1931-1940

  • Aleksandr Dovzhenko – Ivan, Aerograd aka Frontier (The Cultural Heritage) [Disc 4] (1932 – 1935)

    Drama1931-1940Aleksandr DovzhenkoArthouseUSSR

    Ivan (1932)
    Cinemapoem about building of Dniproges (Dnieper Hydroelectric Station), about the fate of rural fellow which comes together with other boys and girls to build one of most buildings of socialist industrial construction. Narrates the language of the poetic cinema of O. Dovzhenko about the process of alteration of consciousness of rural fellow due to industrialization.
    Recipient of an award on ICF in Venice in 1934.Read More »

  • Aleksandr Dovzhenko, Yuliya Solntseva – Shchors AKA Shors (The Cultural Heritage) [Disc 5] (1939)

    Drama1931-1940Aleksandr DovzhenkoUSSRYuliya Solntseva

    The year is 1919. German troops retreat from Ukraine. The Directory, the Ukrainian national government lead by Symon Petliura, takes control of Kyiv. Meanwhile, the Bolshevik division commanded by Mykola Shchors is marching on the capital. The Bolsheviks capture the cities of Vinnytsia, Zhmerynka, and others one by one, but lose Berdychiv to Petliura’s forces. They are demoralized by the defeat. By his personal example of courage and military skill, Shchors inspires the retreating Red troops and leads them to victory over the enemy.Read More »

  • Richard Boleslawski – Fugitive Lovers (1934)

    1931-1940ComedyCrimeRichard BoleslawskiUSA

    Letterboxed wrote:
    In a hopeful effort to evade gangster Legs Caffey, chorus girl Letty Morris hops a bus in New York bound for Los Angeles–with Legs close on her heels. Along the way the bus picks up escaped convict Paul Porter, who quickly allies himself with Letty. With the police in hot pursuit and Legs monitoring his every move with Letty, Paul is running out of both time and ideas.Read More »

  • Lewis Seiler – Murder in the Air (1940)

    1931-1940ActionLewis SeilerThrillerUSA

    Plot: Enemy agents are everywhere and they are sabotaging all important war deliveries. The body of a hobo found in a train wreck had a money belt with $50,000 and a tattoo of a circle and arrow. This is a tattoo for saboteurs for hire and Brass must impersonate the dead man to find out what his orders are. As Steve Coe, he meets with the band of enemy agents in California and everything goes well until the wife of the dead ‘Hobo’ shows up. Luckily, Gabby is able to save Brass and Brass learns what is his assignment. He is to board the USN airship ‘Mason’, which is testing the super secret Inertia Projector, and destroy the airship. Written by Tony FontanaRead More »

  • Osamu Fushimizu – Shina no yoru aka China Night (1940)

    1931-1940AsianClassicsJapanOsamu Fushimizu

    Peter High wrote:
    Fushimizu Osamu’s immensely successful China Nights works the rich metaphorical possibilities afforded by the commonplace image of China as a disreputable “woman” in need of redemption. As early as 1911, popular historian Yamaji Aizan had characterized the nation as “not a powerless country like a single woman, but an infelicitous one like a prostitute.” Although it’s discretely muted, the film’s first scene introduces Ri Koran’s character as something perilously close to a “fallen woman”.Read More »

  • George Nichols Jr. – The Big Game (1936)

    1931-1940ComedyDramaGeorge Nichols Jr.USA

    Plot Synopsis
    Future best-selling novelist Irwin Shaw made his screenwriting bow with the modest RKO Radio sports drama The Big Game. The story revolves around the efforts by a group of crooked gamblers to fix the outcomes of college football games. When star quarterback Clark (Philip Huston) refuses to be bribed, the villains kidnap him on the eve of the titular Big Game. Clark is rescued by his burly teammates just in the nick of time, but the film’s not over yet: there’s a riot on the football field during the final scenes, reportedly inspired by a real-life incident during a 1935 NYU-Fordham game. Adding to the enjoyment of The Big Game is the presence of several genuine members of the 1936 All-American football squad: The University of Chicago’s Jay Berwanger, Notre Dame’s William Shakespeare, Southern Methodist’s Bobby Wilson, NYU’s Irwin “King Kong” Klein, Ohio State’s Gomer Jones, and Stanford’s Robert “Bones” Hamilton, Monk Moscrip and Frank Alustiza.Read More »

  • Alfred Hitchcock – Jamaica Inn (1939)

    Crime1931-1940AdventureAlfred HitchcockUnited Kingdom

    Quote:
    Set in Cornwall where a young orphan, Mary, is sent to live with Aunt Patience and Uncle Joss who are the landlords of the Jamaica Inn. Mary soon realizes that her uncle’s inn is the base of a gang of ship wreckers who lure ships to their doom on the rocky coast. The girl starts fearing for her life.Read More »

  • Jacques Feyder – Pension Mimosas (1935)

    1931-1940DramaFranceJacques Feyder

    After his father is sent to prison, a young boy, Pierrot, is adopted by the Noblet family, who own the Mimosas boarding-house on the French Riviera. Pierrot grows up to become a small-time crook and extorts money from his adopted family. He then becomes caught up in a frenzied love triangle with his mistress Nelly and the Noblet’s daughter Louise.Read More »

  • Pál Fejös – Sonnenstrahl AKA Ray of Sunshine [+ Maifest Wien 1932] (1933)

    Drama1931-1940AustriaClassicsPál Fejös

    Vienna as a light, modern city and a place that encourages improvisation of the mind. The jobless Hans Schmidt and Ann Berger become true champions in the city. However, setbacks and false interpretations underlie their attempts at economic stability. Hans gets involved in a serious accident, which renders him unable to work. Anna alone can’t the bill for the taxi. The community helps her. Hans and Anna become a part of Socialist Vienna.Read More »

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