Tom Sawyer 1930 - One of the best adaptations of the Twain novel

IMDB link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0021483/?ref_=fn_al_tt_7
IMDB rating: 6,7

Director: John Cromwell
Main Cast: Jackie Coogan, Mitzi Green, Junior Durkin, Lucien Littlefield, Jane Darwell

"Mark Twain's wistful yet cantankerous stories of the Mississippi River adventures of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn were perfect subjects for Depression-era America, with their focus on the fading golden age of small-town America. The homespun 1930 MGM adaptation filmed by John Cromwell remains the best movie version of the Sawyer story. Twain's humor and boldness are little muted by a production that remains faithful to the original while downplaying the story's more satirical aspects. Famous child star Jackie Coogan headed a cast which included Junior Durkin as Huck and Mitzi Green as Becky. The two stars paired up again the following year for a Paramount adaptation of Huckleberry Finn." - http://www.allmovie.com/movie/tom-sawyer-v50314/

Download links:

The prisoner of Zenda 1937 - Romance and adventure to thrill you!

IMDB link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0029442/?ref_=nv_sr_1
IMDB rating: 7,8

Directors: John Cromwell, George Cukor, W. S. Van Dyke
Main Cast: Ronald Colman, Madeleine Carroll, C. Aubrey Smith, Raymond Massey, Mary Astor, David Niven, Douglas Fairbanks Jr.

"One of Hollywood's most entertaining adventure stories of any era is a triumph of swashbuckling swordplay, careful direction, and reliably professional acting. Ronald Colman and Douglas Fairbanks Jr. are at their best in this David O. Selznick production of Arthur Hope's classic novel about a British commoner on holiday in Ruritania who poses as his cousin, the king, in order to thwart a plot by rebels against the monarchy. Costuming, photography, and sword-fight choreography are all top-notch under the direction of John Cromwell. Hope's story had been filmed twice before during the silent era, in 1913 and 1922, and there would be two later versions; but critics agree that this is the best rendering." - http://www.allmovie.com/movie/the-prisoner-of-zenda-v39281/

DVD links (with the 1952 version):

Of human bondage 1934 - A tragic tale of love and rejection

IMDB link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0025586/?ref_=nv_sr_1
IMDB ratings: 7,3

Director: John Cromwell
Main Cast: Bette Davis, Leslie Howard, Frances Dee, Reginald Denny

"Based upon the W. Somerset Maugham's novel of the same name, this is one of the most acclaimed dramas of its period, the RKO-produced film put Bette Davis on the map and also added to Leslie Howard's formidable reputation. When Warner Bros. made its version of the story in 1946, however, the studio is reputed to have ordered the destruction of the original master elements of the RKO version; ironically, neither that remake, nor a later 1964 version came up to the standard achieved by the director or cast in the original, dramatically or cinematically.
As to this version, it flows better dramatically than just about any dramatic film of its era, the director moving us effortlessly into the tormented psyche of Leslie Howard's Philip Carey, a sensitive and highly cerebral medical student who is all-but-destroyed by his obsession with the slutty waitress Mildred (Bette Davis) - the camera conducts us through what amount to internal visual dialogues within Carey, without ever breaking the forward momentum of the plot or the rhythm and intensity of the performances; it does drag a bit in the middle, but overall Cromwell's use of close-ups, dissolves, montage, and sound edits was about as good as movies got in 1934, and it all holds up remarkably well 60 years later - certainly better than either of the later versions. By contrast, Davis' performance now seems mostly rooted in her mannerisms and Cockney accent, though she does undergo a hideous physical transformation in the course of the story, and when viewed in the context of the movie and the era, definitely represented a minor milestone in her career.
The industry buzz in 1934 indicated that Bette Davis was a shoe-in for an Academy Award for her savage portrayal of Mildred, but her home studio Warner Bros. failed to mount an adequate publicity campaign on Davis' behalf, allegedly because she'd made the film on loan-out to RKO and Warners wasn't about to heap praise upon a rival. It is now generally conceded that Davis' Oscar win for 1935's Dangerous was consolation for her losing the statuette in 1934." - http://www.allmovie.com/movie/of-human-bondage-v35970

Download links: