MORE GOOD LOOKING THAN IT REALLY WAS

There are movies that were really significant in their time, but failed to withstand the course of time and ”Love with a proper stranger” is one of those classic Hollywood blockbusters.

Creating one of the most popular and good looking couples both on and off the big screen, the basically flat and emptyish storyline managed to circumvent its flaws and to enthrone Steve McQueen and Natalie Wood as sex symbols of the entire era.

”Love with a proper stranger” is a feast for an eye, both for men and women equally, but a boredom for the brain as well.

LOVE WITH A PROPER STRANGER – 4/10

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JAMES STEWART AT HIS BEST

James Stewart, being one of the most popular and successful ”good guys” of classic Hollywood was the perfect and obvious choice for the roll of the middle-aged man falling into a deep and disturbing identity crisis by imagining the 10-foot rabbit Harvey as his best friend.

To the awe of the society and to horror to his family, Stewart gives all he’s got to create one of the most memorable and hilarious stories of all times, earning the ”oscar” nomination for himself, but also a ”golden boy” for the character of his aunt for Josephine Hull.

Script moves smoothly all the way through the the end of the flick, where, by taking a strong u-turn questions the starting premise and also creates one of the more moving parting scenes in its era.

”Harvey” is a great movie from the time we were kids, but it’s not a kid’s movie at all.

HARVEY – 7/10


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COVERING ALL THE ANGLES

Coming back from the war is one of the most popular movie themes of all times, especially for the Americans, since they didn’t have the experience on fighting on the home ground for more than 200 years. Cultural and emotional shocks for both the veterans and their family and friends is the subject for one of the best movies that describes the returning of warriors after the WWII, William Wyler’s ”The best years of our lives”.

Centered around three totally different stories, the crafty director manages to cover all the angles and to show that the things and the people are not who and how they seem like at the first look. The toll of war is basically same for all three men and their families, regardless of their approach, mental posture and starting and ending points. Although basically tragic, this post war syndrome story ends with a strong positive message for the generation of ”baby boomers” it was meant in the first place.

”The best years of our lives” is a solid, real and strong script that manages to avoid most of its inevitable pathetic.

THE BEST YEARS OF OUR LIVES – 7/10

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DRAMA FOR ALL TIMES

Since the mid ’50s, Hollywood stood at the forefront of changing the public opinion and controversy that his movies brought were meant to appeal to the average viewer and make him/her think and/or question the deeply rooted  conservative attitudes.

Elia Kazan’s mastered the subject of forbidden love, social prejudices and tragic romance in his movies, while simultaneously managing to create some of the most famous male and female couplings in the history of western cinema.

”Splendor in the grass” has turned the public’s eye to a young and handsome Warren Beatty and also enthroned Natalie Wood as the tragic heroine of love stories in that era. The two actors perfectly clicked both on and off the screen and managed to guide the viewers all the way through one love story that started as a beautiful thing but resulted in one of the most heartbreaking ending scenes of all times.

”Splendor in the grass” is a real life, tough, beautiful and tragic love story for all times.

SPLENDOR IN THE GRASS – 8/10

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FOR A WHOLE FAMILY

James Stewart was always an actor that chose the roles in the films made for the entire family and they were, with almost no exception, positive ones.

In his cooperation with the famous Frank Capra, he chose to portray a character in a practically Christmas fairy tale made for the big screen. With the depiction of on two parallel possible stories, James with ease presents the world with and without his character, ending in a kinda sweetish, but nonetheless positive and touching way.

”It’s a wonderful life” is one of those movies we loved as kids and grew to love them even more when we have the kids of our own.

IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE – 7/10

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OL’ SCHOOL DRAMA

When you combine Billy Wilder behind and Gloria Swanson and William Holden in front of the camera you can not get a mediocre result. Semi-autobiographical story about the fallen star of silent movies that struggles to catch up with the moving industry perplexed with a love story and a crime mystery, you get a really decent movie with some dramatic depth.

On the other hand, the praise it received were mainly due to the moment it appeared, thus being really up to date with its display of the changing cinematography.

”Sunset Boulevard” is a good ol’ school drama, but with a somewhat obsolete subject.

SUNSET BLVD – 5/10

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CLASSIC AGATHA

Agatha Christie is one of the most adapted writers for the big screen, but also rarely managed to deliver a bad movie script. Her crime mysteries were just too good in their core, offering endless plot twists, as did one of her first adaptations, ”Witness for the prosecution”.

William Wilder’s movie brought Marlen Dietrich’s charisma to the big screen, but also managed to keep the tension of a murder trial all the way through the entire movie, climaxing in a really unexpected and well hidden final twist. On the other hand, the acting and the development of characters won’t be revolutionary.

If you are into crime/mystery/trial movies you should not miss ”Witness for the prosecution”, a classical genre mainstream.

WITNESS FOR THE PROSECUTION – 6/10

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A MONUMENT TO CROSS-EXAMINATION

James Stewart was one of those everlasting good guys of classic Hollywood, portraying honest and slightly naive characters fighting the system. His role as a inexperienced young lawyer that has to crack a murder case that doesn’t seem to look as easy and straightforward as it did when the trail began.

Director Otto Premminger isn’t letting anything slip by unnoticed, dissecting the trail process to the very smallest details with discreet, but fanatical persistency. Stewart and Remmick are dancing their dance of hunter and the hunted with ease, while the cross examinations flawlessly manage to raise the temperature of the plot until the very climax and the not so anticipated ending.

”Anatomy of a murder” laid down the foundation for many courthouse movies while simultaneously enthroning the cross examination as a foundation of the Anglo-Saxon law system.

ANATOMY OF A MURDER – 8/10

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„JUST” A GOOD DRAMA

Not seldom great actors are remembered not by their best roles, but the ones that went out into theaters at just the right time for a certain generation, like did ”On the Waterfront”.

Mid fifties were the time of change in the Hollywood and some fresh, new faces were hitting the big screen, bringing the spirit of rebellion with them. Brando fitted like a glove in that surroundings with his raw union muscleman Terry Malloy, earning his first nom, and so did the movie, winning a total of 8 ”oscars”, including all the major ones.

However, the movie itself brought ”just” an ok story, some good grim atmosphere and trademark Brando acting. Taking that into consideration, the praise it earned was somewhat overacted, since both Kazan, Brando and Malden had better movies.

”On the waterfront” was maybe an important movie in its time, but now  represents just a solid social drama.

ON THE WATERFRONT – 5/10

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A MASTERPIECE OF DRAMA

Marlon Brando was THE actor of the golden age of Hollywood, but often misleading the public with his looks and not his acting. Story about a possessive love and hate relationship between him and Vivien Leigh was precisely one of those scripts that grew more ripe over the decades, still being able to shock and move the viewer even long after its protagonists were gone.

Tennessee Williams was one of the most successful writers to be adapted into movie scripts in that era and Elia Kazan was one of the best directors to do such a task, which resulted into 12 nominations for ”oscars”, including all the major categories. Acting earned 4 of those noms giving the ”golden boys” to Malden, Hunter and Leigh, leading to some impeccable one-on-one scenes of pure intensity, unparalleled deep into the 21st century.

If you want to watch one of the Top 10 American movie dramas of all times, you should definitely watch ”A streetcar named desire”. 

A STREETCAR CALLED DESIRE – 9/10

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