How I Won the War (1967)

“Give the British soldier plenty of tea, and there you are: he’ll die for you.”

Synopsis:
A group of British soldiers, led by inept Commander Goodbody (Michael Crawford), is assigned the task of clearing a mine-ridden cricket field in North Africa.

Genres:

Black Comedy
Flashback Film
Richard Lester Films
Soldiers
Spoof
World War Two

Response to Peary’s [...]

Cousins, Les (1959)

“It’s an odd world we live in; you’ll see.”

Synopsis:
Charles (Gerard Blain), a naïve college student, comes to live with his sophisticated cousin Paul (Jean-Claude Brialy) in Paris, and falls in love with the beautiful yet emotionally unavailable Florence (Juliette Mayniel).

Genres:

College
Claude Chabrol Films
French Films
Love Triangle

Response to Peary’s Review:
I agree [...]

7 Faces of Dr. Lao (1964)

“The whole world is a circus, if you know how to look at it…”

Synopsis:
Ancient Dr. Lao (Tony Randall) and his circus of supernatural attractions arrive in the small town of Abalone, New Mexico, and proceed to change the lives of the townspeople.

Genres:

Carnivals and Circuses
Character Arc
Con-Artists
Fantasy
Science Fiction
[...]

Sanders of the River (1935)

“Tens of millions of natives under British rule…”

Synopsis:
Commissioner Sanders (Leslie Banks) tries to prevent warfare between rival chieftains (Paul Robeson and Tony Wane) in British-ruled Africa.

Genres:

Africa
Kidnapping
Native Peoples

Response to Peary’s Review:
As Peary notes, this dated, offensive film “gives the impression that black Africans [were] prosperous, happy, and peaceful under British [...]

Privilege (1967)

“We must, of necessity, subdue the critical elements in the country’s youth…”

Synopsis:
In a dystopic “near-future”, Britain’s coalition government uses rock star Steve Shorter (Paul Jones) to manipulate public opinion.

Genres:

Dystopia
Media Spectacle
Musical
Naive Public
Propaganda
Rise and Fall
Rock ‘n Roll

Response to Peary’s Review:
As Peary points out, this somewhat dated [...]

Blithe Spirit (1945)

“What, no ectoplasm?”

Synopsis:
An eccentric medium (Margaret Rutherford) conjures up the ghost of author Rex Harrison’s deceased wife (Kay Hammond), much to the consternation of his new wife (Constance Cummings).

Genres:

Comedy
David Lean Films
Ghosts
Love Triangle
Marital Problems
Play Adaptations

Response to Peary’s Review:
David Lean’s adaptation of Noel Coward’s popular play is [...]

Dersu Uzala (1975)

“Why man live in box?”

Synopsis:
A Russian captain (Yuri Solomin) on a military expedition in Siberia befriends a bow-legged trapper (Maksim Munzuk) who saves his life.

Genres:

Friendship
Kurosawa Films
Russian Films
Survival
Wilderness

Response to Peary’s Review:
I agree with Peary that this Oscar-winning Soviet/Japanese film by Akira Kurosawa is “enthralling” and “eerily beautiful”. [...]

Pixote (1981)

“This is the district of Sao Paolo, a large Latin American industrial city. There are approximately three million homeless children who have no one and no defined family of origin… “

Synopsis:
11-year-old Pixote (Fernando Ramos da Silva) must survive on the brutal streets of Brazil, with the help of his friends.

Genres:

Juvenile Delinquients
Prostitutes
[...]

Hidden Fortress, The (1958)

“I saw people as they really are… I saw their beauty and their ugliness with my own eyes.”

Synopsis:
In war-torn feudal Japan, two greedy peasants (Minoru Chiaki and Kamatari Fujiwara) accompany a general (Toshiro Mifune), a disguised princess (Misa Uehara), and bundles of hidden gold across enemy lines.

Genres:

Fugitives
Gold Seekers
Greed
Japanese [...]

She-Beast, The (1966)

“With that thing around your neck, only the goblins would want you…”

Synopsis:
A newlywed (Barbara Steele) vacationing in communist Transylvania disappears into a lake, and emerges as the 18th century vampiric witch Vardella. Her husband (Ian Ogilvy) must enlist the help of Count von Helsing (John Karlsen) to bring his wife back to life. [...]