Dial M for Murder, 1954, Warner Bros. Starring Ray Milland, Grace Kelly, Robert Cummings, John Williams. Directed by Alfred Hitchcock. Technicolor, 105 minutes. One-time professional tennis player Tony Wendice (Ray Milland) has discovered his wealthy wife Margot (Grace Kelly) has …
Category: Classic Dramas
Mrs. Parkington
Mrs. Parkington, 1944, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Starring Greer Garson, Walter Pidgeon. Directed by Tay Garnett. B&W, 124 minutes. Note: this movie is told in the present and flashback, alternating between the two. I have separated the stories rather than weaving them together …
The Bells of St. Mary’s
The Bells of St. Mary’s, 1945, RKO Pictures. Starring Bing Crosby, Ingrid Bergman. Directed by Leo McCarey. B&W, 126 minutes. Father Chuck O’Malley (Bing Crosby, in a reprisal of his role from Going My Way) has been assigned to pastor …
Imitation of Life (1934)
Note: unlike most of my reviews, this one contains a spoiler. Imitation of Life, 1934, Universal Pictures. Starring Claudette Colbert, Louise Beavers. Directed by John M. Stahl. B&W, 111 minutes. Bea Pullman (Claudette Colbert) is a widow struggling to make …
Notorious
Notorious, 1946, RKO Radio Pictures. Starring Cary Grant, Ingrid Bergman, Claude Rains. Directed by Alfred Hitchcock. B&W, 101 minutes. After her father is convicted of being a Nazi spy, Alicia Hubermann (Ingrid Bergman) is drinking and ignoring the mysterious guest …
The Best Years of Our Lives
The Best Years of Our Lives, 1946. Samuel Goldwyn Productions, released by RKO Radio Pictures. Starring Fredric March, Dana Andrews, Harold Russell, Myrna Loy. Directed by William Wyler. B&W, 172 minutes. A wonderfully crafted film that explores the plight of …
Goodbye, Mr. Chips (1939)
Goodbye, Mr. Chips, 1939, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Starring Robert Donat, Greer Garson. Directed by Sam Wood. B&W, 114 minutes. For the first time in 58 years, the Brookfield school’s opening assembly is lacking one important participant, former headmaster and beloved teacher Mr. …
