CAPTAINS OF THE CLOUDS (1942). Just as the 1942 Best Picture Oscar winner Mrs. Miniver boosted American support for the British cause during World War II (as was intended), so too did Captains of the Clouds offer its own measure of Hollywood-manufactured propaganda for our Canadian neighbors. A tribute to the Royal Canadian Air Force, this stars James Cagney as Brian MacLean, a bush pilot operating in the Canadian wilds. MacLean’s penchant for trouble leads him to steal business away from the other bush pilots — the noble Johnny Dutton (Dennis Morgan), the British expat Scrounger Harris (Reginald Gardiner), and the comic relief pair of Tiny Murphy (Alan Hale) and Blimp Lebec (George Tobias) — and to steal the fiery Emily Foster (Brenda Marshall) away from her boyfriend Johnny.

Captains of the Clouds.1942.576p.BDRip-AVC.ZONE.mkv

General
Container:  	Matroska
Runtime: 	1 h 53 min
Size: 	2.18 GiB
Video
Codec: 	x264
Resolution: 	790x576 
Aspect ratio:  	1.372
Frame rate: 	23.976 fps
Bit rate: 	2 500 kb/s
BPP: 	0.229
Audio
#1:  	English 2.0ch AC-3 @ 224 kb/s

https://nitro.download/view/E60D44A2782EACB/Captains_of_the_Clouds.1942.576p.BDRip-AVC.ZONE.mkv

Language(s):English
Subtitles:English

The post Michael Curtiz – Captains of the Clouds (1942) first appeared on Cinema of the World.

Two couples and a troupe of actors have an encounter with some mischievous fairies in the forest.

A.Midsummer.Night's.Dream1935.DVDRip.x264-HANDJOB.mkv

General
Container:  	Matroska
Runtime: 	2 h 23 min
Size: 	1.99 GiB
Video
Codec: 	x264
Resolution: 	720x480 ~> 720x540
Aspect ratio:  	4:3
Frame rate: 	23.976 fps
Bit rate: 	1 666 kb/s
BPP: 	0.201
Audio
#1:  	English 1.0ch AC-3 @ 192 kb/s
#2:  	English 2.0ch Vorbis @ 96.0 kb/s (Commentary by film historian Scott MacQueen)

https://nitro.download/view/19D0F3B235C1D88/A.Midsummer.Night’s.Dream1935.DVDRip.x264-HANDJOB.mkv

Language(s):English
Subtitles:English, French, Portuguese

The post William Dieterle & Max Reinhardt – A Midsummer Night’s Dream (1935) first appeared on Cinema of the World.

James Cagney stars in this Oscar-winning smalltown drama as an ex-reporter turned drifter who arrives in a town where corruption is rife. Jailed for vagrancy, on release he meets up with Vinnie McLeod, editor of the local paper and one of the few honest citizens in town.

Johnny Come Lately.1943.576p.BDRip-AVC.ZONE.mkv

General
Container:  	Matroska
Runtime: 	1 h 37 min
Size: 	1.86 GiB
Video
Codec: 	x264
Resolution: 	768x576 
Aspect ratio:  	4:3
Frame rate: 	23.976 fps
Bit rate: 	2 500 kb/s
BPP: 	0.236
Audio
#1:  	English 1.0ch AC-3 @ 224 kb/s

https://nitro.download/view/C6D8051CD978E37/Johnny_Come_Lately.1943.576p.BDRip-AVC.ZONE.mkv

Language(s):English
Subtitles:English

The post William K. Howard – Johnny Come Lately (1943) first appeared on Cinema of the World.

PLOT: A dedicated American reporter in 1930s Japan is determined to expose that government’s plan for world domination.

Blood.on.the.Sun.1945.Frank.Lloyd.576p.BluRay.AAC2.0.x264.mkv

General
Container:  	Matroska
Runtime: 	1 h 34 min
Size: 	2.59 GiB
Video
Codec: 	x264
Resolution: 	790x576 
Aspect ratio:  	1.372
Frame rate: 	23.976 fps
Bit rate: 	3 497 kb/s
BPP: 	0.321
Audio
#1:  	English 2.0ch AAC LC @ 265 kb/s
#2:  	English 2.0ch AAC LC @ 163 kb/s (Commentary by Film Historian/Writer Julie Kirgo and Writer/Filmmaker Peter Hankoff)

https://nitro.download/view/567F73F397034F0/Blood.on.the.Sun.1945.Frank.Lloyd.576p.BluRay.AAC2.0.x264.mkv

Language(s):English
Subtitles:English, French, English [SDH]

The post Frank Lloyd – Blood on the Sun (1945) first appeared on Cinema of the World.

The film follows the adventures of a group of regulars at Nick’s ‘Pacific Street Saloon, Restaurant and Entertainment Palace’ in San Francisco. A sign outside tells people to come in as they are. At the center is the wealthy Joe (James Cagney), who has given up working to hold court at Nick’s (William Bendix) bar. He desires to live “a civilized life” without hurting anyone and believes the real truth in people is found in their dreams of themselves, not the hard facts of their actual existence.[4] Joe has a stooge named Tom (Wayne Morris), who runs his eccentric errands until a woman with a past named Kitty (Jeanne Cagney) comes in and steals Tom’s heart. Also appearing are Broderick Crawford as Krupp, Ward Bond as McCarthy, Tom Powers as Blick, and James Barton as Kit Carson.

The.Time.of.Your.Life.1948.DVDRip.x264-HANDJOB.mkv

General
Container:	Matroska
Runtime:	1h 40mn
Size:	1.41 GiB
DXVA:	Compatible
Minimum settings:	Met
Video
Codec:	x264
Resolution:	698x474 ~> 698x523
Aspect ratio:	4:3
Frame rate:	23.976 fps
Bit rate:	1 775 kb/s
Audio
English 2.0ch AC-3 @ 192 kb/s

https://nitro.download/view/63EEB1844C32304/The.Time.of.Your.Life.1948.DVDRip.x264-HANDJOB.mkv

Language(s):English,Italian
Subtitles:English

The post H.C. Potter – The Time of Your Life (1948) first appeared on Cinema of the World.

Quote:
As if it weren’t obvious already, Raoul Walsh’s Strawberry Blonde confirms what most men have known for decades: Betty’s always a better choice than Veronica. This charming comedy starring James Cagney, Olivia de Havilland, and Rita Hayworth may be over 80 years old — and it mostly takes place in the 1890s — but it’s still as accessible as ever, providing you don’t mind overused music cues and/or extended flashbacks. It’s the kind of crowd-pleasing fare that’s solid enough for “movie night” yet equally easy to enjoy as a light and breezy afternoon matinee.

Much of the film’s appeal is due to its three leads: first and foremost is Cagney as T. L. ‘Biff’ Grimes, an ex-convict-turned-dentist who’s not exactly enjoying a lazy Sunday afternoon in the early 1900s. Dreading another walk in the park with his wife Amy (Olivia de Havilland) — first world problems, amirite? — he reminisces about the good old 1890s after a nearby band plays a sentimental favorite, “The Band Played On”, that reminds him of an old flame, the titular strawberry-blonde Virginia Brush (Rita Hayworth). Flashing back to the past, we see the path Biff took to the present: that first glimpse of Virginia gliding down the street, a fierce rivalry with arch rival Hugo Barnstead (Jack Carson) to win her affections, a chance pairing with lovely Amy, the fateful event that lands Biff in jail, and other pop hits.
Though it contains a few surprisingly dark narrative twists — at least one unexpected death, and even a potential pre-flashback murder attempt when Hugo stops by Biff’s office with a toothache — Strawberry Blonde’s otherwise light tone and winning performances keep things breezy and enjoyable during this tale of a short, cocky, and kinda funny-looking man learning to live with Olivia de Havilland. It’s further buoyed and only slightly dragged down by its constant use of period-specific musical standards — most notably “The Band Played On”, which seems to playing in part or in whole at least once every 15 minutes. Those watching it for the first time may also be slightly put off by its extended flashback format, a narrative tool that’s not exactly handled with utmost care and, as a result, requires new viewers to “settle in” rather than enjoy it as a purely linear story. Yet for its already-noted strengths and several others, Strawberry Blonde is inarguably worth watching for fans of lightweight romantic comedies laced with a hint of melodrama.

A welcome change of pace for both prolific director Raoul Walsh and certified star James Cagney (who had long been typecast in serious tough-guy roles, aside from occasional diversions like the outstanding Footlight Parade), Strawberry Blonde is, for the most part, what could best be called “a breath of fresh air” and a medium-sized career highlight for all involved. True to form, Warner Archive resurrects this enjoyable show for new life on Blu-ray, pairing a predictably great new A/V restoration with a small but appreciated assortment of period-specific bonus features.

Raoul Walsh’s Strawberry Blonde is an infectiously charming and almost unavoidably sentimental romantic comedy whose trio of lead performances still make it fun to watch more than 80 years later, as its celebration of a long-gone era — the “gay 1890s”, or at least the middle and upper-class end of it — make the experience basically timeless by contemporary standards. Although its use of period-specific musical standards borders on maddeningly repetitive and the “extended flashback” format seems a little hokey, it’s almost impossible to watch this without cracking a near-continuous smile. Warner Archive’s Blu-ray keeps the party going with another outstanding A/V restoration and a handful of appropriately vintage extras. Firmly Recommended for die-hard fans and newcomers too.

	
The Strawberry Blonde.1941.576p.BDRip-AVC.ZONE.mkv

General
Container:  	Matroska
Runtime: 	1 h 39 min
Size: 	1.89 GiB
Video
Codec: 	x264
Resolution: 	790x576 
Aspect ratio:  	1.372
Frame rate: 	23.976 fps
Bit rate: 	2 500 kb/s
BPP: 	0.229
Audio
#1:  	English 2.0ch AC-3 @ 224 kb/s (Stereo)

https://nitro.download/view/1591310C80B92CE/The_Strawberry_Blonde.1941.576p.BDRip-AVC.ZONE.mkv

Language(s):English
Subtitles:English

The post Raoul Walsh – The Strawberry Blonde (1941) first appeared on Cinema of the World.

Synopsis:
A well-to-do New Rochelle family is split when it takes in a homeless black woman (Debbie Allen) and her child; all initially looks well when her estranged boyfriend, Coalhouse Walker Jr. (Howard E. Rollins Jr.) reappears with a good job and an offer of marriage. The ‘younger brother’ of the family (Brad Dourif) falls in love with the notorious playgirl Evelyn Nesbit (Elizabeth McGovern) as she awaits the outcome of her husband Harry Thaw’s murder trial – Thaw killed famous architect Stanford White (Norman Mailer) out of jealousy.Coalhouse is returning to the city in his new Model T when he’s harassed and humiliated by a team of volunteer firemen led by Irish-American lout Willie Conklin (Kenneth McMillan), and a dreadful series of events stemming from Walker’s refusal to swallow his pride escalates into a violent debacle. Police Commissioner Rheinlander Waldo (James Cagney) has to step in to restore order when Coalhouse and his gang use force to take over a J.P.Morgan library.

Ragtime.1981.576p.BDRip-AVC.ZONE.mkv

General
Container:  	Matroska
Runtime: 	2 h 35 min
Size: 	4.19 GiB
Video
Codec: 	x264
Resolution: 	1024x428 
Aspect ratio:  	2.40:1
Frame rate: 	23.976 fps
Bit rate: 	3 000 kb/s
BPP: 	0.285
Audio
#1:  	English 5.1ch AC-3 @ 640 kb/s
#2:  	English 2.0ch AC-3 @ 224 kb/s (Audio Commentary with director Milos Forman and executive producer Michael Hausman)

https://nitro.download/view/413C824D61EC80C/Ragtime.1981.576p.BDRip-AVC.ZONE.mkv

Language(s):English
Subtitles:None

The post Milos Forman – Ragtime (1981) first appeared on Cinema of the World.