Classics

Plot:

An American gangster is exiled from the United States for criminal activity and is sent back to the Greek island where he was born. Once on the island, he is watched by a corrupt local police chief.Read More »

Plot Synopsis from BritMovie
Bored BBC backroom boy Arthur Pilbeam (Arthur Askey) transmits timekeeping ‘pips’ over the radio in Morse code, and finds himself banished to Scotland to set up a new weather station at an Orkney island lighthouse. To his delight a boatload of models are shipwrecked – then the girls start to vanish one by one. Nazi spies are behind it, but Arthur gets the better of them, also posing as a mermaid to lure an enemy battleship into a minefield. Another flag-waving wartime comedy with a plot not dissimilar to Will Hay’s The Ghost of St Michael’s or Oh, Mr Porter! The similarity is further enhanced by the presence of regular Hay sidekicks Graham Moffatt and Moore Marriott.Read More »

Quote:
Shot on location with a cast of nonprofessional actors, Vittorio De Sica’s neorealist masterpiece follows Umberto D., an elderly pensioner, as he struggles to make ends meet during Italy’s postwar economic boom. Alone except for his dog, Flike, Umberto strives to maintain his dignity while trying to survive in a city where traditional human kindness seems to have lost out to the forces of modernization. Umberto’s simple quest to fulfill the most fundamental human needs—food, shelter, companionship—is one of the most heartbreaking stories ever filmed and an essential classic of world cinema.Read More »

Quote:
A Brooklyn answering service operator becomes involved in the lives of her clients, including a struggling playwright with whom she begins to fall in love.Read More »

Plot: Rookie pitcher Francis “Ike” Farrell comes seemingly out of nowhere to help the Cubs go for the pennant. His idiosyncratic ways, which include excuses and alibis for everything, drive his manager and fiancee crazy in this baseball farce. Written by Jerry MilaniRead More »

Silent film version of the Longus’ classic ancient novel.Read More »

Quote:
Vatroslav Mimica (born 25 June 1923 in Omiš) is an award-winning Croatian film director and screenwriter. He had his directorial and screenwriting debut in the 1952 Yugoslav film In the Storm (Croatian: U oluji) which starred Veljko Bulajic, Mia Oremovic and Antun Nalis. This crime melodrama takes place in Dalmatian region and follows the fate of widow Rose who tries to commit suicide.Read More »

Detailed plot summary of the five episodes
“Concorso 4 Attrici 1 Speranza” (“Four stars and a starlette”)
Anna Amendola decides to leave her home to become an actress, even though her mother says that she can not come back if she does. She goes to Cinecittà, where a casting is taking place to find a girl to be included in a segment of Siamo donne. The contest begins with the girls walking through a line, where they are checked for certain requirements, especially age. The ones who pass this stage are given a meal by the studio, while a spotlight scans through the tables, finding girls for the screen test stage. Amendola passes through these stages. Then, there are a series of screen tests, where several girls are asked questions about their dreams and ambitions. The results of the screen tests are not decided until the next day; therefore, Amendola sleeps at a neighbor’s house, since she does not want to go home and forfeit her chances of winning the contest. The next day, she is called up as a finalist, along with Emma Danieli. The story ends with the two finalists about to give interviews.Read More »

Probably the best interview with a film director ever.
“This is one of the finest, if not the finest, documentary on Welles’ career. What makes this stand out from the rest is the huge amount of interview footage that shows Welles to be good-natured, open, and incredibly funny. He has lots of great stories about his career (one which involves him attending a party for L.B. Mayer with a rabbit in his pocket – absolutely hilarious) and each one is a joy.

The documentary skips around his career a bit, breaking his career up not chronologically but more by sections of films he directed and films he appeared in. It will make you want to go out and see them all again, and even hunt up the rare ones like “The Immortal Story”.

Also included are good interviews with Charleton Heston, Anthony Perkins, Jeanne Moreau & John Huston. By the way, did you know that Welles turned down a role in “Caligula”? There are more juicy tidbits to be heard.

I don’t believe that this title is available on video in this country (I may be wrong), but it does play from time to time on television. Seek it out! “(imdb)Read More »