Golden Girl (1951)iMDB Rating: 6.3 Date Released : 1 November 1951 Genre : Musical Stars : Mitzi Gaynor, Dale Robertson, Dennis Day, James Barton Movie Quality : BRrip Format : MKV Size : 870 MB
Against the background of the Civil War, sixteen-year-old song-and-dance artiste Lotta Crabtree works her way across America, becoming ever more popular.
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Review :
Loved this movie!
I saw this movie back when I was a young teenage girl of about 13 years, and it has stuck in my memory for 50 years now. It was a sort of Cinderella story to me in it's purest form. I would love to own this movie to let my grandchildren watch it as I feel they would really get something from it! Movies today just don't compare in my opinion. Most are just watched and forgotten, but since I've not been able to get this one out of my head for 50 years must say something about it? The stars, both Mitz Gaynor and Dale Robertson were superb! Her songs and dances were wonderful, and the acting was of the best quality. I'm sure this movie boosted both their careers a great deal. I could watch it a thousand times and not tire of it. Would love to find it available somewhere out there. Thanks for reading my review.
Border Saddlemates (1952)iMDB Rating: 7.0 Date Released : 15 April 1952 Genre : Action, Music, Western Stars : Rex Allen, Koko, Mary Ellen Kay, Slim Pickens Movie Quality : HDrip Format : MKV Size : 870 MB
Rex Allen ('Rex Allen'), a U. S. government veterinarian, rides into the picturesque town of Pine Rock, near the Canadian border, to take the place of the regular vet who is on vacation. Used to doctoring animals in Texas, Allen finds out that herein the heart of the fox-faming industry, he is to doctor the most finicky and high-priced of fur on four feet. On the farm of Mel Richards (Tom London), Allen learns the habits of the valuable creatures from Richard's niece, Jane (Mary Ellen Kay, and her ten-year-old brother Danny (Jimmy Moss'), and on his own learns that the trusted owner of the trading post, Steve Baxter (Roy Barcroft) heads a gang that is smuggling counterfeit money across the American/Canadian border in the fox cages.
Review :
Rex in a solid western outing
The Arizona Cowboy rides again in this tale of a Wild West veterinarian on the trail of some pretty cagey criminals. As always, Allen's rich baritone voice is featured in a couple of sagebrush ditties.
Slim Pickens provides the comic relief in an always pleasing performance. As always, the budget, script and songs are high caliber . Rex Allen's voice, demeanor and screen presence make him very believable in the heroic role of a frontier vet. Fans of the action-filled westerns of the early 1950's will enjoy this one. Nicely done!
What a pity that his career began as the B-westerns were coming to the end of the trail ........
The Admiral Was a Lady (1950)iMDB Rating: 5.8 Date Released : 4 August 1950 Genre : Comedy, Romance Stars : Edmond O'Brien, Wanda Hendrix, Rudy Vallee, Johnny Sands Movie Quality : BRrip Format : MKV Size : 700 MB
Ex-WAVE encounters four fun-loving, work-hating men, all of whom want to marry her.
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Review :
Deserves to be better known.
The Hollywood treatment of the problems of returning servicemen after World War 2 took many forms - sob stories, psychological dramas, films noirs, even musicals - but this film is unusual, perhaps even unique, in giving them an irreverent screwball slant. The script sparkles with wise-cracking dialogue, and the action proceeds headlong in unpredictable directions. It is the sort of movie that the phrase "never a dull moment" was coined for. The two leads did full justice to their parts, but they lacked the star status to impress the critics. If Claudette Colbert and Cary Grant had been cast, or Jean Arthur and Jimmy Stewart, they could have performed no better, but this film would now be assured of its place in the annals of screwball comedy instead of being neglected and almost forgotten. Luckily it is not lost. It is available on DVD in eminently watchable condition, albeit without the full restoration that it deserves.
The Big Hangover (1950)iMDB Rating: 5.9 Date Released : 26 May 1950 Genre : Comedy Stars : Van Johnson, Elizabeth Taylor, Percy Waram, Fay Holden Movie Quality : BRrip Format : MKV Size : 870 MB
A law school graduate is hired by a top law firm but doesn't tell them about a problem he has--he's so allergic to alcohol that one whiff of it and he passes out like a light.
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Review :
An Aversion to the Craiture
Van Johnson and Elizabeth Taylor did two films together during their tenure at MGM and The Big Hangover is the first of them. He's a young law school graduate, top of his particular class, who is applying for an opening in a very prestigious white shoe law firm. She's the daughter of the firm's senior partner Percy Waram and she's crushing out big time on Van.
Van's got one unusual case of shell shock during the war. Two things happened to him, he had a close friend die in his arms in a plane being shot at with anti-aircraft guns and he nearly drowned in a cellar of a monastery that was being used as a hospital. The monks in the place made wine and after spending a good deal of time up to his neck in the stuff, the slightest taste or smell of liquor gets him cockeyed drunk.
It's an amusing bit for parties, but not at all social or business occasions. Liz turns amateur psychologist to discover what's ailing Van.
The Big Hangover is an amusing comedy from MGM, not hardly in the top ten of films for either of its leads. It does have an interesting subplot involving discrimination and the enforcement of anti-discrimination laws that were being passed by a lot of states at this time, New York among them where the story takes place. A Chinese doctor, Philip Ahn, is being thrown out of an apartment the owner is represented by Percy Waram's firm.
Which leads to the highlight of the film and the best performance in the film by Leon Ames who plays the city attorney who is charged with enforcement of the non-discrimination statute. After Johnson chastises him, Ames gives an eloquent statement about how money and success are the gods we cherish.
The Big Hangover is amusing in spots, is serious in spots, has a bit of trouble making its mind up whether it's a comedy or a drama of social significance. Still it is entertaining and fans of the two stars should like it.
Die lustigen Weiber von Windsor (1950)iMDB Rating: 6.3 Date Released : 22 October 1950 Genre : Comedy, Musical, Romance Stars : Sonja Ziemann, Rita Streich, Camilla Spira, Martha Mödl. For the corpulent nobleman, Sir John Falstaff, the inn in the small English town of Windsor is the best of all places. Here he can indulge in excessive dining and intemperate drinking, as well as swagger and boast about his adventures, particularly those of an amorous nature. At present, he has designs on the two young women, Mistress Reich and Fluth, who, in turn, lead our paunchy hero mightily ..." /> Movie Quality : HDrip Format : MKV Size : 870 MB
For the corpulent nobleman, Sir John Falstaff, the inn in the small English town of Windsor is the best of all places. Here he can indulge in excessive dining and intemperate drinking, as well as swagger and boast about his adventures, particularly those of an amorous nature. At present, he has designs on the two young women, Mistress Reich and Fluth, who, in turn, lead our paunchy hero mightily by the nose. Mistress Reich indeed has much to deal with: her pretty daughter, Anna, has no lack of suitors and the parents cannot agree on who the future son-in-law should be. Anna, however, has already made her choice: she wants to marry young Master Fenton, a match which fails to suit her parents' plans. She plans a clandestine wedding ceremony in the forest. But it so happens that the townspeople join forces on the same night to sour stout Falstaff's life in Windsor and to drive him out of town. To pull off this dirty trick, Mistresses Reich and Fluth arrange yet another rendezvous with ...
The Raging Tide (1951)iMDB Rating: 6.5 Date Released : 1 November 1951 Genre : Crime, Drama, Film-Noir Stars : Shelley Winters, Richard Conte, Stephen McNally, Charles Bickford. A San Francisco hood is rubbed out by rival Bruno Felkin, who himself reports the crime to Homicide Lieut. Kelsey in an alibi scheme which fails. To escape, he stows away on a fishing boat. At sea, skipper Hamil Linder receives Bruno kindly, teaching him fishing; Bruno enlists Hamil's wayward son Carl to tend his slot machines. Then Carl takes an interest in Bruno's girl Connie. Climax in a storm..." /> Movie Quality : HDrip Format : MKV Size : 870 MB
A San Francisco hood is rubbed out by rival Bruno Felkin, who himself reports the crime to Homicide Lieut. Kelsey in an alibi scheme which fails. To escape, he stows away on a fishing boat. At sea, skipper Hamil Linder receives Bruno kindly, teaching him fishing; Bruno enlists Hamil's wayward son Carl to tend his slot machines. Then Carl takes an interest in Bruno's girl Connie. Climax in a storm at sea.
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Review :
Not Raging, But Fun Anyway
Not truly a Film Noir, "The Raging Tide" works pretty well as a good B-movie. There are fine performances from Richard Conte, Stephen McNally, Alex Nichol and Shelley Winters. Charles Bickford doing a Swedish accent is a bit hard to swallow, but he has been great elsewhere. The film opens with a very noirish sequence and may disappoint those looking for a real entry in that much-discussed, hard-to-pin-down genre. But there is enough melodrama to entertain all but the most demanding viewers.
M (1951)iMDB Rating: 6.9 Date Released : 1 March 1951 Genre : Drama, Film-Noir, Thriller Stars : David Wayne, Howard Da Silva, Martin Gabel, Luther Adler Movie Quality : HDrip Format : MKV Size : 870 MB
Remake of the 1931 original. Someone is murdering children in a German city. The Police search is so intense, it is disturbing the 'normal' criminals, and the local hoods decide to help find the murderer as quickly as possible.
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Review :
Surprisingly good
Seymour Nebenzal didn't have an especially illustrious career as a producer, either in Europe or the United States. Two of his American movies, in fact, SIREN OF ATLANTIS and this one, were remakes of movies he had produced in Europe. But in this case, he hired the right director.
Was it the growing Blacklist that resulted in this movie having no writing credits on screen? Perhaps, but also perhaps not, as the soon-to-be-blacklisted Howard da Silva and Joseph Losey both use their own names.
Losey and his team make excellent use of numerous Los Angeles locations, including Angel's Flight, Bunker Hill, the Bradbury Building (which is identified by name and location) and what seems to be that old amusement park in Long Beach, although what's seen here could be Venice.
David Wayne is fine as the disturbed child killer, and delivers the required final act speech very well. But he doesn't have the power and poetry of Lorre's performance--but then who in Hollywood in 1951 would have? The movie still has some of the comedy of Lang's original, but it's not as dry and sardonic, and there isn't as much of it. The score isn't good, and shoves the movie even more firmly in the direction of the melodrama it keeps threatening to become.
The very last shot is oddly theatrical in a literal sense: it looks like it is being performed on a stage. And I'm not sure what the point of the drunken lawyer trying to grasp a bit of his former glory really was. However, this element merely weakens the film, it doesn't destroy it.
No, this isn't as good as Lang's original, but Lang's original is perhaps the best film of a great director. It's a classic in almost every regard. This version of "M" is an interesting and largely successful attempt at adapting the themes and ideas of the original to Los Angeles, and to 1950s Hollywood. Naturally there are some weaknesses, but the movie is brisk and engrossing, and certainly doesn't deserve the obscurity into which it has fallen.
Some condemn the film merely for being a remake, but remakes have always been a large part of movie history. There's little reason to object to them, especially now that the original films tend to be available on video. (In the 1930s-50s, originals were generally withdrawn.) If the remake is good, then hooray, there are now two good movies on the subject. If it's bad, then the remake will soon be forgotten.
Native Son (1951)iMDB Rating: 5.6 Date Released : 2 March 1951 Genre : Drama Stars : Richard Wright, Gloria Madison, Willa Pearl Curtis, Nicholas Joy." /> Movie Quality : HDrip Format : MKV Size : 700 MB
When Native Son was made in Argentina in 1950 some of the actors were not from the United States, thus they spoke English with accents not realistic for the characters they portrayed. Dialogue was then dubbed using the voices of local American residents of Buenos Aires. I was then a student at an American high school in BA; they came to the school looking for an American boy and girl to be the voices of Bigger Thomas' brother and sister. I did Vera Thomas' voice and a boy whose Dad was in the Navy did the voice of Bigger's brother. We got off school for two days and as I recall we were paid 300 pesos. Mr. Chanal drove us home afterwards. My big line was, "Eeek, eeek, a rat!". It's a long time ago but I seem to remember that some parts were actually played by non-actor local Americans. After 49 years, I saw this movie again in 1999 and couldn't believe how amateurish it is, but in many ways the making of this movie was Amateur Night, so that makes sense.
Red Mountain (1951)iMDB Rating: 6.2 Date Released : 1 November 1951 Genre : Drama, Western Stars : Alan Ladd, Lizabeth Scott, Arthur Kennedy, John Ireland. Towards the end of the American Civil War, a rebel captain flees to Colorado to join a band of Southern mercenaries. He drags an innocent gold prospecting couple into trouble when the husband is accused of a murder he committed." /> Movie Quality : HDrip Format : MKV Size : 700 MB
Towards the end of the American Civil War, a rebel captain flees to Colorado to join a band of Southern mercenaries. He drags an innocent gold prospecting couple into trouble when the husband is accused of a murder he committed.
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Review :
a lot of action!!
I always remember when having to choose between 2 films, one of them being John Ford's Rio Grande my father asked the opinion of the shoeshine boy who was polishing his shoes and had seen both. "Don't go to see Rio Grande he said, it is a western but it has only two action scenes, too little for mine or anybody's taste" That was also my opinion at that time, I was 9 years old. If instead I would have gone to see Red Mountain, I would have been in paradise. And I still enjoy this film as if I was a 9 year old. It is not easy to find a western with so much action as this one, but well planned action scenes with a beautiful background, top stars like Ladd, Lizabeth Scott, John Ireland, Arthur Kennedy and a screenplay that incorporates the action scenes in an intelligent way. Ladd who is pro Quantrell saves Arthur Kennedy from being lynched but ends up on a mountain together with Kennedy and his girlfriend Lizabeth Scott surrounded by Quantrell who has a lot of Indians on his side. Good cinematography, good entertainment and a lot of action.
Totò le Moko (1951)iMDB Rating: 7.1 Date Released : 7 June 1951 Genre : Comedy Stars : Totò, Carla Calò, Gianna Maria Canale, Luigi Pavese Movie Quality : HDrip Format : MKV Size : 870 MB
The mobster Pep le Mok dies during a shootout with the police. His gang decide that his successor will be a relative of his from Naples: Antonio Lumaconi, a street musician.
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Review :
Mock Toto
Although it was released in 1949,it was the eighties before this spoof on one of the most famous French movies of all time was shown in Julien Duvivier's country."Pepe Le Moko" was remade twice in the U.S...and once in Italy .I guess some of the jokes concerning the political situation of Italy at the time are lost on the FRench audience.My favorite part is the first when Toto does not know,has not got an idea of what his pals are expecting from him.It's less successful when he becomes a "true" gangster .The parody is sometimes marvelously precise,mainly in the first half ,and Gianna Maria Canale is ideally cast as the Femme Fatale.
Watch the Birdie (1950)iMDB Rating: 6.2 Date Released : 12 January 1951 Genre : Comedy, Crime, Romance Stars : Red Skelton, Arlene Dahl, Ann Miller, Leon Ames Movie Quality : HDrip Format : MKV Size : 700 MB
"Rusty" Cammeron tries to get out of debt by doing some free-lance newsreel photography, but his efforts fall woefully short and end in some kind of mishap. Lucia Corlaine rescues him from drowning and he falls madly in love with her. Lucia, a wealthy young lady, is trying to build a real estate project but a group of crooks and swindlers are out to stop her.
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Review :
Watch the Redhead
Only Red's many fans will enjoy "Watch the Birdie," one of Red Skelton's weaker movie comedies. "The Yellow Cab Man," released the same year (1950) is much better. To see classic Skelton, check out "A Southern Yankee," his most critically acclaimed feature, containing the famous scene of Red carrying a flag with bars and stars on one side and stars and stripes on the other so neither the Yankees or the Rebels will fire at him. Any of the "Whistling" pictures Red made during World War II are worth a look, in particular "Whistling in Brooklyn." All three have the added attraction of featuring one of the funniest men in the movies, Rags Ragland, who left us much too soon.
"Watch the Birdie" does contain some funny routines and several humorous situations, such as the wild chase at the end with Red and Arlene Dahl atop one of the craziest contraptions imaginable--a huge lumber lift vehicle. But much of the comedy is forced and some of it falls flat, especially the scene at the doctor's that takes place in a crowded dressing room. There are some hilarious lines delivered by Red with his usual skill, yet many are shopworn and stale.
Though Red was a master of mimicry and impersonation, his portrayal of his own father and grandfather fails to gel with the story being told. The father character is just not funny. The grandfather ploy works much better, being presented as an octogenarian playboy with a young thing wrapped around him.
Believe it or not, the funniest part of the movie is the opening credits. Red reads the names, making clever comments, such as: "These two girls fought over me. Ann Miller wanted me to marry Arlene Dahl and Arlene Dahl wanted me to marry Ann Miller." "We had four writers on this picture. Three could write. The other one was my wife's brother."
The story has Red an unsuccessful operator of a camera shop owned by his father. While trying to make money to pay his bills and save his business by doing freelance filming on a boat, he is accidentally knocked overboard by heiress Lucia Corlane (Arlene Dahl). In attempting to make amends, she and Red fall for each other. Miss Corlane is determined to save Red's little shop providing him enough business to pay his debts. In the process, Red uncovers a plot by Miss Corlane's business manager, Grantland D. Farns (Leon Ames), and his unscrupulous accomplices to steal Corlane's money through manipulating a housing project of hers that is under construction. To aid Red, Corlane assigns him the task of taking pictures to promote the housing venture. Red unknowingly shoots film that contains incriminating evidence against Farns. Farns and his partners in crime are determined to snatch the film before it reaches the district attorney's office.
Though not one of his best films, "Watch the Birdie" has enough humor and slapstick to keep fans entertained. It is always a delight to watch a truly funny man on the big screen. Red was adept at both physical and oral humor. If Red can't make you laugh, it's doubtful that anybody can.
Al Jennings of Oklahoma (1951)iMDB Rating: 6.2 Date Released : 17 January 1951 Genre : Action, Romance, Western Stars : Dan Duryea, Gale Storm, Dick Foran, Gloria Henry Movie Quality : BRrip Format : MKV Size : 870 MB
The four Jennings brothers are Lawyers. When Al has a brother murdered, he goes after the murderer. He outdraws him but a witness says it was murder. Escaping the Sheriff he take refuge on a cattle ranch only to learn all the hands are rustlers. With a price on his head Al joins them and becomes an outlaw. His fame grows as does the reward for his capture.
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Review :
Not a bad little film, but not much plot
For 1951, not a bad little Western, with some bright colour photography, but after it was over I thought there was little substance to it. A quick Google confirms that Jennings wasn't much success as a crook and that the film took lots of liberties with his story, though I couldn't determine whether the reward for his capture every topped $20,000, as shown in the film. What made his life interesting was his political career after release from prison, but I guess that wouldn't have added much to an "action" Western.
Having fled Oklahoma because he fears being betrayed by his fellow gang members, Jennings returns to them, which didn't seem too bright. And the botched final raid on the train and its meagre rewards seem to sum up his career as a bad man. But the posse wasn't too bright, either, with its 20 or so members failing to capture the depleted Jennings gang at the ranch, though at least this led to a chase and final showdown.
It was good to see a youngish John Dehner, and Guinn Williams in a role where his character wasn't too empty-headed.
Quaint & charming screwball comedy from a time long ago
All Patsy Douglas wanted was a seat on the subway. She dreamed of a better position at the advertising agency at which she worked; what she was doing was mimeographing all day long. She dreamily eyed the firm's leader, Sam Morley, & wrote trite jingles for ad campaigns in her spare time. When the Baxter Baby Food account went bad, she took the little doll from the display & carried it with her on the subway. Viola! Passengers, thinking they were helping a woman with a child, stood to let the young mother sit.
Except. One visit she happened to sit next to Cyrus Baxter himself, the crusty, hot-tempered, terminally unhappy curmudgeon who runs the baby food company. She happens to mention that the baby is named after him, Cyrus Baxter Douglas (the people at the firm named the doll "Cyrus," for obvious reasons), & the old man, not revealing his identity to her, is so flattered that she paid him that compliment that he begins to insinuate himself into her life, to help out the namesake he never knew he had.
As you may well imagine, the movie takes off from there. Morley & his partner find themselves having to promote the well-meaning, earnest Patsy to save the account. If you've seen any screwball comedies, you'll be able to anticipate when & where the plots & plans go awry. Betsy Drake, as Patsy, is a bit of a cipher - not terribly pretty, she has a sort of stagey, Laura Linney-esque way of acting. Neither Dennis Morgan or Zachary Scott as her two bosses have the stand-out traits of characters in a Preston Sturges film, though they do play off each other rather well. Edmund Gwenn as the volatile Cyrus Baxter is the movie's real treat - a sort of diminutive, flustered, uptight second cousin of Lionel Barrymore's Henry Potter. The scene between him & Betsy Drake involving Longfellow's "Hiawatha" is screamingly funny.
Most probably they couldn't make a film like this today, not without the tongue in the cheek as "The Hudsucker Proxy," & cameos in this film of soon-to-be-television-stars William Frawley & Barbara Billingsley reminded me how shows like "I Love Lucy" (where Frawley played neighbor Fred Mertz) made most screwball comedy misunderstandings & false leads into television cliche. But this movie, unrushed & quiet in its charm, unembarrassed about its lack of stars or its silliness, manages to entertain in precisely the way it was meant to. You get caught up beyond its corniness.
It's no "His Girl Friday," but probably wasn't meant to be. It has some good laughs & it's funnier than any modern comedy I've seen recently. Recommended for those who've seen all the Capra & Sturges flicks & can live with a fix that's a couple of shades below.
Il mago per forza (1951)iMDB Rating: 3.7 Date Released : 22 November 1951 Genre : Comedy Stars : Tino Scotti, Isa Barzizza, Aroldo Tieri, Adriano Rimoldi." /> Movie Quality : BRrip Format : MKV Size : 700 MB
Don Camillo (1952)iMDB Rating: 7.8 Date Released : 18 March 1952 Genre : Comedy Stars : Fernandel, Gino Cervi, Vera Talchi, Franco Interlenghi. In a village of the Po valley where the earth is hard and life miserly, the priest and the communist mayor are always fighting to be the head of the community. If in secret, they admired and liked each other, politics still divided them as it is dividing the country. And when the mayor wants his "People's House"; the priest wants his "Garden City" for the poor. Division exist between the richest ..." /> Movie Quality : HDrip Format : MKV Size : 700 MB
In a village of the Po valley where the earth is hard and life miserly, the priest and the communist mayor are always fighting to be the head of the community. If in secret, they admired and liked each other, politics still divided them as it is dividing the country. And when the mayor wants his "People's House"; the priest wants his "Garden City" for the poor. Division exist between the richest and the poorest, the pious and the atheists and even between lovers. But if the people are hard as the country, they are good in the bottom of there heart.
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Review :
Right and left.
French comic actor Fernandel embodied the title role while remarkable Italian character actor Gino Cervi played his spiritual and political opponent. More than a rustic comedy, the film epitomizes the postwar political polarization in Italy and symbolizes the famous "compromesso storico"---historical compromise---under which Italy would long continue to be governed. This successful film spawned a series of popular sequels, mostly with the same two actors, all based on the Giovanni Guareschi novels. A point of clarification: this was a French-Italian co-production and was first released in the U.S. in its French-language version with English subtitles before the dubbed English version with narrator Orson Welles went into circulation. The Italian-language version, not readily available, is the most appropriate one.
The River (1951)iMDB Rating: 7.6 Date Released : 19 December 1951 Genre : Drama, Romance Stars : Patricia Walters, Nora Swinburne, Esmond Knight, Arthur Shields Movie Quality : HDrip Format : MKV Size : 700 MB
Three teenage girls are living in Bengal (India) near a big river : Harriet is the oldest child of a big family of English settlers. Valerie is the unique daughter of an American industrialist. Melanie has an American father and an Indian mother. One day, a man arrives. He will be the first love of the three girls.
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Review :
A great film
It's difficult to argue with Gabridl's remarks about the film - and I'm sure Renoir would have pleaded guilty as charged. Of not making a civics lesson. So, if that's what you want out of art, then this is not the film for you. At all. You will learn nothing of Indian politics, the "exoticism" will drive you mad, and you'd do better to go back and re-read Said's "Orientalism," as Gabridl suggests.
Renoir went to India, and made a film from the perspective of an entranced outsider looking in, creating his own, personalized world - not India, but Renoir's world, where everything is transitory, including beauty and death, and where every sight and sound becomes that much more precious.
I am glad that we have come so far since I've been a kid, when so many ideas and prejudices carried over from the colonial era were still floating through the air, and it's true that no one except that most naive among us would make a film like THE RIVER today. But Renoir was alive in 1950, not now, and he made his film for his time, and that time attaches itself to the film, just like it does to every artwork. I doubt that even Gabridl would suggest that it was the work of a craven exploiter of the masses, and that its "faults" are not the faults of a corrupt man, but of a generous and compassionate one. It's one of the most generous films I know of.
Finally, I would add that while this is a film made by a westerner for other westerners, it was certainly inspirational to Satyajit Ray, who worked as Renoir's assistant.
Simbad el Mareado (1950)iMDB Rating: 7.3 Date Released : 14 October 1950 Genre : Comedy, Fantasy Stars : Germán Valdés, Marcelo Chávez, Famie Kaufman, Jacqueline Evans." /> Movie Quality : BRrip Format : MKV Size : 700 MB
Simbad was a little disappointing, though I thoroughly enjoyed it once it got going and I resigned myself to the fact that the hero was a pescador (fisherman) rather than a mareado (sailor) and that he was not about to set out on any long voyages let alone battle any fabled beasts. Mind you, the story often borders on fantasy, especially in a marvelous sequence in which the hero contrives to blow himself away with dynamite, and lets itself go altogether in a crazy, musical melange of an Arabian Nights dream.
Tin-Tan is a clever comedian and Solares a gifted writer/director but a lot of time was spent setting the scene. Solares seemed to feel that latecomers might have trouble following the plot, so Tin-Tan kept up a constant chatter for the first half-hour until the last late-comer was seated and then the movie finally moved ahead, though in a different direction. The first 30 minutes had Tin-Tan deserting his faithful Mexican girlfriend, Thelma Ferrino (a lovely girl, making both her film debut and last movie appearance here), in favor of a more mature American tourist, blonde Jacqueline Evans. But when the movie finally set sail, all this material was jettisoned and Jacqueline Evans was virtually dropped from the plot, whilst a new character, an officious policeman called Juanito (who actually came on the scene almost right after the credits), was hilariously re-introduced, enabling Simbad to innocently tango with a group of gangsters operating under the cover of a drawing school (in which Miss Evans is enrolled, though she is no longer either the main or secondary protagonist)! This leads to some very funny sequences involving the gangly, loose-limbed "Vitola" and José René Ruiz's delightfully vicious dwarf.
Adding to the fast-paced and highly athletic action and comedy, are a succession of delightful musical turns, including the foot-tapping dream sequence of course with Simbad dancing and singing through an Arabian night! Tin-Tan is an excellent singer (a pleasing tenor voice) and a very accomplished choreographer. He staged all the songs and dances in the movie including an absolutely stand-out rendition by the provocative "Dolly Sisters". They were wonderful! (Not the sisters that Betty Grable and June Haver portrayed in the 1945 Hollywood movie, of course, but pretty fair imitators)!
Aside from some obvious studio inserts, production credits, led by Solares' skillful direction (which makes imaginative use of real locations in Acapulco) and Herrera's attractive photography, are commendably "A" plus.
Available on DVD through Laguna Films. Quality rating: Ten out of ten.
Golden Girl (1951)iMDB Rating: 6.3
