Stars: John Phillip Law, Francine York, Richard Moll, Sharon Ratcliff, Arthur Braham, Mark Petrich, Rick Barnes, Jini Flynn, Lisa Watkins, Vincent Di Paolo | Written by Philip Yordan | Directed by John Carr
The second of the Philip Yordan and John Carr collaborations released by Tetrovideo recently, Marilyn Alive and Behind Bars was originally filmed in the early 80s. Filmed but unfinished, with some portions of the movie incorporated into the anthology Night Train to Terror, in the segment “The Case of Harry Billings,” which was released in 1985. After that, the producers completed their version of this movie, using almost all the materials filmed and released this version of the film on VHS as Scream Your Head Off. That film made an appearance in 1992’s Dead Girls Don’t Tango as a film showing at the La Paloma cinema which was at the centre of the film’s story.
Later, John Carr...
The second of the Philip Yordan and John Carr collaborations released by Tetrovideo recently, Marilyn Alive and Behind Bars was originally filmed in the early 80s. Filmed but unfinished, with some portions of the movie incorporated into the anthology Night Train to Terror, in the segment “The Case of Harry Billings,” which was released in 1985. After that, the producers completed their version of this movie, using almost all the materials filmed and released this version of the film on VHS as Scream Your Head Off. That film made an appearance in 1992’s Dead Girls Don’t Tango as a film showing at the La Paloma cinema which was at the centre of the film’s story.
Later, John Carr...
- 5/29/2023
- by Phil Wheat
- Nerdly
Stars: Karen Black, Kevin Lloyd, Christine Burke, Robyn Hussa, Roger Galloway, Toni Covington, Joseph Campanella, David Burnell Smith, Jim Flynn | Written by Philip Yordan | Directed by John Carr
Jack is a young wanderer with a turbulent past who arrives at La Paloma, the cinema of his Aunt Ruth, the closest relative he has since the death of his mother, in the hope of a bed for a few nights. But in the city there is a serial killer who dances tango with his victims before strangling them and police start to suspect that Jack is in some way involved with the murders. His aunt and Julie, a girl who got a job in the cinema thanks to him, also begin to doubt his innocence…
Do you know what I like about the current state of physical media? All the boutique labels that have emerged, all fighting for the attention of...
Jack is a young wanderer with a turbulent past who arrives at La Paloma, the cinema of his Aunt Ruth, the closest relative he has since the death of his mother, in the hope of a bed for a few nights. But in the city there is a serial killer who dances tango with his victims before strangling them and police start to suspect that Jack is in some way involved with the murders. His aunt and Julie, a girl who got a job in the cinema thanks to him, also begin to doubt his innocence…
Do you know what I like about the current state of physical media? All the boutique labels that have emerged, all fighting for the attention of...
- 5/25/2023
- by Phil Wheat
- Nerdly
Available now are the restored edition of the thriller films Marilyn Alive and Behind Bars and Dead Girls don’t Tango by John Carr come in a Limited Mediabook edition (DVD + Booklet + Slipcover). Both films are available on TetroVideo and Goredrome official websites along with the new edition of TetroManiac: eROTik, the extreme horror film directed by Domiziano Cristopharo in 2019.
Marilyn Alive And Behind Bars
According to John Carr himself, at first this movie was not finished. Some portions of the filmed materials were incorporated in the Night Train to Terror anthology film. After that, the producers made a “complete” version of his movie, using almost all the materials filmed. This version was released on VHS only as Scream Your Head Off.
Later, John Carr decided to finish his movie and shot new sequences with John Philip Law and incorporated Marilyn Monroe character in the story. This last version is...
Marilyn Alive And Behind Bars
According to John Carr himself, at first this movie was not finished. Some portions of the filmed materials were incorporated in the Night Train to Terror anthology film. After that, the producers made a “complete” version of his movie, using almost all the materials filmed. This version was released on VHS only as Scream Your Head Off.
Later, John Carr decided to finish his movie and shot new sequences with John Philip Law and incorporated Marilyn Monroe character in the story. This last version is...
- 2/9/2023
- by Peter 'Witchfinder' Hopkins
- Horror Asylum
Tetrovideo have announced restored editions of the thriller films Marilyn Alive and Behind Bars! and Dead Girls Don’t Tango by John Carr in Limited Mediabook editions (DVD + Booklet + Slipcover). Both films are available on TetroVideo and Goredrome official websites.
Marilyn Alive and Behind Bars!
According to John Carr himself, at first this movie was not finished. Some portions of the filmed materials were incorporated in the Night Train to Terror anthology film. After that, the producers made a “complete” version of his movie, using almost all the materials filmed. This version was released on VHS only as Scream Your Head Off. Later, John Carr decided to finish his movie and shot new sequences with John Philip Law and incorporated Marilyn Monroe character in the story. This last version is the one known as Marilyn Alive and Behind Bars, completed in 1992.
In summary, there are three versions of this movie:...
Marilyn Alive and Behind Bars!
According to John Carr himself, at first this movie was not finished. Some portions of the filmed materials were incorporated in the Night Train to Terror anthology film. After that, the producers made a “complete” version of his movie, using almost all the materials filmed. This version was released on VHS only as Scream Your Head Off. Later, John Carr decided to finish his movie and shot new sequences with John Philip Law and incorporated Marilyn Monroe character in the story. This last version is the one known as Marilyn Alive and Behind Bars, completed in 1992.
In summary, there are three versions of this movie:...
- 1/27/2023
- by Phil Wheat
- Nerdly
George Pal’s ill-fated ‘future docu’ followup to Destination Moon still stirs the imagination, rendering in vivid Technicolor the visionary images that amazed us in Chesley Bonestell’s paintings about space travel. We still love the movie even if we want to shove the script and whoever approved it out an airlock without a space helmet. It’s fun to pick it apart, but when Van Cleave’s trilling ‘spacey’ music plays we know we’re back in 1950s Sci-fi Nirvana, anticipating a techno-future of space marvels. [Imprint] gives the movie a classy Blu-ray showcase.
Conquest of Space
All-Region Blu-ray
Viavision [Imprint] #112
1955 / Color / 1:78 widescreen / 81 min. / Street Date April 6, 2022 / Available from /
Starring: Walter Brooke, Eric Fleming, Mickey Shaughnessy, Phil Foster, William Redfield, William Hopper, Benson Fong, Ross Martin, Vito Scotti, Joan Shawlee, Michael Fox, Rosemary Clooney.
Cinematography: Lionel Lindon
Art Directors: Hal Pereira, Joseph MacMillan Johnson
Film Editor: Everett Douglas
Original...
Conquest of Space
All-Region Blu-ray
Viavision [Imprint] #112
1955 / Color / 1:78 widescreen / 81 min. / Street Date April 6, 2022 / Available from /
Starring: Walter Brooke, Eric Fleming, Mickey Shaughnessy, Phil Foster, William Redfield, William Hopper, Benson Fong, Ross Martin, Vito Scotti, Joan Shawlee, Michael Fox, Rosemary Clooney.
Cinematography: Lionel Lindon
Art Directors: Hal Pereira, Joseph MacMillan Johnson
Film Editor: Everett Douglas
Original...
- 4/9/2022
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
This creepy-crawly epic enjoyed a strong reputation on my grade-school playground! Does George Pal’s man-versus-the-elements saga hold up 68 years later? The ‘exotic’ special effects get the point across but the real appeal is the suppressed lust between Charlton Heston and his mail order bride Eleanor Parker — all heavy breathing and stern reproaches. I’m surprised nobody has fully exploited the original short story, which back in the ’60s showed up in numerous best-of collections. “Marabunta” is not a new fragrance line from Arpege.
The Naked Jungle
All- Region Blu-ray
Viavision [Imprint]
1954 / Color / 1:37 Academy / 95 min. / Street Date December 29, 2021 / Available from [Imprint], Amazon.us /
Starring: Charlton Heston, Eleanor Parker, William Conrad, John Dierkes, Abraham Sofaer, Douglas Fowley, Rodd Redwing.
Cinematography: Ernest Laszlo
Production Designer: Art Director: Hal Pereira, Franz Bachelin
Film Editor: Everett Douglas
Special Photographic Effects: John P. Fulton
Matte artist Jan Domela
Miniatures Ivyl Burks
Optical cinematography Paul K. Lerpae...
The Naked Jungle
All- Region Blu-ray
Viavision [Imprint]
1954 / Color / 1:37 Academy / 95 min. / Street Date December 29, 2021 / Available from [Imprint], Amazon.us /
Starring: Charlton Heston, Eleanor Parker, William Conrad, John Dierkes, Abraham Sofaer, Douglas Fowley, Rodd Redwing.
Cinematography: Ernest Laszlo
Production Designer: Art Director: Hal Pereira, Franz Bachelin
Film Editor: Everett Douglas
Special Photographic Effects: John P. Fulton
Matte artist Jan Domela
Miniatures Ivyl Burks
Optical cinematography Paul K. Lerpae...
- 1/29/2022
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
More or less ignored for 75 years, this curious ‘B’ program picture now finds its way directly to a Warner Archive Blu-ray release. Cult actor Lawrence Tierney has an atypical ‘swell guy’ role as a Marine veteran thrust into a murder mystery and made the fall guy for nefarious foreign spies. Anne Jeffreys becomes his co-fugitive when the villains frame him for murder. It’s like a fancy 1960s romantic thriller, except on a micro scale. Just the same, Phil Rosen’s movie crams a lot of incident into its brisk 62 minutes. Consider it a gift to Lawrence Tierney fans — they might like him in a role that Cary Grant could play.
Step by Step
Blu-ray
Warner Archive Collection
1946 / B&w / 1:37 Academy / 62 min. / Street Date July 20, 2021 / 21.99
Starring: Lawrence Tierney, Anne Jeffreys, Lowell Gilmore, Myrna Dell, Harry Harvey, Addison Richards, Ray Walker, Jason Robards Sr., George Cleveland, Lee Bonnell, Robert Clarke,...
Step by Step
Blu-ray
Warner Archive Collection
1946 / B&w / 1:37 Academy / 62 min. / Street Date July 20, 2021 / 21.99
Starring: Lawrence Tierney, Anne Jeffreys, Lowell Gilmore, Myrna Dell, Harry Harvey, Addison Richards, Ray Walker, Jason Robards Sr., George Cleveland, Lee Bonnell, Robert Clarke,...
- 7/27/2021
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Double your Diabolik and double your pleasure! … this Australian import chases a domestic disc onto the market after only a few months, but of course comes with irresistible new extras to tempt collectors and completists. Mario Bava’s funny, dynamic action thriller was the first feature to really capture the graphic art ‘feeling’ of comic panels — we wish he’d directed a whole series of Diabolik adventures. The evaluation section notes the small differences between this disc and the U.S. release from last April.
Danger Diabolik
Blu-ray
Viavision [Imprint]
1968 / Color / 1:78 widescreen / 99 min. / Street Date October, 2020
Starring: John Phillip Law, Marisa Mell, Michel Piccoli, Adolfo Celi, Terry-Thomas, Mario Donen.
Cinematography: Antonio Rinaldi
Film Editor: Romana Fortini
Art Director: Flavio Mogherini
Original Music: Ennio Morricone
Written by Adriano Baracco, Mario Bava, Brian Degas, Tudor Gates,
Dino Maiuri story by Angela & Luciana Giussani
Produced by Dino De Laurentiis
Directed by Mario Bava...
Danger Diabolik
Blu-ray
Viavision [Imprint]
1968 / Color / 1:78 widescreen / 99 min. / Street Date October, 2020
Starring: John Phillip Law, Marisa Mell, Michel Piccoli, Adolfo Celi, Terry-Thomas, Mario Donen.
Cinematography: Antonio Rinaldi
Film Editor: Romana Fortini
Art Director: Flavio Mogherini
Original Music: Ennio Morricone
Written by Adriano Baracco, Mario Bava, Brian Degas, Tudor Gates,
Dino Maiuri story by Angela & Luciana Giussani
Produced by Dino De Laurentiis
Directed by Mario Bava...
- 12/8/2020
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
As Disney quietly disappears huge swathes of film history into its vaults, I'm going to spend 2020 celebrating Twentieth Century Fox and the Fox Film Corporation's films, what one might call their output if only someone were putting it out.And now they've quietly disappeared William Fox's name from the company: guilty by association with Rupert Murdoch, even though he never associated with him.***Joseph L. Mankiewicz, former producer at MGM, where Louis B. Mayer called him Joe Monkeybitch, became a top director at Fox, and his films there are spectacularly well-represented on streaming services today, along with Ford and Preminger, but one exception seems to be House of Strangers, his 1949 noir saga starring Richard Conte, Susan Hayward, and Edward G. Robinson.It's an unusual genre to find the urbane Mankiewicz dirtying his hands with. Robinson's presence is a throwback to the pre-Code gangland epics of Warner Bros., while the...
- 7/8/2020
- MUBI
How does Hollywood sell a gritty, realistic western? With a sexy shot of star Tina Louise! Viewers will be surprised: this fine western is a showcase for the elemental ruthlessness we associate with director André de Toth — its convincing snowbound setting is so intense, we can almost feel the cold. Slick writer Philip Yordan sets up an impossible conflict as a blizzard moves in on a tiny town… Robert Ryan must sort out his feelings for the town beauty Tina Louise, as he negotiates with the he-boss of the killer crooks, Burl Ives. It looks as if Ryan has no choice but to volunteer for a suicide journey — but nature has the last word.
Day of the Outlaw
Blu-ray
Kl Studio Classics
1959 / B&w / 1:85 widescreen / 92 min. / Street Date August 27, 2019 / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95
Starring: Robert Ryan, Burl Ives, Tina Louise, Alan Marshal, Venetia Stevenson, David Nelson, Nehemiah Persoff, Jack Lambert,...
Day of the Outlaw
Blu-ray
Kl Studio Classics
1959 / B&w / 1:85 widescreen / 92 min. / Street Date August 27, 2019 / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95
Starring: Robert Ryan, Burl Ives, Tina Louise, Alan Marshal, Venetia Stevenson, David Nelson, Nehemiah Persoff, Jack Lambert,...
- 8/20/2019
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Mill Creek and Kit Parker package nine mid-range Columbia features from the 1940s and 1950s, not all of them strictly noir but all with dark themes — crime, creepy politics, etc. None have been on Blu-ray, and all but one are in fine condition.
Noir Archive 9-Film Collection
Address Unknown, Escape in the Fog, The Guilt of Janet Ames, The Black Book, Johnny Allegro, 711 Ocean Drive, The Killer That Stalked New York, Assignment: Paris, The Miami Story
Blu-ray
Mill Creek / Kit Parker
1944 -1954 / B&W / 8 x 1:37 Academy; 1 x 1:85 widescreen / 734 min. / Street Date April 23, 2019 / 49.95
Starring: Paul Lukas, Nina Foch, Rosalind Russell, Robert Cummings, George Raft, Edmond O’Brien, Evelyn Keyes, Dana Andrews, Barry Sullivan.
Cinematography: Rudolph Maté, George Meehan, Joseph Walker, John Alton, Joseph Biroc, Franz Planer, Joseph Biroc, Burnett Guffey, Henry Freulich.
Written by Herbert Dalmas, Aubrey Wisberg, Louella MacFarlane, Philip Yordan, Karen DeWolf, Richard English, Harry Essex, William Bowers,...
Noir Archive 9-Film Collection
Address Unknown, Escape in the Fog, The Guilt of Janet Ames, The Black Book, Johnny Allegro, 711 Ocean Drive, The Killer That Stalked New York, Assignment: Paris, The Miami Story
Blu-ray
Mill Creek / Kit Parker
1944 -1954 / B&W / 8 x 1:37 Academy; 1 x 1:85 widescreen / 734 min. / Street Date April 23, 2019 / 49.95
Starring: Paul Lukas, Nina Foch, Rosalind Russell, Robert Cummings, George Raft, Edmond O’Brien, Evelyn Keyes, Dana Andrews, Barry Sullivan.
Cinematography: Rudolph Maté, George Meehan, Joseph Walker, John Alton, Joseph Biroc, Franz Planer, Joseph Biroc, Burnett Guffey, Henry Freulich.
Written by Herbert Dalmas, Aubrey Wisberg, Louella MacFarlane, Philip Yordan, Karen DeWolf, Richard English, Harry Essex, William Bowers,...
- 4/9/2019
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Stars: Ben Cross, Hal Holbrook, Ruben Rabasa, Ned Beatty, Trevor Howard, Jill Carroll | Written by Philip Yordan, Fernando Fonseca | Directed by Camilo Vila
In the church of St Agnes, the ageing Father Dennis (Ruden Rabasa) is seduced by a nude woman with enormous ‘80s hair. Three years later, young Father Michael (Ben “Sarek” Cross) is driving the seedy New Orleans streets, accompanied by dodgy sax music, on his way to rescue a potential suicide from a rooftop ledge. The jumper turns on him and Michael is thrown to his death. Except Michael doesn’t die!
It’s miracle enough to convince Archbishop Mosely (Hal Holbrook) that he has found his replacement at St Agnes. After all, if Michael can plunge twenty storeys without a scratch, why shouldn’t he be able to rid the church of an evil that has left the last two priests with their throats ripped out?...
In the church of St Agnes, the ageing Father Dennis (Ruden Rabasa) is seduced by a nude woman with enormous ‘80s hair. Three years later, young Father Michael (Ben “Sarek” Cross) is driving the seedy New Orleans streets, accompanied by dodgy sax music, on his way to rescue a potential suicide from a rooftop ledge. The jumper turns on him and Michael is thrown to his death. Except Michael doesn’t die!
It’s miracle enough to convince Archbishop Mosely (Hal Holbrook) that he has found his replacement at St Agnes. After all, if Michael can plunge twenty storeys without a scratch, why shouldn’t he be able to rid the church of an evil that has left the last two priests with their throats ripped out?...
- 2/26/2019
- by Rupert Harvey
- Nerdly
Is this any way to treat a lady? Lovely Nina Foch just wanted a job, but she instead becomes the fall-gal in a psychologically perverse plan to deny her very identity. Cult director Joseph H. Lewis makes deft use of cinematic suspense techniques to compel our involvement in a bizarre conspiracy: not just convincing a woman that she’s insane, but that she’s literally not herself.
My Name is Julia Ross
Blu-ray
Arrow Academy
1945 / B&W / 1:37 Academy / 65 min. / Street Date February 19, 2019 / Available from Arrow Films (UK) / 39.95
Starring: Nina Foch, Dame May Whitty, George Macready, Roland Varno, Leonard Mudie, Anita Bolster, Doris Lloyd, Queenie Leonard.
Cinematography: Burnett Guffey
Film Editor: Henry Batista
Visual Effects: Lawrence Butler, Donald Glouner
Musical director: Mischa Bakaleinikoff
Written by Muriel Roy Bolton, from the novel by Anthony Gilbert (Lucy Malleson)
Produced by Wallace MacDonald
Directed by Joseph H. Lewis
2019 is shaping up just fine for Blu-ray releases of small-scale,...
My Name is Julia Ross
Blu-ray
Arrow Academy
1945 / B&W / 1:37 Academy / 65 min. / Street Date February 19, 2019 / Available from Arrow Films (UK) / 39.95
Starring: Nina Foch, Dame May Whitty, George Macready, Roland Varno, Leonard Mudie, Anita Bolster, Doris Lloyd, Queenie Leonard.
Cinematography: Burnett Guffey
Film Editor: Henry Batista
Visual Effects: Lawrence Butler, Donald Glouner
Musical director: Mischa Bakaleinikoff
Written by Muriel Roy Bolton, from the novel by Anthony Gilbert (Lucy Malleson)
Produced by Wallace MacDonald
Directed by Joseph H. Lewis
2019 is shaping up just fine for Blu-ray releases of small-scale,...
- 2/9/2019
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
It’s a spooky, snowy train ride across thousands of miles of Siberian rails — trapped on board with a victim-possessing creature from outer space, with eyes that kill! Actually, ‘Pánico en el transiberiano’ is a fine show for Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee, a Spanish-made chiller with a smart script and some effective shocks.
Horror Express
Blu-ray
Arrow Video
1972 / Color / 1:78 widescreen / 90 min. / Street Date February 12, 2019 / Available from Arrow Video
Starring: Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing, Telly Savalas, Alberto de Mendoza, Silvia Tortosa, Julio Peña, Ángel del Pozo, Helga Liné.
Cinematography: Alejandro Ulloa
Original Music: John Cacavas
Written by Arnaud d’Usseau, Julian Zimet
Produced by Bernard Gordon
Directed by Eugenio Martín
Dedicated horror fans look to the past to uncover forgotten chillers, or just to complete their lists of rare items unseen. For instance, although no release date has been given, we’re told that Kino Lorber will be giving...
Horror Express
Blu-ray
Arrow Video
1972 / Color / 1:78 widescreen / 90 min. / Street Date February 12, 2019 / Available from Arrow Video
Starring: Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing, Telly Savalas, Alberto de Mendoza, Silvia Tortosa, Julio Peña, Ángel del Pozo, Helga Liné.
Cinematography: Alejandro Ulloa
Original Music: John Cacavas
Written by Arnaud d’Usseau, Julian Zimet
Produced by Bernard Gordon
Directed by Eugenio Martín
Dedicated horror fans look to the past to uncover forgotten chillers, or just to complete their lists of rare items unseen. For instance, although no release date has been given, we’re told that Kino Lorber will be giving...
- 2/9/2019
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Gregory Peck slips into vengeance mode full-tilt, riding down a quartet of blackhearted knaves: rapist Stephen Boyd, ambusher Albert Salmi, sneaky Lee Van Cleef and inscrutable Henry Silva. The action direction and scenery in this late ‘fifties Big Sky western are excellent; Joan Collins and Kathleen Gallant put in good performances as well.
The Bravados
Blu-ray
Twilight Time
1958 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 97 min. / Street Date September 18, 2018 / Available from the Twilight Time Movies Store / 29.95
Starring: Gregory Peck, Joan Collins, Stephen Boyd, Albert Salmi, Henry Silva, Kathleen Gallant, Barry Coe, George Voskovec, Herbert Rudley, Lee Van Cleef, Joe DeRita, Andrew Duggan, Ken Scott, Gene Evans, Beulah Archuletta, Robert Adler.
Cinematography: Leon Shamroy
Film Editor: William Mace
Original Music: Lionel Newman
Written by Philip Yordan from a novel by Frank O’Rourke
Produced by Herbert B. Swope Jr.
Directed by Henry King
The Bravados is just the kind of western America liked in the late 1950s,...
The Bravados
Blu-ray
Twilight Time
1958 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 97 min. / Street Date September 18, 2018 / Available from the Twilight Time Movies Store / 29.95
Starring: Gregory Peck, Joan Collins, Stephen Boyd, Albert Salmi, Henry Silva, Kathleen Gallant, Barry Coe, George Voskovec, Herbert Rudley, Lee Van Cleef, Joe DeRita, Andrew Duggan, Ken Scott, Gene Evans, Beulah Archuletta, Robert Adler.
Cinematography: Leon Shamroy
Film Editor: William Mace
Original Music: Lionel Newman
Written by Philip Yordan from a novel by Frank O’Rourke
Produced by Herbert B. Swope Jr.
Directed by Henry King
The Bravados is just the kind of western America liked in the late 1950s,...
- 10/2/2018
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
The blacklist strikes back as both writer Ben Maddow and director Martin Ritt examine the booming ’50s phenomenon of The Suburbs. No money up front will get you into an ‘estate’ of your dreams, provided you’re white. Possibly a little too direct in its messaging of sickness in the American dream, much of what we see in the ticky-tacky subdivision of Sunrise Hills will ring true to those of us who lived it.
No Down Payment
Blu-ray
Twilight Time
1957 / B&W / 2:35 widescreen / 101 min. / Street Date April 17, 2018 / Available from the Twilight Time Movies Store / 29.95
Starring: Joanne Woodward, Sheree North, Tony Randall, Jeffrey Hunter, Cameron Mitchell, Patricia Owens, Barbara Rush, Pat Hingle, Robert H. Harris, Aki Aleong, Charles Herbert, Mimi Gibson.
Cinematography: Joseph Lashelle
Film Editor: Lois R. Loeffler
Original Music: Leigh Harline
Written by Philip Yordan, front for Ben Maddow; from the book by John McPartland
Produced by Jerry Wald...
No Down Payment
Blu-ray
Twilight Time
1957 / B&W / 2:35 widescreen / 101 min. / Street Date April 17, 2018 / Available from the Twilight Time Movies Store / 29.95
Starring: Joanne Woodward, Sheree North, Tony Randall, Jeffrey Hunter, Cameron Mitchell, Patricia Owens, Barbara Rush, Pat Hingle, Robert H. Harris, Aki Aleong, Charles Herbert, Mimi Gibson.
Cinematography: Joseph Lashelle
Film Editor: Lois R. Loeffler
Original Music: Leigh Harline
Written by Philip Yordan, front for Ben Maddow; from the book by John McPartland
Produced by Jerry Wald...
- 4/28/2018
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Close-Up is a feature that spotlights films now playing on Mubi. Arthur Riplye's The Chase (1946) is playing from September 30 - October 30, 2017 in the United States.“It’s happened again.” This almost throwaway admission by the protagonist of The Chase, Arthur Ripley’s way-out 1946 noir, comes just after the film’s jolting third act twist. It sets the viewer up for the unexpected, but is delivered with such exasperation that, at least for the beleaguered hero of the picture, the situation may perhaps be all too familiar, a possibility that in itself makes the occurrence that much more significant. Prior to this point, The Chase had been a solid, atmospheric thriller, with sufficient quirkiness to keep it in thoroughly fresh territory. But with this derailing revelation, there is really no preparing for how The Chase plays out, and what that, in turn, means for the preceding story. On its surface set-up,...
- 10/16/2017
- MUBI
‘Things Blowing Up Good’ has been surefire entertainment since the beginning of cinema, but this ill-fated Cinerama extravaganza about the biggest explosion in recorded human history limps along despite some pretty darned impressive volcanic effects. It’s quite an entertaining spectacle, with various good performers in three soap opera plots, either overacting or loitering about with nothing to do. And don’t forget the from-left-field musical striptease.
Krakatoa East of Java
Blu-ray
Kl Studio Classics
1969 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 131 min. / Street Date September 12, 2017 / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95
Starring: Maximilian Schell, Diane Baker, Brian Keith, Barbara Werle, Sal Mineo, Rossano Brazzi, John Leyton, J.D. Cannon, Jacqueline (Jacqui) Chan, Victoria Young, Marc Lawrence, Geoffrey Holder, Niall MacGinnis, Sumi Haru.
Cinematography: Manuel Berenguer
Film Editors: Walter Hannemann, Warren Low, Maurice Rootes
Production Design: Eugèné Lourié
Costumes: Laure Lourié
Special Effects: Eugèné Lourié, Alex Weldon, Francisco Prósper
Original Music: Frank De Vol
Written by Clifford Newton Gould,...
Krakatoa East of Java
Blu-ray
Kl Studio Classics
1969 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 131 min. / Street Date September 12, 2017 / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95
Starring: Maximilian Schell, Diane Baker, Brian Keith, Barbara Werle, Sal Mineo, Rossano Brazzi, John Leyton, J.D. Cannon, Jacqueline (Jacqui) Chan, Victoria Young, Marc Lawrence, Geoffrey Holder, Niall MacGinnis, Sumi Haru.
Cinematography: Manuel Berenguer
Film Editors: Walter Hannemann, Warren Low, Maurice Rootes
Production Design: Eugèné Lourié
Costumes: Laure Lourié
Special Effects: Eugèné Lourié, Alex Weldon, Francisco Prósper
Original Music: Frank De Vol
Written by Clifford Newton Gould,...
- 9/2/2017
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Olive's new branded line reissues the Nicholas Ray classic with a full set of authoritative extras -- plus a never-before-seen widescreen transfer, in all of its Trucolor glory. Joan Crawford and Sterling Hayden never looked better -- we can all compare theories about la Crawford's color-coded costumes. Just how masculine is Vienna supposed to be? Johnny Guitar (Olive Signature widescreen edition) Blu-ray Olive Films 1954 / Color / 1:66 widescreen / 110 min. / Street Date September 20, 2016 / available through the Olive Films website / 39.95 but heavily discounted Starring Joan Crawford, Sterling Hayden, Mercedes McCambridge, Scott Brady, Ward Bond, Ben Cooper, Ernest Borgnine, John Carradine, Royal Dano, Frank Ferguson, Paul Fix, Rhys Williams. Cinematography Harry Stradling Film Editor Richard Van Enger Original Music Victor Young Written by Philip Yordan from the novel by Roy Chanslor Produced by Herbert J. Yates Directed by Nicholas Ray
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
Wow, it's already been four years since Olive released a...
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
Wow, it's already been four years since Olive released a...
- 9/20/2016
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Remember Charlie Chaplin's 'The Killer with a Heart?' You too will be frustrated by this well-produced story of a slum kid who commits an unpardonable crime... except that a do-gooder priest wants to pardon him. Dana Andrews and Farley Granger star but the good work is in the smaller roles of this urban tragedy. Edge of Doom DVD-r The Warner Archive Collection 1950 / B&W / 1:37 flat Academy / 97 min. / Street Date February 9, 2016 / available through the WBshop / 18.59 Starring Dana Andrews, Farley Granger, Joan Evans, Robert Keith, Paul Stewart, Mala Powers, Adele Jergens, Harold Vermilyea, John Ridgely, Douglas Fowley, Mabel Paige, Howland Chamberlain, Houseley Stevenson Sr., Jean Inness, Ellen Corby, Ray Teal. Cinematography Harry Stradling Film Editor Daniel Mandell Original Music Hugo Friedhofer Written by Philip Yordan Produced by Samuel Goldwyn Directed by Mark Robson
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
What's the most hopeless, depressing, feel-bad film noir on the charts? How about Detour,...
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
What's the most hopeless, depressing, feel-bad film noir on the charts? How about Detour,...
- 5/16/2016
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
By John M. Whalen
Cornell Woolrich is a writer whose work was much loved and cherished by fans of film noir. The Internet Movie Database lists 102 credits for him for both film and TV shows—titles including “Rear Window,” “The Bride Wore Black,” “The Night Has a Thousand Eyes,” “Black Angel,” “Fear in the Night,” and “Phantom Lady,” He didn’t write any screenplays that I know of. The films and TV shows were all adapted from a prolific output of stories written under his Woolrich and William Irish pseudonyms, and under his real name, George Hopley.
While Raymond Chandler, Dashiell Hammett, and James M. Cain make up the Big Three in noir fiction, Woolrich carved out a special niche for himself. Chandler, and Hammett wrote about tough guy heroes who usually overcame the web of evil they encountered. Cain’s heroes weren’t always so lucky, but at least...
Cornell Woolrich is a writer whose work was much loved and cherished by fans of film noir. The Internet Movie Database lists 102 credits for him for both film and TV shows—titles including “Rear Window,” “The Bride Wore Black,” “The Night Has a Thousand Eyes,” “Black Angel,” “Fear in the Night,” and “Phantom Lady,” He didn’t write any screenplays that I know of. The films and TV shows were all adapted from a prolific output of stories written under his Woolrich and William Irish pseudonyms, and under his real name, George Hopley.
While Raymond Chandler, Dashiell Hammett, and James M. Cain make up the Big Three in noir fiction, Woolrich carved out a special niche for himself. Chandler, and Hammett wrote about tough guy heroes who usually overcame the web of evil they encountered. Cain’s heroes weren’t always so lucky, but at least...
- 5/13/2016
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
An exercise in dizzy disorientation, this Cornell Woolrich crazy-house noir pulls the rug out from under us at least three times. You want delirium, you got it -- the secret words for today are "Obsessive" and "Perverse." Innocent Robert Cummings is no match for sicko psychos Peter Lorre and Steve Cochran. The Chase Blu-ray Kino Classics 1946 / B&W / 1:37 flat Academy / 86 min. / Street Date May 24, 2016 / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95 Starring Robert Cummings, Michèle Morgan, Steve Cochran, Peter Lorre, Lloyd Corrigan, Jack Holt, Don Wilson, Alexis Minotis, Nina Koschetz, Yolanda Lacca, James Westerfield, Shirley O'Hara. Cinematography Frank F. Planer Film Editor Edward Mann Original Music Michel Michelet Written by Philip Yordan from the book The Black Path of Fear by Cornell Woolrich Produced by Seymour Nebenzal Directed by Arthur D. Ripley
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
As Guy Maddin says on his (recommended) commentary, the public domain copies of this show were...
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
As Guy Maddin says on his (recommended) commentary, the public domain copies of this show were...
- 5/7/2016
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Director Edward Dmytryk, one of the infamous Hollywood Ten blacklisted by McCarthy and his goons in 1947 Hollywood, debuted the most famous title in his filmography seven years later with war drama The Caine Mutiny. That very same year, in fact, only about a month later, he would premiere another title, a robust 1880s set Western starring Spencer Tracy, a title which would also win Oscar glory. Overshadowed by the popularity of Caine, however, the film seems to have disappeared from contemporary discussions of Dmytryk’s work (never able to divorce himself from his eventual testimony in front of Huac), a shame considering it’s a gripping, framed familial saga of intergenerational misunderstandings, racial hang-ups, and eventually even a court-room drama.
Young Joe Devereaux (Robert Wagner) is released from serving a three year prison sentence and immediately returns to his abandoned familial homestead to wreak vengeance on those who wronged him.
Young Joe Devereaux (Robert Wagner) is released from serving a three year prison sentence and immediately returns to his abandoned familial homestead to wreak vengeance on those who wronged him.
- 12/22/2015
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
Edward Dmytryk's big-scale cattle empire saga sees paterfamilias Spencer Tracy drive away his sons and bull his way into a modern civil dispute that can't be resolved with force. Robert Wagner is the loyal son and Richard Widmark the resentful son impatient for Dad to cash in his chips. Fox's early CinemaScope and stereophonic sound western is a transposition of a film noir mystery thriller. Broken Lance Blu-ray Twilight Time Limited Edition 1954 / Color / 2:55 widescreen / 96 min. / Ship Date November 10, 2015 / available through Twilight Time Movies / 29.95 Starring Spencer Tracy, Robert Wagner, Jean Peters, Richard Widmark, Katy Jurado, Hugh O'Brian, Eduard Franz, Earl Holliman, E.G. Marshall, Carl Benton Reid, Philip Ober. Cinematography Joseph MacDonald Film Editor Dorothy Spencer Original Music Leigh Harline Written by Richard Murphy, Philip Yordan Produced by Sol C. Siegel Directed by Edward Dmytryk Reviewed by Glenn EricksonSome of the early 'big' westerns that aspire to epic status are...
- 11/14/2015
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Rex Ingram in 'The Thief of Bagdad' 1940 with tiny Sabu. Actor Rex Ingram movies on TCM: Early black film performer in 'Cabin in the Sky,' 'Anna Lucasta' It's somewhat unusual for two well-known film celebrities, whether past or present, to share the same name.* One such rarity is – or rather, are – the two movie people known as Rex Ingram;† one an Irish-born white director, the other an Illinois-born black actor. Turner Classic Movies' “Summer Under the Stars” continues today, Aug. 11, '15, with a day dedicated to the latter. Right now, TCM is showing Cabin in the Sky (1943), an all-black musical adaptation of the Faust tale that is notable as the first full-fledged feature film directed by another Illinois-born movie person, Vincente Minnelli. Also worth mentioning, the movie marked Lena Horne's first important appearance in a mainstream motion picture.§ A financial disappointment on the...
- 8/12/2015
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Anthony Mann
As much as any other filmmaker who found a niche in a given genre, in the 10 Westerns Anthony Mann directed from 1950 to 1958 he carved out a place in film history as one who not only reveled in the conventions of that particular form, but also as one who imbued in it a distinct aesthetic and narrative approach. In doing so, Mann created Westerns that were simultaneously about the making of the West as a historical phenomenon, as well as about the making of its own developing cinematic genus. At the same time, he also established the traits that would define his auteur status, formal devices that lend his work the qualities of a director who enjoyed, understood, and readily exploited and manipulated a type of film's essential features.
Though he made several fine pictures outside the Western, Mann as an American auteur is most notably recognized for his work in this field,...
As much as any other filmmaker who found a niche in a given genre, in the 10 Westerns Anthony Mann directed from 1950 to 1958 he carved out a place in film history as one who not only reveled in the conventions of that particular form, but also as one who imbued in it a distinct aesthetic and narrative approach. In doing so, Mann created Westerns that were simultaneously about the making of the West as a historical phenomenon, as well as about the making of its own developing cinematic genus. At the same time, he also established the traits that would define his auteur status, formal devices that lend his work the qualities of a director who enjoyed, understood, and readily exploited and manipulated a type of film's essential features.
Though he made several fine pictures outside the Western, Mann as an American auteur is most notably recognized for his work in this field,...
- 1/26/2015
- by Jeremy Carr
- MUBI
Usually it’s a lot easier and quicker for me to review films one by one but I thought for this release from Vinegar Syndrome, it’s only right to review the release as a whole.
In Search of Bigfoot
Stars: Robert Morgan, Rene Dahinden, John Green, Sam Melville | Written and Directed by Lawrence Crowley, William Miller
First up on this Drive-in Collection double feature, we have the 1975 documentary In Search of Bigfoot, directed by Lawrence Crowley (Bigfoot: Man or Beast) and William Miller (Cowboy Spirit, Mysteries From Beyond the Triangle). The documentary focuses on Robert Morgan (Blood Stalkers, Mako: The Jaws of Death) and his team who set out to locate the legendary Bigfoot. While on their expedition they meet loggers and eyewitnesses who all claim to have either witnessed or interacted with the mythical creature. There are highs and lows for Robert and his team and although an...
In Search of Bigfoot
Stars: Robert Morgan, Rene Dahinden, John Green, Sam Melville | Written and Directed by Lawrence Crowley, William Miller
First up on this Drive-in Collection double feature, we have the 1975 documentary In Search of Bigfoot, directed by Lawrence Crowley (Bigfoot: Man or Beast) and William Miller (Cowboy Spirit, Mysteries From Beyond the Triangle). The documentary focuses on Robert Morgan (Blood Stalkers, Mako: The Jaws of Death) and his team who set out to locate the legendary Bigfoot. While on their expedition they meet loggers and eyewitnesses who all claim to have either witnessed or interacted with the mythical creature. There are highs and lows for Robert and his team and although an...
- 8/29/2014
- by Mondo Squallido
- Nerdly
Blu-ray Release Date: June 10, 2014
Price: Blu-ray $29.95
Studio: Twilight Time
James Stewart is The Man from Laramie.
Thanks to Twilight Time, the well-respected 1955 western The Man From Laramie is on Blu-ray.
Directed by Anthony Mann (Strangers in the Night), the movie stars James Stewart (Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation) in the last of his five-film collaboration with Mann. Here, Stewart is a man with an agenda, determined to avenge the death of his brother and stumbling into a hornet’s nest of family dysfunction when he encounters the troubled Waggoman clan, New Mexico ranchers who make the tale of King Lear look like a children’s story.
Written by Philip Yordan and Frank Burt and photographed by Charles Lang, The Man from Laramie comes to Blu-ray with a new 4k transfer, remastered from the original negative, presenting the film in a magnificent 2.55 widescreen image for the first time since its initial release in theaters.
Price: Blu-ray $29.95
Studio: Twilight Time
James Stewart is The Man from Laramie.
Thanks to Twilight Time, the well-respected 1955 western The Man From Laramie is on Blu-ray.
Directed by Anthony Mann (Strangers in the Night), the movie stars James Stewart (Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation) in the last of his five-film collaboration with Mann. Here, Stewart is a man with an agenda, determined to avenge the death of his brother and stumbling into a hornet’s nest of family dysfunction when he encounters the troubled Waggoman clan, New Mexico ranchers who make the tale of King Lear look like a children’s story.
Written by Philip Yordan and Frank Burt and photographed by Charles Lang, The Man from Laramie comes to Blu-ray with a new 4k transfer, remastered from the original negative, presenting the film in a magnificent 2.55 widescreen image for the first time since its initial release in theaters.
- 6/13/2014
- by Laurence
- Disc Dish
Men in War
Written by Philip Yordan
Directed by Anthony Mann
USA, 1957
Director Anthony Mann was a specialist at genre filmmaking. From early crime dramas like T-Men and Raw Deal, to historical epics like El Cid and The Fall of the Roman Empire, he seemed to have a knack for working within — and working with — the conventions of a given generic formula. His Westerns, especially, are among the best that that particular type of movie has to offer. And when he set his sights on the war film, his natural aptitude for genre would be as prominent as it was anywhere. Men in War, from 1957, his second war film of the decade (released two years after Strategic Air Command), contains much of what makes Mann a distinct filmmaker, and reveals much of what makes the war film its own unique form of motion picture.
Set in Korea, 1950, Men in War...
Written by Philip Yordan
Directed by Anthony Mann
USA, 1957
Director Anthony Mann was a specialist at genre filmmaking. From early crime dramas like T-Men and Raw Deal, to historical epics like El Cid and The Fall of the Roman Empire, he seemed to have a knack for working within — and working with — the conventions of a given generic formula. His Westerns, especially, are among the best that that particular type of movie has to offer. And when he set his sights on the war film, his natural aptitude for genre would be as prominent as it was anywhere. Men in War, from 1957, his second war film of the decade (released two years after Strategic Air Command), contains much of what makes Mann a distinct filmmaker, and reveals much of what makes the war film its own unique form of motion picture.
Set in Korea, 1950, Men in War...
- 5/2/2014
- by Jeremy Carr
- SoundOnSight
Blu-ray & DVD Release Date: Sept. 24, 2013
Price: DVD $19.95, Blu-ray $29.95
Studio: Olive Films
The final shot in 1955's The Big Combo.
Considered to be one of the great film noir crime dramas, 1955’s The Big Combo was directed by Joseph H. Lewis (Gun Crazy).
The movie zeroes in on the battle between good and honest cop Lieutenant Diamond (Cornel Wilde), sadistic crime boss Mr. Brown (Richard Conte), and Susan Lowell (Jean Wallace), a cool and beautiful blonde who gets caught in the middle. With the help of the gangster’s ex-girlfriend, Diamond is determined to bring down the cunning gangland kingpin. But the gangster and his henchmen are ruthless and they pull some pretty nasty maneuvers on Diamond.
Written by Philip Yordan (Panic in the Streets) and shot by the great noir cinematographer John Alton (He Walked by Night), The Big Combo features some of the most striking black-and-white cinematography ever seen in a nor film,...
Price: DVD $19.95, Blu-ray $29.95
Studio: Olive Films
The final shot in 1955's The Big Combo.
Considered to be one of the great film noir crime dramas, 1955’s The Big Combo was directed by Joseph H. Lewis (Gun Crazy).
The movie zeroes in on the battle between good and honest cop Lieutenant Diamond (Cornel Wilde), sadistic crime boss Mr. Brown (Richard Conte), and Susan Lowell (Jean Wallace), a cool and beautiful blonde who gets caught in the middle. With the help of the gangster’s ex-girlfriend, Diamond is determined to bring down the cunning gangland kingpin. But the gangster and his henchmen are ruthless and they pull some pretty nasty maneuvers on Diamond.
Written by Philip Yordan (Panic in the Streets) and shot by the great noir cinematographer John Alton (He Walked by Night), The Big Combo features some of the most striking black-and-white cinematography ever seen in a nor film,...
- 10/2/2013
- by Laurence
- Disc Dish
By Lee Pfeiffer
By 1954, Charlton Heston had already been a popular young leading man for a few years, but Paramount still felt that Eleanor Parker had more boxoffice clout (!), thus she received top billing in the adventure tale "The Naked Jungle", available now from the Warner Archive on DVD. Nevertheless, the movie is fondly remembered by Heston fans as a pivotal entry in his career simply because it is so offbeat. A plot description might lead one to believe it is a science fiction or horror story: a South American plantation is menaced by Marabunta, an unstoppable army of billions of ants that devour any living thing in their path. However, the story is based on scientific fact, as these occurrences do take place in deep jungle, though fortunately, the real life ants are not known to eat people or animals- a fact that is predictably dispensed with by the screenwriters.
By 1954, Charlton Heston had already been a popular young leading man for a few years, but Paramount still felt that Eleanor Parker had more boxoffice clout (!), thus she received top billing in the adventure tale "The Naked Jungle", available now from the Warner Archive on DVD. Nevertheless, the movie is fondly remembered by Heston fans as a pivotal entry in his career simply because it is so offbeat. A plot description might lead one to believe it is a science fiction or horror story: a South American plantation is menaced by Marabunta, an unstoppable army of billions of ants that devour any living thing in their path. However, the story is based on scientific fact, as these occurrences do take place in deep jungle, though fortunately, the real life ants are not known to eat people or animals- a fact that is predictably dispensed with by the screenwriters.
- 7/9/2013
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
I used to post Netflix streaming offerings weekly late last year, but it's tough to keep up with it on a weekly, given how much else I have to handle. But I'll post when I can. These arent all necessarily recommendations (although a few of them I do definitely recommend); consider it just an Fyi - films we've talked about recently that are streaming on Netflix, that you might want to check out for yourselves. Without further ado, here's this week's list: 1 - Sergio reminded you of Anna Lucasta a week or two ago. The play the film was based on, was written in 1936 by Philip Yordan, and was about a Polish family. It was later adapted by Abram Hill for American Negro Theater in New...
- 4/5/2013
- by Tambay A. Obenson
- ShadowAndAct
The Chase
Written by Philip Yordan
Directed by Arthur Ripley
U.S.A., 1946
*A fair warning to readers: those sensitive to spoilers had best watch the film under review before reading the article. To properly dive into its themes and story, major plot points will be revealed.
Surprises in movies are a great gift the storytellers can offer viewers to wake them from the state of comfort, or boredom depending whom one asks, which sets in when plot points are too familiar and the dramatic beats too predictable. For some it can be a chore to get through just as it may offer the right type of simple escapism for others. Sometimes, however, the ingredients need be shaken and stirred. In an amusing case of coincidence, this week’s column entry, the 1946 film The Chase, arrives only weeks after Steven Soderbergh’s supposed final theatrical feature, Side Effects, opened in theatres.
Written by Philip Yordan
Directed by Arthur Ripley
U.S.A., 1946
*A fair warning to readers: those sensitive to spoilers had best watch the film under review before reading the article. To properly dive into its themes and story, major plot points will be revealed.
Surprises in movies are a great gift the storytellers can offer viewers to wake them from the state of comfort, or boredom depending whom one asks, which sets in when plot points are too familiar and the dramatic beats too predictable. For some it can be a chore to get through just as it may offer the right type of simple escapism for others. Sometimes, however, the ingredients need be shaken and stirred. In an amusing case of coincidence, this week’s column entry, the 1946 film The Chase, arrives only weeks after Steven Soderbergh’s supposed final theatrical feature, Side Effects, opened in theatres.
- 3/2/2013
- by Edgar Chaput
- SoundOnSight
I’ve always been a war film buff, maybe because I grew up with them at a time when they were a regular part of the cinema landscape. That’s why I read, with particular interest, my Sound on Sight colleague Edgar Chaput’s recent pieces on The Flowers of War (“The Flowers of War Is an Uneven but Interesting Chinese Ww II Film” – posted 2/20/12) and The Front Line (The Front Line Rises to the Occasion to Overcome Its Familiarity” – 2/16/12) with such interest. An even more fun read was the back-and-forth between Edgar and Sos’s Michael Ryan over the latter (“The Sound on Sight Debate on Korea’s The Front Line” – 2/12/12), with Michael unimpressed because the movie had “…nothing new to add to the war genre,” and Edgar coming back with “…‘new’ is not always what a film must strive for. So long as it does well what it set out to do…...
- 2/28/2012
- by Bill Mesce
- SoundOnSight
Joseph H. Lewis' The Big Combo (1955) and André De Toth's Pitfall (1948, right, with Dick Powell) will be screened as a film noir double bill at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 8, at downtown Los Angeles' historic Million Dollar Theater. I haven't watched either movie, but the Los Angeles Times' Kenneth Turan's warns: The Big Combo's "big, dark shadows … will eat you alive." Sounds like a must-see. Cornel Wilde stars as a cop in pursuit of crime boss Richard Conte; all the while, both cop and criminal vie for the attention of curvaceous blonde Jean Wallace, Wilde's then real-life wife. (The couple were married 1951-1981.) Also in the Big Combo cast: Robert Middleton, Brian Donlevy, Lee Van Cleef, Helen Walker, and Earl Holliman. Screenplay by Philip Yordan (House of Strangers, Detective Story, Johnny Guitar). In Pitfall, former Warner Bros. crooner Dick Powell plays an insurance salesman who falls for sultry Lizabeth Scott,...
- 2/5/2012
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Director Anthony Mann helmed this somewhat forgotten Korean War film which pits a small platoon of American soldiers against unseen North Korean snipers and combatants as U.N. forces are pushed further back across the 38th Parallel in September, 1950. The Korean War began on June 25, 1950 as communist insurgents attempted to overthrow the democratic government of the south. The Korean peninsula became divided by the victors after the end of World War II.
The North embraced Chinese communism, while the south became democratic. The U.S. was the first major power to send in an expeditionary force to help its South Korean allies stem the communist invasion. Within a few short months, the U.N. forces were fighting with their backs against the sea and it looked like the war was about to be lost.
‘Men in War‘ (1957) was originally conceived as a World War II story set during the D-Day invasion.
The North embraced Chinese communism, while the south became democratic. The U.S. was the first major power to send in an expeditionary force to help its South Korean allies stem the communist invasion. Within a few short months, the U.N. forces were fighting with their backs against the sea and it looked like the war was about to be lost.
‘Men in War‘ (1957) was originally conceived as a World War II story set during the D-Day invasion.
- 3/29/2010
- by Douglas Barnett
- The Flickcast
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