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Bandit1066
Reviews
The Voice of Bugle Ann (1936)
The senator's speech
This movie will stay with you for the rest of your life. I did not see the movie until 2002 on TCM, but the senate speech about the love of a dog quoted in the movie was excerpted in a comic book I read as a boy in the late 50s. I would love to see the movie again. Of course, like many people, I believe that every movie with Lionel Barrymore is a classic on some level. The movie is otherwise pretty much standard fare for the 30s: a low budget film made with contract players. But if you are a lover of animals, this movie is a classic that ranks right up there with Old Yeller, The Biscuiteater (original version), or even the Lassie series. You get a little flavor for what life was like in a pre-WWII America.
Der Name der Rose (1986)
Great Movie
Set historically between the time of the publication of Dante's Inferno and the Black Death that wiped out a third of Europe's population, this Sean Connery tour de force absolutely captivates one's attention and imagination, especially if you never lived in the 14th century.
This is the dawn of the Renaissance, and the struggle is between dogmatic fear/ignorance and enlightened reason as Connery, a Monk in the role of Holmes/Brother Cadfael, seeks to solve murders in the stark setting of a Medieval monastery, literally frozen in time. One of Connery's best performances. Excellent performances by the supporting cast, Christian Slater, William Hickey, and a host of others, many European.
Even more relevant today, 2006, as we are in the midst of a struggle with enlightenment versus adherence to strict religious dogma, the West vs. Islam, particularly with respect to the lack of a sense of humor.
Students of history will feel the pain of the loss of the library of Alexandria.
A great movie for the thoughtful. If you really haven't seen or heard of this movie by now, get up and go to your local video store immediately. I mean now.
Wake Island (1942)
Good war time propaganda film
The film glorifies the American fighting spirit at its best: an isolated contingent of dedicated soldiers, cutoff, with no hope of rescue, resupply, or reinforcement. The movie is essentially factually correct, particularly the thwarting of the first Japanese attack by holding fire until the invading fleet was within a few thousand yards of the island. The film omits the fact that a large number of civilian construction workers and soldiers were captured, most to be sent on the "death march," some to remain behind as captive labor until the end of the war, and then summarily executed by their Jap captors. Neither does the film show the conscious decision by the Navy to abandon any attempt at rescue because of fear of another attack on Pearl Harbor. Too bad, they probably could have been saved. But, then we never would have heard of Wake Island.