Streaming The River (1951) Online

The River (1951)iMDB Rating: 7.6
Date Released : 19 December 1951
Genre : Drama, Romance
Stars : Patricia Walters, Nora Swinburne, Esmond Knight, Arthur Shields
Movie Quality : HDrip
Format : MKV
Size : 700 MB

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Three teenage girls are living in Bengal (India) near a big river : Harriet is the oldest child of a big family of English settlers. Valerie is the unique daughter of an American industrialist. Melanie has an American father and an Indian mother. One day, a man arrives. He will be the first love of the three girls.

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Review :

A great film

It's difficult to argue with Gabridl's remarks about the film - and I'm sure Renoir would have pleaded guilty as charged. Of not making a civics lesson. So, if that's what you want out of art, then this is not the film for you. At all. You will learn nothing of Indian politics, the "exoticism" will drive you mad, and you'd do better to go back and re-read Said's "Orientalism," as Gabridl suggests.

Renoir went to India, and made a film from the perspective of an entranced outsider looking in, creating his own, personalized world - not India, but Renoir's world, where everything is transitory, including beauty and death, and where every sight and sound becomes that much more precious.

I am glad that we have come so far since I've been a kid, when so many ideas and prejudices carried over from the colonial era were still floating through the air, and it's true that no one except that most naive among us would make a film like THE RIVER today. But Renoir was alive in 1950, not now, and he made his film for his time, and that time attaches itself to the film, just like it does to every artwork. I doubt that even Gabridl would suggest that it was the work of a craven exploiter of the masses, and that its "faults" are not the faults of a corrupt man, but of a generous and compassionate one. It's one of the most generous films I know of.

Finally, I would add that while this is a film made by a westerner for other westerners, it was certainly inspirational to Satyajit Ray, who worked as Renoir's assistant.

Watch The Angel with the Trumpet (1950) Online

The Angel with the Trumpet (1950)iMDB Rating: 7.0
Date Released : 20 March 1950
Genre : Drama
Stars : Eileen Herlie, Basil Sydney, Norman Wooland, Maria Schell." />
Movie Quality : BRrip
Format : MKV
Size : 700 MB

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Review :

Emotionally involving family saga

As an adolescent,I first saw this film on our black-and-white TV. I was deeply moved by it then, so much so that over fifty years later I still remember some scenes vividly. First there is the luminous Maria Schell, who dominates the post WWII story. She is a gifted, but impoverished, pianist who marries the scion of the great piano-manufacturing family that is the heart of the story. If I remember correctly, the family is part Jewish and had paid dearly under Nazi persecution. One son in the preceding generation even falls under the spell of the Nazis in the thirties and forties.

The saga begins with the Jewish founder of the firm and his aristocratic. non-Jewish wife. This marriage has its own problems. I will not spoil it by recounting several touching scenes, for the wife is close to the Hapsburg court and gets intimately involved with the decline of that unhappy family. The drama begins slowly, but builds momentum as the family saga continues.

A film worth seeing. It is riveting and encapsulates Austrian history from pre WWI to post WWII. Unfortunately it is not available in any format, anywhere in the English-speaking market. The Ernst Lothar novel is available from used book dealers and (perhaps) in some libraries. Pity!

Streaming Cage of Gold (1950) Online

Cage of Gold (1950)iMDB Rating: 6.4
Date Released : 23 October 1950
Genre : Crime, Drama
Stars : Jean Simmons, David Farrar, James Donald, Herbert Lom. A young bride believes her husband has been killed. After a suitable period of mourning, she re-marries. But then her "dead" husband comes back and tries to extort money from her." />
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Size : 870 MB

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A young bride believes her husband has been killed. After a suitable period of mourning, she re-marries. But then her "dead" husband comes back and tries to extort money from her.

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Review :

Farrar a blackmailer,surely not

I am so used to seeing David Farrar as an army or police officer that it was quite a shock to see him as a rather nasty blackmailer and smuggler.Though clearly Jean Simmons prefers him to the rather more sober and down to earth James Donald.However Farrar runs off to Paris as he doesn't want a quiet married life and his wife is not able to support him in the manner to which he is accustomed.From then on the story is fairly familiar territory.It is entertaining but utterly predictable.Much of the climatic action takes place in a pea souper in London,the type of which used to kill thousands of people over the years.In fact given the uncertainty of the murderer before the end you might have guessed that the fog killed him!

Watch Mannen (1950) Online

Mannen (1950)iMDB Rating: 7.2
Date Released : 16 February 1951
Genre : Drama
Stars : Marlon Brando, Teresa Wright, Everett Sloane, Jack Webb
Movie Quality : BRrip
Format : MKV
Size : 700 MB

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Ex-GI Ken who as a result of a war wound is paralyzed below the waist. In the hospital back home, he passes through an initial period of depression with the help of a sympathetic Dr. Brock and his faithful fiancée Ellen. Ken's bitter isolation is also overcome with the help of his fellow patients, especially the intelligent young cynic Norm, the witty Leo and serious young Angel. Soon Ken throws himself into the work rehabilitation and after a long period of physical therapy even suspects he may regain the use of his limbs. With the approval and help of the doctor, he and Ellen marry, but on their wedding night both have misgivings about the marriage: the full realization of Ellen's new responsibilities frighten her and makes her more uncertain than ever, and Ken reverts to self-pity. There is a violent argument, and he goes back to the hospital. But his blazing anger finds no sympathy from his buddies, and after a surprising conversation with Dr. Brock, Ken realizes that he must ...

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Review :

A True Great Story by a veteran's son.

This film holds a personal touch for me because my father was one of the paraplegics featured in this film. I know it's story to be a true and an accurate "slice-of-life" for the late 1940's public views on wheelchair bound veterans. This film is consistant with the producer[Krammer] and director[Zinnemann] film legacy of making socially conscious films. This one is a film gem! Reviewers like "Renee" should realize that there was NO measure of handicapped public awareness in 1949. People would whisper, stare, and step away from people in wheelchairs. Hand controls for cars, ramps & wide doors for wheelchairs in public restraurants, homes and hospitals were still quite new. I know, I was there at my dad's side for many many years. The point of the film was the interest about people overcoming obstacles. The cast was believeable and very outstanding. I find this film to be a very enjoyable memory into seeing again my dad with all his wheelchair friends that I grew to know. My dad and many of the veterans in this film started the Paralyzed Veterans Association or PVA. This organization is still helping needy veterans. My dad lived a very full life. While there are less and less of these "The Men" still alive; their courage and this film's insiteful positive message is worth expressing today. This is an interesting character driven film, hurrah! [This film or it's cast should NOT be compared or confused with the politically radical biography film, "Born of the Fourth of July". They are a study in opposites. My father and I thought that film was horrible and demeaning to wheelchair veterans because of it's director's heavy handed self-serving political viewpoint staged in that film.]

Watch De hoogste onderscheiding (1951) Online

De hoogste onderscheiding (1951)iMDB Rating: 7.3
Date Released : 16 March 1951
Genre : Drama, War
Stars : Audie Murphy, Bill Mauldin, Douglas Dick, Royal Dano
Movie Quality : HDrip
Format : MKV
Size : 700 MB

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Plot centers around how a young recruit (Audie Murphy) faces the horrors of war. Character vascilates between wanting to fight and doubting his own courage. In midst of first bloody encounter, Youth runs away. After seeing dead and wounded, sense of shame leads him back to his unit, where he distinguishes himself in the next battle. Having overcome his fear of "the great Death" he knows e can face whatever comes. Somewhat sentimental "coming of age" tale was pet project of John Huston, who fought MGM over casting of Murphy and Bill Mauldin in lead roles.

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Review :

Best Civil War movie ever made.

There have been a large number of Civil War movies of every type made over the years. Yet The Red Badge of Courage is probably the best movie of this period, perhaps because it is also the simplest of any of them. It is based on Stephen Crane's great novelette of the same name. It almost makes one think Crane experienced the War himself, but he wasn't born until four years after the end of the Civil War and learned about the feelings of the veterans by reading magazines issued for Civil War veterans when he was in his early 20s. There is also some speculation that he visited veterans at a nearby old soldiers home and asked them about their experiences.

And how could Houston pick a better person to play the lead then Audie Murphy? Murphy was a combat veteran of the greatest war ever fought, and suffered post-traumatic nightmares from it. I fully understand why this great director fought the studio bosses to give Murphy the lead role. Bill Mauldin, a WW II veteran himself, also does an excellent job as the companion of "The Young Soldier."

I've been reading about the Civil War for 44 years and have seen most of the movies on that period, but I am always amazed at how this film captures the emotions and illusions of the millions of young men who fought in it. As a veteran of another, later, war, I can identify with the emotions of the young men depicted here.

The fact that there is very little dialogue (narration is supplied from Crane's book) actually helps the movie convey the mood of the volunteer soldier. And although Murphy plays a Federal soldier, he could easily represent a Confederate.

The movie espouses no side or cause, it is about the individual solider and his personal battle as he prepares to "meet the elephant," as the soldiers of that time called experiencing combat for the first time.

One last remark... the 1974 TV remake of the Red Badge of Courage, with John Thomas, suffers greatly in comparison, in both acting and authenticity.

Watch Cuori senza frontiere (1950) Online

Cuori senza frontiere (1950)iMDB Rating: 5.7
Date Released : 26 September 1950
Genre : Drama
Stars : Gina Lollobrigida, Raf Vallone, Erno Crisa, Cesco Baseggio. Following World War II, the Allies designate that an unidentified town in the Trieste area as being partly Yugoslavian and partly Italian. A white line of demarcation splits the town in half and the townspeople are given just a short time to decides on which side of the line they will live. This leads to the dividing of homes, friends, families and the church and tensions run high." />
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Size : 700 MB

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Following World War II, the Allies designate that an unidentified town in the Trieste area as being partly Yugoslavian and partly Italian. A white line of demarcation splits the town in half and the townspeople are given just a short time to decides on which side of the line they will live. This leads to the dividing of homes, friends, families and the church and tensions run high.

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Review :

A village divided.

THE WHITE LINE ("Cuori senza frontiere") is a minor classic of neorealism which takes place in the year 1947 when a small village on the Yugoslav border near Trieste is cut in half by a white chalk line and a barrier to designate the new frontier decided upon by the victorious giants of World War II. The original title means "Hearts without Borders". All this turns friend against friend, brother against brother. The film is a kind of parable for the political divisions that so sadly persist to our day. The saddest commentary made by the film deals with the impact the forced division has upon the children of the area, playmates who learn hatred that leads to violence. The adult performers are Gina Lollobrigida and Raf Vallone. The large cast of children includes the remarkable Enzo Staiola, the wonderful kid known to us from De Sica's BICYCLE THIEF. Luigi Zampa, who gave us the memorable TO LIVE IN PEACE, directed.

Streaming Born to Be Bad Online

Born to Be Bad (1950)iMDB Rating: 6.7
Date Released : 27 August 1950
Genre : Drama, Film-Noir
Stars : Mel Ferrer, Joan Fontaine, Robert Ryan, Zachary Scott. Christabel fools everyone with her sweet exterior including her cousin Donna and Donna's wealthy fiancée Curtis. The only one who sees through her facade is Nick, a rugged writer who loves her anyway. Christabel also loves Nick, but she loves Curtis' money more. After convincing Curtis that Donna is only interested in him for his money, she tricks Curtis into marrying her. Of course, she still ..." />
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Christabel fools everyone with her sweet exterior including her cousin Donna and Donna's wealthy fiancée Curtis. The only one who sees through her facade is Nick, a rugged writer who loves her anyway. Christabel also loves Nick, but she loves Curtis' money more. After convincing Curtis that Donna is only interested in him for his money, she tricks Curtis into marrying her. Of course, she still dallies with Nick on the side.

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Review :

Sweet young thing wreaks havoc

Joan Fontaine plays a real conniver hiding beneath a soft exterior in "Born to Be Bad," also starring Robert Ryan, Zachary Scott, Mel Ferrer, and Joan Leslie. Fontaine is Christabel, a young woman from the poor side of the family who comes to town to work for her Uncle John once his assistant (Leslie) has married a wealthy, eligible bachelor Curtis (Scott). Fontaine sets her sights on the big money right away but finds herself in the heavy clinches with an author (Ryan) who's in love with her. She's reminiscent in her way of a non-show biz Eve Harrington.

Using her soft voice and all that gossamer femininity, Christabel manages, with an innuendo here, an innuendo there, a suggestion here, a hint there - to totally break up the engaged couple and drive Joan Leslie right out of town. Since Christabel has dropped out of business school, her uncle says she can't work for him and needs to return home. In a panic, she throws herself at Curtis at a ball and wins him. The question then is, what did she win? What did he lose? This potboiler was directed by Nicholas Ray, and I have to believe the man had a sense of humor. Otherwise, how do you account for those love scenes? Every time a man went to kiss Fontaine, he swept her around and dipped her, nearly breaking her neck as the music crescendos. Then there were the shots of Joan, her face in a state of rapture, as she realized she was getting what she wanted. Very campy.

Joan Fontaine is excellent in the role, very sweet in the beginning but becoming austere after she marries Curtis. It's a subtle change but definitely demonstrates her acting ability. She looks lovely in a variety of gowns and dresses. Robert Ryan is extremely handsome in this, as well as charming, funny, and a real catch. His character sees right through Christabel but wants her anyway. The acting is uniformly good. Mel Ferrer plays an artist who also has Christabel's number and paints her portrait.

"Born to Be Bad" is fun to watch though it's certainly not Ray's best work. I do think one has to allow for the fact that he saw this as a real potboiler and directed it the way he did on purpose. If you can't beat 'em - and with this script, how could he - join 'em.

By the way, there's a mistake in the letter that Christabel leaves for Curtis.

Streaming De bende zonder genade Online

De bende zonder genade (1950)iMDB Rating: 7.2
Date Released : 4 August 1950
Genre : Crime, Film-Noir, Drama
Stars : James Cagney, Barbara Payton, Helena Carter, Ward Bond
Movie Quality : BRrip
Format : MKV
Size : 870 MB

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From the trial of the survivors, we flash back to amoral crook Ralph Cotter's violent prison break, assisted by Holiday Carleton, sister of another prisoner...who doesn't make it. Soon Ralph manipulates the grieving Holiday into his arms, and two crooked cops follow her into his pocket. Ralph's total lack of scruple brings him great success in a series of robberies. But his easy conquest of gullible heiress Margaret Dobson proves more dangerous to him than any crime...

Review :

very watchable Cagney flick

While this is not a great Cagney flick and it has a few silly plot elements, it is a surprisingly good film. This film immediately followed Cagney's best film (WHITE HEAT) and is a slight letdown because of this.

Mostly I like the movie because the plot, for a Noir film, takes so many odd and difficult to predict turns--it certainly is NOT like most of the other gangster films you've seen. Cagney isn't quite the total nut case he was in WHITE HEAT, but plays a Narcissistic Antisocial criminal. He has zero regard for others and is naturally drawn to the criminal life. BUT, because of his intense narcissism (i.e., self love), he cannot imagine his complex schemes and double-dealing NOT succeeding. He certainly BELIEVES in himself! At first, this makes him a very successful hood (which feeds his ego) and so he takes another risk (feeding his ego) and another and another until he ultimately destroys himself due to his arrogance.

So, I like the plot and interesting character study. The negative I noticed in the film is that some of the supporting cast really didn't seem like very good actors (particularly his blonde girlfriend). Maybe that's because Cagney IS the entire show.

Watch Queen for a Day Online

Queen for a Day (1951)iMDB Rating: 6.9
Date Released : 7 July 1951
Genre : Comedy, Drama
Stars : Jack Bailey, Jim Morgan, Fort Pearson, Melanie York. The film was based on the popular daytime Mutual Broadcasting Company radio program that originated from New York on April 30, 1945 as "Queen For Today" and moved to Hollywood a few months later as "Queen For A Day", with Jack Bailey, former vaudeville music man and World's Fair barker, as the emcee host. The five-times-a-week, thirty minute doses spun over to television and lasted into the 70's...." />
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Size : 870 MB

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The film was based on the popular daytime Mutual Broadcasting Company radio program that originated from New York on April 30, 1945 as "Queen For Today" and moved to Hollywood a few months later as "Queen For A Day", with Jack Bailey, former vaudeville music man and World's Fair barker, as the emcee host. The five-times-a-week, thirty minute doses spun over to television and lasted into the 70's. Bailey, in pre-airing interviews with audience members, would select 3-4 contestants who would pour out their (mostly pitiful) hearts explaining why they deserved to be Queen For A Day, and the audience selected the winner. The movie version was comprised of three short story segments which led some character to the television program.

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Review :

Pure Postwar Americana!

Three stories reveal how the "Queen for a Day" radio program changed people's lives for the better. What a weird and wonderful curio this is! Right before it hit the TV airwaves to become a long-running cult legend, "Queen for a Day" jumped from radio to the silver screen with this veritable promotional piece, as three highly suspect "stories" reveal how the beloved show changes lives forever. But first, we witness a broadcast of the radio show ("from the Mutual Don Lee Studios in Sunny California!"). Host Jack Bailey is your typical arrogant, fast-talking '50s Emcee, an out-of-control amalgam of cowboy, thespian and used car salesman. His "interviews" of show contestants are patently phony, and of course he gets all sorts of strange answers and predictable howling from the audience. (I was not aware there was so much sexual innuendo and double entendre in the program, but then again, the last time I saw one of the TV shows, I was ten!) Our first story, "Gossamer World", gives us an indelible portrait of post-war America, in the guise of its most precious new crop: the nuclear family. A little boy imagines all kinds of friends, and his mom and pop (Darren McGavin!) love him to death, until illness visits him and... oh well, you know the rest. The second story, "High Dive", is as silly as they get, about a teenager who wants to earn money for college by becoming a high-diver at the carnival. Good thing one of his pals is Leonard Nimoy! This segment contains some of the decade's worst racial stereotyping, bar none. The third, and by far most shocking story is "Horsie" (by Dorothy Parker!), is about a wet nurse who is teased by a TV producer and his wife because (get this) she's UGLY! Every time we see her in close-up, we hear a horse's whinny! Needless to say, this scary, brutal mini-drama wouldn't even get out of the gate today. When poor "Horsie" winds up being "Queen for a Day", we can hardly believe our eyes. How patronizing WAS the '50s to women, anyway? Wow! Makes you wonder about Ms. Parker, as well. Warts and all (and there's a lot of warts), this rare feature is absolute time-capsule gold. Its like watching something made on another planet.

Streaming Saturday's Hero Online

Saturday's Hero (1951)iMDB Rating: 6.6
Date Released : 10 September 1951
Genre : Drama, Sport
Stars : John Derek, Donna Reed, Sidney Blackmer, Alexander Knox
Movie Quality : BRrip
Format : MKV
Size : 870 MB

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High school football hero Steve Novak finds himself caught up in the world of big-time college athletics at Jackson University in the 1950's. He must balance his desire to get an education with the high expectations of his coach and "benefactor," by whose grace he is attending Jackson. Still applicable today, the movie shows that the problems of college athletics are not just a new phenomenon.

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Review :

Forget Sunday

John Derek had a supporting role as a football player role in Columbia's earlier production All the King's Men. He heads back on to the field for more action in this highly engaging coming- of-age drama. He plays a young man caught up in a new life, to the point that he nearly betrays his values.

If that is not enough to sustain interest, there are plenty of subplots that just might. First, there are the scenes of the team, and the scenes with the literature professor (nicely played by Alexander Knox). Next, our star athlete visits his hometown. Then, there is a storyline about a friend who is being expelled from school. Indeed, the character and the audience get pulled in all sorts of directions, but John Derek's calm, soulful presence makes it enjoyable to watch.

Other strong performances bolster the production. Sidney Blackmer is on hand as the somewhat mercurial T.C. McCabe, and Aldo Ray (billed as Aldo DaRe) appears as a team member. The love interest is played by Donna Reed, who in real life is five years older than John Derek. At times, Miss Reed seems almost too mature for her role and certainly too mature for her costar. However, a great many elements coalesce to make Saturday's Hero a decent motion picture.

Watch 711 Ocean Drive Online

711 Ocean Drive (1950)iMDB Rating: 6.9
Date Released : 1 July 1950
Genre : Crime, Drama, Film-Noir, Thriller
Stars : Edmond O'Brien, Joanne Dru, Otto Kruger, Barry Kelley
Movie Quality : HDrip
Format : MKV
Size : 870 MB

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A telephone repairman in Los Angeles uses his knowledge of electronics to help a bookie set up a betting operation. When the bookie is murdered, the greedy technician takes over his business. He ruthlessly climbs his way to the top of the local crime syndicate, but then gangsters from a big East Coast mob show up wanting a piece of his action.

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Review :

Don't Make Two Dollar Bets

Enjoyed this great 1950 film starring Edmond O'Brien, ( Mal Granger) who plays the role of a telephone repair man with great skills in communications and all kinds of ability to set up telephone lines anywhere he so desires. Mal gets tired of his old routine job and meets up with his bookie who places his bets on the race track and offers him a very profitable job with the big time gambling bosses. Mal gets very powerful with all the bookies and begins to disturb the big shot bosses from other states and that is when Carl Stephens, (Otto Kruger) decides he is going to cut in on Mal Granger's business. Mal joins up with Carl Stephens and then gets himself involved with a married woman named Gail Mason, (Joanne Dru) and they fall madly in love with each other. There is many twists and turns in this film and you have some fantastic scenes all around Hoover Dam with non stop entertainment right to the very end. Enjoy.

Watch Jiggs and Maggie Out West Online

Jiggs and Maggie Out West (1950)iMDB Rating: 6.5
Date Released : 23 April 1950
Genre : Comedy, Western
Stars : Joe Yule, Renie Riano, George McManus, Tim Ryan. The family heads to the Wild West when Maggie's grandfather passes away and leaves her his gold mine, near the town of Gower Gulch. When they get to town, however, they discover that they don't know quite where grandpa's gold is (even though his ghost is trying to help), and furthermore a mysterious "Big Boss" is out to prevent them from finding it." />
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The family heads to the Wild West when Maggie's grandfather passes away and leaves her his gold mine, near the town of Gower Gulch. When they get to town, however, they discover that they don't know quite where grandpa's gold is (even though his ghost is trying to help), and furthermore a mysterious "Big Boss" is out to prevent them from finding it.

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Review :

Amusing low-budget burlesque of western movies

Jiggs, Maggie, and daughter Nora head west to the town of Gower Gulch after Maggie inherits a gold mine from Grandpa MacGillacuddy. Maggie's search for her grandfather's gold (assisted somewhat ineffectually by the old man's ghost), is opposed by outlaw Snake Bite Carter, who is acting under the direction of the Big Boss. Meanwhile, Jiggs sends a telegram to Dinty Moore that results in something of a gold rush by the old gang, and Dinty tags along to take possession of Gower Gulch's abandoned saloon. Nora is wooed by Snake Bite's kid brother, Bob Carter, who also turns out to be working for the Big Boss. The film takes a surprise turn at the end when the identity of the Big Boss is revealed. Not a great film, but an amusing burlesque of western movies that should appeal to fans of the classic comic strip.

Sadly, this film marked the end of the Monogram series, as Joe Yule died of a heart attack shortly after shooting was completed.

Watch Mysterious Island (1951) Online

Mysterious Island (1951)iMDB Rating: 6.1
Date Released : 13 September 1951
Genre : Action, Sci-Fi
Stars : Richard Crane, Marshall Reed, Karen Randle, Ralph Hodges
Movie Quality : BRrip
Format : MKV
Size : 700 MB

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The story begins in 1865, during the Civil War, when Captain Cyrus Harding, prisoner of the Confederates, escapes in an enemy balloon with war correspondent Gideon Spilett; Jack Pencroft, a sailor; Herbert "Bert" Brown, Pencroft's adopted son, and Neb, Harding's black servant. A sailor with an adopted son and a servant in jail with his master is rather mysterious in itself. Hey, move on, it's a Katzman serial from Columbia. The balloon drifts in space for days and finally lands on a desert island. Also landing, in a better aircraft, is Rulu, a visitor from Mercury who seeks a radio-active material that will enable her to manufacture an explosive that will destroy the world or, at least, the portion known as Earth. Since it is in the 1860's and she has a spacecraft that will make the journey from Mercury to Earth, and all of the earthlings are riding horses or walking, her problem with Earth is none too clear, other than possibly hacked about not winning the Miss America contest. ...

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Review :

Decent serial especially for a 50's Columbia

In the Civil War, POW Capt. Cyrus Harding escapes from his Confederate captors in an observation balloon, with sailor Pencroft, his nephew Bert, writer Gideon, and soldier Neb. A hurricane blows the balloon off course to an uncharted island in the pacific. Our heroes soon encounter the natives (who worship the island's volcano), Rulu (a woman from Mercury trying to extract an element in order to conquer the Earth), Ayrton (a wild man exiled on the island), and Capt. Shard (a mercenary pirate). A mystery man, who possesses great scientific powers, also makes his presence known to the group of people, but whose side is he on? For 15 chapters, our quintet of heroes must battle all the elements and peoples while trying to figure a way off the island and back to civilization. It's not a bad serial, but nothing great either. There is a lot of action (while it does seem corny and repetitive at times) and okay cliffhangers. My biggest complaint with the serial (keep in mind I never read the Verne novel) is that it does not seem that the story is taking place in the 1860's and the ray guns, UFO's, and (then) contemporary situations, seem to be taken for granted as existing. Rating, based on serials, 5.

Streaming His Kind of Woman (1951) Online

His Kind of Woman (1951)iMDB Rating: 7.2
Date Released : 29 August 1951
Genre : Comedy, Crime, Film-Noir, Thriller
Stars : Robert Mitchum, Jane Russell, Vincent Price, Tim Holt
Movie Quality : HDrip
Format : MKV
Size : 870 MB

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Nick Ferraro, deported crime boss, needs to re-enter the USA. His plan involves "honest" gambler Dan Milner, who's subjected to a series of "misfortunes," then bribed to take a trip to Mexico. En route, Dan meets chanteuse Lenore Brent, truly his kind of woman. But on arrival at posh Morros Lodge in Baja California, Dan finds the ostensibly rich, carefree guests all playing roles...except, possibly, ham actor Mark Cardigan. What does Ferraro want with him? Can he trust anyone?

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Review :

Fabulous Tongue-in-Cheek Film Adventure!

HIS KIND OF WOMAN, the first of two pairings of RKO's resident 'tough guy', Robert Mitchum, and it's major sex symbol, Jane Russell (the near-classic MACAO would follow, a year later), is such a wonderful, convoluted 'film noir' spoof that it is amazing that it has never appeared on video. Broadly funny, and a more than a bit surreal, the tale of down-and-out gambler Mitchum 'hired' to travel to a remote Mexican resort to provide a 'body' so that a notorious gangster (Raymond Burr, sleekly villainous) can feign his death and return to the U.S., is action-packed, and has been described as "Bogie and Bacall on Steroids'!

A great deal of the success of the John Farrow-directed film is due to the inspired casting of Vincent Price as a ham actor who gets to 'live out' his celluloid life, aiding Mitchum. Price quotes Shakespeare, critiques his performance, and is amazed by his own heroics, and he has never been funnier, on screen.

An excellent supporting cast, including Tim Holt, Charles McGraw, Marjorie Reynolds, Paul Frees (the famous Hollywood 'voice' actor, actually seen, for a change), and Jim Backus contribute to the on screen mayhem, and Russell sings "Five Little Miles From San Berdoo", one of her more memorable 50s numbers.

From the opening scene, as Burr, exiled in Italy, listens to a short-wave radio broadcast of his successful career as an American crime kingpin ("Where is my money?" he demands, as an estimate of his revenue is quoted), to the brawling climax with Mitchum, aboard his yacht, as Price attempts a rescue, HIS KIND OF WOMAN is pure escapism, at it's best.

Here's hoping that a DVD edition may soon be released!

Watch Padeniye Berlina (1950) Online

Padeniye Berlina (1950)iMDB Rating: 6.2
Date Released : 15 September 1950
Genre : Drama, War
Stars : Mikheil Gelovani, Boris Andreyev, V. Savelyev, Marina Kovalyova. Surrounded by a few party officials, Alexei Ivanov, a stakhanovist smelter, is decorated by Stalin. The "Little Father of the Peoples" takes this opportunity to invoke threats of war.... One day, war indeed breaks out. Bombs fall on the field where Alexei finds himself in the company of the schoolmistress Natacha, his fiancée. Alexei joins the Red Army and soon becomes a sergeant. Fighting rages ..." />
Movie Quality : BRrip
Format : MKV
Size : 870 MB

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Surrounded by a few party officials, Alexei Ivanov, a stakhanovist smelter, is decorated by Stalin. The "Little Father of the Peoples" takes this opportunity to invoke threats of war.... One day, war indeed breaks out. Bombs fall on the field where Alexei finds himself in the company of the schoolmistress Natacha, his fiancée. Alexei joins the Red Army and soon becomes a sergeant. Fighting rages and German troops advance. Natacha is arrested and deported. But the tide turns decisively with the German defeat at Stalingrad. Now the major offensive against Hitler can begin.

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Review :

An Epic Valentine to Stalin

I had the privilege of seeing the unreleased (as of this writing) DVD containing a restoration of the film utilizing the original negative. While the restoration isn't pristine (some scratches still appear), it manages to restore and maintain the coloration of the German Agfacolor stock that was used. Check out the comparison between the original and the restoration in the special features. The total film is 151 minutes long, split into two parts but I really didn't feel it bogged down too much. It is in Russian but has English subtitles.

There is some good outdoor cinematography especially in the scene that represents Germany's invasion of Russia, though most of the interior work is rather stilted with a few shots that show brilliance for its time period.

The score is brilliantly done by Dimitri Shostakovich befitting the epic scope that is presented.

As revisionist propaganda, this film was created as a valentine to Stalin for his 70th birthday presenting the Russian side of World War II and Stalin's steadfastness.For the most part though, the propaganda in the film is rather subtle in its views of the Allies, but blistering in its portrayals of Hitler, Gehring and Goebbels. Hilter is presented from the very beginning as a man who has already gone off the deep end (which I'm not sure is inaccurate). Though I must admit that it appears that the filmmaker was attempting to show that the British and the Americans did not care enough about the Russian front which was Stalin's view of their behavior in the war.

There is a framing device that drives the "story" along in a romance between a Russian steelworker and a Russian teacher. When the Nazi's invade, she is captured and taken to a camp and he joins the fight so that he can find her. We follow him through the major battles though the time line skips the negative parts of the war for the Russians and presents primarily their victories. He manages to be at every one including the Fall of Berlin which ends the film. Of course there is a happy ending as if there is any doubt about it. It appears that Russians of that time period used cliché story lines as much as Hollywood.

Most of the actors look creepily like the historical figures they are except the actor playing FDR. He was shown looking fairly frail which is not the image that we have of him in the US. The actor playing Stalin in the film had portrayed him in Russian films since 1939 and would continue to play Stalin in all but one of his films after this one. He is a dead ringer with Stalin's mannerisms down pat.

I have to admit that there were times that I laughed, especially at the portrayal of Hitler. The performance was so over the top at times that I half expected him to pull out some mustard to go with his scenery chewing.

Of course, being a propaganda film, the facts are skewed to favor Stalin and the Russians and even twisted to some degree. The Yalta meeting is a good example of that. There is also dramatized scene of Stalin arriving in Berlin to great acclaim that did not actually happen.

Overall it is a rarity that is interesting to film and WWII buffs who would like to see what the Russians thought of the US and the rest of world. I've watched many propaganda films through the years (both American and Eastern Bloc) but this one is truly epic in scope.

When this is released, I would recommend if you are interested in the subject to pick it up.

Streaming The Jackpot Online

The Jackpot (1950)iMDB Rating: 6.7
Date Released : 1 November 1950
Genre : Comedy
Stars : James Stewart, Barbara Hale, James Gleason, Fred Clark
Movie Quality : BRrip
Format : MKV
Size : 700 MB

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Bill Lawrence wins a slew of prizes on a radio quiz program. His happiness is short-lived when he discovers he'll have to sell the prizes in order to pay the taxes on them.

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Review :

Jimmy Stewart goes slumming into the land of the B's

I have a question that goes beyond the one that's in this movie - Who is the Mystery Husband? (and by the way, I recognized his voice) - WHAT was THE James Stewart doing in a B movie? Did he owe Fox a film or what? That to me is the most intriguing question.

Stewart doesn't raise this film to A status, but having him in it certainly brings it up a notch. He plays husband and father Bill Lawrence - maybe George Bailey 20 years hence "It's A Wonderful Life" had it not been for Clarence - who's bored with the routine and, in middle age, realizing that the house, the wife, the kids, the job, - this is it. As he puts it, he's not going to the North Pole. Then he gets a call from the Federal Broadcasting System to make sure he's home that evening to get a call from a quiz show. If he can answer the question correctly, he'll get $24,000 in prizes.

Bill answers correctly, and then the trouble begins. Where to put the fully-dressed quarter ton of meat, the 7,000 soups, the three years of frozen foods, the old furniture since the house is being made over, the pony, etc. And who's going to pay the taxes on all that stuff. These aren't the only headaches. Bill's wife (Barbara Hale) is jealous of the dishy dame (Patricia Medina) hired to paint Bill's portrait, so his marriage is going down the tubes.

This is a cute movie that does have some amusing bits in it, plus good backup from James Gleason and Fred Clark. The best for me was Bill deciding they need to sell stuff to pay taxes, and trying to do it on the sly in the department store where he works, waylaying customers like a guy who drags you into a back alley. Stewart is wonderful, as if he could ever be anything but, and Barbara Hale is lovely. But give me a break. This could have been a sit-com episode. I can't imagine what gun Darryl Zanuck held to Jimmy's head to get him to do this movie. Zanuck must have had dirt on him that no one else knew.

Streaming Dallas (1950) Online

Dallas (1950)iMDB Rating: 6.3
Date Released : 30 December 1950
Genre : Western
Stars : Gary Cooper, Ruth Roman, Steve Cochran, Raymond Massey
Movie Quality : BRrip
Format : MKV
Size : 700 MB

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After Confederate officer Blayde Hollister's home and family are destroyed by the Marlowe brothers during the Civil War, he swears revenge, refusing to surrender and becoming a wanted man. In order to pursue the three brothers into Texas, Hollister fakes his own death in a staged gunfight with his friend Wild Bill Hickock. He then befriends Martin Weatherby, the newly appointed U.S. Marshal to Dallas, an affable, but not very experienced lawman, who agrees to let Hollister assume his identity. The eldest of the Marlow brothers, Will, masquerades as a law-abiding real estate dealer while feigning righteous indignation over the brutal acts of lawlessness and violence visited on the honest citizens of Dallas by his sociopathic brothers, Cullen and Bryant. (Their parents were evidently fond of the renowned poet William Cullen Bryant). When Hollister becomes a rival for the affections of Weatherby's aristocratic fiancee Tonia Robles, Martin wonders whether he should let Blayde know that ...

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Review :

Light-hearted romp

See it – Although this may not be considered one of Gary Cooper's best movies, it is certainly an entertaining western. He plays a wrongfully accused outlaw who trades places with the incompetent marshal, impersonating him in order to bring his arch enemy to justice. This is by no means a comedy, but it has that light-hearted, "Errol Flynnish" feel to it that characterized so many films in the old days. For instance, there are certain things that you just wouldn't do in real life; such as throwing a bullet into the fire to distract someone, or stepping on a cat's tail so that the yelp will cause your enemy to show himself. But it's all in good fun. The down side is that a large quantity of action scenes doesn't always mean they are quality scenes. There aren't any cool, memorable gunfights or explosions in this one. But it's a good way to spend an hour and a half. 3 out of 5 action rating.