Starring: Fred MacMurray, Barbara Stanwyck, Edward G. Robinson, Jean Heather, and Byron Barr
Double Indemnity is a true noir film. It is told through a narrative form and relies heavily on light and shadow. When the noir genre was first booming, Billy Wilder was regarded as the prime inventor of this technique of using light and shadow, which ultimately became key to any noir film. Scenes cast in extreme shadow advance the mystery and dar... Continue reading ...
Starring: Laurence Olivier, Joan Fontaine, George Sanders, Judith Anderson, Florence Bates
Rebecca is not your typical suspense film, but that doesn't mean director Alfred Hitchcock fails to deliver a dark, mysterious ride. What sets this apart is that Hitchcock is charged with the daunting task of building the film’s plot and thrills around a woman who is long dead before the movie even takes place. With moving track shots of Manderley, a larg... Continue reading ...
Posted by Zach Davis on Sunday, January 29, 2012,
In :
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Topper Zach Davis
Directed by: Norman Z. McLeod
Starring: Cary Grant, Constance Bennett, Roland Young, Billie Burke, and Hedda Hopper
Topper was made in the era of the screwball comedy, and it was a prime example that comedies as a medium had staying power in the film industry. The success ofTopper led to two sequels,Topper Takes a Tripand Topper Returns. The story also was transcribed to television as a series in 1953.
Topper has the glitz and excess of a by-gone era. A wealthy and madcap ... Continue reading ...
Posted by Zach Davis on Wednesday, January 25, 2012,
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Miracle on 34th Street Zach Davis
Directed by: George Seaton
Starring: Maureen O’Hara, John Payne, Natalie Wood, Edmund Gwenn, Porter Hall, and Gene Lockhart
Miracle on 34th Streetearned George Seaton the Oscar for best screenplay in 1948. It was the first of two Academy Awards for Seaton; he would take home the best screenplay award again in 1955 forThe Country Girl. Seaton was also the voice of the Lone Ranger on old radio broadcasts in the early 30’s. He then teamed up with MGM to wri... Continue reading ...
Posted by Zach Davis on Tuesday, January 10, 2012,
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Mr. Deeds Goes to Town Zach Davis
Directed by: Frank Capra
Starring: Gary Cooper, Jean Arthur, George Bancroft, Lionel Stander, Douglass Dumbrille, and Raymond Walburn
Frank Capra was known as the name above the title because he was the first director to earn fame such that his name was displayed on the marquee. This was no accident either as he put out many early classic movies such asIt Happened One Night,Mr. Smith Goes to Washington,andIt’s a Wonderful Life.Most of Capra’s films tak... Continue reading ...
