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Synopsis:
In 15th century England, the power-hungry Duke of Gloucester (Basil Rathbone) — assisted by his loyal club-footed executioner (Boris Karloff) — attempts to murder his way to the throne.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Basil Rathbone Films
• Boris Karloff Films
• Historical Drama
• Ian Hunter Films
• Plot to Murder
• Royalty and Nobility
• Vincent Price Films

Review:
This atmospheric Shakespearean horror-drama — directed by Rowland V. Lee — is primarily notable for its featured performances by three of Universal’s best-known actors: Rathbone, Karloff, and Vincent Price (in one of his earliest roles). Each has at least one memorably creepy scene: Rathbone periodically visiting his “doll house” and reconfiguring the placement of figurines near the throne; Karloff meandering purposefully through “his” dungeon, pausing (for all the world like an artiste) to pile additional weight upon a tortured prisoner; Price laughing maniacally as he wrongly assumes that he can win a drinking bet with Rathbone. While critics at the time were bothered by the film’s cheeky mix of horror and costume drama, there’s something undeniably horrific about the Duke of Gloucester’s ruthless climb to power. As noted in TCM’s article, “The beauty of a film as diabolical as Tower of London is not [in] knowing who is going to die next, but [in] savoring each victim’s unorthodox journey from the castle to the grave”. Despite its obvious perks, being royalty in medieval Europe comes across here as unquestionably risky; after watching this film, it’s not something most viewers would wish upon themselves.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

• Basil Rathbone as “crookback” Richard
  
• Ian Hunter as blueblood-obsessed King Edward
  
• Vincent Price as the Duke of Clarence
  
• Boris Karloff as Richard’s loyal, club-footed executioner
  
• Rathbone continually returning to his “doll house” to remove “eliminated” royalty
  
• Atmospheric cinematography
  
  
• Fine production values
  

Must See?
Yes, as an all-around creepy-good show.

Categories

• Good Show

Links:

• IMDb entry
• TCM Article
• At-a-Glance Review
• Spinning Image Review

Synopsis:
Upon arriving at Jamaica Inn in Cornwall, an orphaned Irish woman (Maureen O’Hara) learns that her Uncle Joss (Leslie Banks) is part of a gang of criminals who loot shipwrecks — secretly orchestrated by mysterious Sir Humphrey Pengallan (Charles Laughton) — for monetary gain. When Mary (O’Hara) helps an undercover gang member (Robert Newton) escape with his life, her own is soon in danger — both from the rest of the criminals, and from nefarious Pengallan, who wants her as his very own “beautiful object”.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Charles Laughton Films
• Historical Drama
• Hitchcock Films
• Maureen O’Hara Films
• Mistaken or Hidden Identities
• Robert Newton Films
• Thieves and Criminals
• Undercover Cops and Agents

Review:
It’s no secret that Alfred Hitchcock was only vaguely invested in this adaptation of Daphne Du Maurier’s gothic novel, his final British venture before moving to Hollywood. Frank Nugent of the New York Times stated the situation succinctly: “Having set his own standards, Alfred Hitchcock must be judged by them; and, by them, his Jamaica Inn… is merely journeyman melodrama.” While reasonably competent, the film shows little of Hitchcock’s trademark directorial style; unlike most of the entries in his distinctive oeuvre, this one could easily be taken as the work of someone (anyone) else.

Indeed, as many have noted, Jamaica Inn is actually a “Charles Laughton picture” rather than a “Hitchcock picture”, given Laughton’s role as both producer and lead actor. He has great fun playing the corpulent baddie here, slyly fooling everyone around him, and coming across as simultaneously grotesque and calculating.

Equally impressive is beautiful Maureen O’Hara (in her first significant film role), who displays every ounce of her Irish spunk — no simpering early-19th-century maiden she! Her Mary is refreshingly fearless, refusing to be cowed.

I especially love the scene near the end of the film, when she resolutely ties the top strands of her dress back together after nearly being raped.

Less successful, however, is the overall arc of the story, which is unevenly paced and lacks narrative punch; we should care much more about what’s going on than we do. Part of the problem is that essential character motivations are left unclear: for instance, while we understand that Mary’s Aunt Patience (Marie Ney) is firmly attached to her no-good husband, we never discover why:

And, unless I missed something, we never learn why Pengallan holds the sway he does over Joss — nor why this must be (conveniently) kept a secret from everyone else in the gang. Overall, Jamaica Inn remains one of Hitchcock’s lesser outings, and is not must-see viewing.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

• Charles Laughton’s hammy performance as Pengallan (those eyebrows!)
  
• Beautiful Maureen O’Hara as Mary
  
• Atmospheric cinematography
  

Must See?
No, though fans of Hitchcock or Du Maurier will certainly be curious to check it out.

Links:

• IMDb entry
• NY Times Original Review
• TCM Article

Synopsis:
The manipulative daughter (Jean Simmons) of a writer (Herbert Marshall) tries to enlist the help of her new chauffeur (Robert Mitchum) in killing her wealthy stepmother (Barbara O’Neil).

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Femmes Fatales
• Herbert Marshall Films
• Jean Simmons Films
• Otto Preminger Films
• Plot to Murder
• Psychopaths
• Robert Mitchum Films

Review:
Otto Preminger’s atmospheric thriller features compelling performances, beautiful b&w cinematography, and several unexpected deviations from the traditional noir set-up. Unlike most of the heedless chumps populating this genre, Mitchum’s character (always savvy — he’s a relentlessly intelligent actor) never fully falls for “Angel Face”; and while Simmons’ femme fatale is appropriately manipulative and reckless, her motivations lie deeper than mere exploitation and greed. The narrative’s pacing foils expectations as well: the courtroom scene — which one would expect to be the final climax — isn’t; indeed, if you’ve never seen Angel Face, avoid reading any other online reviews, since most of them give away the ending.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

• Robert Mitchum as Frank
  
• Jean Simmons as Diane
  
• Crisp b&w cinematography by Harry Stradling
  
  

Must See?
Yes. This unusual little noir film is now regarded as one of Preminger’s best.

Categories

• Good Show

(Listed in 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die)

Links:

• IMDb entry
• NY Times Original Review (spoilers alert)
• Toxic Universe Review (spoilers alert)
• TCM Article
• DVD Savant Review (spoilers alert)
• Time Out Capsule Review

Synopsis:
An off-duty cop (Lawrence Tierney) who has spent the night drinking heavily and can’t remember his actions tries to clear his name by investigating the mysterious murder of an actress (Eve Brent), who was last seen with gossip columnist Claude Almstead (John Carradine). Meanwhile, a caricaturist (Burt Kaiser) who has been cheating on his wife (Kathleen Crowley) with a blonde vamp (Jayne Mansfield) thinks he may have important information about the murder.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Jayne Mansfield Films
• John Carradine Films
• Lawrence Tierney Films
• Love Triangle
• Murder Mystery
• Police

Review:
This low-budget noir-thriller was the directorial debut of character actor Bruno VeSota, who starred in several of Roger Corman’s AIP flicks (including Bucket of Blood) — but it’s perhaps even more notable as the first significant screen appearance of Jayne Mansfield (who was paid $150 for her work, and promptly went back to her job selling popcorn). Unfortunately, it’s a flawed film: the screenplay is muddled, with too many characters introduced as potential suspects; the ending is frustratingly vague (just when we think things are resolved, another twist is hinted at); and the acting is uneven (Crowley as the artist’s wife is particularly bad). Yet the entire affair is at least partially redeemed by a couple of noteworthy performances (Tierney and Carradine), and an effectively dark-and-dirty B-level atmosphere; as noted in Graeme Clark’s Spinning Image review, Female Jungle takes place entirely at night, with neither dusk nor dawn to signal the presence of daylight life.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

• Lawrence Tierney as the guilt-ridden cop
  
• John Carradine as Almstead
  
• Jayne Mansfield as “Candy” — no great actress, but exuding sexual allure
  
• Effective noir cinematography
  
  
• Plenty of juicy B-level dialogue between Mansfield and Kaiser:
  

  “With or without violins, I’d call this a brush-off.”
  “You and I just don’t add up together.”
  “You’re lying — just like the phony paint on yer face!”
  “You’re good for nothing, but I’m crazy for you.”

Must See?
No. While notable as Mansfield’s first significant on-screen appearance, this one is for B-budget noir fans only.

Links:

• IMDb entry
• The Spinning Image Review

Synopsis:
Near the start of the Civil War, an apolitical Southern profiteer (Robert Stack) in Colorado becomes embroiled in a heated stand-off between Unionists and Confederates; meanwhile, he finds himself caught in a love triangle between a feisty saloon hostess named Boston (Ruth Roman) and a prim-and-proper dress-shop owner (Virginia Mayo).

• Civil War
• Gold Seekers
• Jacques Tourneur Films
• Love Triangle
• Raymond Burr Films
• Robert Stack Films
• Ruth Roman Films
• Virginia Mayo Films
• Westerns

Review:
Jacques Tourneur’s Civil War-era western is notable primarily for Lesser Samuels’ intelligent script, which deftly explores the tensions between “Northern” and “Southern” sympathizers in a non-strategic territory of the U.S. The screenplay features many memorable lines, and Robert Stack’s character is drawn as a reasonably compelling anti-hero. The film also benefits from fine supporting performances by both Ruth Roman (appropriately savvy and forward as a woman who immediately falls for Stack):

… and Raymond Burr (intensely angry as Roman’s jilted, would-be lover).

Unfortunately, Virginia Mayo fares much worse (she performs her scenes with melodrama rather than nuance), and Stack should have at least attempted a southern accent.

Surprisingly, little of Tourneur’s signature directorial style is in evidence here, making this a somewhat puzzling — albeit enjoyable — inclusion in Peary’s book.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

• Ruth Roman as Boston
  
• Raymond Burr as Jumbo Means
  
• An effective look at pre-Civil War loyalties and tensions
  
• A clever script with many pithy lines: “The North and South are natural enemies — like husband and wife.”

Must See?
No, but it’s recommended for one-time viewing.

Links:

• IMDb entry
• TCM Article (spoilers alert)
• Time Out Capsule Review (spoilers alert)

Synopsis:
A housewife (Carrie Snodgress) married to a demeaning and demanding husband (Richard Benjamin) rebels by having an affair with a self-absorbed writer (Frank Langella).

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Feminism and Women’s Issues
• Frank Perry Films
• Housewives
• Infidelity
• Marital Problems
• Richard Benjamin Films

Review:
Frank and Eleanor Perry’s adaptation of Sue Kaufman’s novel is a delightfully acerbic glimpse at gender roles in the early 1970s. Keeping in mind the film’s title (the story is distinctly told from Snodgress’s point of view), it’s easy to accept the humorously over-the-top depictions of both Benjamin and Langella as true male chauvinists — this is how she perceives them. Snodgress — who was nominated for an Oscar in her first leading role — is marvelous as Tina, the titular housewife, managing to make us believe not only that Tina would put up with Benjamin’s abuse, but that she would rebel with a man who treats her just as badly. Through incisive editing, we’re shown Tina choosing to visit Langella each time things get too awful at home — it’s her version of a safe haven. The clever ending — which puts the entire story in a slightly different light — is especially well-conceived.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

• Carrie Snodgress’s wonderful performance as Tina
  
• Richard Benjamin as Tina’s hideously self-righteous husband
  
• Frank Langella as Tina’s equally insufferable lover, George
  
• A witty look at oppression and liberation in the early days of women’s lib
  

Must See?
Yes, for Snodgress’s Oscar-nominated performance. Listed as a Cult Movie in the back of Peary’s book.

Categories

• Noteworthy Performance(s)
• Oscar Winner or Nominee

Links:

• IMDb entry
• Roger Ebert’s Review
• Hidden Films Review
• NY Times Original Review
• Time Out Capsule Review

Synopsis:
In the Siamese jungle, Kru and his family struggle to survive while protecting their home from wild animals. When a baby elephant (a “chang”) is caught in a trap, an entirely new challenge arises.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Hunting
• Jungles
• Native Peoples
• Silent Films
• Survival

Review:
Several years before making their phenomenally successful classic King Kong (1933), directors Merian Cooper and Ernest Schoedsack helmed this ethnographic docudrama set in the jungles of “Siam” (now Thailand). Basing their loose narrative on months of exposure to the natives’ daily lives, the story comes across as remarkably authentic, despite its clear staging. The close-up shots Cooper and Schoedsack were able to get of wild animals (including the infamous “tiger shot”, when a tiger’s snout literally swipes the camera’s lens) are remarkable today, and must have been doubly so back to audiences back in 1927. While this film is recommended as must-see viewing for its historical importance, it’s full of memorable images, and chances are you’ll enjoy it more than you expect. If you rent the DVD, be sure to listen to the insightful commentary track.

Note: While Peary doesn’t review this title in his GFTFF, in Alternate Oscars he refers to it rather disparagingly as a “silly, wild-animal-laden semidocumentary” while noting its designation as “the odd third nominee in [the Best Artistic Quality of Production] category]”.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

• A dramatized yet relatively authentic look at native Siamese life
  
• Schoedsack’s cinematography
  
• Remarkably natural performances from everyone involved (all non-actors)
  
• Bimbo running for his life from a leopard (an unexpectedly amusing sequence)
  
• Kru’s son playing with various baby animals
  
• The infamous “tiger shot”
  
• The magnificent elephant herd stampedes
  

Must See?
Yes, for its historical importance.

Categories

• Historically Relevant

Links:

• IMDb entry
• NY Times Original Review (spoilers alert)
• DVD Savant Review (scroll down)
• TCM Article
• Time Out Capsule Review

Synopsis:
On a dark and stormy night, various strangers gather at the house of a disturbed widow (Marion Eaton), who has decidedly kinky ideas about sex.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Black Comedy
• Peeping Toms
• Sexuality

Review:
This ultra-bizarre, ultra-low-budget campy porno flick (written by underground maverick George Kuchar) is most definitely not for all tastes. While it starts out as an atmospheric gothic horror tale, it quickly turns into a raunchy, graphic, blackly comedic sex-fest, as polymorphically perverse Gertie (Eaton) gets off (with the help of a cucumber) by watching her houseguests explore a room full of naughty toys. Sexual encounters then continue in full force, as various partners of both genders hook up; there’s even an infamous flashback to a bestial love affair. If none of this sounds appealing (chances are it won’t to most viewers), you’ll find that Eaton, with her hopelessly skewed eyebrows, is by far the best aspect of the film — her performance is so sincerely melodramatic that one almost begins to root for her, despite her clear mental imbalance.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

• Marion Eaton as Gert Hammond
  
• A perversely campy sensibility
  
• The melodramatic, low-budget flashback scenes
  
• Mark Ellinger’s eclectic, often humorous score

Must See?
Yes, for its status as an underground cult favorite. Listed as a Camp Classic in the back of Peary’s book.

Categories

• Cult Movie

Links:

• IMDb entry
• Shock Cinema Review
• Time Out Capsule Review

Synopsis:
A drifter and small-time con (Fred Ward) hooks up with a quirky, religious check-out girl (Cindy Williams), who believes aliens are coming to earth in a UFO.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Aliens
• Con-Artists
• Harry Dean Stanton Films
• Missionaries and Revivalists
• Religious Faith
• Romantic Comedy

Review:
John Binder wrote and directed this small-town comedy about kooky Californians during the tail end of the Me Decade. Deftly satirizing both Christian fundamentalists and those with more far-out approaches to divinity (one local couple names their child “Krishna Jesus”), it’s grounded throughout by a sweet romance between two people who seem, at first glance, highly unsuited for one another. Both Fred Ward and Cindy Williams (perfectly cast) are delightful in the lead roles, and they’re surrounded by a host of fine supporting actors — including Harry Dean Stanton as a shyster revivalist, Robert Gray as Stanton’s faithful sidekick, and Darrell Larson as an all-purpose “believer” (whose naive idea of proselytizing is to implore overweight patrons at the supermarket to “stop eating meat”). It’s too bad UFOria lingered in the cobwebs for several years after its production, because it was truly a timely satire, and deserved a wider contemporary audience.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

• Cindy Williams as Arlene
  
• Fred Ward as Sheldon
  
• Harry Dean Stanton as Brother Bud
  
• A clever, quirky script by Binder
• Richard Baskin’s pleasing score

Must See?
No, but it’s recommended. Listed as a Sleeper in the back of Peary’s book.

Links:

• IMDb entry
• NY Times Original Review
• Roger Ebert’s Review
• SF, Fantasy, and Horror Review

Synopsis:
In the mid-1800s, a government official (Charles Bronson), two scientists (Henry Hull and David Frankheim), and Hull’s daughter (Mary Webster) are held captive in the airship of a mad pacifist (Vincent Price) who plans to destroy all the weapons in the world.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Airplanes and Pilots
• Charles Bronson Films
• Jules Verne Adaptations
• Mad Doctors and Scientists
• Peacemakers
• Science Fiction
• Vincent Price Films

Review:
This AIP adaptation of two Jules Verne novels (Master of the World and its prequel, Robur the Conqueror) is based on the oxymoronic premise of enforced pacifism through violence. Unfortunately, despite this intriguing basis, the film itself — an erstwhile favorite of young audiences, especially when it appeared in later years on television — hasn’t aged very well. The cliched love triangle (between Bronson, Webster, and Frankheim) is sappy, the low budget is revealing, and the acting isn’t particularly noteworthy: Price is more subdued than usual, while method-actor Bronson (though serviceable) doesn’t impress. With that said, fans of Verne’s work — especially those who enjoy the similarly-themed 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea — will certainly want to check this one out.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

• An intriguing premise (thanks to Jules Verne’s original stories)
  

Must See?
No. It’s unclear to me why Peary lists this title in the back of his book.

Links:

• IMDb entry
• NY Times Original Review
• SciFilm Review
• TCM Article
• Time Out Capsule Review