Roman Holiday (1953) Director: William Wyler ★★★★★ Roman Holiday was Audrey Hepburn's breakout film (even though William Wyler initially considered Elizabeth Taylor and Jean Simmons for the part). For her performance Audrey Hepburn won Best Actress at the Academy Awards. Upon receiving the award from the revered President of the Academy, Jean Hersholt, she surprisingly … Continue reading Roman Holiday →

Breakfast At Tiffany's (1961) Director: Blake Edwards ★★★★☆ Audrey Hepburn delivers a delightful and amusing performance in Breakfast At Tiffany's (based on the 1958 novel of the same name by Truman Capote). Capote initially wanted Marilyn Monroe to be cast as the lead. The film received a number of Academy Award nominations, including Best Actress … Continue reading Breakfast At Tiffany’s →

All The King's Men (1949) Director: Robert Rossen "There is something on everybody. Man is conceived in sin and born in corruption." -Willie Stark ★★★★☆ All The King's Men is an enjoyable noir-esque interpretation of Robert Penn Warren's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel. All The King's Men was shot at several locations in California including in the … Continue reading All The King’s Men →

Shane (1953) Director: George Stevens "Shane! Come back!" ★★★★★ Shane is an extraordinarily beautiful film with vast sweeping views of the Grand Tetons shot near Jackson Hole, Wyoming. It was the first film shot in "flat widescreen" -a style of widescreen filmmaking invented by Paramount Pictures to better display panoramic vistas. Its technicolor style is … Continue reading Shane →

High Noon (1952) Director: Fred Zinnemann "People gotta talk themselves into law and order before they do anything about it." ★★★★★ High Noon is a wonderfully intense American Western film. It is a movie about time, courage, and a forthcoming day of reckoning. The story amazingly plays out in almost precise real time -throughout the … Continue reading High Noon →

The Old Man and the Sea (1958) Director: John Sturges ★★★★☆ The film version of Hemingway's classic Pulitzer Prize-winning novella offers a surprisingly engaging take on the story. Click here to read my reflections on the 1952 novella as part of my Pulitzer Prize winners reading project. The film was directed by John Sturges, famous … Continue reading The Old Man and the Sea →