Classics

  • Hrishikesh Mukherjee – Anupama aka Incomparable (1966)

    1961-1970ClassicsDramaHrishikesh MukherjeeIndia

    Quote:
    Although dedicated to Bimal Roy, known for his reformist socials, this is a psychodrama. Throughout her life Uma (Tagore), the daughter of Mohan Sharma (Bose), is blamed for her mother dying while giving birth to her. The guilt-laden Uma is contrasted with the flippant, upper-class Anita (Shashikala). Other characters include Arun (Verma), Anita’s boyfriend who returns from abroad, and his idealist friend Ashok (Dharmendra), a writer who loves Uma and eventually rescues her after writing a novel based on his imagination of her life. Classic songs composed and performed by Hemanta Mukherjee include the well-picturised Ya dil ki suno, and Lata Mangeshkar’s Dheere dheere machal.Read More »

  • Ralph Nelson – Requiem for a Heavyweight (1956)

    1951-1960ClassicsDramaRalph NelsonUSA

    Adapted from Rod Serling’s celebrated teleplay, this fight-film classic stars Anthony Quinn as Mountain Rivera, a veteran heavyweight and near-champion who suddenly finds himself washed up in the only trade he knows—prizefighting. Yet, threatened by gangsters for welshing on a gambling debt, Mountain’s opportunistic manager, Maish Rennick (Jackie Gleason), schemes to get the ex-boxer into a phony wrestling match to make some quick money. Although he and his loyal trainer, Army (Mickey Rooney), oppose the degrading proposition, the disillusioned Mountain begins to wonder if he has any options left.Read More »

  • Kadiri Venkata Reddy – Mayabazar AKA Maya Bazaar (1957)

    1951-1960ClassicsDramaIndiaKadiri Venkata Reddy

    Balarama promises Subhadra to get his daughter married to her son. However, when he loses his kingdom to the Kauravas, Balarama has no choice but to break his promise.Read More »

  • Ryohei Arai – Hana no haru toyamazakura AKA Cherry Time in Edo (1936)

    1931-1940ClassicsDramaJapanRyohei Arai

    Made in 1936. The eldest son of Edo Kitamachi Magistrate Toyama Kinzaemon, Kinshiro, is the heir to the Toyama family, but after he thought that Shinnosuke, his stepmother, Fusae’s son, would succeed in his place, he left home, became acquainted with the yakuza and got into trouble. Even though his father, Kinzaemon, seemingly disregarded Kinshiro, he was concerned about him every day. His stepmother was also worried. One night, the couple go separately to find out about Kinshiro.Read More »

  • Charles Barton – White Tie and Tails AKA The Swindlers (1946)

    1941-1950Charles BartonClassicsComedyUSA

    Plot:
    In this comedy drama, a butler and a crap-shooting chauffeur find themselves having the run of their employer’s mansion after he goes on a ten-day vacation. They decide to avail themselves of their master’s luxuries and soon find themselves in over their heads.Read More »

  • Walt Disney – Melody Time (1948)

    1941-1950AnimationClassicsUSAWalt Disney

    Quote:
    Melody Time (working title All in Fun), a 1948 film, is the 10th theatrically released animated feature produced by Walt Disney and released to theatres by RKO Radio Pictures on May 27, 1948. Made up of several sequences set to popular music and folk music, the film is, like Make Mine Music before it, the popular music version of Fantasia (an ambitious film that proved to be a commercial disappointment upon its original theatrical release). Melody Time, while not meeting the artistic accomplishments of Fantasia, was mildly successful. It is the tenth animated feature in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series and the fifth package film following Saludos Amigos, The Three Caballeros, Make Mine Music, and Fun and Fancy Free.Read More »

  • Maurice Tourneur – Katia (1938)

    1931-1940ClassicsDramaFranceMaurice Tourneur

    Synopsis
    Set during the mid-19th century, the film dwells upon the foredoomed romance between Russian princess Katia (Danielle Darrieux) and the married Czar Alexander II (John Loder). Impressed by her forthrightness and courage, Alexander finds Katia a breath of fresh air when compared with the usual obsequious noblemen who nip at his heels. When their love affair becomes public during a state ball, the ensuing scandal forces Katia to flee to Paris…Read More »

  • Seiji Hisamatsu – Onna no koyomi AKA Five Sisters (1954)

    1951-1960ClassicsDramaJapanSeiji Hisamatsu

    The story of five sisters –
    based on the short story collection ‘A Calendar’ by Sakae Tsuboi.

    Film was entered into the 1955 Cannes Film Festival.Read More »

  • Mauro Bolognini – Giovani mariti aka Young Husbands (1958)

    1951-1960ClassicsDramaItalyMauro Bolognini

    Synopsis from allmovie:
    The title of this Italian slice-of-life drama translates to Young Husbands. The husbands in question rather casually enter into marriage, never intending true fidelity to their spouses. When they realize that they’re committed for life, our immature heroes return to their home town for one last fling. In the course of their final hours of bachelorhood, they come to the sobering conclusion that their carefree youth is not only past, it’s already long past.Read More »

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