/

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