Roman Holiday (1953)

The Paradine Case (1947)

The Big Country (1958)

A New Englander arrives in the Old West, where he becomes embroiled in a feud between two families over a valuable patch of land.

Big-scale epic Western with great scenic cinematography and some memorable performances and scenes, although the proto-pacifist message is quite dated by now.

Halliwell***: "Big-scale Western with a few pretensions to say something about the Cold War. All very fluent, star-laden and easy to watch."

Maltin***: "Overblown Western...Heston as quick-tempered ranch foreman and Ives...as burly patriarch stand out in energetic cast."

Mirage (1965)

A New York City man suffers amnesia. He soon learns that he's mixed up in a life-and-death situation, but what exactly is it?

Hitchcock-inspired mystery of identity loss has a silly plot, but is superbly staged with uncanny sense for mise-en-scène.

Halliwell**: "Striking puzzler, rather slowly developed but generally effective and with a strong sense of place and timing."

Maltin***: "Fine Hitchcock-like thriller...Matthau steals film as easygoing private-eye; interesting on-location footage in N.Y.C."

Gregory Peck

Bio:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gregory_Peck

Gregory Peck

Bio:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gregory_Peck

Cape Fear (1962)

A lawyer's family is stalked by a man he once helped put in jail.

Classic high tension thriller with Robert Mitchum delivering one of the best deranged villain performances in cinema history; however, the right-wing flavoring of the story stains the otherwise good impression of the movie as a whole.

Halliwell (no star): "Unpleasant and drawn out suspenser with characters of cardboard and situations from stock."

Maltin***: "Mitchum is memorably (and believably) creepy...Dated only on its lack of explicitness, but still daring for its time."

The Paradine Case (1947)

 

 

A happily married London barrister falls in love with the accused poisoner he is defending.

 

Superb courtroom drama with an excellent cast; Hitchcock manages to set the characters' moral ambiguities as the plot's pacemaker.


On renewed view: it's bit pedestrian in pace.


Halliwell**: "A stodgy and old-fashioned script is given gleaming treatment; this and the acting make it seem better thirty years later than it did on release."

Maltin**1/2: "Talk, talk, talk in complicated, stagey courtroomdrama...Below par for Hollywood..."

Gentleman's Agreement (1947)

A reporter pretends to be Jewish in order to cover a story on antisemitism, and personally discovers the true depths of bigotry and hatred.

The Guns of Navarone (1961)

A British team is sent to cross occupied Greek territory and destroy the massive German gun emplacement that commands a key sea channel.

The Paradine Case (1947)

A happily married London barrister falls in love with the accused poisoner he is defending.

Superb courtroom drama with an excellent cast; Hitchcock manages to set the characters' moral ambiguities as the plot's pacemaker.

Halliwell**: "A stodgy and old-fashioned script is given gleaming treatment; this and the acting make it seem better thirty years later than it did on release."

Maltin**1/2: "Talk, talk, talk in complicated, stagey courtroomdrama...Below par for Hollywood..."