Grand Hotel 1932 - Garbo 'wants to be alone'

IMDB Link
IMDB rating: 7,7

Director: Edmund Goulding
Main Cast: Greta Garbo, John Barrymore, Joan Crawford, Wallace Beery, Lionel Barrymore, Lewis Stone, Jean Hersholt

"Based on Vicki Baum's novel, Grand Hotel is the prototype for the all-star ensemble film and an excellent example of the rich and glamorous escapist entertainment, often from MGM, that took on enhanced prominence during the Depression. Produced by Irving Thalberg using top-end ingredients and state-of-the-art technology, it is yet another example of MGM's dominance during the 1930s for this type of film. The plot exists merely as a device to get star faces on the screen, particularly that of Greta Garbo. Though only moderately respected by the critics, Grand Hotel has proven itself of enduring influence, both for Garbo's performance and for creating star-heavy blockbusters that peaked in the 1950s with Around the World in 80 Days. Grand Hotel won Best Picture at the 1932 Academy Awards." - www.allmovie.com

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The devil's holiday 1930 - Nancy Carroll gives the performance of her life

IMDB link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0020823/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1
IMDB rating: 6,1

Director: Edmund Goulding
Main Cast: Nancy Carroll, Phillips Holmes, James Kirkwood, Hobart Bosworth, Ned Sparks, Paul Lukas, Zasu Pitts

"Nancy Carroll brings a touch of freshness to the well-worn plot convolutions of Devil's Holiday. Ms. Carroll plays a manicurist who woos and weds wealthy Phillips Holmes. She tells herself that she harbors no mercenary notions, but when Holmes' family offers to buy her off if she'll leave, Carroll accepts the offer. The girl's basic loyalty surfaces when Holmes goes temporarily insane; Carroll reneges on her cash deal with the family and returns to her husband. Devil's Holiday is one of those class-conscious early 1930s pictures that always scored a hit with middle-class filmgoers, who liked to believe that they, too, would behave as altruistically as Nancy Carroll if given the chance." - http://www.allmovie.com/movie/the-devils-holiday-v89378

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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/

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The old maid 1939 - Davis & Hopkins: two powerhouse performances

IMDB link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0031750/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1
IMDB rating: 7,8

Director: Edmund Goulding
Main Cast: Bette Davis, Miriam Hopkins, George Brent, Donald Crisp, Jane Bryan

"One of four superior Bette Davis vehicles from 1939, The Old Maid features Davis at her embittered best as a Civil War-era spinster and mother squaring off with her selfish cousin over the child's love. Based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning Zoe Akins play from Edith Wharton's novel, Davis and co-star Miriam Hopkins's fractious off-screen relationship lent an extra dash of realism to the onscreen rivalry between Davis's wallflower Charlotte and Hopkins's flighty, conniving Delia over Charlotte's daughter by Delia's spurned suitor Clem. A victim of societal limits as well as Delia's jealousy, Charlotte's transformation into a harsh old maid to preserve illegitimate daughter Tina's reputation amply displays Davis's actorly range, from the palpable rage in her confrontations with the simperingly malicious Hopkins, to the restrained grief over her daughter's cruelty. Edmund Goulding's elegant direction keeps the Davis-Hopkins cat fight in control without losing any of the melodramatic punch, heightening the emotional payoff of the final rapprochement between mother, daughter and rival mother. Praised for its polished production and Davis's poignant, complex performance, The Old Maid became a popular hit and might have garnered Davis an Oscar nomination-but that honor came for Dark Victory (1939) instead." - http://www.allmovie.com/movie/the-old-maid-v36139/

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The dawn patrol 1938 - They roared through the dawn... with death on their wings

IMDB link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0030044/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1
IMDB rating: 7,7

Director: Edmund Goulding
Main Cast: Errol Flynn, Basil Rathbone, David Niven, Donald Crisp, Barry Fitzgerald

"The Dawn Patrol is a good example of how a remake can improve on the original version. John Monk Saunders's Oscar-winning story provides a solid basis for the efforts of screenwriters Seton Miller and Dan Totheroh. Though director Edmund Goulding stays safely within the guidelines of the war genre, Dawn Patrol shows the varying attitudes of the aviators toward combat, and particularly toward enemy pilots. Complementing the material is a star-laden cast led by the charismatic team of Errol Flynn and Basil Rathbone, and featuring solid supporting work from David Niven, Donald Crisp, and Melville Cooper. Brought to the screen with Warner Bros.' customary high production values, Dawn Patrol provides an excellent showcase for its stars, representing another winning entry in Goulding's prolific career." - http://www.allmovie.com/movie/the-dawn-patrol-v12575/

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