Walter Huston

  • John Huston – Let There Be Light (1946)

    John Huston1941-1950DocumentaryUSAWar

    This groundbreaking, long-suppressed look at the effects of war on returning veterans was among the first films to tackle the issue of post-traumatic stress disorder (or as it was then called, “shell shock” or “battle fatigue”). Shot at Mason General Hospital in Brentwood, Long Island, at the end of World War II, LET THERE BE LIGHT follows seventy-five former soldiers suffering debilitating psychological trauma who, in the film’s most dramatic scenes, are given sodium pentothal to recall their horrific experiences in the war. Considered too disturbing and controversial for exhibition, this landmark documentary was suppressed by the military for decades until it finally premiered in New York in 1980.Read More »

  • Lewis Milestone – The North Star (1943)

    Lewis Milestone1941-1950DramaUSAWar
    The North Star (1943)
    The North Star (1943)

    The North Star (also known as Armored Attack in the US) is a 1943 pro-resistance war film starring Anne Baxter, Dana Andrews, Walter Huston, Walter Brennan and Erich von Stroheim It was produced by Samuel Goldwyn Productions and distributed by RKO Radio Pictures. It was directed by Lewis Milestone, written by Lillian Hellman and featured production design by William Cameron Menzies. The music was written by Aaron Copland, the lyrics by Ira Gershwin, and the cinematography by James Wong Howe. The film also marked the debut of Farley Granger.

    The film is about the resistance of Ukrainian villagers, through guerrilla tactics, against the German invaders of the Ukrainian SSR. The film is considered to be pro-Soviet propaganda at the height of the war.Read More »

  • Edward L. Cahn – Law and Order (1932)

    1931-1940Edward L. CahnUSAWestern

    Quote:
    Traveling west, former peace officer Frame Johnson and his three friends arrive in Tombstone, a lawless town controlled by the three Northrup brothers. Preceded by his reputation, the town Council tries to get him to take the job of Marshal. He says he will not wear a badge again but seeing the ruthless Northrup murders he accepts. After a killing on both sides, although outnumbered, Johnson and his two remaing friends head to the OK Corral for a shoot out with the two remaining Northrups and their men.Read More »

  • Howard Hawks – The Criminal Code (1931)

    1921-1930CrimeDramaHoward HawksUSA

    Howard Hawks made his first film for Columbia Pictures with this pre-Code prison movie. The great Walter Huston stars as a district attorney-turned-prison warden who gets to witness first-hand the effects of his convictions, especially Phillips Holmes, imprisoned after killing a man in a drunken brawl. Co-starring Boris Karloff, The Criminal Code is tough, no-nonsense, quintessential Hawks.Read More »

  • John Ford & Gregg Toland – December 7th (1943)

    1941-1950DocumentaryGregg TolandJohn FordUSAWar

    Quote:

    Utilizing stock military footage of Pearl Harbor, December 7th departs from the typical documentary form to present a narrative framing device featuring Walter Huston as a character representing Uncle Sam, Harry Davenport as a folksy representation of “conscience” called Mr. C, and Dana Andrews as the ghost of an American soldier. The story opens on December 6, 1941, the day before the attack, with Uncle Sam and Mr. C carrying on a discussion about the history of Hawaii and the country’s war preparations. One of the approaches taken by co-directors John Ford and Gregg Toland was to paint the Japanese-American citizens of Hawaii (37 percent of the population, according to the film) as potential traitors, fifth-columnists spying on their “American” employers for information to hustle back to the “homeland.” Read More »

  • Victor Fleming – The Virginian (1929)

    Victor Fleming1921-1930ClassicsUSAWestern

    The classic 1929 Western that put a young guy named Gary Cooper on the map. Also starring Walter Huston in a memorable turn as a baddie. Based loosely on Owen Wister’s oft-filmed novel.

    Plot summary:
    Molly Wood arrives in a small western town to be the new schoolmarm. The Virginian, foreman on a local ranch, and Steve, his best fiend, soon become rivals for her affection. Steve falls in with bad guys led by Trampas, and the Virginian catches him cattle rustling. As foreman, he must give the order to hang his friend. Trampas gets away, but returns in time for the obligatory climactic shootout in the streets.Read More »

  • Edward L. Cahn – Law and Order (1932)

    Edward L. Cahn1931-1940ClassicsUSAWestern

    Traveling west, former peace officer Frame Johnson and his three friends arrive in Tombstone, a lawless town controlled by the three Northrup brothers. Preceded by his reputation, the town Council tries to get him to take the job of Marshal. He says he will not wear a badge again but seeing the ruthless Northrup murders he accepts. After a killing on both sides, although outnumbered, Johnson and his two remaing friends head to the OK Corral for a shoot out with the two remaining Northrups and their men.Read More »

  • William Wyler – Dodsworth (1936)

    1931-1940DramaRomanceUSAWilliam Wyler

    After selling his Ohio auto-parts plant, Sam hopes to celebrate his retirement by taking his wife Fran on a romantic getaway to Europe. Instead, Sam and Fran begin to grow apart, realizing they want different things from life…Read More »

  • René Clair – And Then There Were None (1945)

    1941-1950ClassicsRené ClairThrillerUSA

    Synopsis:
    Seven guests, a newly hired personal secretary and two staff are gathered for a weekend on an isolated island by the hosts the Owens who are delayed. At dinner a record is played and the host’s message alleges that all the people present are guilty of murder and suddenly the first of them is dead, then the next – It seems that one of them is the murderer but the leading person is always the person who is murdered next and at last only two people are left.Read More »

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