A Day at the Races (1937)

A veterinarian posing as a doctor, a race-horse owner and his friends struggle to help keep a sanitarium open with the help of a misfit race-horse.

A Day at the Races (1937)

A veterinarian posing as a doctor and a race-horse owner and his friends struggle to help keep a sanitarium open with the help of a misfit race-horse.

From memory: A perfect Marx Brothers vessel: embedded in a silly romance and interspersed with mediocre musical asides, the trio finds enough room to wreak havoc with their anarchic humor.

Halliwell****: "Fashions in Marxism change, but this top quality production, though lacking their zaniest inspirations, does contain several of their funniest routines and a spectacularly well integrated racehorse climax. The musical and romantic asides are a matter of taste but delightfully typical of their time."

Maltin***1/2: "...often uproarious comedy features some of the trio's funniest set pieces...A perfunctory storyline and unmemorable songs keep it from tooping its immediate predecessor, A NIGHT AT THE OPERA...but the comedy is sensational."

Gone With the Wind (1939)

A manipulative woman and a roguish man conduct a turbulent romance during the American Civil War and Reconstruction periods.

An epic Hollywood masterpiece showing excellence in all departments (production, casting, storytelling, cinematography) - complete with a disquietening intrinsic and unabashed racism.

Halliwell****: "The only film in history which could be profitably revived for forty years: 'still pure gold', said the Daily Mirror in 1975. Whole books have been written about it: its essential appeal is that of a romantic story with strong characters and an impeccable production. The widescreen version produced in the late sixties ruined its composition and colour, but it is to be hoped that the original negative still survives."

Maltin****: "If not the greatest movie ever made, certainly one of the greatest examples of storytelling on film, maintaining interest for nearly four hours."