The Best of Film Noir and the Classics
The first 35 before you die.
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- DirectorOrson WellesStarsCharlton HestonOrson WellesJanet LeighA stark, perverse story of murder, kidnapping and police corruption in a Mexican border town.The finest piece of Noir (and maybe the finest movie) that I could ever recommend. *Note: The first 4 minutes are legendary Directing. Take the time, after you've watched it, to read the discussions regarding the Directing. Also watch the Special Features on the DVD. The stories behind the filming of this movie are wonderful. Marlene Dietrich as the fortune teller, Tanya, and Mercedes McCambridge with her line, "I wanna watch." **You want the "Restored" 111 minute version with the Bonus material on the DVD.**
- DirectorJohn HustonStarsRichard BurtonAva GardnerDeborah KerrAn ostracized Episcopal clergyman leads a busload of middle-aged Baptist women on a tour of the Mexican coast and comes to terms with the failure haunting his life.Tie with 'Touch of Evil'. Incredible movie. Huston is genius. Watch the Special Features to see what they went through to film this movie. 'Shot on location' is an understatement. If you have never watched this film, you owe it to yourself.
- DirectorJohn HustonStarsHumphrey BogartWalter HustonTim HoltTwo down-on-their-luck Americans searching for work in 1920s Mexico convince an old prospector to help them mine for gold in the Sierra Madre Mountains.Huston writes the Screenplay and Directs, and creates a masterpiece. What a movie...
- DirectorCharles LaughtonStarsRobert MitchumShelley WintersLillian GishA self-proclaimed preacher marries a gullible widow whose young children are reluctant to tell him where their real dad hid the $10,000 he'd stolen in a robbery.Wow... So strange and so powerful.
- DirectorBilly WilderStarsWilliam HoldenGloria SwansonErich von StroheimA screenwriter develops a dangerous relationship with a faded film star determined to make a triumphant return.Yes, it's just that good. Billy Wilder and that subtle humor.
- DirectorOrson WellesStarsOrson WellesJoseph CottenDorothy ComingoreFollowing the death of publishing tycoon Charles Foster Kane, reporters scramble to uncover the meaning of his final utterance: 'Rosebud.'More of a movie that I suspected. Lives up to its fame and legend.
- DirectorElia KazanStarsMarlon BrandoKarl MaldenLee J. CobbAn ex-prize fighter turned New Jersey longshoreman struggles to stand up to his corrupt union bosses, including his older brother, as he starts to connect with the grieving sister of one of the syndicate's victims.Another one of those "Classics" that is always held in the Pantheon of filmmaking, and I guess I'd never seen it. Spectacular... Brando IS Terry... This is certainly among the very, very best. The very best.
- DirectorJoseph L. MankiewiczStarsBette DavisAnne BaxterGeorge SandersA seemingly timid but secretly ruthless ingénue insinuates herself into the lives of an aging Broadway star and her circle of theater friends.I've seen it referred to, but could have never expected the incredible quality of this film. One of the Great Films. Truly a 10.
- DirectorBilly WilderStarsTyrone PowerMarlene DietrichCharles LaughtonA veteran British barrister must defend his client in a murder trial that has surprise after surprise.I just love this movie. Billy Wilder/Director. Nominated for 6 Oscars. Agatha Christie play, with Billy Wilder writing the screenplay.
- DirectorSamuel FullerStarsRichard WidmarkJean PetersThelma RitterA pickpocket unwittingly lifts a message destined for enemy agents and becomes a target for a Communist spy ring.Never heard of this film before. Fuller, Fuller, Fuller. This got us on a hunt for all things "Fuller". Richard Widmark at his best.
- DirectorBilly WilderStarsFred MacMurrayBarbara StanwyckEdward G. RobinsonA Los Angeles insurance representative lets an alluring housewife seduce him into a scheme of insurance fraud and murder that arouses the suspicion of his colleague, an insurance investigator.Classic Noir in all respects. A pleasure to watch. Billy Wilder/Director. This one started us on the great Billy Wilder safari.
- DirectorHoward HawksStarsHumphrey BogartLauren BacallWalter BrennanDuring World War II, American expatriate Harry Morgan helps transport a French Resistance leader and his beautiful wife to Martinique while romancing a sensuous lounge singer.The staggering electricity between Bacall and Bogart is not the only reason this film is so monumental (they met and fell in love during the filming of this movie). Although it's a "Hemingway Script" it's really not. No, it's William Faulkner... Not bad... ;) Rather than Hemingway's Cuba, however, the US Government insisted it not be Cuba. So it's French Martinique. I've gotta say, though: Bacall's classic "You know how to whistle, don't you?" is only outdone by that walk she does at the very end of the movie, as she walks away from Cricket, to Steve. Wow.......
- DirectorOtto PremingerStarsJames StewartLee RemickBen GazzaraAn upstate Michigan lawyer defends a soldier who claims he killed an innkeeper due to temporary insanity after the victim raped his wife. What is the truth, and will he win his case?A solid 9 with hints of 10... Duke Ellington soundtrack. Incredible opening Title sequences by Saul Bass.
- DirectorNicholas RayStarsHumphrey BogartGloria GrahameFrank LovejoyA potentially violent screenwriter is a murder suspect until his lovely neighbor clears him. However, she soon starts to have her doubts.Watch this film!! I mean it. Watch this film. You will not be disappointed. Bogart is great as Dixon. This was a big surprise from a film we'd never heard of.
- DirectorAlfred HitchcockStarsJames StewartGrace KellyWendell CoreyA wheelchair-bound photographer spies on his neighbors from his Greenwich Village courtyard apartment window and, despite the skepticism of his fashion-model girlfriend, becomes convinced one of them has committed murder.Stewart and Grace Kelly are incredible. Hitchcock's Direction is stunning. This film is often rated as #1 in the Noir catagory. Best I can do is 15, compared to the above. Fabulous movie, don't get me wrong....
- DirectorJohn HustonStarsHumphrey BogartMary AstorGladys GeorgeSan Francisco private detective Sam Spade takes on a case that involves him with three eccentric criminals, a gorgeous liar and their quest for a priceless statuette, with the stakes rising after his partner is murdered.Just as good and brilliant as Legend and Reputation would have it.
- DirectorOrson WellesStarsRita HayworthOrson WellesEverett SloaneFascinated by gorgeous Mrs. Bannister, seaman Michael O'Hara joins a bizarre yachting cruise, and ends up mired in a complex murder plot.What a huge surprise and fantastic film! Rita Hayworth is really wonderful and wicked. This film is a solid 9. Orson Welles is a helluva Director.
- DirectorMichael CurtizStarsJoan CrawfordJack CarsonZachary ScottA hard-working mother inches towards disaster as she divorces her husband and starts a successful restaurant business to support her spoiled daughter.What a great film.
- DirectorArchie MayoStarsLeslie HowardHumphrey BogartBette DavisA waitress, a hobo and a bank robber get mixed up at a lonely diner in the desert.Once again, we have been blown away by Bogart and the films that he made. This is known as his "break through" film, and for good reason. He and Leslie Howard had played their roles on Broadway for years, and when it came time to cast the film, Leslie Howard insisted on Bogart. It has the 'stage play" feel that it needs to have and the dialog is exceptional. Great film. Pre-Noir Noir.
- DirectorAlfred HitchcockStarsCary GrantIngrid BergmanClaude RainsThe daughter of a convicted German spy is asked by American agents to gather information on a ring of German scientists in South America. How far will she have to go to ingratiate herself with them?One of Hitchcock's very, very, very best. Don't miss this movie.
- DirectorJohn HustonStarsHumphrey BogartEdward G. RobinsonLauren BacallA man visits his war buddy's family hotel and finds a gangster running things. As a hurricane approaches, the two end up confronting each other.This movie is really exceptional. Classic film, Classic Noir!!
- DirectorRichard BrooksStarsElizabeth TaylorPaul NewmanBurl IvesBrick is an alcoholic ex-football player who drinks his days away and resists the affections of his wife. A reunion with his terminal father jogs a host of memories and revelations for both father and son.Elizabeth Taylor is stunning. Paul Newman is great. Burl Ives is killer-creepy.
- DirectorGeorge StevensStarsMontgomery CliftElizabeth TaylorShelley WintersA poor boy gets a job working for his rich uncle and ends up falling in love with two women.Elizabeth Taylor at 18 years old. Unbelieveable that it is so. This is a classic Classic. Great movie.
- DirectorBill KrohnMyron MeiselOrson WellesStarsManuel 'Jacare' Olimpio MeiraJeronimo André De SouzaRaimundo 'Tata' Correia Lima"It's All True: Based on an Unfinished Film by Orson Welles" is a 1993 documentary feature about Orson Welles's ill-fated Pan-American anthology film "It's All True," shot in 1941-42 but never completed.This is a unique film, in that it was assembled by the team that was with Orson Welles in Brazil to film it. Suffice to say; this is a wholly moving film/meditation/tribute to Welles and a project that is so stirring and (in the end) selfless. Just watch it.
- DirectorAlfred HitchcockStarsRay MillandGrace KellyRobert CummingsA former tennis star arranges the murder of his adulterous wife.One of the first films we watched. Exceptional and required viewing.
- DirectorCharles VidorStarsRita HayworthGlenn FordGeorge MacreadyA small-time gambler hired to work in a Buenos Aires casino discovers his employer's new wife is his former lover.If you do any reading about "Film Noir", this film will be cited among the best. Rita Hayworth at her smokiest. Great film. Watch it!!
- DirectorGeorge StevensStarsElizabeth TaylorRock HudsonJames DeanSprawling epic covering the life of a Texas cattle rancher and his family and associates.Seems weird to have this down at #27... It's only because the films above it are just so incredible. It's in the Top 3 of the 8's, though! ;)
- DirectorRobert SiodmakStarsBurt LancasterAva GardnerEdmond O'BrienHit men kill an unresisting victim, and investigator Reardon uncovers his past involvement with beautiful, deadly Kitty Collins.Never had heard of this film. What a great movie!!! This is the movie that launched Burt Lancaster. Ava Gardner as a "double-crossing, two-timing babe".
- DirectorJoseph L. MankiewiczStarsElizabeth TaylorKatharine HepburnMontgomery CliftA surgeon is assigned the case of a young woman whose aunt wants her lobotomized to cover up a family secret.Hepburn and Elizabeth Taylor. Written by Tennessee Williams with the screenplay by Gore Vidal. The script is busy in places, but the lines are some of the best ever written. Katherine Hepburn and Elizabeth Taylor were both nominated for Best Actress in Oscars for 1960 for this film. Get to it, and watch this film!
- DirectorRobert WiseStarsSusan HaywardSimon OaklandVirginia VincentA prostitute, sentenced to death for murder, pleads her innocence.Powerful, fabulous, disturbing and killer soundtrack with the best of the 50's jazz players. This is a 'very high 8'. Very high. Susan Hayward is wonderful. She won an Oscar for Best Actress for this.
- DirectorElia KazanStarsJames DeanRaymond MasseyJulie HarrisTwo brothers in 1910s California struggle to maintain their strict, Bible-toting father's favor as an old secret about their long-absent mother comes to light.James Dean's first film. The only film released while he was alive. For me, the most striking aspect of his on-screen persona was his cat-like movement and presence. 3 films. Gone at 24.
- DirectorAlfred HitchcockStarsJames StewartKim NovakBarbara Bel GeddesA former San Francisco police detective juggles wrestling with his personal demons and becoming obsessed with the hauntingly beautiful woman he has been hired to trail, who may be deeply disturbed.Classic and exceptional. Required.
- DirectorAlexander MackendrickStarsBurt LancasterTony CurtisSusan HarrisonPowerful but unethical Broadway columnist J.J. Hunsecker coerces unscrupulous press agent Sidney Falco into breaking up his sister's romance with a jazz musician.I love this film!!! One of the great 'finds' of this whole Film Noir expedition.
- DirectorSamuel FullerStarsBela KovacsHerbert HeyesTina PineThe Globe is a small, but visionary newspaper started by Phineas Mitchell, an editor recently fired by The Star. The two newspapers become enemies, and the Star's ruthless heiress Charity Hackett decides to eliminate the competition.A lot has been written and told about how this is Samuel Fuller's favorite film, and testament to his years as a newspaper man. Exceptional.
- DirectorBilly WilderStarsKirk DouglasJan SterlingRobert ArthurA frustrated former big-city journalist now stuck working for an Albuquerque newspaper exploits a story about a man trapped in a cave to rekindle his career, but the situation quickly escalates into an out-of-control circus.Noir at it's best!! Billy Wilder and his wry, dark humor.
- DirectorFrank TuttleStarsAlan LaddVeronica LakeRobert PrestonWhen assassin Philip Raven shoots a blackmailer and his beautiful female companion dead, he is paid off in marked bills by his treasonous employer who is working with foreign spies.Veronica Lake and Alan Ladd. Lots of twists and turns in a great mystery.
- DirectorTay GarnettStarsLana TurnerJohn GarfieldCecil KellawayA married woman and a drifter fall in love and then plot to murder her husband.Such an incredible film, drenched in Noir.
- DirectorOtto PremingerStarsFrank SinatraKim NovakEleanor ParkerA junkie must face his true self to kick his drug addiction.Sinatra is brilliant. Elmer Bernstein soundtrack. Opening Title sequences by the masterful Saul Bass.
- DirectorJoseph L. MankiewiczStarsEdward G. RobinsonSusan HaywardRichard ConteAfter years in prison, Max promises revenge on his brothers for their betrayal. His lover Irene and memories of his past yield him a broader perspective.Really a great movie! Mankiewicz is superb in his Direction, Susan Hayward is exceptional and Edward G. is incredibly believeable. Big surprise.
- DirectorHoward HawksStarsHumphrey BogartLauren BacallJohn RidgelyPrivate detective Philip Marlowe is hired by a wealthy family. Before the complex case is over, he's seen murder, blackmail and what might be love.It's "The Big Sleep", for God's sake!! Watch it!!
- DirectorDelmer DavesStarsHumphrey BogartLauren BacallBruce BennettA man convicted of murdering his wife escapes from prison and works with a woman to try to prove his innocence.Excellent movie! Delmer Daves Direction is perfectly suited for the script and setting in San Francisco. Great cast.
- DirectorOtto PremingerStarsRobert MitchumJean SimmonsMona FreemanAmbulance driver Frank Jessup is ensnared in the schemes of the sensuous but dangerous Diane Tremayne.Solid Film Noir. Robert Mitchum and Jean Simmons are great. Excellent. Where else, but in Film Noir, can you find a wealthy woman passionately pursuing an ambulance driver??
- DirectorRobert AldrichStarsRalph MeekerAlbert DekkerPaul StewartA doomed female hitchhiker pulls Mike Hammer into a deadly whirlpool of intrigue, revolving around a mysterious "great whatsit".Pulp Noir filmed in 3 weeks in LosAngeles, mostly at Bunker Hill and Chinatown by Robert Aldrich. Mickey Spillane wrote the novel, but there's darn-near nothin' here from the book. Screenwriter A.I. Bezzerides dismantled it and pulled in everything sleazy, seedy and noir. Ending is classic early '50's!
- DirectorJules DassinStarsRichard WidmarkGene TierneyGoogie WithersA small-time grifter and nightclub tout takes advantage of some fortuitous circumstances and tries to become a big-time player as a wrestling promoter.Richard Widmark at his 'sketchyiest' best. This is an excellent noir film, although Dassin doesn't agree with the "Film Noir" label for this work. I highly recommend this, in that you've probably never heard of it. I know I hadn't.
- DirectorAlfred HitchcockStarsFarley GrangerRobert WalkerRuth RomanA psychopathic man tries to forcibly persuade a tennis star to agree to his theory that two strangers can get away with murder by submitting to his plan to kill the other's most-hated person.Excellent Murder/Mystery/Noir.
- DirectorCarol ReedStarsOrson WellesJoseph CottenAlida ValliPulp novelist Holly Martins travels to shadowy, postwar Vienna, only to find himself investigating the mysterious death of an old friend, Harry Lime.
- DirectorJohn HustonStarsSterling HaydenLouis CalhernJean HagenA major heist goes off as planned, but then double crosses, bad luck and solid police work cause everything to unravel.
- DirectorDaniel MannStarsElizabeth TaylorLaurence HarveyEddie FisherA beautiful New York model and socialite enjoys a very active night-life, but all things change when she falls for a married man and the consequences are tragic.Maybe not Classic Noir, but Elizabeth Taylor is killer in this Classic.
- DirectorAlfred HitchcockStarsCary GrantEva Marie SaintJames MasonA New York City advertising executive goes on the run after being mistaken for a government agent by a group of foreign spies, and falls for a woman whose loyalties he begins to doubt.Legendary film. Classic film. No doubt. It's just that it's not as 'special' as the films above. Really, really good. Not brilliant.
- DirectorOtto PremingerRouben MamoulianStarsGene TierneyDana AndrewsClifton WebbA police detective falls in love with the woman whose murder he is investigating.Great film!!! Great!!
- DirectorEdward DmytrykStarsGregory PeckDiane BakerWalter MatthauAn accountant suddenly suffers from amnesia. This appears related to the suicide of his boss. Now some violent thugs are out to get him. They work for a shadowy figure known simply as The Major.Soundtrack by Quincy Jones. Excellent Noir/Mystery!!!!
- DirectorRaoul WalshStarsIda LupinoHumphrey BogartAlan CurtisAfter being released from prison, notorious thief Roy Earle is hired by his old boss to help a group of inexperienced criminals plan and carry out the robbery of a California resort."Hard-boiled Ida Lupino" There's something exceptional in that phrase... Bogart is supposed to have "broken through" with this movie, not sure I could agree, but it's darned good. Truely Noir.
- DirectorWilliam WylerStarsBette DavisHerbert MarshallJames StephensonThe wife of a rubber plantation administrator shoots a man to death and claims it was self-defense, but a letter written in her own hand may prove her undoing.Bette Davis. One of her very best.
- DirectorRaoul WalshStarsJames CagneyVirginia MayoEdmond O'BrienA psychopathic criminal with a mother complex makes a daring break from prison and leads his old gang in a chemical plant payroll heist.Cagney in his opus.
- DirectorCurtis BernhardtStarsHumphrey BogartAlexis SmithSydney GreenstreetAn engineer trapped in an unhappy marriage murders his wife in the hope of marrying her younger sister.Excellent Mystery. Surprising how good Bogart is in so many films.
- DirectorOrson WellesStarsOrson WellesEdward G. RobinsonLoretta YoungAn investigator from the War Crimes Commission travels to Connecticut to find an infamous Nazi.
- DirectorEdward DmytrykStarsDick PowellClaire TrevorAnne ShirleyAfter being hired to find an ex-con's former girlfriend, Philip Marlowe is drawn into a deeply complex web of mystery and deceit.Exceptional Noir, and the plot is really involved, if not tangled up,
- DirectorOtto PremingerStarsAlice FayeDana AndrewsLinda DarnellA slick con man arrives in a small town looking to make some money, but soon gets more than he bargained for.
- DirectorRobert SiodmakStarsFranchot ToneElla RainesAlan CurtisA devoted secretary risks her life to try to find the elusive woman who may prove her boss didn't murder his selfish wife.
- DirectorSamuel FullerStarsConstance TowersAnthony EisleyMichael DanteA former prostitute relocates to a buttoned-down suburb, determined to fit in with mainstream society. But perverse secrets simmer beneath the wholesome surface.So weird and so Fuller!!
- DirectorFritz LangStarsGlenn FordGloria GrahameJocelyn BrandoTough cop Dave Bannion takes on a politically powerful crime syndicate.Terrific film! Gloria Grahame and Glenn Ford.
- DirectorBilly WilderStarsJack LemmonShirley MacLaineFred MacMurrayA Manhattan insurance clerk tries to rise in his company by letting its executives use his apartment for trysts, but complications and a romance of his own ensue.Exceptional, Classic, Masterful Direction. Essential.
- DirectorJoseph L. MankiewiczStarsJeanne CrainLinda DarnellAnn SothernA letter is addressed to three wives from their "best friend" Addie Ross, announcing that she is running away with one of their husbands - but she does not say which one.A great premise for a film. Surprising to us, as to how good this film is.
- DirectorJoseph L. MankiewiczStarsRichard WidmarkLinda DarnellStephen McNallyTwo hoodlum brothers are brought into a hospital for gunshot wounds, and when one of them dies the other accuses their black doctor of murder.Incredibly confrontive work on Mankiewicz's part. Challenging to watch because of the direct and bare racial theme and language. Apparently, Poitier and Widmark were really close friends and Widmark apologized after several nasty scenes to Poitier. I can see that...
- DirectorDavid MillerStarsJoan CrawfordJack PalanceGloria GrahameAfter an ambitious actor insinuates himself into the life of a wealthy middle-aged playwright and marries her, he plots with his mistress to murder her.Joan Crawford is "all eyes" in this very good Noir mystery. It pushes the boundary between 'Classic Noir" and 'caricature', but it's really quite good. Gloria Grahame is always fun as the 'bad little girl'.
- DirectorDaniel MannStarsSusan HaywardRichard ConteEddie AlbertSusan Hayward stars as singer-actress Lillian Roth, whose rise to stardom was nearly destroyed by alcoholism.Susan Hayward finally got her elusive Oscar with this performance. Rightfully so, in that her study in the life of a fallen stage performer is unnerving,, at the least.
- DirectorAlfred HitchcockStarsHenry FondaVera MilesAnthony QuayleIn 1953, an innocent man named Christopher Emanuel "Manny" Balestrero is arrested after being mistaken for an armed robber.
- DirectorOtto PremingerStarsDana AndrewsGene TierneyGary MerrillDet. Sgt. Mark Dixon wants to be something his old man wasn't: a guy on the right side of the law. Will Dixon's vicious nature get the better of him?
- DirectorFritz LangStarsEdward G. RobinsonJoan BennettRaymond MasseyWhen a conservative middle aged professor engages in a relationship with a femme fatale, he's plunged into a nightmarish world of blackmail and murder.This was filmed just before Scarlet Street and Fritz Lang used the same cast. Quite a good mystery!
- DirectorGeorge CukorStarsCharles BoyerIngrid BergmanJoseph CottenTen years after her aunt was murdered in their London home, a woman returns from Italy in the 1880s to resume residence with her new husband. His obsessive interest in the home rises from a secret that may require driving his wife insane.
- DirectorFritz LangStarsEdward G. RobinsonJoan BennettDan DuryeaA man in mid-life crisis befriends a young woman, though her fiancé persuades her to con him out of the fortune they mistakenly assume he possesses.
- DirectorFritz LangStarsSylvia SidneySpencer TracyWalter AbelWhen a wrongly-accused prisoner barely survives a lynch-mob attack and is presumed dead, he vindictively decides to fake his death and frame the mob for his supposed murder.Exceptional 30's 'Noir-ish' film. Truly a Moral Code theme, wherein Spencer Tracy is transformed into a vengeful, hateful character by an immoral, rudderless lynch mob. I'd be kinda' pissed, too!!
- DirectorOtto PremingerStarsGene TierneyRichard ConteJosé FerrerA woman suffering from kleptomania is hypnotized in an attempt to cure her. Soon afterwards, she's found at the scene of a murder with no memory of how she got there, and seemingly no way to prove her innocence.
- DirectorHenry HathawayStarsVictor MatureBrian DonlevyColeen GrayA crook arrested for a jewelry heist initially refuses to give up his accomplices, but he changes his mind once his wife dies under worrying circumstances.A very strong story sets you up for a twisty, squirmy ending. Richard Widmark in his debut. He pushes his character to some insane limits and really nails it. He got nominated for Best Supprting Actor for this, his first role in film. Widmark continues to really stand out in this list of films.
- DirectorJohn HustonStarsHumphrey BogartKatharine HepburnRobert MorleyIn WWI East Africa, a gin-swilling Canadian riverboat captain is persuaded by a strait-laced English missionary to undertake a trip up a treacherous river and use his boat to attack a German gunship.Good, but not as Great as I would have thought. Fine film.
- DirectorAlfred HitchcockStarsMargaret LockwoodMichael RedgravePaul LukasWhile travelling in continental Europe, a rich young playgirl realizes that an elderly lady seems to have disappeared from the train.Hitchcock mystery. Well done.
- DirectorAlfred HitchcockStarsCary GrantJoan FontaineCedric HardwickeA shy young heiress marries a charming gentleman, and soon begins to suspect he is planning to murder her.
- DirectorRichard FleischerWilliam Cameron MenziesStarsCharles McGrawMarie WindsorJacqueline WhiteA woman planning to testify against the mob must be protected against potential assassins on the train trip from Chicago to Los Angeles.
- DirectorBilly WilderStarsJack LemmonShirley MacLaineLou JacobiWhen a policeman falls in love with a prostitute, he doesn't want her to see other men, so he creates an alter-ego who will be her only customer.It's way down here, and that's a shame. Its really a great film with Lemmon and Mclaine. I'd say it's 'Required Classic'.
- DirectorHenry HathawayStarsJames StewartRichard ConteLee J. CobbChicago reporter P.J. McNeal re-opens a decade-old murder case.True story, filmed in the actual locales, as well. Jimmy Stewart makes a darn fine 'newspaper man".
- DirectorBilly WilderStarsMarilyn MonroeTony CurtisJack LemmonAfter two male musicians witness a mob hit, they flee the state in an all-female band disguised as women, but further complications set in.Funny that it's down here. It is a Classic to the core, and probably would stand more to the top if I'd just looked at it as a comedy (that it is...).
- DirectorJacques TourneurStarsRobert MitchumJane GreerKirk DouglasA private eye escapes his past to run a gas station in a small town, but his past catches up with him. Now he must return to the big city world of danger, corruption, double crosses, and duplicitous dames.
- DirectorLewis MilestoneStarsBarbara StanwyckVan HeflinLizabeth ScottA man is reunited with his childhood friend and her husband who believes he knows the truth about the death of her rich aunt years earlier.Barbara Stanwyck is very good in this 'blackmail mystery'. Lizabeth Scott's 2nd film, and she's a little 'forced' in her attempt to capture the Bacall persona.
- DirectorJohn CromwellStarsHumphrey BogartLizabeth ScottMorris CarnovskyA soldier runs away rather than receive the Medal of Honor, so his buddy gets permission to investigate, and love and death soon follow.
- DirectorAlfred HitchcockStarsTeresa WrightJoseph CottenMacdonald CareyA teenage girl, overjoyed when her favorite uncle comes to visit the family in their quiet California town, slowly begins to suspect that he is in fact the "Merry Widow" killer sought by the authorities.
- DirectorStuart HeislerStarsAlan LaddVeronica LakeBrian DonlevyA crooked politician finds himself being accused of murder by a gangster from whom he refused help during a re-election campaign.
- DirectorEdmund GouldingStarsTyrone PowerJoan BlondellColeen GrayThe rise and fall of Stanton Carlisle, a mentalist whose lies and deceit prove to be his downfall.
- DirectorIrving RapperStarsBette DavisPaul HenreidClaude RainsA frumpy spinster blossoms under therapy and becomes an elegant, independent woman.
- DirectorAlfred HitchcockStarsJames StewartJohn DallFarley GrangerTwo men attempt to prove they committed the perfect crime by hosting a dinner party after strangling their former classmate to death.Good Hitchcock mystery. Not in his 'very best' caliber, though IMHO.
- DirectorIrving PichelStarsClaudette ColbertOrson WellesGeorge BrentAn American World War I soldier whose disfigured face is reconstructed by Austrian plastic surgeons returns home after 20 years, but no one recognizes him, his widow is married to another man, and his son is a grown young man.
- DirectorEdward DmytrykStarsRobert YoungRobert MitchumRobert RyanA man is murdered, apparently by one of a group of demobilized soldiers he met in a bar. But which one? And why?
- DirectorJules DassinStarsRichard ConteValentina CorteseLee J. CobbA war veteran turned truck driver attempts to avenge the crippling and robbing of his father at the hands of an amoral produce scofflaw.Good. Not terrific. Good.
- DirectorJules DassinStarsBarry FitzgeraldHoward DuffDorothy HartA step-by-step look at a murder investigation on the streets of New York.Same as above... Good. Not terrific. Good. Haven't been wildly impressed by Dassin's films.. It's clear what he's doing, but I don't find it particularly compelling. Good....
- DirectorByron HaskinStarsBurt LancasterLizabeth ScottKirk DouglasFrankie Madison leaves prison expecting a share from his ex-partner. But Prohibition bootlegging didn't prepare Frankie for Big Business.
- DirectorAlfred HitchcockStarsMontgomery CliftAnne BaxterKarl MaldenA priest, who comes under suspicion for murder, cannot clear his name without breaking the seal of the confessional.
- DirectorRobert SiodmakStarsBurt LancasterYvonne De CarloDan DuryeaAn armored truck driver and his ex-wife conspire with a gang to have his own truck robbed on the route.
- DirectorFielder CookStarsVan HeflinEverett SloaneEd BegleyWhen Fred Staples is recruited onto the board of a high-powered New York corporation, he finds his ethics and ambition at odds.
- DirectorAlfred HitchcockStarsLaurence OlivierJoan FontaineGeorge SandersA self-conscious woman juggles adjusting to her new role as an aristocrat's wife and avoiding being intimidated by his first wife's spectral presence.
- DirectorAlfred HitchcockStarsRobert DonatMadeleine CarrollLucie MannheimA man in London tries to help a counter-espionage agent, but when the agent is killed and the man stands accused, he must go on the run to save himself and stop a spy ring that is trying to steal top-secret information.OK. It should be watched for its classic nature. It's not bad at all. I just wouldn't start here.
- DirectorElia KazanStarsDana AndrewsJane WyattLee J. CobbThe true story of a prosecutor's fight to prove the innocence of a man accused of a notorious murder.A bit disappointing, in that is on so many lists, and yet not all that great. It's OK, but....