1941-1950

Synopsis:
Somewhat fictionalized account of the destruction of the village of Lidice in Czechoslovakia and the events leading up to it. In 1942, the Allies parachuted a Czech resistance fighter into the area. He quickly reunites with his former girlfriend and many of the villagers who knew him from before the war. The Nazis are evil however and under the command of Reinhardt Heydrich rule the country with an iron fist, arbitrarily arresting innocents and charging them with fictitious crimes. When Heydrich is severely wounded in a roadside attack – he dies three days later – Henrich Himmler orders the destruction of Lidice. The men are herded into a church which is set aflame and the women are sent to concentration camps. The town itself is leveled.Read More »

Synopsis:
A gypsy man discovers that he is a natural hypnotist, and decides to make a fortune off of his ability. When he meets the Viscount who had ordered the execution of his parents and his own whipping and blinding (the latter from which he escaped), he uses his abilities to gain vengeance. Of help to him is a woman who has a startling resemblance to Marie Antoinette. Soon, his lust for power and his love for the woman gain control of him.Read More »

A personal and lyrical vision of Cracow presented by Wojciech Jerzy Has. The nostalgic tone of the narrator/protagonist talks about a city he regrets having to leave.Read More »

Quote:
Boomerang, directed by Elia Kazan, is a chilling film noir, the true story about the murder of a priest, the subsequent arrest and trial of a jobless drifter, and the efforts of young state’s attorney Henry Harvey (Dana Andrews) to uncover the truth. Closely based on the actual 1924 murder of Fr. Hubert Dahme in Bridgeport, Connecticut, the film was directed by the young Elia Kazan in a highly effective, semi-documentary style. Kazan shot most of the film on location, using high-contrast cinematography and an extremely mobile camera to create a palpable sense of urgency. The screenplay, expertly crafted by Richard Murphy received an Academy Award nomination.Read More »

On a dark night, the body of a well-known society woman is found; the investigators immediately suspect that the killer was the woman’s maid. For her part, the maid demands that the woman’s fiancé be brought in for questioning. Some journalists covering the story decide to follow up on the maid’s suggestion and gradually piece together the chain of events that led to the murder.

Suave and good-looking, the fiancé was taking advantage of the dead woman, his attentions more focused on a much tougher young lady. Yet just as the narrative of the crime starts to come together, sudden revelations challenge all the information already discovered by the journalists. As someone renowned for his own storytelling abilities, Edgar Neville used this philosophical thriller as way of meditating on how stories are created, as well as the complex relationship between a tale and its teller.Read More »

Quote:
The stage director Shimamura, who is bringing western theatre to Japan, falls in love with the outspoken actress Sumako Matsui, and leaves his family to be with her, while trying to keep his Art Theatre solvent.Read More »

Quote:
Tombolo, paradiso nero is a 1947 film directed by Giorgio Ferroni. Inspired by an article by Indro Montanelli, the film depicts the undergrowth of smugglers, prostitutes and deserters from the post-war Pineta del Tombolo, when the US military was stationed in the area.Read More »

A rich but naive young woman is in possession of some priceless jewels. She doesn’t realize it, but a gang of jewel thieves does.Read More »

PLOT: At overcrowded Westgate Penitentiary, where violence and fear are the norm and the warden has less power than guards and leading prisoners, the least contented prisoner is tough, single-minded Joe Collins. Most of all, Joe hates chief guard Captain Munsey, a petty dictator who glories in absolute power. After one infraction too many, Joe and his cell-mates are put on the dreaded drain pipe detail; prompting an escape scheme that has every chance of turning into a bloodbath.Read More »