ALL-TIME CLASSIC MOVIE FAVOURITES – RANDOM HARVEST (1942)

 

“Random Harvest” is a romantic drama, based on James Hilton’s book of the same name and directed by Mervyn LeRoy.

Charles Rainier (Ronald Colman) a shell shocked veteran of World War I wanders out of the sanatorium and meets music hall star Paula Greer Garson who nurses him back to health and marry and settle happily into a quiet humble life, until he is involved in an accident which restores his original memories of a former life of wealth and privilege while erases all recollection of his post-war life.

So, a quiet and humble man disappears, and another man long missing as a casualty of war, turns up and claims his vast inheritance.

So, what of his devoted wife Paula, whom he no longer recognizes, what is she to do to reclaim her love? And will love conquer all in the end?

The film remains true to the Hilton novel and is one of the most beautiful and tender movies I have ever seen.

The acting is flawless, the cinematography memorable, the characterizations multi-dimensional, the scenery gorgeous and the peerless direction adds to the pleasure.

A strong supporting cast aids the story telling

Susan Peters as Kitty, Henry Travers as Dr Sims, Reginald Owen as Biffer, Bramwell Fletcher as Harrison and Philip Dorn as Dr Benet.

A film not to be missed.

ALL-TIME CLASSIC MOVIE FAVOURITES – CASABLANCA (1942)

 

Casablanca, is a wartime drama directed by Michael Curtiz, in which Rick Blaine (Humphrey Bogart), is a cynical world-weary ex-patriate who runs a nightclub in French Morocco during the early stages of WWII.

Rick's cafe has become a kind of haven for refugees seeking to obtain forged documents that will help them escape to America and he is used to running the gauntlet between the local authorities and the criminal fraternity, 

But one day Isla Lund (Ingrid Bergman), a former lover of Rick's, and her husband, a well known anti-fascist leader, Victor Laszlo (Paul Henreid), show up to his cafe, and Rick faces a tough decision, as events complicate his life.

Casablanca is a film with many special moments, but chief among them is when the orchestra plays La Marsellaise and Paul Henreid leads them and the rest of the non-Germans in the cafe in a rousing rendition and 80 years later, I still get a thrill from the stirring act of defiance.

It’s a fabulous film, a timeless classic, which  won the Oscar for Best Picture and best director for Michael Curtiz in 1943.
Both of these awards were due in no small part to the superb supporting cast of Claude Rains (Captain Louis Renault), Conrad Veidt (Major Heinrich Strasser), Sydney Greenstreet (Signor Ferrari), Peter Lorre (Ugarte), S.Z. Sakall (Carl), Madeleine Lebeau (Yvonne) and Dooley Wilson as Sam

Casablanca will be seen and loved by filmgoers for generations to come.

ALL-TIME CLASSIC MOVIE FAVOURITES – THE BISHOP'S WIFE (1947)

 

Directed by Henry Koster, the Christmas classic, The Bishop's Wife, tells the tale of an Episcopal Bishop, Henry Brougham played by David Niven, who has been working for months on the plans for a new cathedral, paid for by a selfish and stubborn widow Mrs. Hamilton, (Gladys Cooper).

As a result he begins to lose sight of his wife, Julia, (Loretta Young) and daughter Debbie (Karolyn Grimes) and of why he joined the church in the first place, so Dudley, an angel in human form, played by Cary Grant, is sent to help him, with the task of building a new cathedral and repairing his fractured marriage.

Dudley help’s everyone he meets, but not always in the way they would have chosen, nonetheless everyone liked Dudley, with the exception of Henry.
As Christmas approaches Henry begins to believe that Dudley is there to replace him, at work, and in his family’s affections.

He even manages to affect his maid Matilda (Elsa Lanchester) and secretary Mildred Cassaway (Sara Haden).

Even the cynical old atheist family friend Professor Wutheridge (Monty Woolley) falls under his spell, eventually, but Dudley must be careful not to become too fond of earthly distractions.

It’s a gem of a movie which can be appreciated any time of year and has many memorable scenes but my favourite is when Sylvester, the taxi driver (James Gleason) befriends Julia and Dudley and they go ice skating in the park, in fact the sequence is one of the best things you’ll see in many a film, enjoy.

ALL-TIME CLASSIC MOVIE FAVOURITES – NO HIGHWAY IN THE SKY (1951)

 

No Highway in the Sky, is a thriller written by Nevil Shute and directed by Henry Koster, in which aeronautical engineer Theodore Honey (James Stewart) is being sent to Labrador from London to examine the wreckage of a new Reindeer class passenger plane designed by his company, Rutland.

The absent minded Honey boards the Reindeer class plane, and only realizes once on board, that the plane is due to fail catastrophically in a few hours after the plane is airborne when it has reached a specific number of flying hours, namely the tail section will separate from the fuselage, caused by metal fatigue after 1440 flying hours.

He decides to warn a member of the cabin crew, Marjorie Corder (Glynis Johns), who in turn informs Captain Samuelson (Niall MacGinnis) and Co-Pilot (Kenneth More). 

When they land at Gander Airport the tail section is thoroughly examined and deemed safe so Honey sabotages the plane by collapsing the undercarriage so it has to be grounded.

On his return to England he must set about proving his theory or face prosecution and dismissal and soon finds himself defending his sanity in an English courtroom.

Fortunately, a sympathetic actress, Monica Teasdale (Marlene Dietrich) and stewardess Marjorie Corder come to his defence.

 

As he is a widower with a 12-year-old daughter, Elspeth (Janette Scott), Monica and Marjorie take a liking to Mr Honey and Elspeth, and the latter is clearly lonely and isolated.

Monica Teasdale speaks to Honey's superiors on his behalf, claiming she believes in him and Marjorie stays on with Honey and his daughter as a nurse. 

 

There are also a host of household names of the British Cinema who add to the tension and authenticity of the tale, Jack Hawkins, Elizabeth Allan, Ronald Squire, Dora Bryan, Felix Aylmer, Maurice Denham, Wilfrid Hyde-White and Bessie Love, to name a few.

James Stewart is simply wonderful as the boffin Mr. Honey, and Marlene Dietrich, who casts a lasting light on proceedings, are the stars in this film masterpiece and the supporting actors are on top of their game, in particular Janette Scott as the daughter, and the wonderful Glynis Johns in a typically faultless performance and the ever reliable Jack Hawkins.

A film definitely worth seeing, well scripted, well directed and well-acted, sadly, they don’t make movies like this anymore, and probably never will again.

ALL-TIME CLASSIC MOVIE FAVOURITES – THE GUNS OF NAVARONE (1961)

The Guns of Navarone, is a classic War movie based on the Alistair MacLean novel of the same name and directed by J. Lee Thompson.

A British led team of six Allied and Greek soldiers is sent to the Greek island of Navarone, occupied by German forces, to destroy the massive German gun emplacement that commands a key sea channel, which threatens the safe evacuation of British troops from a neighbouring island.

As if the mission is not perilous enough, with such a large German presence on the island, they also have a traitor in their midst.

The menacing naval guns are embedded in a cliff with a big rock overhang, so the RAF are unable to destroy them from air, which is why a commando team is put together under the command of Maj. Roy Franklin (Anthony Quayle), a renowned mountain climber, Capt. Keith Mallory (Gregory Peck) to get them up the formidable cliffs, a couple of native Greeks, Col. Andrea Stavros (Anthony Quinn) and Spyros Pappadimos (James Darren), explosives man, Cpl. John Anthony Miller (David Niven), and a tough anti-fascist veteran of the Spanish Civil War, CPO 'Butcher' Brown (Stanley Baker) and they are joined on the island by resistance fighters Maria Pappadimos (Irene Papas) and Anna (Gia Scala).

The film is full of tension as the group keep getting into and out of one situation after another and it crackles with excitement up to the dramatic conclusion, a film not be missed.

ALL-TIME CLASSIC MOVIE FAVOURITES – THE GREATEST STORY EVER TOLD (1965)

 

The Greatest Story Ever Told, directed by George Stevens and David Lean, although for some reason the latter was uncredited.

It is an often under-rated movie with an all-star cast, and is a large scale epic movie that chronicles the life and ministry of Jesus Christ (Max von Sydow).

There are so many stars in this biblical epic that it is impossible to mention them all but among the notable performers were Dorothy McGuire (The Virgin Mary) Charlton Heston (John the Baptist) Martin Landau (Caiaphas) Sal Mineo (Uriah) Sidney Poitier (Simon of Cyrene) David McCallum (Judas Iscariot) Donald Pleasence (The Dark Hermit – Satan) Claude Rains (King Herod) and John Wayne (Centurion at Crucifixion).

I can highly recommend the modestly titled epic, which was long, beautifully photographed and was notable as it was the first english-language film for Max von Sydow.

A great, if not the greatest, movie, watch and enjoy.

ALL-TIME CLASSIC MOVIE FAVOURITES – THE ROBE (1953)

 

The Robe, Directed by Henry Koster, is set in the Roman province of Judea during the 1st century, where Roman tribune Marcellus Gallio (Richard Burton) is ordered to crucify Jesus of Nazareth, but is tormented by his guilty conscience in the aftermath.

After the Crucifixion he gets drunk and wins Jesus' homespun robe and suffers nightmares and delusions after the event.

After a period of time in Rome he hopes to find a way to live with what he has done, and although still not believing in Jesus as a Messiah, he returns to Palestine to try and learn what he can of the man he killed. 

It’s a poignant script powerfully acted by Burton, while the lovely Jean Simmons is incredible as the young woman he loves, Diana. Michael Rennie is a quiet but forceful Peter, but Jay Robinson steals the picture as the depraved Emperor Caligula, and as he normally did Victor Mature played himself as Demetrius and there were a host of competent performances in the minor roles.

The cinematography is quite magnificent filmed in Cinemascope, while the film is graced by Alfred Newman beautifully and eerily haunting musical score.

A very watchable movie that stands the test of time but is not given the exposure it so richly deserves, perhaps because programmers are of a more secular bent.

ALL-TIME CLASSIC MOVIE FAVOURITES – JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR (1973)

 

Jesus Christ Superstar is based on the Andrew Lloyd Webber/Tim Rice Rock Opera of the same name, directed by Norman Jewison.

It tells the story of the final 6 days in the life of Jesus Christ (Ted Neeley) seen primarily through the troubled eyes of Judas Iscariot (Carl Anderson)

Being filmed entirely on location in Israel lends the film an authenticity and the anachronistic manner of the sets, with contemporary weapons on display, such as at the Temple Market work like a bridge spanning two thousand years.

The songs are memorable and well performed in particular by Ted Neeley (Jesus) Carl Anderson (Judas) Yvonne Elliman (Mary Magdalene) Barry Dennen (Pontius Pilate) and Josh Mostel (King Herod)

It’s a must watch movie whether spiritually inclined or not.

ALL-TIME CLASSIC MOVIE FAVOURITES – BEN-HUR (1959)

 

Directed by William Wyler, Ben-Hur is an epic tale of injustice, betrayal and revenge.

Judah Ben-Hur (Charlton Heston) is a rich Jewish Prince and merchant in Jerusalem at the beginning of the 1st century and is reunited with his boyhood friend Messala (Stephen Boyd) when he returns to Judea as commanding officer of the Roman Legions.

It is a happy reunion, at first, but their different political views separate them.

During the welcome parade a roof tile falls down from Judah's house and injures the new Governor and Messala sends Judah to the galleys and throws his mother (Martha Scott) and sister (Cathy O'Donnell) into prison, but Judah swears to come back and take revenge on Messala.

He is imprisoned on board the flag ship of Quintus Arrius (Jack Hawkins) and after years chained to an oar, a great battle is fought and Judah finds himself saving the life of his master, who in time adopts him as his own and takes him back to Rome.

 

Having won his freedom, he eventually returns to Judea to find his family, but finds his home in ruins and he servant Simonides (Sam Jaffe) blinded, and his daughter Esther (Haya Harareet) tells him his mother and sister are dead, but later finds they are living in a Leper colony.

After confronting Messala he decides the best way to exact revenge would be to humiliate him at the Hippodrome racing the horses of Balthasar (Finlay Currie) and Sheik Ilderim (Hugh Griffith) in the epic Chariot race.

 

The whole tale of Ben-Hur is set during the time of Jesus Christ and his life is threaded through the story so therefore it has a miraculous ending, which was enough of a reason for Chairman Mao to ban the film in China.

 

It won a record eleven Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director (William Wyler), Best Actor in a Leading Role (Charlton Heston), Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Hugh Griffith), and Best Cinematography – Colour (Robert Surtees)

It’s a truly great movie which everyone should watch if for no other reason than the Chariot Race.

ALL-TIME CLASSIC MOVIE FAVOURITES – BEN-HUR (1959)

 

Directed by William Wyler, Ben-Hur is an epic tale of injustice, betrayal and revenge.

Judah Ben-Hur (Charlton Heston) is a rich Jewish Prince and merchant in Jerusalem at the beginning of the 1st century and is reunited with his boyhood friend Messala (Stephen Boyd) when he returns to Judea as commanding officer of the Roman Legions.

It is a happy reunion, at first, but their different political views separate them.

During the welcome parade a roof tile falls down from Judah's house and injures the new Governor and Messala sends Judah to the galleys and throws his mother (Martha Scott) and sister (Cathy O'Donnell) into prison, but Judah swears to come back and take revenge on Messala.

He is imprisoned on board the flag ship of Quintus Arrius (Jack Hawkins) and after years chained to an oar, a great battle is fought and Judah finds himself saving the life of his master, who in time adopts him as his own and takes him back to Rome.

 

Having won his freedom, he eventually returns to Judea to find his family, but finds his home in ruins and he servant Simonides (Sam Jaffe) blinded, and his daughter Esther (Haya Harareet) tells him his mother and sister are dead, but later finds they are living in a Leper colony.

After confronting Messala he decides the best way to exact revenge would be to humiliate him at the Hippodrome racing the horses of Balthasar (Finlay Currie) and Sheik Ilderim (Hugh Griffith) in the epic Chariot race.

 

The whole tale of Ben-Hur is set during the time of Jesus Christ and his life is threaded through the story so therefore it has a miraculous ending, which was enough of a reason for Chairman Mao to ban the film in China.

 

It won a record eleven Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director (William Wyler), Best Actor in a Leading Role (Charlton Heston), Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Hugh Griffith), and Best Cinematography – Colour (Robert Surtees)

It’s a truly great movie which everyone should watch if for no other reason than the Chariot Race.