Starring: Orson Welles, Joseph Cotten, Agnes Moorehead, Dorothy Comingore
Directed by: Orson Welles
IMDB Rating: 8.5
Rotten Tomatoes: 100%
What can be said that hasn't already been said about the greatest American made movie of all-time?!? Probably nothing, but let me just say, as a amateur film historian and all 'round movie buff, there is probably no more of an important film than Citizen Kane. To list all the innovations Orson Welles came up with while filming this masterpiece would take a day and a half, but beyond that, the movie is still, 70 years later, very entertaining. "Rosebud" starts it off and ends it, and in between Welles puts on a grand display of acting chops, ranging in age from his early 20's to his 70's. People, this is number one on a great many "Best EVER" lists for a reason!
- Welles watched John Ford's Stagecoach about 40 times for inspiration before filming.
- Although the movie is said to be based on William Randolph Hearst, Welles always maintained it was based on a variety of real people.
- Originally a box office flop when first released.
Starring: Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman, Paul Henreid, Claude Rains, Sydney Greenstreet, Peter Lorre, Dooley Wilson
Directed by: Michael Curtiz
IMDB Rating: 8.7
Rotten Tomatoes: 97%
What can be said that hasn't already been said...oh, I already used that. I believe I've seen this movie a hundred times in my life. Every time I see it scheduled on TV, I watch it. I've even seen it twice in the theatres! I just can't get enough of it. Easily, the most quoted movie of all-time, and why not? Not only is the writing superb and the direction top notch (some very sly, under appreciated camera movements, too), but the film just exudes "cool", in large part because of Mr. Bogart. It's had for me to think of a character I enjoy watching more in a movie than Claude Rains' Captain Renault. Spies, gun play, international intrigue, romance, heartache...this movie has it all!
- The character of Sam was almost made into a female. Lena Horne and Ella Fitzgerald were considered.
- The writers toyed with the idea of Ilsa leave with Rick at the end, but they knew it would never get past the censors. A married woman was not to be seen having an affair.
Starring: Fred MacMurray, Barbara Stanwyck, Edward G. Robinson
Directed by: Billy Wilder
IMDB Rating: 8.5
Rotten Tomatoes: 96%
I used to watch "My Three Sons" on TV as a kid. I never knew Fred MacMurray was such a great actor before that show came out. His chops are on full display in this classic film noir, and the amazing Barbara Stanwyck matches him word for word. Their great banter is worth the price of admission (or rental), reminiscent of a great jazz band getting into their groove. But there is so much to love about this film. A brilliant story, told in flashbacks as a man lays dying. A perfect murder gone wrong, as they normally do, broken down by the gut of an insurance man, played wonderfully by Edward G. Robinson. A true treasure in my book!
- It is said that Billy Wilder and Raymond Chandler didn't get along at all, making the writing of the script a very arduous task.
- Raymond Chandler makes his only screen appearance in this film. He looks up from a book he's reading as Fred MacMurray passes by him, about 16 minutes into the film.
Starring: Trevor Howard, Celia Johnson, Stanley Holloway
Directed by: David Lean
IMDB Rating: 8.1
Rotten Tomatoes: 88%
David Lean made some of the most glorious looking epics ever with Dr. Zhivago, Lawrence Of Arabia and The Bridge On The River Kwai. But before all of those grandiose films came this little gem. It's quite simple, two strangers meet at a railway station cafe. They enjoy each others company and decide to meet again, and again, and again. They fall in love with each other, but it's a love that can never be, as both are married to other people. In lesser hands, this film could have been a smarmy mess. But the beauty of this film is how the viewer so quickly gets sucked in to the romance. It's a hard movie to watch at times, which only adds to it's allure. The performances from the two leads are exceptional...you can really see the turmoil running through both of them. I remember watching this for the first time and not wanting it to end, the mark of a great film!
- Celia Johnson was pretty strictly a stage actress who hated making movies (she had only appeared in three before this one). After reading the script she decided to do it.
- Initially, the film was banned in Ireland because of the movie's portrayal of an adulterer in a sympathetic light.
Starring: James Stewart, Donna Reed, Lionel Barrymore, Henry Travers
Directed by: Frank Capra
IMDB Rating: 8.7
Rotten Tomatoes: 93%
Sappy...check! Predictable...check! Christmas...check! An incredibly simple story of "do good things and good things'll happen to you". But isn't this exactly what movies should be? A feel-good, funny, romantic, dramatic fantasy that shoots you down and lifts you right back up again. James Stewart IS George Bailey. There could never be anybody else in this role. He portrays every emotion known to man and with such ease and believability you may think you're watching a documentary. Every time I see this film, and knowing exactly how it ends, my heart soars. Yeah, it's sappy and corny and predictable, but in this instance, who cares?!
- Both James Stewart and Frank Capra have said this was their favourite of all their films.
James Stewart didn't initially want to take the role so soon after his service in the war, but Lionel Barrymore convinced him to take it.
Starring: Joseph Cotten, Orson Welles, Alida Valli, Trevor Howard
Directed by: Carol Reed
IMDB Rating: 8.4
Rotten Tomatoes: 100%
I have always been a fan of spy movies. Double crosses, triple crosses, trying to keep everything straight in your head, searching for plot holes. There is no better spy thriller than The Third Man. An American comes to post-war Vienna to help out a friend, one Harry Lime. When he gets there, he finds Lime has been murdered...or has he? This begins the unraveling of a great story, made even better by the fantastic direction and camera work, including lighting, which plays a big part in some of the most memorable scenes. Orson Welles, as Harry Lime, is so great to watch, an absolute feast for the eyes and ears. I dare anyone not to get caught up in the thrill-ride this movie takes you on. One of the best movies I've ever seen, and so hard to get a first rate copy of on DVD!
- It was rumoured that Orson Welles wrote all his own lines and directed the scenes he was in. Welles himself had said this wasn't true, that Reed directed all of the movie, and Welles added a couple of ad-libbed lines.
There are the 1940's. Some other movies from that decade I'm still wanting to see include:
The Killers (1946)
Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942)
White Heat (1949)
The Magnificent Ambersons (1942)
Children Of Paradise (1945)
The Ox-Bow Incident (1943)
The Stranger (1946)
Orpheus (1949)
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