1931-1940

  • Albert S. Rogell – Air Hostess (1933)

    1931-1940AdventureAlbert S. RogellClassicsUSA

    Quote:
    Air Hostess is a 1933 American Pre-Code aviation-themed melodrama based on a serial published in a 1919 True Story Magazine article called Air Hostess by Grace Perkins, also known as Dora Macy. Director Albert Rogell who had moved from shorts to B-films, had been interested in aviation having already helmed a similar feature, The Flying Marine (1929). In Air Hostess, the studio had attempted to merge flying and romance. Advertising stressed, “A date in the skies … a rendezvous in the heavens…where love zooms with thrill after thrill … but finds a happy landing!”Read More »

  • Sam Wood – A Day at the Races (1937)

    1931-1940ClassicsComedySam WoodUSA

    Quote:
    Hugo Hackenbush (Groucho Marx) is a veterinarian who masquerades as a lead doctor at Standish Sanitarium to aid the wealthy patient Emily Upjohn (Margaret Dumont). In order to save the financially failing sanitarium and its beautiful owner, Judy Standish (Maureen O’Sullivan), Hackenbush, employee Tony (Chico Marx) and jockey Stuffy (Harpo Marx) must find ingenious ways to help Gil Stewart (Allan Jones) and his inept racehorse, win the big race.Read More »

  • Franz Osten – Achhut Kanya (1936)

    1931-1940DramaFranz OstenIndia

    Along with Franz Osten and Himanshu Rai, Niranjan Pal was extremely important in the making of this film. A synopsis from his memoirs:

    This story was about “the ill-fated love of a Brahmin boy for a scheduled caste girl. As no equivalent film title could be found for Level Crossing, Himansu agreed to Achhut Kanya much to my disgust. The film was shot, edited and readied for release in just eight weeks and turned out to be an outstanding success. The Congress leader, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, specially came to Bombay to see the film at the Roxy cinema and gave it unstinted praise. Devika was hailed as the Queen of the Indian screen, though Ashok Kumar was to wait for a few years before having a similar distinction.” (Such is Life), ed. Lalit Mohan Joshi and Kusum Joshi, p. 240).Read More »

  • Edwin L. Marin – A Christmas Carol (1938)

    1931-1940ClassicsEdwin L. MarinFantasyUSA

    On Christmas Eve, Ebenezer Scrooge is visited by the spirit of his former partner, Jacob Marley. The deceased partner was as mean and miserly as Scrooge is now and he warns him to change his ways or face the consequences in the afterlife.Read More »

  • W.S. Van Dyke & George Cukor – Manhattan Melodrama (1934)

    1931-1940CrimeDramaGeorge CukorUSAW.S. Van Dyke

    Orphans Edward “Blackie” Gallagher and Jim Wade are lifelong friends who take different paths in life. Blackie thrives on gambling and grows up to be a hard-nosed racketeer. Bookworm Wade becomes a D.A. vying for the Governorship. When Blackie’s girlfriend Eleanor leaves him and marries the more down to earth Wade, Blackie harbors no resentment. In fact, their friendship is so strong that Blackie murders an attorney threatening to derail Wade’s bid to become Governor. The morally straight Wade’s last job as D.A. is to convict his friend of the murder, and send him to the electric chair. After he becomes Governor, Wade has the authority to commute Blackie’s death sentence– a decision that pits his high moral ethics against a lifelong friendship.Read More »

  • Charles Brabin & Charles Vidor – The Mask of Fu Manchu (1932)

    1931-1940AdventureCharles BrabinCharles VidorHorrorUSA

    Englishmen race to find the tomb of Genghis Khan. They have to get there fast, as the evil genius Dr. Fu Manchu is also searching, and if he gets the mysteriously powerful relics, he and his diabolical daughter will enslave the world!Read More »

  • Rowland V. Lee – Tower of London (1939)

    1931-1940ClassicsHorrorRowland V. LeeUSA

    In the 15th century Richard Duke of Gloucester, aided by his club-footed executioner Mord, eliminates those ahead of him in succession to the throne, then occupied by his brother King Edward IV of England. As each murder is accomplished he takes particular delight in removing small figurines, each resembling one of the successors, from a throne-room dollhouse, until he alone remains. After the death of Edward he becomes Richard III, King of England, and need only defeat the exiled Henry Tudor to retain power.Read More »

  • Jean Renoir – La vie est à nous AKA The People of France (1936)

    1931-1940FranceJean RenoirPolitics

    Quote:

    A propaganda film produced by the French Communist Party (PCF) for the campaign for the May 1936 elections – which brought the Popular Front to power – “La vie est à nous”, by Jean Renoir, was shot by a team of militant filmmakers and technicians.Read More »

  • Alessandro Blasetti – Ettore Fieramosca (1938)

    1931-1940AdventureAlessandro BlasettiEpicItaly

    Freely excerpted from Wikipedia:
    In 1503, the French and the Spanish fight over the region surrounding the Sicilian castle of Morreale. Giovanna, the beautiful castellan, yearns to free herself from the foreign yoke and for this she wants to marry a brave knight. Graiano d’Asti deceives her by letting Ettore Fieramosca fight in his place and then bragging with Giovanna about the feat, thus managing to convince her to marry him.Read More »

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