Old Yeller 1957 - An influential tear-jerker family movie

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IMDB Rating: 7,3

Director: Robert Stevenson
Main Cast: Dorothy McGuire, Fess Parker, Tommy Kirk, Beverly Washburn

"Old Yeller is one of the best-loved live-action features ever made by the Walt Disney Company. Unabashedly weepy, the film is genuine enough to have become a family classic. Director Robert Stevenson coaxes some fine performances from his cast and does an admirable job recreating farm life in the mid-1800s. The film inspired a number of copycats, and its influence can still be felt in almost any movie that prominently features an animal. Disney began to move away from animation after the success of 1950's Treasure Island; Yeller was one of many live-action hits directed by Stevenson, including Kidnapped, The Absent-Minded Professor, and, most notably, Mary Poppins. Yeller spawned an inferior sequel, Savage Sam, featuring much of the same cast but a different director." - www.allmovie.com

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Gunga Din 1939 - The ultimate motion picture adventure

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IMDB rating: 7,6

Director: George Stevens
Main Cast: Cary Grant, Joan Fontaine, Victor McLaglen, Douglas Fairbanks Jr., Sam Jaffe

"George Stevens' Gunga Din was not only the best of Hollywood's forays into colonialist adventure yarns, it served as the blueprint for many action-adventure movies for years after its release. It is a tribute to Stevens' direction and the uniformly superb cast that the film was a rousing success upon its release, and has endured as a popular favorite for decades since. Americans have always had problematic relationships with stories of British colonialism, but they also love a good adventure yarn, and the usual Hollywood compromise is to ignore the particulars, hold one's nose at the worst elements of subjugation, and just tell the story. That was the approach of the five screenwriters (including Ben Hecht, Charles MacArthur and the uncredited William Faulkner) involved in the project, and director Stevens adhered to their work to the letter in telling Rudyard Kipling's story of life, love, and adventure on the frontier of the Indian subcontinent. In the film, the British army is a peace-keeping force, protecting the native populace from a murderous cult of religious fanatics who kill anyone in their way, including their own people. If the paternalistic attitude of the British seems heavy-handed, the oversight is more than outweighed by the savagery of the characters they're fighting. The pacing includes room for ample roughhousing, some of it bordering on slapstick, and rich character development. The actors play their parts as though they were born for them: Victor McLaglen, in particular, cuts a surprisingly dashing figure as Sergeant McChesney; the actor was nearly a decade away from settling into the more comical and jovial character roles that he played in John Ford's films. Cary Grant displays a larcenous side to his screen persona which in many ways anticipates his most compelling dramatic performance, in None But the Lonely Heart. Ironically, for a film that introduced author Kipling to the mass public than any other adaptation of his work, Gunga Din ran afoul of the sensibilities of the author's widow, who objected to the scenes depicting an unnamed, Kipling-like journalist, and those shots were cut at her request after the first run of the movie. These scenes would remain unseen until the late 1980s, when they were restored under the auspices of Turner Entertainment, the company that purchased the RKO film library.
Originally slated to be directed by Howard Hawks, Gunga Din was taken out of Hawks' hands when the director proved to be too slow during the filming of Bringing Up Baby. His replacement was George Stevens, who proved to be slower and more exacting than Hawks had ever been!" - www.allmovie.com

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The eagle and the hawk 1933 - A forgotten anti-war aviation

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IMDB rating: 7,2

Director: Stuart Walker
Main Cast: Fredric March, Cary Grant, Jack Oakie, Carole Lombard, Guy Standing

"A stirring and accomplished anti-war film, The Eagle and the Hawk is a little-known gem that deserves greater recognition. Although Eagle does have its flaws, including a slight tendency to get on a soapbox about its worthy message, it's told with compassion and skill and is a thoroughly captivating film. Screenwriters Seton Miller and Bogart Rogers have deftly laced the drama with some genuine humor and wit, yet haven't let it interfere with the seriousness of the picture. Seemingly inspired by the story they have adapted, they have produced work that is top drawer and emotionally affecting. Stuart Walker directs carefully; he doesn't imbue the material with a strong directorial vision, but he serves the material very nicely and creates atmosphere and tension that add to the overall effect. The action sequences have drama aplenty, but he can also play up the more romantic moments admirably. Eagle's finest asset, however, is its strong cast. Though the love story involving her is perhaps the film's weakest aspect, Carole Lombard is such a magnificent figure and brings such personality and charm to the film that one scarcely cares about how it all fits in with the rest of the show. Cary Grant, in an early part, is still defining his screen persona; it's mostly there, but there are enough slight rough edges to surprise and delight. Fredric March is simply aces in the lead role, grabbing hold of the drama and running for all it's worth. And Jack Oakie's humor makes the character's ultimate fate the more devastating." - www.allmovie.com

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