After a failed suicide attempt, a young woman (Ann Todd) is placed under the care of a psychologist (Herbert Lom). While in her state, she refuses to speak so the doctor uses hypnosis to find out what events drove her to this state. Directed by Compton Bennett (KING SOLOMON'S MINES). A huge art house hit in its day (its screenplay won an Oscar), the film signaled cinema's interest in psychoanalysis as a film subject. Hitchcock's SPELLBOUND came out the same year and THE LOCKET came out the following year. Its dime store Freud is dubious but there's an appeal in the movie's brooding sadistic hero played by James Mason and his performance here catapulted him to the top of the British box office and Hollywood would soon beckon. It's kitsch but so well done that its foolish to resist. With Hugh McDermott and Albert Lieven.
A musical biopic on the life and career of impresario and Russian immigrant Sol Hurok (David Wayne) who, despite having no musical talent of his own, fostered the careers of many who did. Based on the autobiography IMPRESARIO by Sol Hurok and Ruth Goode and directed by Mitchell Leisen (MURDER AT THE VANITIES). A crashing bore! A by the numbers tale interposed with guest stars performing excerpts from opera and ballet. MGM (this is a Fox film) did this kind of stuff better with movies like DEEP IN MY HEART and TILL THE CLOUDS ROLL BY. Here you have Ezio Pinza as Feodor Chaliapin, Tamara Toumanova as Anna Pavlova and Isaac Stern as Eugene Ysaye all doing briefly what they do best in an inferior film. It's one of those "and then I did this and then I did that" movie bios. With Anne Bancroft, Roberta Peters and Byron Palmer (his singing voice dubbed by Jan Peerce).
Just out of prison, a criminal (Boris Karloff) known by the name of Gruesome meets up with an old criminal friend (Tony Barrett) who introduces him to a mysterious mastermind in charge of a secret formula that temporarily freezes people. After they rob a bank, Dick Tracy (Ralph Byrd) is on the case! Based on the characters created by Chester Gould and directed by John Rawlins (ARABIAN NIGHTS). The last entry of the four film Dick Tracy franchise from RKO pictures and the silliest of the lot. Its preposterous science fiction plot is imbecilic and its sad to see poor Boris Karloff in this nonsense after such superior horror films as THE BODY SNATCHER, BEDLAM and ISLE OF THE DEAD just a couple of years before. The film doesn't take itself seriously with such characters as Dr. A. Tomic (Milton Parsons), Professor I.M. Learned (June Clayworth) and Dr. Lee Thal (Edward Ashley). It's an attempt to be "camp" before the phrase was invented. With Anne Gwynne and Lyle Latell.
Set in 1942, after the death of their mother, two young boys (Brad Stoll, Mike Damus) are sent to live temporarily with their stern German grandmother (Irene Worth) and their mentally challenged Aunt Bella (Mercedes Ruehl). Based on the play by Neil Simon (who adapted his play for the screen) and directed by Martha Coolidge (RAMBLING ROSE). Simon's play was a great success on Broadway receiving a Pulitzer Prize for drama and four Tony awards. I've not seen Simon's play but judging from the film version, it didn't transition well to the screen. It seems contrived with the two adolescents tossing off Simon's wisecracks like 40 year olds rather than real kids. As the gang henchman Uncle, Richard Dreyfuss overacts alarmingly. The whole movie just comes off as a coarse exercise. The film's redeeming features are Ruehl and Worth recreating their stage roles. They're both excellent and better than the material they're given. With David Strathairn and Susan Merson.
After her close friend (Bill Murray) commits suicide, his widow (Noma Dumezweni) tells his writer friend (Naomi Watts) that he wanted her to have his Great Dane (Bing). This proves difficult as not only does she have a small apartment but her apartment building doesn't allow dogs. Based on the novel by Sigrid Nunez and directed by Scott McGehee and David Siegel (THE DEEP END). Just a lovely and moving film about loss and the emotional chaos that suicides often leave for their surviving loved ones to deal with. While the dog is an important part of the narrative, this isn't OLD YELLER and definitely not a movie for kids. Still, I can't imagine anyone who's lost someone close to suicide not feeling the grief. There's some sophisticated humor flecked in among the drama but not enough to call it a dramedy. Watts is marvelous here and Murray's curmudgeon persona fits in nicely with his character. With Constance Wu, Carla Gugino, Ann Dowd and Sarah Pidgeon.
Two cabaret performers (Catherine Deneuve, Bernadette Lafont) have a dream house they want to build but they can't afford it. So, to raise the money, they become prostitutes. Meanwhile, a retired opera singer (Georgette Anys), now married to a former government official is kidnapped. Written and directed by actor turned director Laszlo Szabo. A truly bizarre movie with eccentric characters. The film is part musical, part comedy, part crime movie, part romance and none of the parts meld into a coherent film. For most of its running time, it appears to be a light farce but the movie ends with death and murder. To its credit, it's never boring but it's a mess. An entertaining mess but a mess nonetheless. With Walter Chiari, Hubert Deschamps and Jean Pierre Kalfon.
An elderly school teacher (Claudette Colbert) hopes to see a presidential nominee (Shepperd Strudwick), who was a former pupil of hers. While waiting to see him, she reflects on her relationship with him when he was a boy (Douglas Croft) and how the man (John Payne) she loved came between them. Based on the play by Philo Higley and Philip Dunning and directed by Henry King (THE GUNFIGHTER). I was fearing that this would be another one of those "teachers that inspired me" movies, a subgenre I'm not fond of but although it flirts around that, it's more of a romance. It's pretty predictable down the line, however. When WWI breaks out and Payne marches off to war, you just know he won't be coming back! Colbert and Payne are appealing enough to cover up the corn but it's stale anyway you look at it. With Anne Revere, Frieda Inescort and Geraldine Hall.
A Czech immigrant (Francis Lederer) is being deported but he jumps ship and swims ashore. When he meets a chorus girl (Ginger Rogers), she takes pity on him and sneaks him into her apartment building where he sleeps on the roof. It isn't long before love is in bloom. Directed by Stephen Roberts (THE STORY OF TEMPLE DRAKE). A rather routine if pleasant 1930s romance takes on an added layer of significance that it wouldn't have had a year ago. The movie takes place during an era where immigrants were welcome, where everybody knew the policeman who patrolled their neighborhood and the police were there to protect you, not terrorize you. This film could never take place in 2025. That aside, Lederer's naivete becomes tiresome after awhile. Sure, he's an innocent dreamer in a strange land but his lack of guile stretches belief. It doesn't help that Lederer and Rogers have zero chemistry. With J. Farrell MacDonald, Donald Meek, Sidney Toler and Eily Malyon.
Set in London, a successful public relations executive (Rod Taylor) is in an unhappy marriage. When his neglected wife (Penelope Horner) leaves him, he finds a new sense of freedom and begins an affair with his best friend's (James Booth) wife (Carol White). Based on the novel by Gordon Williams and directed by John Krish (UNEARTHLY STRANGER). Populated by a plethora of unlikeable characters including its main protagonist, the title is a misnomer. Indeed, the men in the film seem to be helpless in their dealings with the opposite sex. Playing against type, Rod Taylor is very good but the screenplay does him no favors including his sanctimonious deus ex machina redemption at the end where the film's moralizing seems insincere and calculated. With Alexandra Stewart, Charles Korvin, Magali Noel and Clive Francis.
