Captain Blood (1935) Director: Michael Curtiz Captain Blood, starring Errol Flynn, is wonderfully entertaining film. It is based on the 1922 novel of the same name. Much of the film was shot on a Hollywood sound-stage, however the epic battle scenes at sea were shot in Laguna Beach, CA. The film was a huge public … Continue reading Captain Blood
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Curly Top
Curly Top (1935) Director: Irving Cummings Curly Top is a classic Shirley Temple film - one of her best. It features one of her best known sing-a-long songs: "Animal Crackers In My Soup." It was one of the best box office draws of 1935. The script is based on a 1912 story called "Daddy Long-Legs" and … Continue reading Curly Top
The Littlest Rebel
The Littlest Rebel (1935) Director: David Butler The film is a beautiful and classically heart-warming tale of a Southern plantation family during the American Civil War. It was released in 1935, and became a top box-office film, along with Shirley Temple's signature performance in Curly Top, which was also released in 1935. Shirley Temple stars alongside Bill "Bojangles" Robinson, the … Continue reading The Littlest Rebel
The Gay Divorcee
The Gay Divorcee (1934) Director: Mark Sandrich The Gay Divorcee is a delightfully nostalgic film. It was the second of ten pairings for Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers in movies. It was based on a musical of the same name. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Picture. The film takes place on … Continue reading The Gay Divorcee
The Scarlet Empress
The Scarlet Empress (1934) Director: Josef von Sternberg Josef von Sternberg once said of his film: "It is a relentless excursion into style." The Scarlet Empress is a cinematic delight. The film is filled with striking imagery, expressionist lighting, and it is topped off with excellent acting from the great Marlene Dietrich, von Sternberg's actress … Continue reading The Scarlet Empress
Dr. Mabuse The Gambler
Dr. Mabuse The Gambler (1922) Director: Fritz Lang Clocking in at over 4 and 1/2 hours, this silent film is masterfully produced. Dr. Mabuse was directed by the famous German director, Fritz Lang - who also directed such masterpieces as M and Metropolis. In German, the film was titled Dr. Mabuse, der Spieler (note the word "spieler" can mean … Continue reading Dr. Mabuse The Gambler
Zemlaya (Earth)
Zemlaya (Earth) (1930) Director: Alexander Dovzhenko Zemlaya is silent Soviet propaganda film, and is Dozhenko's best known film in the West. It is part three of his Ukraine trilogy (he only personally directed seven films during his lifetime, before focusing on novels, instead). The story loosely follows a family of farmers in Ukraine, during the … Continue reading Zemlaya (Earth)
The Iron Horse
The Iron Horse (1924) Director: John Ford An early western epic, Ford's The Iron Horse was a massive production. At two and a half hours of running time, it is an extended silent film, even though much of the film was unplanned. It was filmed during a cold winter in the Nevada desert. Ford later said it … Continue reading The Iron Horse
The 39 Steps
The 39 Steps (1935) Director: Alfred Hitchcock The films tells the story of an everyman, Richard Hannay, who watches a performance of a wondrous "memory man" who can recall any fact asked by the audience during a performance in London. Suddenly, chaos ensues and gunshots are fired, and Mr. Hannay finds himself helping a seemingly … Continue reading The 39 Steps
It Happened One Night
It Happened One Night (1934) Director: Frank Capra A wealthy heiress, Ellie Andrews (Claudette Colbert), tries to elope with a pilot, despite her father's misgivings. She runs away and travels on a bus to New York where she meets Pete Warne (Clark Gable), a fired newspaper writer. They go on a many traveling adventures together, … Continue reading It Happened One Night
