AFI's 10 TOP 10
the 10 greatest movies in 10 categoriesLEARN MORE- LIST VIEW
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ANIMATION
AFI defines “animated” as a genre in which the film’s images are primarily created by computer or hand and the characters are voiced by actors.
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs(1937)
Cast:Adriana Caselotti, Harry Stockwell, Lucille LaVerne
Producer:Walt Disney
Writer:Ted Sears, Richard Creedon, Otto Englander, Dick Rickard, Earl Hurd, Merrill De Maris, Dorothy Ann Blank, Webb Smith
Genre:Musical
Production Company:Walt Disney Productions, Ltd.
Composer:Frank Churchill
As part of her daily beauty routine, the Wicked Queen asks her Magic Mirror, "Who is the fairest one of all?" and is told that Snow White, her blossoming stepdaughter, is now the "fairest one of all." In an envious rage, the queen orders a woodsman to kill Snow White, who has just met the handsome and endearing Prince, in the forest. Once there, however, the woodsman finds he cannot do the deed and admonishes the princess to hide, while he returns to the queen with a pig's heart, which he claims belonged to Snow White. Frightened by the dark, stormy forest, Snow White runs wildly through the trees until she collapses with exhaustion on the forest floor. After her nap, she wakes to find the woods full of friendly, furry animals, who guide her to an empty cottage. Shocked by the decrepit condition of the cottage, Snow White enlists the help of the animals to clean it up, and then falls asleep in an upstairs bedroom, which has been furnished with seven tiny beds. While Snow White sleeps, the owners of the beds, the Seven Dwarfs--Sleepy, Dopey, Doc, Sneezy, Grumpy, Bashful and Happy--return from working at the local diamond mine and discover the snoozing princess. After much confusion, Snow White strikes a deal with the Dwarfs, offering her domestic services in exchange for room and board. To Grumpy's dissatisfaction, Snow White turns the household upside down and instigates positive changes in the Dwarfs' life. The Dwarfs' newly found happiness ends abruptly when the evil queen, who has learned from the Magic Mirror that Snow White is alive, transforms herself into an old hag and, equipped with a poison apple, heads for the Dwarfs' cottage. Lured by the queen, the innocent Snow White bites into the apple and falls into a death-like sleep, which can be broken only when she is kissed by her first true love. Satisfied that Snow White is doomed, the queen rushes back toward her castle but is chased by the Dwarfs and falls to her death off a cliff. While lying in the woods in a glass-domed coffin built by the Dwarfs, Snow White is found by the Prince. Entranced by her tranquil beauty, the prince kisses her back to life and carries her off to eternal happiness.
Pinocchio(1940)
Cast:Dickie Jones, Cliff Edwards, Christian Rub
Writer:Ted Sears, Webb Smith, Joseph Sabo, Otto Englander, William Cottrell, Erdman Penner, Aurelius Battaglia
Genre:Fantasy
Production Company:Walt Disney Productions
Composer:Paul J. Smith
Geppetto, a kindly old woodcarver, creates a little puppet boy of pine and names him Pinocchio. Because the old man, who has been generous and good all of his life, loves children and has none of his own, the Blue Fairy brings the marionette to life to be a son to him. She tells Pinocchio, however, that he must earn his right to become a real boy by exhibiting the virtues of truth, courage and selflessness. To aid him in his task, she makes Jiminy, a vagabond cricket who has snuck into Geppetto's workshop to spend the night, Pinocchio's conscience, dubbing him the "Lord High Keeper of the Knowledge of Right and Wrong." Pinocchio's first test comes the next morning, when, on his way to school, he is accosted by J. Worthington Foulfellow, a wily fox also known as "Honest John." Along with his daffy companion Gideon, Foulfellow convinces Pinocchio that he should become an actor in the puppet show belonging to Stromboli, a tyrannical puppeteer. Jiminy's protests that Pinocchio must go to school fall on deaf ears, and the little puppet is soon a big hit with Stromboli's audience. Seeing that Pinocchio is doing well, Jiminy decides that a successful actor does not need a conscience and leaves. All is not well, however, for the cruel Stromboli locks Pinocchio in a bird cage when he tries to leave after the show. After deciding to say goodbye to "Pinoc," Jiminy returns to Stromboli's wagon, where he is horrified to discover the puppet's predicament. Jiminy's efforts to pick the lock do not succeed, and as the companions despair, they are astonished to see the Blue Fairy, who questions Pinocchio about why he did not go to school. The flustered Pinocchio tells lie after lie, and his nose grows with each falsehood. The Blue Fairy rebukes Pinocchio, explaining that "a lie grows and grows until it's as plain as the nose on your face." After Pinocchio promises to reform, the beautiful fairy sets him free, and Pinocchio hastens with Jiminy toward home. Pinocchio is stopped again by Foulfellow, who tempts him to go to Pleasure Island, a magical place where boys can do anything they want. Pinocchio joins the other boys on the coach driven by a mysterious coachman, and soon is indulging in the cigars, beer and billiards offered at Pleasure Island. As Pinocchio plays with his new friend Lampwick, Jiminy discovers that the boys on the island transform into donkeys, which are then sold by the coachman. He then returns to the terrified Pinocchio, who has just seen Lampwick turn into a donkey. Pinocchio sprouts ears and a tail, but escapes with Jiminy before his transformation is complete. Upon their return home, they discover that Geppetto, Figaro, the kitten, and Cleo, the goldfish, have been swallowed by Monstro, a gigantic whale. With no thought for his own safety, Pinocchio voyages to the bottom of the sea, where he finds Geppetto, Cleo and Figaro alive in the whale's belly. After a joyful reunion with his father, Pinocchio hits upon the idea of making Monstro sneeze. After setting Geppetto's boat on fire, the little group escape on a raft when the smoke causes Monstro to sneeze. The irritated whale chases his former captives, and Pinocchio bravely rescues Geppetto at the cost of his own life. Geppetto, Figaro, Cleo and Jiminy sorrowfully return home, and as they are mourning, the Blue Fairy appears and turns Pinocchio into a real boy as a reward for his actions. She also gives Jiminy a gold badge for his services as Pinocchio's conscience, and as Geppetto and his son celebrate, Jiminy sings that "when you wish upon a star, your dreams come true."
Bambi(1942)
Cast:Peter Behn, Hardie Albright, Ann Gillis
Writer:Larry Morey, George Stallings, Melvin Shaw, Carl Fallberg, Chuck Couch, Ralph Wright
Genre:Children's works
Production Company:Walt Disney Productions
Composer:Frank Churchill
One April morning, the animal inhabitants of the forest welcome a new fawn, the son of the Great Prince of the Forest. Especially interested in Bambi, the new arrival, is young rabbit Thumper, who watches the fawn take his first awkward steps. Later, Thumper accompanies Bambi on a walk, teaching him how to say "bird" and introducing him to the beauties of the wilderness. While learning to say "flower," Bambi is confused when a young skunk emerges from a patch of blossoms and assumes he is being named, but the skunk is pleased by his new moniker. Bambi and his mother lead an idyllic life, cuddling to ward off April showers and enjoying the protection of the forest. One day, Bambi's mother takes him to the meadow to graze, but warns him that he must be careful as the meadow is without sufficient cover. Bambi and Thumper play and eat clover, although Bambi is overcome with shyness upon meeting a pretty little girl fawn named Faline. The Great Prince then walks through the meadow, and Bambi is awed by his father's majestic bearing. The Great Prince senses danger, however, and helps Bambi and his mother reach the forest as a gunshot echoes through the meadow. Bambi is mystified by the occurrence, and his mother explains that "Man was in the forest." Later, in the winter, Thumper and a clumsy Bambi ice skate on a pond covered with "stiff water." The season is harsh, however, and Bambi's mother diligently forages for food for her hungry son. Soon the grass begins to grow again, and Bambi and his mother return to the meadow to graze, but there, Bambi's mother becomes alarmed and orders him to run. Bambi races ahead as gunshots ring out, and upon reaching the thicket, is terrified to realize that he is alone. The Great Prince arrives and tells the grieving fawn that his mother cannot be with him anymore, then urges his son to follow him. Later, Spring comes again to the forest, and the adolescent Bambi, Thumper and Flower are scornful of the silly antics of the birds. Friend Owl warns them that all animals become "twitterpated" during the Spring, and soon his words are proven true as a pretty girl skunk and a lovely little bunny mesmerize Flower and Thumper. Left on his own, the disgruntled Bambi is drinking from the stream when he once again meets Faline. Faline flirtatiously licks Bambi, and the young couple chase each other and play. Bambi is challenged by another young buck but triumphs in battle, and soon is gamboling across the meadow with Faline. Later, Bambi is disturbed by the sound of hunting horns, and the Great Prince warns him that Man has returned in great numbers, and that they must retreat deep into the forest. Faline is separated from Bambi during the confusion, but when she is cornered by a pack of dogs, Bambi rushes to rescue her. Faline escapes from the dogs, but Bambi is shot as he jumps across a ravine. He falls unconscious as a fire, sparked by the hunters' campfire, begins to spread, but the Great Prince arrives and urges Bambi to flee. The animals dash through the forest as the fire races along behind them, but eventually the Great Prince and Bambi reach safety, and Bambi is reunited with Faline. More time passes as new growth appears in the burned-out areas, and one day, Flower and Thumper, who have families of their own, proudly watch as Faline introduce her twin fawns to the other forest animals. Bambi, who is standing with his father, oversees the gathering, then takes his father's place as the Prince of the Forest.
The Lion King(1994)
Cast:Jonathan Taylor Thomas, Matthew Broderick, James Earl Jones
Directors:Roger Allers, Rob Minkoff
Producer:Don Hahn
Writer:Irene Mecchi, Jonathan Roberts, Linda Woolverton
Editor:Ivan Bilancio
Genre:Adventure
Production Company:Walt Disney Pictures
Composer:Hans Zimmer
King Mufasa, a lion who rules over the Pride Lands of Africa, and his queen, Sarabi, present their newborn son, Simba, to a gathering of the animal kingdom. Poised to take his father’s place, Simba is taught the responsibilities of his role, and about the “circle of life” that joins all living things. As Simba grows, Mufasa’s jealous younger brother, Scar, plots to overtake his brother’s throne. He sends Simba and his girl friend, Nala, to wander around an elephants’ graveyard, where they are ambushed by three hyenas—Banzai, Shenzi, and Ed. Mufasa’s aide, a tropical bird named Zazu, alerts him of the attack, and Mufasa comes to Simba’s and Nala’s rescue. Afterward, Mufasa explains to his son that the stars in the night sky are past kings who watch over them. Scar hatches another scheme to defeat his brother. This time, he lures Simba into a stampede of hyenas and wildebeest. Scar tells Mufasa about the stampede, so that Mufasa will go to save Simba, thereby putting himself in peril. The plan works: Scar manages to kill Mufasa, then convinces Simba it was all his fault. Simba escapes another attempt on his life, and ends up in exile in the jungle, along with new friends, Timon the meerkat and Pumbaa the warthog. They teach the young lion their motto, hakuna matata, which means “no worries.” Time passes, and one day Simba rescues Timon and Pumbaa from a lioness attack. The hungry hunter turns out to be Nala. She and Simba reconnect, and she convinces him to return to the Pride Lands, which has languished under Scar’s tyrannical rule. In a standoff between uncle and nephew, Scar reveals to Simba that he purposely killed Mufasa. Simba overpowers Scar, who then tries to save himself by blaming his actions on the hyenas. Simba takes mercy on him, but bans him from the Pride Lands. However, when Scar attacks again, Simba throws him from the heights of Pride Rock. After surviving the fall, Scar is killed by the hyenas, who overheard his betrayal. Peace is restored, and the Pride Lands once again flourish under Simba’s rule. One day, from the top of Pride Rock, Simba and Nala proudly present their newborn cub, and the circle of life continues.
Fantasia(1940)
Cast:Leopold Stokowski, Deems Taylor
Directors:Sam Armstrong, James Algar, Bill Roberts, Paul Satterfield, Hamilton Luske, Jim Handley, Ford Beebe, T. Hee, Norm Ferguson , Wilfred Jackson
Producer:Walt Disney, Ben Sharpsteen
Writer:Lee Blair, Elmer Plummer, Phil Dike, Sylvia Moberly-Holland, Norman Wright, Albert Heath, Bianca Majolie, Graham Heid, Perce Pearce, Carl Fallberg, William Martin, Leo Thiele, Robert Sterner, John Fraser McLeish, Otto Englander, Webb Smith, Erdman Penner, Joseph Sabo, Bill Peet , George Stallings, Campbell Grant, Arthur Heinemann
Genre:Musical
Production Company:Walt Disney Productions
Composer:Edward Plumb
This film consists of animation set to eight musical pieces. Deems Taylor, the narrator, introduces himself and conductor Leopold Stokowski, then describes the three different kinds of music in the program. The first type tells a definite story, and the next, while having no specific plot, suggests a series of definite pictures. The last type is referred to as "absolute" music, that which suggests abstract images and exists solely for its own sake. The first number, "Toccata and Fugue in D Minor," represents the last type of music. In this segment, animated shadows of the orchestra gradually give way to more abstract images. The second number, "The Nutcracker Suite," is an example of the second type of music, and this segment features ballets performed by the fairies who bring the seasons, Hop Low and his fellow mushrooms, goldfish and flowers. The third selection tells a definite story, that of "The Sorcerer's Apprentice." The music is based on a poem by Goethe, which was in turn based upon a 2,000 year old legend. In this number, Mickey Mouse is the young, ambitious apprentice of a powerful sorcerer. When the sorcerer retires for a nap, Mickey takes up his magic hat and acquires his powers, using them to enchant a broom to carry in water. Mickey falls asleep, and while he dreams of enchanting the universe, the broom carries in more and more water until Mickey is awakened by a flood. Mickey's efforts to correct the situation result in catastrophe, but finally the sorcerer appears and restores order. The fourth number, "Rite of Spring," illustrates the story of evolution, showing how the Earth was formed and how life grew from one-celled sea creatures to mighty dinosaurs. The dinosaurs eventually die, and evolution continues. The next segment, "The Pastoral Symphony," presents a lovely day on Mt. Olympus, where cherubs, fauns, unicorns, pegasuses, centaurs and centaurettes frolic. Bacchus, the god of wine, arrives with his trusty steed Jacchus, and a bacchanal begins, only to be interrupted by Zeus and Vulcan, who shower lightning bolts on the merrymakers. Zeus eventually wearies of his game and peace is restored as Isis, the goddess of the rainbow, spreads a rainbow over the land. Apollo drives his sun chariot across the sky, and as he disappears, Morpheus, the god of sleep, draws his blanket of night over everyone. The mythic creatures fall asleep as Diana shoots an arrow of fire and covers the sky with stars. The sixth selection is "Dance of the Hours." This ballet, depicting the passage of time, is performed by a talented corps of ostriches, hippos, elephants and alligators, who represent morning, day, evening and night. The final two numbers, "Night on Bald Mountain" and "Ave Maria," are, according to Taylor, a picture of the struggle between the profane and the sacred. The segment begins on Walpurgis night, when Chernabog, the black god, who lives in Bald Mountain, casts a spell on the sleeping town and raises up ghosts from their graves and demons from the fiery depths. The evil creatures dance for Chernabog's pleasure until dawn comes and the church bells, calling the faithful to worship, begin to ring. The ghosts and demons return to their origins, while Chernabog folds himself back into the top of the mountain. The faithful begin their candlelit procession through the forest as they sing "Ave Maria," and the film ends as the sun rises.
Toy Story(1995)
Cast:Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Don Rickles
Directors:John Lasseter
Producer:Ralph Guggenheim, Bonnie Arnold
Writer:Joss Whedon, Andrew Stanton, Joel Cohen, Alec Sokolow
Editor:Robert Gordon, Lee Unkrich
Genre:Comedy
Production Company:Pixar Animation Studios, Walt Disney Pictures
Composer:Randy Newman
Unbeknown to young Andy Davis, his toys come to life when he is not around. Woody, a cowboy sheriff figure, is Andy’s longtime favorite toy and the unofficial leader of the group, which includes a Bo Peep doll, Mr. Potato Head, a Slinky Dog, a piggy bank named Hamm, and Rex, a neurotic dinosaur. With Andy’s birthday party about to take place a week early, in advance of the Davis’ move to a new home, Woody overseas a mission to spy on the party, concerned that Andy might receive superior new toys. Lo and behold, Andy is given an impressive action figure called Buzz Lightyear. Unlike the others, who understand that they are toys, Buzz Lightyear believes himself to be a real-life astronaut. The other playthings are wowed by his features, and Andy appears to favor Buzz over Woody. One day, as Andy’s family prepares for an outing to Pizza Planet, his mother tells him he can only take one toy to the restaurant. Woody tries to hide Buzz so that Andy cannot choose him, but in doing so, he accidentally pushes Buzz out the window. To many of the toys, Woody’s actions appear intentional. Accusing him of wanting to murder Buzz, they turn against him. However, Andy unwittingly defuses the situation by scooping up Woody and taking him to Pizza Planet. On the way, they stop at a gas station. Buzz appears, having snuck onto the van before they left. Woody and Buzz argue outside the car as the family drives away without them. They make their way to Pizza Planet by jumping onto a delivery truck. Upon arrival, they are deposited inside an arcade game in which a mechanical claw plucks toys from a pile. Andy’s mean-spirited neighbor, Sid, plays the game and retrieves both Woody and Buzz. In the meantime, Woody attempts to disabuse Buzz of the notion that he is a real astronaut. Trapped in Sid’s home, Buzz observes a television advertisement for dolls just like him and realizes Woody is right. Sid, who likes to terrorize toys, develops a scheme to attach Buzz to a firework and launch him into the sky. Woody helps Buzz accept himself as a toy by assuring him how much Andy relies on his playthings. Sid’s abused, mutant toys help Woody rescue Buzz. Before they leave Sid’s house, the two frighten Sid into submission, warning him never to mistreat his toys again. They make it back to the Davis home just in time to see the moving truck pulling away. Sid’s dog, Scud, prevents them from hitching a ride on the truck. Buzz rescues Woody from the dog, allowing Woody to board. Woody attempts to repay the favor by saving Buzz with a radio-controlled car. The other toys still do not trust Woody’s intentions and throw him back onto the street. Buzz and Woody reunite just as the other toys realize they misjudged Woody. Buzz, who still has Sid’s firework attached to his back, successfully executes a return mission by lighting the rocket, and launching them into the Davis’ van, in a box next to Andy. Sometime later, the Davises celebrate Christmas in their new home. Woody and Buzz oversee a spy mission to observe the unveiling of Andy’s new toys. To their surprise and concern, Andy receives a real-life puppy.
Beauty and the Beast(1991)
Cast:Paige O'Hara, Robby Benson, Richard White
Directors:Gary Trousdale, Kirk Wise
Producer:Don Hahn, Howard Ashman
Editor:John Carnochan
Genre:Musical
Production Company:Walt Disney Pictures , Silver Screen Partners IV
Once upon a time, a spoiled young prince turned away an old beggar woman when she offered him a rose in exchange for shelter. The woman warned him not to be deceived by appearances, then transformed into a beautiful enchantress. The prince apologized, but it was too late. The enchantress turned him into a beast, and put a spell on his castle and its inhabitants. She gave him the rose and told him it would wilt by his twenty-first birthday. If he did not fall in love with someone, and win her love in return, by that time, the spell would never lift and he would remain a beast forever. Sometime later, in rural France, a bookworm named Belle dreams of finding adventure outside her small town. She is seen as a misfit, as is her inventor father, Maurice. However, because she is the prettiest girl in town, she is pursued by a handsome, brutish man named Gaston, who intends to marry her. One day, Gaston follows Belle home from the library, and suggests they go to the tavern to view his hunting trophies, but she rejects the offer. Belle finds her father, Maurice, working on his latest invention, an automated wood-cutter he plans to unveil at a fair the next day. Belle’s father leaves for the fair that evening, but gets lost in a forest. He and his horse, Philippe, are chased by wolves to the gates of a dark castle. He wanders inside and is startled by Lumiere, a talking candlestick who invites Maurice to warm himself by the fire. Maurice soon discovers a host of household objects that talk, including a clock named Cogsworth, a teapot named Mrs. Potts, and her son, Chip, a teacup. Although they are very welcoming, the servants cower at the sight of their master, the Beast, a hulking monster who reprimands Maurice for trespassing and takes him captive. The next day, Gaston surprises Belle with a marriage proposal, but she turns him down. Maurice’s horse returns home alone, and Belle panics. She instructs Philippe to take her to her father, and they ride back to the Beast’s castle. There, Belle is frightened by the Beast, but offers to take her father’s place as his prisoner. The Beast complies, and throws Maurice out. Belle weeps over her father’s abrupt departure. The Beast tries to control his temper as he shows Belle to her quarters. He invites her to explore the castle but forbids her from going to the west wing. That evening, Belle is supposed to join the Beast for dinner, but she refuses. In turn, he forbids Lumiere, Cogsworth, and Mrs. Potts from serving her dinner. Meanwhile, Maurice goes to the tavern and announces his daughter has been taken prisoner by a beast. Gaston and the other patrons ridicule him and ignore his pleas for help. In his quarters, the Beast regards the magical rose, which has begun to wilt. He looks into his magic mirror and asks it to show him Belle. In the mirror’s reflection, he sees Belle saying she wants nothing to do with him. Although Belle is his only hope for breaking the spell, he worries she could never fall in love with a Beast. Late at night, a hungry Belle wanders into the kitchen, and although the Beast instructed them not to, the servants treat her to an elaborate meal. Afterward, Belle sneaks into the west wing. In the Beast’s quarters, she sees a torn portrait of a handsome young man and discovers the magical rose. The Beast appears and flies into a rage. He immediately regrets losing his temper, but Belle has already fled the castle. She rides Philippe into the forest, but they are cornered by wolves. The Beast appears and fends them off, but is wounded in the fight and loses consciousness. Back at the castle, Belle tends to his wounds. They argue over his temper, but Belle eventually thanks the Beast for saving her life. Gaston bribes Monsieur D’Arque, owner of an insane asylum, to commit Maurice, and release him only if Belle agrees to marry Gaston. In the meantime, the Beast begins to fall in love with Belle. As a romantic gesture, Lumiere suggests he take her to the castle library. There, Belle admires the collection of books, and the Beast tells her the library is hers. When they dine together, Belle is appalled, then amused, by Beast’s lack of table manners. They play outside in the snow, and she realizes she is growing fond of him. He plans a romantic evening, and the two dress up and dance together in the ballroom while the servants look on, hopeful that Belle and the Beast will fall in love and break the spell. Later that night, the Beast asks Belle if she is happy. She tells him yes, except she wishes she could see her father again. He grants her wish by offering her the magic mirror. Belle sees Maurice in the mirror’s reflection, alone in the woods and looking unwell. She frets over his safety, and the Beast tells her she is free to go. He gives her the magic mirror so she will always have a way to remember him. After Belle leaves the castle, Cogsworth asks why the Beast let her go. He explains that he had no choice because he loves her. Belle finds Maurice and takes him home. There, she discovers Chip, the teacup, among her things. Outside, Gaston arrives with Monsieur D’Arque and an angry mob. When D’Arque throws Maurice into his carriage, Gaston offers to have him released in exchange for Belle’s hand in marriage. Belle defends her father’s sanity, but the townspeople insist he is crazy for claiming she was held captive by a Beast. Using the magic mirror, Belle proves the Beast exists. Gaston senses that she cares for him, and incites the angry mob to storm the castle. Belle and Maurice are locked in the basement of their home, but Chip frees them with the help of Maurice’s wood-cutter. Gaston and his cohorts attack the castle, and the household items fight back. Heartbroken and resigned to failure, the Beast does nothing when Gaston forces him onto a ledge. Just then, Belle arrives, giving Beast the inspiration to fight for his life. He overpowers Gaston, but takes pity on the brute when he begs for mercy and lets him go. Belle summons the Beast to a balcony, but just as she grabs his hand, Gaston stabs him in the back. Gaston falls to his death, and Belle embraces the Beast as he loses consciousness. Believing he is dead, she cries and says she loves him. At that moment, the magical rose loses its last petal, and the Beast is transformed back into a handsome prince. The castle is returned to its former glory, and the servants become human again. Maurice joins them in celebration as they watch Belle and the prince dance in the ballroom.
Shrek(2001)
Cast:Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz
Directors:Andrew Adamson, Vicky Jenson
Producer:Aron Warner, John H. Williams, Jeffrey Katzenberg, Penney Finkelman Cox, Sandra Rabins
Writer:Ted Elliott, Terry Rossio, Joe Stillman, Roger S. H. Schulman, Jenna Grigg Thomas, Kelly Asbury, Francisco Avalos, Rejean Bourdages, Ken Harsha, Ken Bruce, Cody Cameron, Becky Cassady, Eric Darnell, Rick Farmiloe, James Fujii, Edmund Fong, Robert Koo, Todd Kurosawa, Robert Lence, Chris Miller, Catherine Yuh Rader, Tom Sito, David Soren, Robert Souza, John Stevenson, Conrad Vernon
Editor:Sim Evan-Jones
Genre:Comedy
Production Company:PDI/DreamWorks Pictures
One night, Shrek, a large ogre who lives in a cozy cottage in a swamp, has his solitude interrupted by torch-carrying villagers from a nearby town. After Shrek politely frightens the villagers away, he picks up a dropped piece of paper that reads: “Wanted Fairy Tale Creatures Reward.” The next day, as dozens of terrified fairy tale creatures are being brought in for rewards, an Old Woman turns in a Donkey, saying that he talks. Donkey refuses to speak, but when a tiny fairy crashes into him, sprinkling him with magic dust, he starts to fly and gleefully boasts out loud. Crashing to earth, Donkey escapes and runs into Shrek. They are soon approached by guards, who order them to halt by order of Lord Farquaad, but Shrek scares them away. The jive-talking Donkey, who immediately warms to his new acquaintance, decides to tag along with Shrek, despite the ogre’s gruff insistence that he likes to be alone. Back at the swamp, Shrek refuses to allow Donkey to stay inside his cottage, but soon finds his dinner interrupted by the appearance of three Blind Mice, a nightgown-clad wolf and a myriad of other fairy tale creatures. Shrek loudly orders them to leave his swamp and return home, but they reply that they cannot because Farquaad has evicted them. The disgusted Shrek determines to remedy the situation by finding Farquaad and demanding that the creatures be sent back. Amid the gleeful cheers of the creatures, Shrek, accompanied by the unshakable Donkey, sets off to find Farquaad. Meanwhile, in a castle in Duloc, the diminutive Farquaad tortures a Gingerbread Man, then asks a Magic Mirror how he can become king. Magic Mirror advises him to marry a princess and shows him three choices, Snow White, Cinderella and, finally, Princess Fiona, who is locked in a castle guarded by a Dragon. Farquaad does not listen to Magic Mirror's warning that something happens to the beautiful Fiona at night and chooses her, then determines to find a champion to free her. When Shrek and Donkey arrive at the immaculately maintained Duloc, the town is deserted, but they find everyone in the stadium listening to a speech by Farquaad, who is holding a tournament to determine a champion. Seeing Shrek, Farquaad announces that the person who kills the ogre will be the champion. Shrek easily bests his attackers and so impresses Farquaad that he names Shrek his champion and agrees to give him the deed to the swamp and send the fairy tale creatures back home in exchange for freeing Princess Fiona. As Shrek and Donkey journey toward the princess’ castle, Shrek philosophizes that ogres are usually misunderstood but actually have many layers, like onions. Once at their destination, Shrek and the frightened Donkey successfully navigate a rope bridge suspended over a lava pit and enter the castle. Donkey comes face to face with the Dragon, who snaps to attention and goes after him, but Shrek dons armor and saves him. In the process, though, Shrek is flung into Fiona’s tower room. She is impressed by Shrek’s entrance and pretends to be asleep so that her “knight so bold as to rescue her” can kiss her awake. Instead, Shrek gives her a shake and is uninterested in her talk of romance. Dragging Fiona through the castle, Shrek finds Donkey, who has inadvertently awakened amorous feelings in the female Dragon. She tries to prevent them from leaving, but Shrek effects their escape and ensnares the Dragon in chains. Once safely on the road to Duloc, Fiona demands to see Shrek’s face and is disappointed by his appearance until he assures her that Farquaad has sent him. When she stubbornly insists that only her true love can rescue her, Shrek hoists her over his shoulder and continues on. During the journey, Donkey seeks Fiona’s advice on how to discourage the Dragon’s romantic interest, and Shrek and Donkey joke about Farquaad’s size. When Fiona realizes that it will soon be nightfall and Duloc is some distance away, she adamantly refuses to go farther and spends the night alone in a cave. Later, as Donkey sympathizes with Shrek’s regret that the world “has a problem” with a big ugly ogre, Fiona eavesdrops. Next morning, a very cheerful Fiona emerges from the cave and makes breakfast for Shrek. When the three resume their journey, Fiona and Shrek playfully tease each other and start to realize that they have a lot in common. When they see Duloc in the distance, both Fiona and Shrek come up with excuses to delay reaching Duloc. During dinner, Shrek and Fiona look dreamy-eyed at each other, but at sunset Fiona retreats, alone, into a deserted windmill. Donkey comments that Shrek and Fiona are “digging on each other,” but Shrek thinks that a princess would never be interested in an ogre. Donkey then sneaks into the windmill and is astonished to find that Fiona has turned into an ogre. She tells him that because of a curse she will spend her days beautiful, but at sunset turn into the ugly creature she is now, until the curse is removed by love’s first kiss. She then starts to cry, saying that she must marry Farquaad before sunset. Just as Fiona expresses doubt that anyone could love someone so ugly, Shrek, who has gathered flowers and practiced loving endearments to tell Fiona, approaches the door of the windmill and thinks that she is speaking of him. The next morning, Shrek angrily tells Fiona he heard what she said the previous night, and she assumes that he knows about the curse but does not care for her because she is ugly. Just then, Farquaad and his entourage arrive, and he proposes to Fiona, who immediately accepts and suggests that they marry that day. After Fiona rides off with Farquaad, Shrek angrily rejects Donkey’s advice and the two part. During the ensuing hours, Fiona pines for Shrek as she prepares for her wedding, while Shrek sadly returns to his lonely swamp and Donkey encounters the lovesick Dragon, who has followed him. Later, Shrek hears something outside and finds Donkey building a wall with some branches. Donkey chastises Shrek for building his own walls and for pushing away Fiona, who likes—and may even love him. Shrek then apologizes to Donkey, who forgives him because "that is what friends are for," and the two determine to stop Fiona’s marriage to Farquaad. With the aid of the happily smitten Dragon, Shrek and Donkey arrive at the Duloc cathedral just as Fiona and Farquaad are pronounced man and wife. Shrek rushes up the aisle and tells Fiona he wants to talk with her, incurring Farquaad’s contempt for being an ogre in love with a princess. Just then the sun begins to set and Fiona turns into her ogre self. When Shrek tells her he loves her, she admits that she loves him, too, and they kiss, apparently breaking the curse. Fiona does not understand why she has not transformed into her beautiful self, but Shrek assures her she is beautiful. Some time later, in the swamp, Fiona and Shrek marry, with all of their fairy tale creatures in attendance, then ride off on their honeymoon in an onion magically transformed into a coach.
Cinderella(1950)
Cast:Ilene Woods, Helene Stanley, Eleanor Audley
Directors:Wilfred Jackson, Hamilton Luske, Clyde Geronimi
Producer:Ben Sharpsteen
Writer:William Peed, Erdman Penner, Ted Sears, Winston Hibler, Homer Brightman, Harry Reeves, Kenneth Anderson, Joe Rinaldi
Editor:Donald Halliday
Genre:Children's works
Production Company:Walt Disney Productions
Composer:Oliver Wallace
In a mythical kingdom, Lord Tremaine remarries so that his beloved young daughter Cinderella can have a mother. Tremaine's new wife is a seemingly kind widow with two daughters, Anastasia and Drizella, but after his death, Lady Tremaine's true, greedy nature emerges. Banishing Cinderella to the attic and forcing her to become their servant, Lady Tremaine squanders the family fortune on Anastasia and Drizella. Growing up to be a lovely young woman, Cinderella patiently bears the cruelties of her family while continuing to believe in her dreams and comforting herself with the friendship of her dog Bruno, horse Major and the chateau's mice and birds. One morning, mouse Jaq informs Cinderella that a new mouse has been caught in a trap, and after rescuing the chubby newcomer, Cinderella names him Octavius, or Gus for short. Cinderella then begins her chores while Gus, who calls himself Gus-Gus, listens to Jaq's warnings about Lady Tremaine's evil cat Lucifer. Meanwhile, at the palace, the King is infuriated that his son, Prince Charming, has not yet married. Longing for grandchildren, the King orders the Grand Duke to arrange a ball to celebrate the return of Prince Charming, who is arriving that day after an extended absence. The King hopes that the prince will find a bride if all the maidens in the kingdom are present, and so the Grand Duke begins the preparations. Cinderella is thrilled when an invitation arrives at the chateau, but, knowing that her stepdaughter will outshine Anastasia and Drizella, Lady Tremaine cannily promises that she can attend only if she finishes her work and finds something suitable to wear. Cinderella begins re-fashioning a gown that belonged to her mother, but is interrupted by her stepsisters' excessive demands. Determined to help their friend, the mice and birds labor on the dress, while Jaq and Gus-Gus retrieve a sash and string of beads discarded by Anastasia and Drizella. Lady Tremaine and her daughters keep Cinderella so busy that she cannot work on her dress, and when the coach arrives to take them to the ball, she stoically tells them that she will not be attending. When she retreats to her attic, however, Cinderella is astonished to see that the old dress is ready. Cinderella changes and joins her family as they are leaving, but the jealous Drizella and Anastasia recognize their beads and sash and tear Cinderella's gown to shreds. After the women leave, the broken-hearted Cinderella cries in the garden, but her tears are quieted by the arrival of her Fairy Godmother. Telling the unhappy girl that she is going to the ball, the fairy uses her wand and the magic phrase "bibbidi-bobbidi-boo" to transform a pumpkin into a glorious coach. The mice are then transformed into horses, and Major and Bruno become the coachman and footman. The Fairy Godmother then transforms Cinderella's rags into an exquisite gown, complete with glass slippers. The fairy instructs Cinderella to leave the ball before midnight, at which time the spell will be broken. At the castle, meanwhile, the King watches in frustration as a bored Prince Charming greets his guests, including Drizella and Anastasia. The prince's attention is captured by Cinderella, however, and the King arranges for the couple to be alone. Prince Charming and Cinderella fall in love as they waltz, although they do not know each other's names. Just as the prince is about to kiss his new love, the clock begins to strike twelve and Cinderella flees. Prince Charming and the Grand Duke chase her as she races away but succeed only in finding one of her glass slippers, which fell off during her flight down the grand staircase. Cinderella is in rags again when the final chime is heard, but still has one glass slipper as a souvenir of her magical evening. The next morning, Cinderella overhears Lady Tremaine inform her daughters that no one knows the identity of the girl loved by the prince, and that the King has ordered him to marry whomever the slipper fits. Realizing her sweetheart's identity, and that he is searching for her, Cinderella goes to get her shoe. Seeing the dreamy look on Cinderella's face, Lady Tremaine deduces that she is the mystery woman and locks her in the attic. Just then, the Grand Duke arrives and offers the slipper to Drizella and Anastasia. While the two big-footed women attempt to don the dainty shoe, Jaq and Gus-Gus steal the key to Cinderella's door from Lady Tremaine's pocket. After dragging the heavy key up the stairs to the attic, Jaq and Gus-Gus succeed in freeing their friend despite interference from Lucifer. Before Cinderella can try on the slipper, however, the vindictive Lady Tremaine trips the lackey carrying the slipper and it shatters. The Grand Duke is devastated until Cinderella happily shows him the slipper's mate and dons it. Soon after, Cinderella and the prince are married.
Finding Nemo(2003)
Cast:Albert Brooks, Ellen DeGeneres, Alexander Gould
Directors:Andrew Stanton
Producer:Graham Walters, John Lasseter
Writer:Andrew Stanton, Bob Peterson, David Reynolds, Ronnie del Carmen, Dan Jeup, Jason Katz
Editor:David Ian Salter
Cinematographer:Sharon Calahan, Jeremy Lasky
Genre:Comedy-drama
Production Company:Pixar Animation Studios, Walt Disney Pictures
Composer:Thomas Newman
In Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, a clownfish named Marlin and his wife Coral take up residence in an anemone at the edge of the coral reef. Although Marlin frets that his four hundred as-yet-unhatched children will not like him, Coral assures him that he will be a wonderful father. Just then, however, a barracuda attacks the anemone, knocking Marlin unconscious, and he awakens to discover that Coral and all the eggs, except one, have been eaten. Cradling his remaining son, Nemo, Marlin vows to protect him forever. Soon, Nemo is a happy, curious boy, who lets neither a malformed fin nor his father’s overprotectiveness dampen his energy. On Nemo’s first day of school, Marlin embarrasses him at the schoolyard by anxiously fussing over him and insisting on cautiousness. To prove that he does not need coddling, Nemo accepts the other kids’ dare to swim out to a ship just past the reef drop off. Although he bravely swims into the open sea, which his father has taught him is perilous, touches the boat and turns back in triumph, a scuba diver nets him before Nemo can reach safety. Horrified, Marlin rushes to his son’s aid, but the boat speeds away too quickly for Marlin to keep up with it, and when he begs for help, only a cheerful blue tang named Dory responds. She offers to help him follow the ship, which she saw pass by, but after several minutes, Marlin realizes they are swimming aimlessly. As Dory explains that she suffers from short-term memory loss, a menacing shark named Bruce forcibly escorts the pair to a twelve-step meeting designed to cure fish-eating addictions. Chanting “Fish are friends, not food,” the three group members welcome Marlin and Dory, and while Bruce recounts the tale of his father’s abandonment of the family, Marlin spots a diver’s mask and, sure it belongs to the human who captured Nemo, inadvertently cuts Dory in his excitement. The scent of her blood mesmerizes Bruce, who chases the fish into a wrecked ship, and although Marlin and Dory escape, the chase sets off a mine explosion. Meanwhile, Nemo is transported to a fish tank in the Sydney office of dentist P. Sherman. The other aquarium inmates, including Jacques the shrimp, Deb, a starfish named Peach and Bloat the blowfish, welcome the boy, but when he becomes stuck in a filter, their gruff leader, Gill, insists that Nemo escape without help, demonstrating his own damaged fin as proof that a handicap need not impede him. The tank members soon “initiate” Nemo into their society and form an escape plan to save Nemo from being given to the dentist’s niece, Darla, a notorious fish abuser. Gill’s plan calls for Nemo to swim into the filter and jam it with a pebble, after which the dentist will clean the tank, transferring them to plastic bags in which they plan to hurl themselves out the window and into the harbor below. Back in the sea, Marlin swims, with Dory’s encouragement, to the ocean depths to find the fallen mask. In the dark, both are spellbound by the light of a predatory angler fish, but manage to spot the mask. While Marlin distracts the angler, Dory slowly reads the dentist’s address on the mask, and is thrilled to discover that she can remember it. Soon annoyed by her blithe chatter, enthusiasm and memory lapses, Marlin informs Dory that he would like to travel alone, and her subsequent sobs attract the chivalry of a school of fish, who scorn Marlin but provide Dory with direction to the Sydney harbor. Now aware that he needs Dory’s help, Marlin apologizes and swims off before he can hear the school’s advice to avoid the upcoming trench. Although Dory tries to warn Marlin, she forgets the details and follows him above the trench, which serves as a jellyfish bed. Marlin is resistant to the stings, but Dory is not, so to save his oblivious friend, Marlin pretends to play a “game” with Dory in which she bounces harmlessly over the jellyfish tops, thus avoiding the dangerous tentacles. Before they reach the end, however, Dory is stung and lies unconscious. As they both recover in open waters, Nemo continues his getaway attempts, sure that his timid father would never risk the open water to rescue him. He fails to achieve the dangerous task, however, and the tank fish sink into dejection. Meanwhile, Marlin awakens on the back of a sea turtle named Crush, who explains that his school is riding the East Australian Current into Sydney. Dory is nearby, playing games with the turtle children, including Squirt, whose independence while swimming the rapid current impresses Marlin. The youngsters idolize Marlin, as does Dory, as she listens enraptured to his tales of their own travels through the ocean. Marlin’s astounding stories soon spread throughout the ocean until they reach the pelicans in Sydney Harbor, one of whom, Nigel, regularly visits the dentist’s office and recognizes Nemo’s name. When he informs Nemo of his father’s courageous search, Nemo is overjoyed and, inspired, flings himself into the tank filter and jams it. At the same time, Marlin and Dory leave the turtles to brave the current alone, and Marlin finds himself invigorated by the adventure. They swim toward shore but are soon lost in the vast ocean, and after Dory tries to ask a whale direction in its own language, the whale swallows them both. Inside its mouth, Marlin rages at his friend. After he states that he must keep his promise to Nemo never to let anything happen to him, Dory points out that this promise cannot be any fun for the child. Dory then assures Marlin that the whale has told her “it’s time to let go,” and although Marlin is frightened, he does so, allowing the whale to expel them via his blowhole into the harbor. The next morning, the tank fish awaken to discover that a new filtration system has cleaned the aquarium. The dentist then nets Nemo, and although the others try to wrench him free, the dentist succeeds in capturing Nemo just as Darla arrives. Outside, a pelican tries to eat Marlin and Dory, whose struggles attract the attention of Nigel. Upon hearing Marlin say Nemo’s name, Nigel offers to carry them in his mouth to the dentist’s office. Marlin is suspicious, but when hungry seagulls approach, he readily agrees. They reach the office in time to see Nemo feigning death, hoping to be flushed down the toilet, as Gill has assured him that all drains lead to the sea. When Darla grabs Nemo, Gill jumps onto her head, and pandemonium erupts in the office. Soon, the dentist is unconscious and Gill has sacrificed his own chance for escape by tossing Nemo down the spit bowl. As Nemo is flushed into the Sydney water treatment pipes, he calls for his father, who is despondent at this missed opportunity to save his son. Believing Nemo to be dead, he mournfully bids goodbye to Dory, and when she begs him to stay with her so she can continue to regain her memories, Marlin states that he wants only to forget his. Soon, Nemo struggles out of the pipes, and although he meets Dory, she fails to remember that she is on a quest to find him. Suddenly, however, her memory returns, and she brings Nemo to his father, who embraces him joyously. Within moments, the trio is caught up in a fisherman’s net along with a huge school of fish. Marlin tries to hold Nemo back but finally relents when the boy asserts that he can remedy the situation, coaching the fish to swim downward as one. The combined force of their movement breaks the net from its rope, and all are freed. When Marlin searches for Nemo, however, he finds him dazed beneath the fallen net. Marlin cradles his son, who soon regains consciousness. Later, back on the reef, Marlin urges Nemo to get to school on time, and once there, jokes easily with the other fathers, proud to see his son leave to explore his ocean home. At the same time, the tank fish achieve their goal and throw themselves into the ocean, where they float in perfect happiness, though still unsure how to escape their plastic bags.
ROMANTIC COMEDY
AFI defines “romantic comedy” as a genre in which the development of a romance leads to comic situations.
City Lights(1931)
Cast:Charlie Chaplin, Virginia Cherrill, Florence Lee
Directors:Charles Chaplin
Writer:Charles Chaplin
Editor:Charles Chaplin
Cinematographer:Rollie Totheroh, Gordon Pollock, Mark Marklatt
Genre:Comedy-drama
Production Company:Charles Chaplin Productions
Composer:Charles Chaplin
At an outdoor dedication ceremony, a tramp is discovered sleeping in the arms of a statue as it is being unveiled before a crowd. He is chased into the city, where he meets a beautiful, blind flower girl, and buys a flower with his last coin. That night, he stops a drunken man from drowning himself. Gratefully, the man invites him to his mansion, which is presided over by a snobby butler named James and they begin to drink. The millionaire and the tramp continue their revels at a nightclub. Early the next morning, when they return home, the millionaire drunkenly offers the tramp money and the use of his Rolls Royce. The tramp uses his windfalls to help the flower girl. Because she cannot see his shabby clothes, the girl thinks her benefactor is a wealthy young man. Determined to help her, the tramp returns to the mansion, but the millionaire has sobered up and does not recognize him, so the tramp takes a job cleaning streets and gives the girl and her grandmother what money he can. By accident the tramp finds out they are behind in their rent and that there is a doctor in Vienna who can cure blindness by an expensive operation. Needing money in a hurry to help his friends, the tramp agrees to participate in a crooked boxing match for a cut of the winning purse, but his crooked partner is replaced by a legitmate fighter, who knocks him cold. Out on the streets, the tramp runs into the millionaire, who is back from Europe. Drunk again, he gladly gives the tramp $1,000 for the operation, but two crooks see the transaction and rob them. The tramp calls the police, but by the time they arrive, the crooks have vanished and the police arrest the tramp. He runs away and manages to give the money to the girl before he is taken off to jail. The girl gets her operation and opens up a successful flower shop, imagining her benefactor in every rich young man who comes into the shop. When the tramp gets out of jail, he wanders into the shop by accident. Naturally, she does not recognize him, and laughingly offers him a flower and a coin. He refuses the money, but when she presses it into his hand, she recognizes him by the feel of his skin and is moved.
Annie Hall(1977)
Cast:Woody Allen, Diane Keaton, Tony Roberts
Directors:Woody Allen
Producer:Charles H. Joffe, Robert Greenhut
Writer:Woody Allen, Marshall Brickman
Editor:Ralph Rosenblum , A.C.E., Wendy Greene Bricmont
Cinematographer:Gordon Willis , A.S.C.
Genre:Romantic comedy
Production Company:United Artists Corp.
Raised in Brooklyn, New York, Alvy Singer grows up to become a well-known comedian. As an adult, he encounters relationship problems with his girl friend, Annie Hall, when she starts to withdraw her affection. Annie claims she is only going through a phase and reminds him of how he used to be “hot” for Allison, but then his ardor cooled off. Alvy recalls meeting Allison, an ex-girl friend, at a 1956 benefit performance for Adlai Stevenson’s presidential campaign. By 1964, Alvy has lost interest in the relationship. While making love to Allison, he obsesses over conflicting evidence related to the John F. Kennedy assassination, and Allison accuses him of using his fixation to avoid intimacy with her. Alvy reflects that there is some truth in what Allison says—that, like the old Groucho Marx joke, he really does not want to be in any club that would have him as a member. In a happier moment in their relationship, Alvy and Annie Hall vacation at the seashore, and delight in each other’s company as they attempt to cook live lobsters for dinner. Alvy asks Annie if he is her first love. She says no, and reminisces about old boyfriends. When Alvy suggests that Annie is lucky he came along, she responds, “Well, la-dee-dah." Alvy is unimpressed with her choice of words, and Annie suggests that he prefers intellectual women because he married two of them. However, Alvy’s memories of his earlier marriages are not particularly happy. He recalls meeting Annie in 1975, on a tennis date with his friend, Rob, and Rob’s girl friend, Janet. Annie, a sometime actress from Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, offers Alvy a ride home and invites him up to her apartment for a drink. She makes him uncomfortable when she observes that he is what her “Grammy” Hall would call a “real Jew,” and goes on to explain that her grandmother hates Jews. As they engage in a pretentious conversation about Annie’s photography, they are both distracted by their own insecure inner monologues. Annie reveals that she is auditioning to sing at a local nightclub on Saturday night. Alvy tells Annie he would love to hear her sing and she overcomes her shyness by allowing him to attend. At the nightclub, the audience is restless. Afterward, Annie is embarrassed, believing that the crowd hated her. Alvy assures her that she has a good voice and the audience loved her. He proposes that they kiss before dinner, to get over the awkwardness of a first kiss. The cultural divide between them is revealed at a delicatessen when he orders corned beef on rye, and she orders pastrami on white bread. They make love that night, and afterward Annie smokes marijuana. Soon she moves in with Alvy, although he believes she should maintain a separate apartment. Later, at the beach house, Annie wants to smoke a joint before making love, and suggests that Alvy might not need a psychiatrist if he resorted to marijuana. Upset that Annie needs to get high in order to make love, he takes the joint away. As he starts to kiss her, Annie’s bored spirit separates from her body and searches for her sketchpad so she can draw while her dispirited body has sex with Alvy. When she argues that she needs marijuana to feel comfortable, he again tells her that it upsets him. As a comedian, he is not interested in getting laughs from people who are high, because they are always laughing anyway. Early in his own career, Alvy was reluctant to perform and wrote material for other comics, but now he has overcome his fears and is successful. One night, he performs at the University of Wisconsin and Annie is impressed with his reception by the students. She tells him she is beginning to understand some of the cultural references in his act. Alvy and Annie go to Chippewa Falls to spend Easter with her family. The anti-Semitic Grammy Hall cannot help but see Alvy as an orthodox Hasidic Jew—with spring curls, a beard, and a black suit and hat. Alvy makes a mental comparison between the Hall family’s dinner table etiquette and that of his own raucous New York Jewish family. Later, Annie’s brother, Duane Hall, invites Alvy into his room and confesses that when he is driving at night he sometimes has the urge to drive head-on into oncoming cars. Later, Duane drives Alvy and Annie to the airport, and Alvy is petrified with anxiety. Back in New York, Annie accuses Alvy of following her. He denies the charge and says that he was spying on her and saw her kissing David, her Russian literature professor. Later, Annie enters into psychoanalysis, and notes that Alvy’s last name is “Singer” and that she wants to be a singer. She accuses Alvy of not wanting to be in a committed relationship because he does not think she is smart enough. He counters that encouraging her to take adult education courses is a way to broaden her horizons. He then contradicts himself by saying that such classes are empty and shallow. After Alvy and Annie have broken up, he muses that he has always been attracted to the wrong kind of women. His friend, Rob, introduces him to Pam, a reporter for Rolling Stone magazine. Although they have little in common, they end up having sex and Pam describes the experience as Kafkaesque. During their post-coital conversation, Annie calls Alvy for help, and he rushes over to her apartment. Arring there at 3:00 a.m., he discovers the crisis is merely that there are two spiders in her bathroom. After Alvy kills the spiders, Annie tells him she misses him and asks him to stay. She inquires if someone was in his room when she called, but he denies it. Later, in bed, Annie suggests that she and Alvy never break up again, and they are reunited. After singing again at the nightclub, Annie is approached by record producer Tony Lacey, who invites her and Alvy to his room at the Hotel Pierre. At Alvy’s insistence, Annie turns down the invitation. Instead, he takes her to watch the somber documentary The Sorrow and the Pity, about French anti-Semitism during World War II. With their respective analysts, Annie and Alvy come to similar but different conclusions. She views a day they spent in Brooklyn as the last time they had fun together. He feels that they never have any laughs anymore. Asked how often they have sex, Alvy says, “Hardly ever—three times a week,” while Annie responds, “Constantly! Three times a week.” At a get-together with friends, Annie and Alvy are offered cocaine. Annie urges Alvy to try it, and mentions that they will soon be going to California. Alvy dips the tip of his finger in the white powder, puts it to his nose, then sneezes into the container, sending the drug up in a puff around the room. In California to present an award, Alvy becomes offended when Rob instructs an editor to add fake laughs to the latest episode of his hit comedy series. Alvy is suddenly taken ill and is unable to appear on the awards show. Rob takes him and Annie to Tony Lacey’s Christmas party, and Tony suggests to Annie that they record an album in about six weeks. Flying back to New York, Annie realizes that she liked California, and Alvy that he enjoyed flirting with other women. Each fears breaking up for fear of hurting the other, but ultimately they decide to separate. Later, leaving a movie theater alone, Alvy mentions to himself that he misses Annie, and a passing couple stops to tell him that she is living in California with Tony Lacey. Another stranger asks why he doesn’t go out with other women. Attempting to prepare lobsters at the beach house with another woman, things are not the same as with Annie, and the magic is gone. Alvy calls Annie on the phone, saying that he wants her to come back. In desperation, he travels to Los Angeles and calls her from the airport. They agree to meet at a Sunset Strip health food café, where Alvy asks Annie to marry him and she refuses. Being a New Yorker, Alvy is unused to driving. Leaving the restaurant in his rented car, he smashes into several other cars and ends up in jail. Back in New York, Alvy watches a rehearsal of his new play. Two actors recite dialogue from his last meeting with Annie, but art does not imitate life: the girl in the play agrees to return to New York with the protagonist. In the rehearsal hall, Alvy turns to the audience and says he wanted to have his first play turn out perfectly, the way life seldom does. He mentions running into Annie again, after she returned to New York and moved in with another man. He saw her coming out of a screening of The Sorrow and the Pity and considered it a personal triumph. Sometime later, they had lunch and talked about old times and then parted. He is reminded of an old joke about a guy who goes to a psychiatrist complaining that his brother thinks he is a chicken. The doctor asks, “Why don’t you turn him in?” and the man replies, “Because we need the eggs.” Alvy recognizes that relationships are difficult, but we keep putting ourselves into them “because we need the eggs.”
It Happened One Night(1934)
Cast:Clark Gable, Claudette Colbert, Walter Connolly
Directors:Frank Capra
Producer:Harry Cohn
Writer:Robert Riskin
Editor:Gene Havlick
Cinematographer:Joseph Walker
Genre:Screwball comedy
Production Company:Columbia Pictures Corp.
Composer:Louis Silvers
Spoiled heiress Ellie Andrews escapes from her millionaire father Alexander's yacht when he kidnaps her after she elopes with and marries King Westley, a playboy aviator whom Andrews thinks is a fortune hunter. She boards a bus headed for New York and meets Peter Warne, a reporter who has just been fired. Despite their dislike for each other, Peter attempts to catch the thief who steals Ellie's suitcase, but he fails. At their next stop, Ellie misses the bus after going to a nearby hotel to freshen up, and when she returns, discovers that Peter has waited for her, both to return the ticket she left behind and to show her a newspaper article revealing her identity, which she was trying to conceal. After another quarrel, they meet on the next bus, which is forced to stop due to a washed-out bridge. Peter and Ellie spend the night in an auto lodge where they pretend they are married and rent one cabin to save money. Peter informs her that he will help her reach Westley only if she will give him her exclusive story, which he needs to redeem himself, and that if she does not cooperate, he will call her father. She reluctantly accepts his terms while he strings a rope between their beds and hangs up a blanket, which he dubs "The Walls of Jericho." The next morning, they are preparing to leave when they hear her father's detectives approaching. They put on an excellent act of being married, and their fighting convinces the detectives to leave, after which Peter and Ellie board the bus. Meanwhile, Andrews has offered a $10,000 reward for information concerning his daughter. Oscar Shapeley, an obnoxious fellow passenger on the bus, reads about the reward and offers to split it with Peter, but then threatens to go to Ellie's father himself. Peter then convinces Shapeley that he is a gangster who has kidnapped Ellie, and the terrified man flees. Still worried that Shapeley will go to the authorities, Peter and Ellie leave the bus. They try to hitchhike the next morning, and after Peter's technique meets with no success, Ellie quickly stops a car by showing off her legs. Peter sulks as they drive, but his petulance turns to anger when the driver steals his suitcase, rousing Peter to chase the car, tie the driver to a tree and then return for Ellie. Back in New York, Andrews resigns himself to accept Westley to get Ellie back, and they issue a press release. Ellie sees the newspaper article with Westley's pleas for her return, but she hides it from Peter. She insists that they check into another auto lodge for the night, even though they are only three hours away from New York. That night, Ellie confesses her love for Peter, begging him to take her with him, but he rejects her. Later, seeing that Ellie is asleep, Peter rushes to New York, writes his story and sells it to his editor, Joe Gordon, so that he will have enough money to begin a life with Ellie. In his absence, however, the owners of the auto lodge throw Ellie out when she can explain neither Peter's absence nor give them money for the room. Ellie then telephones her father and gives herself up because she thinks Peter has deserted her. As her car goes toward New York, Peter passes it, going in the opposite direction, but Ellie does not see him. On the day of Ellie and Westley's formal wedding, Andrews confronts Ellie, and she confesses that although she loves Peter, she will go through with the wedding because Peter despises her. Her father inadvertently shows her a letter he received from Peter about a financial matter, which both of the Andrews mistakenly assume refers to the reward. Andrews summons Peter to the house, and when he arrives, he presents Andrews with an itemized bill for $39.60, the amount he spent during the trip. He refuses any reward, which impresses Andrews, and Andrews makes Peter admit that he loves Ellie as well. Moments later, as Andrews walks Ellie down the aisle, he tells her of his meeting with Peter and that her car is waiting by the gate if she changes her mind. She does, and runs off again, but this time much to the pleasure of her father. Andrews pays Westley $100,000 for not contesting the annulment of his and Ellie's marriage, then notifies Peter and Ellie that they may marry. The newlyweds go to another auto lodge, where they ask the owners for a rope, a blanket and a trumpet. That night, the trumpet sounds as The Walls of Jerico tumble down.
Roman Holiday(1953)
Cast:Gregory Peck, Audrey Hepburn, Eddie Albert
Directors:William Wyler
Producer:William Wyler
Writer:Ian McLellan Hunter, John Dighton, Dalton Trumbo, Ian McLellan Hunter, Dalton Trumbo
Editor:Robert Swink
Cinematographer:Frank F. Planer, Henri Alekan
Genre:Romantic comedy
Production Company:Paramount Pictures Corp.
Composer:Georges Auric
While in Rome, Italy, during a multi-city goodwill tour, Princess Anne, the youthful heir to a European crown, impresses the guests of an embassy ball with her charm and poise. Later, as she is preparing for bed, Anne, feeling overwhelmed by her tedious, endless schedule, starts to scream uncontrollably at her efficient secretary, Countess Vereberg. To calm her, Anne's doctor injects her with a sedative, but before the drug takes effect, Anne sneaks out of the palatial embassy and hides in the back of a truck. Anne jumps out when the truck reaches a lively part of town, but is already starting to yawn from the sedative. Soon after, American reporter Joe Bradley spots her prostrate on some stairs and hears her mumbling in English. Joe is unaware of her identity and assumes she is drunk, but reluctantly drags her into a cab. When Joe asks the increasingly groggy Anne for an address, she insists that she lives in the Colosseum. Not knowing what else to do, Joe takes Anne to his tiny apartment. There, while trying to undress herself so that she can don Joe's pajamas, Anne admits that she has never been alone with a man and begins to recite poetry. Frustrated, Joe goes out for coffee after instructing her to sleep on his couch. When he returns, however, he finds her curled up in his bed and rolls her onto the couch. The next day, Joe, who was scheduled to interview the princess that morning, wakes up late and rushes out, leaving behind the still sleeping Anne. At his newspaper office, Joe, unaware that the princess' activities for the day have been cancelled, lies to Hennessy, his editor, that he conducted the interview. When Hennessy shows him a newspaper report about the princess' sudden "illness," Joe stares at the accompanying photograph and realizes that the princess is the woman on his couch. Seeing his opportunity, the perpetually broke Joe gets Hennessy to agree to pay him $5,000 if he produces an exclusive, revealing interview with the princess, complete with photographs. Back at Joe's apartment, Anne finally wakes up and introduces herself as Anya. After drawing Anne a bath, Joe slips out and telephones his photographer friend, Irving Radovich, telling him only that he needs him for an important story. Now bathed and dressed, a grateful Anne borrows 1,000 lire, or $1.50, from Joe and leaves on foot. Joe follows her, watching with amusement as she buys a pair of shoes from a street vendor. Anne then enters a barbershop and insists that the barber, Mario Delani, cut her long hair into a stylish bob. Mario is taken with the transformed Anne and invites her to a barge dance that night. With her last bit of money, Anne buys a gelato and at the Trevi fountain, is joined by Joe, who pretends he has run into her. Anne, in turn, claims she is a runaway schoolgirl and admits that her only desire is to spend the day having fun. Anxious to please, Joe takes her to a nearby cafe, where she meets Irving, who, unaware of Joe's scheme, almost reveals Joe's identity. After Joe fills him in, Irving, using a miniature camera hidden inside a cigarette lighter, snaps pictures of Anne smoking her first cigarette. The three then go sightseeing, and Anne, whom Irving nicknames "Smitty" after she states that her last name is Smith, jumps on a motorscooter Joe has rented and takes a wild ride around the plaza. The ride gets them arrested, but when Joe claims that he and Anne were on their way to get married, the police let them go. Anne and Joe test their truthfulness at the ancient sculpture Bocca della Verità, or Mouth of Truth, and then visit a wall on which passersby post their hopes and wishes. Having made her wish, Anne asks to be taken to the barge dance near the Castel Saint Angelo and there enjoys a romantic dance with Joe. When Mario shows up and cuts in, Joe and Irving become excited imagining the publicity potential of the headline "The Princess and the Barber." Just then, secret service agents from Anne's homeland grab her and start to drag her away. Anne screams for Joe, who races to the rescue and instigates a brawl. Anne gleefully joins in the fracas and jumps in the Tiber River with Joe to escape capture. After swimming to safety, Joe and Anne embrace and kiss, then return to Joe's apartment. There, Anne hears a radio report about the distress her "illness" is causing her people and sadly tells Joe she must leave. Stopping near the embassy, Joe and Anne share a final, passionate kiss before Anne runs off into the night. In the embassy, Anne's advisors scold her for neglecting her duty, but Anne silences them by stating that duty was the only reason she came back. The next day, Hennessy drops by Joe's apartment, anxious to collect his story, and is dismayed when Joe insists he does not have one. Irving then shows up with the photographs he took of Anne, but Joe refuses to use them. Later, Anne appears at the previously scheduled press conference and is pleasantly surprised to see Joe and Irving there. After Joe lets her know through his public comments that her secrets are safe with him, Anne deviates from protocol and shakes hands with the reporters. Irving then gives her the photos he took, and with tears in her eyes, she tells Joe how much she has enjoyed meeting him. Heartbroken, Joe watches Anne retreat with her advisors and walks out of the embassy alone.
The Philadelphia Story(1940)
Cast:Cary Grant, Katharine Hepburn, James Stewart
Directors:George Cukor
Producer:Joseph L. Mankiewicz
Writer:Donald Ogden Stewart
Editor:Frank Sullivan
Cinematographer:Joseph Ruttenberg
Genre:Romantic comedy, Screwball comedy
Production Company:Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Corp.
Composer:Franz Waxman
The wealth and position of the socially prominent Lord family of Philadelphia has made Tracy, the eldest daughter, into an imperious and haughty shrew. Tracy's attitude causes a marital rift with her childhood sweetheart, sportsman and recovering alcoholic C. K. Dexter Haven, leading to a divorce. Two years later, Tracy is poised to wed the pompous and politically ambitious self-made man George Kittredge when Dexter returns from an extended absence accompanied by scandal sheet reporters Macaulay "Mike" Connor and Elizabeth Imbrie. Because Sidney Kidd, the powerful publisher of the scandal magazine Spy, has embarassing information on Tracy's father Seth's affair with a dancer, Dexter agrees to allow Mike and Liz access to Tracy's wedding in exchange for not printing the story on Seth. Although Dexter introduces Mike and Liz as old friends of Tracy's brother Junius, who is living in South America, Tracy realizes that Mike and Liz are reporters. She allows them to stay, however, and puts on an exaggerated performance of a society girl for them when Dexter tells her about Kidd. Tracy is angry at Dexter for coming back after two years, but her mother Margaret and sister Dinah are delighted at his presence, complicating Tracy's attempts to have a dignified wedding. Because Tracy is angry at her father for his affair and doesn't expect him at the wedding, she pretends that her uncle Willie is her father, hoping to make Mike and Liz think that everyone is happy. Though she at first has nothing but contempt for Mike, she gradually comes to admire him when she finds a book of poetry he has written at the local public library. Mike, too, comes to admire Tracy, whom he realizes is more than just a superficial society girl. Liz, who thinks that Tracy and Dexter are still in love, begins to get jealous when she realizes that Mike is starting to fall for Tracy. When Seth unexpectedly returns home and Margaret is happy to see him, Tracy chastises them. Seth then lectures her about her heartlessness, as does Dexter, who gives her a model of the yacht they used for their honeymoon, The True Love, as a wedding present. Confused and hurt over things that Seth and Dexter have said to her, Tracy becomes very drunk at her engagement party and starts kissing Mike after a middle-of-the-night swim at home. The next morning, a very hung over Tracy doesn't seem to remember what happened the night before, but as Dinah and the others start to remind her, she becomes even more confused. When Dexter and Kittredge arrive and Kittridge's pompous reaction to Tracy's seeming indiscretion the night before is revealed, Tracy realizes that she doesn't love him, and Kittridge leaves. The guests have gathered for the wedding, however, and the entire family is waiting for Tracy to do something. As the orchestra plays the strings of the wedding march, Dexter advises Tracy on what to say to the guests and, as he feeds her the lines, she tells them that they were cheated out of seeing her marry Dexter the first time, but they will be able to see her marry him this time. Now realizing that Dexter is proposing, Tracy happily accompanies him down the aisle. Harmony seems to be restored in the Lord household until a flashbulb pops and the bride and groom are surprised by a photographer and Kidd places their picture in the next issue of Spy.
When Harry Met Sally...(1989)
Cast:Billy Crystal, Meg Ryan, Carrie Fisher
Directors:Rob Reiner
Producer:Rob Reiner, Andrew Scheinman
Writer:Nora Ephron
Editor:Robert Leighton
Cinematographer:Barry Sonnenfeld
Genre:Romantic comedy
Production Company:Castle Rock Entertainment, Nelson Entertainment
In 1977, University of Chicago students Sally Albright and Harry Burns arrange to share a ride to New York City, where Sally plans to study journalism and Harry will attend law school. While Sally waits impatiently in her car, Harry and his girl friend, Amanda Reese, engage in a prolonged goodbye kiss. Harry finally gets into Sally’s car and begins to snack on grapes. He mistakenly assumes the window is rolled down, spits out a grape seed, and it hits the glass. Disgusted, Sally refuses his offer of a grape, explaining that she does not eat between meals. As they get to know each other, Harry reveals his dark outlook on life, and they disagree over the ending of the film Casablanca. Sally insists that Ingrid Bergman’s character made the right choice by leaving Casablanca at the end of the movie, asserting that all women prefer stability over romance. The two stop for dinner, and Harry is amused by Sally’s picky way of ordering food. He compliments her on her good looks, but she takes offense, reminding him that he is dating her friend, Amanda. Returning to the car, Sally suggests that she and Harry become friends. However, Harry does not believe men and women can be friends, as “the sex part always gets in the way.” Sally laments that Harry was the only person she would have known in New York, and shakes his hand when they part ways in the city. Five years later, Sally kisses her boyfriend, Joe, at the airport. Harry interrupts, recognizing Joe from law school, but he cannot place Sally. She and Harry board the same flight, and he finagles the seat beside her after finally remembering her from the University of Chicago. Harry guesses that Sally and her boyfriend, Joe, are at an early stage in their relationship, and claims he would never take a girl friend to the airport to avoid setting a precedent. Sally is surprised to hear that Harry is engaged to a lawyer named Helen Hillson, with whom he claims to be madly in love. When they land, Harry invites Sally to dinner, but she reminds him of his theory that men and women cannot be friends. Harry argues that a friendship would work since they are both involved with other people, but contradicts himself by predicting their significant others would become jealous. The two part ways. Five years later, Sally meets her friends Marie and Alice for lunch and announces that she and Joe have broken up. The women are impressed by how well Sally is handling the heartbreak, but when Marie suggests setting her up on a date, Sally refuses. Elsewhere, at a football stadium, Harry tells his friend, Jess, that his wife, Helen, just left him for another man. Harry runs into Sally at a bookstore, and the two commiserate over their breakups. Sally asks him to dinner, and he asks, “Are we becoming friends now?” Soon, Harry and Sally’s friendship blossoms, and they begin to rely on each other for emotional support. When discussing their dating lives, Harry reveals that he sleeps with women even if he dislikes them, and Sally is appalled. At a batting cage, Harry’s friend, Jess, asks if he is attracted to Sally and likes to spend time with her, and Harry says yes. Jess does not understand why Harry refuses to become romantically involved with Sally, but Harry claims the friendship is helping his personal growth. At a delicatessen, Sally criticizes Harry’s casual approach to sex. He responds that the women he sleeps with have a good time, implying that they achieve orgasms when they are with him. Sally counters that women fake orgasms all the time, and when he does not believe her, she pretends to have one at the table. Moaning, shouting, and pounding on the tabletop, Sally draws everyone’s attention and prompts an older female patron to order whatever Sally is having. On New Year’s Eve, Harry and Sally go to a party, and Harry vows that if they are still single next year, he will be her date again. At midnight, they watch other couples kiss and give each other an awkward peck on the lips. Later, Harry and Sally set each other up with Marie and Jess on a double blind date. However, Marie prefers Jess over Harry, and vice versa, and the two hop into a cab together after dinner, leaving Harry and Sally alone. Four months later, while shopping for a housewarming gift for Marie and Jess, Harry and Sally run into Harry’s ex-wife, Helen. Upset by the encounter, Harry takes out his anger on Marie and Jess as they bicker over a coffee table in their new apartment. Sally leads Harry outside and discourages him from expressing every emotion he feels whenever he feels it. Harry accuses Sally of burying her emotions and reminds her that she has not slept with anyone since her ex-boyfriend, Joe. Hurt by the accusations, Sally tells Harry he sleeps with too many women, and he quickly apologizes, offering her a hug. Sometime later, Sally calls Harry in tears, relaying the news that Joe is getting married. Harry rushes over to Sally’s apartment. She cries on his shoulder, and he gives her a friendly kiss. She kisses him back, and the two make love. Afterward, Sally nuzzles Harry, while he lies nervously in her bed. In the morning, she wakes up to find him getting dressed. Before hurrying out, Harry asks Sally to dinner that night. The two spend the day fretting over what happened, and Sally announces at dinner that they made a mistake sleeping together. Harry is relieved. Later, Harry tells Jess that he and Sally must have passed a point in their relationship when it became too late to have sex. Weeks pass, and Harry and Sally are reunited at Marie and Jess’s wedding. Harry attempts to apologize, telling Sally he did not plan to make love to her when he went to her apartment, but he did not know how else to comfort her. She shouts at him for suggesting that he took pity on her and slaps him. Over Christmas, Sally ignores Harry’s phone calls. One day, he sings a song on her answering machine and she picks up. Harry apologizes, but Sally refuses to be his “consolation prize” when he asks her to be his date for New Year’s Eve. Sally goes to the New Year’s Eve party with Marie and Jess, but she cannot face the idea of being alone at midnight and decides to leave the party early. Meanwhile, Harry walks around the city, ruminating over his relationship with Sally. He runs to the party and finds Sally on her way out. Harry tells Sally he loves her, but she assumes he is only saying it because he is lonely. Harry lists off the personality traits that have endeared him to Sally and tells her that he wants to spend the rest of his life with her. Sally shouts that she hates Harry, then kisses him. Sometime later, Harry and Sally discuss their wedding, which took place three months later, and recall the coconut wedding cake served with chocolate sauce on the side, per Sally’s instructions.
Adam's Rib(1949)
Cast:Spencer Tracy, Katharine Hepburn, Judy Holliday
Directors:George Cukor
Producer:Lawrence Weingarten
Writer:Ruth Gordon, Garson Kanin
Editor:George Boemler
Cinematographer:George J. Folsey
Genre:Comedy
Production Company:Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Corp.
Composer:Miklos Rozsa
Doris Attinger, a mother of three who is fed up with her husband Warren's philandering, arms herself with a gun, follows her husband to his mistress Beryl Caighn's Manhattan apartment and clumsily fires shots at the couple. Beryl manages to escape without injury in the shooting, but Warren is wounded. The following morning, attorney Amanda Bonner reads a sensational newspaper story about the details of the shooting to her husband Adam, an Assistant District Attorney, and an argument over who is at fault ensues. Adam, who is lovingly called Pinky by Amanda--he, in turn, calls her Pinkie--disagrees with the assertion that the woman was acting out of a desire to keep her family intact, and that society uses a double standard between the sexes in infidelity cases. Amanda and Adam are soon afforded the opportunity to argue their differing opinions in a courtroom when Adam is assigned to defend Warren, and Amanda decides to represent Beryl. Following the first day of a contentious jury selection process, Adam and Amanda return home and settle into their daily routine until Adam tries to persuade Amanda to bow out of the case. Amanda reacts angrily, but their quarrel is interrupted by the arrival of singer Kip Lurie. Kip, a friend of the Bonners, quickly sides with Amanda and leaves after singing a new song he wrote for her entitled "Farewell, Amanda." The trial gets off to an explosive start when Amanda tests her husband's patience, first by calling attention to every prejudicial remark he makes, and then by coaxing his client to admit that he struck his wife and stopped loving her because she got fat. Later, when Adam tells Amanda that he is ashamed of her, Amanda decides to fight her husband with even greater intensity. Amanda's presentation of the case for the defense includes testimony from a number of female witnesses who are called to the stand to prove Amanda's point that there are many accomplished women in society. When Amanda signals one of the women, a circus performer, to demonstrate her skills on Adam, she does a spectacular series of backflips across the courtroom and then lifts Adam off the floor and over her head. The trial comes to a close with a verdict in Doris's favor, and Adam appears crushed about the outcome. Adam's reaction troubles Amanda and prompts her to visit Kip seeking comfort and advice. Kip, however, takes advantage of Amanda's vulnerability and makes a pass at her. Adam, waiting on the street below, sees the silhouette of Kip and Amanda's loving embrace and bursts into Kip's apartment with a gun pointed at both of them. After forcing Amanda to admit that he, like Doris, is wrong to use a gun to try to prove his point, he points the barrel of the gun, which is made of candy, to his mouth and takes a bite out of it. Adam and Amanda soon reconcile, but when Adam tells Amanda that he will be running for the post of County Court Judge on the Republican ticket, Amanda asks if the Democrat opponent has been chosen yet.
Moonstruck(1987)
Cast:Cher, Nicolas Cage, Vincent Gardenia
Directors:Norman Jewison
Producer:Patrick Palmer, Norman Jewison
Writer:John Patrick Shanley
Editor:Lou Lombardo
Cinematographer:David Watkin
Genre:Romantic comedy
Production Company:Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Inc., Star Partners, Ltd.
Italian-American widow Loretta Castorini walks to her bookkeeping jobs in New York City. That evening, at Grand Ticino restaurant, businessman Johnny Cammareri nervously proposes to the thirty-seven-year-old Loretta, who insists he bend on one knee and present her with his pinky ring. However, she warns that her previous marriage was cursed with bad luck because there was no proper ceremony. Loretta then drives Johnny to the airport, where he is leaving to visit his dying mother in Sicily, Italy. While Loretta insists on setting a wedding date, Johnny is unsure when he will return, but they agree to wed in exactly one month. Before getting on his plane, Johnny gives Loretta the business card of his estranged brother, Ronny Cammareri, whom he wants to invite to the wedding. Returning to her family home in Brooklyn with a bottle of champagne, Loretta tells her father, Cosmo, about the engagement, but he warns that Loretta is unlucky in love. Although she insists her luck will change if she has a proper ceremony, Cosmo is suspicious of Johnny and refuses to support the marriage. When Cosmo awakens his wife, Rose, to tell her the news, she is relieved to learn that Loretta does not truly love her future husband. The following day, Cosmo’s aged father walks his five dogs to a local cemetery and regales his comrades with family woes, since Cosmo still refuses to pay for the wedding. One friend chimes in that there will be a full moon that evening, and the elder Castorini declares that the lunar event will provoke romance. In the morning, Johnny telephones Loretta from his mother’s deathbed in Sicily and reminds her to find Ronny. However, Loretta is more concerned about Johnny’s failure to announce the marriage to his mother. Still, she telephones Ronny at the family business, the Cammareri Bros. Bakery, but is unable elicit his sympathy. She walks to the bakery and finds Ronny in the cellar, stoking the oven fires. Seething with rage, Ronny reports that his brother, Johnny, robbed him of his life and reveals his prosthetic left hand. Five years ago, Ronny was also engaged, but Johnny distracted him with a bread order, and Ronny accidentally ran his hand through a slicer. In turn, his fiancée left him for another man. Although Loretta points out that Johnny was not at fault, Ronny fumes that his brother should not be entitled to the same joy of marriage that he was denied. However, he agrees to talk to Loretta in his apartment above the bakery. There, Loretta cooks him a steak and reveals that her deceased husband was hit by a bus. Loretta argues that Ronny is not a victim, but rather a wolf that felt trapped by his pending marriage five years ago; he mangled his hand intentionally, just as a wolf would chew off its own foot, to break free from a snare. Ronny counters that Loretta is losing her head by marrying Johnny out of convenience instead of love. He knocks over the kitchen table, kisses Loretta passionately, and carries her to his bed to make love. Meanwhile, Loretta’s philandering father, Cosmo, presents his mistress, Mona, with a gold bracelet. Sometime later, at the Castorini home, Loretta’s uncle, Raymond Cappomaggi, reminisces about a moonlight courtship he witnessed years ago, between Cosmo and his sister, Rose. However, Cosmo dismisses the conversation, and Rose senses her husband’s infidelity. In the morning, Loretta awakens in Ronny’s bed but insists on going through with her marriage to Johnny. When Ronny declares his love, she slaps his face, ordering him to “snap out of it.” Ronny promises to stay away from Loretta on condition she join him at the Metropolitan opera that evening. After confessing her sins in church, Loretta sees her mother praying. Rose reveals her belief that Cosmo is having an affair. On her way home, Loretta stops at a salon to have her grey hair dyed and her face made up. She then purchases an evening gown and red stiletto-heeled shoes. That night, at Lincoln Center, Loretta and Ronny watch La Bohème while Rose dines alone at Grand Ticino restaurant. There, a regular customer named Perry is humiliated when his date throws her drink in his face. Rose sparks a conversation with Perry, invites him to join her table, and declares that men chase women because they fear death. As Perry walks Rose home arm in arm, they run into Cosmo’s father, who does not acknowledge his daughter-in-law but assumes she is having an affair. Although Perry propositions Rose, she remains loyal to Cosmo. Back at the Met, Loretta catches her father with his mistress, Mona. Cosmo is equally distressed to see his daughter with a man other than her fiancé. After the opera, Ronny walks Loretta home and reflects that she is unwittingly attracted to his wolf-like qualities; a safe marriage to Johnny will kill her bold spirit. Realizing that Ronny has led her back to his apartment, Loretta insists on staying true to Johnny because the wedding will reverse her bad luck. In response, Ronny declares that love is not an ideal of perfection, but rather a purveyor of pain, heartbreak, and ruin. Unable to restrain her passion, Loretta reaches out for Ronny’s prosthetic hand. Meanwhile, Johnny returns to New York City and takes a taxicab to Loretta’s home. Discovering Loretta missing, Johnny tells Rose that his mother miraculously recovered. Rose is still pondering her husband’s affair and asks Johnny why men chase women? In response, he refers to the Bible; ever since God took a rib from Adam to create Eve, men have felt a void near their hearts, and long to recover the loss. When Rose demands to know why men need more than one woman, Johnny confirms her belief that men fear death. The next morning, Loretta saunters home to receive the alarming news of Johnny’s return. Ronny arrives at the Castorini brownstone unexpectedly, and insists on meeting Loretta’s family as they convene at the breakfast table for oatmeal. When Rose asks Cosmo to stop seeing his mistress, he hits the table in anger, but agrees. Soon after, Johnny comes to the house and is shocked to see his brother; he assumes Ronny is there to “make peace.” Johnny announces that his mother revived as soon as she learned about the pending marriage, but now he cannot go through with the wedding because he is suspicious that the ceremony will provoke his mother’s death. Loretta is furious about the broken promise and grudgingly returns Johnny’s pinky ring. Just then, Ronny proposes to Loretta. She demands the ring back from Johnny, and declares her love for Ronny. Champagne glasses are filled for a toast to “the family.”
Harold and Maude(1971)
Cast:Ruth Gordon, Bud Cort, Vivian Pickles
Directors:Hal Ashby
Producer:Mildred Lewis, Colin Higgins, Charles B. Mulvehill
Writer:Colin Higgins
Editor:William A. Sawyer, Edward Warschilka
Cinematographer:John Alonzo
Genre:Romantic comedy, Satire
Production Company:Paramount Pictures Corp., Mildred Lewis & Colin Higgins Productions, Inc.
After another in a series of mock suicides staged by 20-year-old Harold Chasen fails to gain the attention he craves from his wealthy, socialite mother, the sullen young man stages a bloody scene in her bathroom, finally driving her to send him to a psychiatrist. During a therapy session, Harold explains that he finds "fun" in attending funerals. Soon after, Harold buys a hearse and goes to a funeral for a stranger, where he spots another casual observer, the 79-year-old Maude. At home that night, Mrs. Chasen, outraged by Harold's "amateur theatrics," sends him to his uncle, Gen. Victor Ball, a one-armed veteran who urges him to join the military and then salutes a portrait of his hero, Nathan Hale, using his mechanically rigged sleeve. Days later, after Harold fails to shake his imperturbable mother by floating face down in her lap pool, Mrs. Chasen announces that Harold must assume "adult responsibilities" by marrying and arranges for a series of dates. During a funeral for another stranger, Maude offers Harold licorice and then suggests that the deceased, who was 80, died at the perfect age. As the mourners exit the church, the affable Maude introduces herself, tells Harold they will be "great friends" and then steals the minister's car. Later, while Mrs. Chasen recites the dating service survey question "Do you have ups and downs without obvious reason?" Harold fakes shooting himself in the head. At the end of the next funeral Harold attends, Maude steals his hearse for a joy ride, then turns the wheel over to him after he informs her that it is his vehicle. Harold then drives Maude to her home, a converted railroad car full of art and memorabilia. Later, at the psychiatrist's office, Harold admits that he might have one friend, Maude. During his first date with Candy Gulf at the Chasen home, Harold pretends to set himself on fire within sight of young woman, who flees the house in terror. On his next visit to Maude, he finds his friend modeling in the nude for ice sculptor Glaucus. After he agrees with her that the nudity is permissible, Maude shows Harold her paintings, sculpture and “olfactory machine,” demonstrating it with a scent called "Snow on 42nd Street." Entranced by Maude's creativity and her insistence on experiencing something new each day, Harold shares with her his favorite activities: watching building demolitions and picnicking at a metal junkyard. Later, at a nursery, Maude explains that she likes to watch things grow and picks a tall solitary sunflower as her favorite flower. After Harold, in turn, chooses a ground cover daisy, saying that all daisies are alike, Maude notes observable differences between them. She advises him that all humans are special; the problem lies in the fact that they allow themselves to be treated all the same. On another outing, Maude, in her zeal, drives over a curb to show Harold a tree being suffocated by the city's smog. When the car is ticketed by police officers, Harold and Maude steal a different vehicle and race through a stop sign, defying the awe-struck police. Later at her home, Maude reminisces metaphorically about her past as a political protestor and explains that now she attempts more idiosyncratic strategies toward change. After playing a song on her player piano for him, Maude gives Harold a banjo. Harold returns home to find his mother has replaced his hearse with a new Jaguar sports car, which he quickly transforms into a mini-hearse with the help of a blowtorch. Days later, when Harold and Maude rush through a tollbooth while delivering the smog-ridden tree to its new home, a motorcycle officer pulls them over. Maude speeds off during the officer's interrogation and drives around in circles until the motorcycle breaks down. Later, when the same officer pulls them over again and reads a list of offenses, Maude and Harold steal his motorcycle. The officer aims his gun at them, but finds his efforts foiled by his unloaded gun. After sharing a hashish pipe at Maude's home, Harold admits that he has not lived, but does enjoy dying and recounts his first "death:" After a school physics lab experiment blows a hole in floor, police mistakenly report to Mrs. Chasen that her son has died in the explosion. Seeing his mother faint and relishing her attention, Harold decides to continue dying. Maude enthusiastically coaches Harold to live in the present and begins to waltz with him. Days later, during a date with Edith Phern, Harold, who has placed a fake plastic arm in the sleeve of his jacket, takes out a meat cleaver and chops off his hand arm, sending Edith fleeing from the room. Learning that his determined mother plans to induct him into the military, Harold and Maude scheme to foil her. Asking Victor to take a walk, Harold endures a minutely detailed account of his uncle's war adventures during another military pep talk. Harold then excitedly enumerates ways to kill and finally reveals a shrunken head, asking if Victor keeps souvenirs. When Maude suddenly appears carrying a peace sign and grabs the head, Harold pretends to start a brawl with her and pushes the elderly woman down a hole in the stone landing. A shocked Victor is convinced Harold killed the protestor and stops talking about the young man's induction. At the close of the day, Harold tells Maude she is beautiful and holds her hand, revealing a number tattoo indicating that she is a Holocaust survivor. During a date with actress Sunshine Doré, Harold performs a mock hara-kiri, but instead of being shocked, the actress recites the suicide scene from "Romeo and Juliet," pretends to stab herself and falls to Harold's side. That night, as Harold gives Maude a gift with the inscription "Harold loves Maude," she throws it in the sea, explaining with a smile that she will always know where it is. After spending the night with Maude, an ebullient Harold announces to his mother that he is marrying her and shows Mrs. Chasen Maude's picture. Horrified by their age difference, Mrs. Chasen sends Harold to see Victor and the psychiatrist, who caution him against the marriage. Finally, Harold is sent to a priest, who suggests that the idea of Harold "commingling" his "firm" body with the elderly woman is perverse. On Maude's 80th birthday, Harold fills her room with paper sunflowers and plans to propose to her, but Maude announces that she has taken enough sleeping tablets to kill her by midnight and wishes him farewell. Harold screams in outrage and calls for an ambulance. On the way to the hospital, as he professes his love to her, Maude looks on approvingly and suggests that Harold "go love some more." A grief-stricken Harold races from the hospital after Maude dies. When his car careens over an ocean cliff, Harold, standing high above on the cliff's edge, plucks at his banjo and skips to the music, celebrating life as Maude would have wanted.
Sleepless in Seattle(1993)
Cast:Tom Hanks, Meg Ryan, Bill Pullman
Directors:Nora Ephron
Producer:Gary Foster, Lynda Obst, Patrick Crowley
Writer:Nora Ephron, David S. Ward, Jeff Arch, Jeff Arch
Editor:Robert Reitano
Cinematographer:Sven Nykvist
Genre:Romantic comedy
Production Company:TriStar Pictures
Recent widower Sam Baldwin decides he and his eight-year-old son, Jonah, need a change. They uproot from Chicago, Illinois, to a floating home on Lake Union in Seattle, Washington. On Christmas Eve, Jonah calls into the “You and Your Emotions” radio show hosted by Dr. Marcia Fieldstone, and tells her his Christmas wish: a new wife for his grieving father. Fieldstone urges the boy to put Sam on the phone. Meanwhile, in Baltimore, Maryland, Annie Reed listens to the show on her way to visit her fiancé Walter’s family, and is brought to tears when Sam reveals the deep love he had for his wife, and the magic he felt when first holding her hand. Learning that Sam suffers from insomnia, Fieldstone refers to him as “Sleepless in Seattle.” After the holiday, Annie returns to work at the Baltimore Sun. At a staff meeting, her co-worker, Becky, mentions that 2,000 women called in to Dr. Fieldstone’s radio show to get “Sleepless in Seattle’s” number. Annie admits she was also swept up by Sam’s story, and Becky suggests she write about it. On New Year’s Eve, Annie celebrates with Walter, who suggests a Valentine’s Day trip to New York City. Meanwhile, in Seattle, Sam puts Jonah to bed, then daydreams a conversation with his late wife, Maggie. He returns to work on a house he is designing, and is embarrassed to learn that his client, Claire, heard him on the “You and Your Emotions” show. Soon, Sam receives letters from many interested women, sent to him via Dr. Marcia Fieldstone. Jonah excitedly reads the letters, but Sam prefers to meet a woman on his own terms. In Baltimore, Annie barges in on her brother, Dennis, at his office, and admits to having fantasies about a stranger in Seattle. She is relieved when Dennis debunks the idea of fate, and confesses that he too had “cold feet” before his wedding. Later, Annie and Becky watch the 1957 film, An Affair to Remember, in which two lovers agree to meet at the top of the Empire State Building. Becky looks on as Annie writes a letter to Sam, then crumples it up and tosses it. Unable to shake her obsession, she hires a private detective to perform a background check and snap Sam’s photograph. Jonah receives Annie’s letter in the mail. Convinced she is the right woman for his father, he reads the letter aloud, noting that Annie’s favorite baseball player, Brooks Robinson, is also Sam’s favorite. Sam argues that Baltimore is too far away, and leaves for a dinner date with an interior designer named Victoria. Jonah interrupts the date by calling Sam to tell him that Annie wants to meet at the top of the Empire State Building on Valentine’s Day. Sam reprimands his son for interrupting him, and hangs up. Later, Sam introduces Victoria to Jonah, who vehemently dislikes her. The boy spies them kissing and calls into the “You and Your Emotions” show in a panic. Becky calls to alert Annie that Jonah is back on the show, rousing both Annie and Walter from a deep sleep. Annie sneaks downstairs and turns on the radio. Later, Jonah shares Annie’s letter with his girl friend, Jessica, who agrees that Annie is the perfect match for Sam. She encourages Jonah to write back, and they draft a letter together. Meanwhile, Annie tells Becky she wants to write a story about Sam, and Becky authorizes her to travel to Seattle for “research.” When Annie gets off the airplane, she happens to pass Sam and Jonah, who are at the airport to drop off Victoria. Sam notices Annie and stares at her as she passes. She arrives at Sam’s house just as he and Jonah paddle off in a boat. Annie follows them to a beach, but cannot muster the courage to approach them. The next day, she finds them at a marina, but stops short when she sees Sam and Jonah embracing Sam’s visiting sister, Suzy. Mistaking Suzy for Victoria, Annie is crestfallen. Sam notices her in the middle of the road and says “Hello.” Annie responds, but is nearly hit by a car. Back in Baltimore, she tells Becky about the encounter, telling her, “All I could say was ‘hello.’” Becky recalls the heroine in An Affair to Remember saying the same line, and tells Annie it must be a sign. Annie receives Jonah’s letter, in which the boy, posing as his father, agrees to meet her in New York. Becky confesses to sending Annie’s crumpled-up letter. However, having seen Sam embracing another woman, Annie no longer wants to pursue him. When Sam continues to refuse to go to New York, Jonah decides to go on his own. He enlists the help of Jessica, whose parents own a travel agency. She books him on a flight and they pool their money for taxi fare. Having recommitted herself to the idea of marrying Walter, Annie goes to meet him in New York. While registering for wedding gifts, Walter gives Annie his mother’s engagement ring. It is just what she would have picked, and she praises Walter’s predictability. On Valentine’s Day morning, Sam packs for a weekend getaway with Victoria. The babysitter arrives, but Jonah is nowhere to be found. Sam goes to Jessica’s house, and Jessica informs him that Jonah is on a flight to New York. The panicked Sam rushes to the airport and gets on the next flight to New York. That evening, Annie goes for drinks with Walter. Noticing the Empire State Building in clear view, she returns his mother’s ring, and tells him about Sam. Walter remains even-keeled and tells Annie that he never wants to be “settled for.” The Empire State Building windows light up red, forming a heart, and Annie decides it is a sign. She hails a taxi to the Empire State Building, where Jonah has spent the day looking for her, but gets caught in traffic. Sam finally catches up to Jonah on the observation deck, and is relieved to find him unharmed. Minutes later, Annie coaxes a security guard to let her up to the observation deck after closing, but finds it empty. She notices Jonah’s abandoned backpack, and rifles through it just as Sam and Jonah come back for it. Annie and Sam lock eyes. She introduces herself, and he takes her hand. Admiring each other in silence, Annie and Sam board the elevator with the contented Jonah. Finally, Annie tells Sam it is nice to meet him.
WESTERN
AFI defines “western” as a genre of films set in the American West that embodies the spirit, the struggle and the demise of the new frontier.
The Searchers(1956)
Cast:John Wayne, Jeffrey Hunter, Vera Miles
Directors:John Ford
Producer:Merian C. Cooper
Writer:Frank S. Nugent
Editor:Jack Murray
Cinematographer:Winton C. Hoch
Genre:Western
Production Company:C. V. Whitney Pictures, Inc.
Composer:Max Steiner
Martha Edwards opens the door of her cabin to the arid Texas landscape outside just as her brother-in-law, Ethan Edwards, approaches on horseback. Although it is 1868, Martha, her husband Aaron, their children Debbie, Lucy and Ben, and their adopted son, Martin Pawley, have not seen Ethan since he left them to fight for the Confederacy during the Civil War. Because Martin, an earnest but friendly young man, is part Cherokee, Ethan treats him coldly, even though it was he who rescued the lad when his parents were massacred in an Indian raid years earlier. Soon after Ethan's arrival, Rev. Samuel Johnson Clayton, a captain in the Texas Rangers as well as an old family friend, announces that the cattle of local rancher Lars Jorgensen have been stolen. Although Ethan is somewhat contemptuous of Sam, he joins Martin and a posse in pursuit of the thieves. When they find that the bulls have been killed with Comanche lances, Ethan declares that what the Indians really wanted was to lure the men away from home, thereby leaving their ranches open to attack. The men head back, but it is too late, for upon their arrival at the Edwards home, they discover that everyone has been brutally murdered except for Lucy and Debbie, who have been taken by the Comanche. The posse then sets out to find the girls. On finding a fresh Comanche grave, the men unearth the body but are shocked when Ethan shoots out its eyes. According to Comanche belief, Ethan explains, this will prevent the dead man's spirit from entering the spirit lands and force him to wander forever. The next day, the Comanche raiding party, led by Chief Scar, surrounds and attacks the posse, but the rangers drive them off. When Sam refuses to pursue the Comanche, explaining that they should be allowed to bury their dead in peace, Ethan explodes, and storms away from the men, intending to continue the search on his own. Both Martin, who endures Ethan's insults for the sake of his missing sisters, and young Brad Jorgensen, who loves Lucy, insist on joining him. One day, Brad returns from a scouting mission and joyfully announces that he has seen Lucy's blue dress at a nearby Indian encampment. Ethan reveals that he found Lucy's body and covered it, then angrily warns Brad never to ask him to reveal more. Wild with grief, Brad rides into the Indian camp and is shot to death while Ethan and Martin look on in horror. One year later, Ethan and Martin visit the Jorgensen ranch, and Ethan admits to Lars that they have lost the war party's trail. Lars replies that a Texas merchant named Futterman claims to have knowledge of Debbie's whereabouts. Meanwhile, Martin confides in Lars's daughter Laurie, who is in love with the young man, his fears that Ethan may kill Debbie because of her long association with the Comanche. To Laurie's dismay, Martin then leaves to follow Ethan, who has departed without a word. The two give Futterman money in exchange for the news that Debbie is held captive by Scar. That night, Futterman tries to shoot Martin and Ethan, but Ethan kills him and his henchmen, then retrieves his money. Time passes, and Laurie, who is now being courted by the bumbling Charlie McCorry, receives her only letter from Martin. In it, he confesses that he inadvertently "bought" a squaw he named Look, who trembled when he asked her about Scar, but left him an arrow fashioned of rocks before leaving him during the night. Later, Martin and Ethan discover that Look joined the Comanche but was killed when the band was raided by the U.S. Cavalry. Ethan and Martin examine the prisoners taken during the raid, but do not find Debbie among the several white women found living with the Indians. His voice tinged with loathing, Ethan watches the women and remarks, "They ain't white anymore. They're Comanche." In a New Mexico cantina, the two searchers meet Mose Harper, a dull-witted but loyal old friend who, in exchange for the promise of a comfortable rocking chair, introduces them to Mexican Emilio Figueroa, who claims to know Scar. Emilio takes them to Scar's village, where they finally meet their elusive enemy, who explains that because his two sons were killed by white men, he has taken many white scalps in revenge. One of his wives, a young white woman, then displays some of the scalps on a pole. Later that day, Ethan and Martin are visited by the woman, who, although admitting she is Debbie, begs them to leave and states that the Comanche are now her people. Disgusted that Debbie has been "living with a buck," Ethan aims his gun at her, but Martin steps between them. At that moment, Scar attacks, and while Debbie runs back to the Indians, Ethan and Martin escape. Ethan eventually recovers from a gunshot wound received during the encounter, and the two return to the Jorgensen ranch, just as Laurie and Charlie are about to exchange marriage vows. Laurie is thrilled at the return of the man she really loves, but Charlie is angry and challenges Martin to a fight. The altercation ends amicably, and Charlie calls off the wedding. Clayton, who was planning to marry the couple, assumes his role as the local lawman and arrests Martin and Ethan for the apparent murder of Futterman. Just then, cavalry lieutenant Greenhill arrives with orders from Col. Greenhill, the flustered young officer's father. The rangers are to join the colonel in the field for a "joint punitive action" against the Comanche. Greenhill brings in Mose, who has been held captive by Scar. Injured and shaken, Mose reveals Scar's location, whereupon the men immediately prepare for a surprise attack. Worried that Debbie will be killed in the coming battle, Martin sneaks into Scar's camp to rescue her, even after Ethan reveals that one of the scalps on Scar's pole belonged to Martin's mother. When Martin enters Debbie's tent, she screams but admits that she wants to leave. When Scar appears, Martin shoots him, and Sam and the rangers attack the camp. Ethan finds Scar's lifeless body and scalps it, after which he begins to chase the frantic Debbie. As the battle rages around them, Martin tries to stop Ethan, but Ethan catches Debbie and, instead of killing her, suddenly lifts her into the air, tenderly cradles her in his arms and says, "Let's go home, Debbie." Sam and his rangers win the battle, after which everyone returns home. Ethan delivers Debbie to Mrs. Jorgensen's tearful embrace, and Laurie joyfully greets Martin, while Mose, looking on from his rocking chair, smiles. Ethan surveys the scene from the door of the house, turns around and slowly walks away.
High Noon(1952)
Cast:Gary Cooper, Thomas Mitchell, Lloyd Bridges
Directors:Fred Zinnemann
Writer:Carl Foreman
Editor:Harry Gerstad, Elmo Williams
Cinematographer:Floyd Crosby
Genre:Western
Production Company:Stanley Kramer Productions, Inc.
Composer:Dimitri Tiomkin
At 10:30 on a quiet morning in 1870, three outlaws ride into the western town of Hadleyville just as its marshal, Will Kane, is being married to a pretty Quaker named Amy Fowler. To please Amy, Will resigns his post immediately after the ceremony, but he is troubled because the new marshal has not arrived to take his place. Suddenly the station master rushes in with the terrible news that Frank Miller, a wild outlaw whom Will had arrested for murder five years earlier, recently received a pardon and is due to arrive in Hadleyville on the noon train. The three outlaws, Jack Colby, Ben Miller and James Pierce, have ridden to the station and are awaiting Miller's arrival. Alarmed, the wedding guests urge Will and Amy to leave town immediately, but after only a few moments on the road, Will turns the wagon around and heads back. "I expect he'll come looking for me," Will replies when Amy asks for an explanation. Will's young wife begs him to leave with her, and when he protests that he has never run from anyone, she threatens to leave on the train whether or not he accompanies her. Will hurriedly begins to make plans for the town's defense, and is surprised when Judge Percy Mettrick, who had sentenced Miller to be hanged, packs his belongings and flees. Will is relieved to see Harvey Pell, his deputy, still in town, but Harvey, angry that an outsider was hired to replace the retiring marshal, agrees to stay only if Will promises to support his bid for the post. Will refuses, whereupon Harvey removes his guns and walks out. Will visits his old flame, businesswoman Helen Ramirez, who had formerly been Miller's mistress. Will warns Helen about Frank, and she admits that she has sold her store and plans to depart on the noon train. In the saloon, men who enjoyed the rowdy times when Frank and his henchmen controlled the town celebrate his imminent return and refuse Will's request for help. Will then visits the home of his friend, Sam Fuller, but as Sam listens from the next room, his wife tells Will that he is not at home. Next, Will interrupts the church service to ask for deputies. Although several of the townspeople proclaim that it is Will who has made their town safe and decent, many of them also argue that Miller's impending arrival is not their problem. Finally, Mayor Jonas Henderson declares that a gunfight would hurt the town's image and that Will should have left when he had the chance. Stunned, Will leaves the church and asks his mentor, Martin Howe, for help. Howe, once the marshal himself, has become cynical, however, and after Will exits his home, he mumbles, "It's all for nothing, Will." Harvey, now drunk, tries to force Will to leave town, but Will refuses, and the two men fight until the marshal knocks his former deputy unconscious. As noon approaches, Amy visits Helen, who assures her that there is no longer anything between herself and Will. She also reproaches the young wife for not defending her husband, but softens after Amy reveals that both her father and brother were killed in a gunfight. In Will's office, the only citizen who had willingly pinned on a deputy's badge now backs out and goes home, leaving the marshal utterly alone. Will writes his last will and testament, then enters the deserted street as Amy and Helen drive a wagon toward the train station. The train arrives, and as Miller disembarks, the two women get on board. Miller straps on his gun, and the four outlaws walk toward the center of town, where Will awaits them. When one of the outlaws breaks a window, Will is able to duck inside a building and shoot him. Hearing the shot, Amy gets off the train and runs back to town. Will kills another of his attackers and takes cover in the livery stable, which the two remaining outlaws set on fire. As the frightened horses charge out, Will leaps on one and makes his escape, but falls after being shot in the arm. Amy shoots one of the gunmen in the back before he can shoot Will, but is captured by Miller, who uses her as a hostage. In response to Miller's threats, Will faces him in the street, but Amy pushes the outlaw, giving Will the chance to shoot him dead. Amy and Will embrace, and the townspeople rush into the street. Disgusted by the cowardice of his former friends, Will tosses his tin star in the dirt at their feet, then leaves with Amy.
Shane(1953)
Cast:Alan Ladd, Jean Arthur, Van Heflin
Directors:George Stevens
Producer:George Stevens
Writer:A. B. Guthrie Jr.
Editor:William Hornbeck, Tom McAdoo
Cinematographer:Loyal Griggs
Genre:Western
Production Company:Paramount Pictures Corp.
Composer:Victor Young
While playing on his Wyoming homestead, young Joey Starrett spies a lone rider approaching his house, then listens with great curiosity as Shane, the buckskin clad stranger, reveals to his father Joe that he is heading north, toward home. When Joey cocks the rifle he has been toting, Shane, startled by the noise, draws his gun with the speed of a gunslinger. Joe is disturbed by Shane’s behavior and, as a group of men ride up, sends him on his way. The men’s leader, grizzled cattle baron Rufe Ryker, accuses Joe of squatting on his grazing land and demands that he give up his homestead. When Joe refuses, Ryker’s men start to intimidate him until Shane suddenly reappears at Joe’s side. The men depart, and Joe’s wife Marian, who has observed everything from inside the house, urges Joe to invite Shane to dinner. Joey is thrilled to have Shane spend the evening with them, and at the end of the meal, Shane, reticent to talk about his past, goes outside to chop wood for the family. Joe joins in and the next day, the two men team up to pull a stubborn tree stump out of the ground. Later, Joey tells Shane that his parents want him to stay and innocently lets on that his father is concerned about Ryker’s threats. Shane, who has put away his gun, agrees to remain and heads to town to buy work clothes. Soon after, homesteader Ernie Wright arrives at the Starretts’ to announce that Ryker’s men have destroyed his wheat field and, consequently, he and his family are moving away. Joe begs Ernie to stay and calls for a meeting of the homestead men that night. Meanwhile, in town, Shane purchases clothes at Sam Grafton’s general store, then orders a soda pop in the adjoining saloon. There, Chris Calloway, one of Grafton’s men, calls Shane a “sodbuster” and tosses a glass of whiskey on his new shirt. Shane does not react to Calloway’s provocations, however, and walks out. That night, during the meeting, Joey overhears homesteader Fred Lewis, who witnessed the saloon exchange, declare that Shane did not stand up to Calloway. Marian reassures Joey that Shane is not a coward, but counsels him not to become too attached to him. Later, having decided to stick together as a group, the homesteaders and their families go to town to shop for the next day’s Fourth of July celebration. At Grafton’s, Calloway again confronts Shane in the saloon, but this time, Shane throws two drinks on Calloway and slugs him. After a grueling fistfight, Shane finally knocks out Calloway and is offered a job by Ryker. When Shane declines, Ryker accuses him of lusting after Marian, and despite pleas from Joey, Shane single-handedly takes on all of Ryker’s men. Joe aids Shane in the fracas, until Grafton, fed up with the destruction, demands a halt. As the homesteaders depart, Ryker vows to fight on and sends for notorious Cheyenne gunslinger Jack Wilson. Back at home, Joey gushes to Marian about his love for Shane, while Marian wrestles with her growing romantic feelings for the loner. The next day, after Joey admits to Shane that he sneaked a peek at his gun, Shane gives the boy some pointers on how to shoot and demonstrates his skill as a marksman. Though impressed, Marian expresses her disapproval of guns and asks Shane not to encourage Joey’s interest. Ernie, meanwhile, complains to neighbor Stonewall Torrey that because Ryker’s men killed his sow and ruined his fields, he is giving up. Angry, Stonewall, whose courage has been questioned by some of the homesteaders, goes to town and, in the saloon, criticizes Ryker for running Ernie off his land. Later, at the Fourth of July party, Joe and Marian also celebrate their tenth wedding anniversary, and Marian shares a dance with Shane. When Stonewall arrives and announces that Ryker has hired a gunfighter, Shane guesses he is Wilson. Back at their house, the Starretts and Shane are met by Wilson, Ryker’s brother Morgan and Ryker, who in an attempt to appear reasonable, offers to sell Joe his land. Joe angrily rejects the idea, pointing out that the government already recognizes the homesteaders’ claims. In turn, Ryker complains that because he fought the Indians and slaved to make the land livable, he is entitled to own it, without fences. Ryker and Wilson depart peacefully, but in town, Ryker instructs Wilson to do whatever is necessary to defeat Joe. To that end, Wilson provokes a confrontation with Stonewall, then shoots him down when he makes a half-hearted move for his gun. With the nearest lawman a three-day ride away, Wilson’s claim of self-defense goes unchallenged. At Stonewall’s funeral, the Lewis family announce that they, too, are leaving their homestead, but Joe and Shane beseech their other neighbors to keep fighting. Just then, a fire is spotted at the Lewis place, and Ryker’s blatant sabotage strengthens Joe’s resolve to stop Ryker at any cost. That night, Ryker sends for Joe, while Joe prepares to challenge Ryker at gunpoint, ignoring Marian’s tearful pleas not to risk his life. Shane, who has been warned about Ryker’s plans by a reformed Calloway, dons his buckskins and straps on his gun, then fights Joe to keep him from leaving. When Shane hits Joe in the head with his gun butt, a terrified Joey screams hatefully at him, but Marian is relieved. Joe is knocked out, and aware that she will not see Shane again, Marian says a grateful goodbye. Joey trails Shane to the saloon and sees him goad Wilson into drawing his gun. Shane shoots Wilson dead, then shoots Ryker when he draws, and with Joey’s help, outdraws Morgan. Later, Joey apologizes for his angry words and begs Shane to return to the homestead. Gently declining, Shane tries to explain to the boy that he cannot change the man he is at heart and does not belong there. As Shane mounts his horse and rides off, Joey, devastated and confused, cries after him to "come back."
Unforgiven(1992)
Cast:Clint Eastwood, Gene Hackman, Morgan Freeman
Directors:Clint Eastwood
Producer:Clint Eastwood, David Valdes
Writer:David Webb Peoples
Editor:Joel Cox
Cinematographer:Jack N. Green
Genre:Western
Production Company:The Malpaso Company
Composer:Lennie Niehaus
In 1880, at Greely’s whorehouse in Big Whiskey, Wyoming, a drunken cowboy named “Quick Mike” orders his friend, Davey Bunting, to hold down prostitute Delilah Fitzgerald while he slashes her face in retaliation for laughing at his small penis. Greely’s proprietor “Skinny” Dubois stops Mike at gunpoint. Complaining that Delilah is now “damaged property,” Skinny tells the sheriff, “Little Bill” Daggett, that he wants compensation for lost revenue. Seasoned prostitute “Strawberry Alice” argues that Mike and Davey should be hanged, but Little Bill forgoes hanging or whipping. Instead, he orders them to repay Skinny seven ponies. Scheming revenge, Strawberry Alice rallies the prostitutes to pool their savings. Sometime later, on his small farm in Kansas, widower William Munny enlists the help of his children, Will and Penny, in corraling sick pigs. A cocksure young man calling himself the “Schofield Kid,” after his Schofield revolver, arrives in search of the “cold-blooded assassin,” William Munny, he heard about from his Uncle Pete. The Kid wants to team with Munny to collect a $1,000 reward on the heads of Quick Mike and Davey. Munny claims he is no longer a killer since his late wife, Claudia Feathers, cured him of his drinking problem and showed him the error of his ways. The Kid is riding due west to the Western Trail in case Munny changes his mind. Returning to work on his ailing farm, Munny has a change of heart. He tells his son, Will, to take care of the younger Penny, and promises to be back in two weeks. He has a hard time mounting his horse, not having ridden in some time, and explains to the children that the recalcitrant horse and sick pigs are his comeuppance for past sins. On his way to meet the Kid, Munny stops by the home of his old partner, Ned Logan, and offers to split the reward three ways if Ned wants to join in. Although Ned has also changed his ways, and his Native American wife Sally Two Trees does not approve, he is lured by the money. Meanwhile, hoping to collect the $1,000 reward, British assassin “English Bob” arrives in Big Whiskey, accompanied by his biographer, W. W. Beauchamp. Getting word that his old rival English Bob is in town, Little Bill seeks him out and demands he relinquish his weapons. English Bob tries to conceal his .32 pistol, but Little Bill finds it and brutally beats him, shouting that there is no “whore’s gold” to be won. Little Bill takes English Bob to jail, where the sheriff regales W. W. Beauchamp, the biographer, with his own gun-fighting stories. When Munny and Ned Logan catch up with the Kid, they quickly realize the boy is shortsighted, and can only see within fifty yards. That night, Munny and Ned complain of their discomfort when they make camp. The Kid boasts that he has killed five people, and asks Munny about a notorious shootout in Jackson County, in which he was rumored to have killed two deputies who had him cornered at close range. Munny, however, claims to not recollect the incident. A rainstorm hits, and the three mount their horses and ride on. Munny refuses Ned’s offer of liquor to stay warm. The next day, as they enter Big Whiskey, they see a bruised English Bob being driven out of town in a carriage. At the jail, Little Bill gets word that three men have come into town, and at least two of them are armed. He goes to Greely’s whorehouse and finds Munny, soaked through and feverish, in the saloon. While the Kid and Ned are upstairs receiving an “advance” on their reward, Little Bill demands Munny’s firearm and beats him when he lies about having one. Munny is kicked out in the rain, just as the prostitutes push the Kid and Ned out an upstairs window. The three take cover in a shack, where Ned stitches a gash in Munny’s face. The next day, the prostitutes bring supplies. Still suffering a high fever, Munny believes he is dying and begs Ned not to tell his children about his checkered past. When his fever finally breaks, he wakes up to find Delilah Fitzgerald tending to him. He sees the scars on her face and remarks that he must look like her now, but assures her he does not think she is ugly. Delilah offers him sex, informing him that Ned and the Kid have been sleeping with the women in advance of their reward, but Munny cannot be unfaithful to his wife. Unaware that he is a widower, Delilah commends his loyalty. Munny joins Ned Logan and the Kid as they set out to find Quick Mike and Davey Bunting. They locate Davey with a group of cowboys branding a calf. Ned shoots Davey’s horse, and the horse pins him. Ned aims at Davey but cannot bring himself to shoot. Munny takes over and, with only one bullet left, shoots Davey in the gut. Afterward, Ned announces he is going home. Munny discourages him from quitting, but promises to share the reward with him regardless. A group of local cowboys catch Ned on his way back to Kansas and bring him to Little Bill, who brutally whips him and demands the names of his accomplices. Munny and the Kid stake out the Bar T ranch where Quick Mike is in hiding. Finally, Quick Mike has to use the outhouse, giving the Kid an opportunity to ambush him. He shoots Mike in the chest three times, and a group of Bar T ranchers shoot at Munny and the Kid as they flee. At a designated meeting spot, the assassins wait for their reward. Shaken, the Kid swigs alcohol and admits he never killed before. When he starts to cry, Munny empathizes, saying, “It’s a hell of a thing killing a man.” Teenage prostitute “Young Sue” delivers the reward money and reports that Ned died while Little Bill was torturing and interrogating him. Learning that Ned’s body is on display outside Greely’s, Munny becomes enraged. He demands the Kid’s Schofield revolver, and the Kid willingly hands it over, vowing never to kill again. Munny entrusts the Kid to deliver his portion of the reward money to his children, and to deliver Ned’s portion to his wife, Sally Two Trees, if Munny does not return within a week. At Greely’s, Munny interrupts Little Bill as he organizes a search party. Wielding a rifle, Munny demands to speak to the owner. Skinny Dubois identifies himself, and Munny shoots him point blank. Next, he aims at Little Bill, who chuckles when the rifle misfires. As the sheriff draws his gun, Munny tosses the rifle and draws the Schofield. He shoots Little Bill and three more men, then warns the rest to flee unless they want to die. Munny pours himself a drink. Riveted by what he just witnessed, W. W. Beauchamp asks Munny about his strategy. Munny claims he has always been “lucky in killing folks,” then threatens Beauchamp to leave him alone. Little Bill stirs, and tries to draw his gun, but Munny shoots him point blank. As he walks out of Greely’s, Munny threatens anyone who tries to shoot. One man points his gun but is too cowardly to pull the trigger. Munny mounts his horse and shouts that the people of Big Whiskey better give Ned Logan a proper burial and stop mistreating prostitutes, or he will come back to kill everyone. Some years later, Claudia Feathers’s mother, who never approved of her son-in-law, visits her daughter’s grave in Kansas, but Munny is long gone. It is rumored he went to San Francisco, California, where he prospered in dry goods.
Red River(1948)
Cast:John Wayne, Montgomery Clift, Joanne Dru
Directors:Howard Hawks
Producer:Charles K. Feldman, Howard Hawks
Writer:Borden Chase, Charles Schnee
Editor:Christian Nyby
Cinematographer:Russell Harlan
Genre:Western
Production Company:Monterey Productions, Inc.
Composer:Dimitri Tiomkin
In 1851, Thomas Dunson and his friend, Groot Nadine, leave St. Louis and join a wagon train headed for California. When they reach the northern border of Texas, they decide to remain there and establish a cattle ranch. Fen, Tom's sweetheart, wants to stay with him, but he tells her that he will send for her later and gives her his mother's bracelet. Soon after Tom and Groot take their wagon and bull and head south to the Red River, they look back and see that the wagon train has been attacked and burned by Comanche Indians. That night, several Indians attack Tom and Groot's camp, and Tom is horrified to discover the bracelet he gave to Fen on the wrist of an Indian he killed in the struggle. The next day as Tom and Groot break camp, a young boy, Matthew Garth, who has escaped the wagon train massacre, wanders toward them with his cow. Tom and Groot take the dazed boy with them, cross the Red River and head farther south until, near the Rio Grande, Tom finds an area he likes. The land legally belongs, by land grant, to a Mexican, but after Tom kills one of the owner's gunmen and drives off another, he claims it for himself. Tom's bull and Matt's cow then become the beginning of a great herd sporting the Red River-D brand. Fifteen years later, the ranch boasts thousands of cattle, but Tom faces ruin unless he can move them from the impoverished, post-Civil War market. He decides to take ten thousand head a thousand miles to Missouri, where the railroads serve the North and East, and Matt, now grown to manhood and like a son to Tom, helps to plan the drive. Tom also agrees to take several head belonging to a neighboring rancher, and one of the neighbor's ranch hands, Cherry Valance, joins the drive. Both Cherry and Matt are expert gunmen and enjoy a friendly, if intense, rivalry. After a few days on the trail, the men reach the Brazos. Hills and rocks impede their progress and the cowboys become tired and unhappy. One night, when the cattle are restless, cowboy Bunk Kenneally, takes some sugar from Groot's chuckwagon and accidentally knocks over pots and pans, spooking the cattle and causing a stampede. Cowboy Dan Latimer is killed in the stampede, and although Bunk admits his mistake, he refuses to allow Tom to whip him and draws his gun. However, Matt shoots Bunk before he can shoot Tom. Forty days into the drive, the men are forced to endure heavy rains and short rations, as a grub wagon was lost in the stampede. Tom becomes very demanding and faces dissension among the cowboys. Some days later, a wounded wrangler from another drive rides into camp and explains that his group was attacked by a large gang of outlaws after they crossed the Red River. He also tells them about a trail blazed by an Indian trader, Jesse Chisholm, to a railroad terminus in Abilene, Kansas. When three of Tom's men state that they should be heading to Abilene instead of Missouri and threaten to quit, Tom kills them. More men desert with supplies and Tom sends Cherry after them. When the herd reaches the Red River, Tom decides to cross immediately despite the men's exhaustion. That night, Groot suggests to Tom, who has not been sleeping and has started drinking, that he tell the men that they did well, but he refuses. The next day, when Cherry returns with two of the deserters, Tom says he is going to hang them but Matt intervenes. As Tom goes to draw his gun on Matt, Cherry shoots him in the hand. Matt then assumes command of the drive, and they head to Abilene, leaving Tom behind. Tom swears that one day he will catch up with Matt and kill him. On the drive, Matt and the others encounter a wagon train being attacked by Apache Indians whom they help to drive off. Matt meets Tess Millay, one of the wagon train's settlers, and before he resumes the drive, they have fallen in love. Tom and some new men he has hired to pursue the train catch up with it, and when Tess tells Tom that she had wanted to go with Matt, Tom remembers leaving Fen. Tess then tries to persuade Tom not to kill his "son," and Tom offers her half of everything he owns if she will bear him a son. Tess agrees on condition he abandons his mission to kill Matt, but Tom declines. On 14 Aug 1865, Matt's team reaches Abilene and becomes the first cattle drive to cross over the Chisholm Trail. They receive a great welcome from the townspeople, and Melville, a representative of an Illinois trading company, makes Matt a very good offer for the herd and gives him a check payable to Tom. That night, Matt finds Tess waiting for him at his hotel. She warns him that Tom will be coming into town just after dawn to kill him. The next day, as Matt prepares to face Tom, Cherry challenges Tom, who shoots him but is injured by his return fire. Matt refuses to draw his gun against Tom, but when Tom attacks him with his fists, Matt fights back. Their brawl is interrupted by Tess, who fires a gun and angrily reminds them that they both love each other. After Tom tells Matt that he should marry Tess, he and Matt are finally reconciled. Tom then tells Matt that, as he had promised years before, he will create a new branding iron to include Matt's name, as he has earned it.
The Wild Bunch(1969)
Cast:William Holden, Ernest Borgnine, Robert Ryan [1909-1973]
Directors:Sam Peckinpah
Producer:Phil Feldman
Writer:Walon Green, Sam Peckinpah, Walon Green, Roy N. Sickner
Editor:Louis Lombardo
Cinematographer:Lucien Ballard
Genre:Western
Production Company:Phil Feldman Productions, Inc., Warner Bros.--Seven Arts, Inc.
Composer:Jerry Fielding
By 1913, the outlaw gangs of the Old West are rapidly disappearing. Under the leadership of aging Pike Bishop, one such gang rides into San Rafael, Texas, to rob the local railway office. Though dressed in U.S. Cavalry uniforms, Bishop and his men--Dutch Engstrom, brothers Lyle and Tector Gorch, and a young Mexican, Angel--are ambushed by bounty hunters led by ex-convict Deke Thornton, a former member of Bishop's gang who must pursue his old friend or return to prison. When a group of temperance marchers are caught in the crossfire, the ambush turns into a massacre that ends when Bishop's men escape into Mexico and the bounty hunters stop to loot the corpses. At a rendezvous in Mexico with Sykes, an old, broken-down gunslinger, the gang discovers that the stolen railway bags contain iron washers instead of money. Accepting their bad luck, they ride to Angel's home village, where they learn that the bandit general Mapache, a sadistic opponent of Pancho Villa, has killed Angel's father and ridden off with the youth's sweetheart, Teresa. Though Angel kills Teresa in public when he finds her with the general, Bishop intervenes on behalf of the boy and makes a deal with Mapache whereby Bishop's gang will rob an army munitions train and sell its load of rifles to the bandits for $10,000. In spite of the presence of Thornton's bounty hunters on the train, Bishop's gang hijacks the vehicle and escapes with the army rifles. Angel, who has given a carton of munitions to the people of his village, is seized and held prisoner by the bandits. Because loyalty to one another is all that remains, the "wild bunch" demands Angel's release; but when the demand is made during a drunken celebration, Mapache slashes the boy's throat. Bishop kills the bandit chief in retaliation, thereby setting off a slaughter in which the entire gang, as well as hundreds of Mexicans, are killed. Thornton and his bounty hunters arrive to collect the bodies of the ransomed outlaws; but when all except Thornton ride out of town, they are shot down by Sykes and the peasants from Angel's village. As the Mexicans tie the sacks of gold to their horses, Sykes and the weary Thornton decide to become a team.
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid(1969)
Cast:Paul Newman, Robert Redford, Katharine Ross
Directors:George Roy Hill
Producer:John Foreman, Paul Newman, Paul Monash
Writer:William Goldman
Editor:John C. Howard, Richard C. Meyer
Cinematographer:Conrad Hall
Genre:Comedy-drama, Western
Production Company:Campanile Productions, Inc.
Composer:Burt Bacharach
Dismayed by the extreme measures to prevent robberies taken by a small-town western bank, notorious bank robber Butch Cassidy wanders over to a saloon to meet his partner, The Sundance Kid, who is in the middle of a card game. One of the players, Macon, unaware of Sundance’s identity, accuses the outlaw of cheating and, refusing to surrender his money, prepares to fight it out. When Butch attempts to intervene, Macon orders him away until he learns Sundance’s identity after which he meekly withdraws his accusation. On the long ride back to their hideout, the Hole in the Wall in Wyoming, Butch tries to convince Sundance that they should go to Bolivia, which abounds in gold. Arriving at the hideout, Butch is surprised to find gang members Harvey Logan, News Carver and Flat Nose Curry preparing to rob the Union Pacific Overland Flyer train. Butch vetoes their plan, declaring that banks are much more reliable. Harvey then informs Butch that because Butch has spent so much time away, Harvey has taken over leadership of the gang and made the decision to rob the Flyer. Butch insists he remains the gang’s leader, leading Harvey to challenge him to a fight, which Butch quickly wins by distracting his opponent. Afterward, Butch decides that the plan to rob the train on both of its scheduled trips through the area is sound. The gang stops the Flyer, whose engineers are excited at being robbed by Butch, but the theft is almost thwarted by the dedicated efforts of a young clerk, Woodcock, who refuses to open the train car containing the bank safe. News then dynamites the door and, while the others retrieve the money, Butch revives the stunned Woodcock. A few nights later in a nearby town, Butch and Sundance sit on a bordello balcony and watch with amusement as down on the street the town marshal struggles to incite the townspeople into forming a posse to go after the Hole in the Wall gang. Butch then envisions he and Sundance joining the army and becoming officers, and confides that his real name is Robert LeRoy Parker. Sundance reveals his real name is Harry Longabaugh and as the men toast each other, the townspeople lose interest in the marshal's exhortations when a salesman demonstrates a new invention, the bicycle. When Butch turns his attentions to one of the bordello girls, Sundance rides off. One evening some days later, schoolteacher Etta Place arrives at her small house and is startled to find Sundance waiting for her in the dark. While Sundance points his gun at her, Etta disrobes and lets her hair down, then as he embraces her, she chastises him for being late. A few days later, Etta awakens to the strange sight of Butch riding around the house on a bicycle. Delighted, Etta takes a ride with Butch who performs tricks on the bicycle before being run off by a bull. On the way back to the house, Etta asks Butch if he has come to enlist Sundance in another robbery. Butch admits that he cannot understand why, despite working hard all his life, he has always been broke. Later, Butch, Sundance and the gang make another strike on the Flyer and Butch is delighted to discover the committed Woodcock back on the job. After tricking the young clerk into opening the car door, Butch discovers that Woodcock has firmly secured the safe. Using several sticks of dynamite, Butch blows up the entire train car and as the men laughingly retrieve the flyaway money, a train engine pulling a single car comes up behind the Flyer. Alarmed, Butch and the others watch as several horses and riders leap from the train car and start after them. Butch and Sundance immediately flee, but two of the gang members scrambling to get away are shot down. When Butch and Sundance split off from the surviving two gang members, they are frustrated that all the pursuers come after them. Butch and Sundance ride hard through the day into the evening, returning to the friendly bordello, but their efforts to throw off the pursuers fail, forcing them to escape into the night. To their dismay, their hunters follow using torches. Impressed and incredulous at the group’s tenacity in tracking over various terrains throughout the next day, Butch repeatedly wonders about the men’s identities. In a far-flung town, Butch and Sundance stop at the office of old friend Sheriff Ray Bledsoe, who angrily informs them that their presence might compromise his position. When Butch asks Bledsoe to vouch for them so they can enlist in the army, the old sheriff roughly tells them that they are doomed to meet a bloody end. Butch and Sundance resume their flight and during brief rest stops observe their single-minded pursuers. Sundance believes one of them may be a famous full-blooded Indian tracker from Oklahoma named Lord Baltimore. Although Butch is skeptical, after studying the men, he wonders if their leader is the famous lawman LaForce, known for his trademark white skimmer hat. Increasingly apprehensive, Butch and Sundance continue their evasions, riding high into a steep mountain range, where they let their remaining horse go and proceed on foot only to find themselves on a cliff overlooking a river. Realizing that half of the trackers are behind them, and the others have taken up positions on the cliff across the river, Butch determines they can fight or surrender. Sundance refuses to capitulate, but when Butch abruptly suggests they jump into the river, he staunchly refuses, finally admitting that he cannot swim. Butch assures Sundance the fall will likely kill them and, as their pursuers watch helplessly, the duo plunges into the river, which sweeps them away to safety. Some days later, an exhausted Butch and Sundance arrive at Etta’s home, where she relates that the newspapers had reported their capture. She explains that the head of the Union Pacific lines, E. H. Harriman, outraged by the constant robberies of his trains by the Hole in the Wall gang, has put together an exclusive posse comprised of the nation’s best lawmen to assure the demise of Butch and Sundance. Butch angrily accuses Harriman of bad business practices, declaring that if the tycoon would simply pay them the money he has paid the posse, Butch would stop robbing him. Sundance fears they will be on the run forever and later that night he and Butch invite Etta to flee with them to Bolivia. She agrees, stipulating that if the law should reach them there, she will not stay to watch them die. The next day, the trio sets off for New York, where they catch a steamer to South America. Upon arriving in a small, dusty village in Bolivia, Sundance expresses disgust with the primitive surroundings. While attempting to rob a village bank, the duo is horrified that no one speaks English, prompting Etta to teach them holdup commands in Spanish. Etta joins in the next several heists and, soon, Butch and Sundance develop a reputation as Los Bandidos Yanquis, or the Yankee Bandits. Their spree comes to an abrupt end, however, when Butch spots LaForce in a village. Etta insists that the lawman is outside his jurisdiction, but Sundance reminds her that the posse’s mission is to kill them. Butch declares that if they commit no further robberies, they cannot be traced, and so announces they are going “straight.” The men then take a job with Percy Garris, escorting a mining payroll, but on their very first job, Garris is killed by local bandits. When the bandits fire on Butch and Sundance, they readily surrender the money, but when it becomes obvious the thieves do not intend to let them go, the duo is forced to kill them. Dejected, Butch and Sundance return to Etta who urges them to take up farming or ranching. When they refuse, Etta decides to return to America. Butch and Sundance resume robbing banks and one day arrive in the small town of San Vicente, where they are recognized and reported to the local police. The police chief summons the army, then surrounds Butch and Sundance with his own forces. In the ensuing gunfight, the outlaws run low on ammunition, forcing Butch to make a daring race across the courtyard to grab their gun belts, while Sundance provides furious cover. Badly wounded, the men collapse in a local building and as they painfully rearm, Butch confides to the skeptical Sundance that he has discovered another place rich with potential, Australia. Unaware that a large contingent of soldiers has joined the police outside, Butch and Sundance confidently rush out of the building to make their escape, only to be caught in a hail of bullets.
McCabe & Mrs. Miller(1971)
Cast:Warren Beatty, Julie Christie, Rene Auberjonois
Directors:Robert Altman
Producer:David Foster, Mitchell Brower
Writer:Robert Altman, Brian McKay
Editor:Louis Lombardo
Cinematographer:Vilmos Zsigmond
Genre:Western
Production Company:Lion's Head, David Foster Productions
In the autumn of 1902, brash, small-time gambler John McCabe arrives in the rough-hewn northwest mining town of Presbyterian Church and at Patrick Sheehan’s saloon asks about buying property. Sheehan, Reverend Elliott, Mr. Smalley and several of the townsmen speculate that the overconfident McCabe might be a gunfighter, but McCabe insists he is a businessman and announces his intention to open the town’s first bordello. After purchasing a partially finished building with his gambling winnings, McCabe visits the neighboring town of Bearpaw where he negotiates for three whores. In a pouring rainstorm, McCabe returns with the women to Presbyterian Church where over the next couple of days, he struggles to maintain harmony between the loutish miners and the distrustful whores. Some days later, McCabe is startled by the arrival of British cockney Constance Miller who proposes that he back her in establishing a professional brothel. When McCabe points out that he already has a whorehouse, Constance responds that as a whore, she is in a unique position to understand the business of managing women and their customers, along with questions of hygiene and health issues that lie behind a truly successful business. Taken aback by Constance’s assertive attitude, McCabe nevertheless agrees to the deal and is surprised when Constance insists upon improving the crude accommodations for the women, including erecting a separate bathhouse and providing the women with new linens and toiletries. Although the miners initially resent and resist the requirements to bathe before visiting Constance and McCabe’s facility, they are soon tempted by the variety of women Constance has engaged from Seattle and settle into regular visits. Although outwardly querulous over Constance’s brisk and efficient business manner, McCabe nevertheless is attracted to her and annoyed when she occasionally services customers for the extravagant sum of five dollars per visit. One night several weeks after the opening of the brothel, Constance joins McCabe in the bar with proceeds from their venture. McCabe is delighted by their success but Constance chastises him for his sloppy, inaccurate accounting and accuses him of losing money. Although several of the Seattle women know that Constance uses her proceeds to pay for her opium addiction, McCabe remains unaware of her habit, which she guards scrupulously. Just before Christmas, miner Bart Coyle is killed while defending his new, mail-order wife Ida from slander that she is a whore. The day after Bart’s death, Eugene Sears and Ernest Hollander, representatives for the Harrison and Shaunessy Mining Company, approach McCabe and explain the company would like to purchase McCabe’s holdings in Presbyterian Church. McCabe airily rejects the men’s offer of $5,500, then goes to the bathhouse before paying a call on Constance. When McCabe boasts about his rejection of the mining company representatives, Constance calls him a fool, but he insists they will make him a higher offer. That same evening, Sears and Hollander locate McCabe at the brothel and increase the offer to $6,250, but are amazed when he again turns them down and suggests he will only entertain an offer of $14,000 or more. Pleased with his financial acuity, McCabe returns to bed with a now stoned Constance. Later that same night, Sears and Hollander dine at Sheehan’s and Sears suggests they make McCabe a final offer of $7,000. Indignant over McCabe’s high-handed conduct and the shabbiness of the situation, Hollander refuses, declaring that the company’s hired gun, Butler, will handle McCabe. The next morning, McCabe is mystified to learn of Sears’s and Hollander’s departure. As the townspeople gather for Bart’s funeral, Constance and several miners note the arrival of a lone rider, who proves to be a cowboy in search of women. As the funeral breaks up, Constance offers Ida a place in the brothel. Word soon spreads through town of the arrival of three strangers and Constance immediately deduces that they have been sent by the company. She pleads with McCabe to leave town, if only to protect their joint investment, but McCabe remains confident that the company representatives will return. Smalley reports to McCabe and Constance that the men, Butler, Breed and Kid, refuse to speak with McCabe, who nevertheless sets off to Sheehan’s to meet them. Although daunted by Butler’s enormous bulk, McCabe attempts to bargain with him, admitting his exorbitant demand was a joke. Declaring he will settle for $6,550, McCabe is bewildered when Butler states that he does not make deals. Having learned from Sheehan that the miners originally considered McCabe a gunslinger, Butler tries to provoke McCabe by accusing him of shooting an acquaintance. McCabe does not refute the claim, but nervously departs, prompting Butler to observe that McCabe has never killed anyone. That evening, an increasingly anxious McCabe frets about Constance’s inability to appreciate his romantic nature, then early the next morning departs for Bearpaw, where he asks for Sears and Hollander at the mining company’s main office. Learning they have departed, McCabe visits a lawyer to inquire about obtaining legal protection from the company. Although the lawyer agrees to help McCabe fight against the might of big business, McCabe returns to Presbyterian Church convinced that he must face Butler and the others on his own. That afternoon Kid confronts the affable cowboy and shoots him down in cold blood as Sheehan and the others watch helplessly. That night, McCabe struggles to apologize to Constance and she sadly reassures him that all is well. Early the following morning as snow blankets the mountains, Constance takes a long walk. Armed with a rifle, McCabe goes to the partially constructed church where, from the tower, he spots the killers splitting up to search for him. Elliott discovers McCabe and, after confiscating the rifle, throws him out of the church. McCabe hides nearby and witnesses Butler kill Elliott, mistaking the gun-carrying minister for McCabe. McCabe then sneaks to his bar where he retrieves a pistol. Upon creeping away to a neighboring building, he is confronted by Kid who wounds him in the stomach before McCabe kills him. Meanwhile, the newly wakened townspeople are alarmed to discover the church has caught fire and rush to fight the flames, allowing Butler and Breed to search for McCabe more openly. Although bleeding heavily, McCabe kills Breed then heads to the forest at the edge of town. Butler follows and shoots at McCabe through a cascade of snow and when McCabe feigns death, Butler approaches to investigate, after which McCabe shoots him between the eyes. As the townspeople rejoice over saving the church, a snowstorm builds and everyone returns inside. McCabe struggles to reach the brothel, but collapses in the snow and dies slowly as Constance settles into an opium daze.
Stagecoach(1939)
Cast:Claire Trevor, John Wayne, Andy Devine
Directors:John Ford
Writer:Dudley Nichols
Editor:Otho Lovering, Dorothy Spencer, Walter Reynolds
Cinematographer:Bert Glennon
Genre:Western
Production Company:Walter Wanger Productions, Inc.
Composer:Boris Morros
The Overland stagecoach from Tonto, Arizona, to Lordsburg, New Mexico, leaves town with eight people on board. In the front, sit Buck the driver and Marshal Curley Wilcox, who is riding shotgun to protect the stage from hostile Indians and from the Plummer brothers, a vicious band of outlaws. The passengers consist of Doc Josiah Boone, the town drunk; Dallas, a woman of ill repute, who, like Doc, has been banished from town; the pregnant Lucy Mallory, who is taking the stage to meet her husband, a cavalry officer, and is treated gallantly by her fellow passenger, Hatfield, a gambler; Gatewood, the town's sanctimonious banker who mouths respectability while clutching a carpet bag filled with stolen money; and Peacock, a timid whiskey drummer. Because of an Apache uprising by Geronimo, the cavalry escorts the coach to the first station at Dry Fork. Along the way, Buck stops to pick up the Ringo Kid, who has escaped from prison to seek revenge on the Plummers, who killed his family and sent him to jail on false testimony. After Curley arrests Ringo, the stage continues on to Dry Fork, where they discover that there are no troops to escort them farther. Voting to continue on alone, they reach the next stop, where their journey is delayed when Mrs. Mallory, learning that her husband has been wounded, goes into premature labor. Doc sobers up to deliver the baby, and as they await Mrs. Mallory's recovery, Dallas and Ringo fall in love and Dallas urges Ringo to escape. Ringo is on the verge of leaving when he sees Apache war signals, and the passengers hastily board the stage to make a desperate dash to Lordsburg. Just as they think the danger has passed, the Apaches attack at a dry lake bed, wounding Peacock and Buck and killing Hatfield. At the last minute, the cavalry rides to the rescue and escorts the stage to Lordsburg, where Gatewood is arrested for embezzlement. There, Curley grants Ringo his freedom so that he can avenge the murder of his family, and after gunning down the Plummers, Ringo and Dallas ride off into the night to begin life anew at his ranch across the border.
Cat Ballou(1965)
Cast:Jane Fonda, Lee Marvin, Michael Callan
Directors:Elliot Silverstein
Producer:Harold Hecht
Writer:Walter Newman, Frank R. Pierson
Editor:Charles Nelson
Cinematographer:Jack Marta
Genre:Comedy, Satire, Western
Production Company:Harold Hecht Corp.
Composer: De Vol
Catherine Ballou, an aspiring schoolteacher, is traveling by train to Wolf City, Wyoming, to visit her rancher father, Frankie Ballou. En route she unwittingly helps accused cattle rustler Clay Boone elude his captor, the sheriff, when Boone's Uncle Jed, a drunkard disguised as a preacher, distracts the lawman. She reaches the ranch to find that the Wolf City Developing Company is trying to take away the ranch from her father, whose only defender is an educated Indian, Jackson Two-Bears. Clay and Jed appear and reluctantly offer to help Catherine. She also wires legendary gunfighter Kid Shelleen to come and help protect her father from fast-drawing Tim Strawn, alias Silvernose, the hired killer who is threatening Frankie. Shelleen arrives, a drunken stumblebum who is literally unable to hit the side of a barn when he shoots and whose pants fall down when he draws his gun. Strawn kills Frankie, but the townspeople refuse to bring him to justice, and Catherine becomes a revenge-seeking outlaw known as Cat Ballou. She and her four associates rob a train carrying the Wolf City payroll, and Shelleen, inspired by his love for Cat (unrequited because she loves Clay), shapes up and kills Strawn. Later he casually admits that Strawn was his brother. Cat poses as a prostitute and confronts town boss Sir Harry Percival, owner of the Wolf City Developing Company. A struggle ensues; Harry is killed; and Cat is sentenced to be hanged. Just as the noose is being placed around her neck, however, her gang arrives and stages a daring rescue.
SPORTS
AFI defines “sports” as a genre of films with protagonists who play athletics or other games of competition
Raging Bull(1980)
Cast:Robert De Niro, Cathy Moriarty, Joe Pesci
Directors:Martin Scorsese
Producer:Irwin Winkler, Robert Chartoff, Peter Savage
Writer:Paul Schrader, Mardik Martin
Editor:Thelma Schoonmaker
Cinematographer:Michael Chapman
Genre:Biography
Production Company:Chartoff-Winkler Productions, Inc.
Composer:Pietro Mascagni
In 1941, at a boxing match in Cleveland, Ohio, pandemonium breaks out when Jake La Motta, an up-and-coming young boxer, loses a decision to Jimmy Reeves, suffering his first loss and igniting a brawl in which audience members are trampled underfoot. Following Jake’s defeat, Salvy Batts, who works for boxing racketeer Tommy Como, informs Jake’s brother and manager Joey that an association with Tommy could advance Jake’s career. Although Joey agrees with Salvy, he observes that his stubborn brother, whom he affectionately calls "Jack," has "a head like concrete" and insists upon remaining independent. Nevertheless, Joey promises to present Salvy’s offer to Jake, and proceeds to his brother’s dreary, run-down apartment, where Jake is in the middle of a screaming match with his wife Irma. Once Joey mollifies his enraged brother, the mercurial Jake laments that his small, girlish hands limit his ability to rise to the top. Suddenly hostile, Jake provokes Joey into hitting him in the face. Later, when Salvy comes to watch Jake in a sparring match with Joey, Jake becomes so angered by Salvy’s presence that he pummels Joey. At the neighborhood swimming pool one day, Jake spots blonde, fifteen-year-old Vickie Thailer, who piques his interest and passion. When Jake questions Joey about Vickie, Joey reminds him that he is a married man. Leaving Irma at home one night, Jake attends a church charity dance with Joey, where he sees Vickie seated across the room with Salvy. Watching Vickie drive off with Salvy, Jake sends Joey to the pool the next day to arrange an introduction to her. When Vickie admires Jake’s shiny convertible, he invites her for a ride, and after changing from her swimsuit into a virginal white outfit, she joins him. After a visit to a miniature golf course, Jake takes her to the apartment he purchased for his father and ushers her into the bedroom, where a crucifix perches above the headboard. He nudges her onto the bed, but she quickly rises and walks to the bureau, where she looks at a photo of Jake and Joey sparring, a rosary dangling over its frame. In 1943, Jake scores a major victory against Sugar Ray Robinson, Robinson’s first loss and the beginning of a life-long rivalry between the two boxers. Following the fight, Vickie, who is now living with Jake, kisses his blackened eye, but when he becomes sexually aroused, he pours a pitcher of ice water down his crotch in order to preserve his energy for the next match with Robinson, which is to take place three weeks later. Although Robinson is named winner of the bout by the unanimous decision of the judges, Jake’s career takes off when he wins a series of victories and, now successful, he marries Vickie and buys a new home in the Bronx. Joey has also married and moved into a nearby house with his wife Lenore. In 1947, after having had three babies and living a relatively quiet life in the suburbs, Jake has gained weight and bristles when Joey enters him into a match with newcomer Tony Janiro, for which Jake will have to lose fifteen pounds. When Joey explains that he set up the match because established boxers are afraid to face Jake, Vickie supports Joey, noting that Janiro would be an apt opponent because he is so good-looking and popular. Vickie’s comment triggers Jake’s obsessive jealousy, and he balks at going to training camp and thus leaving Vickie alone. When Jake asks Joey to keep an eye on Vickie while he is gone, Joey suggests taking her out for a night on the town before he leaves. They all go to the Copacabana nightclub, and when Vickie excuses herself to go the ladies room, Salvy, who is there with Tommy, invites her to join them for a drink. Jake warily watches their encounter, and when Vickie returns to the table, accuses her of flirting with Salvy and Tommy. During his match with Janiro, Jake viciously pummels his opponent in the face, destroying his good looks and winning the bout. Following his victory, Jake returns to training camp, and one night while at a nightclub, Joey spots Vickie enter with Salvy and his friends. Pulling her away from Salvy’s table, Joey orders Vickie to leave with him, then smashes a glass in Salvy’s face. When Salvy follows Joey outside, Joey kicks him, then bangs him in the head with a taxicab door. Afterward, Tommy summons Joey and Salvy, his arm in a sling and his face bandaged, to his headquarters at the Debonair Social Club and orders them to forget their argument and shake hands. After Salvy departs, Tommy warns Joey that Jake is embarrassing him by not accepting his patronage. Although Joey argues that Jake wants to make it on his own, Tommy counters that Jake will never get a chance at the title without his help. Upon Jake’s return from training camp, Joey reports that Tommy has offered him a shot at the title in exchange for throwing a match with Billy Fox. During the fight, Jake offers no resistance to Fox, allowing his opponent to strike him at will until being declared the victor. As Jake later tearfully relates to his cornermen, he did not know any other way to lose. Following the fight, Jake is suspended by the boxing board while the district attorney probes into the possibility of a fixed fight. Two years later, in 1949, Jake faces middleweight champion Marcel Cerdan in a title bout. Before the match, Tommy comes to Jake’s hotel room to wish him good luck, but after Tommy kisses Vickie goodbye and leaves, Jake slaps her and demands to know why she is so friendly with Tommy. After Jake wins the bout on a technical knockout in the tenth round, the referee straps the championship belt around his waist. By 1950, Jake has developed a paunch from his extensive binges of eating and drinking, although he is set to defend his title in a month. Still insanely jealous of Vickie, Jake suspects that she and Salvy had an affair, and when Joey denies it, Jake irrationally accuses him of having an affair with her. In response, Joey advises Jake to indulge in more sex and less food. Jake then goes to Vickie’s bedroom to ask if she had sex with his brother. Offended, she locks herself in the bathroom, after which he breaks down the door and slaps her. Proceeding to Joey’s house, Jake pulls his brother away from dinner with his family and begins to beat him, accusing him of adultery with Vickie. When Vickie arrives, he punches her, prompting her to go home and pack her things. She later tells Jake that she is leaving him, but his more subdued, contrite demeanor causes her to relent and she agrees to stay, although the brothers remain estranged. In 1951 Jake faces Robinson to defend his championship title in the “fight of the year.” As Joey watches the bout on television, Robinson viciously pounds Jake, sending streams of blood trickling down his legs and spewing from his mouth. Even though Robinson is declared the new champion, Jake remains cocky and defiant. Five years later, in 1956, Jake, now living in Florida and grown fat and bloated, announces his retirement from boxing and the opening of his eponymous nightclub. As emcee, Jake tells crude jokes and flirts with underage women customers. Tired of Jake’s abuse, Vickie finally files for divorce and takes custody of the children. One evening, while sleeping in his office, Jake is arrested for pandering to underage customers. To pay his legal fees, Jake smashes his championship belt to pry out the jewels, only to be informed by the pawnbroker that the belt was worth much more intact. Unable to raise the money for his defense, Jake, bellicose and belligerent, is thrown into solitary confinement, where he slams his head against the wall and sobs that he is not an animal. By 1958, Jake, now out of jail and living in New York, has been reduced to introducing his new wife, Emma, a stripper known as "Miss 48's," in a dive bar. One night, he spots Joey walking down the street and runs after him. Although Jake smothers him with hugs and kisses, Joey, still angry, shrugs him off. In 1964, Jake rehearses his lines for his one-night show at the Barbizon Plaza Hotel. As he stands in front of his dressing room mirror, Jake recites the famous speech from On the Waterfront in which “Terry Malloy” accuses his brother, “Charley,” of betraying him, saying “I could have had class. I could’ve been a contender, I could’ve been somebody…instead of a bum, which is what I am.” Before going on stage, Jake gazes into the mirror and sparring with his reflection, declares, “Go get ‘em champ. I’m the boss.”
Rocky(1976)
Cast:Sylvester Stallone, Talia Shire, Burt Young
Directors:John G. Avildsen
Producer:Irwin Winkler, Robert Chartoff, Gene Kirkwood
Writer:Sylvester Stallone
Editor:Richard Halsey, Scott Conrad
Cinematographer:James Crabe
Genre:Drama
Production Company:Chartoff-Winkler Productions, Inc.
Composer:Bill Conti
In late November, 1975, Rocky Balboa, a sweet, garrulous, slightly over-the-hill boxer, wins his latest match with more fury than talent. Although he is well-known and well-liked in his South Philadelphia neighborhood, back in his dingy apartment, he has only his turtles to whom he can report his triumph. He then visits the local pet store in the hope of winning over the painfully shy clerk, Adrian Pennino, but she barely responds to his efforts. During his day job Rocky works as a collector for local loan shark Tony Gazzo, but when he cannot bring himself to break the thumb of one debtor, Rocky earns Gazzo’s displeasure. Demoralized, Rocky turns to the one place at which he feels at home, the gym, but there discovers that his manager, Mickey Goldmill, has given his locker to a new contender. When Rocky confronts Mickey, the 76-year-old former bantamweight states that although Rocky has heart, he fights “like an ape” and should quit before he loses his one distinction, his unbroken nose. After once again getting nowhere with Adrian, Rocky visits her brother, meat packer Paulie Pennino, to ask why she disdains him. Paulie declares Adrian a “loser,” a spinster at almost thirty, but invites Rocky to Thanksgiving dinner with them the following night. Meanwhile, reigning heavyweight champion Apollo Creed learns that his next opponent, set to fight him in five weeks’ time, is injured and no worthy contender can be arranged. Creed, a colorful attention-seeker, despairs of losing the media coverage and decides to launch an exhibition fight with a Philadelphia unknown on New Year’s Day, the first day of the country’s bicentennial. Declaring that Americans will love the idea of an underdog ostensibly being given his big chance, he thumbs through a list of local boxers and pinpoints Rocky, whose self-appointed nickname is "The Italian Stallion," as an interesting ethnic counterpoint. At the same time, Rocky prepares for his first “date” with Adrian, but upon entering Paulie’s house, realizes that Adrian is unaware of the set-up. Embarrassed, she declares herself unready for guests, prompting Paulie to explode in anger and throw her turkey dinner into the alleyway. Although she locks herself in the bedroom in response, Rocky urges her to come out and takes her to a closed ice skating rink, which he convinces the manager to open briefly. As Adrian skates, Rocky trots alongside her, explaining that he never succeeded as a boxer because he is a left-handed hitter. When he confesses that his father told him he had no brains so had better work with his body, Adrian reveals that her mother told her to develop her brains, as she did not have a good body. Walking to his apartment, he asserts that their weaknesses—his dim-wittedness and her timidity—make them perfect partners. At his stoop, she tries to leave but he charms her into staying, then once inside soothes her skittishness and gently initiates a passionate embrace. The next day, Rocky learns from Mickey that Creed’s promoter, Miles Jergens, wants to meet with him, and both assume Creed is looking for a sparring partner. When Mickey insults him, Rocky demands an explanation, and Mickey spits out his disgust that Rocky failed to live up to his early promise as a fighter and instead became “a leg-breaker.” At Jergens’ office, Rocky is stunned to learn that he is being offered a chance at the heavyweight championship but quietly turns down the opportunity, knowing he has no possibility of winning. However, Jergens convinces him that he cannot pass up the chance of a lifetime, and soon after the bout is announced on television. Watching the broadcast later, Paulie points out to Rocky that the commentators were mocking him, and although Rocky professes not to care, he later admits his distress to Adrian. He plans to train alone, and when Mickey visits to plead to be his manager, Rocky brushes off the old man’s desperate self-marketing, declaring that he needed a manager ten years ago when he still had a future. Mickey, for whom Rocky’s fight represents his last stab at success, shuffles out in defeat, but outside stops to listen as Rocky explodes in anger, shouting that this lucky break has come too late for him and he is sure to be beaten badly. Minutes later, however, Rocky chases after Mickey and hires him. Rocky immediately begins a self-imposed, grueling training schedule, running through the city at four a.m. On his first day, he ascends the steep, stone stairs of the Philadelphia Museum of Art and is exhausted by the time he reaches the top. He stops by Paulie’s meat-packing plant, where Paulie, as is customary, pesters him for a job with Gazzo. When Paulie then questions angrily whether or not Rocky has slept with Adrian, Rocky pushes him away, punching a frozen carcass until his fists bleed. Later, a reinvigorated Mickey trains Rocky enthusiastically, and despite agreeing to the trainer’s demand that he swear off women during training, Rocky spends more and more time with Adrian. After weeks of Rocky’s training regimen, which now includes daily workouts punching the frozen meat, a drunken Paulie arranges a television interview in the meat locker. Although Creed, busy preparing his media exposure, ignores the broadcast, his trainer is impressed by Rocky’s tenacity. Afterward, Paulie overhears Rocky complaining to Adrian about him, and threatening them both with a bat, raves that he failed to marry in order to take care of Adrian. With sudden vitriol, she screams that she owes him nothing and no longer wants to feel like a loser, and after Paulie collapses in drunken exhaustion, Adrian and Rocky agree that she will move in with him. Each day, Rocky runs through the neighborhood, receiving the well-wishes of the locals. Finally, after weeks of exertion, he is able to run up the museum steps with ease, and at the top throws up his hands in triumph. His status as the underdog contender has earned him national attention and affection, but on the night before the fight, Rocky visits the empty arena and realizes anew that there is no way he can win. At home, he tells Adrian that it does not matter if he loses, but if he can just last all fifteen rounds, as no one ever has against Creed, he will know for the first time that he is more than “just another bum from the neighborhood.” On the day of the fight, as the arena fills, Rocky prays, then banters with Adrian. As he enters the ring, the announcers report that some have called the bout “the caveman vs. the cavalier,” and that the Las Vegas odds assume that Rocky will be knocked out within three rounds. Next, with supreme fanfare, Creed, throwing money to the crowd, enters the arena, costumed as George Washington on a boat. The fight begins, with Rocky’s friends watching eagerly on the local tavern television. Creed, overconfident, is far quicker than Rocky and jabs at him tauntingly, but when Rocky lands an unexpected strong hit, felling Creed for the first time ever, the champion returns with renewed vigilance. He begins to pummel Rocky, and when Rocky manages to back Creed up against the ropes, Creed breaks his nose. During the ensuing bout, Rocky takes a tremendous beating but continually rebounds to land a few hard punches. Fourteen rounds later, both are still fighting with equal commitment and have suffered multiple injuries. Exhausted, Rocky keeps struggling to his feet, even as the commentators wonder what could possibly be keeping him up, and Mickey demands that he give up. Finally, Rocky slams Creed in the ribs, causing internal bleeding. In their respective corners, Rocky demands that his cut man slice his eye with a razor to drain it of blood, while Creed orders his trainer to let the fight continue. The fifteen rounds finally draw to a close and the crowd roars its approval. As the reporters swarm him with questions, Rocky bats them away and shouts Adrian’s name. She runs toward him, slowed by the crowd, as the announcer proclaims that the fight has ended in a split decision. When Adrian finally reaches Rocky, she falls into his arms. Flush with his own personal victory and barely even registering that the fight has been called for Creed, Rocky declares his love for her.
The Pride of the Yankees(1943)
Cast:Gary Cooper, Teresa Wright, Babe Ruth
Directors:Sam Wood
Producer:Samuel Goldwyn
Writer:Jo Swerling, Herman J. Mankiewicz
Editor:Daniel Mandell
Cinematographer:Rudolph Maté
Genre:Biography
Production Company:Samuel Goldwyn Productions, Inc.
Composer:Leigh Harline
In the 1910s, young Henry Lou Gehrig, the son of German immigrants, yearns to play baseball, but his mother, who is a cook at Columbia University, wants him to become an engineer. Years later, when Lou is enrolled at Columbia, he is popular with other students and excels in all sports, even though he must work as a waiter in his fraternity house. When sports writer Sam Blake observes Lou's excellence at baseball, he begins to write about him. One day, Sam goes to the fraternity to see if Lou is interested in playing ball for the New York Yankees. Because some of the other boys had just played a trick on him, Lou thinks that Sam is part of the ruse and throws him out. Later, when he learns that Sam is genuine, Lou is pleased by the offer, but sheepishly declines, saying that he is going to be an engineer. One night, Lou's mother becomes gravely ill and must go to the hospital. Worried that his mother will not get the care she needs in a charity ward, Lou secretly signs with the Yankees to earn enough money to keep her in a private hospital. While she recovers, Lou and his father let her believe that he has enrolled at Harvard, when he actually is playing for the Yankees' farm team in Hartford. Lou soon becomes known for his hard work and consistent performance on the diamond, and within a short time is recalled by the Yankees. Mrs. Gehrig is at first angry and disappointed when she learns the truth, because she wants Lou to take advantage of other opportunities that America offers, but soon accepts her son's decision. The shy, but affable Lou eventually becomes the team's first baseman, and Sam, who is his strongest supporter, becomes his roommate on the road and tells rival sportswriter Hank Hannemann that Lou epitomizes what is best about baseball and America. In Chicago, Lou meets Eleanor Twitchell, the daughter of a wealthy hot dog manufacturer, and is smitten when she playfully dubs him "Tanglefoot" after he trips on some bats. When the team next travels to Chicago, Lou asks Eleanor out and soon the two fall in love. Despite Mrs. Gehrig's jealousy over not remaining Lou's "best girl," he proposes to Eleanor. Although at first Lou's mother tries to usurp Eleanor's position, Lou smooths things over and assures Eleanor that she is the manager of their team. As the years pass, the "Iron Horse," as the sports writers call Lou, remains happy in his career and marriage. In 1938, shortly after Lou is honored for playing in his 2,000th consecutive game, he begins to notice a strange weakness in his arms. His playing and coordination worsen, and by the 1939 season, his performance has become so poor that he is benched for the first time in his career. Lou goes for medical tests and learns that he must give up baseball, and when he asks "is it three strikes?" the doctor confirms Lou's fears. Lou does not want Eleanor to know that his illness is fatal, and although she guesses the truth, she maintains the pretense that he will recover. With his career over, Lou is honored at a special ceremony held at Yankee Stadium. In front of thousands of fans, and standing beside former teammates, Lou delivers a humble speech praising his family and colleagues. He ends by saying, "People all say that I've had a bad break. But today--today, I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the earth."
Hoosiers(1986)
Cast:Gene Hackman, Barbara Hershey, Dennis Hopper
Directors:David Anspaugh, Angelo Pizzo
Producer:Carter De Haven, Angelo Pizzo, John Daly, Derek Gibson
Writer:Angelo Pizzo
Editor:C. Timothy O'Meara
Cinematographer:Fred Murphy, Oliver Wood
Genre:Drama
Production Company:Hemdale Film Corporation
Composer:Jerry Goldsmith
In 1951, unemployed college basketball coach Norman Dale begins a new job at Hickory High School in rural Indiana, after being hired by his longtime friend, Principal Cletus Summers. Resistant to change, the teachers and townspeople defensively question Norman’s credentials, making him feel unwelcome. Among the dissenters is faculty member Myra Fleener, who has advised star player Jimmy Chitwood not to participate in the upcoming season because his mother has fallen ill. At his first practice, Norman is shocked to learn the team consists of only seven members, one of whom is ridiculed for his short stature. Despite the disadvantage to the team, Norman does not hesitate to dismiss Buddy Walker and his friend, Whit Butcher, for being disrespectful. With the five remaining players--Rade Butcher, Everett Flatch, Merle Webb, Strap Purl, and Ollie McLellan--Norman develops exercises to improve their fundamental techniques while downplaying scrimmage and shooting. The program is met with derision from Hickory’s male residents, but Rollin Butcher eventually forces his son, Whit, to apologize for his behavior, and convinces his peers to refrain from intruding on Norman’s practices. Although he does not pressure Jimmy Chitwood to change his mind, Norman wonders if the boy has potential to attend college on an athletic scholarship. Myra challenges him, believing that pursuit of an athletic career will squander Jimmy’s academic potential and chance to get out of Hickory. At a school pep rally, the students chant, “We want Jimmy!,” but Norman demands they respect the six players who have put in the time and effort to be on the team. During the first game, the boys disobey the coach’s instructions to practice passing the ball before shooting. After a crushing defeat, Norman warns them to never question his authority. In town, Myra’s mother, Opal, invites Norman to visit their farm. Although reluctant to reveal many personal details, Myra confesses she left Hickory to pursue a graduate degree, but was forced to return after her father died. The night before the next game, Everett’s alcoholic father, “Shooter” Flatch, draws from his experience as a former Hickory player to offer Norman some friendly scouting tips. In the next match against the Cedar Knob Knights, Norman gets into an altercation with the referee over an unfair call. Rade comes to his defense by punching an opposing player, and Cletus is forced to take over as coach. Afterward, Norman learns that Cletus suffers from a serious heart condition, and asks Shooter to get sober and step in as his new assistant. Shooter is initially unwilling to give up drinking, but cleans up his appearance in time for the next game. With Cletus home on bed rest, Myra assumes the role of acting principal and informs Norman that the town has proposed a referendum for his dismissal. After another incident on the court, Myra discovers that Norman was permanently suspended from coaching in New York for physically assaulting one of his own players during a game. Although she intends to disclose the truth at the referendum, she admires his efforts to help Shooter, and speaks publicly his favor. Moments before the vote is announced, Jimmy Chitwood announces he will resume his basketball career if Norman is permitted to continue coaching. The townspeople agree, and the team goes on to secure a string of successive victories. Over time, Shooter finds confidence as a coach and rebuilds his relationship with his son. However, the mounting pressure of sectional finals causes him to relapse, and he drunkenly wanders onto the court in the middle of the game. Embarrassed, Everett gets into a fight with another player, sustaining a large gash in his shoulder blade. Later that day, Everett and Norman discover Shooter lying unconscious in the snow, and take him to the hospital. During the sectional championships, Everett’s wound reopens, forcing Norman to pull him out of the game. When Strap commits a foul in the final quarter, Ollie is sent in as an alternate. Defying all expectations, Ollie scores two free throw points and wins the game. Before going on to the state finals, Norman and Myra admit their mutual attraction, and Everett encourages his father to get well. The smallest school to ever compete in the Indiana State Championships, Hickory travels to Indianapolis to face off against the defending team from South Bend Central. With only seconds remaining on the clock, Jimmy makes a tiebreaking basket and clinches the title. As the crowd erupts in applause, Norman looks to the stands and sees Myra proudly smiling back at him.
Bull Durham(1988)
Cast:Kevin Costner, Susan Sarandon, Tim Robbins
Directors:Ron Shelton
Producer:Thom Mount, Mark Burg, David V. Lester
Writer:Ron Shelton
Editor:Robert Leighton, Adam Weiss
Cinematographer:Bobby Byrne , Bob Hillman
Genre:Comedy
Production Company:Mount Company
Composer:Michael Convertino
Annie Savoy attends a minor league baseball game in her hometown of Durham, North Carolina. Annie, who sleeps with a different player on the Durham Bulls team every year, swears by her ability to improve a player’s performance by making love to him for the duration of the season. As the game is about to start, head coach Joe “Skip” Riggins finds new pitcher Ebby Calvin LaLoosh having sex with a local girl named Millie in the locker room. Skip berates Ebby, reminding him that he is about to make his professional debut. In the stands, Millie informs Annie that Ebby’s lovemaking is like his pitching, “sort of all over the place.” After the game, veteran player Crash Davis arrives and Skip offers to hire him as the new catcher, hoping Crash will mentor Ebby. Although Crash feels he is too old for the sport, he accepts. Later, the team unwinds at a local bar where Crash flirts with Annie but says he does not dance. Ebby interrupts to thank Annie for a note she sent him during the game, and the two men fight over her. Taking their quarrel outside, Crash challenges Ebby to throw a baseball at his body, but Ebby misses. Humiliated, Ebby charges at him, but Crash punches Ebby, then introduces himself as the new catcher. Annie invites both men to accompany her back home, where she informs them of her habit of sleeping with a new player each season. Although she announces that Crash and Ebby are her top contenders, Crash turns her down, offended. Puzzled by his rejection, Annie returns to Ebby, who allows her to tie him to the bed but becomes disappointed when she remains clothed and reads aloud from Walt Whitman’s Leaves of Grass. Although they do not sleep together that night, Annie and Ebby become a couple and she nicknames him “Nuke,” a name the other players embrace. Crash continues to clash with Nuke and warns him that his slovenly ways will never get him into the major leagues, which Crash refers to as “the show.” During his first game for the Bulls, Crash strikes out, distracted by thoughts of Annie. She sends him a note with a suggestion about his form and offers to work with him. The two go to a batting cage, where Annie admits she looked up Crash’s record and discovered he is twenty homeruns away from setting a minor league record. Ignoring her encouragement, Crash suggests they make love, but Annie says she is monogamous during the baseball season. Later, Annie accidentally calls Nuke “Crash” during sex. At the next game, Nuke rejects Crash’s signals for pitches, and Crash retaliates by alerting a hitter he is about to throw a fastball. The player hits a homerun off the pitch, and Nuke learns his lesson, following Crash’s signals for the rest of the game. Under Crash’s direction, Nuke’s pitching improves but remains inconsistent. As the team leaves town for a series of away games, Annie gives Nuke a garter belt as a parting gift and urges him to wear it under his uniform, promising the lingerie will put him in a different state of mind. On the team bus, Crash reveals he played in the major leagues for twenty-one days and suggests Nuke lacks the passion required to succeed in “the show.” The Bulls begin a losing streak on the road, but Crash hits well. When they return to Durham, Crash watches jealously as Annie greets Nuke at the bus. Suiting up for another game, Crash catches Nuke putting on Annie’s garter belt in the locker room. Embarrassed, Nuke explains Annie’s theory that the garter belt will keep his brain off-center, and also reveals that she ordered him to follow Crash’s signals. Although the first inning is rocky, Nuke’s pitching improves, and Crash hits a homerun. Later in the game, Crash instructs Nuke to throw a pitch at the mascot, and the wild ball successfully confuses the hitter, who strikes out afterward. The Bulls begin a winning streak, and Nuke frustrates Annie by swearing off sex as long as they continue to win. With Annie suffering from lack of sex, the team reaches a tie for first in the minor leagues. Nuke reveals to Crash that he is rechanneling his sexual energy, and Crash encourages him to remain celibate. Nuke relays Crash’s advice to Annie, who goes to Crash’s apartment and berates him for interrupting her sex life. While arguing, Annie is overcome with passion and declares that she wants Crash. He rejects her playfully and she announces this is the strangest baseball season of her life. When the team finally loses a game, Nuke brings his father to meet Annie at her house. They are interrupted by a phone call from Skip Riggins, who reports that a major league team wants Nuke, and he must leave the next morning. Elated, Nuke shares a heartfelt goodbye with Annie and returns her garter belt. Later that night, Nuke finds Crash drunk at a pool hall and tells him the good news. Complaining that Nuke is not worthy of his talent, Crash provokes a fight, but Nuke punches him cold. The next day, Crash enters the locker room with a black eye to reconcile with Nuke before he leaves, encouraging the pitcher to remain cocky despite the difficult hitters he will be up against. After the next Bulls game, Skip tells Crash that the manager wants to replace him with a young catcher now that Nuke is gone. Dejected, Crash goes to Annie’s house and she offers him a drink, knowing that he has been let go. The two share a passionate night of lovemaking, but Crash leaves early in the morning and Annie finds a note that he has left town to play for another team. Soon after, Crash breaks the minor league record for homeruns; although Annie takes notice, the accomplishment does not make sports news. One day, Annie comes home from a rained out game to find Crash, who quit his team after setting the record. Annie informs him that she has decided to quit “boys,” and Crash tells her he might take a manager position next season. When Annie excitedly rambles about Crash’s abilities, he begs her not to intellectualize and leads her inside to dance.
The Hustler(1961)
Cast:Paul Newman, Jackie Gleason, Piper Laurie
Directors:Robert Rossen
Producer:Robert Rossen
Writer:Sidney Carroll, Robert Rossen
Editor:Dede Allen
Cinematographer:Eugen Shuftan
Genre:Drama
Production Company:Rossen Enterprises
Composer:Kenyon Hopkins
Newly arrived in New York from California is "Fast" Eddie Felson, a brash pool shark who makes his living hustling in billiard parlors around the country. Taking on unwary opponents, he allows them to win until the stakes are high enough; then he makes his killing and leaves town. Eddie has come to New York with his longtime crony and manager, Charlie Burns, to challenge Minnesota Fats, the undisputed champion pool player in the country. For 36 hours the two men battle, and, at first, game after game goes to Eddie. Then, filled with too much liquor and conceit, he eventually falls apart and ends up beaten and broke. Following the bout, he wanders into an all-night coffeeshop and picks up an alcoholic, disillusioned cripple named Sarah Packard. For want of anything better to do, he moves in with her and lives a day-to-day existence by hustling in third-rate pool halls throughout the city. One night he challenges the wrong sucker, another young hustler he meets in a waterfront dive. Although Eddie wins, four hoodlums grab Eddie, throw him into the men's room, and break both his thumbs. Once recovered, Eddie aligns himself with a coldblooded gambler, Bert Gordon, who agrees to arrange bigtime matches in return for 70 percent of the winnings. Accompanied by Sarah, Eddie and Bert travel to Louisville, Kentucky, where Eddie takes on Findlay, a millionaire playboy addicted to billiards. Though the trip ends in victory for Eddie, it ends in tragedy for Sarah. Badgered by the ruthless Bert, who demands complete dominion over his client, Sarah admits defeat and slashes her wrists with a razor. Shattered by the realization that his egotism has destroyed his one chance for happiness, Eddie returns to New York and again challenges Fats. Eddie outshoots, outmaneuvers, and outthinks his opponent until Fats finally concedes defeat. Victorious, Eddie denounces Bert, refuses to give him a cut of the winnings, and walks out of the pool room.
Caddyshack(1980)
Cast:Chevy Chase, Rodney Dangerfield, Ted Knight
Directors:Harold Ramis
Producer:Douglas Kenney, Jon Peters
Writer:Brian Doyle-Murray, Harold Ramis, Douglas Kenney
Editor:William Carruth, Robert Barrére
Cinematographer:Stevan Larner
Genre:Comedy
Production Company:Orion Pictures Company
Composer:Johnny Mandel
A lone gopher tunnels under the pristine fairways of Bushwood Country Club, where teenaged caddy Danny Noonan works to pay for upcoming college expenses. Danny often caddies for playboy Ty Webb, an intuitive golfer who can sink a putt while blindfolded. Danny, who is from a large family, explains his financial and career uncertainties to Ty, but Ty cannot relate to Danny's problems and encourages him to get in touch with the force in the universe. As Danny and Ty finish their round, snobbish Judge Smails, president of Bushwood, spots the mischievous gopher stealing a hole marker and destroying the course. Incensed, Smails orders the head groundskeeper to rid the course of all gophers. The head groundskeeper, in turn, delegates the job to his assistant, the imbecilic Carl Spackler. At the caddy shack, Danny's boss, Lou Loomis, announces that the recipient of the club's caddy scholarship died from severe anxiety attack during summer school. Seeing an opportunity to fund his education, Danny makes inquiries about the scholarship. Meanwhile, in Bushwood's golf store, Smails is insulted by the aggressive and vulgar Al Czervik, a wealthy developer in town to survey a condominium project. On the course, Smails bickers with Al, who heckles the pompous Smails and his party comprised of Smails's friends, the Bishop and Dr. Beeper. Danny, who hopes to curry favor and win the scholarship, volunteers to caddy for Smails. While overlooking Smails's cheating, Danny talks about his inability to pay for an education and falsely claims he wants to be a lawyer, but Smails brushes Danny's clumsy pleas for financial assistance aside. Smails's attention is focused on Al, who plays loud music, drinks beer and continues to harass him. Enraged by Al, Smails throws his putter, hitting a woman and knocking her unconscious. After Danny takes the blame for the incident, Smails warms to him and says that Danny might get the scholarship if he wins the upcoming caddy tournament. Meanwhile, Carl begins his assault on the gopher's tunnel by hosing water into it, but the gopher escapes and geysers of water flood the course. During dinner at the club's restaurant, Al continues to insult Smails and makes vulgar jokes loud enough for all to hear. Ty flirts with Smails's promiscuous niece, Lacey, who later accompanies him home for a sexual encounter. That night, Carl attempts to kill the gopher by dressing in camouflage, attaching a large flashlight to a rifle and aiming at the varmint as he exits his hole, but the gopher escapes. The next day, when Danny and another caddy, Tony, compete in the caddy golf tournament, Danny wins by sinking a putt on the final green. While congratulating Danny, Smails invites him to mow his lawn and attend the forthcoming christening of his sloop. At the launch, Danny becomes distracted by Lacey, who takes him home to have sex. As the ceremony proceeds, Al, who is boating in his cruiser, sees Smails's party and speeds toward them, disturbing other boaters in his path and dropping anchor through the deck of Smails's sloop. When Smails returns home, he walks in on Danny and Lacey's tryst, and chases Danny from the house with golf club in hand. Danny spends the night in the caddy shack, where, the next morning, his girl friend, Maggie, tells him she believes she is pregnant. Danny offers to marry her, but Maggie refuses and says the baby might not be his. Danny is summoned to Smails's office. Rather than the punishment Danny expects, Smails asks him to keep quiet about his relations with Lacey and be his "pal." Later in the day, Smails argues with Al, who intends to buy the country club. To settle their dispute, Al suggests they shoot a round of eighteen holes for $20,000 with teams of two--Smails and Dr. Beeper vs. Al and Ty. Eventually, everyone agrees, including Ty, who has no interest in competing but is provoked by Smails's arrogance. Before the game, Danny encounters a jubilant Maggie who has learned she is not pregnant. Relieved, Danny confides he is unhappy with the way he has ingratiated himself with Smails to win the scholarship, but Maggie assures him that he is a good guy who will do the right thing. While Carl prepares a final assault to rid the course of gophers with plastic explosives, the four golfers begin their showdown. Danny reluctantly caddies for Smails to keep his chance for the scholarship alive. Ty, Smails and Dr. Beeper begin shooting well, but Al plays terribly. After the initial nine holes and a raising of the stakes to $40,000, Al feigns an arm injury and claims he needs a substitute. When Ty chooses Danny as Al's replacement, Al offers to make it worth Danny's while. In defiance of Smails, Danny agrees to play, knowing he has forfeited the scholarship. Danny plays well, allowing his team to tie with Smails and Dr. Beeper before the last green. Dr. Beeper and Ty miss their final putts, but Smails, using his trusty old "Billy Baroo" putter, sinks his. With the game on the line, Danny prepares his final shot when Al ups the ante to $80,000. Danny's putt stops just short of the hole, resting on the lip. Just then, Carl detonates the explosives, shaking the course and knocking Danny's ball into the cup. Smails's beloved course is destroyed and, in the wake of the destruction, Carl escapes and so, too, does the gopher.
Breaking Away(1979)
Cast:Dennis Christopher, Dennis Quaid, Daniel Stern
Directors:Peter Yates
Producer:Peter Yates
Writer:Steve Tesich
Editor:Cynthia Scheider
Cinematographer:Matthew F. Leonetti
Genre:Comedy-drama
Production Company:Twentieth Century-Fox
In Bloomington, Indiana, recent high school graduate Dave Stoller carries a cycling trophy as he walks through the woods with Mike, Cyril, and Moocher, on their way to swim at an abandoned, water-filled quarry. Later that morning, Dave rides his bike through town, singing in Italian, while his parents, Evelyn and Ray, discuss his recent behavior at breakfast. Ray wants Dave to get a job and move out, but Evelyn defends her son’s interest in cycling and remaining at home with his parents, the way Italian people live. Dave returns with his trophy and announces that an Italian cycling team may race in Indiana soon. Ray later pretends Dave is a stranger when he rides past his father’s used car lot and shouts hello in Italian. Back at the quarry, Dave and his friends discuss their need to find jobs, hoping to work at the same place. Mike notices several college students from the University of Indiana on the other side of the quarry and becomes upset, suggesting that if they want to infringe upon the locals’ territory, he and his friends should take a trip to the college campus. Soon after, they drive to Indiana University and discuss the differences between the rich students and themselves. While they watch the football team practice, Mike recalls his time as a high school quarterback and expresses the frustration he feels when reading newspaper stories about players on the college team. Later, Dave practices Italian on campus and spots a beautiful girl riding a moped. Picking up a book that she dropped, Dave chases her on his bike, and outside the girl’s sorority house, he returns the book. Dave introduces himself as “Enrico,” an Italian exchange student, and she tells him her name is Katherine. One day, Dave receives a cycling journal in the mail and learns that Team Cinzano, the Italian cyclists, will hold a race in nearby Indianapolis. As Dave rides through town, Cyril runs alongside him, and they discuss a college entrance exam Dave is supposed to take, though he admits he doesn’t want to go back to school. One night, Dave stands outside Katherine’s sorority and serenades her in Italian while Cyril plays his guitar. Inside the sorority, Katherine’s friend Suzy calls Katherine’s current boyfriend, Rod, to alert him. Meanwhile, Evelyn and Ray have a romantic dinner at home, listening to Italian music. When Dave finishes his song, Katherine rides off with him, leaving Cyril behind. Rod and his friends pull up and run after Cyril, believing he was the one who serenaded Rod’s girlfriend. Later, Dave and Katherine return, and she kisses him goodnight. The next day, Mike sees Cyril’s bruises and demands to know what happened, but Cyril remains mum about the incident. Determined to find the culprit, Mike drives to campus where Cyril identifies Rod, who is driving around with a new girl. Rod calls Mike and his friends “Cutters,” a local word for townies. Spotting Rod’s car later that night, Mike, Cyril, and Moocher search for Rod inside a dining hall where Dave and Katherine are having a date. Mike and Rod start a brawl, and police arrive to break it up. Rod and his friends gather before a college administrator who suggests they resolve their conflict with the local residents in a more dignified manner and announces that this year’s Little 500 bicycle race will welcome one team comprised of four non-students. At the quarry, Dave says he does not want to race in the Little 500, but Mike encourages him, suggesting that they will have a proper team if all four participate. On the other side of the quarry, Rod shows up with friends, and he and Mike engage in an impromptu swimming contest until Mike cuts his head on a rock. Afterward, Moocher and Dave walk through town, and Moocher announces that he’s going to marry his girlfriend, Nancy. He then meets Nancy at the courthouse to apply for a marriage license. Riding his bike through a red light, Dave almost collides with his father who is leading a test drive. Ray’s vehicle stalls and later must be towed, costing him the sale. The next evening, Evelyn suggests that Ray give Dave a job, and, despite his resistance, Ray hires Dave to wash the cars on the lot. When a customer attempts to return a car, citing a ninety-day guarantee Ray promised, Dave encourages his father to honor his word, but Ray refuses. He then suffers a heart attack. At home, as a doctor tends to Ray in bed, Dave tells his mother he will not compete in the upcoming bicycle race against the Italians, but Evelyn urges him to race despite Ray’s condition. At the Cinzano 100 race, Dave gets a slow start but eventually catches up to the Italian team, who later cheat by shifting Dave’s gear and sticking a pole through his wheel, causing him to fall and injure himself. At home, Dave greets Ray and Evelyn without an Italian accent. When Ray asks about the race, Dave cries and hugs his father. On campus, Dave admits to Katherine that he lied about being Italian, and she reacts by slapping him and storming off. At night, Ray asks Dave to join him for a walk. They discuss Dave’s future, and Dave admits he is scared to go to college. Ray recalls his days working as a lowly stone cutter, and urges his son to aim for higher goals. One day, Dave’s friends present him with an old Roadmaster bicycle, the only make allowed in the Little 500. Though Dave remains unenthusiastic, his passion is reignited when Mike expresses doubt about their chances of winning. Dave takes the bike home and fixes it. In town, he runs into Katherine, and she wishes him luck, saying that she will soon leave for a job in Chicago, Illinois. On the day of the Little 500, Dave and his friends wear shirts provided by Evelyn, with the team name “Cutters” across their chests. Though Dave gains a strong lead early in the race, he collides with another rider and sustains an injury. Moocher, Cyril, and Mike take turns riding while Dave receives medical attention. Listening to the race on the radio, Ray leaves work to join Evelyn in the crowd. When Dave sees his father there, he is inspired to get back into the race. Tied with Rod’s team on the final lap, Dave pulls ahead at the last minute and wins the race. Some time later, Ray rides a bicycle through campus and says hello to Dave, now a student, who has just met a charming French girl.
National Velvet(1945)
Cast:Mickey Rooney, Donald Crisp, Elizabeth Taylor
Directors:Clarence Brown
Producer:Pandro S. Berman
Writer:Theodore Reeves, Helen Deutsch
Editor:Robert J. Kern
Cinematographer:Leonard Smith
Genre:Drama
Production Company:Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Corp.
Composer:Herbert Stothart
In the English coastal village of Sewels in Sussex, twelve-year-old Velvet Brown and her older sisters, Edwina and Malvolia, happily finish their last day of school before summer vacation. While walking home, Velvet meets young drifter Mi Taylor and strikes up a conversation with him. As the horse-crazy girl is talking to Mi, she sees a beautiful, rambunctious gelding being chased by its owner, farmer Ede, and is awestruck. When Ede then questions Mi about his business in Sewels in Sussex, Velvet, who is impressed by Mi's knowledge of horses, insists that he has been invited to dine with her family. That evening at dinner, Mrs. Brown asks Mi, whom she has never before met, about an address book with her name written in it, and he reveals that it belonged to his now-deceased father. Although Mrs. Brown is deliberately secretive about her relationship with Mi's father, she does invite Mi to spend the night in the stable. Velvet then tries in vain to convince her father Herbert, a butcher who prides himself on his thrift and self-control, to hire Mi as a delivery boy. When he and his wife discuss the matter later, however, the wise, persuasive Mrs. Brown easily changes his mind. Later, Velvet confesses to her mother that she has "fallen in love" with The Pie and asks her about Mi's father. Mrs. Brown, a former swimmer, reveals that when she was twenty, Mi's father was her devoted trainer and inspired her to swim the English Channel, a feat never before accomplished by a woman. Mrs. Brown adds that she declined to tell the obviously embittered Mi about his father because she felt that it was not the proper time to do so. Unaware that he has just stolen all of her mother's savings from the kitchen, Velvet rushes to tell Mi the news about his new job and home. Mi covers up his theft and accepts the job, then, chagrined, sneaks back to the kitchen to return the money. Later, Velvet coaxes Mi into taking her on a delivery to farmer Ede's, and on the way, Mi states that he was once thrown by a horse and now hates them. As they are watching The Pie in the field, the horse jumps Ede's wall and dashes off toward town. After estimating the length of the horse's jump, the astounded Mi mutters that The Pie could jump "Beecher's Brook." The Pie's subsequent rampage through the village leads Ede to decide to raffle off the horse. Mr. Brown at first refuses to allow Velvet to participate in the raffle, but when Mi proudly announces that he has bought tickets for all of the children, Mr. Brown relents. Although Velvet confidently proclaims that her number, 62, is going to be selected, another number is drawn, and Velvet collapses with disappointment. Later, however, Velvet learns that when the winning number was not claimed, a second number, 62, was drawn, and she is awarded The Pie. Velvet then asks Mi about "Beecher's Brook" and he reluctantly reveals that it is a difficult jump at the Grand National Steeplechase course. Velvet spends her first day with The Pie racing through the countryside, but her joy is cut short when her father insists that the horse earn his keep by pulling the delivery cart. As soon as he is hitched, however, The Pie bolts and destroys the cart, causing Mr. Brown to denounce Mi as a meddler. Later, Velvet reveals to Mi that she wrote away to the Aintree race course for entrance papers to the Grand National Steeplechase. Although Mi tries to discourage her, Velvet asks her mother for permission to enter the race, which includes a 100-pound entrance fee. After Mi admits that The Pie is good enough to win, Mrs. Brown gives Velvet the 100 pounds she earned for her Channel swim, which she has been saving in anticipation of a "breath-taking piece of folly" like The Pie. Mrs. Brown and Velvet then entrust Mi to deliver the money to Aintree, and although he is tempted to abscond with it while in London, Mi carries out his assignment, impressing even Mr. Brown. When Mi tells Velvet that he was unable to find a jockey or a trainer in London, she persuades him to train the horse by promising him one-half of any Grand National winnings. Over the next several months, Velvet and Mi, a former jockey, rigorously train The Pie. During the winter, The Pie becomes seriously ill, and the entire Brown family worries as Mi struggles to save him. The Pie survives, and come spring, Velvet and Mi leave for Aintree. There they meet with Ivan Taski, a Latvian jockey whom Mi hired through the mail. Taski's lackluster attitude toward the race convinces both Velvet and Mi that they cannot win with him, and on the eve of the contest, they find themselves with no jockey. Velvet then tries to convince Mi to ride The Pie, but he tearfully refuses, explaining that during a race in Manchester, he pushed his horse too hard and caused a collision that resulted in the death of another jockey. Later, however, when Mi is alone with The Pie, he realizes he must challenge his fears in order to make Velvet's dream come true. After riding The Pie around the track, Mi rushes to tell Velvet that he wants to race, but discovers that she has donned jockey clothes and is determined to ride the race herself. Although Mi tells her that she will be disqualified, Velvet insists that Mi cut her hair and help her with her impersonation. Claiming not to speak English, Velvet convinces the officials that she is Taski and undertakes the arduous race, with The Pie at one-hundred-to-one odds. As horse after horse drops out, Velvet steadily gains ground and wins the race, cheered on by a joyful Mi. Just after finishing, however, Velvet collapses from exhaustion, and the track doctor soon discovers her true sex. As predicted, The Pie is disqualified, but Velvet is nonetheless heralded as a hero throughout England and earns the nickname "National Velvet." Later, back in Sewels in Sussex, Velvet is besieged by lucrative job offers, including one from a Hollywood film studio. Velvet is tempted by the offer until she learns that the studio also wants The Pie. Fearing that The Pie would be made into a sideshow, Velvet tells her father she is not interested. Mr. Brown is angered by Velvet's decision until Mrs. Brown explains that Velvet knows intuitively that her time in the limelight must be brief and dignified. Soon after, as Mi is packing to go, Mr. Brown admits that he always mistrusted him, but is now proud to have known him. Mi leaves the Brown home without saying goodbye, but a grateful Velvet races after him, sure that the proper time has come to tell him about his father.
Jerry Maguire(1996)
Cast:Tom Cruise, Cuba Gooding, Jr., Renée Zellweger
Directors:Cameron Crowe
Producer:James L. Brooks, Cameron Crowe, Richard Sakai, Laurence Mark
Writer:Cameron Crowe
Editor:Joe Hutshing
Cinematographer:Janusz Kaminski
Genre:Comedy-drama, Romance
Production Company:TriStar Pictures
Composer:Nancy Wilson
In Southern California, thirty-five-year-old Jerry Maguire experiences a moral crisis over the greed and dishonesty that drive his industry, sports management. He writes a lengthy mission statement, charting out a new path for himself and other agents at his firm, Sports Management International (SMI). The manifesto goes over poorly, and Jerry learns of his firing from Bob Sugar, his protégé at the firm. When they hear that Jerry is leaving SMI, all but one of his clients choose to stay at the firm. Jerry retains only Rod Tidwell, a wide receiver for the National Football League’s (NFL) Arizona Cardinals, who is looking for a new $10-million contract. On his way out of the office, Jerry announces to the SMI staff that he will launch his own firm and invites others to join him. An idealistic assistant named Dorothy Boyd takes him up on the offer. Jerry tries to win back his most high-profile client, quarterback Frank “Cush” Cushman, by visiting the young player at home. Although Cushman initially agrees to go with Jerry, he is swayed by his father to sign with Bob Sugar, instead. With his personal life also in upheaval, Jerry ends his engagement to Avery Bishop. He begins spending time outside work with Dorothy, a single mother, and her son Ray, and the two begin a romantic relationship. As Jerry struggles to establish his new business, Dorothy considers a more secure job offer that would move her to San Diego, California. Jerry urges her to stay with him and spontaneously proposes marriage. The two are wed in Dorothy’s backyard. Jerry devotes himself to landing Rod Tidwell a better contract. Tensions rise between the two as Rod demands more effort from Jerry in his deal-making, and Jerry accuses Rod of playing without heart. Jerry and Dorothy fail to connect in their new marriage, and she suggests that they separate. Jerry travels to Arizona for a pivotal “Monday Night Football” game that stands to advance the Cardinals to the NFL playoffs. Rod is injured after making the game-winning touchdown. As he lies unconscious, Jerry rushes onto the field, phoning Rod’s wife, Marcee, in the process. The crowd rejoices when Rod finally regains consciousness and picks himself up without the help of a trainer. Other athletes look on admiringly as Rod and Jerry embrace after the game; their close personal relationship proves that Jerry has become the kind of agent described in his mission statement. Jerry returns home to Dorothy and wins her back with a speech, which he ends by saying, “You complete me.” With his marriage saved, he goes on to broker an $11.2-million renewal contract between Rod and the Arizona Cardinals, which Rod learns about during a live television interview. Afterward, Jerry notices Ray’s natural ability to throw a baseball and is excited by the young boy’s potential.
MYSTERY
AFI defines “mystery” as a genre that revolves around the solution of a crime.
Vertigo(1958)
Cast:James Stewart, Kim Novak, Barbara Bel Geddes
Directors:Alfred Hitchcock
Producer:Alfred Hitchcock
Writer:Alec Coppel, Samuel Taylor
Editor:George Tomasini
Cinematographer:Robert Burks
Genre:Romance
Production Company:Alfred J. Hitchcock Productions, Inc., Paramount Pictures Corp.
Composer:Bernard Herrmann
San Francisco police detective John “Scottie” Ferguson is forced to retire after he is involved in a rooftop chase and his acrophobia and accompanying vertigo leads to the death of a fellow officer. Although Scottie hopes to overcome his phobia, his longtime friend, Midge Wood, an artist who is in love with him, cautions him that only a severe emotional shock might snap him out of it. One day, Scottie tells Midge that he has been contacted by Gavin Elster, an old college friend. Scottie meets with Elster at his office near the waterfront, where Elster oversees a shipbuilding business. Elster informs Scottie that he is worried about his young, blonde wife Madeleine, whose rich family built the business that Elster runs. Scottie is baffled by Elster’s claims that Madeleine has been having blackouts and seems to be possessed by someone from the past. Although Scottie is reluctant to become involved, Elster convinces him that he needs a friend to observe Madeleine before he commits her to a mental institution. That night, Scottie goes to Ernie’s, a popular restaurant, so that he can see Madeleine for the first time as she dines with her husband. Scottie is awed by Madeleine’s beauty and the next morning, follows her as she leaves home and goes to a flower shop to buy a nosegay. Seeming to be in a trance, Madeleine then goes to the cemetery of the old Mission Dolores and stands before a grave. After Madeleine departs, Scottie reads the gravestone, which belongs to Carlotta Valdes, who died in 1857 at the age of 26, the same age as Madeleine. Scottie then follows Madeleine to the Palace of the Legion of Honor art gallery and watches as she sits motionless in front of a portrait of a young woman. Scottie is stunned to see that the nosegay Madeleine carries is an exact duplicate of the one in the portrait, and that she even wears the same hairstyle as the painting’s subject. Upon learning that the painting is called “Portrait of Carlotta,” Scottie follows Madeleine as she drives to the McKittrick Hotel, where she enters a room on the second floor. The landlady, who knows Madeleine as Carlotta Valdes, tells Scottie that “Carlotta” comes to the hotel for a few hours several times a week. When Scottie searches the room, however, Madeleine has disappeared. Scottie then goes to Midge’s and when he asks about sources of information about old San Francisco, she takes him to see bookstore owner Pop Leibel. Pop relates that Carlotta was a young beauty, reared in an old mission and romanced by a rich, older man who built a mansion for her. After their child was born, however, the man took the child and deserted Carlotta, who went mad and committed suicide. Scottie is intrigued when Pop states that Carlotta’s mansion eventually became the McKittrick Hotel. The next day, Scottie tells Elster of his findings, and Elster confesses that he knew about Carlotta but did not tell Scottie in order not to prejudice him. Elster reveals that Carlotta was Madeleine’s great-grandmother, but when Scottie declares that it would be natural for Madeleine to become obsessed with her ancestor, Elster asserts that while Madeleine’s mother told him the truth, she never told Madeleine for fear of upsetting her with the knowledge of insanity in their family. Elster insists that Madeleine, who owns several pieces of Carlotta’s jewelry, including the distinctive necklace she wore while sitting for her portrait, has become possessed by Carlotta. Later, Scottie again follows Madeleine, with whom he has become obsessed, as she goes to the museum and then to Fort Point underneath the Golden Gate Bridge. When Madeleine suddenly throws herself into the water, Scottie jumps in and rescues her. Scottie takes the unconscious Madeleine to his apartment to recover and when she awakens, she claims to have no memory of the incident, although she does recall being at Fort Point. When Scottie then asks her if she has ever been to the art gallery containing Carlotta’s portrait, she states that she has not, confirming Elster’s assertion that she does not remember her wanderings to places connected to Carlotta. Their conversation is interrupted by a phone call from Elster, and while Scottie updates him on Madeleine’s condition, Madeleine departs. The following day, Scottie is tailing Madeleine when she comes to his apartment to leave him a note. Scottie suggests that they take a drive, and they go to a Sequoia forest, where they discuss the ephemeral nature of time and memory. As Scottie presses her about why she jumped into the bay, and about “where” and “when” she currently is, Madeleine relates that she feels like she is walking down a long corridor, covered with mirrored fragments that reflect a life not her own, yet familiar. When Scottie continues to question her, Madeleine reveals her fear that she is insane and will die soon. Scottie embraces her and assures her that he will never let her go, and their relationship is sealed with a passionate kiss. Sometime later, Madeleine awakens Scottie late one night, telling him that she had a recurring nightmare about an old Spanish church. Scottie recognizes her description of the area as nearby San Juan Bautista, an old, Spanish mission that has been preserved as it was one hundred years ago, but Madeleine insists that she has never been there. That afternoon, Scottie takes her there to reassure her that it is a real place and that she has nothing to fear from it. In the livery stable, Madeleine describes having lived at the mission, as if recalling Carlotta’s memories of her youth, and Scottie tries to reason with her, showing her things that she might have once seen and become confused about. After sharing another passionate kiss with Scottie, Madeleine runs off, crying that although she loves him, there is something she must do, and that it is too late for them. Scottie follows her as she races up into the church’s bell tower, but as he climbs the stairs, begins to suffer from vertigo. Madeleine reaches the top of the tower before Scottie, and as he looks through a window, sees her fall to the roof of the church below. Devastated, Scottie leaves the scene. Soon after, at the coroner’s inquest, Madeleine’s death is ruled a suicide, although the official lambasts Scottie’s lack of action. Elster consoles Scottie, asserting that it was his fault for getting Scottie involved, and tells him that he is moving to Europe. After having a terrifying nightmare about Madeleine’s death, Scottie suffers a nervous breakdown and is institutionalized for a year. Upon his release, Scottie sees women resembling Madeleine everywhere he goes until one day, he sees a redheaded woman who looks so strongly like Madeleine that he follows her to her room in a cheap hotel. There, the woman, whose name is Judy Barton, believes that Scottie is trying to pick her up, but when he confesses that she reminds him of someone he once loved, she softens and agrees to dine with him that evening. After Scottie departs, however, Judy begins to pack, then writes a letter to Scottie, confessing that Elster concocted a scheme to kill his wife and make Scottie a dupe to cover his crime. As Judy writes, she recalls how Elster transformed her, his mistress, into a sophisticated double of the real Madeleine, then employed Scottie to follow her, and as they hoped, Scottie fell in love with her. Judy had not planned on reciprocating his love, however, and was distressed upon having to betray him by running to the bell tower, from which Elster threw the already dead body of his wife. Deciding that she wants to make Scottie love her as herself, not as Madeleine, Judy destroys the letter. After dinner, Scottie begs to spend more time with her and Judy consents, although as the days pass, she is unnerved by his attempts to transform her into Madeleine by buying her similar clothes and having her hair dyed platinum blonde. Desperate to regain his affection, however, Judy goes along with his efforts until she looks just as she did when she was impersonating Madeleine. His dream of resurrecting Madeleine achieved, Scottie kisses Judy deeply, recalling the last time that he kissed Madeleine before her death. As they prepare to go out, however, Judy unthinkingly dons Carlotta’s necklace, and Scottie deduces Elster’s scheme, and Judy’s part in it. Scottie drives the nervous Judy to San Juan Bautista and there forces her to climb the bell tower, stating that this is his “second chance.” As they climb, Scottie realizes that he no longer suffers from vertigo, and Judy confesses to her part in the crime, revealing that Elster discarded her after his wife’s death. Alternately calling her Madeleine and Judy, Scottie tells her how much he loved her, and Judy responds that they can begin again, with her transformation back into Madeleine as proof of her love for him. Just then, a nun comes into the tower and her footsteps frighten Judy, who steps back and fall to her death on the roof below. Shattered, Scottie looks down at her body.
Chinatown(1974)
Cast:Jack Nicholson, Faye Dunaway, John Huston
Directors:Roman Polanski
Producer:Robert Evans
Writer:Robert Towne
Editor:Sam O'Steen
Cinematographer:John A. Alonzo , Stanley Cortez
Genre:Mystery, Romance
Production Company:Long Road Productions, Inc.
Composer:Jerry Goldsmith
In 1937 Los Angeles, private detective J. J. "Jake" Gittes, who specializes in adultery cases, is hired by the well-dressed Mrs. Evelyn Mulwray to follow her husband Hollis, chief engineer for the Department of Water and Power. Jake later sits in on a city council meeting, where Mayor Bagby offers his support for a new dam that will guarantee an adequate water supply for the city. After Hollis emotionally speaks out condemning the project as unsafe, Jake follows him as he inspects the dry Los Angeles riverbed under the Hollenbeck Bridge, then goes out to Point Fermin, where thousands of gallons of water rush through a drainage pipe out into the sea that night. A few days later, Jake and his associate, Duffy, photographs Hollis rowing a pretty young blonde woman around Echo Park Lake. Jake then follows the couple to the El Macondo courtyard apartments, where he secretly takes pictures of the girl embracing Hollis. The next day, one of Jake's photographs is printed on the front page of the newspaper, accompanied by a story about Hollis' "love nest." When Jake arrives at his office, he is stunned to learn that the woman claiming to be Mrs. Mulwray was an imposter, and the real Evelyn, who has come to the office, intends to sue him. Angry that he has been duped, Jake finesses his way into Hollis' office, but finds no compromising information, only a handwritten notation reading "Oak Pass Reservoir, Tuesday, 2:00 pm." His search is interrupted by Hollis' underling, Russ Yelburton, who assures him that Hollis is not the sort of man to have an affair, then escorts Jake out. Jake then goes to Hollis' estate to speak with him directly. Evelyn says that she will not pursue her lawsuit, then suggests that Hollis might be at the Oak Pass reservoir. Jake then drives there and encounters Lt. Lou Escobar, an old rival from his days on the police force in Chinatown, and sees Hollis' dead body being pulled from the water. Evelyn later identifies Hollis at the morgue and refutes Escobar's suggestion that her husband committed suicide, claiming that they were trying to work out their problems over his affair. Outside, Jake tries to convince Evelyn that Hollis was murdered, but she insists that it was an accident. After she leaves, Jake goes back inside to look around and is puzzled when a medical examiner casually tells him that one of the bodies in the morgue was a homeless man who drowned under the Hollenbeck Bridge. Knowing that there should not have been enough water there to drown someone, Jake revisits the bridge. After finding only a small pool of water in the gravelly land below, Jake speaks with a boy on horseback and learns that water rushes through at night. When Jake returns to walk around the Oak Park Reservoir that evening, he hears a gunshot, then a rush of water, which quickly envelopes him. After making his way out of the torrent, he is stopped by a short man in a white suit, accompanied by Claude Mulvihill, a cheap detective whom Jake detests. The short man puts a knife into Jake's left nostril, then suddenly cuts through it, warning Jake that next time he will lose his entire nose. At the office the next day, as Duffy and Jake’s other associate, Walsh, try to talk him out of pursuing the Mulwray case, he receives a phone call from a woman named Ida Sessions, who reveals that she was hired to impersonate Mrs. Mulwray but had no idea that anyone would be killed. Because she is frightened, she will not reveal anything more, but tells him to look in the obituary column. Later, Jake goes back to see Yelburton, and while he is waiting, notices several pictures on the walls of Hollis with Noah Cross, the man whom Walsh had photographed a few days before having a heated argument with Hollis outside the Pig 'n Whistle restaurant. Yelburton's secretary tells him that Cross and Hollis owned the water company in partnership, but Hollis thought that water should belong to the people and gave the company to the city. When he speaks with Yelburton, Jake alludes to knowing more than he does, saying that Hollis’ murder is tied to the new dam and the deliberate dumping of thousands of gallons of water during a drought. After Yelburton sheepishly admits that some water has been diverted quietly to the northwest San Fernando Valley, Jake proffers that he is not after him, but those behind him. Returning to his office, Jake is visited by Evelyn, who wants to hire him to investigate Hollis' murder. Some time later, Jake goes to Catalina Island to the Albacore Club to see Cross, whom he has learned is Evelyn’s father. Implying that he does not want his vulnerable daughter to be taken advantage of, but also indicating that he feels sorry for the girl Hollis was seeing, Cross offers to double what Evelyn is paying if Jake finds the girl. Jake catches Cross in a lie when he says that he had not spoken to Hollis in years, but Cross brushes aside Jake’s revelation that they had been photographed together. Some time later, Jake goes to the Hall of Records, where he discovers that thousands of acres of farm land in the Valley recently have been sold. Armed with a list of the purchases he has torn from the record books, Jake drives to the Valley but finds himself chased by a family of angry farmers who think he works for the water company. Just before Jake is knocked out by one of the younger farmers, the father snarls that the city has attacked their wells to force them to sell their land cheap. When Jake wakes up, Evelyn is with him, summoned by the father, who found her card in Jake’s pocket. As they drive back into town, Jake tells her that the proposed dam is a fraud because the water will be going to unincorporated areas of the Valley instead of the city of Los Angeles. He also tells her about the recent land sales at bargain prices. As Evelyn comments on the old-fashioned names of the buyers, Jake suddenly remembers that one of them, Jaspar Lamar Crabb, who was listed in the obituary column Ida Sessions suggested he look at, had died a week before his deed was recorded. Because Crabb had lived at the Mar Vista Rest Home, Jake suggests they drive there. Pretending that they are looking for a home for his father, they ask to look around. Jake recognizes the names of many of the residents as the same as those on the newly recorded deeds, but when he speaks with one of the residents, Emma Dills, who is making a quilt with an emblem for the Albacore Club, she knows nothing about any property in the Valley. The home’s manager, now joined by Claude, then orders them to leave. Outside, Jake sees the man in the white suit approaching and, with Evelyn’s quick driving, is able to escape. Later, at Evelyn’s house, the two make love. After Evelyn receives a phone call, she tells him that she must leave, but first confides that her father owns the Albacore Club. When Jake then reveals that he had met her father there, she becomes unsettled and warns him that her father is dangerous. Suspicious of the phone call, Jake follows Evelyn to a house on Canyon Drive where he peeks through the window and sees the young blonde woman crying, apparently struggling with Evelyn and her Chinese butler, Kahn. When Evelyn gets into her car, she is startled by Jake, who assumes that the girl is being held against her will and coldly threatens to call the police. Evelyn then says that the girl is her sister and implies that she condoned Hollis' affair because she wanted him to be happy. Finally back at his house, Jake receives two anonymous calls from a man who says that Ida Sessions wants to see him. The next morning, Jake arrives at Sessions’ house, where he discovers her dead body, then is surprised by Escobar and his partner, Loach. Escobar guesses that Ida had initially hired Jake but assumes that Evelyn killed her husband and is being blackmailed by Jake. Escobar also reveals that the autopsy on Hollis showed that he had drowned in salt water, not the reservoir’s fresh water. After Jake tries to convince Escobar that there has been a plot to divert water and that Hollis was murdered because of it, Escobar gives him two hours to find Evelyn and bring her in to the police. Jake then goes to Evelyn’s house, but only finds the maid. He then goes outside and gazes at the pond, which the gardener complains is filled with salt water. Remembering that he had seen something shiny in the pond the first time he visited, Jake and the gardener retrieve a broken pair of gold-rimmed glasses. Jake then drives to the Canyon Drive house and gruffly asks Evelyn if the glasses belonged to Hollis. After she acknowledges that they look like his, Jake calls Escobar and tells him to come over. Evelyn is confused by Jake’s actions, prompting him to demand that she tell him about the girl, suggesting that she killed Hollis out of jealousy and shouting that he knows that she does not have a sister. As Jake angrily starts to slap her, Evelyn finally breaks down and screams "she's my sister and my daughter." She then explains to the stunned Jake that she became pregnant at age fifteen after her father raped her, then went to Mexico, where Hollis took care of her and continued to take care of both her and the girl, who is named Katherine. Now Jake tells her to find a place to go, and Evelyn suggests Kahn's house in Chinatown. Before leaving, Evelyn glances again at the eyeglasses and mentions that they could not have belonged to Hollis because he did not wear bifocals. A short time after Evelyn drives away with Katherine, Escobar and Loach arrive. Jake lies that Evelyn has gone to her maid's house in San Pedro and offers to give them the address, but Escobar insists that Jake come along. When they arrive in the San Pedro, Escobar reluctantly acquiesces to Jake’s request for a few minutes alone with Evelyn. The house actually belongs to Curly, a man who had hired Jake to follow his cheating wife. Once inside, Jake asks Curly to take him for a ride in his truck, and while Jake hides from sight, offers to forgive his bill and pay him $100 if he will take Evelyn and Katherine to Ensenada in his boat. Later, outside Evelyn’s house, Jake loads Curly's truck with her suitcases, then calls Cross to tell him that he has found the girl and he should bring his checkbook to Evelyn’s house. When Cross arrives, Jake confronts him about murdering Hollis and raping Evelyn. Although Cross genuinely admired Hollis for "making this town," he admits to murdering him so that water could be brought to the Valley. He also said it was not for the money, which he did not need, but for the future, explaining that once water is in the Valley, the land will be incorporated into the city. With Loach as his henchman, Cross forces Jake to take them to Katherine. When Cross, Jake and Loach arrive on Chinatown’s Alameda Street a short time later, they are approached by Escobar and his men, who start to handcuff Jake. Happy to be taken out of danger, Jake blurts out that Cross killed Hollis. During the confusion of conflicting stories, Evelyn and Katherine approach Evelyn's car. When Cross tries to introduce himself to Katherine as her grandfather, Evelyn draws a gun and warns that he will never have her. After shooting Cross in the arm, she drives off, ignoring Escobar’s order that she stop. When she continues driving down the street, Escobar and his men shoot at the car until it stops. Hearing the sound of the car’s blaring horn in the distance, Jake, Escobar, Cross and the others rush to it and find Katherine covered in blood, screaming next to Evelyn’s dead body. Cross pulls Katherine away, shielding her eyes, as Jake stares at Evelyn’s body. When he directs a crack at Escobar, Escobar screams at Walsh and Duffy to do Jake a favor and take him away. As Jake is being pulled away by his friends, Walsh tries to comfort him saying, “Forget it, Jake, it’s Chinatown.”
Rear Window(1954)
Cast:James Stewart, Grace Kelly, Wendell Corey
Directors:Alfred Hitchcock
Producer:Alfred Hitchcock
Writer:John Michael Hayes
Editor:George Tomasini
Cinematographer:Robert Burks
Genre:Mystery
Production Company:Paramount Pictures Corp., Patron, Inc.
Composer:Franz Waxman
Laid up with a broken leg during the height of summer, renowned New York magazine photographer L. B. “Jeff” Jeffries enters his last week of home confinement, bored and anxious. A bachelor, Jeff has been spending his days sitting in a wheelchair, watching his neighbors through the rear window of his two-room apartment. Although Stella, the nurse who drops by to massage his back and prepare his meals, disapproves of his “peeping” and counsels him to marry his girl friend, model Lisa Carol Fremont, Jeff insists that Lisa is too “perfect” and refined for his adventurous lifestyle. Later, after observing a pair of amorous newlyweds moving into one of the buildings adjacent to his, Jeff is visited by the glamorous Lisa. When Lisa, who has brought Jeff a lavish restaurant meal, suggests that he give up his globe-trotting and become a fashion photographer, Jeff reacts with disdain. Jeff and Lisa then watch as a neighbor whom Jeff calls “Miss Lonely Hearts” entertains an imaginery dinner date, and “Miss Torso,” an attractive dancer, juggles the attentions of three male admirers in her apartment. Jeff also notices the traveling salesman who lives in a second-story apartment directly across the courtyard, arguing with his bed-ridden wife. After admiring the piano playing of Jeff’s neighbor, a struggling composer, Lisa confronts Jeff about their relationship, challenging his perception that their romance is doomed because of their different lifestyles. Jeff, however, insists that the pampered Lisa would never be happy enduring hardships in exotic locales and refuses to consider changing his ways. Before leaving, Lisa announces that she cannot continue seeing him without a commitment, then promises to return the next night. After she goes, Jeff hears a woman scream and glass break, but sees nothing of note outside. During a middle-of-the-night rain shower, Jeff awakens in front of the window and notices the salesman leaving his place with his sample case. Over the next few hours, Jeff drifts in and out of sleep and sees the salesman coming and going with his case. Early the next morning, while Jeff is asleep, the salesman leaves the building with a woman, and by the time Jeff is up, the salesman has returned, alone. After Jeff mentions the salesman and his wife to Stella, the salesman looks down at the courtyard, intently watching an older couple’s dog sniffing around his garden. Intrigued by the salesman’s behavior, Jeff begins to watch him, first through a pair of binoculars, then through the telephoto lens of his camera. Jeff sees the salesman wrapping a saw and a butcher knife in newspaper and, later that evening, tells Lisa about the salesman’s late-night activities and the fact that he spent the day at home but never went into his sick wife’s bedroom. When Jeff suggests that the man might have murdered his wife, Lisa dismisses his suspicions until she spies the salesman wrapping a rope around a large trunk. Believing that the wife’s body is in the trunk, Lisa crosses the courtyard to look at the salesman’s mailbox and tells Jeff over the phone that his name is Lars Thorwald. The next morning, Jeff calls police detective Thomas J. Doyle, a friend from his war days, and tells him about Thorwald. Jeff and Stella observe two movers carrying out Thorwald’s trunk, and Stella runs downstairs to check the name on the moving truck. Although Stella is unable to get the moving company’s name, Jeff fills Tom in on all the other details when he comes by that night. Tom is unconvinced, but promises to look into the matter, unofficially. Later, after Jeff sees Thorwald shooing the neighbors’ dog away from his flowers, Tom telephones to report that Thorwald and his wife were seen leaving together the previous morning by three witnesses, including Thorwald’s superintendent, who also stated that, according to Thorwald, Mrs. Thorwald took the train to Meritsville. Jeff is unimpressed by Tom’s evidence, pointing out that the woman may not have been Mrs. Thorwald. Despite Jeff’s pleas, Tom refuses to pursue the investigation, adding that he found a postcard with a Meritsville postmark in Thorwald’s mailbox, signed, apparently, by Mrs. Thorwald. Discouraged but not defeated, Jeff continues to spy on Thorwald, becoming excited when he sees him pulling his wife’s jewelry out of her handbag. When Jeff tells Lisa about the handbag, she insists that, as a woman, Mrs. Thorwald would not have left without her bag or her jewelry. Before they can act on their latest discoveries, Tom stops by to announce that Thorwald’s trunk, which he had tracked down, contained only Mrs. Thorwald’s clothes and was picked up by her at the Meritsville train station. After Tom leaves, Lisa admits that she is strangely disappointed to learn that Thorwald is not a killer after all. Lisa then slips into a negligee she brought in a purse-sized overnight bag, hoping to prove her resourcefulness to Jeff, but moments later, the courtyard erupts with noise when the older couple’s dog is found strangled. Jeff observes that only one person—Thorwald—did not look out during the ruckus. Convinced that Thorwald killed the dog because of its snooping, Jeff studies some slides he took of the courtyard two weeks before and shows Lisa and Stella that Thorwald’s zinnias are now shorter. Hoping to lure Thorwald out, Jeff writes him an anonymous note, asking, “What have you done with her?” After Lisa slips the note under his door, Thorwald reads it and begins packing. Jeff looks up Thorwald’s phone number and calls him, identifying himself as the note writer and demanding that they meet at a hotel. As soon as Thorwald leaves, Lisa and Stella race down to the courtyard and start digging under the zinnias, but when they fail to unearth anything, Lisa climbs the fire escape and sneaks through Thorwald’s open window. Soon after, Thorwald returns and finds Lisa, who is looking for Mrs. Thorwald’s wedding ring. Thorwald begins assaulting Lisa, but Jeff calls the police in time to save her. While the police are getting a statement from Thorwald, Lisa, aware that Jeff is watching her through his telephoto lens, lets him know that she found the wedding ring. Thorwald catches her gesturing to Jeff, however, and deduces in which apartment he is hiding. After Lisa is hauled to the police station, Jeff sends Stella out with some bail money and frantically calls Tom. Thorwald then bursts in, but Jeff, sitting in the dark, momentarily blinds him by taking flash pictures with his camera. Despite the flashes, Thorwald grabs Jeff, who yells to alert the neighbors. The courtyard fills with on-lookers as Thorwald wrestles with Jeff and dangles him upside-down out the window. Although Tom arrives with some back-up, the police can only break Jeff’s subsequent fall. The police apprehend Thorwald, who confesses that he deposited most of his wife’s body in the East River, except for her head, which he first buried in the garden and then packed in a hatbox. Later, while Miss Lonely Hearts and the composer celebrate the publication of his song, and Miss Torso welcomes home her soldier sweetheart, Jeff, who now was two broken legs, is back in his wheelchair, with the devoted Lisa by his side.
Laura(1944)
Cast:Gene Tierney, Dana Andrews, Clifton Webb
Directors:Otto Preminger
Producer:Otto Preminger
Writer:Jay Dratler, Samuel Hoffenstein, Betty Reinhardt
Editor:Louis Loeffler
Cinematographer:Joseph La Shelle, Lucien Ballard
Genre:Film noir
Production Company:Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corp.
Composer:David Raksin
While investigating the brutal murder of Laura Hunt, New York police lieutenant Mark McPherson calls on erudite columnist Waldo Lydecker, a close friend of the dead woman. Waldo knows of Mark from his heroic battles with gangsters, and Mark points out that Waldo once wrote a story about a murder committed with a shotgun loaded with buckshot--the very way that Laura was killed. Claiming to be intrigued by crime, Waldo asks to accompany Mark on his investigation, and the two men call on Laura's aunt, the wealthy Ann Treadwell. Mark inquires about Ann's relationship with Laura's fiancé, Shelby Carpenter, citing evidence that she has been giving him money. Just then, Shelby, a charming Southerner, arrives and says that he and Laura were to have been married that week, but Waldo insists that when Laura canceled their dinner date on the night of the murder, she had not yet decided whether to go through with the wedding. Shelby accompanies Mark and Waldo to Laura's apartment, where the murder occurred, and after Shelby reluctantly hands over the key to Laura's country home, Waldo accuses him of the murder. Later, Waldo takes Mark to a restaurant and recalls how he met Laura five years earlier: Waldo is dining alone at the Algonquin when he is approached by Laura, an eager young employee of an advertising agency. Laura asks Waldo to endorse a pen for her company, and is hurt and disillusioned when he rudely dismisses her. Unable to get her out of his mind, Waldo later goes to see Laura at the agency, where he apologizes and agrees to the endorsement. They become friends, and under Waldo's tutelage, Laura rises in her profession and society. Although their relationship is platonic, Waldo is jealous of her suitors, and uses both his column and his influence over her to keep any rivals for her affections at bay. One night, at one of Ann's parties, Laura meets Shelby, who confesses that his family has been bankrupt for years. Laura gives him a job at the advertising agency, and they soon become romantically involved. Waldo has Shelby investigated and informs Laura that her fiancé is seeing a model, Diane Redfern. Laura is furious at Waldo's interference and dismisses the accusations until he produces a gold cigarette case that she gave Shelby, saying he retrieved it after Diane pawned it. Back in the restaurant, Waldo tells Mark that Laura had lunch with Diane the day of her death, and had planned to go to her country home for a few days. The following night, Mark, who is growing obsessed with Laura, returns to the apartment and continues searching through her personal effects. Waldo stops in and says he knows Mark has secretly put in a bid for Laura's portrait, and chides him for falling in love with a corpse. After Waldo leaves, Mark falls asleep under the portrait. He awakens to the sound of someone entering the room, and looks up to see Laura standing before him. Laura, who has been isolated in the country, is stunned when Mark shows her a newspaper story about her "murder." Laura then discovers one of Diane's dresses in her closet, and Mark concludes that the murder victim, whose face was damaged beyond recognition, was actually Diane. Mark questions Laura, brightening when she says she had decided not to marry Shelby, and instructs her not to leave the apartment or use the phone. As soon as Mark leaves, however, Laura calls Shelby, unaware that the police have tapped her phone. Shelby and Laura meet briefly, and Mark follows Shelby to Laura's country home, where he finds him removing a shotgun from a rack. Shelby claims that he had brought Diane to Laura's apartment to talk, but when Diane answered the door and was shot to death, he panicked and fled. Later, at a party to celebrate her return, Laura asks Shelby why he went to the cottage, and when he replies that he went to hide the shotgun, she realizes with horror that Shelby believes she is the murderer. Mark takes Laura into custody in front of her guests, but after questioning her at the police station, is convinced of her innocence. After taking Laura home, Mark searches Waldo's house and discovers a hollow compartment in his grandfather clock. He then goes to Laura's apartment and announces that her gun was not the one used in the murder. Resentful of the growing bond between Laura and the handsome detective, Waldo insults Mark, and Laura coolly sends her old friend away. Mark examines Laura's clock, which is a duplicate of the one in Waldo's home, and finds a shotgun hidden inside. He tells Laura that Waldo killed Diane, thinking it was Laura, and hid the gun in the clock after Shelby ran out. After kissing Laura goodnight, Mark locks her in and leaves, and Laura prepares for bed, unaware that Waldo has come back into the apartment through the service entrance. Waldo enters Laura's room and is about to shoot her when Mark and his men break in. Waldo is shot by the police and dies with Laura's name on his lips.
The Third Man(1949)
Cast:Joseph Cotten, Valli, Orson Welles
Directors:Carol Reed
Producer:Carol Reed
Writer:Graham Greene
Editor:Oswald Hafenrichter
Cinematographer:Robert Krasker
Genre:Adventure
Production Company:London Film Productions, Ltd.
In post-war Vienna, a city occupied by four Allied forces and sustained by a thriving black market, American writer Holly Martins arrives, penniless, at the invitation of his old friend Harry Lime, who had offered him a job. Holly goes to Harry's apartment and is told by the porter that Harry was run over by a car and killed. He rushes to the cemetery, where he finds Harry's funeral in progress. As he leaves the gravesite, Holly is approached by a British officer, Major Calloway, who offers him a ride and buys him a drink. When Calloway tells him that Harry was a notorious racketeer, Holly drunkenly vows to prove him wrong. Later, at his hotel, Holly is approached by Crabbin, the head of a cultural institute, who mistakes him for a prestigious novelist and offers to pay for his stay in Vienna if he will speak at one of their meetings. Holly soon receives a call from "Baron" Kurtz, who identifies himself as a friend of Harry and arranges to meet Holly at a café. Kurtz describes Harry's accident and mentions that Harry's Rumanian friend Popescu was also present when Harry died. Holly inquires about the beautiful woman he saw at the funeral, and Kurtz replies that she was Harry's girl friend, Anna Schmidt, an actress at the Josefstadt Theatre. Holly calls on Anna after a performance, and she tells him that Harry's personal physician, Dr. Winkel, happened to show up at the scene of the accident, and that the man behind the wheel of the car was actually Harry's driver. Anna expresses her suspicion that Harry's death was not accidental, and accompanies Holly to Harry's apartment to question the porter. Contrary to Kurtz's account, the porter says that Harry was killed at once, adding that an unidentified third man was present and helped carry the body. When Holly escorts Anna to her apartment, they find Calloway and members of the international police force searching her room. Calloway confiscates Anna's identification papers, claiming they were forged, takes her to the police station and questions her about Josef Harbin, an employee of a military hospital who recently disappeared. After Anna is released, she and Holly go to a nightclub, where they are joined by Kurtz and Popescu, and Holly relates what the porter told him about the third man. The next evening, Holly and Anna set out to talk to the porter again, but as they approach the building, the neighbors tell them that the porter has been murdered. When Holly returns to his hotel, he is promptly whisked away to Crabbin's cultural institute. The badly shaken Holly stumbles through his guest appearance at the literary salon, but when Popescu arrives with two men, he flees. Holly goes to see Calloway, who tells him about Vienna's black market for penicillin, explaining that racketeers often increase their profits by diluting the drug, which has disastrous medical effects. Calloway says that Harbin worked for Harry, stealing penicillin from laboratories, and shows Holly the evidence his men have collected implicating Harry and Kurtz. Holly is appalled by his friend's actions, and goes to Anna and tells her that he is returning to the U.S., then admits his strong feelings for her. After leaving Anna's apartment, Holly notices a man standing in the shadows and dares him to reveal himself. When an irate neighbor opens a window, the light falls across the face of Harry Lime, who disappears before Holly can reach him. Holly summons Calloway, who retraces Harry's escape route and discovers an abandoned news kiosk leading underground to the main sewer. Calloway has Harry's coffin exhumed, and the body inside turns out to be Harbin's. Using Kurtz as an intermediary, Holly arranges a meeting with Harry at the amusement park ferris wheel. Harry smoothly dismisses Holly's moral outrage at the penicillin racket and warns his old friend to stop talking to the police. Undeterred, Harry offers to help the police capture Harry in exchange for safe passage out of Vienna for Anna, who is about to be arrested by the Russians. When Anna furiously rejects the deal, Holly wants to quit, but Calloway takes him to the children's hospital to see some of the brain-damaged young victims of Harry's racketeering. Heartsick over what he sees, Holly agrees to act as a decoy to capture Harry. After waiting for Harry for hours in a café, Holly is joined by Anna, who berates him for working for the police. When Harry arrives, Anna warns him, and he escapes into the sewer, with Holly and the police in pursuit. Harry shoots and kills a British soldier, Sgt. Paine, and Holly slips away and shoots Harry as he tries to crawl through a grate to the street above. After Harry's real funeral, Holly watches in despair as Anna silently walks away down a long, tree-lined avenue.
The Maltese Falcon(1941)
Cast:Humphrey Bogart, Mary Astor, Gladys George
Directors:John Huston
Producer:Hal B. Wallis
Writer:John Huston
Editor:Thomas Richards
Cinematographer:Arthur Edeson
Genre:Drama
Production Company:Warner Bros. Pictures, Inc.
Composer:Adolph Deutsch
At the Spade and Archer detective agency in San Francisco, Samuel Spade is interviewed by the beautiful Miss Wonderly, who wishes to hire him to find her runaway sister. Sam's partner, Miles Archer, agrees to be present when Wonderly meets Floyd Thursby, her sister's seducer, and then follow him to his hotel in hopes of finding the missing girl. Later that night, Sam learns that Miles has been shot. He calls Wonderly and learns that she has checked out of her hotel. Then Thursby is found with four bullet holes in his back and Sam is visited by Lt. Dundy and Detective Tom Polhaus, two policemen, who suspect him of murdering Thursby out of revenge for Miles's death. The following morning, Wonderly summons Sam to her new address, where she confesses that her real name is Brigid O'Shaughnessy and that the story she related the day before was completely false. Despite his doubts that she has told him the whole truth, Sam accepts her as his client. The announcement of Thursby's death draws an inquiry from a mysterious little man named Joel Cairo, who tells Sam that he is trying to recover a statue of a black falcon. When Sam denies any knowledge of the statue, Cairo pulls a gun and demands to search the office. Sam disarms Cairo, who offers the detective $5,000 to find the bird. Sam accepts the offer, and Cairo once again holds Sam at gunpoint while he searches the office. When Brigid learns of Cairo's visit, she asks Sam to set up a meeting with him and tells Cairo that she doesn't have the statue, but will in a few days. Their meeting is interrupted by the police, who have been sent by Miles's widow Iva, who is jealous because she and Sam had been having an affair. The police now begin to suspect Sam of Miles's murder, but he spins a complicated story to stop the police from arresting the three of them for questioning. Kasper Gutman, known as "The Fat Man," is also interested in the statue and summons Sam, but when Gutman refuses to explain his interests, Sam storms out. Later, Wilmer Cook, Gutman's gunman, brings Sam back to Gutman's apartment. Gutman tells Sam that after the Crusades, Charles V of Spain presented the Knights Templar with the island of Malta, requiring only the tribute of a falcon every year. The statue everyone wants is a golden, jewel-encrusted replica of a falcon that was stolen by pirates and afterward disappeared for centuries. After it reappeared in Greece, Gutman planned to buy it, but it was again stolen and he has been following its trail ever since. He offers Sam $50,000 to find it, but before Sam can accept, he passes out from doctored drinks. When he comes to, he searches the room and finds a paper announcing the arrival of a ship from Hong Kong, but at the docks, Sam finds the ship on fire. He returns to his office, where a dying man stumbles in with a package. The man is Jacoby, the captain of the Hong Kong ship, and the package contains the statue. A phone call from Brigid takes Sam on a wild goose chase, but first he checks the package and mails the claim check to himself. When Sam finally returns home, Brigid, Gutman, Cairo and Wilmer are waiting. Sam agrees to turn over the bird if Gutman will allow Wilmer to take the blame for the three murders. When Effie arrives with the package, however, it is quickly discovered that the bird is a fake. In the confusion, Wilmer escapes. After Gutman and Cairo leave, Sam calls the police and turns them all in. Brigid admits that she shot Miles, hoping to implicate Thursby. Even though he is fascinated by her dangerous beauty, Sam turns Brigid in for the murder of his partner.
North by Northwest(1959)
Cast:Cary Grant, Eva Marie Saint, James Mason
Directors:Alfred Hitchcock
Producer:Alfred Hitchcock
Writer:Ernest Lehman
Editor:George Tomasini
Cinematographer:Robert Burks
Genre:Drama
Production Company:Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Corp.
Composer:Bernard Herrmann
In New York City, advertising executive Roger Thornhill attends an informal business meeting at The Plaza hotel, where, intending to send his mother a wire, he summons a bellboy who has just paged George Kaplan. Across the room, two men, Valerian and Licht, believe Roger’s summons is acknowledgment that he is Kaplan and when Roger leaves the bar, forcibly take him to a waiting car and drive him to the private home of Lester Townsend in Glen Cove. There he is met by the suave Phillip Vandamm, who Roger believes is Townsend. Vandamm dismisses Roger’s claim that he is not Kaplan and urges him to reveal the information he wants. When Roger continues to deny being Kaplan, Vandamm's secretary, Leonard, forces Roger to drink an entire bottle of bourbon then places him behind the wheel of a car on a mountain road. Although completely befuddled by the liquor, Roger revives sufficiently to drive erratically down the hill until he is picked up by police. At court the next day, Roger and his lawyer describe his abduction and near murder, prompting the judge to order an investigation by county detectives. In the company of his mother and the detectives, Roger returns to the Townsend home but there is no sign of the kidnapping incident. A woman claiming to be Mrs. Townsend indicates Roger attended a party at the house the previous evening and reveals that Townsend is at the United Nations addressing the General Assembly. Roger and his mother return to The Plaza hotel in search of Kaplan. In Kaplan’s room, Roger finds a newspaper photograph of Vandamm who he still believes is Townsend, but is forced to flee when he realizes that Valerian and Licht have followed him. At the U.N., Roger requests to see Townsend, but is confused when the man he meets is not Vandamm. Perplexed, Roger is about to show Townsend the newspaper photo he found in Kaplan’s room when Townsend is struck in the back by a knife hurled by Valerian, who then escapes. As Townsend collapses into Roger’s arms, Roger grabs the knife in shock and is photographed by a nearby photo journalist. Horrified, Roger runs away. Later that day at the U. S. Intelligence Agency, a group of agents led by a man known as the Professor, discuss Townsend’s murder and Roger’s involvement. The Professor and his group are investigating Vandamm for selling government secrets and have created a fictitious agent named George Kaplan in hopes of forcing Vandamm into the open. When the agents wonder if they should intervene on Roger’s behalf, the Professor refuses, declaring that despite the danger to Roger, he is diverting attention from another agent working undercover with Vandamm. Meanwhile, Roger is labeled by newspapers as the U.N. murderer. Having learned that Kaplan has checked out of the hotel and is heading for Chicago, Roger sneaks aboard the Twentieth Century Limited. On board Roger meets an attractive blonde, Eve Kendall, who misdirects the police while he hides. Roger evades the conductors after the train gets underway, then visits the dining car where he is seated with Eve. Roger and Eve flirt with one another when she admits to tipping the waiter to seat Roger with her, but she also reveals to having seen the newspaper coverage accusing Roger of Townsend’s murder. When the train makes an unscheduled stop to allow two police detectives to board, Eve offers to hide Roger in her compartment overnight. Unknown to Roger, Eve is an associate of Vandamm, who is also onboard the train with Leonard. Upon arriving in Chicago the next morning, Roger disguises himself as a porter and escorts Eve off the train. Having concluded that Kaplan can lead him to Vandamm, Roger intends to meet Kaplan and Eve offers to make the arrangements so that Roger might maintain a low profile. After Roger changes clothes, he meets Eve who claims she has contacted Kaplan at the hotel and received explicit directions for their meeting. Roger follows Eve’s directions and by mid-afternoon waits for Kaplan alongside a deserted road in the middle of empty farm fields where a crop duster works in the distance. After several cars go by without stopping, the crop duster abruptly turns towards Roger and, to his amazement, makes several attacking passes at him. Roger seeks refuge in a corn field, but the plane dusts the field with a chemical powder, forcing Roger back into the open. Spotting an oncoming tanker truck, Roger desperately flags it down and stands directly in its path, forcing the tanker to stop. Still pursuing Roger, the plane swoops down at him and smashes into the tanker. When passers-by stop to gape at the scene, Roger steals a pickup and drives back to Kaplan’s Chicago hotel. There he is stunned to learn that Kaplan checked out before Eve’s purported conversation with him from the train station. Moments later, Roger spots Eve in the lobby and follows her to her room where she is startled to see him. Insisting that they cannot get involved with each other, Eve demands that Roger depart. Later, Roger follows Eve to an auction at an art gallery where she joins Vandamm and Leonard. Hurt over Eve’s betrayal, Roger angrily confronts them. Vandamm and Leonard scoff at Roger’s indignation, then bid on and win a small Mexican Tarascan Warrior figure, unaware of the Professor’s presence in the bidding audience. When Valerian and Leonard block the exits, Roger creates a scene, starting a fight in order to get himself arrested. The patrolmen report Roger’s seizure and are instructed to take him to the airport where he is met by the Professor, who explains about the fictitious Kaplan and the need to capture Vandamm with incriminating evidence before he departs the country from his ranch in South Dakota. Roger refuses the Professor’s request to continue posing as Kaplan until the Professor admits that Eve is their inside operative, and that she is now in grave danger of being exposed unless they can convince Vandamm of her loyalty. Upon arriving in Rapid City, Roger sets up a meeting with Vandamm at the cafeteria of the Mount Rushmore memorial. Just as he meets Vandamm, Roger stages an argument with Eve, climaxing in her shooting him with blanks. With Vandamm and Leonard convinced that Roger is critically wounded, the Professor takes Roger to meet Eve secretly and the two apologize to each other for their misunderstandings. Roger is dismayed, however, when Eve discloses that to maintain her cover she must accompany Vandamm out of the country that night. The Professor allows Eve to return to Vandamm and places the angered Roger in protective custody at a hospital. That night, Roger escapes and takes a cab to Vandamm’s ranch, beside which a small airplane runway is lit. Hiding near an open window, Roger overhears Leonard and Vandamm discussing the secret microfilm hidden in the warrior figure. Leonard then tells Vandamm that his long suspicion of Eve has been justified and demonstrates that Eve’s gun is filled with blanks. Deeply angered, Vandamm tells Leonard he will get rid of Eve during their flight that night. Alarmed, Roger climbs up the side of the house to warn Eve, but she leaves her room before he can talk to her. Writing a warning message on a matchbook bearing his initials, Roger then tosses it into the living room where Eve waits with Vandamm and Leonard as their private plane lands outside. After reading Roger’s note, Eve meets him in her room where he tells her of the microfilm and Vandamm’s plan to do away with her. When Eve joins Vandamm outside, Roger attempts to sneak out of the house but is held at gun point by the housekeeper. After escaping from the housekeeper, Roger steals Valerian’s car and races to retrieve Eve, who has snatched the warrior figure and darted away from Vandamm. Stopped by a locked gate, Roger and Eve proceed on foot, followed by Valerian and Leonard. Realizing they are trapped on top of Mount Rushmore, Roger and Eve start down the monument, but Roger is attacked by Valerian and Eve tussles with Leonard. After Roger hurls Valerian off the mountain, Leonard takes the figure and pushes Eve down the cliff where Roger comes to her aid as she dangles perilously on the edge of the monument. As Leonard menaces the couple, the Professor and his men come to the rescue, killing Leonard and arresting Vandamm in the process. Roger and Eve return to New York as man and wife, sentimentally taking the train.
Blue Velvet(1986)
Cast:Kyle MacLachlan, Isabella Rossellini, Dennis Hopper
Directors:David Lynch
Producer:Fred Caruso, Richard Roth
Writer:David Lynch
Editor:Duwayne Dunham
Cinematographer:Frederick Elmes
Genre:Drama
Production Company:Blue Velvet Productions
Composer:Angelo Badalamenti
College student Jeffrey Beaumont returns home to the small logging town of Lumberton when his father suffers a heart attack. After visiting the hospital, Jeffrey finds an amputated human ear in a vacant lot, and takes the organ to police detective John Williams, whose daughter, Sandy, was an underclassman at Jeffrey’s former high school. As Det. Williams takes over the case, Jeffrey plies Sandy for information, and she reports that a mysterious singer named Dorothy Vallens is somehow involved. They drive to her apartment building, which is located near the field in which the ear was discovered. The following day, Jeffrey picks Sandy up from school, and plots to covertly survey Dorothy Vallens’s apartment by pretending to be a pest exterminator. Dorothy allows Jeffrey inside, but his ruse goes awry when a man dressed in a yellow suit arrives, and Jeffrey steals a spare key to return later. That night, Sandy and Jeffrey watch the chanteuse perform the song “Blue Velvet” at a local nightclub, and drive back to her apartment before the performance ends. Sandy, who is terrified by Jeffrey’s homespun investigation, promises to honk the car horn if she sees Dorothy return. Inside, Jeffrey is overwhelmed by the urge to urinate and does not hear Sandy’s alarm when he flushes the toilet. Heeding Dorothy’s approach, Jeffrey hides in the living room closet and peers through its wood-slat door as she undresses, and answers a telephone call from a deranged, sadistic tormentor, Frank Booth. The conversation leads Jeffrey to believe that Frank has aligned himself with Dorothy’s estranged husband, Don, and has kidnapped their young son, Little Donny. Finishing the call, Dorothy is terrified to find Jeffrey in her closet. She threatens him with a knife, orders him to strip naked, and seduces him, but Frank arrives unexpectedly and Jeffrey returns to the closet. He watches through the slats as Frank becomes psychologically unhinged, inhaling drug vapors through a gas mask, simulating sex, and slapping Dorothy while referring to her as “Mommy.” When Frank leaves, Jeffrey consoles the frenzied singer, and she propositions him for sex. Jeffrey is intrigued, but recoils when she orders him to hit her. The next evening, Jeffrey gives Sandy a chaste description of the encounter, leaving out the sex, and speculates that Frank cut off the ear of Dorothy’s husband. Sandy, who has led an idyllic and sheltered life, is devastated to learn about the sinister nature of humanity, and describes a dream she had the night she met Jeffrey. In her vision, the darkness of the world turned to light when thousands of robins, the birds of love, were liberated from captivity. Sometime later, Jeffrey returns to Dorothy’s nightclub, follows Frank home, and begins to conduct surveillance, taking photographs of various associates, including the man in the yellow suit from Dorothy’s apartment, who he calls the “Yellow Man,” and a figure in a “well-dressed man disguise.” Reporting back to Sandy, Jeffrey suspects the transactions are drug-related, as a dealer was killed nearby, and a girl’s legs were broken. While Sandy is aghast at Jeffrey’s discoveries, he remains exhilarated, and explains he is finally able to see mysterious aspects of life that were previously concealed. He confesses that Sandy is one such “mystery,” and kisses her, but she begs him to respect her innocence. That night, Jeffrey makes love to Dorothy, and reluctantly submits to her masochistic desires. As they bid each other farewell, Frank arrives and orders Jeffrey to join his gang for a “joy ride” in his car. They speed to a brothel called “This Is It,” where Dorothy is permitted to visit her son, and an effeminate host named Ben serenades Frank with his favorite song, “In Dreams.” Frank loses patience and declares it is time to resume his journey of sexual conquest. Back on the road, Frank fondles Dorothy’s breasts and Jeffrey punches him in protest. Frank drags the boy out of the vehicle at knifepoint, applies lipstick, and kisses him. Threatening to possess Jeffrey in his dreams, Frank beats the young man until he loses consciousness. Jeffrey awakens alone in a lumberyard, stumbles home, and telephones Sandy, who convinces him to reveal his findings to her father. Looking for Det. Williams at the police station, Jeffrey is shocked to discover that Williams’s partner, Tom Gordon, is Frank’s associate, the “Yellow Man.” Jeffrey takes his photographs to the Williams home to reveal them to Det. Williams in private, and promises to end his amateur investigation. When Jeffrey returns to the house for a date with Sandy, he finds Det. Gordon fraternizing with the family and fears Det. Williams is also allied with Frank, but the officer quietly assures him that he is still on the case. Sandy takes Jeffrey to a high school party, where they kiss on the dance floor, and declare their love. However, their bliss is suspended when a car chases them home, and Jeffrey believes Frank is coming after him. Pulling over, he discovers the stalker is Sandy’s jilted boyfriend, Mike, who challenges him to a fight. Just then, Dorothy limps toward them in a stupor, naked and bruised. As Jeffrey embraces her and guides her to his car, Sandy wonders why the woman is so intimate with her paramour. Back at the Williams house, Dorothy calls Jeffrey her “secret lover,” and tells Sandy that he “put his disease in me.” Sandy is grief-stricken, and sobs in her mother’s arms. While paramedics take Dorothy away, Sandy hits Jeffrey, but she later forgives him when he calls from a hospital pay phone. Jeffrey orders Sandy to send her father to Dorothy’s apartment and heads there himself, only to discover a gruesome crime scene. Det. Gordon, aka the “Yellow Man,” stands in rigor mortis with a lethal gorge in his skull, and Dorothy’s husband, Don, who is missing an ear, is sitting nearby with a deadly gunshot to his head. A police radio in Gordon’s coat pocket alerts Jeffrey to a raid at Frank’s warehouse, and he decides to finally relinquish his obsession with the case. As Jeffrey leaves, however, he sees the outlaw in the “well-dressed man disguise,” and realizes the imposter is Frank. Rushing back to Dorothy’s apartment, Jeffrey grabs Det. Gordon’s radio and hides in the bedroom, transmitting his whereabouts to Det. Williams. He suddenly remembers that Frank has a radio, too, and is listening to his report. Jeffrey drops the intercom and runs to the living room. As Frank searches the bedroom, Jeffrey snatches Det. Gordon’s gun and returns to his hiding place. Frank realizes he has been deceived and storms toward the closet, where Jeffrey shoots him through the forehead. Just then, Sandy arrives with her father, who assures the boy that the nightmare has ended. Sometime later, Jeffrey awakens in his backyard, and Sandy calls him inside for lunch. His father has returned home from the hospital in good health, and a robin perches in the kitchen window with a beetle in its beak, restoring light and love to Lumberton. At a park, Dorothy embraces her young son.
Dial M for Murder(1954)
Cast:Ray Milland, Grace Kelly, Robert Cummings
Directors:Alfred Hitchcock
Producer:Alfred Hitchcock
Writer:Frederick Knott
Editor:Rudi Fehr
Cinematographer:Robert Burks
Genre:Drama
Production Company:Warner Bros. Pictures, Inc.
Composer:Dimitri Tiomkin
In her London apartment, wealthy Margot Wendice discusses with her American ex-lover, Mark Halliday, why she changed her mind about leaving her husband Tony. Several months ago, she explains, Tony suddenly became more affectionate and now, convinced that he cares for her, she plans to remain loyal, despite her love for Mark. Wanting a fresh start in her marriage, she is concerned about an anonymous blackmailer who stole a letter Mark wrote to her, but never picked up the money she paid or returned the letter. When Tony, a former tennis professional-turned-salesman, comes home, he announces that unexpected business matters have pre-empted their evening plans, but encourages Mark and Margot to go out without him. In consolation, he invites Mark to his club’s banquet that will be held the following evening. After they leave, Tony calls Capt. Lesgate, feigning interest in a car the man is selling. After manipulating him into meeting at the apartment to negotiate, Tony surprises Lesgate by revealing that they are former Cambridge schoolmates and that he is aware of several illegal activities in which the small-time crook has been involved. Intimating that he married for money, Tony tells Lesgate that he stole Margot’s letter and blackmailed her to confirm her affair with Mark. Anticipating that she will leave him, Tony wants Margot killed before she takes off with her wealth, and blackmails Lesgate into agreeing to do the killing. As further enticement, Tony promises to pay Lesgate with money that he has been surreptitiously amassing through small bank withdrawals over the past year. As his reputation is spotless, Tony warns Lesgate that attempting to report his proposition to the police will backfire. After Lesgate agrees to cooperate, Tony unveils his elaborate plan: On the following evening, while Tony and Mark attend the banquet, Lesgate is to watch the apartment and when Margot retires, enter using Margot’s own house key, which Tony plans to sneak out of her handbag and put under the stairway carpet outside their door. At a specified time, Tony will call, and when Margot gets up to answer, Lesgate, who will be hiding behind drapes near the telephone, is to strangle her. When the deed is done, Lesgate is to whistle into the phone and hang up. Before leaving, he is to leave the garden window open and replace the key under the stairway carpet. The next evening, while chatting over cocktails, Tony’s interest is piqued when Mark, who is a television mystery writer, claims that, although he can write the “perfect murder,” in real life he would overlook some detail and be caught. Before he and Mark leave for the club, Tony gets the key from Margot's handbag and manipulates her into staying home to clip articles for his scrapbook. At the club, Tony excuses himself from the table, saying he must call his boss, but instead calls home. Meanwhile, after Lesgate has unlocked the apartment door and returned the key to its hiding place, he waits inside the dark apartment. When Margot gets up to answer the phone, Lesgate tries to strangle her with a stocking, but she struggles and stabs him in the back with a pair of scissors that she used to clip Tony’s articles. Lesgate falls on the scissors and dies. Tony, on the other end of the phone line, hearing his plans go awry, quickly contrives a different way to accomplish his goal. He talks into the phone and the shaken Margot, recognizing his voice, tells him what happened. After telling her that he will call the police, Tony immediately goes home. Later, at the apartment, while pretending to “protect” Margot from police questioning, he sneaks the key in Lesgate’s pocket into Margot’s handbag and leaves the love letter where police find it. Other evidence indicates that Lesgate did not come in through the garden window, so Inspector Hubbard, who is in charge of the case, concludes that Margot let in and killed Lesgate, who was blackmailing her. Although Hubbard finds it odd that no key is found on Lesgate’s body, Margot is arrested, tried and sentenced to death. Tony, while waiting to inherit her fortune, begins paying his bills with the cash meant for Lesgate. On the day before Margot’s scheduled execution, Mark shows up at the apartment urging Tony to invent a story to save Margot’s life. As an example, Mark suggests that Tony “confess” that he hired Lesgate to kill Margot, but that she killed her attacker in self-defense. Tony would be safe from prosecution, Mark says, as he could not be convicted for an uncommitted crime. Tony refuses, saying the police would never believe such a story. When Hubbard unexpectedly shows up, Mark hides in the bedroom. While he overhears the inspector inquire about the large amounts of cast Tony appears to have on hand, Mark finds the briefcase of money that was meant to pay off Lesgate. With briefcase in hand, Mark confronts Tony in front of Hubbard, but Tony dismisses Mark’s and Hubbard’s questions by claiming that the briefcase contains Margot’s payoff to Lesgate, which he concealed to hide her guilt. Before leaving, Hubbard reminds Tony to collect Margot’s belongings at the police station and then secretly exchanges his own raincoat for Tony’s. Later, when the apartment is vacant, Hubbard enters with Tony’s key, followed by Mark. Plainclothesmen bring Margot to the apartment and show her in when she is unable to enter using the key in her handbag. As they wait, Hubbard intimates that he needs proof of his suspicions about Tony and has his men return Margot’s handbag to the station. Later, Tony arrives, but has no key to get in. Now aware that he has the wrong raincoat, he proceeds to the police station and later returns with Margot’s effects, including her handbag. When he again fails to open the door, this time using Margot’s key, Tony realizes that the key he took from Lesgate’s pocket on the night of the attempted murder was the dead man’s own, so he checks under the stairway carpet, retrieves the key he took from Margot’s handbag and unlocks the door. Upon finding Hubbard, Mark and Margot waiting inside, Tony acknowledges that his scheme failed and congratulates Hubbard for correctly solving the case.
The Usual Suspects(1995)
Cast:Stephen Baldwin, Gabriel Byrne, Benicio Del Toro
Directors:Bryan Singer
Producer:Bryan Singer, Michael McDonnell
Writer:Christopher McQuarrie
Editor:John Ottman
Cinematographer:Newton Thomas Sigel
Genre:Drama
Production Company:Blue Parrot
Composer:John Ottman
On a ship docked in Southern California, two men survive a heist gone awry: Hungarian gangster Arkosh Kovash, and a criminal with cerebral palsy who goes by the name “Verbal” Kint. As the ship goes up in flames, Kovash is rushed to the hospital to be treated for burns, while Verbal is taken into police custody. He confesses to interrogators that six weeks earlier, in a line-up at a New York City jail, he met four other criminals: Keaton, McManus, Fenster, and Hockney. With the help of Keaton’s lawyer girl friend, the five men—all of whom were innocent of the crime in question—were released. However, they banded together to get revenge on the New York Police Department (NYPD) by holding up a jewel smuggler in cahoots with corrupt policemen. The fivesome stole a collection of emeralds worth millions of dollars. In doing so, they exposed over fifty cops who stood to profit from the smuggled jewels. Verbal explains that he and the others brought the stolen emeralds to California to sell them on the black market. Redfoot, the man who bought them, offered more work to the group, and they agreed. However, the subsequent robbery went poorly. Afterward, they discovered that a lawyer named Kobayashi had masterminded it. Upon meeting him, they learned that Kobayashi was behind the police line-up which had brought them together in the first place. Kobayashi explained that he was acting on behalf of Keyser Soze, a Turkish mob boss seeking to avenge Keaton, McManus, Fenster, Hockney, and Verbal, all of whom had unwittingly crossed him at different times. Kobayashi delivered Keyser Soze’s new orders: the men were to rob a ship run by Argentinian drug smugglers, and destroy the cocaine onboard, worth $91 million. In exchange, they would settle their scores with Soze. Verbal gives an anecdote to illustrate Soze’s brutality, then tells the rest of the story: Fenster was killed for trying to flee before the raid, and the others were scared into submission by Kobayashi, who threatened to hurt their families and loved ones if they didn’t go through with it; once on board the ship, they killed a number of Argentinian and Hungarian mobsters, only to find there was no cocaine; Hockney, McManus and Keaton were killed by an unidentified shooter; and the same man set the ship on fire while Verbal hid on the dock. During Verbal’s interrogation, Arkosh Kovash, the other survivor, has been giving testimony from his hospital bed, in which he claims to have seen Keyser Soze. With the help of a Hungarian translator, he describes Soze to a sketch artist. Meanwhile, Detective Kujan, who has been speaking with Verbal, forms the opinion that Keaton was actually Soze, based on his link to one of the smugglers aboard the ship. Verbal confirms this suspicion, claiming that Keaton masterminded everything. However, he is unwilling to testify in court. Just as Verbal is let out on bail, Kujan realizes he was making up names and facts based on bits of information plucked from a bulletin board inside the room, and the bottom of Kujan’s coffee mug, which reads “Kobayashi.” Kujan rushes after Verbal, who is no longer walking with a limp as he heads down the street, indicating he does not actually have cerebral palsy. Meanwhile, a police sketch is delivered to the station, showing Kovash’s description of Keyser Soze, which is the exact likeness of Verbal. On the street, Verbal barely eludes Kujan as he steals into a car driven by the man he referred to in his testimony as Kobayashi.
FANTASY
AFI defines “fantasy” as a genre where live-action characters inhabit imagined settings and/or experience situations that transcend the rules of the natural world.
The Wizard of Oz(1939)
Cast:Judy Garland, Frank Morgan, Ray Bolger
Directors:Victor Fleming, King Vidor
Producer:Mervyn Le Roy
Writer:Noel Langley, Florence Ryerson, Edgar Allan Woolf, Noel Langley
Editor:Blanche Sewell
Cinematographer:Harold Rosson
Genre:Fantasy, Musical
Production Company:Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Corp.
Dorothy Gale, a Kansas farm girl, lives with her Auntie Em and Uncle Henry. When Almira Gulch, who owns half the county, brings a sheriff's order to take Dorothy's little dog Toto away to have the dog destroyed, because Toto bit Miss Gulch's leg, Auntie Em and Uncle Henry refuse to go against the law, and they give the dog to Miss Gulch. However, as Miss Gulch rides away on her bicycle with Toto in her basket, the dog escapes and returns home. Realizing that Miss Gulch will come back, Dorothy runs away with Toto. They come to the wagon of the egotistical, but kindly Professor Marvel, a fortune-teller and balloonist, who tricks Dorothy into believing that her aunt has had an attack because she ran away. Dorothy rushes home greatly concerned, but a cyclone's approach causes her difficulty, and by the time she gets to the farm, Auntie Em, Uncle Henry and the three farmhands have entered the storm cellar. Inside her room, Dorothy is hit on the head by a window and knocked unconscious. When she revives, she sees through the window that the house has risen up inside the cyclone. When she sees Miss Gulch, traveling in mid-air on her bicycle, transform into a witch on a broomstick, Dorothy averts her eyes. The house comes to rest in Munchkinland, a colorful section of the Land of Oz inhabited by little people, and lands on top of the Wicked Witch of the East. Knowing that the dead witch's ruby slippers contain magic, Glinda, the Good Witch of the North, through her powers, has them placed on Dorothy's feet before the dead witch's sister, the Wicked Witch of the West, can retrieve them. The Wicked Witch vows revenge. Glinda then suggests that the wonderful Wizard of Oz can help Dorothy get back to Kansas and instructs her to take the yellow brick road to the distant Emerald City, where the Wizard resides. Along the way, Dorothy meets a friendly scarecrow who laments that he is failure because he has no brain, an emotional tin man, who longingly describes the romantic life he would lead if he only had a heart, and a seemingly ferocious lion who actually lacks courage. Dorothy suggests that they all go with her to ask the Wizard for his help. With help along the way from Glinda to battle a spell of the Wicked Witch, the four friends reach the Emerald City, where in the great hall of the Wizard, they see a terrifying apparition that identifies itself as “Oz” and lambasts Dorothy's companions for their deficiencies. When the lion faints from fright, Dorothy rebukes the Wizard for scaring him, and the Wizard agrees to grant their requests if they will first prove themselves worthy by bringing him the broomstick of the Witch of the West. As they pass through a haunted forest on their way to the witch's castle, the witch sends an army of winged monkeys, who capture Dorothy and Toto. In her castle, when the witch threatens to have Toto drowned, Dorothy offers the slippers in exchange for her dog, but the witch cannot remove them, and she remembers that the slippers will not come off as long as Dorothy is alive. As the witch ponders the proper way to kill Dorothy, Toto escapes. The dog leads Dorothy's friends to the castle, where they rescue her, but the witch's guards soon surround them. After the witch sadistically says that Dorothy will see her friends and dog die before her, she ignites the Scarecrow's arm. Dorothy tosses a bucket of water to put out the fire, and when some water splashes in the witch's face, she melts. The guards and monkeys, relieved that the witch is dead, hail Dorothy and give her the broomstick. Upon their return to Oz, the Wizard orders Dorothy and her friends to come back the next day. As they argue, Toto snoops behind a curtain and pulls it back to reveal a man manipulating levers and speaking into a microphone, who then admits to the group that he is really the “powerful” Wizard. Greatly disappointed and angry at the sham, Dorothy calls him a bad man, but he retorts that while he is a bad wizard, he is a good man. He then awards the Scarecrow a diploma, the Lion a medal and the Tin Man a testimonial, and states that where he comes from, these things are given to men who have no more brains, courage or heart than they have. Confessing that he is a balloonist and a Kansas man himself, the Wizard offers to take Dorothy back in his balloon. However, as they prepare to leave, Toto leaps from the balloon to chase a cat, and after Dorothy goes to retrieve the dog, the balloon takes off without them. Glinda then comforts Dorothy and reveals that she has always had the power to return home, but that she had to learn it for herself. Dorothy says that she has learned never to go further than her own backyard to look for her heart's desire. After Dorothy tearfully kisses and hugs her friends, Glinda tells her to click the heels of the slippers three times with her eyes closed and to think to herself, “There's no place like home.” This she does, and she awakens to find Uncle Henry and Auntie Em at her bedside. Professor Marvel, having heard that Dorothy was badly injured, comes by, and she begins to tell about her journey, which Auntie Em calls a bad dream. The farmhands come in, and Dorothy remembers them as her three friends in Oz and the professor as the Wizard. When Toto climbs on the bed, Dorothy says she loves them all and that she will never leave again, and she affirms to her aunt that there is no place like home.
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring(2001)
Cast:Alan Howard, Noel Appleby, Sean Astin
Directors:Peter Jackson
Producer:Barrie M. Osborne, Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh, Tim Sanders, Mark Ordesky, Bob Weinstein, Harvey Weinstein, Robert Shaye, Michael Lynne
Writer:Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, Peter Jackson
Editor:John Gilbert
Cinematographer:Andrew Lesnie, Allen Guilford, John Cavill, Simon Raby, Richard Bluck, Nigel Bluck, Alun Bollinger, Chuck Schuman, David Hardberger
Genre:Adventure, Drama, Fantasy
Production Company:New Line Cinema , Wingnut Films
In the mythical world of Middle-Earth, many thousands of years ago, several powerful rings were made and given to the heads of each state: three rings for the Elven-kings, seven for the Dwarf-lords and nine for Mortal Men. Unknown to them, however, the Dark Lord Sauron had secretly forged an additional ring, a master containing the power to rule the others, and for many years, enslaved the inhabitants of Middle-Earth, using armies of disfigured creatures called Orcs to carry out his aggressive campaigns. Eventually, an alliance of Elves and Men drove the Orcs back into Sauron’s territory, called Mordor. At the base of Mount Doom, where the master ring was forged, Sauron joined the battle and slayed the Human king Elendil, but was then attacked by Elendil’s son, Isildur, who cut the ring from Sauron’s hand. Without it, Sauron’s physical body crumbled and his power scattered. The Elf lord Elrond begged Isildur to destroy the ring by casting it into the fires of Mount Doom, but the ring, having a life of its own, enticed Isildur to keep it for himself. Later, Isildur was killed by Orcs when the ring, which grants invisibility to the wearer, slipped from his finger. The ring rested at the bottom of a river until found by the Hobbit-like creature Gollum, and over many years, the corruption in the ring disfigured Gollum’s mind and body. Then Bilbo Baggins, from a race of three-and-a-half-foot tall creatures called Hobbits, encountered Gollum, gained possession of the ring and returned with it to his home in the Shire. Since that time, because of the ring’s power, Bilbo has not appeared to age, although he is now celebrating his 111th birthday. During a celebration held in his honor by neighbors, Bilbo confesses to his old friend, the wizard Gandalf, that he is weary and plans to leave the Shire, never to return. Although he is bequeathing his house and belongings to his heir, Frodo Baggins, Bilbo struggles within himself over leaving the ring. Reluctantly, Bilbo departs without it, but Gandalf is disturbed by the power the ring seems to have. Later, after studying old manuscripts, Gandalf shows Frodo markings on the ring identifying it as Sauron’s and warns him that Sauron's life-force is rebuilding a new army to conquer Middle-Earth. After convincing Frodo of the danger of keeping the ring, which will lure Sauron to the Shire, he enlists Frodo’s eavesdropping fellow Hobbit, Samwise “Sam” Gamgee, to help Frodo take the ring to the House of Elrond, in the Elf city of Rivendell. After giving instructions to meet him at an inn in a neighboring village, and warning Frodo to change his name and not wear the ring, Gandalf sends the Hobbits off. He then seeks counsel with the head of his order, the wizard Saruman, who resides in the tower of Isengard, but finds that the old wizard has been corrupted. Saruman asks Gandalf to join him on the dark side with Sauron, but when Gandalf refuses, Saruman tortures and imprisons him on top of the tower. At Sauron's command, Saruman has his enslaved Orcs cut down all the old trees in the forest to stoke a forge to build an army of Urak-Hais, a stronger race of creatures bred by crossing Orcs with Goblins. Meanwhile, Frodo and Sam, joined by two Hobbit friends, Meriadoc “Merry” Brandybuck and Peregrin “Pippin” Took, escape black riders called Ringwraiths, Sauron’s enslaved half-living beings who are drawn toward the ring. At the inn, while awaiting Gandalf, Frodo draws attention to himself by putting on the ring and disappearing, thus betraying his location to Sauron. A mysterious Human, Strider, then warns them that they are in danger and cannot wait for Gandalf. He leads them toward Rivendell, but en route, Frodo is injured in an attack by the Ringwraiths. With the help of Elrond’s daughter Arwen, who loves Strider enough to give up her Elven immortality, Frodo is rushed to Rivendell and healed by Elven medicine. When Frodo recuperates, he is reunited with both Gandalf, who escaped Saruman’s imprisonment, and Bilbo, whose body has aged without the ring's magic. Frodo also learns that Strider is really Aragorn, a descendant of Isildur who was reared by Elves and has abdicated his throne for fear of failing his race, as Isildur did when he became entranced by the ring. Elrond calls a meeting of Elves, Humans, Hobbits and Dwarves to decide the fate of the ring. Although the council agrees that it must be destroyed in the fires of Mount Doom, individuals, enchanted by the evil in the ring, quarrel over how to accomplish the deed. Frodo, although he does not know the way to Mordor, volunteers to be the ringbearer and take the ring to Mount Doom. Moved by Frodo’s courage, Aragorn and Boromir, a Human warrior whose father is steward of the city of Aragorn's ancestors, offer to guard him on his journey. Gandalf, the Elf Legolas, the Dwarf Gimli and Sam, Merry and Pippin also give their services to Frodo. The nine companions, whom Elrond dubs the Fellowship of the Ring, set off on their mission. Although a mountain pass seems the safest route to Mordor, blizzard, avalanches and other hardships, all caused by the magic of Saruman, who watches their journey through his Seeing Stone, impede their progress. They enter the Dwarf Mines of Moria and discover that the civilization there has been destroyed. Trapped inside the mine by a water creature known as “The Watcher,” the group passes through the labyrinths of the mines, pursued by Gollum, Goblins and a Cave Troll. In one of the battles, Frodo narrowly escapes death, but is saved by a magic vest he is wearing, a gift from Bilbo. Across a collapsing stone stairway built over a bottomless chasm, a huge fiery creature called a Balrog pursues the group. While giving his companions time to escape, Gandalf tries to stand down the demon, but as it falls into the chasm, it snares Gandalf with its tentacles and pulls him in. Exhausted and grieving for Gandalf, the Fellowship continues, out of the mines and into a forestland, Lothlorien, which is occupied by the powerful Elf queen Galadriel and her court. While the group rests, Galadriel shows Frodo, who is fearing the futility of his quest, the consequences of his failure and encourages him to believe that even the smallest person can change the course of the future. After continuing on their mission by boat, the Fellowship pauses across the river from Mordor, planning to enter it at night. As the others make camp, Boromir accosts Frodo in the woods. By putting on the ring and becoming invisible, Frodo escapes Boromir, whom he knows is enchanted by the ring, and while in that state, sees the eye of Sauron looking for the ring and Sauron’s armies preparing for war. After removing the ring, Frodo convinces Aragorn that it corrupts those who are near it, even his trusted companions, and that he must continue the journey alone. At Isengard, after completing the creation of the Urak-Hai army, Saruman demands their loyalty to him, rather than Sauron, and sends them out in search of Frodo and the ring, so that he can become Lord of the Rings and conquer Middle-Earth. The Uraks catch up with the Fellowship as Frodo is leaving and attack the group. Pippin and Merry, whom the Uraks mistake for the ringbearer, are abducted while luring the creatures away from Frodo, and Boromir, who has recovered from the ring’s enchantment, tries to stop them, but is fatally wounded. The remainder of the Fellowship fights valiantly, until the Uraks leave. The dying Boromir then grieves that he has failed the Humans, and when Aragorn, inspired by Boromir, swears to him that he will protect their people, Boromir calls him "king" with his last breath. Gimli laments that all was in vain and that their Fellowship has failed, but Aragorn says, “not if we hold true to each other,” and leads his companions in pursuit of the captors of Merry and Pippin. Meanwhile, Sam sees his friend rowing alone toward Mordor. Remembering his promise to Gandalf to stay with Frodo, Sam, who cannot swim, follows him into the river, forcing Frodo to rescue him. Later, in Mordor, Frodo admits that he is glad of Sam’s company, but hopes that his other companions have a safer journey.
It's a Wonderful Life(1946)
Cast:James Stewart, Donna Reed, Lionel Barrymore
Directors:Frank Capra
Producer:Frank Capra
Writer:Frances Goodrich, Albert Hackett, Frank Capra
Editor:William Hornbeck
Cinematographer:Joseph Walker, Joseph Biroc, Victor Milner
Genre:Comedy-drama, Fantasy
Production Company:Liberty Films, Inc.
On Christmas Eve, 1945, prayers are heard in heaven for George Bailey of Bedford Falls, New York. To help George, Clarence Oddbody, an angel who has not yet earned his wings, is being sent to earth to keep the despairing George from killing himself on this crucial night. To prepare him for his task, Clarence is shown George's life: As a child, George stops his younger brother Harry from drowning in an icy pond, then catches a bad cold and loses his hearing in one ear. Weeks later, George goes back to work at his after school job in Mr. Gower's drugstore and prevents Gower, who has gotten drunk after learning that his son has died of influenza, from accidentally dispensing arsenic-filled capsules to a sick child. George promises the remorseful Gower never to tell anyone about the incident and he never does. In 1928, as a grown young man, George, who has always dreamed of travel to exotic places, is about to leave on a world tour with money he has saved since high school. That night, at his younger brother Harry's high school graduation party, he becomes attracted to Mary Hatch, a girl who has secretly loved him since childhood. After a Charleston contest that results in an unscheduled splash into the school's swimming pool, they discuss their different ideas for the future until George's Uncle Billy comes for him with the news that his father has had a stroke. After Mr. Bailey's death, George's trip is canceled, but he still plans to leave for college until he learns that the board of directors of his father's financially tenuous building and loan society will not keep it open unless George manages it. Fearing that Mr. Potter, the town's richest and meanest man, will then have financial control of the town, George agrees to stay. Four years later, when Harry returns from college, financed by his brother, George again looks forward to leaving the stifling atmosphere of Bedford Falls and letting Harry run the business. However, when he learns that Harry has just married Ruth Dakin, whose father has offered Harry a good job, he again sacrifices his future to ensure Harry's. That night, George wanders over to Mary's house. Though he is adamant that he never intends to marry, he realizes that he loves her. Soon they are married, but as they leave for their honeymoon, a run on the bank convinces George to check on the building and loan. Because the bank has called in their loan, they have no money, only the honeymoon cash that Mary offers. Through George's persuasive words, most of the anxious customers settle for a minimum of cash, and they end the day with two dollars left. That night, Ernie the cab driver and Bert the cop show George his new "home," an abandoned mansion that Mary had wished for the night of the graduation dance. As the years pass, George continues to help the people of Bedford Falls avoid Potter's financial stranglehold as Mary rears their four children. On the day before Christmas, after the end of World War II, the 4-F George elatedly shows his friends news articles about Harry, who became a Medal-of-Honor-winning flier, while Uncle Billy makes an $8,000 deposit at the bank. Distracted by an exchange with Potter, Billy accidentally puts his deposit envelope inside Potter's newspaper, and Potter does not give it back when he finds it. Later, after Billy reveals the loss to George, they vainly search, while a bank examiner waits. Now on the verge of hysteria over the possibility of bankruptcy and a prison term for embezzlement, George goes home, angry and sullen. He yells at everyone except their youngest child Zuzu, who has caught a cold on the way home from school. He screams at Zuzu's teacher on the telephone, then leaves after a confrontation with Mary. He desperately goes to Potter to borrow the money against the building and loan, or even his life insurance, but Potter dismisses him, taunting him that he is worth more dead than alive. At a tavern run by his friend, Mr. Martini, George is socked by Mr. Welch, the teacher's husband. Now on the verge of suicide, George is about to jump off a bridge when Clarence comes to earth and intervenes by jumping in himself. George saves him, and as they dry out in the tollhouse, Clarence tells George that he is his guardian angel. George is unbelieving, but when he says he wishes that he had never been born, Clarence grants his wish. Revisiting Martini's and other places in town, George is not recognized by anyone and discovers that everything has changed. Harry drowned and Gower went to jail for poisoning the sick child. The town was renamed Pottersville and is full of vice and poverty. When George finally makes Clarence show him Mary, he discovers that she is a lonely, unmarried librarian. Finally, unable to face what might have been, George begs to live again and discovers that his wish is granted when Bert finds him back at the bridge. At home, an elated George is soon greeted by Mary, who has brought their friends and relatives, all of whom have contributed money to help him out. Harry arrives and offers a toast to his "big brother George, the richest man in town." As a bell on the Christmas tree rings, Zuzu says that every time a bell rings an angel receives his wings, and George knows that this time it was Clarence.
King Kong(1933)
Cast:Fay Wray, Robert Armstrong, Bruce Cabot
Directors:Merian C. Cooper, Ernest B. Schoedsack
Producer:David O. Selznick
Writer:James Creelman , Ruth Rose
Editor:Ted Cheesman
Cinematographer:Eddie Linden, Vernon Walker , J. O. Taylor
Genre:Adventure, Horror
Production Company:RKO Radio Pictures, Inc.
Composer:Max Steiner
Because he refuses to disclose any information concerning the exotic location of his upcoming movie project, Carl Denham, a renowned adventure filmmaker, is forced to search the streets of New York to find a lead actress. At a fruit stand, he stumbles onto the beautiful but broke Ann Darrow as she is about to steal an apple for her dinner. Anxious for work, Ann eagerly accepts Denham's part and agrees without question to make the long sea voyage the next morning. During the trip, Denham, who has refused to disclose his final destination even to the captain, Englehorn, makes screen tests of Ann, coaching her on how to scream and look terrified for the camera. At the same time, the mysogynistic first mate, Jack Driscoll, chides Ann for being a woman on a man's ship, but soon falls in love with her. As the boat enters tropical waters, Denham finally shows Englehorn a map detailing their exact destination--a tiny island dominated by a peak called Skull Mountain. When the boat reaches the island, Ann, Denham and the crew go ashore and discover natives engaged in a frenetic religious ceremony that features men dressed in gorilla skins and a young woman tied to an altar. While Englehorn attempts to make friends so that the camera-wielding Denham can shoot the scene, the native chief eyes the blonde Ann and states cryptically that she would make a good bride for “Kong.” Nervous about the chief's interest in Ann, whose presence on the island Jack has vehemently protested, Denham orders his group back to the boat. That night, Ann is kidnapped from the ship by natives and tied to stakes outside the huge village walls. At the sounding of a gong, King Kong, a gorilla-like ape of enormous proportions, emerges from the primeval jungle and grabs Ann, carrying her away like a tiny doll in his huge hand. In close pursuit of the ape are Denham, Jack and a handful of the ship's men. They follow a trail of broken branches left by Kong and soon stumble on a dinosaur, a horny-tailed stegosaurus, which they kill with gas bombs. They then construct a raft and cross a river, where they are attacked by a brontosaurus. After the group loses several men to the brontosaurus, the survivors scramble to the river's shore and are spotted by Kong. Kong kills several more men by tossing them off a giant log into a treacherous chasm and attempts to kill Jack, who is hiding in a protected alcove. When he hears Ann, whom he has left in the nook of a dead tree, screaming, however, Kong abandons Jack and rushes to her rescue. While Kong saves Ann from the jaws of an allosaurus Jack and Denham, the last two crew survivors, reunite. Denham decides to return to shore for help and wait for Jack to signal when he has rescued Ann. Jack follows Kong and Ann into a cliffside cave and there Kong kills a giant snake. He then gently tickles Ann and plucks off and sniffs her outer clothes. When the hidden Jack inadvertently makes a noise, the ape goes to investigate, leaving Ann unprotected. A pteradodon swoops down and almost flies off with Ann, but Kong once again comes to her rescue. Distracted by the flying reptile, Kong fails to see Jack and Ann escaping down the cliffside via a ropelike vine until they are out of arm's reach. Although Kong snaps the vine in his attempt to retrieve Ann, the couple fall unharmed into the river and make a dash for the ship, closely pursued by Kong. When they finally reach the shore, Ann and Jack are met by Denham and the crew, but must still face Kong, who is rampaging through the village, killing its inhabitants in his search for Ann. To stop Kong, Denham hurls a gas bomb into his face and knocks him out. Seeing Kong unconscious, Denham decides to carry him on an enormous raft back to New York, where he knows the ape will make him a fortune. In the city, a heavily chained Kong, billed as the “Eighth Wonder of the World,” is a sellout attraction at a fashionable theater. When photographers' flashbulbs start popping in Ann's face, however, Kong believes she is in danger and breaks free in a protective frenzy. Ann flees with Jack, but Kong storms the nearby streets, destroying an elevated passenger-filled train and tossing a woman he momentarily mistakes for Ann to her death. Finally Kong spots Ann in a hotel room and, as a helpless Jack watches, snatches her once again. Then, as though still in the jungle, he scales the Empire State Building with Ann in his hand. At Denham's urging, the city authorities call in airplanes armed with machine guns to stop the ape, and after Kong is shot repeatedly by the gunners, he drops Ann gently on the rooftop and falls over the skyscraper's edge to his death. Upon viewing his conquered prize, Denham retorts to another onlooker that Kong was not downed by airplanes, but “twas Beauty that killed Beast.”
Miracle on 34th Street(1947)
Cast:Maureen O'Hara, John Payne, Edmund Gwenn
Directors:George Seaton
Producer:William Perlberg
Writer:George Seaton, Valentine Davies
Editor:Robert Simpson
Cinematographer:Charles [G.] Clarke , Lloyd Ahern
Genre:Comedy-drama
Production Company:Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corp.
Composer:Cyril J. Mockridge
In downtown Manhattan, Kris Kringle, a white-bearded man, protests to Doris Walker, the organizer of the annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, that the man who will portray Santa Claus is drunk. Doris then hires Kris to substitute for the now unconscious Santa. When Doris, a widow, returns to her apartment, she discovers that her young daughter Susan is watching the parade from the apartment of their neighbor, lawyer Fred Gailey. Doris joins them, thanks Fred for his kindness to Susan, and learns that he has been cultivating a friendship with Susan in hopes of meeting her. Later, at Fred's instigation, Susan wrangles an invitation for him to join them for Thanksgiving dinner. Because of his successful portrayal of Santa during the parade, Kris is hired to be Macy's store Santa. Although Mr. Shellhammer, the head of the toy department, advises Kris to suggest certain toys to indecisive children, Kris instead tells harried mothers where to find the toys their children want, even if it is not at Macy's. Shellhammer is about to fire Kris, when one of the mothers thanks him for putting the Christmas spirit back into the holiday and vows to do all her shopping at Macy's. Later, when Fred brings Susan to visit Santa, Doris, who was disillusioned by a bad marriage to Susan's father, chastises him for filling her head with myths and fairy tales. While they quarrel, Susan witnesses Kris speaking Dutch to a Dutch orphan and begins to think that Kris may really be Santa Claus. Doris then asks Kris to tell Susan who he really is and when he insists that he is Santa, she asks to see his employment card. Learning that he has given his name as Kris Kringle, Doris becomes afraid that he is insane and is about to dismiss him when store owner Macy praises her and Shellhammer for developing the new policy he believes they have instituted. Afterward, Shellhammer dissuades Doris from firing Kris and suggests that she have him evaluated by Sawyer, the personnel director. In the meantime, Doris calls Dr. Pierce, the head of the Brook's Home for Old People, where Kris lives. Kris passes his psychological tests, but the bad-tempered Sawyer recommends his dismissal anyway. Pierce counters by saying that Kris suffers from a delusion for good and insists that he is not dangerous. He further suggests that Kris live closer to the store until his job ends. Fred, having seen the positive effect that Kris has on Susan, offers to let the old man stay with him. That night, Susan reveals to Kris that she wants a real house for Christmas and shows him a magazine picture of her dream house. Although Kris makes no promises, he does agree to try to get it for her. One day, Kris has lunch with seventeen-year-old Alfred, a janitor who plays Santa at the YMCA. When a disconsolate Alfred reveals that according to Sawyer, playing Santa is evidence of a guilt complex, Kris angrily confronts Sawyer and hits him on the head with his cane. Sawyer lies about the causes of the encounter and, using a series of ruses, contrives to have Kris committed to the mental ward at Bellevue. Because he is convinced that Doris participated in Sawyer's plot, Kris deliberately fails his competency tests. The hospital then contacts Fred, who, after questioning Kris, agrees to help him gain his release. Fred successfully swings public opinion in Kris's favor, and at his trial, announces that he will prove that Kris actually is Santa Claus and is therefore sane. Judge Henry X. Harper is distressed by Fred's announcement as he is up for re-election and does not want to alienate either parents of children who believe in Santa or those who think Kris is a crazy old man. Doris tries to talk Fred out of his decision, and learning that he quit his job in order to defend Kris, accuses him of being unrealistic. The next day in court, Fred calls his witnesses. Macy testifies that he believes Kris is Santa, then fires Sawyer. After District Attorney Thomas Mara's young son testifies that his father told him there is a Santa Claus, an embarrassed Mara concedes that there is a Santa Claus, but insists that Fred must produce official proof that Kris is the one and true Santa. That night, Doris and Susan write Kris a note to cheer him up. A postal worker, seeing the courthouse address, then decides to send all the letters addressed to Santa to the courthouse. On Christmas Eve, Fred uses the bags of mail as official proof from the U.S. government that Santa exists, and the judge happily dismisses the case. On Christmas, Susan, Doris and Fred celebrate with Kris at the Brook's Home. Kris presents Pierce with an X-ray machine purchased with a bonus from Macy's, but Susan is so disappointed that she did not get her wish that she announces her disbelief in Santa. Doris, who has fallen in love with Fred, then explains that it is important to believe in something even if common sense says otherwise. After the party, Fred drives Doris and Susan home, following directions from Kris. To Susan's delight, they drive right past her dream house, which is for sale, and she rushes out of the car into the vacant house. Susan's excitement prompts Fred to propose to Doris, and when she accepts, he notices Kris's cane leaning against the wall.
Field of Dreams(1989)
Cast:Kevin Costner, Amy Madigan, James Earl Jones
Directors:Phil Alden Robinson
Producer:Lawrence Gordon, Charles Gordon, Brian Frankish
Editor:Ian Crafford
Cinematographer:John Lindley, Ricky Bravo
Genre:Drama, Fantasy
Production Company:Gordon Company
Composer:James Horner
Ray Kinsella recalls his late father, John, a one-time minor league baseball player and devoted fan of the sport. After Ray’s mother died, John Kinsella took care of his son, but Ray ultimately clashed with him and went to college in Berkeley, California, far away from their home in New York City. Ray joined the hippie movement, then married his college sweetheart, Annie, just before his father died. The young couple had a daughter, Karin, and when Ray turned thirty-six, Annie convinced him to buy a farm in Iowa. Ray claims he never did anything crazy until he heard “the voice.” One day, walking through the cornfields on his farm, Ray hears a voice whisper repeatedly, “If you build it, he will come.” Later, the voice wakes him up and Ray responds by asking what he should build. The next day, as the voice speaks to him, Ray hallucinates a baseball field and the late “Shoeless Joe” Jackson, an outfielder who was ousted from the Major Leagues after his team, the Chicago White Sox, were found guilty of conspiring to lose the 1919 World Series. Back in the house, Ray tells Annie the voice wants him to build a baseball field so Shoeless Joe can play again, and she responds that it is the craziest idea she ever heard. However, Ray fears becoming like his father, who aged too quickly and never followed his dreams. Annie offers to support him, even though he must plow down a large portion of their corn to build the field. Neighbors watch in disbelief as Ray begins plowing. His daughter, Karin, joins him as he recounts the story of Shoeless Joe, who earned his nickname when he removed an uncomfortable pair of spikes during the middle of a game and played barefoot. Recalling the 1919 World Series controversy, Ray insists there was no evidence that Shoeless Joe conspired to lose, given his exemplary performance in the games. Ray tells Annie that his father once saw Shoeless Joe playing in the minor leagues under a different name, and Annie notices Ray is smiling. She says it is the first time she has seen her husband look happy when talking about his father. The baseball field is completed, but Shoeless Joe does not appear for some time. One night, Annie tallies the bills and announces that the farm is losing money due to the lost acreage. She also reminds Ray that they spent all of their savings on the field, which they should now replant with corn. Karin interrupts, saying a man is standing outside. Ray finds a young Shoeless Joe standing on his baseball field and greets him in disbelief. He hits balls for the outfielder to catch, then pitches to him. After hitting a homerun, Shoeless Joe comments about how much he misses baseball. Annie and Karin come to greet their guest, but he cannot walk past the border of the baseball field. He mentions that seven other players would like to join him next time, and Ray says they are welcome. Before he disappears into the cornfield, Shoeless Joe asks if he is in heaven, and Ray responds, “No, it’s Iowa.” Later, Annie’s brother, Mark, informs Ray that he is going to lose his farm and offers to buy the property before the bank forecloses on it. Karin announces that “the game is on,” and Ray leaves the room with her. Mark follows, and sees them watching Shoeless Joe and his seven companions warming up on the field. However, Mark cannot see the players and mocks Ray as he leaves. When the voice speaks to Ray again, it says, “Ease his pain.” Confused by the instruction, Ray attends a Parent Teachers Association (PTA) meeting with Annie, where a concerned mother named Beulah discusses her desire to ban 1960s counterculture books written by Terence Mann. Annie defends Mann and convinces the majority of the crowd to side with her before Ray drags her out of the meeting, announcing that he has had an epiphany. He reminds Annie that Mann is his favorite author as well as hers, and believes the voice was telling him to ease Mann’s pain. The novelist, now a recluse, once gave an interview in which he described a recurring dream of playing baseball at Ebbets Field with Jackie Robinson. Thus, Ray thinks he must bring Mann out of hiding to attend a baseball game. Annie forbids him going on a trip because they cannot afford it, but when she remembers the dream she had the night before in which Ray attended a Boston Red Sox game with Mann, he reveals he had the same dream. Changing her mind, Annie offers to help him pack. In Boston, Massachusetts, Ray bribes a mechanic for Mann’s home address and goes to the author’s apartment. There, he informs Mann of his mission and persuades him to attend a Red Sox game at Fenway Park, even though the author denies having had a recurring dream about Ebbets Field. At the game, Ray sees the statistics of 1922 New York Giants player Archibald “Moonlight” Graham on the Jumbotron. Graham, who only played one game and never went to bat, was from Chisolm, Minnesota. Ray deduces that he must go to Chisolm, and offers to take Mann home early, apologizing that he was not needed after all. However, just after Ray drops him off, Mann blocks the car and reveals that he also saw the message about Graham. He joins Ray on the trip to Chisolm, where they learn that Graham, who became a doctor and devoted husband, died in 1972. That night, Ray takes a walk in town and realizes he has been transported back to 1972. He sees Graham walking down the street and follows him to his office, where he tries to convince the doctor to come to Iowa with him for another chance to play baseball. However, Graham refuses to leave his wife, even for a short trip. Ray calls home to Annie, who reports that Mark has taken over the loan on their house and will foreclose if they do not agree to sell to him. Rushing back to Iowa, Ray is joined by Mann and a young hitchhiker, who turns out to be a younger version of Graham who calls himself “Archie” and aspires to play baseball. When Archie falls asleep, Ray tells Mann that he played baseball as a child but quit at age fourteen when he read Mann’s novel, The Boat Rocker, and decided to rebel against his father’s wishes, including the desire for him to play baseball. Ray laments that he left home at seventeen after telling his father he could never respect a man who idolized a criminal like Shoeless Joe. For years he did not speak to his father, too ashamed to apologize, and the next time he saw him was at his funeral. That night, they arrive at the farm and discover Shoeless Joe on the field with two full teams. Mann and the Kinsellas watch as Archie joins the seasoned players for a game. The next day, Mark arrives to find Ray and the Kinsellas on the sidelines, watching another game. Karin announces that her father will not have to sell the farm because people will pay to watch the game. Believing the girl is delusional, Mark shakes her, causing her to fall from the bleachers and lose consciousness. Annie goes to call for help, but Ray stops her, certain that Archie can aid their daughter. Archie approaches, and at the edge of the field, transforms into the older Dr. Graham, who discovers Karin is choking and slaps her back to dislodge a hot dog. Having witnessed the rescue, Mark changes his mind and agrees that Ray should keep the farm. When the baseball players retire for the day, Shoeless Joe invites Mann to join them. Ray wants to come too, but Mann reminds him he has a family and claims this is an opportunity for him to write a new story. Mann finally admits he did dream about playing at Ebbets Field, and Shoeless Joe reminds Ray, “If you build it, he will come,” before leaving the field. One last player remains, and Ray realizes it is his father. Upon Annie’s encouragement, he introduces John to his wife and daughter, but does not reveal that he is his son. John compliments the beauty of the field and says it is a “dream come true.” The men discuss whether or not it is heaven or simply Iowa, and Ray finally calls him “Dad” when he asks him to play catch.
Harvey(1950)
Cast:Wallace Ford, William Lynn, Victoria Horne
Directors:Henry Koster
Producer:John Beck
Writer:Mary Chase, Oscar Brodney
Editor:Ralph Dawson
Cinematographer:William Daniels
Genre:Comedy, Fantasy
Production Company:Universal-International Pictures Co., Inc.
Composer:Frank Skinner
Mild-mannered Elwood P. Dowd leaves the house for the day with his invisible six-foot-three rabbit friend, Harvey, and is secretly watched by his sister, Veta Louise Simmons, and her daughter Myrtle Mae. As Veta is planning a party that day to launch Myrtle Mae into society, she is determined to keep her peculiar and chronically inebriated brother away from the house and, to that end, telephones her friend, Judge Omar Gaffney. Gaffney immediately dispatches an employee, who slips on a newly washed floor and is knocked unconscious. Meanwhile, Elwood arrives with Harvey at Charlie's, his favorite bar. Learning of Veta's party, Elwood returns home, and by genially introducing Harvey to the women attending the party, sends them all scurrying for the door. Myrtle Mae sees her hopes for a husband leaving with them, and in desperation, Veta decides to commit Elwood to a sanitarium. On hearing Veta's story, Miss Kelly, the nurse, assigns Elwood to a room, but when a confused and upset Veta then tries to explain Elwood's case to Dr. Lyman Sanderson, he commits her instead. Sanderson then scolds Kelly and sends her to apologize to Elwood, who unsuccessfully attempts to introduce Harvey to the preoccupied staff. As he is leaving the sanitarium, Elwood encounters Mrs. Chumley, the wife of the sanitarium head, and invites her to join him for a drink. When she declines, he asks her to send Harvey to the bar if she sees him inside and identifies his friend as a "pooka." When Mrs. Chumley later reports this conversation to her husband, the doctors realize their mistake. Consulting her dictionary, Mrs. Chumley learns that a pooka is a fairy spirit that takes the form of a very large animal. In the meantime, an extremely upset Veta returns home. While she recovers upstairs, Marvin Wilson, the sanitarium attendant, comes looking for Elwood. Myrtle Mae is immediately attracted to him, and he returns her interest. Chumley then arrives and dispatches Wilson to the train station. Just as Veta announces that she is going to sue Chumley, Elwood phones from Charlie's looking for Harvey, and Chumley hurries to the bar. Back at the sanitarium, Wilson encounters the fired Sanderson, and when they realize that Chumley is overdue, Wilson, Sanderson and Kelly all hurry to Charlie's to look for him. There, Elwood explains that after a few drinks, Harvey and Chumley left for another bar. Wilson goes after him, leaving Kelly and Sanderson with Elwood. Elwood's gentle flirting with Kelly sparks Sanderson's interest in the nurse, who has long loved him. Elwood tells them he spends his days drinking with Harvey and talking to people in bars and relates the story of how he met Harvey. Wilson returns without Chumley but with the police, who convey Elwood to the sanitarium. Later, Chumley returns to the sanitarium and asks to speak privately with Elwood. After Chumley acknowledges Harvey's existence, he tells Elwood about Veta's plan to commit him. Soon afterward, Gaffney, Myrtle Mae and Veta arrive. Chumley rehires Sanderson, who then offers Elwood a serum that will make him shoulder his responsibilities and eliminate Harvey. Elwood declines, but when Veta explains how hard it has been to live with Harvey, he agrees to take the shot. While Elwood is in the examining room with Sanderson, Veta's taxi driver comes in to ask for his payment and describes the changes in people who have taken Sanderson's injection. At the thought that Elwood might stop enjoying life and become crabby, Veta stops Sanderson. Aware that Myrtle Mae is in love with Wilson, Elwood invites him to dinner. He then leaves with Harvey, but when Chumley begs him to leave Harvey behind, Elwood reluctantly agrees. Just as he passes the sanitarium gates, however, Harvey rejoins Elwood.
Groundhog Day(1993)
Cast:Bill Murray, Andie MacDowell, Chris Elliott
Directors:Harold Ramis
Producer:Trevor Albert, Harold Ramis, C. O. Erickson
Writer:Danny Rubin, Harold Ramis, Danny Rubin
Editor:Pembroke J. Herring
Cinematographer:John Bailey, James Blanford, George Kohut
Genre:Comedy-drama, Fantasy, Romance
Production Company:Columbia Pictures
Composer:George Fenton
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, television weatherman Phil Connors stands in front of a blank blue screen, gesturing as he describes the weather while a nearby monitor shows what the television audience sees: a weather map of the U.S. behind him. As he joins Nan, the anchorwoman, at the news desk, Phil barely disguises his disdain as he announces he is driving to Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, for the fourth time to cover tomorrow’s annual February 2nd Groundhog Day festivities. Phil watches Rita Hanson, a new producer unfamiliar with the electronic illusion, amuse herself in front of the blue screen. Later, with cameraman Larry at the wheel of the station’s production van, Phil and Rita ride to Punxsutawney. Declaring this trip will be his last, Phil makes fun of the idea that people celebrate a groundhog named “Punxsutawney Phil” that predicts how long winter will last, simply by whether it sees its shadow. However, Rita thinks Groundhog Day is an entertaining tradition. When Phil insists he cannot stay at Punxsutawney’s Pennsylvanian Hotel because it is a "fleabag," Rita informs him that he has been booked into a nearby Victorian home bed and breakfast. The following morning, as Phil’s clock radio changes from 5:59 to 6:00, he awakens to the Sonny and Cher song, “I Got You, Babe.” Two radio announcers joke about the weather and the day’s festivities. Phil looks out the window and sees people walking toward the town square. He has a brief hallway encounter with a jolly tourist, then goes downstairs to the dining room, where the proprietress, Mrs. Lancaster, offers him coffee and mentions the weather. Sarcastically, Phil gives her a weather report with meteorological terms and television gestures. On his way to “Gobbler’s Knob,” the man-made “groundhog cave” in the town square, Phil passes an old panhandler, then is accosted by Ned Ryerson, an obnoxious life insurance salesman who attended high school with him. Phil steps in a puddle of water. Arriving at the square, he joins Rita and Larry to film his Groundhog Day segment for the evening’s weather report. In an elaborate ceremony, the groundhog, pulled from his cave, "whispers" into the ear of Punxsutawney mayor Buster Greene that he has seen his shadow, and therefore winter will last another six weeks. Phil Connors gives a brief summation of the event, and tells Rita and Larry to pack up for the return drive to Pittsburgh. However, even though Phil predicted on last evening’s weather report that there would be no snow in western Pennsylvania, a blizzard on the highway forces them to turn back. Stuck in Punxsutawney, Phil declines to join Rita and Larry for the Pennsylvanian Hotel’s Groundhog Day party. The next morning, Phil awakens at 6:00 and notices the radio seems to be playing yesterday’s tape. Looking out the window, he sees the same people he saw yesterday. In the hallway, the same man offers the same greeting, and when Phil asks what day it is, the man responds, “It’s Groundhog Day.” Mrs. Lancaster offers yesterday’s pleasantries. On his way to Gobbler’s Knob, Phil passes the same panhandler, meets Ned Ryerson again, and steps in the same puddle. He tries to explain to Rita that something strange is happening, but she brushes him off and hands him the microphone. After the same ritual with the groundhog, again a blizzard traps them in Punxsutawney. Before going to sleep that night, Phil breaks a pencil and leaves both pieces on his nightstand. The next morning, as the radio repeats itself, Phil finds the pencil intact. He meets the same people on the way to Gobbler’s Knob, leaves before the start of the groundhog ritual, and tells Rita to meet him at the nearby Tip Top Café. As Phil and Rita sit at a table, someone breaks dishes, prompting Gus and Ralph, two local customers, to jeer. Phil explains to Rita that this is his third Groundhog Day in a row, and she suggests that he get his head examined. A local doctor finds nothing wrong, and a perplexed young psychologist offers to meet with him again tomorrow. Later, Phil drinks beer with Gus and Ralph at a bowling alley. When he asks the local men what they would do if they “were stuck in one place and everything was exactly the same and nothing you did mattered,” Gus and Ralph confess they share that very problem. With Gus and Ralph too intoxicated to drive, Phil takes the wheel of Gus’s car and asks what they would do if there were no tomorrow. When Gus replies that there would be no hangovers, Phil realizes he can do whatever he wants without consequences. He rams a mailbox, leads police on a car chase, and plays “chicken” with a train locomotive. Police arrest him, but at 6:00 a.m. Phil awakens once again at the bed and breakfast. Walking to Gobbler’s Knob, he punches Ned Ryerson in the nose. Later, at the Tip Top Café, Phil disgusts Rita by eating pastries, pouring coffee down his throat, and smoking cigarettes. Leaving the diner, Phil asks Nancy Taylor, an attractive customer, for her name, her former high school, and her twelfth grade English teacher. The next morning, at the town square, he approaches Nancy, pretends he sat next to her in English class, and arranges to meet her later. That evening, he seduces Nancy by offering marriage. The following day, Phil is able to rob an armored truck because he knows the guards’ movements. He rents a Rolls Royce and a cowboy outfit and takes an attractive woman in a maid’s costume to a movie. The next day at Gobbler’s Knob, Phil invites Rita for coffee at the diner and asks personal questions to discover what she considers an ideal man. Over subsequent days of trial and error, he learns her favorite drink, her favorite drinking toast (“To world peace”), and her love of 19th century French poetry. By degrees, he emulates behavioral and moral qualities she values, but after charming Rita and luring her to his room, Phil breaks the spell by confessing his love. Realizing that the day was an elaborate set-up, Rita slaps him and leaves. Subsequent nights lead to similar rebukes. Discouraged, Phil slips deeper into depression and despair. Each morning he destroys the clock radio. Fed up with the Groundhog Day ritual, he kidnaps the groundhog, drives off a cliff, and crashes in a ball of fire. He wakes up at 6:00, gets a toaster from downstairs, and electrocutes himself in the bathtub. He wakes up at 6:00. He steps in front of a speeding truck, wakes up, and jumps off a building. At the Tip Top Café, Phil informs Rita that he is not only immortal but a god, and predicts various events, like dishes dropping on the floor, moments before they happen. He leads her around the diner, introducing everyone and reciting intimate details of their lives. He writes down what Larry will say when he walks in a moment later. Intrigued, Rita agrees to spend the rest of the day and night with Phil, but by 3:00 a.m. she falls asleep. Phil reads to her, puts a blanket over her shoulders, and tenderly confesses how much he has come to love her. At 6:00 a.m., Phil wakes up alone. He acts kindly toward everyone, takes an interest in the old panhandler, brings coffee to Larry and Rita at Gobbler’s Knob, and delivers a warm speech that wins the admiration of everyone. He takes piano lessons, and trains himself to sculpt figures from blocks of ice. He takes the panhandler to the hospital and witnesses his death, then treats him to a meal before trying to revive him the following night. He performs acts of chivalry around town, and saves Mayor Greene from choking on a piece of meat. When Rita attends the Groundhog Day party at the hotel, she finds Phil at the piano, leading the band. Numerous people thank Phil for his kindness, and two older women advise Rita to “hang onto” him. At a bachelor auction, Rita outbids Nancy Taylor and half a dozen other women to “win” Phil for the night. Outside, he makes an ice sculpture of Rita’s face, and tells her he loves her. They kiss. The next morning, when the clock radio turns on at 6:00, Rita turns it off. Phil is amazed that the time loop has been broken. Looking out a window, he sees a different day. As Phil and Rita leave the house, he suggests they move to Punxsutawney.
The Thief of Bagdad(1924)
Cast:Douglas Fairbanks, Snitz Edwards, Charles Belcher
Directors:Raoul Walsh
Writer:Elton Thomas, Lotta Woods
Editor:William Nolan
Genre:Fantasy
Production Company:Douglas Fairbanks Pictures Corp.
Composer:Mortimer Wilson
Until he encounters the Princess, the Thief of Bagdad flouts religious teachings. Pretending to be a prince, he wins her love. After suffering humility and confessing the truth to the Holy Man, he is sent on a quest for a magic chest to earn his happiness. Overcoming tremendous obstacles, he wins the reward and rescues Bagdad and the Princess from the Mongols.
Big(1988)
Cast:Tom Hanks, Elizabeth Perkins, Robert Loggia
Directors:Penny Marshall
Producer:James L. Brooks, Robert Greenhut
Writer:Gary Ross, Anne Spielberg
Editor:Barry Malkin
Cinematographer:Barry Sonnenfeld
Genre:Comedy-drama, Romance
Production Company:Gracie Films
Composer:Howard Shore
At a carnival with his parents and baby sister, thirteen-year-old Josh Baskin begs to ride a roller coaster alone. In line for the ride, he sheepishly strikes up conversation with a pretty schoolmate, Cynthia Benson, but is crushed when her older boyfriend shows up and is further embarrassed when a carnival worker tells him he is too short for the ride. Roaming the carnival grounds by himself, Josh chances upon an automated fortune teller and inserts change into the machine. The eyes of Zoltar, the fortune teller, become red, and the machine instructs Josh to make a wish. Josh wishes to be big, and receives a printed card that reads, “Your wish is granted.” The next morning, Josh wakes up to find he has become a full-grown man overnight. Panicked, Josh rides his bicycle to the carnival grounds but finds it empty. Returning home, he scares his mother. Believing that the adult version of Josh is an intruder, Mrs. Baskin threatens to call the police. Josh goes to his school and corners Billy, his next-door neighbor and best friend, after a gym practice. Once Billy is convinced of Josh’s story, he steals cash and some of his father’s clothes for Josh, and accompanies him on a bus ride to New York City. Meanwhile, Josh’s parents file a missing child report. In New York, Billy helps Josh find a room at a cheap hotel and promises to come back the next day. That night, Josh remains awake in his squalid room, frightened by the noises coming from the other rooms and the street below. The next day, Billy and Josh search the city for another Zoltar machine, to no avail. At a consumer affairs office, they apply for a list of carnivals and fairs, but the clerk informs them that the request will take six weeks to process. Resigned to staying in the city for the next six weeks, Josh answers a job notice for a computer operator at Macmillan Toys. Although he lies about his social security number and work history, Josh is hired. Posing as a friendly kidnapper, he calls his mother and promises that her son will be returned in the same condition he was taken. She demands proof that Josh is all right, asking what song she used to sing to him. He responds correctly by singing the show tune, “Memories,” causing Mrs. Baskin to weep. On a weekend, Josh runs into Macmillan, the head of Macmillan Toys, while playing around in FAO Schwartz, a toy store. Recognizing Josh as a new employee, Macmillan reveals that he comes to FAO Schwartz every Saturday. Macmillan then asks Josh’s opinion on various toys. They happen upon a giant set of piano keys on the floor, and Macmillan watches while Josh jumps around on the keys. Josh encourages Macmillan to join him in a performance of “Chopsticks,” and a crowd of onlookers applauds them. When Macmillan promotes Josh to Vice President of Product Development, two of his coworkers, Susan and Paul, stew over the unfair promotion. Soon after, Paul presents a new toy at a meeting, and Josh questions the product’s appeal. Afterward, Paul tells Susan, who is also his girl friend, that Josh is a “killer.” Josh rents a large, loft apartment and transforms it into a playroom with arcade games, a trampoline, and a basketball hoop. He writes his parents an upbeat letter, stating that his time away has been similar to summer camp. At a Macmillan company party, Josh arrives in a flamboyant white tuxedo, and his colleagues snicker at him. Susan befriends him and encourages Josh to try caviar, but he chokes on it in disgust. She suggests they leave the party, and they take Susan’s hired limousine to Josh’s apartment. Although Susan tries to have a serious adult conversation, Josh is distracted by the amenities in the limousine and encourages her to stick her head out of the sunroof. When Susan mentions spending the night together, Josh misinterprets her sexual advances and welcomes her to sleep over. Susan is overwhelmed by the childlike décor of Josh’s apartment. Despite her reluctance, Josh lures Susan onto the trampoline, and they have fun jumping together. Later, Susan is disappointed when Josh indicates that they must sleep on separate bunks of his bunk bed. Upset that Susan left the party with Josh, Paul takes Josh to play racquetball the next day with the intention of humiliating him on the court. However, Josh loses patience with Paul’s poor sportsmanship and they get into a tussle. Back at the office, Susan nurses Josh’s cuts. Josh tells her she is one of the nicest people he has ever met and she kisses him on the cheek. Soon after, Susan breaks up with Paul. Billy takes Josh to a restaurant for his birthday, but feels neglected when Josh admits he has other plans later that night. Josh goes on a date with Susan to an amusement park where he does not notice another Zoltar machine. At a dance hall, Susan confesses that Josh has been on her mind and embraces him on the dance floor. Josh begins to confess his real age, but stops short, kissing her instead. Back at her apartment, Susan undresses while Josh watches in awe and they spend the night together. Billy finally receives the list of carnivals and fairs that he and Josh requested, but he cannot reach Josh at the office. At Susan’s apartment for dinner, Josh talks excitedly about a toy idea, but she interrupts to ask about the state of their relationship. Instead of answering her question, Josh playfully wrestles Susan to the ground. The next day, Billy bursts into Josh’s office, but Josh claims he is too busy and asks his friend to come back later, prompting Billy to accuse him of losing sight of his priorities. Later, Josh returns to his hometown and watches his friends and neighbors from afar. At dinner with Susan, Josh reveals his real age and attempts to explain his transformation, but she refuses to believe him. Having researched the list of carnivals and fairs, Billy returns to Josh’s office and informs him there is a Zoltar machine at Sea Point Park, the park he visited with Susan. Although Josh and Susan are due to make a presentation about a computerized comic book they developed, Josh wanders out of the presentation in a daze and Susan rushes after him. On the street, Josh slips into a taxi, and Susan arrives moments later, noticing Billy as he calls after Josh from the sidewalk. Susan confronts Billy, demanding to know where Josh is headed. Josh finds the Zoltar machine and makes a wish to be a kid again. Susan arrives and reprimands him for walking out on her. She sees the Zoltar machine and realizes that Josh was telling the truth. Softening, Susan offers to drive him home, and outside his house, she kisses his forehead before they part ways. As Josh heads to his front door, Susan sees him transform back into a thirteen-year-old boy. Josh reunites with his mother, and sometime later, he and Billy discuss baseball as they walk down the street.
SCI-FI
AFI defines “science fiction” as a genre that marries a scientific or technological premise with imaginative speculation.
2001: A Space Odyssey(1968)
Cast:Keir Dullea, Gary Lockwood, William Sylvester
Directors:Stanley Kubrick
Producer:Stanley Kubrick
Writer:Stanley Kubrick, Arthur C. Clarke
Editor:Ray Lovejoy
Cinematographer:Geoffrey Unsworth
Genre:Science fiction
Production Company:Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Inc.
At the dawn of mankind, a colony of peaceful vegetarian apes awakens to find a glowing black monolith standing in their midst. After tentatively reaching out to touch the mysterious object, the apes become carnivores, with enough intelligence to employ bones for weapons and tools. Four million years later, in the year 2001, Dr. Heywood Floyd, an American scientist, travels to the moon to investigate a monolith that has been discovered below the lunar surface. Knowing only that the slab emits a deafening sound directed toward the planet Jupiter, the U.S. sends a huge spaceship, the Discovery, on a nine-month, half billion-mile journey to the distant planet. Aboard are astronauts David Bowman and Frank Poole, plus three others in frozen hibernation, and a computer called HAL 9000. During the voyage, HAL predicts the failure of a component on one of the spacecraft's antennae. Bowman leaves the ship in a one-man space pod to replace the crucial part; the prediction proves incorrect, however, and when Poole ventures out to replace the original part, HAL severs his lifeline. Bowman goes to rescue him, but HAL closes the pod entry doors and terminates the life functions of the three hibernating astronauts. Forced to abandon Poole, who is already dead, Bowman reenters the Discovery through the emergency hatch and reduces HAL to manual control by performing a mechanical lobotomy on the computer's logic and memory circuits. Now alone, Bowman continues his flight until he encounters a third monolith among Jupiter's moons. Suddenly hurtled into a new dimension of time and space, he is swept into a maelstrom of swirling colors, erupting landscapes and exploding galaxies. At last coming to rest in a pale green bedroom, Bowman emerges from the nonfunctioning space capsule. A witness to the final stages of his life, the withered Bowman looks up from his deathbed at the giant black monolith standing in the center of the room. As he reaches toward it, he is perhaps reborn, perhaps evolved, perhaps transcended, into a new "child of the universe," a fetus floating above the Earth.
Star Wars(1977)
Cast:Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher
Directors:George Lucas
Producer:Gary Kurtz, George Lucas
Writer:George Lucas
Editor:Paul Hirsch, Marcia Lucas, Richard Chew, John Jympson
Cinematographer:Gilbert Taylor
Genre:Adventure, Science fiction
Production Company:Lucasfilm, Ltd.
Composer:John Williams [composer]
During an interstellar civil war, rebels battle against an evil empire, led by Darth Vader and a villainous governor named Grand Moff Tarkin. The imperial stronghold is a planet-sized, armored space station called the Death Star, and insurgent Princess Leia Organa leads a mission to seize the battleship’s blueprints, hoping to reveal its vulnerability. During the ensuing battle, Darth Vader and his military force of stormtroopers capture Leia’s spaceship, but she secretly hides the Death Star plans in a robot “droid” named R2-D2, who flees the spaceship with his companion, C-3PO. Unable to recover the plans, Darth Vader discovers that an escape pod was launched during the attack, and orders the droids detained. Meanwhile, R2-D2 and C-3PO crash land on the desert planet Tatooine. Ornery C-3PO is displeased by his companion’s claim that they are on an important mission, and the two droids part ways. However, they are captured by cloaked scavengers called Jawas and sold to young Luke Skywalker and his Uncle Owen. As the boy refurbishes the droids, he complains that Uncle Owen has thwarted his dream of becoming a pilot and following in the footsteps of his deceased father. Fiddling with R2-D2, Luke unwittingly activates a three dimensional projection of Princess Leia, uttering the plea: “Help me Obi-Wan Kenobi, you’re my only hope.” Smitten and intrigued, Luke wonders if the message is addressed to a hermit known as “Ben” Kenobi. At dinner, Luke tells Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru about Leia’s message, but Owen orders the boy to erase R2-D2’s memory, and insists that Obi-Wan died alongside Luke’s father. Storming away, Luke discovers that R2-D2 has escaped. The next morning, Luke and C-3PO recover the wayward droid, but are attacked by the hostile, nomadic Sand People. However, “Ben” Kenobi comes to the rescue, and admits that “Obi-Wan” is his real name. Seeking shelter at Obi-Wan’s home, Luke learns that his father was a Jedi knight during the Clone Wars, and was known as the galaxy’s best starfighter. Obi-Wan explains that he mentored Luke’s father and makes good on an old promise, giving Luke his father’s lightsaber. Since Jedis were guided by “the Force,” a mystical energy that unites all living creatures in peace, the neon light sword once upheld universal justice. However, Luke’s father was killed by a colleague, Darth Vader, who used his knowledge of “the Force” to betray the Jedis. As Obi-Wan activates R2-D2’s message from Leia, she explains that she was on a mission to bring Obi-Wan back to her home planet of Alderaan, and adds that vital information has been hidden in R2-D2’s memory system. The only person equipped to retrieve the data is her Jedi father, so the droid must be escorted to Alderaan immediately. Obi-Wan announces he will teach Luke to use “the Force,” so he can be of service on the mission, but Luke insists on returning home. Meanwhile, on the Death Star, Grand Moff Tarkin announces that the galaxy’s government council has been dissolved, and the Empire is one step closer to ultimate power. Back on Tatooine, Luke discovers his family murdered by stormtroopers and vows to become a Jedi. He joins Obi-Wan and the droids in their search for a pilot at the spaceport town of Mos Eisley. In a seamy tavern, they hire rugged outlaw smuggler Han Solo and his first mate, a tall, hairy Wookiee named Chewbacca. The men narrowly escape a stormtrooper attack in Han Solo’s Millennium Falcon. Meanwhile, Vader tortures Leia to discover the whereabouts of the rebel base, but she remains resolute. Tarkin navigates the Death Star toward Alderaan, then orders Leia’s execution and threatens to destroy her home planet unless she confesses. Although Leia claims the rebel base is on planet Dantoonine, Tarkin incinerates Alderaan. At the same moment, on the Millennium Falcon, Obi-Wan feels pain in his heart. He acknowledges a terrible tragedy, but continues Luke’s lightsaber training, teaching the boy to trust his instincts and to use “the Force.” When the Millennium Falcon reaches Alderaan, the planet is gone and the ship is forcibly sucked into the Death Star by its “tractor beam.” Darth Vader learns that the Millennium Falcon began its journey in Tatooine and realizes it is transporting the coveted Death Star plans. Meanwhile, Obi-Wan uses “the Force” to ensure that no humans or droids are detected aboard the spaceship, but Darth Vader perceives the presence of his former Jedi master. Upon their arrival aboard the Death Star, Han Solo and Luke kill several stormtroopers, don their armor, and capture a nearby outpost. There, R2-D2 plugs into the Death Star’s computer network and discovers seven locations that secure the battleship’s “tractor beam.” Once the locks are disabled, the Millennium Falcon can escape. Obi-Wan declares that he alone must immobilize the locks and leaves after promising Luke, “the Force will be with you… always.” Just then, R2-D2 locates Princess Leia and reports that her execution is pending. Luke convinces Han Solo to join him on a rescue mission with assurances of a bountiful reward. As they release the princess, a gunfight ensues, and Leia orders her rescuers into a garbage chute to escape. There, Luke is pulled underwater by a tentacled monster, but the creature suddenly disappears when the dump walls begin to compact. Radioing C-3PO for help, Luke orders R2-D2 to shut down the “garbage mashers,” and the comrades are saved. As they return to the Millennium Falcon and battle stormtroopers, Obi-Wan disables the “tractor beam” and reunites with Darth Vader, who is intent on killing his former Jedi master. However, Obi-Wan warns that the prospect for peace will become infinitely more powerful if Darth Vader succeeds. When Obi-Wan is confident that Luke can see him, and that Leia has safely boarded the Millennium Falcon, he permits Darth Vader to strike him dead, but his voice remains fixed in Luke’s consciousness. The friends escape a firefight, and Leia warns that the Millennium Falcon has been fitted with a tracking device. The Death Star follows as they proceed to the rebel base on the planet Yavin. There, R2-D2’s data is analyzed and soldiers are briefed that the Death Star’s weak point can only be accessed by a one-man fighter jet. The pilots must navigate down a narrow trench and fire into a two-meter-wide thermal exhaust port, causing a chain reaction. As Luke mans his ship, with R2-D2 as his navigator, Han Solo ducks away with his reward money, claiming the battle is a suicide mission. Meanwhile, the Death Star comes within firing range of Yavin and the Imperial leaders anticipate their decisive victory. Rebels race toward the battleship and attempt to dodge their pursuers, including Darth Vader, who pilots a deadly imperial fighter. With many of Luke’s senior comrades defeated, the boy is ordered to the front, but his rear guard is killed. The Death Star takes aim at Yavin just as Luke speeds toward its vulnerable portal. Although he uses a device to guide him, he subconsciously hears Obi-Wan’s refrain, “use the Force,” and turns off the computer to follow his instinct. Just then, Darth Vader directs his guns on Luke’s starfighter and prepares to fire, but Han Solo suddenly appears in the Millenium Falcon and interferes, sending the villain spiraling into space. Luke’s missiles successfully destroy the Death Star an instant before the battle station fires at Yavin, and peace is finally restored to the universe.
E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial(1982)
Cast:Dee Wallace, Peter Coyote, Robert MacNaughton
Directors:Steven Spielberg
Producer:Steven Spielberg, Kathleen Kennedy
Writer:Melissa Mathison
Editor:Carol Littleton
Cinematographer:Allen Daviau
Genre:Fantasy, Science fiction
Production Company:Universal Pictures , Amblin' Entertainment
Composer:John Williams [composer]
On a late autumn night, a spaceship filled with foliage and fungi sits among the trees of a quiet forest. Small, squat alien creatures wander near the ship observing plants on Earth until their chests illuminate red. One alien wanders off alone, looking at the city lights below, when a brigade of trucks parks nearby and humans begin to inspect the area with flashlights. The extra-terrestrial’s chest glows red, attracting the attention of the humans, and the creature runs screeching back toward its spaceship. However, the aircraft’s ramp closes and the ship launches into the sky, leaving the alien behind. Meanwhile, as a group of boys play games in a suburban home, Michael instructs his younger brother, Elliott, to retrieve pizzas from the deliveryman. While outside, Elliott hears a rustling in the illuminated shed behind the house. Believing the noise to be coming from the dog, Harvey, the boy tosses a baseball inside the shed, but the ball is thrown back to him. Elliott leads the other boys and his mother, Mary, outside to show them the strange occurrence. There, they find unusual footprints, which they assume were made by coyotes. After everyone has gone to sleep, Elliott inspects the yard and nearby cornfield with a flashlight. He follows a pair of tracks into the dirt and encounters the wrinkly, blue-eyed extra-terrestrial, which screams and runs away. The next morning, Elliott rides his bicycle into the park, dropping a trail of Reese’s Pieces candies behind him, but quickly returns home when he notices a man inspecting the area. During dinner, the boy insists that the alien he saw was real, despite the skepticism from his mother, brother, and younger sister, Gertie. When Elliott mentions that his absent father is in Mexico with a woman named Sally, his mother begins to cry and leaves the room. That night, Elliott sits outside on a lawn chair and the alien approaches him, dropping a handful of Reese’s Pieces at his feet. Elliott uses more of the sweets to lure the creature into his bedroom, where the alien mimics Elliott’s movements and watches the boy as he falls asleep. Elsewhere, a group of men use radar equipment to search the forest and find a cluster of the forgotten candies. The next day, Elliott feigns illness so he can stay home while his mother goes to work and his siblings attend school. The boy speaks to the alien and shows it his belongings. Once he retrieves food from the kitchen, Elliott draws a bath and speaks to his mother on the telephone while the alien swims in the water. After school, Elliott shows the creature to Michael and Gertie, who yell in alarm, but agree to keep the creature a secret from their mother. The alien uses its powers to levitate balls of clay into the air, mimicking the orbit of planets in the solar system, and revive a wilted flower. Although amazed, Elliott becomes concerned about beeping noises and voices of the scientists nearing the house. After Elliott and Michael leave for school, Mary hears shuffling in Elliott’s closet, but the alien hides itself among the children's stuffed animals. While Elliott attends a dissection lesson in biology class, the creature drinks beer from the refrigerator at home. As the alcohol takes effect in the alien’s body, their telepathic connection causes Elliott to simultaneously become intoxicated and slide out of his chair. Meanwhile, the alien reads a newspaper comic depicting spacemen attempting to contact their home planet, and watches television programs featuring flying spaceships and people using telephones. In class, Elliott frees the frogs from their jars before their classmates can dissect them. As the alien watches John Wayne kiss Maureen O’Hara in The Quiet Man, Elliott grabs his classmate and kisses her, prompting a teacher to drag him away. The alien then dismantles a Speak & Spell toy and carries various household items upstairs to the closet. Later, Gertie attempts to show the creature to her mother, but Mary is distracted putting away groceries and does not notice that it has begun to mimic the girl's educational television program. She then receives a telephone call from the school and leaves to pick up Elliott. When the boy returns home, he finds that Gertie has dressed the alien in a dress and wig, and that the creature can now speak. Elliott calls the creature “E.T.,” and E.T. uses signals and its limited vocabulary to tell the children that it wishes to “phone home.” That night, a man drives by the house in a van and eavesdrops on Elliott and Michael rummaging through the garage for equipment to build a radar machine. On Halloween, Elliott reminds Gertie to meet him at “the lookout” point later that evening, and covers E.T. in a sheet, pretending it is his sister dressed as a ghost. He and Michael lead E.T. up the hill to meet Gertie with his bicycle, and Elliott rides into the woods with E.T. in the front basket. After nightfall, E.T. levitates the bike into the air and they ride through the sky. Elliott then helps E.T. construct a device that will send a signal to the alien's home planet. When the children do not return home that night, Mary leaves to search for them, and a group of suited men enter the house. She finds Gertie and Michael on the streets, who inform her that Elliott is in the forest. Meanwhile, the wind pushes the gears on the machine, emitting a code out into space. Upset by the thought of E.T. leaving, Elliott cries and falls asleep among the trees. The next morning, Mary reports Elliott’s disappearance to a police officer, but the boy returns home, ill and alone. Michael finds E.T., white and sickly, lying in a stream. When he brings the dying creature home and shows it to Mary, she attempts to take the children away. However, a team of scientists dressed in spacesuits enter the house and cover the premises in protective quarantine barriers. While scientists run medical tests on E.T. and Elliott and asks the family questions, Michael informs them that his brother is able to telepathically sense E.T.’s feelings, and one man tells Elliott he is glad that he found E.T. before they did. As Elliott regains strength through the night, E.T. fades, and the alien’s heart eventually stops. Despite the scientists’ efforts to resuscitate the creature, E.T. dies, and they pack its body in a nitrogen chamber. As Elliott says goodbye, E.T.’s chest glows red, and a nearby pot of wilting flowers blooms again. E.T. repeats “E.T. phone home,” prompting Elliott to realize that the alien’s companions are returning. Elliott loudly weeps to distract the doctors from noticing that E.T. is still alive, and later Mike steals a medical van, with Elliott and E.T. hiding in back. He instructs his friends to meet them at the top of the hill as Mary and Gertie chase after them in the car, the scientists trailing behind. The boys ride their bicycles through the neighborhood with E.T. perched in Elliott’s basket, lifting them into the air to evade the police. As they reach the forest, E.T.’s spaceship lands in the clearing, and Mary arrives with Gertie. The girl gives E.T. a flower pot, and the alien tells her to “be good.” Elliott asks his friend to stay, but E.T. hugs the boy goodbye, assuring him, “I’ll be right here,” before walking up the ramp. The spaceship flies away, leaving behind a rainbow in the sky.
A Clockwork Orange(1971)
Cast:Malcolm McDowell, Patrick Magee, Michael Bates
Directors:Stanley Kubrick
Producer:Stanley Kubrick, Max L. Raab, Si Litvinoff
Writer:Stanley Kubrick
Editor:Bill Butler
Genre:Drama, Fantasy
Production Company:Hawks Films Limited, Polaris Productions, Inc.
Sometime in the not-too-distant future, gangs of teenage thugs roam rubble-strewn streets, terrorizing citizens who sequester themselves behind locked doors. Alex, the leader of one of the gangs, and his “droogs,” Pete, Georgie and Dim, distinguish themselves by wearing all-white, cod pieces, bowler hats and walking canes as they spend their nights committing rapes, muggings and beatings for entertainment. One night, after stopping at the Korova Milk Bar for the house specialty, drug-laced milk that induces “ultra violence,” the group kicks an elderly tramp mercilessly. Finding rival gang leader Billyboy and his hoodlums raping a woman nearby, Alex and his droogs take a moment to enjoy the scene then use chairs, broken bottles and knives to pummel the other gang unconscious. The gang speeds off in their Durango 95 sports car playing a game called “hogs of the road,” which entails forcing other drivers off the road. Spotting a wealthy residence displaying the sign “HOME,” the gang gains admittance by claiming that they need to use the phone to report an accident. Once inside, Alex beats and kicks the home’s owner, writer Mr. Frank Alexander, while mimicking a soft shoe dance routine and singing a musical number. After the droogs shove balls into the mouths of Alexander and his wife and wrap their heads in tape, Alex rapes Mrs. Alexander as Mr. Alexander watches helplessly. Later, Alex returns to municipal flatblock 18A, a disheveled modern apartment building where he lives with his cowardly mum and dad. After stashing stolen money and watches, Alex listens to his favorite composer, Beethoven, plays with his pet snake and dreams of further violence. The next morning, Alex refuses to go to school, claiming that his work, “helping here and there,” has left him exhausted. Soon after, a government probation officer, Mr. Deltoid, arrives at the flat and knees Alex in the genitals for reverting to outbursts of violence and wasting the government’s resources trying to reform him. Unaffected by the visit, Alex picks up two young women at a record shop and brings them back to his room to have sex, becoming so involved that he misses a gang meeting. Later, after his droogs express their disappointment to Alex about his missing their meeting, Georgie rebukes him for picking on Dim and then suggests they commit larger robberies. Outraged at the insubordination, Alex knocks Georgie into a river and knifes Dim’s arm when he tries to help Georgie. Having reasserted his authority, Alex appropriates Georgie’s suggestion. The gang then proceeds to the home of health club owner Mrs. Webber, who is known as “Catlady” and lives alone with her dozens of cats. Having read about the Alexanders, Webber refuses the gang entrance when they attempt the accident ruse again, but Alex then breaks into the house and bludgeons Webber unconscious with a large sculpted phallus, part of Webber’s erotic art collection. Hearing approaching sirens, Alex flees outside, where his droogs, fed up with Alex’s brutality, bash him unconscious and leave him for the police. After Webber dies from her injuries, Alex is sentenced to 14 years in prison. During his jail admittance procedure, Alex must submit to an autocratic officer who assigns him a number to replace his name, strips him of clothes and belongings and performs an anal search. For his first two years, Alex panders to the prison chaplain by quoting the Bible and accompanying him on keyboard for service hymns, while secretly fantasizing about the Bible’s violent and sexual passages. One day, Alex, hoping for an early release from jail, claims that he wants to reform permanently and asks the chaplain to help him get on the list for an experimental treatment of aversion therapy known as the Ludivicko technique, but the chaplain warns him that the brainwashing program will erase his will and therefore his soul. Soon after, the unscrupulous Minister of the Interior, hoping the aversion therapy will win his government valuable public support, chooses the enthusiastic Alex as the first candidate and sends him to the Ludivicko Center, where Alex is promised that he will be permanently cured in two weeks. Alex is then injected with a serum that causes him to feel waves of excruciating nausea and suffocation, which he names the “sickness,” when his violent passions arise. Bound in a straightjacket with his eyelids forced open by clamps, Alex is forced to watch hours of violence and mass destruction as part of his conditioning to repulse violence. On the second day of treatment, when the attending doctors play Beethoven’s ninth symphony during the screenings, Alex realizes that the music of his favorite composer will now forever be associated with “the sickness,” and begs them to stop, but the doctors refuse. The day before his release, Alex is presented on a stage before an audience of government officials and other authorities to prove the treatment’s validity. Alex’s fear of “the sickness” prompts him to follow orders and submit to degrading treatment without reacting with violence. When he is then presented with a nude woman, Alex at first grasps for her, but the sickness prevents him from even touching her. Although the chaplain loudly protests that Alex has lost all choice and deems the treatment unethical, the Minister of the Interior proclaims it a success and releases Alex. Returning home, Alex discovers that his parents have taken a lodger, Joe, who defends his mum and dad and protests that Alex should not be allowed to return because of his atrocious behavior. Learning that the police have taken away his belongings and his snake is dead, Alex leaves the apartment sobbing and contemplates suicide at the river. When a tramp interrupts to ask for change, the man recognizes Alex as the brutal youth who beat him years ago, and leads him to a tunnel teaming with elderly drunkards who accost him. Police officers stop the fight, but Alex soon recognizes the officers as Georgie and Dim, who are happy to mete out their revenge against their former leader. They handcuff Alex and drive him to an isolated area where they nearly drown him in an animal trough while laughing at the cruel spectacle. Weak, soaking and unable to recognize his surroundings, Alex mistakenly seeks help at “HOME.” Alexander, who lost his wife to suicide just after Alex and the dross’s attack, recognizes Alex only as the man in the newspaper who was forced to submit to the police’s inhumane experiments and offers him a bath and dinner. However, when Alex starts humming his signature show tune, Alexander then realizes that Alex is his previous assailant and concocts a plan. Thinking Alex’s behavior modification treatment unjust, the politically subversive writer calls several journalists who arrive shortly after to use Alex’s testimony for their own political agenda. After learning that his conditioning includes a severe aversion to Beethoven, the writer serves Alex sedative-laced wine, locks him a room and tortures Alex by playing Beethoven at a deafeningly loud volume. Alex attempts suicide by jumping from the second story window, but the fall succeeds only in broken bones that result in an extended stay at a hospital. Newspapers soon report Alex’s attempt as proof of the government’s inhumanity, thus prompting the government to hire psychiatrist Dr. Taylor to reverse the Ludivicko conditioning. The doctor then tests Alex by presenting him with cartoons with open-ended narratives. Alex happily creates violent dialogue for his characters, thus proving his “recovery.” Soon after, the Minister of Interior visits Alex with an offer. Reminding him that the writer and several of his other victims would like him either killed or imprisoned, the minister, worried about the outcome of the election, offers Alex a job and financial compensation in trade for being the minister’s propaganda tool. As Alex accepts the proposal, the press photographs the two men to publicize the government’s change of heart. When Beethoven’s ninth symphony is then played, Alex spontaneously imagines scenes of public fornication and happily announces that he is “cured indeed.”
The Day the Earth Stood Still(1951)
Cast:Michael Rennie, Patricia Neal, Hugh Marlowe
Directors:Robert Wise
Producer:Julian Blaustein
Writer:Edmund H. North
Editor:William Reynolds
Cinematographer:Leo Tover
Genre:Science fiction
Production Company:Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corp.
Composer:Bernard Herrmann
One morning, in Jul 1951, people around the world are astonished by the appearance of an unidentified, fast-moving object circling the globe. The object, a large, metallic saucer, lands on the Mall in Washington, D.C., where a crowd quickly gathers. Soldiers surround the saucer, and tension grows until a helmeted man emerges, telling the crowd that he has come in peace. A nervous soldier shoots the man when he brandishes a small object, and people run in terror as an enormous robot lumbers out of the saucer. The robot, Gort, emits a mysterious ray that melts the soldiers' weapons until the wounded alien, Klaatu, orders him to desist and informs the soldiers that the object was a gift for their president. Klaatu is then rushed to Walter Reed Hospital, where presidential secretary Harley learns that he has traveled over 250,000,000 miles in five months. Klaatu reveals that he must talk to all of Earth's leaders, but Harley explains that due to the unstable political climate, not all of the leaders will consent to meet with one another. Klaatu insists that his mission is too important to be derailed by petty squabbles, and warns Harley that the future of the planet is at stake. The next day, doctors find that Klaatu has recovered from his wound, after which Harley returns with news that although the president has invited the world's leaders to meet, many have refused unless they can host the gathering. Bemused by their childish jealousies, Klaatu decides to learn more about the species he is visiting, and escapes from the hospital. Radio and television broadcasts announce Klaatu's escape, but no pictures of him are available. Using the name Carpenter, Klaatu obtains a room in the boardinghouse of Mrs. Crockett, which is also inhabited by Mr. and Mrs. George Barley, Mr. Krull and an attractive widow, Helen Benson, and her young son Bobby. The next day, Helen and her beau, Tom Stevens, go on a picnic, and Klaatu babysits Bobby, who takes him on a tour of the city. Klaatu is impressed with the Lincoln Memorial, and when he asks Bobby who the greatest man alive is, the boy replies that famed scientist Jacob Barnhardt is the one Klaatu seeks. After taking Bobby to visit the saucer, Klaatu goes with him to Barnhardt's house, where he easily solves a math problem begun by the absent Barnhardt. That night, Helen watches as a government agent picks up Klaatu at the boardinghouse. Klaatu is taken to see Barnhardt, who is thrilled to learn that he is the alien. Klaatu explains that because Earth's people are reaching a technological level at which they could be a danger to other planets, he has been sent to warn them of the consequences of their violence. Barnhardt speculates that no one will take his message seriously unless he can prove his superior capabilities, so Klaatu promises to arrange a demonstration in two days. The next evening, Tom belittles Klaatu's involvement with Helen and Bobby, although Bobby states that Klaatu is his best friend. After Helen and Tom leave, Bobby follows Klaatu as he goes to the saucer, where he signals to Gort and obtains entrance to the vessel. Inside, Klaatu arranges his demonstration, while Bobby runs home. When Helen and Tom return, Bobby tells them of his adventure, but they dismiss it as a bad dream. Tom grows worried though, when he snoops in Klaatu's room and finds one of the diamonds that Klaatu trades for currency. The following day, Klaatu gets Helen from her office, and when they enter the building's elevator, the power suddenly dies, and Klaatu reveals his identity to Helen. As he discusses his mission with her, people around the world are confused by the loss of all electricity, except to critical locations such as hospitals. Barnhardt is gleeful about the nonviolent demonstration, which he believes will ensure full attendance for his meeting that night of scientists and social leaders. Half an hour later, when the power is restored, Helen is convinced of Klaatu's sincerity, and is determined to help him. She is concerned about Tom, however, as he has taken the diamond to a jeweler for appraisal. Helen rushes to Tom's office, where she is dismayed to learn that he is more interested in the fame and fortune that will result from betraying Klaatu than in the reason for his visit. While Tom alerts the Pentagon, Helen storms out and whisks Klaatu away from the boardinghouse just before the military arrives. During their ride to Barnhardt's meeting, Klaatu tells Helen that if anything happens to him, she is to find Gort immediately and tell him "Klaatu Barada Nikto" to prevent him from destroying the Earth. Before they can reach the ship, however, Helen and Klaatu are stopped by soldiers, and Klaatu is fatally shot. Helen escapes and goes to Gort, who responds to her repetition of Klaatu's orders by carrying her inside the saucer, then stealing Klaatu's body and returning it to the ship. There, Gort revives Klaatu, although Klaatu tells Helen that his re-animation will last for an uncertain duration. Klaatu then appears before Barnhardt's colleagues and warns them that because the universe grows smaller every day, threats of aggression cannot be tolerated. Klaatu assures them that they will not lose any freedoms, but that they will be under the watchful eye of a robot such as Gort, who was invented by an organization of planets determined to stamp out violence. Each planet is guarded by a robot that impartially acts against aggression, and the inhabitants live in peace, Klaatu states, with their energies turned toward higher goals. Klaatu informs the crowd, "Your choice is simple: join us and live in peace, or pursue your present course and face obliteration." With a final smile for Helen, Klaatu then leaves with Gort.
Blade Runner(1982)
Cast:Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer, Sean Young
Directors:Ridley Scott
Producer:Michael Deeley, Brian Kelly, Hampton Fancher
Writer:Hampton Fancher, David Peoples
Editor:Marsha Nakashima
Cinematographer:Jordan Cronenweth
Genre:Science fiction
Production Company:The Ladd Company, Sir Run Run Shaw
In 2019 Los Angeles, California, police squads called Blade Runner Units seek out Replicants, advanced robots created by the Tyrell Corporation that are nearly identical to humans. Because Replicants were being used as slaves in “Off-world” colonies on other planets, they led a bloody revolt against humans and are no longer welcome on Earth. Blade Runners are responsible for disabling, or “terminating,” them. Holden, a Blade Runner, interrogates Leon Kowalksi, a new employee of the Tyrell Corporation suspected of being a Replicant. When Holden asks him to describe his mother, Kowalski shoots the agent. Later, ex-Blade Runner Deckard orders from an Asian food stand and remembers that his ex-wife used to call him “Sushi,” implying that he was a cold fish. A policeman named Gaff appears and informs Deckard in another language that he is under arrest. As Deckard rides in Gaff’s flying police vehicle, he guesses that Gaff is from the streets due to his use of “city speak,” a newfangled language combining Japanese, Spanish, and German. Deckard is escorted to an office where Bryant, his former boss, orders him to find four Replicants who killed the passengers and crew of an off-world shuttle and later landed on Earth. Deckard refuses, telling Bryant to employ Holden in the task, but Bryant informs him that Holden was critically injured by Kowalski. When Deckard tries to walk out, Bryant reminds him that he has no choice but to cooperate. Later, Bryant and Deckard watch video footage of Kowalski, and Bryant explains that the suspected Replicants recently escaped from an off-world colony – three male and three female. Two have since died in an attempt to infiltrate the Tyrell Corporation, but Kowalski and possibly others have successfully penetrated the company as new employees. Footage of Roy Batty, an optimum-efficiency combat Replicant, appears on the screen, and Bryant suggests that Batty is leading the group. Deckard then sees images of the two other suspects: Zhora, a female combat Replicant, and Pris, a beautiful “pleasure model.” Deckard learns that these Replicants are “Nexus 6” versions, built to have a four-year lifespan in order to prevent the development of human emotions over time. Deckard visits Dr. Eldon Tyrell’s headquarters, where he meets Rachael. Tyrell orders Deckard to perform an emotional response test on Rachael to prove how a human reacts to the questioning. At a table, Deckard aims a camera at Rachael’s eye and monitors the movement of her pupils as she answers roughly one hundred questions. Toward the end of the interrogation, Tyrell sends Rachael away and Deckard states that she is a Replicant, though it took more than the usual twenty or thirty questions to confirm. Tyrell informs him that is partly because Rachael believes she is human. He says she is an experiment, and a result of his efforts to create more human robots by instilling them with memories of a life they never lived. Later, Deckard and Gaff examine the hotel room where Kowalski is registered as a guest, finding what appears to be a reptilian-like scale in the bathroom and family photos. Deckard insists that Replicants have neither scales nor family photos, so the findings are particularly strange. In search of Tyrell, Batty and Kowalski threaten Chew, a scientist who creates eyeballs for Replicants. Frightened, Chew tells Batty that J. F. Sebastian, a Tyrell operative, will lead them to their target. Rachael surprises Deckard at his apartment, and he convinces her that she is a Replicant by citing her implanted memories. Having upset Rachael with the news, Deckard offers her a drink, but she disappears. Roaming the streets alone in the rain, Pris runs into J. F. Sebastian and convinces him to invite her inside. At his apartment, Sebastian introduces her to his friends, two robotic toys he has invented. Pris tells Sebastian she has lost her own friends, but plans to find them soon. At home, Deckard examines a photograph taken from Kowalski’s apartment and blows it up to find an image of a woman. He prints the image, then visits a woman in town who examines the scale from Kowalski’s apartment and informs Deckard that it is a snake scale. Deckard questions an Egyptian street vendor who makes artificial snakes, forcing him to reveal that club owner Taffey Lewis purchased the artificial snake made from the same scales Deckard found at Kowalski’s hotel room. At a nightclub, Deckard questions Lewis, asking if he knows the girl in the picture he was examining earlier. After the Replicant, Zhora, performs with a snake on Lewis’s stage, Deckard approaches her dressing room disguised as a union representative. Zhora showers off her makeup then attempts to strangle Deckard but runs away after they are interrupted. Deckard pursues her through the busy streets and shoots her down. Bryant arrives and says Deckard has four more Replicants to retire, including Rachael. As Deckard walks home, Kowalski ambushes him in the streets and beats him, but Rachael saves Deckard by shooting the Replicant in the head. They regroup at Deckard’s apartment, and Rachael asks if Deckard would come after her if she ran away to the North. He promises no, but says that somebody would. As Deckard drifts to sleep, Rachael plays the piano. He wakes to the music and they kiss. At Sebastian’s apartment, Batty arrives, kisses Pris, and tells her that Zhora and Kowalski have been retired. Learning that Pris and Batty are Nexus 6 Replicants, Sebastian asks them to show him something, so Pris grabs an egg out of boiling water without flinching. Batty convinces Sebastian that he needs to speak to Tyrell directly, and they go along with Pris to Tyrell’s headquarters. In his bedroom, Tyrell meets Batty, who demands that his lifespan be elongated. Tyrell tells Batty it is not possible; in turn, Batty kills him with his bare hands. In search of Sebastian, Deckard goes to his apartment where he finds Pris and kills her after she attacks him. Batty arrives and finds Pris’s dead body. After Deckard attempts to shoot him, Batty breaks two of his fingers then allows him time to run away. In pursuit of Deckard, Batty senses his energy dwindling and recognizes that he has reached the end of his lifespan. To revive himself, Batty stabs his own hand and follows Deckard to the roof. There, Deckard jumps onto a nearby building, catching himself on a strut protruding from its roof. Leaping to the adjacent roof, Batty taunts Deckard before pulling him up from the strut. Batty tells Deckard he’s seen incredible things in space, but all the moments will be lost with his death. He then slumps his head forward and terminates. Deckard wonders why Batty saved him, imagining that perhaps he came to love life more than he had before in his final waking moments. Soon after, Gaff finds Deckard on the roof, throws his gun back to him, and tells him it’s unfortunate that Rachael will not live. Deckard later looks for Rachael at his apartment and finds her asleep in bed. He asks if she loves and trusts him, and she responds that she does. Deckard realizes that Gaff spared her life, thinking she would terminate in four years like the other Replicants. However, Tyrell informed Deckard that Rachael has no termination date. Some time later, in a remote landscape, Deckard and Rachael drive through the wilderness together.
Alien(1979)
Cast:Tom Skerritt, Sigourney Weaver, Veronica Cartwright
Directors:Ridley Scott
Producer:Gordon Carroll, David Giler, Walter Hill, Ronald Shusett
Writer:Dan O'Bannon, Ronald Shusett
Editor:Terry Rawlings, Peter Weatherley
Cinematographer:Derek Vanlint
Genre:Science fiction
Production Company:Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corp.
Composer:Jerry Goldsmith
In a futuristic outer space, the commercial towing ship The Nostromo is returning home to Earth with twenty million tons of mineral ore. On board, “Mother,” the aircraft’s computer, awakens the crew of five men and two women from hyper-sleep. After breakfast, Dallas, the captain, learns that company headquarters has ordered the crew to detour and investigate a mysterious audio beacon. Parker, the ship's engineer, gripes that he is not being paid for rescue work, but Ash, the science officer, reminds him that according to their job contracts, they are obligated to look into transmissions of possible intelligent origins and by refusing, they forfeit their monetary share from the mission. Dallas agrees with Ash, and the crew proceeds to disengage the ship from the docking platform and navigate towards the signal. The ship incurs damages from a rough landing on a rocky planetary terrain. While Parker and his technician, Brent, make repairs, Dallas, along with executive officer Kane and navigator Lambert, don spacesuits and track the signal on foot. After coming upon a derelict spacecraft, they climb inside and discover a large alien life form, fossilized in a chair. Meanwhile on board the ship, warrant officer Ripley learns that the signal is a warning rather than an S.O.S. After being lowered into a cavernous chamber, Kane discovers egg-shaped forms covered by mist. He notices movement inside an egg, but while observing, an organism attaches itself to the front of his helmet, leaving him unconscious. Dallas and Lambert carry him back to the ship, but Ripley reminds Dallas that the quarantine law requires twenty-four hours for decontamination and denies them reentry. Overhearing the exchange, Ash ignores Ripley's seniority and opens the hatch. In the infirmary, Ash and Dallas contemplate whether to detach the organism covering Kane’s face. Although Kane is still alive, the organism has paralyzed him. When Dallas cuts off a digit of the tentacle, an acidic liquid drips on the floor and begins to burn through flooring of the decks, temporarily threatening the hull. Unable to assist Kane for now, the crew waits while Parker and Brett repair the ship. Back in the infirmary, Ripley criticizes Ash for letting the organism onboard, which put the entire crew at risk. Ash claims that he disregarded the quarantine law to save Kane’s life. Sometime later, the organism detaches from Kane’s face and disappears. When its lifeless form drops from the ceiling, Ash is eager to conduct tests, while Ripley suggests discarding it. Because Ash is the science officer, Dallas lets him decide. Outside the infirmary, Ripley confronts Dallas to warn him that she does not trust Ash. With the majority of repairs complete, the ship takes off and returns to the docking station. As they continue the journey home, Kane regains consciousness; but during a meal, he begins to choke and convulse. From his chest, an embryonic organism suddenly bursts out and scurries away. After the crew buries Kane by propelling his body into space, they divide into two groups to locate the alien with a tracking device, nets and electrical prods. During the search, the team of Ripley, Parker and Brett, mistake the movement of Jones, the ship's cat, for the alien. When Brett follows the cat into another section, the alien, who has grown large and menacing, jerks him into an air shaft. Ripley and Parker rush in to witness Brett's death. In reporting to Dallas, Parker speculates that the organism is using the air ducts to move around the ship. Therefore, Dallas devises a plan to trap the alien in the main air lock and set it on fire. While the others monitor the alien’s movement and close off vents, Dallas enters the air shaft with a flamethrower. As he approaches a junction in the passage, Lambert yells that the organism is moving toward him. A screech is heard, followed by static on the radio. Parker finds no sign of the captain's dead body. The remaining crewmembers are tense as Ripley decides to continue with the plan to trap the organism in the air shaft. She becomes more frustrated by Ash’s seeming lack of concern or advice. While Parker is refueling the flamethrower, Ripley, as the new commanding officer, consults with "Mother" and learns that the priority is to bring back the alien species; however the crew is expendable. As a distressed Ripley leaves the computer annex, Ash tries to kill her. Lambert and Parker arrive and struggle to fight him off, until Ash begins to spew goo and disintegrate. When his head becomes detached, Parker and the others realize that he is a robot. Because Ash has been protecting the alien all along, Ripley believes that the company wants the species for their weapons division. She repairs Ash's communication function in the hope of extracting knowledge about how to kill the alien. However, as his head returns to life, Ash merely states that they cannot kill a perfect species and admits that he admires the alien for its purity as a survivor. After disconnecting the robot, Ripley decides that they will blow up the ship and escape in the shuttle. While Lambert and Parker collect supplies, Ripley prepares the shuttle for departure. She hears Jones the cat meowing and secures him in a cage. As Lambert and Parker are loading a cart, the alien attacks them. Ripley hears their distress over the radio and rushes to help, but finds both of them dead. After she runs back to program the destruction of the ship, the voice of "Mother" begins the countdown to detonation. Despite the nearby presence of the alien, Ripley and Jones eventually manage to board the escape shuttle without interference from the creature. From the window of the shuttle, Ripley watches the ship disintegrate and announces that she got the “son of a bitch.” She comforts Jones before placing him in the sleep capsule. While setting the controls for the journey home, the hand of the alien unexpectedly lurches out from the instrument panel. Ripley darts into a closet and puts on a spacesuit while keeping an eye on the alien's location. Returning to the control room, she opens the hatch, spears the organism, and it is jettisoned into space. Just as the creature is almost sucked back into the exhaust, she blasts the jet engines and the blaze pushes the alien away from the shuttle. As the only surviving crew member, Ripley dictates a report before entering hyper-sleep, estimating that she will arrive on the frontier in about six weeks.
Terminator 2: Judgment Day(1991)
Cast:Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, Robert Patrick
Directors:James Cameron
Producer:James Cameron, Gale Anne Hurd
Writer:James Cameron, William Wisher
Editor:Conrad Buff, Mark Goldblatt, Richard A. Harris
Cinematographer:Adam Greenberg, Michael A. Benson
Genre:Adventure, Science fiction
Production Company:Carolco, Pacific Western , Lightstorm Entertainment
Composer:Brad Fiedel
Sarah Connor explains that a nuclear blast killed more than three billion people in 1997. In present-day 2029, survivors wage war against machines controlled by a computer named Skynet. Sarah recounts that Skynet sent two machines, called Terminators, back in time to destroy the human resistance leader, her son, John Connor. The first Terminator attempted to kill Sarah in 1984, before John was born, but failed. The second Terminator was sent to kill John as a young boy; however, the human resistance sent their own Terminator to protect him. In 1995, in Los Angeles, California, a Terminator, resembling a naked man, is transported to a parking lot outside a bar. The Terminator walks inside and is met with laughter and hostility. After stabbing one of the patrons with his own knife, the Terminator takes another patron’s clothing, a motorcycle, and a shotgun. The same night, a second Terminator, the T-1000, arrives, kills a police officer, and steals his patrol car and uniform. In the morning, John Connor works on his motorbike. Though his foster parents, Todd and Janelle Voight, order John to clean his room, he speeds away with his friend, Tim. At Pescadero State Hospital, a "Criminally Disordered Retention Facility," Sarah Connor exercises in her cell while Dr. Silberman leads a group of medical professionals on a tour of the facility. Approaching Sarah’s cell, Silberman describes her condition as “acute schizoaffective disorder,” saying she believes a machine was sent back in time to kill her while the father of her child, a soldier, was sent back simultaneously to protect her. The T-1000, dressed as a policeman, arrives at the Voight residence to question John's foster parents and obtains a picture of the boy. Meanwhile, John hacks into an automated teller machine to steal cash, telling Tim that Sarah taught him the trick. In an office building, Miles Dyson, a leading scientist with Cyberdyne Systems, examines a robotic arm and central processing unit in glass cases; unbeknownst to him, the items are relics of the 1984 Terminator. At an arcade in a shopping mall, John and Tim play games, while the Terminators close in on the boy. The T-1000 appears in the arcade, and John escapes to a hallway where he sees the Terminator brandishing a shotgun. As the Terminator and the T-1000 exchange fire, the Terminator pushes John to safety and shoots the other machine multiple times; however, the T-1000 quickly recovers. John runs to his motorbike and rides away, pursued by the Terminator on a motorcycle and the T-1000 in a stolen tow-truck. Riding onto an overflow channel, the Terminator pulls John onto the motorcycle while shooting at the tow-truck. The T-1000 crashes into an overpass and the truck explodes, allowing the Terminator to ride away with John. Moments later, the T-1000 emerges from the flames unharmed, re-forming into human shape. At the side of the road, John confirms that the Terminator has come to protect him, realizing that his mother’s beliefs about the future were true. He learns that the Terminator’s body is “living tissue over metal endoskeleton” and the T-1000 is a newer prototype, made of liquid metal. That evening, John calls the Voights to warn them about the T-1000, but when Janelle answers the phone, he senses that she seems different. In fact, the T-1000 has killed Janelle and assumed her form, and proceeds to kill Todd while talking on the phone. The Terminator deduces that John is speaking to the T-1000 and hangs up, explaining to the boy that Terminators can imitate any living thing of approximately the same size. At the hospital, police show Sarah pictures of the Terminator in 1984 and at the mall earlier that day, identifying the Terminator as her son’s kidnapper. She says nothing, but steals a paper clip. Realizing that the T-1000 will go after his mother next, John insists that he and the Terminator save Sarah. The Terminator rejects the idea and they argue. John discovers that the machine must obey his orders without question after he screams for the Terminator to let him go and the machine immediately drops him. Hearing the screams, two men in an adjacent parking lot offer to help the boy, but John rudely dismisses them and they insult him in return. When he orders it to take care of them, the Terminator wields a gun but John shoves it away. After the men run to safety, John informs the Terminator that killing people is unacceptable. That night, Sarah uses the paper clip to escape from her room. The T-1000 arrives at the hospital and assumes the identity of a policeman who patrols the building and then kills him. Fighting off nurses and guards, Sarah attacks Silberman and fills a syringe with Liquid Rooter. Moments later, John and the Terminator gain access to the hospital after the Terminator shoots a guard in the knees, careful not to kill him. Plunging the syringe into his neck, Sarah takes Silberman hostage and makes her way through the hospital. A guard grabs the syringe and frees the doctor, and Sarah runs away. At the end of a hallway, the Terminator emerges and Sarah runs in the other direction. Guards subdue her, but the Terminator fights them off and John arrives, assuring his mother that the Terminator will help them. The T-1000 appears and chases Sarah, John, and the Terminator to a parking garage where they steal a police car. Pursuing them on foot, the T-1000 climbs aboard the car, but the Terminator shoots it off. Sarah scolds her son for risking his life to save her. John cries and the Terminator asks what is wrong with his eyes. At a closed auto repair shop, the Terminator stitches a cut for Sarah and she removes the bullets from the Terminator’s back. When John suggests the Terminator behave more like a human, he learns that the machine is in “read-only” mode. To reverse the “read-only” mode, Sarah unscrews a port built into the Terminator’s skull and removes a central processing unit. Though she wants to destroy the computer altogether, John stops her, insisting he needs the Terminator. The next morning, John teaches the Terminator colloquialisms such as “no problemo” and “hasta la vista, baby.” The Terminator informs Sarah that Miles Dyson will soon invent a microprocessor that allows stealth bombers to fly unmanned. Dyson’s employer, Cyberdyne Systems, will use the microprocessor to innovate military technology, resulting in the creation of the machines ultimately controlled by Skynet. The Terminator states that the machines become “self-aware,” and when humans attempt to shut them down, Skynet will bomb Russia in retaliation. Russia will respond by attacking with a nuclear bomb on August 29, 1997. In Mexico, Sarah, John, and the Terminator arrive at a camp and meet Sarah’s militant friend, Enrique Salceda. They obtain an arsenal of weapons, clothes, and a new vehicle. John bonds with the Terminator and talks about his nomadic childhood and the rogue military training to which Sarah subjected him. After a nightmare about the nuclear blast, Sarah awakens, determined to kill Dyson before he invents the microprocessor. She leaves John and the Terminator behind, but they soon follow. Outside Dyson’s home, Sarah shoots through the window and pursues the scientist inside, shooting him in the shoulder; however, when she takes aim at the fallen Dyson, she cannot bring herself to execute him. The Terminator and John arrive, and the Terminator explains to Dyson the catastrophic consequences of his invention. Convinced, Dyson agrees to help them destroy Cyberdyne Systems in order to save humanity. Fully armed, they arrive at Cyberdyne’s offices, subdue the night watchman, and break into the lab. A security guard sounds a silent alarm, and police swarm the building. Dyson and John retrieve the previous Terminator's arm and central processing unit from their glass cases. The group disperses explosives throughout the lab, and Dyson grabs the detonator as they leave. At that moment, police arrive and open fire, hitting Dyson multiple times. Sarah, John and the Terminator escape, but Dyson remains behind. As he dies, he strikes the detonator, causing the lab to explode. John and Sarah take cover in an elevator as the Terminator shoots through the lobby, steals a police van, and crashes into the building to retrieve them. The T-1000 arrives on a police motorcycle and drives up the stairs, spotting his targets from above as they leave in the van. When a helicopter passes, the T-1000 drives out the window, grabs onto the aircraft, and commandeers it. He pursues the van and exchanges gunfire with Sarah, who is shot in the leg. The T-1000 rams the helicopter into the van, and both vehicles crash. Continuing the chase, John, Sarah, and the Terminator hop into a pickup truck, while the T-1000 obtains a large tanker truck filled with liquid nitrogen. John takes the steering wheel as the Terminator climbs aboard the tanker and blasts the T-1000 with bullets. The tanker rolls on its side, and the Terminator jumps off. Sarah and John drive inside a steel mill and crash; nearby, the tanker also skids to a stop. The T-1000 exits and steps into spilled liquid nitrogen which causes it to freeze and break apart. The Terminator opens fire, and the T-1000 shatters into frozen shards. The Terminator and John help Sarah, incapacitated by her bullet wound, move through the mill. Extreme heat liquefies the T-1000's frozen shards, and the machine re-forms. In hand-to-hand combat against the T-1000, the Terminator’s arm is trapped under a gear. While the T-1000 pursues John and Sarah, the Terminator breaks free, leaving an arm behind. Sarah lowers John down a shaft before the T-1000 extends its finger into a sharp point and pierces her shoulder. The Terminator appears and beats the T-1000 with a steel bar. In retaliation, the T-1000 rams the bar through the Terminator’s body, causing the Terminator’s system to shut down. However, shortly after the T-1000 leaves, the Terminator regains power. As the T-1000 approaches John, disguised as Sarah, the real Sarah appears and opens fire. Just as she runs out of ammunition, the Terminator arrives, shooting the T-1000 with a grenade launcher. The T-1000 explodes and falls into a vat of molten metal which destroys the machine. After they dispose of the robotic arm and central processing unit, John becomes upset at the suggestion that the Terminator must now be destroyed. The Terminator expresses a newfound understanding of why people cry. Sarah presses a button to lower the Terminator into the molten metal, and the Terminator signals them with a “thumbs up.”
Invasion of the Body Snatchers(1956)
Cast:Kevin McCarthy, Dana Wynter, Larry Gates
Directors:Don Siegel
Producer:Walter Wanger
Writer:Daniel Mainwaring
Editor:Robert S. Eisen
Cinematographer:Ellsworth Fredericks
Genre:Horror, Science fiction
Production Company:Walter Wanger Pictures, Inc.
Composer:Carmen Dragon
In California, at the request of Dr. Harvey Bassett, psychologist Dr. Hill is brought in to confer about Dr. Miles Bennell, who has been admitted to the hospital as a mental patient. Although highly agitated, Miles convinces the doctors to listen to his story, which began a few days before, when Miles left a medical conference early, at the urgent request of Sally, his nurse: Although the small town of Santa Mira seems unchanged when he arrives, Sally reports that his waiting room is filled with patients. Driving to his office, Miles narrowly escapes hitting young Jimmy Grimaldi, who darts into the street. Grandma Grimaldi explains to Miles that Jimmy is afraid to go to school and, when Miles notices that her successful vegetable stand is closed, she says her husband lost interest in it. At the office, Miles finds few patients waiting, but, later, Becky Driscoll, Miles’s former girl friend, comes to consult him about her cousin, Wilma. Becky, who has until recently been living in England, explains that Wilma insists someone is impersonating their uncle, Ira. After Miles offers to see Wilma, he and Becky chat and discover that they have both recently divorced. As Miles walks Becky outside, he speaks with a policeman who asked Sally for an appointment but now says it is unnecessary. Near the end of the day, Grandma brings in Jimmy, who says someone is pretending to be his mother. After talking to Jimmy, Miles, who is intrigued by the similarity of his and Wilma’s claims, proceeds to Wilma's house and determines that Ira is not an imposter. Wilma disagrees, saying that the imposter looks like Ira and has his memories, but lacks emotion, and Miles tactfully refers her to a psychologist, Dr. Danny Kauffman. That evening, Miles and Becky go out together and encounter Kauffman and another doctor, both of whom believe that mass hysteria has stricken the townspeople. Later, Miles and Becky find that a once-popular restaurant is empty of customers and has been for the last two weeks, according to the proprietor. An emergency call from Jack and "Teddy" Belicec prompts Miles and Becky to visit them. At their home, the couple shows them a mysterious, half-formed body, without facial lines or fingerprints, found lying inert on their billiard table. When Teddy points out that the height and build are similar to Jack’s, her husband is startled into dropping a drinking glass that cuts his hand. Miles suggests they watch the body until morning. He then takes Becky home, where he checks out an unsettling noise caused by her father working in the basement. During the night, Jack dozes as Teddy notices that the body has a cut on its hand in the same place as Jack’s. Screaming, she awakens Jack and they drive to Miles’s house. Miles calls Kauffman and then, acting on a premonition, rushes to Becky’s house, breaks into the basement and discovers a double of her forming there. He rescues the real sleeping Becky and takes her to his house. Accompanied by the skeptical Kauffman, Miles and Jack return to the Belicecs and discover that the body is gone. They also find Becky’s double missing. When Becky's father, having heard them in the basement, calls the police station, a policeman, Nick, responds to check out the house. When Miles tells him about the mysterious body at Jack's house, Nick says that it belonged to a murder victim later found burning on a haystack. The next morning, Wilma tells Miles that she feels better and withdraws her allegations about Ira. Grandma and Jimmy come to Miles's office and inform him that the boy is back to normal, prompting Miles to wonder why the strange ailments have mysteriously disappeared. While making dinner at Miles's house that night, Miles, Becky and the Belicecs discover four pods growing in the greenhouse. Horrified, they watch as one body pops out of a foaming pod. Miles guesses that the pods create a double of a person while he or she sleeps, after which the original body is either destroyed or disintegrates. It then occurs to Becky that her father has acted strangely since her return and is one of the pod people. Miles attempts to call the FBI in Los Angeles, but an emotionless telephone operator claims that she cannot get through. Increasingly frantic, Miles asks her to try Sacramento. While waiting, Miles discusses with his friends whether the pods might be caused by an atomic reaction or alien organism, and how the new bodies take over the person’s mind. As they wait, one of the pods forms a double of Teddy. Sensing immediate danger, Miles asks Jack to take the women to safety, but Becky insists on staying with him. Miles kills the bodies with a pitchfork and leaves with her. At a gas station, the attendant slips two pods into his trunk, which Miles finds and burns later. Hoping to rescue Sally, Miles and Becky drive to her home, where Miles learns that she, too, has been transformed. Nick, whom he now realizes has been transformed all along, corners him, but Miles escapes with Becky, after which Nick alerts the police to search for them. Abandoning the car, Miles and Becky hide in his office, planning to rendezvous with the Belicecs there. After giving himself and Becky a shot of a drug stimulant to keep them awake, Miles says that, in his work he often sees people slowly grow callous and lose their humanity, and is troubled how they do not seem to mind. The next morning, Miles and Becky watch through the window as farmers distribute to their emotionless neighbors pods that are destined for other towns. Then Jack and Kauffman appear, both transformed, and place pods in the office for Miles and Becky. Kauffman explains to them that the solution to humanity’s problems has come from space seeds. The pods from these seeds reproduce an exact likeness of any form and painlessly absorb its mind, so that the being awakens into an “untroubled world.” Although Becky and Miles argue that they prefer to have love, Kauffman points out that life is simpler without it. After tricking the men, Miles injects them with sedatives, then flees with Becky. On the street, they hide their emotions, pretending to have changed, but Becky shrieks when a truck almost hits a dog, thus giving them away. Pursued by the townspeople, they run up a hill and into an old mining tunnel, where, exhausted but fighting sleep, they wait until nightfall. The sound of beautiful music coming from outside the cave gives them hope that others have survived. Miles leaves Becky to investigate it and learns that the music is coming from a car radio. When he returns, Miles kisses Becky but, to his great shock, realizes that she has been changed, having fallen asleep in his brief absence. Panicking, Miles runs toward the highway after Becky alerts the others, but the townspeople let Miles escape, presuming that no one will believe him. Through the dense, slowly-moving traffic Miles runs, screaming warnings, but the drivers think he is either drunk or crazy. When seed pods fall out of a truck, Miles yells, “They’re here already! You’re next!” At the hospital, Miles ends his tale, aware that the doctors will not believe him. Then, an ambulance delivers casualties from a highway accident, in which victims were buried under large pods that fell from a truck. Upon hearing that the truck originated in Santa Mira, the doctors call the FBI and police, to the relief of the exhausted Miles.
Back to the Future(1985)
Cast:Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson
Directors:Robert Zemeckis, Frank Marshall
Producer:Bob Gale, Neil Canton, Steven Spielberg, Frank Marshall, Kathleen Kennedy
Writer:Robert Zemeckis, Bob Gale
Editor:Arthur Schmidt, Harry Keramidas
Cinematographer:Dean Cundey, Raymond Stella
Genre:Comedy, Science fiction
Production Company:Universal Pictures , Amblin Entertainment
Composer:Alan Silvestri
On October 26, 1985, Marty McFly receives a call from his friend, Dr. “Doc” Emmett Brown, a scientist and inventor, instructing Marty to meet him at the Twin Pines Mall that night at 1:15am. At Hill Valley High School, Marty auditions for a Battle of the Bands, but is rejected after the judges deem his music too loud. Marty’s girlfriend, Jennifer Parker, gives him a pep talk after school, but they are interrupted by an older woman handing out pamphlets to protest the replacement of the town’s broken clock tower; the tower, which was struck by lightning in 1955, has become a landmark, but the mayor has plans to replace it with a working clock. At home, Marty finds his father George in the living room with his boss, Biff Tannen, who has just wrecked George’s car. Unapologetic, Biff commands George to work overnight. At dinner, Marty’s mother Lorraine expresses her disapproval of Marty’s girlfriend after hearing that Jennifer left two phone messages for Marty. Marty’s older sister, Linda, asks how she will ever meet a boy under Lorraine’s strict rules of decorum, and Lorraine promises that it will “just happen,” recalling how she met George as a teenager after her father, Sam Baines, ran him over with a car. Lorraine describes the night she took George to the “Enchantment Under the Sea” dance and the moment they first kissed on the dance floor. That night, Marty meets Doc at the Twin Pines Mall and films him with a video camera as Doc presents the greatest experiment of his life, a car that has been rigged to travel through time. To demonstrate the car’s capabilities, Doc straps his dog, Einstein, into the driver’s seat and uses a remote control to start the car’s engine; as the vehicle speeds across the parking lot and reaches eighty-eight miles per hour, it disappears, leaving two trails of fire in its wake. Soon after, the car reappears, covered in ice, with Einstein safe inside. Doc checks a watch around Einstein’s neck and confirms that it is now one minute behind as he sent the dog one minute into the future, but due to the nature of the machine, the dog arrived at the destination instantaneously. Doc shows Marty how to set a “destination time,” using the date November 5, 1955 as an example and explaining that it was the day he invented the “flux capacitor,” a device inside the car that makes time travel possible. Doc confesses to stealing plutonium from a group of Libyan nationalists, since the machine requires plutonium for fuel. Marty continues filming as Doc prepares for his first voyage, but the Libyan nationalists appear and shoot Doc, killing him. Fleeing the Libyans, Marty steals into the time machine, and when he reaches eighty-eight miles per hour, he travels back to the last destination time set: November 5, 1955. Upon arrival, the time machine runs out of fuel, and Marty hides it behind a billboard. Walking into town, Marty marvels at 1950s automobiles and storefronts. At a diner, Marty orders a drink, and Biff, now a teenager, barges in, yelling for “McFly.” Marty responds, but realizes Biff is talking to his father, George, the teenager sitting beside him at the counter. When Biff becomes aggressive with George, Marty stares, stunned to see his father as a young man. Marty follows George outside the diner and, later, sees him perched in a tree, peeping through binoculars at a teenaged Lorraine. George falls from the tree and is nearly hit by a car, but Marty pushes him out of the way and gets hit instead. The driver, Lorraine’s father, Sam, rescues Marty and takes him inside. That night, Marty wakes up to find young Lorraine tending to him. Marty joins the Baines family for dinner and meets his grandmother, Stella, along with his aunt and uncles, who are now children. When Stella asks if she can call Marty’s parents, he lies that they are out of town, and Lorraine flirtatiously squeezes his leg under the table. Disturbed, Marty leaves, rushing to Doc’s house. There, Marty informs a younger Doc that he has traveled to 1955 in a machine built by Doc thirty years in the future. To prove his story, Marty leads Doc to the vehicle and shows him the flux capacitor, the same device that young Doc conceived and sketched earlier that day. When Doc learns that plutonium is required to run the vehicle, he tells Marty they won’t be able to restart the machine, saying that the only comparable power source would be a bolt of lightning. At that, Marty produces the pamphlet he was given back in 1985 describing the effort to preserve the town’s clock tower. The pamphlet states that the tower was struck at 10:04pm the following Saturday in 1955, and Doc and Marty make plans to harness the lightning for fuel. Doc asks if Marty has interacted with anyone else in 1955, and Marty admits that he has met both his parents. Requesting to see a family photograph from Marty’s wallet, Doc discovers that Marty’s brother, Dave, has almost disappeared, suggesting that Marty’s interference has changed the course of his family history. Convinced that Marty ruined Lorraine’s chances of meeting George when he saved him from being hit by Sam’s car, Doc orders Marty to stay by George’s side to ensure that he takes Lorraine to the “Enchantment Under the Sea” dance the next night. At the school cafeteria, George tells Marty about the science fiction stories he writes, and, later, Marty sneaks into George’s bedroom dressed as an extraterrestrial named “Darth Vader.” Threatening to melt George’s brain, Marty convinces him to ask Lorraine on a date. The next day, Biff bullies George when he tries to talk to Lorraine at the diner, and Marty punches Biff, inadvertently drawing attention to himself. Outside the diner, Marty uses a makeshift skateboard to escape Biff’s gang, and after sending Biff’s car into a manure truck, Marty further impresses Lorraine. At his home, Doc presents Marty with a plan to fuel the time machine by running a cable from the clock tower to the street. The time machine will be rigged with a pole to make contact with the cable, jolting the vehicle with enough power from the lightning bolt to travel back to 1985. Lorraine arrives at Doc’s house and asks Marty to the dance. Although Marty suggests she go with George, Lorraine says she wants a strong man like Marty. Later, Marty strategizes with George, saying he will make take advantage of Lorraine before the dance so that George can step in and save her. On the night of the dance, Marty writes a letter to Doc alerting him that he will be shot on the night of October 26, 1985. He slips the letter into Doc’s coat and, later, drives Lorraine to the dance. Parked outside the high school, Lorraine kisses Marty, but stops herself when she has a strange feeling. Biff opens the door and pulls Marty out of the car, handing him over to his gang. Biff then moves inside the car, forcing himself onto Lorraine. George arrives, thinking he’s interrupting Marty and Lorraine, but finds Biff instead. Lorraine begs for George’s help, and though Biff easily overpowers him, George becomes irate and retaliates, knocking Biff to the ground. As Lorraine takes George’s hand, Marty follows them inside to make sure they kiss on the dance floor, sealing their fate as his future parents; however, the band has stopped playing after losing a guitar player, so Marty picks up the guitar to keep the dance going. Checking his family photo, Marty sees that his brother and sister have both vanished, and his face is disappearing. Marty loses the ability to play guitar, but when George kisses Lorraine, Marty revives. Just before 10:04pm, Marty meets Doc in town and Doc sets Marty’s destination time to the minute he left 1985. Doc finds the letter Marty left and becomes angry, ripping it up and saying he doesn’t want to know what happens in the future; meanwhile, a cable breaks and Doc must fix it at the top of the tower. With the pole affixed to the time machine, Marty sets his destination time to ten minutes before he left 1985, hoping to save Doc from the Libyans. Doc reconnects the cable, the time machine gets powered by the lightning and Marty successfully drives into the future. When he arrives back in 1985, Marty witnesses Doc being shot by the Libyans as the previous version of Marty escapes in the time machine. Surprisingly still alive, though, Doc shows Marty his bulletproof vest and presents the reconstructed letter that Marty wrote him in 1955, proving that Marty’s warning saved his life. Doc says goodbye to Marty before traveling thirty years into the future. In the morning, Marty discovers that his home is better furnished and that his brother and sister are more successful than when he last saw them; moreover, Lorraine and George are surprisingly well-dressed and flirtatious. Outside, Biff waxes George’s luxury car as copies of George’s first science fiction novel arrive in the mail. Jennifer arrives and greets Marty with a kiss, but they are interrupted when Doc returns in the time machine. Doc insists that Marty and Jennifer join him, as their future children are in danger, and the three take off in the time machine, heading back to the future.
GANGSTER
AFI defines the “gangster film” as a genre that centers on organized crime or maverick criminals in a twentieth century setting.
The Godfather(1972)
Cast:Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan
Directors:Francis Ford Coppola
Producer:Robert Evans, Albert S. Ruddy
Writer:Mario Puzo, Francis Ford Coppola
Editor:William Reynolds, Peter Zinner
Cinematographer:Gordon Willis
Genre:Drama
Production Company:Paramount Pictures Corp., Alfran Productions, Inc.
Composer:Nino Rota
In August 1945, during the lavish wedding reception of his daughter Connie, Don Vito Corleone, head of a large New York crime family and "godfather" to the Italian-American community, listens to requests for favors, honoring a long-standing Sicilian tradition that a father cannot refuse a request on his daughter's wedding day. While FBI agents jot down license plate numbers of the guests, and hundreds of celebrants dance, eat and gossip in the Corleone family's Long Beach compound, Don Vito, assisted by his foster son and consigliere, Tom Hagen, listens to a plea by the undertaker Bonasera, who seeks justice for two American boys who mercilessly beat his daughter. After mildly chastising Bonasera for refusing his friendship in the past, Don Vito agrees to help in exchange for some future service. Next, Don Vito greets the amiable baker Nazorine, who seeks help in preventing the deportation of Enzo, a young apprentice baker who wants to marry Nazorine's daughter. Outside, as the family welcomes guests such as crime boss Don Emilio Barzini and Don Vito's godson, popular singer Johnny Fontane, Michael Corleone arrives at his sister's wedding with his American girl friend, Kay Adams. Michael, college educated and a decorated soldier during World War II, relates stories about Luca Brasi, a large, violent man who is unquestioningly loyal to Don Vito, but tells her "It's my family, Kay, not me." In Don Vito's study, the final supplicant is Johnny, who cries that powerful studio head Jack Woltz refuses to give him an important part in a new war movie, even though it would be a perfect, career-saving role for him. After slapping Johnny like a child and admonishing him to be a man instead of a "Hollywood finocchio," Don Vito comforts him and promises to help. Just before his father-daughter dance with Connie, Don Vito talks with his son Santino, nicknamed Sonny, and Tom, telling them that Connie's new husband, Carlo Rizzi, may have a job, but should never be privy to the family's business. Don Vito also instructs Tom to fly to Los Angeles to speak with Woltz. At Woltz's studio, when Tom politely suggests that Johnny be cast in the war film, Woltz angrily dismisses him with curses and ethnic slurs. However, after Woltz has learned that Tom is representing the Corleone family, he invites Tom to his lavish estate and apologizes for his earlier rudeness. When the men sit down to dinner after Woltz has shown Tom his beloved race horse, Khartoum, Tom again asks for the part to be given to Johnny, prompting Woltz to erupt in a rage, shouting that Johnny "ruined" a young starlet with whom Woltz had been having an affair, thus making him appear ridiculous. One morning a short time later, Woltz discovers the severed, bloody head of Khartoum in his bed, prompting him to scream in terror. Back in New York, Don Vito is approached by Sollozzo “The Turk,” a ruthless, Sicilian-born gangster who owns poppy fields in Turkey. Sollozzo, who has the backing of the rival Tattaglia family, proposes that the Corleones finance his drug operations. Although Tom and Sonny have argued that narcotics are the way of the future, and Sonny tries to say so in the meeting, Don Vito refuses to risk losing his political influence by embracing the drug traffic and declines Sollozzo's offer. Later, Don Vito privately asks Luca to let it be known to the Tattaglias that Luca might be interested in leaving the Corleones. Just before Christmas, when Luca meets with Sollozzo and one of the Tattaglias, he is caught off guard, stabbed through the hand and strangled. That same evening, Fredo, Don Vito's meek, oldest son, tells him that their driver, Paulie Gatto, has called in sick. Before entering his car, Don Vito decides to buy some fruit from a vendor and is shot several times by assailants who flee before Fredo can react. Tom is kidnapped by Sollozzo that night, and later, as Michael and Kay leave the Radio City Music Hall, Kay notices a newspaper headline announcing that Don Vito has been killed. Stunned, Michael immediately calls Sonny, who relates that their father is barely alive in the hospital and insists that Michael return to the safety of the family’s Long Beach compound. Late that night, Tom is released by Sollozzo, who is infuriated that Don Vito has survived the attack, and warns Tom that he and Sonny must make the narcotics deal with him and the Tattaglias. At the compound, Sonny and Tom try to insulate Michael from their discussions about the family business, knowing that Don Vito had wanted him to have a different kind of life. While arguing over whether or not to take Sollozzo's deal, they receive a package of a dead fish, a Sicilian symbol that Luca "sleeps with the fishes." Now the hot-headed Sonny insists that there will be a war between the Corleones and the Tattaglias. Sonny tells Clemenza, one of his father's lieutenants, to buy mattresses and other supplies to house their men in a safe place during the war and instructs Clemenza to kill Paulie for his part in Don Vito's ambush. A few days later, frustrated by his enforced idleness, Michael goes into New York City to have dinner with Kay. After telling her that she should go home to New Hampshire, but not saying when they will see each other again, Michael goes to visit his father. When he finds the hospital floor deserted and Don Vito's room unguarded, Michael checks to make certain that his father is alive, then calls Sonny to relate what has happened. After moving Don Vito's bed with the help of a nurse, Michael whispers in his ear, "Pop, I'm with you now." Moments later, when the baker Enzo innocently arrives to pay his respects, Michael advises him to leave because there will be trouble, but Enzo enthusiastically offers to help. Michael and Enzo then wait on the steps of the hospital. Because of their menacing appearance, when a car stops, the thugs inside see what they think are Don Vito's guards and drive off. Just then, several police cars appear, and the abusive Capt. McCluskey starts yelling at Michael for interfering, then brutally punches him in the face before Sonny, Tom and their men arrive. The next day, Sonny argues that they must hit back at Sollozzo, even though the corrupt McCluskey is his protector. Because Sollozzo is now asking for a meeting with Michael, who is regarded as a "civilian," Michael volunteers to kill both Sollozzo and McCluskey. A bemused Sonny does not want Michael involved, and Tom argues that this is business, not personal, but Michael insists that to him it is business. When Sonny learns from a police informant that the meeting will be held at Louis, an Italian restaurant in the Bronx, Clemenza arranges for a gun to be planted in the men's room, then teaches Michael how to kill at close range. At the restaurant, Sollozzo offers a truce to Michael if the family agrees to his terms. After excusing himself to go to the men's room, Michael retrieves the gun from behind the toilet, walks to the table and shoots both McCluskey and Sollozzo in the head, then coolly walks out to a waiting car. To avoid being the victim of a revenge killing by the Tattaglias, Michael is forced to leave for Sicily for an extended period without saying goodbye to Kay. When Don Vito, who is now recuperating at home, hears that Michael killed Sollozzo and McCluskey, he weeps over Michael's involvement. While Michael is in Sicily, a wave of violence envelopes the Corleones, the Tattaglias and the other members of the five New York crime families. At the same time, Michael falls in love at first sight with a beautiful Sicilian girl, Apollonia, and soon marries her. Some time later, when a pregnant Connie hysterically calls home and tells Sonny that Carlo has beaten her, Sonny, who had previously warned Carlo never again to hit his sister, impulsively races away from the compound without waiting for his bodyguards. When he stops to pay a toll on the deserted highway, he is ambushed by several henchmen who riddle his body with bullets before speeding away. That night, after Tom reveals Sonny’s death to his father, Don Vito says that the killing must now end and orders no more acts of vengeance. Later, he accompanies his son’s body to Bonasera’s, where he tearfully asks the undertaker to repay his debt by making Sonny presentable to his mother. Shortly thereafter, Don Tommasino, Michael’s protector in Sicily, tells him of Sonny’s death and says that he and Apollonia must leave for their own safety. As they are about to leave, Apollonia decides to surprise Michael by driving his car. Moments after Michael sees one of his bodyguards, Fabrizio, suspiciously run away, Apollonia dies when the car explodes. In New York, Don Vito has called a meeting of representatives of the five crime families of New York and New Jersey, asking for peace. After arguments on both sides, the families reach a peace accord and agree to enter the narcotics trade. As they are driving home from the meeting, Don Vito tells Tom he finally realized at the meeting that Barzini has always been behind the Tattaglias and was responsible for everything. Some time later, Michael goes to New Hampshire, where Kay has been teaching. Although he has been home for more than a year and not contacted her, he tells her that he loves her and asks her to marry him. She is reluctant, and does not understand why Michael now works for his father, but agrees because of her feelings for him and because he assures her that within five years, the Corleone family business will be completely legitimate. Soon Michael becomes the tacit head of the family as Don Vito semi-retires. Michael plans to sell the family’s olive oil business, which had been a legitimate cover for their gambling and prostitution operations, and become the sole owner of a Las Vegas casino. He sends Carlo to Las Vegas, as well as Tom, privately telling the disappointed Tom that there will be trouble at home and Tom is not a “wartime consigliere." Weeks later, on a business trip to Las Vegas, Michael is annoyed that Fredo, who was sent to Las Vegas several years before, has let himself become subservient to Moe Greene, their partner in the casino. When Greene angrily refuses to sell his interest in the casino, Fredo sides with Greene, prompting Michael to warn him never again to side with someone outside the family. One afternoon, Don Vito warns Michael about Barzini and predicts that the person who suggests a meeting with Barzini will be a traitor setting Michael up to be killed. That same afternoon, while Don Vito plays with Anthony, Michael and Kay’s three-year-old son, he has a fatal heart attack in his vegetable garden. At Don Vito’s funeral, Salvatore Tessio, another Corleone family lieutenant, tells Michael that Barzini would like a meeting. Tom is surprised that Sal, rather than Clemenza, is the traitor, but Michael realizes that, for an ambitious man like Sal, it is the smart move. He then reveals that the meeting will be held after the baptism of Carlo and Connie’s baby, also named Michael, for whom he has agreed to be godfather. While the baptismal ceremony takes place, Barzini, Tattaglia and several other Corleone enemies are gunned down in New York and Greene is killed in Las Vegas. At the compound, Tom confronts Sal, who says to tell Michael that it was only business, and resigns himself to his fate. That afternoon, Michael confronts Carlo, promising him leniency if he will just confess that he set Sonny up to be murdered. Though terrified, Carlo believes Michael and reveals that Barzini was behind it. Moments later, thinking that he will be driven to the airport, Carlo enters a car and is strangled from behind by Clemenza. When the Corleones are packing to move to Las Vegas, an hysterical Connie rushes into Don Vito’s old study and accuses Michael of murdering Carlo. Kay tries to calm her down, but when she and Michael are alone, she asks if it is true. Michael initially erupts in anger, then says that, just this one time, Kay may ask him about his business, then answers “No,” and the couple embraces. This satisfies Kay until she sees Clemenza kiss Michael’s ring and address him as “Don Corleone,” before his lieutenant, Neri, closes the study door.
Goodfellas(1990)
Cast:Robert De Niro, Ray Liotta, Joe Pesci
Directors:Martin Scorsese
Producer:Irwin Winkler, Barbara De Fina
Writer:Nicholas Pileggi, Martin Scorsese
Editor:Thelma Schoonmaker, James Kwei
Cinematographer:Michael Ballhaus
Genre:Drama
Production Company:Warner Bros. Pictures , Irwin Winkler Productions
In 1970 New York, gangsters Henry Hill, Tommy DeVito, and James “Jimmy the Gent” Conway, hear banging as they drive through a remote area at night. Stopping at the side of the road, Henry opens the trunk to reveal a man covered in blood, barely alive. Tommy curses the man and stabs him, while Jimmy shoots him multiple times. Henry, who is half-Irish and half-Italian, recalls that from a young age, he always wanted to be a gangster. Fifteen years earlier, in 1955 Brooklyn, young Henry lives across the street from a taxicab stand run by Tuddy Cicero, whose brother, Paul “Paulie” Cicero, is a local Mafia boss. Henry gets a job working at the cabstand. His abusive father approves at first, but beats him when he learns Henry has been skipping school. Eventually, Henry drops out of school entirely, performing odd jobs for the Mafia, waiting on gangsters, selling cargo from stolen trucks, and vandalizing cars. He achieves a milestone when he is arrested for selling stolen cigarettes. After he is let off, Henry is greeted by Jimmy Conway, a formidable Irishman with a knack for hijacking trucks, who tells him he just learned the two greatest things in life: “Never rat on your friends, and always keep your mouth shut.” In 1963, at a bar run by Mafia connection Sonny Bunz, Henry discusses a potential heist at Idlewild Airport with Jimmy Conway and Frenchy, a corrupt airport guard. Meanwhile, Tommy DeVito, a known hothead, beats Sonny Bunz for demanding he pay his outstanding $7,000 tab. Later, Tommy talks Henry into a double date with two Jewish girls from Five Towns, Long Island. Preoccupied by a meeting he has scheduled later that night, Henry ignores his date, Karen, and rushes through dinner. He forgets about a follow-up double date the next night, and Karen arrives at the cabstand to chastise him. Amused, Henry agrees to take her out on a proper date. He impresses Karen by taking her to the Copacabana nightclub, where they receive special treatment from the staff and Mafia patrons. Karen asks what Henry does for a living, and he tells her he works for a construction union. Over time, Karen grows accustomed to Henry’s lavish lifestyle and ignores the obvious signs that he is a criminal. Henry and Tommy execute the Idlewild Airport heist, stealing $420,000 in cash from an Air France plane. They pay Paulie $60,000 as a “tribute.” Sometime later, Karen and Henry are wed in a Jewish ceremony. At the reception, Mafia members give Karen envelopes stuffed with cash. She begins spending time with Mafia wives and is traumatized by their scandalous stories. She worries that Henry could go to prison, but Henry claims that people only go to jail if they are not organized. Karen eventually comes to see Henry’s crimes as entrepreneurial enterprises, and embraces the sense of community the Mafia provides, especially after the birth of their daughters, Judy and Ruth. In 1970, at a Mafia bar run by Henry, Billy Batts, a “made” gangster from another crime family, celebrates his return from prison. Batts piques Tommy’s temper by mentioning old times when young Tommy used to shine his shoes. Later that night, Henry locks the door to the bar as Tommy and Jimmy attack Batts. They beat him until he is unconscious, then roll him up in a tablecloth and load him into the trunk of Henry’s car. Jimmy suggests dumping the body upstate, and they go to get a shovel at Tommy’s mother’s house, where Mrs. DeVito insists on feeding them a meal. Back on the road, they hear a banging and pull over to discover Batts is still alive. Tommy stabs him repeatedly, and Jimmy shoots him multiple times. As they bury Batts’s dead body, Henry worries about the repercussions of killing a made gangster. Paulie gets word of Batts’s disappearance, but Henry does not reveal that Tommy killed him. Tommy continues to wreak havoc when he shoots Spider, a young recruit, for mouthing off at him during a poker game. Tommy defends his actions, asserting that Spider would have become a “rat” like the rest of his family. As Henry spends increasing amounts of time with his mistress, Janice Rossi, Karen becomes suspicious, and tracks down Janice at her apartment. Later, she wakes up Henry by pointing a gun at his face. Henry talks her down, promising that he loves her. She lowers the weapon, allowing him to retaliate by wrestling her to the floor and yanking her hair. A distraught Karen goes to Paulie, who tracks down Henry at Janice’s apartment. Paulie declares that divorce is not an option and orders Henry to return to his family. Henry agrees to go back after accompanying Jimmy to Tampa, Florida, for a weekend job. In Tampa, Jimmy and Henry extort money from a local gangster. The gangster’s sister, a typist for the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), reports the incident. Henry and Jimmy are found guilty and sentenced to ten years at a federal penitentiary. Jimmy is sent to a facility in Atlanta, Georgia, while Henry joins Paulie, who is serving time for contempt, at a prison in Pennsylvania. Using their mafia connections, the men enjoy a relatively comfortable lifestyle in prison, and Karen helps Henry by smuggling in drugs for him to sell. One day, she notices Janice Rossi’s name in the guest register and accosts Henry in the visitation area. As their daughter, Ruth, wails, Karen berates him for continuing the affair and threatens to expose his drug operation. She complains that she has run out of money, and Henry reminds her that, as long as he is in prison, they cannot expect Mafia support. He agrees never to speak to Janice again and promises to support the family, as long as she keeps bringing him drugs. Four years later, he is released. Karen and the girls now live in a small apartment, but Henry vows to move them to a better place. Although Paulie forbids him any further involvement in drugs, Henry secretly maintains his connections to a supplier in Pittsburgh, and recruits Jimmy and Tommy to help. Henry and Karen develop cocaine habits, and Henry begins sleeping with Janice’s friend, Sandy, whom he employs in the drug operation. In their chintzy new home, Henry and Karen host Morrie Kessler, a wig salesman with Mafia ties, and his wife, for dinner. Morrie tells Henry about a heist he has masterminded, which stands to make his crew millions of dollars. Henry helps orchestrate the heist, which requires several men to steal $6 million in cash from a Lufthansa plane. The gangsters celebrate after they pull off the robbery, but Jimmy becomes angry when he discovers some of the guys have risked getting caught by making large purchases with money from their shares. Morrie pesters Jimmy for his payout, but Jimmy does not want to share the profits and orders hits on nearly everyone involved, including Morrie. Soon, Tommy is told that Paulie is going to “make” him, an honor neither Henry nor Jimmy can achieve because only one-hundred percent Italians can be fully initiated into the Mafia. However, when Tommy shows up for the ceremony, he is killed in retaliation for Batts’s murder. Jimmy cries when he hears the news. By 1980, Henry and Karen’s cocaine addictions have rendered them paranoid, and Henry believes a helicopter is following him around. On a particularly busy day, he delivers guns to Jimmy in the morning, but Jimmy rejects the weapons and sends him away. He then picks up his wheelchair-bound brother, Michael, at a chronic care hospital, where the doctor observes that Henry looks unwell and offers him Valium. Henry brings Michael back home, pointing out the helicopter on the way, and makes preparations for the elaborate Italian dinner he plans to cook that night. He leaves again, taking Karen with him to pick up a batch of cocaine destined for Atlanta. To his delight, the drug supplier buys Jimmy’s unwanted handguns. Henry continues to notice the helicopter, but the only person who believes him is Karen. He calls Lois, his drug mule, and urges her not to make calls from his house, but she disregards him. He takes the cocaine to Sandy’s apartment, where she mixes it with quinine and complains that Henry does not spend enough time with her. At home, Henry finishes cooking dinner and sits down to enjoy it with Lois and his family. Lois realizes she left her lucky hat at home and insists on retrieving it before she flies to Atlanta. Henry reluctantly agrees, but when they get in the car, police surround them. Henry is arrested and informed that the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) has, in fact, been following him for a month. When he is released on bail, Henry fears that Paulie or Jimmy might kill him to prevent him from snitching, and decides to turn informant. In court, Henry identifies Jimmy and Paulie, who stare daggers at him. Soon after, Henry and his family enter the Witness Protection Program and move to a homogenous suburb, where Henry laments that he must live the rest of his life “like a schnook.”
The Godfather Part II(1974)
Cast:Al Pacino, Robert Duvall, Diane Keaton
Directors:Francis Ford Coppola
Producer:Robert Evans, Francis Ford Coppola
Writer:Francis Ford Coppola, Mario Puzo
Editor:Richard Marks
Cinematographer:Gordon Willis
Genre:Drama
Production Company:The Coppola Company
Composer:Nino Rota
In 1901, in the village of Corleone, Sicily, nine-year-old Vito Andolini is comforted by his mother as they walk in his father's funeral procession. When shots ring out, Vito's older brother Paolo is killed, prompting Signora Andolini to take Vito to see local Black Hand leader, Don Francesco, called "Ciccio," whom her husband had offended. She begs him to spare Vito's life, but the don coldly refuses, prompting Vito's mother to take a knife to Ciccio's throat and scream for her son to run. She is killed by the don's henchmen, but Vito escapes. Despite threats from Ciccio's men, some villagers help Vito, enabling him to sail to America. When he is diagnosed with smallpox and placed in quarantine on Ellis Island, Vito, who has been given the surname Corleone by an immigration official, gazes at the Statue of Liberty from his small room.
In 1958, Vito's grandson, Anthony Corleone receives his First Holy Communion in Lake Tahoe, Nevada. After the ceremony, his parents, Kay and Michael, host a lavish party at their lakeside estate. Michael, who has succeeded Vito as the don of the Corleone family, receives guests who seek his favor, including Senator Pat Geary, a pompous hypocrite, who incurs Michael's enmity when he demands money in exchange for the license Michael seeks for a gambling casino. Others at the party include Michael's weak, older brother, Fredo, who cannot control his drunken wife, and their widowed younger sister, Connie, who prefers the high life to caring for her children. Al Neri, who represents elderly Jewish gangster Hyman Roth, discusses a Cuban casino deal between Roth and the Corleones, while old family friend and lieutenant Frankie Pentangeli begs Michael not to do business with Roth or his cohorts, the ruthless New York Rosato brothers. Late that night, as Michael prepares for bed and admires a picture that Anthony has drawn for him, the room is riddled by machine gun fire. Because Michael drags himself to Kay's side and covers her body with his, neither is hurt, but Kay is quietly resentful and views Michael's promises to turn the family business legitimate as lies. Michael warns his security men to capture the assassins alive, but by the time the men are found near the lake, they have been killed. Privately, Michael confides in his adopted brother, Tom Hagen, that he is the only person he trusts and relates that he will be in complete charge while Michael goes away to try to solve what has happened.
In 1917, In New York's Little Italy, Vito, now a grown man with a wife and baby son, goes to an Italian-language vaudeville show with his friend, Genco Abbandando, who is in love with one of the actresses. Backstage, Vito sees local Black Hand leader Fanucci intimidate the young actress' father and is distressed to learn that Fanucci offers "protection" to all of the local Italian merchants, even Genco's father, for whom Vito works. Soon after, Clemenza, a neighbor across the alley, throws a package to Vito and asks him to hide it. A short time later, Fanucci comes into the Abbandando grocery and demands that Genco's father hire his nephew. When the distraught Signor Abbandando tells Vito that he must let him go, Vito comforts him and says that he will never forget all of his kindnesses. The next day, Clemenza stops Vito on the street and asks about the package, which contained guns. Impressed when Vito says that he does not concern himself with things that are not his business, Clemenza offers to give Vito's wife a rug that belongs to a friend. Cemenza then takes Vito with him to a luxurious house, where they break in and steal an expensive carpet.
After leaving Lake Tahoe, Michael travels to Miami, where he goes to the modest suburban home occupied by Roth and his wife, and tells him that Pentangeli was behind the assassination attempt. Agreeing to do business together in Cuba, Roth tells Michael to bring $2,000,000 cash to him in Havana. Michael asks Roth if he minds that Pentangeli must be killed, but Roth dismisses Pentangeli as "small potatoes." Next, Michael travels to Long Island, to his father's former house in Long Beach, now occupied by Pentangeli and his family. He then tells Pentangeli that he knows it was Roth who tried to have him killed and asks him to pretend to make peace with the Rosato brothers so that Roth will be lulled into a sense of security. Sometime later, when Pentangeli and his cohort, Willy Cicci, go to a New York bar to meet with the brothers, Tony Rosato grabs him from behind and, saying “Michael Corleone says hello,” starts to strangle him. Just then, a policeman enters the bar and the Rosatos flee, leaving Pentangeli for dead and wounding Cicci outside. Meanwhile, as Michael travels to Cuba, Kay begins to feel like a prisoner at the estate because the guards, under Tom and Michael’s orders, prevent her from leaving. In Havana, Michael and Roth are among several prominent American corporate executives who are being wooed by the country’s president, who assures them that the country’s rebels will be driven out by the new year. Later, on the way to Roth’s 67th birthday party, Michael sees a mass arrest and is struck by the dedication the rebels show when one man blows up himself and a soldier with a grenade. At the party, Roth, who has a heart condition, tells those gathered that he will leave most of his interests to Michael, then privately asks Michael why the $2,000,000 has not arrived. Back at his hotel room, Michael greets Fredo, who has brought a briefcase filled with the money. After Michael tells Fredo that Roth and his underling, Johnny Ola, are in Havana, Fredo denies having met them. Michael then suggests that they spend the day together. Listening as Fredo almost tearfully asks why they never spent time alone together before, Michael, who thinks that Pentangeli has been killed on Roth’s orders, says that Roth will never see the New Year. That night, which is New Year’s Eve, Fredo acts as host to a number of American VIPs, including Sen. Geary, who now is indebted to the Corleone family because a few weeks before, Tom had covered up the violent death of a prostitute with whom Geary was involved. When Johnny arrives, he and Fredo pretend not to know each other, but when the party goes to a sex show and Fredo casually tells Geary and the others that Johnny had told him about the club, Michael knows that Fredo had betrayed him. Meanwhile, Johnny is strangled in his hotel room. The killer then goes to kill Roth, but because Roth has had a mild stroke, he is being taken to the hospital. There, while one of the nurses leaves to celebrate the New Year with her friends, the killer sneaks into Roth’s room and starts to strangle him, but is interrupted by the nurse and a guard, who kills him before he can finish. At midnight, in the presidential palace, Michael embraces Fredo and tells him he knows that it was he who betrayed him and that he broke his heart. Moments later, the president announces that, because the rebels have advanced, he is resigning and will be leaving the country immediately. As Fredo wanders through the chaos in the streets, Michael calls for him to come with him to a waiting plane, but the frightened Fredo runs away. Days later, Michael meets Tom at a Las Vegas hotel and learns that Kay has had a miscarriage. He tells Tom to find Fredo and tell him that he knows he was misled by Roth but he should come home and not be afraid.
In 1918, as Vito drives through Little Italy, Fanucci jumps on his car and tells him that he wants him and his friends to “wet my beak” and give him $200 as part of their earnings from stealing expensive dresses. That night, Vito convinces Clemenza and their friend Tessio to give him $50 and promises to make Fanucci accept that. When Vito visits Fanucci at a local café, he offers the $100, saying he needs more time for the rest. Impressed with Vito’s courage, Fanucci agrees, and leaves. Because it is the Festa of San Rocco, Fanucci struts through the crowds and offers money to the church. Unknown to him, Vito has followed him on the rooftops and enters Fanucci’s house. When Fanucci arrives, Vito shoots him at close range, then takes the money from his wallet, disposes of the pieces of the gun in different drain pipes, then joins his wife and three young sons to watch fireworks.
When Michael returns to his Lake Tahoe estate, he goes to his mother’s cottage to talk with her before his family. Speaking in Italian, he asks if his father ever lost his family. When she says that you never lose your family, he whispers “ tempi cambi,” times change. At the same time, Willy Cicci, who was only wounded by the Rosato brothers, is testifying before a U.S. Senate committee investigating organized crime, saying that he was a “button man” for Michael when he wanted something done.
In Little Italy, in 1923, Vito is now known as “Don Vito,” and with his old friend Genco, he has started the Genco Olive Oil Company, which imports oil from Sicily. Vito is so respected and feared within the Italian-American community that when his wife’s widowed friend, Signora Colombo, faces eviction by her landlord, Signor Roberto, the mere knowledge that Vito is her patron, makes the frightened Roberto allow her to keep the dog her son loves and stay in her apartment with a lowered rent.
When Michael is summoned to testify at the Senate hearings, rather than exercise his Fifth Amendment rights against self-incrimination, Michael calmly answers the senator’s questions, saying that he is not a Mafia boss but a legitimate businessman. In a statement, Michael challenges them to produce any evidence of his crimes. A short time later, Michael and Tom learn that Pentangeli survived the attack against him and, thinking that Michael had ordered his death, has been cooperating with the FBI. Michael asks Fredo for information, but Fredo, who knows nothing, lashes out at Michael for relegating his older brother to menial assignments. After Michael says that that is what their father wanted, he tells Fredo that he now means nothing to him and never wants to see him again. After leaving Fredo, Michael tells one of his underlings that he doesn’t want anything to happen to Fredo while his mother is alive. Meanwhile, Pentangeli, who is living in comfort within FBI custody, fears testifying, but his FBI guards assure him that they can protect him. When the hearings resume, Pentangeli, who is set to testify, is stunned when he sees his older brother, who lives in Sicily, enter the chambers with Michael. When questioning begins, instead of corroborating what he had said in sworn statements to the FBI, Pentangeli denies Michael’s criminal activity and says that he merely told the FBI what they wanted to hear. Although the senators suspect intimidation, there is nothing they can do. After the hearings, at their Washington hotel, Kay tells Michael that she is leaving him and taking the children with her. While they are arguing, Michael tells her that he knows that she blames him for the miscarriage but that he will change. She then confesses that it was not a miscarriage but an abortion because the “Sicilian thing” must end and she did not want to bring another of his sons into the world. After slapping her with such force that she falls, Michael screams that she will never take his children from him.
In 1927, Vito, his wife and their three young children arrive in Corleone. They are welcomed by Vito’s old friend and now business partner in Genco Olive Oil, Don Tommasino. After celebrating with relatives, who admire the prosperous family, Vito accompanies Tommasino to now elderly Don Ciccio’s estate. After introducing himself and kissing Ciccio’s hand, Vito tells him that his father was Antonio Andolini, then rips the don’s belly apart with his knife. As Ciccio screams out and dies, Tommassino is wounded as he and Vito make their escape. Leaving Corleone a short time later, Vito shows baby Michael how to wave goodbye.
At Mama Corleone’s funeral in Lake Tahoe, a distraught Fredo wants to speak with Michael, but Tom tells him Michael will not enter until Fredo leaves. Connie then goes to speak privately with Michael and tells him that she had hated him for a long time, but now realizes that he was just being strong for the family. Saying that she now wants to take care of him, she asks him if he can forgive Fredo. Michael then goes to Fredo and embraces his sobbing brother, but with his eyes, lets his underling Rocco Lampone know that his feelings have not changed. Sometime later, as Michael and Tom discuss the fact that Roth, who survived a stroke, has been deported from Israel and is flying back to Miami, Michael lashes out at him for not being with him on the things he needs to do. Tom assures him of his loyalty and asks what he can do. Tom soon visits Pentangeli in custody. Assured by Tom that his brother is safely back in Sicily and his own family will be well cared for, Pentangeli, who loves history, lets Tom know that he will die as disgraced Roman senators did, opening their veins in a warm bath. Back in Lake Tahoe, Fredo, who has enjoyed spending time fishing with Anthony is about to go out onto the lake when Connie says that Michael wants Anthony right away. Later, when Fredo and Rocco are out on the lake, Fredo says a “Hail Mary” just before Rocco shoots him. At the same time, Roth arrives at the Miami airport, where he is shot and killed, and the FBI agents discover that Pentangeli has killed himself in the bathtub. As Michael sits alone in his den, he thinks about Pearl Harbor Day, 1941, when he, his brothers and Connie waited for their father to come home for a birthday celebration: Although he is going to college, Michael announces that he has just enlisted in the Marines, angering Sonny and Tom. When their father comes home, everyone leaves the dining room to greet him at the door, except Michael, who remains at the table, alone.
In 1958, Vito's grandson, Anthony Corleone receives his First Holy Communion in Lake Tahoe, Nevada. After the ceremony, his parents, Kay and Michael, host a lavish party at their lakeside estate. Michael, who has succeeded Vito as the don of the Corleone family, receives guests who seek his favor, including Senator Pat Geary, a pompous hypocrite, who incurs Michael's enmity when he demands money in exchange for the license Michael seeks for a gambling casino. Others at the party include Michael's weak, older brother, Fredo, who cannot control his drunken wife, and their widowed younger sister, Connie, who prefers the high life to caring for her children. Al Neri, who represents elderly Jewish gangster Hyman Roth, discusses a Cuban casino deal between Roth and the Corleones, while old family friend and lieutenant Frankie Pentangeli begs Michael not to do business with Roth or his cohorts, the ruthless New York Rosato brothers. Late that night, as Michael prepares for bed and admires a picture that Anthony has drawn for him, the room is riddled by machine gun fire. Because Michael drags himself to Kay's side and covers her body with his, neither is hurt, but Kay is quietly resentful and views Michael's promises to turn the family business legitimate as lies. Michael warns his security men to capture the assassins alive, but by the time the men are found near the lake, they have been killed. Privately, Michael confides in his adopted brother, Tom Hagen, that he is the only person he trusts and relates that he will be in complete charge while Michael goes away to try to solve what has happened.
In 1917, In New York's Little Italy, Vito, now a grown man with a wife and baby son, goes to an Italian-language vaudeville show with his friend, Genco Abbandando, who is in love with one of the actresses. Backstage, Vito sees local Black Hand leader Fanucci intimidate the young actress' father and is distressed to learn that Fanucci offers "protection" to all of the local Italian merchants, even Genco's father, for whom Vito works. Soon after, Clemenza, a neighbor across the alley, throws a package to Vito and asks him to hide it. A short time later, Fanucci comes into the Abbandando grocery and demands that Genco's father hire his nephew. When the distraught Signor Abbandando tells Vito that he must let him go, Vito comforts him and says that he will never forget all of his kindnesses. The next day, Clemenza stops Vito on the street and asks about the package, which contained guns. Impressed when Vito says that he does not concern himself with things that are not his business, Clemenza offers to give Vito's wife a rug that belongs to a friend. Cemenza then takes Vito with him to a luxurious house, where they break in and steal an expensive carpet.
After leaving Lake Tahoe, Michael travels to Miami, where he goes to the modest suburban home occupied by Roth and his wife, and tells him that Pentangeli was behind the assassination attempt. Agreeing to do business together in Cuba, Roth tells Michael to bring $2,000,000 cash to him in Havana. Michael asks Roth if he minds that Pentangeli must be killed, but Roth dismisses Pentangeli as "small potatoes." Next, Michael travels to Long Island, to his father's former house in Long Beach, now occupied by Pentangeli and his family. He then tells Pentangeli that he knows it was Roth who tried to have him killed and asks him to pretend to make peace with the Rosato brothers so that Roth will be lulled into a sense of security. Sometime later, when Pentangeli and his cohort, Willy Cicci, go to a New York bar to meet with the brothers, Tony Rosato grabs him from behind and, saying “Michael Corleone says hello,” starts to strangle him. Just then, a policeman enters the bar and the Rosatos flee, leaving Pentangeli for dead and wounding Cicci outside. Meanwhile, as Michael travels to Cuba, Kay begins to feel like a prisoner at the estate because the guards, under Tom and Michael’s orders, prevent her from leaving. In Havana, Michael and Roth are among several prominent American corporate executives who are being wooed by the country’s president, who assures them that the country’s rebels will be driven out by the new year. Later, on the way to Roth’s 67th birthday party, Michael sees a mass arrest and is struck by the dedication the rebels show when one man blows up himself and a soldier with a grenade. At the party, Roth, who has a heart condition, tells those gathered that he will leave most of his interests to Michael, then privately asks Michael why the $2,000,000 has not arrived. Back at his hotel room, Michael greets Fredo, who has brought a briefcase filled with the money. After Michael tells Fredo that Roth and his underling, Johnny Ola, are in Havana, Fredo denies having met them. Michael then suggests that they spend the day together. Listening as Fredo almost tearfully asks why they never spent time alone together before, Michael, who thinks that Pentangeli has been killed on Roth’s orders, says that Roth will never see the New Year. That night, which is New Year’s Eve, Fredo acts as host to a number of American VIPs, including Sen. Geary, who now is indebted to the Corleone family because a few weeks before, Tom had covered up the violent death of a prostitute with whom Geary was involved. When Johnny arrives, he and Fredo pretend not to know each other, but when the party goes to a sex show and Fredo casually tells Geary and the others that Johnny had told him about the club, Michael knows that Fredo had betrayed him. Meanwhile, Johnny is strangled in his hotel room. The killer then goes to kill Roth, but because Roth has had a mild stroke, he is being taken to the hospital. There, while one of the nurses leaves to celebrate the New Year with her friends, the killer sneaks into Roth’s room and starts to strangle him, but is interrupted by the nurse and a guard, who kills him before he can finish. At midnight, in the presidential palace, Michael embraces Fredo and tells him he knows that it was he who betrayed him and that he broke his heart. Moments later, the president announces that, because the rebels have advanced, he is resigning and will be leaving the country immediately. As Fredo wanders through the chaos in the streets, Michael calls for him to come with him to a waiting plane, but the frightened Fredo runs away. Days later, Michael meets Tom at a Las Vegas hotel and learns that Kay has had a miscarriage. He tells Tom to find Fredo and tell him that he knows he was misled by Roth but he should come home and not be afraid.
In 1918, as Vito drives through Little Italy, Fanucci jumps on his car and tells him that he wants him and his friends to “wet my beak” and give him $200 as part of their earnings from stealing expensive dresses. That night, Vito convinces Clemenza and their friend Tessio to give him $50 and promises to make Fanucci accept that. When Vito visits Fanucci at a local café, he offers the $100, saying he needs more time for the rest. Impressed with Vito’s courage, Fanucci agrees, and leaves. Because it is the Festa of San Rocco, Fanucci struts through the crowds and offers money to the church. Unknown to him, Vito has followed him on the rooftops and enters Fanucci’s house. When Fanucci arrives, Vito shoots him at close range, then takes the money from his wallet, disposes of the pieces of the gun in different drain pipes, then joins his wife and three young sons to watch fireworks.
When Michael returns to his Lake Tahoe estate, he goes to his mother’s cottage to talk with her before his family. Speaking in Italian, he asks if his father ever lost his family. When she says that you never lose your family, he whispers “ tempi cambi,” times change. At the same time, Willy Cicci, who was only wounded by the Rosato brothers, is testifying before a U.S. Senate committee investigating organized crime, saying that he was a “button man” for Michael when he wanted something done.
In Little Italy, in 1923, Vito is now known as “Don Vito,” and with his old friend Genco, he has started the Genco Olive Oil Company, which imports oil from Sicily. Vito is so respected and feared within the Italian-American community that when his wife’s widowed friend, Signora Colombo, faces eviction by her landlord, Signor Roberto, the mere knowledge that Vito is her patron, makes the frightened Roberto allow her to keep the dog her son loves and stay in her apartment with a lowered rent.
When Michael is summoned to testify at the Senate hearings, rather than exercise his Fifth Amendment rights against self-incrimination, Michael calmly answers the senator’s questions, saying that he is not a Mafia boss but a legitimate businessman. In a statement, Michael challenges them to produce any evidence of his crimes. A short time later, Michael and Tom learn that Pentangeli survived the attack against him and, thinking that Michael had ordered his death, has been cooperating with the FBI. Michael asks Fredo for information, but Fredo, who knows nothing, lashes out at Michael for relegating his older brother to menial assignments. After Michael says that that is what their father wanted, he tells Fredo that he now means nothing to him and never wants to see him again. After leaving Fredo, Michael tells one of his underlings that he doesn’t want anything to happen to Fredo while his mother is alive. Meanwhile, Pentangeli, who is living in comfort within FBI custody, fears testifying, but his FBI guards assure him that they can protect him. When the hearings resume, Pentangeli, who is set to testify, is stunned when he sees his older brother, who lives in Sicily, enter the chambers with Michael. When questioning begins, instead of corroborating what he had said in sworn statements to the FBI, Pentangeli denies Michael’s criminal activity and says that he merely told the FBI what they wanted to hear. Although the senators suspect intimidation, there is nothing they can do. After the hearings, at their Washington hotel, Kay tells Michael that she is leaving him and taking the children with her. While they are arguing, Michael tells her that he knows that she blames him for the miscarriage but that he will change. She then confesses that it was not a miscarriage but an abortion because the “Sicilian thing” must end and she did not want to bring another of his sons into the world. After slapping her with such force that she falls, Michael screams that she will never take his children from him.
In 1927, Vito, his wife and their three young children arrive in Corleone. They are welcomed by Vito’s old friend and now business partner in Genco Olive Oil, Don Tommasino. After celebrating with relatives, who admire the prosperous family, Vito accompanies Tommasino to now elderly Don Ciccio’s estate. After introducing himself and kissing Ciccio’s hand, Vito tells him that his father was Antonio Andolini, then rips the don’s belly apart with his knife. As Ciccio screams out and dies, Tommassino is wounded as he and Vito make their escape. Leaving Corleone a short time later, Vito shows baby Michael how to wave goodbye.
At Mama Corleone’s funeral in Lake Tahoe, a distraught Fredo wants to speak with Michael, but Tom tells him Michael will not enter until Fredo leaves. Connie then goes to speak privately with Michael and tells him that she had hated him for a long time, but now realizes that he was just being strong for the family. Saying that she now wants to take care of him, she asks him if he can forgive Fredo. Michael then goes to Fredo and embraces his sobbing brother, but with his eyes, lets his underling Rocco Lampone know that his feelings have not changed. Sometime later, as Michael and Tom discuss the fact that Roth, who survived a stroke, has been deported from Israel and is flying back to Miami, Michael lashes out at him for not being with him on the things he needs to do. Tom assures him of his loyalty and asks what he can do. Tom soon visits Pentangeli in custody. Assured by Tom that his brother is safely back in Sicily and his own family will be well cared for, Pentangeli, who loves history, lets Tom know that he will die as disgraced Roman senators did, opening their veins in a warm bath. Back in Lake Tahoe, Fredo, who has enjoyed spending time fishing with Anthony is about to go out onto the lake when Connie says that Michael wants Anthony right away. Later, when Fredo and Rocco are out on the lake, Fredo says a “Hail Mary” just before Rocco shoots him. At the same time, Roth arrives at the Miami airport, where he is shot and killed, and the FBI agents discover that Pentangeli has killed himself in the bathtub. As Michael sits alone in his den, he thinks about Pearl Harbor Day, 1941, when he, his brothers and Connie waited for their father to come home for a birthday celebration: Although he is going to college, Michael announces that he has just enlisted in the Marines, angering Sonny and Tom. When their father comes home, everyone leaves the dining room to greet him at the door, except Michael, who remains at the table, alone.
White Heat(1949)
Cast:James Cagney, Virginia Mayo, Edmond O'Brien
Directors:Raoul Walsh
Producer:Louis F. Edelman
Writer:Ivan Goff, Ben Roberts
Editor:Owen Marks
Cinematographer:Sid Hickox
Genre:Drama
Production Company:Warner Bros. Pictures, Inc.
Composer:Max Steiner
Ruthless killer Cody Jarrett and his gang rob a train in California. During the robbery, Cody kills the engineers, and as one of the bodies falls, it activates a steam valve, badly scalding gangster Zuckie Hommell. Together with Cody's mother and his sexy, double-dealing wife Verna, the gang hides out in the mountains. Ma lovingly fosters Cody's criminal career and is the only one who can ease the blinding headaches that periodically immobilize him. She is his ally against Big Ed Somers, who is waiting for a chance to take over the gang and get Verna for himself. Cody decides to take advantage of an approaching storm to leave the hideout. After promising to send a doctor back for Zuckie, Cody surreptitiously orders gang member Cotton Valleti to kill him. Cotton only pretends to do the deed, however, and leaves a pack of cigarettes behind with his friend. The later discovery of Zuckie's scalded and frozen body, together with Cotton's prints on the cigarette pack, provide the Treasury Department with enough clues to link the train robbery to Cody's gang. Treasury agents, led by Philip Evans, come close to catching Cody, but thanks to Ma's warning, the gang escapes. Cody now creates an alibi for the murderous train robbery, a federal offense, by confessing to a robbery in Illinois that took place at the same time. Although Evans is aware that Cody is lying, he cannot prove it, so he sends for undercover agent Hank Fallon. Under the name Vic Pardo, Hank is sent to jail, where he plans to get close to Cody. Meanwhile, Big Ed takes advantage of Cody's absence to take over the gang. At the prison, Hank saves Cody's life when Roy Parker, one of Big Ed's associates, tries to kill him. After she hears about the attempt, Ma reassures Cody that she will take care of Big Ed. Cody begs her not to try, and his fears for her safety bring on a headache. Hank helps Cody, the way Ma did, and that night Cody reveals that he plans to escape. Hank conveys the escape plans to an agent who is posing as his wife, but on the day of the break, a newly arrived inmate reveals that Ma is dead. Cody goes berserk in the prison mess hall and is taken to the dispensary. There, he uses a smuggled gun to take the doctor hostage and, together with Hank, Parker and two other convicts, makes his escape. Outside, Cody kills Parker and then heads for Bakersfield to avenge Ma's death. When Verna learns of Cody's escape, she tries to sneak away, but Cody is waiting for her. Although Verna killed Ma, she tells Cody that Big Ed shot her in the back and offers to show him how to sneak past Big Ed's defenses. Cody kills Big Ed and then he, Verna and Hank join the rest of the gang. Copying the gimmick of the Trojan Horse, Cody plans to rob a payroll by sneaking the gang into a company inside an oil tanker. Meanwhile, Hank tries to tip off the police. While pretending to fix Verna's radio, he rigs up a signal that will locate the truck for the agents and then leaves a message on a gas station washroom mirror. The police track the truck to an oil plant in San Pedro and surround the area. Cotton spots them at the same time that one of the gang recognizes Hank as an agent. Cody then takes Hank hostage, but he escapes when the police throw tear gas into the plant. During the ensuing gunfight, all the gangsters are killed except Cody, who climbs to the top of an oil tank. Now completely insane, Cody yells, "Made it Ma, top of the world!" before exploding the tank with his bullets.
Bonnie and Clyde(1967)
Cast:Warren Beatty, Faye Dunaway, Michael J. Pollard
Directors:Arthur Penn
Producer:Warren Beatty
Writer:David Newman, Robert Benton
Editor:Dede Allen
Cinematographer:Burnett Guffey
Genre:Biography, Drama
Production Company:Tatira-Hiller Productions
Composer:Charles Strouse
During the Depression in the early 1930s, Bonnie Parker meets Clyde Barrow when he tries to steal her mother's car. Intrigued by his brazen manner and bored with her job as a waitress, she decides to become his partner in crime. Together they stage a series of amateur holdups that provide them with excitement but little monetary reward. Eventually they take on C. W. Moss, a dimwitted garage mechanic, who serves as their getaway driver. Finally they are joined by Clyde's brother Buck, recently released from prison, and his wife, Blanche, a whining preacher's daughter. As they add bank robbery and murder to their list of crimes, the quintet quickly becomes the object of statewide manhunts. While holed up in a rented apartment in Joplin, Missouri, they make the first of their incredible escapes from the police. Fascinated by the legendary reputation growing around them, they brag about their exploits, take pictures of each other, and, on one occasion, force a Texas Ranger to pose with them. Through it all a love relationship develops between Bonnie and Clyde that endures despite Clyde's impotence. After a visit with Bonnie's mother, the gang is surrounded in Dexter, Iowa. Buck dies with half of his face shot away, Blanche is blinded and captured, and Bonnie is wounded in the shoulder. The three survivors find a temporary hideout with C. W.'s father in a Louisiana town, and there Bonnie and Clyde finally consummate their love. Bonnie recovers from her wounds, and they plan to move on again; but C. W.'s father, hoping to lighten his son's punishment, has cooperated with the police in setting a trap. In May of 1934, Bonnie and Clyde ride into a police ambush and die as their bodies are riddled with a thousand rounds of ammunition.
Scarface(1932)
Cast:Paul Muni, Ann Dvorak, Karen Morley
Directors:Howard Hawks
Writer:Ben Hecht, Fred Pasley
Editor:Edward Curtiss
Cinematographer:Lee Garmes, L. W. O'Connell
Genre:Drama
Production Company:The Caddo Co., Inc.
Composer:Adolph Tandler
Italian mob leader Big Louie Costillo is killed by Tony Camonte, setting off gang wars over the control of Chicago's bootlegging business. Under orders from their boss Johnny Lovo, Tony and Guino Rinaldo terrorize South side bars to maintain it as Lovo's territory. Afterward, they go on a several month long shooting spree, killing innocent bystanders as well as intended victims. When Tony kills O'Hara, the North side boss, Lovo becomes scared. Poppy, Lovo's mistress, visits Tony, and he shows her the neon Cook's Tours sign outside his window that has become his slogan: "The World Is Yours." Tony takes over the North side, and goes on another shooting spree. On St. Valentine's Day, seven gangsters are lined up in a garage and shot execution style. After Tony kills the last of the big gang leaders, he goes to the Paradise Club, where he sees his sister Cesca dancing with a man. In a jealous rage, Tony takes her home and beats her. Then, when he leaves, he is chased by unknown gangsters. Both cars go over the side of the road, but Tony survives. When he finds out that Lovo set him up, Tony and Guino kill him, then Tony and Poppy hide out in Florida for a month. While they are gone, Guino and Cesca fall in love and marry. Tony returns to find Guino in Cesca's apartment and kills him before she can explain that they were married. A short time later, the police surround Tony's apartment, and he and Cesca fight them off until she dies of a gunshot wound. Finally, Tony surrenders after his room is inundated with tear gas and he cannot stand to be alone. At the last minute, he makes a dash for freedom, but is gunned down by the police and dies under the Cook's Tours sign.
Pulp Fiction(1994)
Cast:John Travolta, Samuel L. Jackson, Uma Thurman
Directors:Quentin Tarantino
Producer:Lawrence Bender
Writer:Quentin Tarantino
Editor:Sally Menke
Cinematographer:Andrzej Sekula
Genre:Comedy-drama
Production Company:A Band Apart , Jersey Films
Referring to each other as “Pumpkin” and “Honey Bunny,” two lovers finish their meal at a diner, and decide to hold up the place. Elsewhere, at another time, Vincent Vega and Jules Winnfield arrive at an apartment to collect a briefcase from a man named Brett, on behalf of their gangster boss, Marsellus Wallace. Inside the apartment, the hitmen shoot Brett and one of his cohorts for double-dealing behind Marsellus’s back. They deliver the briefcase to Marsellus, as he is cutting a deal with a boxer named Butch, who agrees to throw an upcoming boxing match. Afterward, Marsellus enlists Vincent to take his wife, Mia, out on the town while he is away. Prior to picking her up, Vincent buys heroin from his drug dealer, Lance, and injects himself with a dose. Mia, a once-aspiring actress, goes with him to a 1950s-themed restaurant, where the two bond over milkshakes and participate in a dance contest, which they win. Returning home, Mia discovers the heroin in Vincent’s jacket while he is in the bathroom. Assuming it is cocaine, she snorts the drug and accidentally overdoses. Vincent rushes her to Lance’s house, where they revive her with a shot of adrenaline to the heart. Butch, the boxer, betrays Marsellus by winning his boxing match and accidentally killing his opponent in the process. At a motel, he prepares to flee town with his girl friend, Fabienne, who reveals that she forgot to pack Butch’s lucky gold watch, passed down to him by his father. Aware that Marsellus might have already sent a hitman after him, Butch risks a trip back home to retrieve the watch. Inside his apartment, he discovers a gun on the kitchen counter and surmises that someone has broken in. As Vincent Vega emerges from the bathroom, Butch shoots him dead. On the drive back to the motel, Butch is spotted by Marsellus, who gives chase. The pursuit ends at a pawnshop, where Butch and Marsellus are unexpectedly kidnapped by the sadistic shop owner, Maynard. They are taken to the basement, where Marsellus is raped by Maynard and his cohort, Zed, while Butch is held captive by a man in a bondage suit. Butch breaks free, rescues Marsellus, and the two of them kill Maynard and Zed. Thankful for his life, Marsellus agrees to let Butch go but swears him to secrecy over the assault. Earlier, back at Brett’s apartment, Vincent and Jules are poised to leave with the briefcase when another man rushes out of the bathroom, shooting at them but missing with every shot. They retaliate by shooting him dead, and leave with the apartment with Marvin, the only surviving cohort. As they drive, Vincent talks with his gun casually trained on Marvin. Jules hits a bump and Vincent accidentally shoots him dead. With Marvin’s blood splattered throughout the car, they speed to the nearest safe haven, the home of a friend named Jimmie. Vincent and Jules enlist the help of Marsellus’s associate, “The Wolf,” to clean up the car and dispose of the body. Afterward, Jules and Vincent go to a diner. Jules has decided that his and Vincent’s lives were spared earlier by a miracle. He proclaims that his life of crime is now over. Just then, at a nearby table, Pumpkin and Honey Bunny announce they are robbing the place. Jules intervenes and takes Pumpkin at gunpoint. Honey Bunny threatens Jules with her gun. Returning from a trip to the bathroom, Vincent pulls his gun on Honey Bunny. During the ensuing standoff, Jules quotes a Bible passage, Ezekiel 25:17, which he has traditionally recited before murdering his targets. He declares his intent to take the path of “the righteous man” from now on. Still pointing his gun at Pumpkin, he hands over the money in his wallet, and instructs him and Honey Bunny to leave. Having defused the crisis, Jules and Vincent take the briefcase they are about to deliver to Marsellus and leave the diner together.
The Public Enemy(1931)
Cast:James Cagney, Jean Harlow, Edward Woods
Directors:William A. Wellman
Writer:Kubec Glasmon, John Bright, Harvey Thew
Editor:Edward M. McDermott
Cinematographer:Dev Jennings
Genre:Drama
Production Company:Warner Bros. Pictures, Inc.
Tom Powers and Matt Doyle, two tough young kids growing up poor in Chicago, work for Putty Nose, a fence. He sets up a robbery deal for them, promising to get them out of trouble if anything goes wrong, but when they bungle the job he abandons them. During Prohibition, they find a new ally, Paddy Ryan, who sets them up in the illegal brewery business. When Mike, Tom's older brother returns from World War I, he berates Tom for his dealings with gangsters and Tom angrily leaves home. The gang's big boss, Nails Nathan, uses Tom and Matt to pressure the local speakeasies, which are caught between rival gangs, into using only the beer that they sell. Tom grows into a ruthless gangster. One day he takes out his frustrations on his girl Kitty, shoving a grapefruit in her face and dumping her in favor of glamorous Texan Gwen Allen. Later, celebrating in an expensive night club, Tom spots their old pal Putty Nose. Tom and Matt follow him to his apartment, where Tom kills him. When Nails dies after a fall from a horse, his death precipitates a gang war. Paddy sends the gang into hiding, but Tom refuses to stay. He and Matt are ambushed by the rival gang as they leave, and Matt is killed in the shootout. Tom vows revenge and single-handedly takes on his rivals. He kills several, but he is wounded himself and collapses outside in the pouring rain. He survives, but the gang kidnaps him from the hospital and delivers his bandage-wrapped dead body to the door of his mother's house.
Little Caesar(1931)
Cast:Edward G. Robinson, Douglas Fairbanks Jr., Glenda Farrell
Directors:Mervyn LeRoy
Writer:Francis Faragoh
Editor:Ray Curtiss
Cinematographer:Tony Gaudio
Genre:Drama
Production Company:First National Pictures, Inc.
After robbing a gas station, Enrico Cesare Bandello, known as Rico, leaves his small town for the city with his friend Joe Massaro. Joe wants to find work as a dancer, but Rico admires the front page notoriety that gangster Diamond Pete Montana receives. He joins Sam Vittori's gang, one of the two biggest gangs in town, working directly under Montana, chief lieutenant to Big Boy, the head of the city's underworld. The other gang is headed by Little Arnie Lorch, who owns a gambling salon. Joe has a job as a dancing partner to Olga Strassoff at Lorch's establishment. Rico plans a New Year's Eve raid on Lorch's club and convinces Joe to act as the front man. During the raid, Rico kills McClure, the crime commissioner, who is a guest that night. After that, Rico and Sam compete for leadership of the gang and Rico wins. Lorch tries to kill Rico, and after he fails, Rico hunts him down and drives him out of the city. Soon afterward, Big Boy offers Rico Montana's territory, and Rico begins to dream of heading the underworld in place of Big Boy. Joe, meanwhile, plans to leave the gang at Olga's urging. Rico cannot bear to let Joe go, however, and in turn, demands that he leave Olga, threatening to kill her when Joe refuses. To save them both, Joe decides to turn state's evidence. Rico intends to kill Joe to stop him from talking, but he cannot pull the trigger. After his failed assassination attempt, Rico flees, hiding out from the police. Hoping to goad Rico into revealing himself, Sergeant Flaherty tells the newspapers that Rico was a coward. Rico reacts by phoning the police, and the call is traced to his hiding place, where the police hunt him down and shoot him. Rico dies beneath a poster advertising the dancing team of Joe and Olga.
Scarface(1983)
Cast:Al Pacino, Steven Bauer, Michelle Pfeiffer
Directors:Brian DePalma
Producer:Martin Bregman, Louis A. Stroller
Writer:Oliver Stone
Editor:Jerry Greenberg, David Ray
Cinematographer:John A. Alonzo
Genre:Drama
Production Company:Universal Pictures
Composer:Giorgio Moroder
In 1980, Fidel Castro allows over 125,000 Cuban refugees to leave the country on boats headed to the United States. Arriving in Florida, Tony Montana, one of the refugees, is questioned by immigration officials. Believing Tony has a criminal history, they detain him and send him to Freedom Town, a refugee camp under a highway. After a month at the camp, Tony’s friend Manny Ray says that he’s found them a job that will earn them green cards and get them out of Freedom Town. A wealthy cocaine dealer named Frank Lopez wants them to assassinate Emilio Rebenga, a former Cuban politician who has just arrived at the camp. Tony agrees, telling Manny that he kills Communists “for fun.” One day, a riot breaks out in Freedom Town, and Manny, aided by a few others, corners Rebenga inside a tent. As the politician tries to escape, Tony stabs him. Later, Tony, Manny, and their accomplices, are awarded green cards and released from custody. In Miami, Tony and Manny work at a food stand where Omar Suarez, an underboss of Frank Lopez, visits them one night. Suarez offers Tony and Manny another job, unloading marijuana off of a boat from Mexico for 500 dollars each. Insulted by the offer, Tony demands more money, and Suarez offers them a better job – retrieving a shipment of Colombian cocaine. Soon after, Tony and Manny are joined by two of their accomplices from Freedom Town, Angel Fernandez and Chi Chi, as they head to a seedy, beachside hotel to pick up the cocaine. While Manny and Chi Chi wait in the car, Tony and Angel arrive at the hotel room of Hector the Toad. Tony becomes irritated when Hector is slow to exchange the cocaine, suspecting that the drug dealer only wants to steal the money Tony was given to purchase the drugs. Two of Hector’s men appear, attacking Angel from behind. Tony is held at gunpoint in the bathroom while Hector dismembers Angel with a chainsaw inside the shower. Manny and Chi Chi arrive just in time to save Tony, shooting down Hector’s henchmen. After Hector escapes through a window, Tony follows him outside and shoots him dead in the crowded street. As police sirens blare nearby, Tony, Chi Chi, and Manny escape with both the money and the cocaine. The next night, Suarez introduces Tony to his boss, Frank Lopez, the owner of the money that Tony recovered from the botched cocaine deal. Frank is impressed by Tony and hires him. Tony meets Frank’s girlfriend, Elvira Hancock, and is attracted to her. Frank takes Tony and Manny out to the decadent Babylon nightclub, and offers two lessons: “Lesson number one – don’t underestimate the other guy’s greed; and lesson number two – don’t get high on your own supply.” Tony dances with Elvira, who scorns him for being low-class. Later, he and Manny try to pick up women on the beach to no avail. Tony tells his friend that they need money and power before American women will take an interest in them. Later, Frank sends Tony and Manny to pick up Elvira, who doesn’t like their Cadillac with tiger-print seat covers. Tony insists they go to a car dealership immediately; there, he purchases an expensive sports car. Leaving Manny behind to work out the details with the car dealer, Tony snorts cocaine in the parking lot with Elvira, who warms to him. Later, Tony visits his estranged mother and sister at their house in a remote part of the city. Though he hasn’t contacted them in five years, Tony’s sister Gina is overjoyed to see him. Tony’s mother is more cautious, suspicious of his criminal lifestyle. When Tony offers them $1,000 in cash, his mother refuses the money, knowing it was earned illegally. Despite Gina’s objections, Tony’s mother disowns him. As he leaves, Gina follows Tony outside where Manny is waiting inside the car. Gina apologizes and expresses her own loyalty to her brother. Driving away, Manny tells Tony that Gina is beautiful, and Tony shouts at Manny to stay away from her. Tony later accompanies Suarez to Bolivia to meet with a drug lord named Alejandro Sosa on Frank’s behalf. During the visit, Sosa discovers that Suarez is a police informant. Sosa’s henchmen then murder Suarez by hanging him from a helicopter mid-air while Frank and Tony watch from the ground. Tony undermines Frank’s authority by negotiating a distribution deal with Sosa himself, and when he gets back, Frank is furious because he feels he cannot sell the large amount of cocaine to which Tony agreed. Defending his choice, Tony tells Frank that he needs to expand his operation to cities outside Miami. One day, Tony visits Frank’s house to see Elvira, and though she fears that Frank will catch them, Tony remains unconcerned. He tells Elvira that he likes her and wants to marry her, and suggests that Frank is finished. Later, Tony sees Gina dancing with a man at the Babylon and becomes enraged. Before he can approach her, Tony is approached by Mel Bernstein, a corrupt police detective. Bernstein accuses Tony of murdering Rebenga and Hector, and offers him police protection in exchange for money and information on rival drug dealers. Frank and Elvira arrive at the club, and Tony joins Elvira at her table as Bernstein leaves. Walking up to the table, Frank tells Tony to move, but Tony refuses, saying that Frank has no right to give him orders. After the confrontation, Frank and Elvira leave, and Tony returns his attention to Gina. As she and her dancing partner go into the men’s bathroom, Tony follows and finds them inside a stall, snorting cocaine. He grabs Gina’s friend and throws him out, then confronts his sister. Manny enters the bathroom and watches as Tony threatens and hits Gina. After Tony walks out, Manny comforts Gina, then drives her home. In the car, Gina expresses her attraction to Manny, but he firmly rejects her, knowing Tony would disapprove. Back at the club, Tony watches the stage show. When a spotlight hits Tony at his table, two assassins with machine guns suddenly open fire from across the room. Tony ducks under the table after taking a bullet to the shoulder, then shoots both of his attackers before fleeing the club. Believing Frank is behind the botched assassination attempt, Tony goes to his office and confirms that Frank ordered the hit. Sensing that Tony plans to kill him, Frank grovels at Tony’s feet, offering money and Elvira in exchange for his life. Tony orders Manny to shoot Frank, and turns his attention to Bernstein, who was meeting with Frank when he walked in. Tony shoots Bernstein twice. Covered in blood, he finds Elvira in the bedroom and tells her to pack her things and join him. Waiting for Elvira in the living room, Tony spots a blimp outside with a digital sign scrolling the message, “The world is yours.” Now the boss of Frank’s cocaine ring, Tony buys a mansion and marries Elvira. Meanwhile, unbeknownst to Tony, Manny and Gina are falling in love. With Tony in charge, the business flourishes, but he and Elvira are both addicted to cocaine, and their relationship suffers. Tony becomes increasingly paranoid and suspicious of a van parked outside his estate. The bank informs Tony that he must pay higher fees in order to launder his increasing flow of money. Manny suggests a new contact he recently met who offers a lower rate on money-laundering, and when Tony steps in to handle the deal, he is arrested in a sting operation. After posting a $5 million dollar bail, Tony’s lawyer suggests that he can be cleared of the corruption charges but will not avoid a jail sentence for tax evasion. Fearing the loss of his main distributor, Sosa intervenes, promising that his contacts in Washington, D.C. can clear the charges. However, in exchange, Sosa asks Tony for his help in the assassination of a Bolivian journalist who is threatening to expose Sosa’s operation. Tony reluctantly agrees. Back in Miami, Tony eats dinner at a posh restaurant with Elvira and Manny. Both inebriated, Tony and Elvira argue loudly, and Elvira tells him that she is leaving him and walks out. Tony then goes to New York to assist with the hit Sosa ordered. Sosa’s men wire a bomb to the journalist’s car, but when Tony sees that the journalist is accompanied by his wife and child, he orders them to call off the hit. Before one of the assassins can detonate the bomb, Tony shoots him. He then attempts to call Manny and learns that both he and Gina have been missing for two days. In Miami, Tony calls Sosa, who is furious about the botched hit and rescinds his offer to keep Tony out of jail. Later that night Tony visits his mother, who gives him the address of the house where she believes Gina might be. Tony and two of his men drive to the house to confront his sister. There, he knocks on the door, and Manny answers. When Tony sees Gina, wearing only a robe, he shoots and kills Manny. Crying hysterically, Gina confesses that she and Manny just got married, and they were planning to surprise Tony with the news. Tony’s men pull Gina off of Manny’s corpse and take her back to Tony’s mansion. Assassins swarm Tony’s property as he arrives and heads upstairs, isolating himself in the office, surrounded by mounds of cocaine. No longer crying, Gina steps into Tony’s office, barely clothed, and pretends to seduce him, accusing him of wanting to sleep with her. She then shoots her brother in the leg. As Gina continues to fire shots at Tony, an assassin steps in from the balcony and kills her. Tony pushes the assassin off the balcony, and sees throngs of men invading his property. Back inside, Tony holds Gina’s body, pretending she is not dead, as hired killers infiltrate his mansion. When the assassins reach his office, Tony wields a machine gun and kills several men. During a long firefight, Tony is shot several times. After Tony launches an explosive from the balcony, he is gunned down from behind. Tony’s body falls over the railing and splashes into a fountain below. Atop the fountain is a neon sign with the words, “The World Is Yours.”
COURTROOM DRAMA
AFI defines “courtroom drama” as a genre of film in which a system of justice plays a critical role in the film’s narrative.
To Kill a Mockingbird(1962)
Cast:Gregory Peck, John Megna, Frank Overton
Directors:Robert Mulligan
Producer:Alan J. Pakula
Writer:Horton Foote
Editor:Aaron Stell, J. Terry Williams
Cinematographer:Russell Harlan
Genre:Drama
Production Company:Pakula-Mulligan Productions, Inc., Brentwood Productions, Inc.
Composer:Elmer Bernstein
In a small Alabama town in 1932, widowed lawyer Atticus Finch strives to create an atmosphere free from hatred and prejudice for his two children, six-year-old Scout, a tomboy, and her ten-year-old brother, Jem. The youngsters lead a carefree life, racing about the town, jeering at eccentric Mrs. Dubose and frightening themselves and their new friend, six-year-old Dill Harris, with exaggerated stories about Arthur "Boo" Radley, a supposedly mentally handicapped neighbor whom they have never seen. When Atticus agrees to represent Tom Robinson, a black man accused of raping a young white woman, Mayella Violet Ewell, the children must defend themselves against the racist taunts of their classmates. Though Atticus is able to demonstrate Tom's innocence by forcing Mayella to admit that her father beat her when he found her making advances toward Tom, the all-white jury returns a verdict of guilty. Atticus tries to have the decision reversed, but before he can do so, Tom attempts to escape and is killed. In revenge against Atticus, Bob Ewell attacks Scout and Jem, but Boo, who has secretly watched over the children and has left gifts for them in a tree trunk, saves them by killing Ewell. Unwilling to expose Boo to any publicity, Sheriff Heck Tate concludes that Ewell fell on his own knife and decides that there will be no trial.
12 Angry Men(1957)
Cast:Henry Fonda, Lee J. Cobb, Ed Begley
Directors:Sidney Lumet
Producer:Henry Fonda, Reginald Rose
Writer:Reginald Rose
Editor:Carl Lerner
Cinematographer:Boris Kaufman
Genre:Drama
Production Company:Orion-Nova Productions
Composer:Kenyon Hopkins
At the close of a murder trial conducted in a New York City courtroom, the judge gives the jury its final instructions, reminding them that a guilty verdict will mean an automatic death sentence for the defendant, a Puerto Rican youth accused of killing his father. Once in the stiflingly hot jury room, Juror 3, a middle-aged businessman who is estranged from his own son, loudly proclaims that the boy is guilty and that all ghetto youths are criminals, while Juror 7, a fast-talking salesman, wants the jury to reach a decision quickly because he wishes to attend a baseball game that evening. Juror 1, the foreman, who is a genial high school football coach, conducts a preliminary ballot and, without hesitation, eleven jurors vote for conviction. Juror 8, a sensitive and thoughtful architect, casts the only dissenting vote, stating that he has doubts about the case and wishes to give the boy, who has had a difficult life in the ghetto, a fair hearing. Juror 10, approximately sixty years old and the owner of a garage, gruffly declares that the architect is a weak-willed "bleeding heart" before launching into a diatribe against slum dwellers. Wishing to restore calm, Juror 12, a young advertising executive, suggests that each juror present the reasons behind his verdict as a means of convincing Juror 8. The salesman, the garage owner and the businessman all suggest that the boy's ethnicity and class have been enough to convince them he murdered his father, while Juror 2, a shy and stammering bank clerk, appears to be maintaining his guilty verdict because he feels intimidated by the more outspoken jurors. Juror 4, a middle-aged and articulate stockbroker, and Juror 6, a young blue-collar worker, go over the evidence which determined their verdicts with much detail and thought. The prosecution has presented two seemingly reliable eyewitnesses, and motivation for the murder was suggested by the youth's frequent fights with his father. In addition, a shopkeeper identified the murder weapon as identical to an unusual and ornately carved knife he had sold the boy shortly before the murder. Finishing his exposition, Juror 4 offhandedly remarks that "everyone knows slums breed criminals," leading Juror 5, who until this point has remained silent, to declare with great dignity that he was raised in a slum. After Juror 8 points out inconsistencies in the prosecution's case and raises a number of questions, he throws down a cheap knife he bought near the courthouse which appears almost identical to the murder weapon. As many of the jurors begin to grow frustrated with the discussion, Juror 8 suggests that the foreman take a secret ballot from which he will abstain, promising that if all of them vote guilty this time, he will go along with them on the final ballot. Now, however, one juror out of the eleven votes "not guilty." Most of the jurors believe that Juror 5 has changed his mind, but the "not guilty" vote turns out to be that of Juror 9, an elderly and frail man to whom the jurors have, until now, paid little attention. After tempers have cooled down, Jurors 8 and 9 point out the inconsistencies in the prosecution's version of events on the night of the murder, and Juror 9 is especially convincing when he notes problems with the testimony of a prosecution witness who, like himself, is elderly. The two men manage to sway Jurors 5 and 11 to their side, for a total of four "not guilty" verdicts. Juror 10 now explodes with anger over what he views as "nitpicking" and Juror 3 harasses Juror 11, an Eastern European refugee, for changing his mind. After tempers subside, the weary jury continues its deliberations and when another ballot is taken, the tally is six to six, with Jurors 2 and 6 changing their original verdicts. Now at a complete standstill, some of the jurors want to declare a hung jury, but know that the judge will not accept the declaration without further deliberations. When Juror 11, who takes his duty as a citizen very seriously, questions whether all of the jurors have a clear understanding of "reasonable doubt," the obnoxious Juror 7 makes an angry speech full of anti-immigrant invective. Next, the newly confident Juror 2 asks how a 5'6" boy could have made a downward stab wound on a man who stood 6'2", leading Juror 5, who saw many a knife fight in the tough neighborhood in which he was raised, to convincingly demonstrate that the boy would most likely have held the knife underhanded, making a downward wound impossible. The foreman and Juror 12 eventually vote "not guilty," as does Juror 7, whose lack of concern over the case and desire to do whatever is most expedient greatly angers Juror 11, the immigrant. When Juror 8 asks the three remaining jurors to explain their continued insistence on a guilty verdict, Juror 10 makes an angry speech so full of hate and bigotry that everyone is shocked into silence. Juror 4, earlier so confident that the boy was guilty, admits he has reasonable doubt when the astute Juror 9 suddenly remembers that a female prosecution eyewitness had impressions on the sides of her nose of the sort left by eyeglasses. In support of their "not guilty" verdicts, the jurors realize that the witness deceived the court by taking off her glasses prior to her court appearance and they surmise that she was most likely not wearing them in bed the night she claimed to have witnessed the murder. Since Juror 10, who remains separated from the group because of shame over his outburst, has indicated he will change his vote, Juror 3 now stands alone in his conviction that the boy is guilty and he becomes increasingly belligerent and stubborn. When a picture of his son, who is only a few years older than the accused, unexpectedly falls out of his wallet, he suddenly breaks down into sobs and exclaims that all children are rotten ingrates. Overcome with emotion and guilt at the memory of his son, who rejected his harsh and authoritarian manner, he finally whispers "not guilty." As the jurors silently file out of the jury room, Juror 8 gently hands the distressed man his jacket. On the courthouse steps, Juror 8 and Juror 9 bid farewell, secure in the knowledge that they helped to ensure that personal prejudices did not determine the fate of the accused.
Kramer vs. Kramer(1979)
Cast:Dustin Hoffman, Meryl Streep, Jane Alexander
Directors:Robert Benton
Producer:Stanley R. Jaffe
Writer:Robert Benton
Editor:Jerry Greenberg
Cinematographer:Nestor Almendros
Genre:Drama
Production Company:Columbia Pictures
On the day Ted Kramer, an up-and-coming advertising executive in New York City, arrives home with the good news that he has been entrusted with an important account at work, his wife of eight years, Joanna, announces she is leaving him. Ted asks if she is joking, but Joanna becomes unhinged as he tries to discuss the matter. In tears, she walks out of the apartment and says she is not taking Billy, their seven-year-old son, declaring she is an unfit mother and the boy is better off without her. Before the elevator door closes, she tells her husband she no longer loves him. Waiting for Joanna to return that evening, Ted suspects his wife escaped to the apartment of their divorced neighbor, Margaret Phelps, who has been a confidante to Joanna, but Margaret has no knowledge of Joanna’s whereabouts and denies influencing her decision to leave. The next morning when Billy asks about his mother, Ted explains that she went away to be alone for a while. While frantically making French toast for Billy, Ted burns his hand on the skillet and curses his wife. When he drops his son at elementary school, Ted asks Billy what grade he attends and leaves him with a woman at the entrance, before rushing to work. At the agency, Ted confides about the situation to Jim O’Connor, his boss and friend. Jim is understanding, but trusts that Ted’s family problems will not interfere with his new responsibility as the lead person on the Mid-Atlantic Airlines account. At home, Ted struggles to find privacy to work and loses his temper when Billy spills juice on some of his workpapers. While running errands, Ted relies on Billy to tell him what products Joanna bought at the grocery store. After a week, Billy receives a letter from his mother, in which she tells her son she loves him, but needs to discover another role for herself apart from being a parent. As Ted reads the letter aloud, Billy does not want to hear the rest and turns up the volume on the television set. Ted removes photographs of Joanna in the apartment and boxes up her things, but when he finds a framed picture of her that Billy has hidden in a drawer, he places the photograph on his son’s nightstand. In time, Ted and Billy settle into their new routine without Joanna, but Ted’s work suffers. When Ted misses an important deadline, Jim reveals he is very concerned about the campaign, and has noticed that Ted’s performance has declined in the eight months since Joanna left. That evening at home, Billy complains about his dinner and defies his father by eating ice cream instead. Ted takes Billy screaming to his bedroom, and the boy cries for his mother. Distraught, Ted enters Billy’s bedroom later that night and reconciles with his son. Billy worries that his mother’s departure is his fault, but Ted assures him that Joanna left because she was not happy in the marriage. While Ted struggles to meet his work obligations, he finds time to attend Billy’s Halloween pageant and teaches him to ride a bicycle. When Billy falls from a jungle gym on the playground and receives a cut near his eye, Ted runs to the emergency room carrying his son and convinces the doctor to let him stay with Billy as the boy endures ten stitches. Meanwhile, Ted and Margaret have become good friends as they confide in each other about raising children alone. After fifteen months, Ted receives a call from Joanna and meets her at a restaurant. Although nervous, their conversation is friendly, as Ted admits he feels guilty about Billy’s playground accident and Joanna reassures him. Joanna tries to explain why she left and reveals she is happier after working in California and seeing a therapist. When she states that she now wants to raise her son, Ted becomes furious and leaves. He consults with divorce attorney John Shaunessy, who informs him that the court usually awards custody to the mother when the child is so young. Later, at work, Jim O’Connor notifies Ted that he is being dismissed from the agency because the Mid-Atlantic Airlines executives are not pleased with the campaign. Ted appeals to Jim as a friend, reminding him that he will have no chance at custody if unemployed. Unable to postpone the court hearing, Ted tells Shaunessy that he is determined to find a job in twenty-four hours despite the fact most firms are not hiring with Christmas only a few days away. After convincing two agency executives to consider his application immediately, he accepts a lower-salaried position for which he is overqualified. Reluctantly, Ted allows Billy to see his mother before the custody hearing begins. During her testimony in court, Joanna recounts that she lost her self-esteem as a stay-at-home mother, but has worked hard to “become a whole person again” and believes her son needs her more than his father. In cross-examination, Joanna reveals that Ted never abused her or was unfaithful. Ted finds Shaunessy’s questioning too brutal as Joanna cries and is forced to admit that she was part of the marriage’s failure. When Margaret testifies on behalf of Ted, she concedes that she and Joanna once discussed Ted’s focus on his career and his insensitivity toward his son’s needs. Looking directly at Joanna, Margaret implores her former friend to recognize that Ted has become a great father. On the witness stand, Ted admits to making mistakes in the marriage, but believes he has proven that a man can be as good a parent as a woman. Ted declares that taking Billy away from his home could cause “irreparable” harm. Gressen, Joanna’s attorney, points out that Ted was dismissed from his previous position and now earns less than his wife. When Gressen mentions that Ted felt responsible for Billy’s playground accident, Ted is disappointed that Joanna shared the comment with the attorney. Outside the courtroom, Joanna apologizes for Gressen’s aggressive tactics, but Ted refuses to speak to her. Later, Shaunessy reports that the judge ruled in favor of Joanna, and Ted chooses not to appeal to avoid Billy having to testify. Billy becomes upset as Ted explains that they will still see each other, even though Billy will be living with his mother. On the morning Joanna is scheduled to pick up Billy, father and son quietly make French toast together. Joanna rings the intercom and asks to see Ted in the lobby alone. Tearful, she reveals that she is relinquishing custody after realizing that she does not want to take Billy away from his home. Ted reassures her as she takes the elevator up to inform her son.
The Verdict(1982)
Cast:Paul Newman, Charlotte Rampling, Jack Warden
Directors:Sidney Lumet
Producer:Richard D. Zanuck, David Brown, Burtt Harris
Writer:David Mamet
Editor:Peter Frank
Cinematographer:Andrzej Bartkowiak
Genre:Drama
Production Company:Zanuck/Brown Productions, Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation
Composer:Johnny Mandel
While attending the wake of a former acquaintance, struggling Boston, Massachusetts, attorney Francis “Frank” P. Galvin offers his business card to members of the family, but the gesture offends the grieving son, and Frank is thrown out of the funeral home. Later, he becomes intoxicated and destroys his office until his former law associate, Mickey Morrisey, exasperatedly informs him that he is due to appear in court in two weeks for a medical malpractice lawsuit. Leaving a note for his secretary, he returns to the bar before trudging to the hospital to observe his client, a brain-damaged patient now surviving on life support. Back at his office, he meets the patient’s sister, Sally Doneghy, and reviews the case: during the birth of her third child in an Irish Catholic hospital four years earlier, Deborah Ann Kaye was given the wrong anaesthetic, vomited into her oxygen mask, and stopped breathing. Abandoned by her husband, the comatose Deborah was left in Sally’s care, but the overburdened sister finally decided it was time to “let go” by filing a lawsuit and accepting her husband Kevin’s job transfer to Arizona. Upon hearing their story, Frank is confident that the Archdiocese of Boston will wish to avoid taking the case to court and offer a settlement sufficient to cover the costs of Deborah’s continuing medical care. Meanwhile, the hospital’s Bishop Brophy reviews Frank’s once-prestigious law career, which began its steep decline after he was once accused of jury tampering. Although he hopes to keep the case out of the public eye, Brophy and his aides sense that Frank is scared to challenge them in the courtroom. Gathering witnesses, Frank visits renowned anesthesiologist Dr. David Gruber, who surprises Frank by pressuring him to take the suit to court in order to punish Deborah’s doctors. After agreeing to reconvene for a formal deposition, Frank triumphantly heads to the bar for a drink, where he briefly speaks with a woman searching the newspaper listings for an apartment. He later returns to Deborah’s room in the hospital and is deeply affected by her misfortune. When Bishop Brophy offers him a $210,000 settlement, Frank rejects the money, realizing the immorality of collecting a paycheck without convicting the doctors responsible. Mickey criticizes his decision, but the two resolutely review evidence as the Archdiocese’s defending lawyer, Ed Concannon, briefs his large legal team on the details of the case and analyze Frank’s refusal to settle. At the end of the workday, Frank returns to the bar and spots the same woman, who introduces herself as a recent divorcée named Laura Fischer. After taking her to dinner, he invites her to his drab apartment to have sex, and she laughs at him for keeping a photograph of his former wife on his bedside table. Convincing Concannon and the skeptical Judge Hoyle that he plans to pursue the case, Frank timidly interviews his jurors. On his way to meet Dr. Gruber, he is confronted by Kevin Doneghy, who is furious about the decision to bypass the settlement. Unable to find Dr. Gruber in his office, Frank learns that his primary witness has since fled to the Caribbean, panics, and requests for an extension from the judge. Annoyed, Hoyle refuses, so Frank desperately, and unsuccessfully, attempts to appeal the Archdiocese’s offer. As Concannon rigorously coaches his witnesses, Frank hastily finds an alternate anesthesiologist named Dr. Lionel Thompson, and Deborah’s obstinate obstetrics nurse, Maureen Rooney. She refuses to testify, however, calling Frank an acquisitive lawyer and slamming the door in his face. That night, Dr. Thompson rehearses his answers for the courtroom, but his inexperience and unfamiliarity with medical terms destroys Frank’s confidence. When he mopes about his failure, Laura refuses to show him sympathy and pressures him to “grow up.” As the trial ensues the next morning, Concannon undermines Dr. Thompson’s authority by pointing out that he is frequently paid to testify in malpractice suits. In addition, Judge Hoyle impatiently interrupts Frank’s questioning in order to speed up the proceedings. During the lunch recess, Frank angrily threatens to file for a mistrial before returning to the courtroom and berating his next witness, Dr. Robert S. Towler, claiming that he has lied about the length of time it took to restore Deborah’s heartbeat after she suffered cardiac arrest. That evening, Frank dismisses Dr. Thompson and then tricks Maureen Rooney into telling him where to find another operating nurse, Kaitlin Costello Price, whose notes indicated that Deborah had eaten a full meal one hour prior to surgery. As Laura continues her relationship with Frank, she visits Concannon in his office, where the lawyer welcomes her back to her former job as a member of his firm. After using telephone records to contact Kaitlin, Frank tracks her down in New York City and pleads for her to appear in court. Laura agrees to meet Frank for lunch, but Mickey finds a paycheck from Concannon’s firm in her purse and rushes to the city to tell him of her deception. Upon seeing her, Frank punches Laura in the face and returns to Boston. Now refusing Mickey’s suggestion for mistrial, Frank surprises the court by calling Kaitlin to the witness stand to negate Dr. Towler’s claim that Deborah had fasted for nine hours before the procedure. Concannon shows her a conflicting document and accuses her of lying, but she procures a personal copy of the form, revealing that Dr. Towler blackmailed her into changing the number to protect his career following a series of problematic deliveries. As she leaves the room in tears, Concannon objects to Kaitlin’s unexpected appearance and her use of unapproved evidence. In agreement, Judge Hoyle instructs the jury to entirely disregard her testimony, but Bishop Brophy worries that the jurors may still believe her story. During his final appeal, Frank urges them to consider their religious values and humanity’s intrinsic sense of justice. After deliberation, the jury rules in favor of Deborah Ann Kaye and agrees to award her family a sum much higher than originally established by the plaintiff. Frank sees Laura standing outside the courtroom after the victory, but she disappears before he can approach. That evening, she telephones him from her hotel room, but he leans back in his office chair, letting the call ring unanswered.
A Few Good Men(1992)
Cast:Tom Cruise, Jack Nicholson, Demi Moore
Directors:Rob Reiner
Producer:David Brown, Rob Reiner, Andrew Scheinman, William Gilmore, Rachel Pfeffer
Writer:Aaron Sorkin
Editor:Robert Leighton, Steve Nevius
Cinematographer:Robert Richardson
Genre:Drama
Production Company:Castle Rock Entertainment
Composer:Marc Shaiman
At the Judge Advocate General’s Corps in Washington, D.C., Lieutenant Commander JoAnne Galloway asks to defend Lance Corporal Harold W. Dawson and Private First Class Louden Downey, two Marines who are being court-martialed for killing fellow platoon member William Santiago at the U.S. Naval Base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Although a Naval Investigative Service (NIS) agent believes Dawson and Downey killed Santiago to prevent him from naming LCpl. Dawson in an illegal shooting incident, Lt. Cdr. Galloway suspects the marines, who both have exemplary records, may have been carrying out orders for a “Code Red.” Galloway’s superior, Captain West, agrees to move the defendants to Washington, D.C., but refuses to assign Galloway as their counsel. Instead, rookie attorney Lieutenant Daniel Kaffee, who is known for his plea bargaining skills, is assigned to the case. Kaffee is told that Dawson fired an illegal shot over a fence into Cuban territory, and when Private First Class William Santiago threatened to expose him, Dawson, with the help of Downey, likely retaliated by stuffing a poisoned rag down his throat. An hour later, Santiago was found dead. However, both Downey and Dawson deny committing murder. Lt. Kaffee and his co-counsel, Lieutenant Sam Weinberg, meet with JoAnne Galloway, who is offended that Capt. West chose such young attorneys over her. Kaffee asserts that he will negotiate for dishonorable discharge and a shortened prison term of twelve years, but Galloway argues that Dawson and Downey may be innocent. In the months leading up to his death, Pfc. Santiago wrote many requests to be transferred out of Guantanamo Bay, to no avail. Kaffee stops Galloway, insisting that a protracted investigation would lead to questioning Colonel Nathan R. Jessep, a highly decorated marine expected to be appointed Director of Operations for the National Security Counsel. Kaffee does not want to challenge such a powerful authority. Sometime earlier, in Guantanamo Bay, Pfc. William Santiago fights nausea, dizziness, and heat exhaustion, and is beaten by his superiors for falling behind. Col. Nathan R. Jessep is alerted to a letter Santiago sent off the base, requesting to be transferred. Lieutenant Colonel Matthew Andrew Markinson suggests granting Santiago an immediate transfer, but Jessep argues they have a responsibility to train him. He tells Lieutenant Jonathan Kendrick to make sure Santiago receives a perfect score on his next progress report. After Kendrick is dismissed, Jessep warns Markinson never to question his orders in front of another officer again. Back in Washington, D.C., JoAnne Galloway learns that Santiago was declared dead by a physician, Dr. Stone, at 1 a.m. on August 6th, with the cause of death “undetermined.” Two hours later, however, Dr. Stone claimed he was poisoned. Galloway suggests to Kaffee that Dawson and Downey may have been executing a “Code Red.” Kaffee meets with prisoners Dawson and Downey, who explain that “Code Reds” are disciplinary actions carried out by one’s fellow marines. They admit to breaking into Santiago’s room on the night of his death and binding and gagging him as part of a “Code Red”; however, the rag they used was not poisoned and they only intended to shave his head, but stopped short when they saw blood dripping from his mouth. They called an ambulance, but were arrested on suspicion of murder. They vehemently maintain their innocence, and claim to have stuck by their code: “Unit, corps, god, country.” Later, prosecuting attorney Captain Jack Ross negotiates a plea bargain with Kaffee. Ross asserts that Dawson and Downey are obviously guilty, especially since Lt. Jonathan Kendrick gave orders to the platoon on August 6th, warning them not to touch Santiago. Capt. Ross agrees to Kaffee’s proposed plea deal. That evening, Kaffee admits to Sam Weinberg that he found Ross’s defense of Lt. Kendrick suspicious. Galloway joins Kaffee and Weinberg on a visit to Guantanamo Bay, where they examine William Santiago’s barracks room and speak with Col. Jessep, who refuses to answer Galloway’s questions about the practice of “Code Reds.” He claims Santiago was set to be transferred off the base the morning of his death, but when Kaffee requests a copy of Santiago’s transfer order, Jessep flies into a rage and demands that Kaffee ask “nicely.” Back in Washington, D.C., Galloway gets permission from Pfc. Louden Downey’s next of kin, Aunt Ginny Miller, to represent him as private counsel. To Kaffee’s dismay, she joins him in questioning Dawson and Downey, who admit that Lt. Kendrick ordered the “Code Red” on Santiago, shortly after giving contradictory orders to their platoon to stay away from Santiago. Although Kaffee recommends they accept the plea deal, Dawson and Downey maintain they were carrying out orders, and refuse to plead guilty. Kaffee, who worries he will not live up to the reputation of his father, a former attorney general, reluctantly agrees to go to trial. At the court-martial, Galloway is impressed by Kaffee’s ability to engage the jury. Dr. Stone testifies that Santiago died from lactic acidosis poisoning, but Kaffee provides evidence that Santiago likely had an undiagnosed coronary condition that could have caused his lungs to bleed, ruling out poison as the only possible cause of death. That night, Lt. Col. Matthew Andrew Markinson, who was reported missing after Kaffee and Galloway’s visit to Guantanamo Bay, appears in the backseat of Kaffee’s car. Markinson reveals that Col. Jessep never gave a transfer order for Santiago; instead, he originated the “Code Red” that Kendrick ordered Dawson and Downey to carry out. When Lt. Kendrick is called to the witness stand, however, he denies the existence of “Code Reds.” Although Markinson is set to testify, he commits suicide, leaving behind a note of apology to Santiago’s parents. The simple-minded Downey is caught lying when he testifies, and Kaffee loses hope that they might win. Remaining optimistic, Galloway encourages him to subpoena Col. Jessep. Kaffee resists the idea at first, but later decides that Jessep’s pride will be his downfall, and, if provoked, he will admit to ordering the “Code Red.” On the day of Jessep’s questioning, Galloway warns Kaffee to be careful, since he could jeopardize his career by defaming him. Nevertheless, Kaffee presses Jessep on the stand, and points out that, despite Jessep’s claims that Santiago was due to leave Guantanamo Bay at 6 a.m. on August 6th, his belongings were not packed and he had made no phone calls as of 1 a.m. Kaffee succeeds in riling Jessep into a confession that he did, in fact, order a “Code Red” on Santiago. Jessep insists his actions were in the interest of national security, but the judge has him arrested by military police. Dawson and Downey are found not guilty of murder. However, they are dishonorably discharged for Conduct Unbecoming a United States Marine. Downey is incredulous, but Dawson is struck by the realization that they failed to live up to their code by not fighting for Santiago. As Dawson leaves the courtroom, Kaffee contends that he still has honor, and Dawson responds by saluting him.
Witness for the Prosecution(1958)
Cast:Tyrone Power, Marlene Dietrich, Charles Laughton
Directors:Billy Wilder
Producer:Arthur Hornblow
Writer:Billy Wilder, Harry Kurnitz, Larry Marcus
Editor:Daniel Mandell
Cinematographer:Russell Harlan
Genre:Drama, Mystery
Production Company:Theme Pictures, Inc., Edward Small Productions, Inc.
Composer:Matty Malneck
Following a lengthy hospital stay for a near-fatal heart attack, famed London barrister Sir Wilfrid Robarts returns to his combined office and lodgings near The Old Bailey, accompanied by his overbearing nurse, Miss Plimsoll. Sir Wilfrid chafes at her constant vigilance and becomes despondent at the thought that he may no longer be able to try criminal cases. That afternoon, Mayhew, a friend and solicitor, arrives unannounced to discuss an urgent case. Despite a verbal scolding from Miss Plimsoll, Sir Wilfrid speaks with Mayhew and his client, Leonard Vole. Mayhew fears that Leonard will soon be charged with the stabbing murder of Mrs. Emily Jane French, a wealthy widow who was a friend of Leonard, and whom he is known to have visited the day she was killed. Upon questioning, the personable Leonard relates that he was in the army during World War II and stationed in Germany, where he met Christine, a German actress whom he married and brought home to England. Admitting that he has been unemployed for months, Leonard says that he is an inventor who has been trying to get financing for his revolutionary new eggbeater. He then describes two accidental meetings with Mrs. French, after which they became friends. Charmed by Leonard's straightforward manner and sheepish confession to having hoped that Mrs. French would finance his invention, Sir Wilfrid nonetheless turns the case down on doctor's orders. He then suggests fellow barrister Brogan-Moore, whom he has his faithful assistant Carter summon. Sir Wilfrid pressures Leonard on details of the night of the murder and his relationship with Mrs. French. Though increasingly emotional, Leonard does not change his story, impressing Sir Wilfrid with his innocence. When Brogan-Moore arrives, Sir Wilfrid tells him that the case should be easy, as there was absolutely no motive for Leonard to kill Mrs. French, who might have given him money if she had lived. Brogan-Moore then reveals that in Mrs. French’s will, which has just been opened, she left Leonard £80,000. Leonard reacts happily to news of the legacy until suddenly realizing its implication. Moments later, the police arrest him. After Leonard is taken away, Brogan-Moore, who is not convinced of his innocence, relates that Christine is his only alibi. As Sir Wilfrid is about to go take a rest, Christine appears at the office, surprising him with her sophistication and cool detachment. Although she confirms Leonard’s alibi, she implies that he asked her to lie and has not been truthful about his relationship with Mrs. French. Sir Wilfrid is shocked when she matter-of-factly states that Leonard ”has a way with women,” then announces that she and Leonard are not legally married because she never divorced her German husband. After she promises to be very convincing on the witness stand, even if lying, Brogan-Moore concludes that the case is hopeless. Sir Wilfrid, however, believing in Leonard’s innocence, takes the case. Just before the trial, Sir Wilfrid visits Leonard in jail and reads a statement from Mrs. French’s housekeeper, Janet McKenzie, in which she swore that Leonard had helped Mrs. French draft a new will. In answer to a question the police had about a cut on his finger, Leonard says that he got the cut while slicing a loaf of bread, something Christine can confirm. Leonard asks why Christine has not come to visit him, then breaks down, saying that he cannot get through the trial without her. On the day of the trial, Sir Wilfrid’s fragile health causes him to miss the opening moments, but he soon arrives with a flask of brandy camouflaged for Miss Plimsoll’s benefit as cocoa. Sir Wilfrid objects strenuously to every point made by Crown Prosecutor Mr. Myers, while Miss Plimsoll observes from the spectators’ gallery, discussing the case with a young woman. Following damning testimony by the first few witnesses, Janet remains steadfast about her previous statements about the night of the murder and the day that she overheard Leonard and Mrs. French discussing the will. However, Sir Wilfrid successfully establishes that Janet had been Mrs. French’s beneficiary in the previous will and has a hearing problem that would make it difficult for her to discern voices behind a closed door. On the third day of the trial, Christine is called to testify. Upon learning that their marriage was never valid and hearing Christine testify that he came home on the night of the murder and said “I’ve killed her,” Leonard breaks down in anguish as women in the courtroom express their disdain for Christine. During an emotional cross-examination, Sir Wilfrid establishes the pattern of lies Christine has told, accusing her of being a habitual liar, but she will not be shaken from her testimony. When the crown rests its case, Sir Wilfrid calls his only witness, Leonard, who steadfastly affirms that he is not guilty. Under cross-examination, Myers brings up new evidence that Leonard and an unidentified young woman had visited a travel agent on the day of Mrs. French’s murder and were interested in deluxe cruises. Leonard says that he hardly knew the girl and was merely asking for brochures for fun, then becomes hysterical over the horrible nightmare in which he has found himself. That evening, Sir Wilfrid ponders Christine’s testimony, telling Mayhew that he cannot understand why she lied. Just then, he receives a phone call from an anonymous Cockney woman who says she has “the goods” on Christine and demands that Sir Wilfrid meet her at Euston Station. Sir Wilfrid immediately goes to meet the woman, who snarls her hatred of Christine, and after Sir Wilfrid gives her £40, hands over a packet of “juicy” letters from Christine to a man named Max, who she says had been her lover before falling in love with Christine. She refuses to give her name, or Max’s last name, then disappears after showing Sir Wilfrid a scar on her face, which she said came from Max. The next day in court, as Myers begins his closing statement, Sir Wilfrid interrupts to recall Christine. Over Myers’ objections, the judge allows Christine to retake the stand. Now Sir Wilfrid confronts her with the content of the letters which stated, in her own hand, that she was planning to place the blame for Mrs. French’s murder on Leonard so that she could be free to be with Max. Christine screams out “Lies, all lies,” but Sir Wilfrid tricks her into confirming that the letters were hers. The jury quickly returns a not guilty verdict, but Sir Wilfrid begins to think that everything was “too neat.” While Leonard is retrieving his things from the bailiff, Christine comes back into the near empty courtroom, seeking refuge from the crowd of angry spectators. When Sir Wilfrid warns that she will go to jail for perjury, she demurs, saying that the testimony she gave was the truth, not because she knew that Leonard was innocent, but because she knew he was guilty. She then reveals that she did what she had to because she loves Leonard and the jury never would have believed supportive testimony from a loving wife. She then assumes the Cockney woman’s accent and reveals that Max and the letters were figments of her imagination. Now Leonard re-enters the courtroom and blithely says that he knew Christine was planning something but not what. As he is promising to pay for Christine’s defense, Miss Plimsoll and Diana, the young woman from the spectator’s gallery, enter the courtroom. When Diana throws herself into Leonard’s arms and announces that she is his girl, Christine is stunned. Leonard then coolly tells Christine that her saving his life pays him back for taking her out of Germany. Christine then grabs the murder knife still lying on the table and plunges it into Leonard. After Miss Plimsoll examines the body and announces “she killed him,” Sir Wilfrid responds, “she executed him.” As Sir Wilfrid ponders the case, Miss Plimsoll tells Carter to cancel his planned Bermudan vacation. After she hands Sir Wilfrid his court wig and reminding him not to forget his flask of brandy, he puts his arm around her as they leave the courtroom together.
Anatomy of a Murder(1959)
Cast:James Stewart, Lee Remick, Ben Gazzara
Directors:Otto Preminger
Producer:Otto Preminger
Writer:Wendell Mayes
Editor:Louis R. Loeffler
Cinematographer:Sam Leavitt
Genre:Drama
Production Company:Carlyle Productions, Inc.
Composer:Duke Ellington
Ever since losing his bid for reelection as the district attorney of Iron City, Michigan, attorney Paul "Polly" Biegler has sought solace in his two favorite hobbies, playing jazz on the piano and fishing. One day, when a woman named Laura Manion phones Paul and begs him to represent her husband Frederick, who has been arrested for murder, Parnell McCarthy, a lapsed lawyer who views life through the bottom of a liquor bottle, urges his friend Paul to accept. Because Paul had been on a fishing trip at the time of the murder, Parnell tells him about the case. Manion, an army lieutenant serving at a nearby base, has been charged with killing Barney Quill, a bartender who allegedly raped Laura. The next morning at the jailhouse, Paul meets Laura, who is sporting a black eye that she claims was inflicted by Quill during the rape. When Manion insolently asserts that the murder was justified by the rape, Paul experiences doubts about taking the case. After completing his conference with the Manions, Paul relates his feelings to Parnell, who urges him to take the case because he needs the money. Following Parnell’s advice that it is a lawyer’s duty to “guide” his client to the correct defense, Paul coaches Manion to say that he was insane at the time of the murder. Upon returning to his office, Paul finds the seductively dressed Laura waiting to see him. When he asks her to recount the night of the rape, she states that Quill offered her a ride home, but when they found the gates to her trailer park locked, he pulled off the road and raped and beat her. After Laura leaves, Paul asks Parnell to work with him on the case, but warns that he must “lay off the booze.” Paul then informs Manion that he will represent him, and Manion, pleading poverty, asks the attorney to accept a promissory note. Later, as Laura flirts with Paul outside the jailhouse, Paul warns that her husband is watching. Knowing that Manion is insanely jealous, Laura flinches. Paul then proceeds to the bar in Thunder Bay where Quill worked. Although bartender Alphonse Paquette curtly responds to his questions, Paul ascertains that Mary Pilant, who manages Quill’s Thunder Bay Hotel, now runs the bar. Paul’s secretary, Maida Rutledge, and Parnell then try to unearth information about Mary and learn that she recently moved to Thunder Bay from Canada and that Quill was fiercely protective of her. That evening at a nightclub, Paul sees a rowdy Laura dancing with some soldiers and takes her home, warning that she must appear demure in order to give credibility to her husband’s case. Laura shocks Paul when she responds that she would be glad if her husband was convicted, because then she could get away from him. With two days left before the start of the trial, Manion confers with army psychiatrist Matthew Smith, who diagnoses that he is suffering from “dissociative reaction” or, in layman’s terms, an irresistible impulse to shoot Quill. While scouring the law books for a precedent on which to base their case, Parnell and Paul come upon an 1886 ruling in which the court concluded that the defendant was forced to commit a crime because of an impulse he was powerless to control. The following Monday, as the court is convened by visiting judge Weaver, Laura enters the room, dressed in a baggy suit, horn rimmed glasses and a hat. Mitch Lodwick, the relatively inexperienced new district attorney, has requested that Claude Dancer, an assistant attorney general from the “big city,” serve as co-counsel. As testimony begins, Paul charges that the prosecution is suppressing evidence about the rape in order to insure that his client is convicted. When George Lemon, the manager of the trailer park, testifies that Manion admitted murdering Quill, Paul steers him into acknowledging that Laura had been severely beaten and that screams had been heard at the park gates on the night of the murder. Sgt. James Durgo then takes the stand, and Paul tricks him into admitting that the district attorney instructed him to substitute the phrase “some trouble” for rape. Overruling Mitch’s objections about introducing the rape, the judge allows Paul to continue his line of questioning. Durgo then avers Laura was raped, although her panties were never found at the scene of the crime. Incensed by the turn of events, Dancer takes over the questioning and tries to portray Laura as a seductress. Paul rebuts his charge by stating that Laura’s beauty drove her husband to murder the man who defaced her. Parnell had left the courtroom during the trial, and once court is adjourned for the day, Durgo informs Paul that his friend has been injured in an automobile accident, then takes him to Parnell’s hospital room. There Parnell, who does not possess a driver’s license, tells Paul that he drove to Canada to investigate Mary’s past and has learned that she was Quill’s illegitimate daughter. When the trial reconvenes, Paul tries to establish Laura’s veracity by introducing the fact that she swore to her husband on a rosary that she was raped. As Dancer calls Laura to the stand, Mary enters the courtroom. After eliciting that Laura had previously been divorced, Dancer establishes that she has been ex-communicated from the Catholic Church and therefore her oath was meaningless. Dancer then suggests that her panties were never found because she was not wearing them and implies that she lied about being raped to prevent her insanely jealous husband from beating her. Paul then calls Dr. Smith to the stand to testify that the shooting was a case of “disassociative reaction.” In his cross-examination of Smith, Dancer asks if Manion would have known right from wrong in that state. When Smith answers in the affirmative, Dancer smugly calls for a conference in the judge’s chambers and argues that because Manion knew right from wrong, he cannot be adjudged legally insane. Paul then hands the judge a law book and asks him to turn to the 1886 court ruling that established the precedent for Manion’s defense. Outfoxed by a man he incorrectly deduced was a folksy attorney, Dancer returns to the courtroom to call a surprise witness, Duane “Duke” Miller, an inmate who had been incarcerated with Manion. When Duke swears that Manion boasted that he fooled his attorney, his psychiatrist and that he will also fool the jury, Paul asks for a copy of the inmate’s record. Paul then impugns his testimony by reading the litany of crimes for which he has been convicted, calling him an inveterate criminal and liar. After Paul returns to his seat, Maida whispers that Mary, who earlier had left the courtroom, is waiting in the hall to talk to him. Once Paul ushers Mary into the courtroom, she takes the stand and testifies that after learning of the missing panties, she returned to the hotel where she found them in the laundry chute next to Quill’s room. When Dancer, believing that Mary was Quill’s mistress, argues that someone else could have put them in the chute and that Mary brought them to court in revenge for Quill’s interest in Laura, Mary invalidates his argument by revealing that she was Quill’s daughter. The jurors adjourn after closing arguments and soon return with a not guilty verdict. After Manion is released, Paul and Parnell drive to the trailer park to collect Manion’s promissory note. Upon arriving at the park, they are greeted by Lemon, who informs them that the Manions have gone. Lemon hands Paul a note from Manion, and tells him that Laura was in tears as the trailer pulled out. In the note, Manion explains that he was seized by an “irresistible impulse” to leave.
In Cold Blood(1967)
Cast:Robert Blake, Scott Wilson, John Forsythe
Directors:Richard Brooks
Producer:Richard Brooks
Writer:Richard Brooks
Editor:Peter Zinner
Cinematographer:Conrad Hall
Genre:Drama
Production Company:Pax Enterprises
Composer:Quincy Jones
At 2:00 a.m. on November 15, 1959, in the farming town of Holcomb, Kansas, four members of the Herbert Clutter family are roused from their sleep, bound and gagged, and then brutally murdered by two assailants. The killers, Perry Smith and Dick Hickock, had first met in a state prison where the arrogant Dick picked out the quick-tempered Perry, aspirin-addicted as a result of the lingering pain of leg injuries sustained in a motorcycle accident, as the "born killer" he needed for a partner. The robbery had been planned by Dick when a former inmate told him that Mr. Clutter kept $10,000 in a safe in his home. There was no safe, however, and the killers left with only $43. As the police, led by Alvin Dewey of the Kansas Bureau of Investigation, attempt to solve the murders, the two fugitives cash a series of bad checks and make their way to Mexico, where Perry dreams of becoming a gold prospector. But the plan, like most of Perry's fantasies, comes to naught, and Dick insists that they return to the States. Confident that they have left no clues, they cash additional bad checks. Dick's prison friend has already turned informer, however, and a police dragnet has been set up. In time the two killers are apprehended in Las Vegas and subjected to intensive questioning, during which their alibis are broken by keeping them separated while they tell conflicting stories. Finally, the soles of their shoes match footprints through Mr. Clutter's blood. Swiftly brought to trial and convicted, they are sentenced to be hanged at the Kansas State Penitentiary in Lansing; following appeals and stays of execution, they go to the gallows on April 14, 1965.
A Cry in the Dark(1988)
Cast:Meryl Streep, Sam Neill, Bruce Myles
Directors:Fred Schepisi
Producer:Verity Lambert, Menahem Golan, Yoram Globus
Writer:Robert Caswell, Fred Schepisi
Editor:Jill Bilcock
Cinematographer:Ian Baker
Genre:Drama
Production Company:Cannon Entertainment Inc., Cinema Verity , Evil Angels Films Pty. Ltd.
Composer:Bruce Smeaton
In August 1980, Lindy Chamberlain and her husband, Michael, take their two sons, Aidan and Reagan, and nine-week old daughter, Azaria, on a road trip to Ayers Rock in the Northern Territory of Australia. One night, at a campsite near the rock, Michael throws food scraps to a wild dingo lingering nearby and Lindy reprimands him for encouraging the animal. After putting Azaria to sleep in a basinet inside the children’s tent, Lindy returns to Michael at the grill, several feet away from the tent. Suddenly, another young mother hears Azaria crying and alerts Lindy, who rushes toward the tent and sees the backside of a dingo half-immersed in the children’s tent. It appears to be shaking its head, although Lindy cannot see what is in its mouth. Lindy yells at the dingo and the animal flees. By the time Lindy reaches the tent, she discovers that Azaria is missing from her basinet and cries, “The dingo got my baby!” Although Lindy chases after the dingo, it is too dark to see. Hoping to save Azaria, Michael and several campers wield flashlights as they make their way into the brush surrounding the campsite. When the police organize an even larger search party, Michael, a minister of the Seventh Day Adventist church, leads them in prayer, acknowledging that Azaria can no longer be alive but thanking them for their continued efforts. A nearby hotel offers to house the Chamberlains, free of charge, while police continue to investigate. Unable to sleep, Lindy frets about leaving the tent unzipped while Michael wonders aloud why God has taken their baby. The next day, police report they have found nothing. News reporters arrive to interview the Chamberlains, and when their story is aired, Australians react in disbelief and joke about the improbability of a dingo eating a baby. Sometime later, the Chamberlains return home, and reporters continue to hound the family for interviews. Bloodstained baby clothes are found in a cave located near a dingo lair, and some reports state that the clothes were neatly folded. People gossip about the Chamberlains’ religious beliefs; rumors spread that they sacrificed their baby in a strange ritual and were once linked to the Jonestown cult. The couple is also faulted for giving so many interviews, but Lindy insists she simply wants to counter the untruths floating around. Angry about the hype surrounding them, Michael orders Lindy to stop talking to the press. Meanwhile, forensic scientists examine Azaria’s bloodstained clothes and determine that dingo teeth could not have made the tears. Police investigator Graeme Charlwood visits the Chamberlains at home and an inquiry is held soon after; however, a death threat interrupts Lindy’s testimony, and later, a bomb threat is called in to the Chamberlains’ hotel at Ayers Rock, where they are forced to return for further questioning. In a televised ruling, a judge finds the Chamberlains innocent, but states that a human, not a dingo, murdered their child. Michael is accepted into a masters program at Avondale College and the family moves to a new home near the campus. On the anniversary of Azaria’s death, Michael brings Lindy flowers and weeps, admitting that he is sometimes overwhelmed by anger because he hardly knew their daughter. Just as their lives begin to settle down, the chief minister of the Northern Territory police allows Graeme Charlwood to re-open his investigation of the Chamberlains. Their house is raided for a second time, and the families who were at the Ayers Rock campsite at the time of Azaria’s death are questioned. New forensic reports claim the baby was decapitated, and police find a stain underneath the dashboard of the Chamberlains’ car that appears to be dried blood. Murder charges are brought against Lindy, alleging she slit Azaria’s throat inside the car and transported the baby's body inside Michael’s camera bag to a hiding place. Meanwhile, Lindy convinces Michael to conceive a child with her, as they may not have another chance if she goes to jail. Michael struggles with his faith in God, unsure that he can continue to be a pastor when he cannot understand God’s will. As the trial begins, Lindy is visibly pregnant. Her defense lawyers insist that the “blood” found in the car could technically be rust, the nail scissors she is accused of using to cut the baby’s clothes were not sharp enough, and despite public opinion otherwise, dingos are capable of carrying up to twenty pounds in their mouths over long distances. During her testimony, Lindy claims that Azaria was wearing a matinee jacket on top of the baby clothes that were found, which would explain why no dingo saliva was detected on the underclothes. Lindy’s cool demeanor irks the general public, and she ignores her lawyers’ urgings to act more demure. Although the judge encourages the jury to remain unbiased, a majority of Australians believe Lindy killed her child and the jury agrees, finding her guilty. She is sentenced to life in prison and hard labor, while Michael is found to be an accessory and sentenced to eighteen months in prison; however, as the primary caretaker of their children, he is pardoned. Despite Lindy’s appeals to keep her baby in prison, the newborn, Kahlia, is removed from her mother’s arms an hour after birth. Michael raises the baby at home, along with Aidan and Reagan, and continues to fight for Lindy’s innocence. Over the next few years, the alleged blood pattern underneath the dashboard of the Chamberlains’ car is found in several similar models, and Azaria’s matinee jacket is discovered near Ayers Rock. Lindy is released from prison “on compassionate grounds” and her neighbors celebrate her arrival home. Although young Kahlia does not want to hug Lindy at first, the family is happily reunited. At church, Lindy tells her fellow parishioners that the fight to clear her name has only just begun. She and Michael are finally found innocent and exonerated in 1988, eight years after Azaria’s diappearance.
Judgment at Nuremberg(1961)
Cast:Spencer Tracy, Burt Lancaster, Richard Widmark
Directors:Stanley Kramer
Producer:Stanley Kramer
Writer:Abby Mann
Editor:Frederic Knudtson
Cinematographer:Ernest Laszlo
Genre:Drama
Production Company:Roxlom Films
Composer:Ernest Gold
In 1948 Dan Haywood, an American judge recently defeated for reelection in Maine, arrives in Nuremberg to preside over the trial of several German judges accused of destroying law and justice to support Hitler's infamous mandates which took the lives of six million innocent people. From the moment the prosecuting attorney, Col. Tad Lawson, makes his emotion-packed opening statements, it is obvious that he is determined to obtain the maximum punishment for the judges. The defense lawyer, Hans Rolfe, counters by charging that if these men are guilty because they upheld the laws of their country, then all of Germany must be tried. To support his accusations of inhuman actions, Lawson offers the testimony of Rudolf Petersen, a victim of sterilization who, it develops, was castrated because of mental incompetence. During the long weeks of the trial, Haywood wanders about the city trying to understand the German people, and attempting to determine if they really understood what Hitler stood for. In particular, Haywood often chats with the aristocratic Madame Bertholt, the widow of a German general executed after the earlier war crimes trials. The proceedings reach a climax when a woman named Irene Hoffman is called to the stand. When she testifies that a former friend, an aged Jew, was falsely accused of being intimate with her (thereby "polluting the Aryan race") and then executed, Rolfe challenges her story by frantically accusing her of distorting the truth. As the distraught woman breaks into hysterical denials, one of the accused, Ernst Janning, interrupts the hearings and asks to make a statement. Throughout the trial he has remained silent, but he now voluntarily takes the stand and admits to being guilty of both ignoring and rationalizing the inhuman Nazi acts because he felt they were for the ultimate good of the country. As Haywood and his two associate judges ponder their decisions, the news that Russia has blockaded Berlin prompts military officials to hint that lenient judgments might be wise--and expedient. But Haywood, determined to stand for "justice, truth, and the value of a single human being," refuses to compromise, and he sentences the defendants to life imprisonment. The defiant Rolfe sneers that in five years the convicted men will be free.
EPIC
AFI defines “epic” as a genre of large-scale films set in a cinematic interpretation of the past.
Lawrence of Arabia(1962)
Cast:Peter O'Toole, Alec Guinness, Anthony Quinn
Directors:David Lean
Producer:Sam Spiegel, David Lean
Writer:Robert Bolt, Michael Wilson
Editor:Anne V. Coates
Cinematographer:F. A. Young
Genre:Adventure, Biography
Production Company:Horizon Pictures (G.B.), Ltd.
Composer:Maurice Jarre
In 1916 British Intelligence supports the Arab rebellion against the Turkish-German alliance. Dryden, a civilian member of the Arab Bureau, selects Lt. T. E. Lawrence, an enigmatic twenty-nine-year-old scholar, to evaluate the Arab revolt. Enthusiastically undertaking this assignment, the officer contacts Prince Feisal, a rebel leader, and persuades Feisal to lend him a force of fifty men. With this skeleton band, accompanied by Sherif Ali ibn el Karish, Lawrence crosses the Nefud Desert. At the journey's end, however, Lawrence learns that one of his men is missing. Undeterred by Arab assertions that the missing man's death had been divinely decreed, Lawrence returns to the desert and rescues him, earning thereby Ali's friendship and the respect of his subordinates. At a well Lawrence is confronted by the sheikh Auda Abu Tayi, whom he persuades to join the assault on Aqaba, a Turkish port at the desert's edge. The Turks, surprised by the overland attack, are routed, and the victory revitalizes the Arab rebellion. Arab unity, however, is undermined by internecine warfare. When one of his troop slays one of Auda Abu Tayi's henchmen, Lawrence in expiation executes the murderer, who proves to be the Arab he had saved in the desert. Unnerved, Lawrence returns to Cairo. Delighted by Lawrence's military success, however, General Allenby provides him with arms and money for future victories. Lawrence launches a series of successful guerrilla raids, which, as reported by American journalist Jackson Bentley, establish his international reputation. While on a scouting mission with Ali, Lawrence is captured and tortured by the Turks. He returns to Cairo, where General Allenby persuades him to spearhead an attack on Damascus. After the battle, Lawrence leads his men in the massacre of the retreating Turks. Upon entering Damascus the British Army is met by victorious Arab forces. Lawrence relinquishes control of the city to an Arab Council, but soon factionalism threatens to destroy it. On May 19, 1935, Lawrence dies in a motorcycle crash in Dorset, England, and is commemorated in services at St. Paul's.
Ben-Hur(1959)
Cast:Charlton Heston, Jack Hawkins, Haya Harareet
Directors:William Wyler
Producer:Joseph R. Vogel, Sol C. Siegel, Sam Zimbalist, J. J. Cohn
Writer:Karl Tunberg
Editor:Ralph E. Winters, John D. Dunning, Margaret Booth
Cinematographer:Robert L. Surtees
Genre:Epic
Production Company:Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Corp.
Composer:Miklos Rozsa
During the reign of the emperor Tiberius, the Roman officer Messala arrives in Jerusalem as the new Tribune, head of the Roman garrison. Having spent much of his boyhood in Jerusalem while his father was provincial governor of Judea, Messala became close friends with Judah Ben-Hur, a Jewish prince from a rich and influential family. On the night of his return, Messala is visited by Judah, and the two men warmly reminisce about happy times of their boyhood. Messala tells Judah that the emperor wants the recent rebelliousness of Judea crushed and asks for his help. Judah is uneasy with the request but, as he is against violence, agrees to speak with other influential Jews. The next day, Messala visits Judah, his mother Miriam and sister Tirzah. Messala gives Tirzah a beautiful brooch, and Judah presents Messala with a horse he has raised, but the men argue over Messala’s insistence that Judah tell him the names of Jewish leaders who will not denounce rebellion. Judah refuses, severing their friendship. That night, Simonides, the faithful steward of the house of Hur, returns from Antioch with good news of the family's increasing wealth. He asks for permission for his daughter Esther to marry a free man, and says that she wants to ask Judah personally for permission. Judah is attracted to Esther, whom he has not seen since childhood, and grants permission, saying her freedom will be his wedding gift, even though he knows that she is marrying only because her father wishes it. Later that night, when Judah and Esther are alone, they exchange a passionate kiss. Judah then takes Esther's slave ring and promises to wear it until he meets the woman he will marry. The next day, Gratus, the new governor, arrives to a cold reception by the people of Jerusalem. As Judah and Tirzah watch his procession from the roof of their house, Tirzah leans against some tiles and accidentally loosens them, causing them to fall just as Gratus is passing. After he is thrown from his horse and knocked unconscious, Roman soldiers storm the house. As they enter the courtyard, Judah tells Tirzah and Miriam to say nothing, then tries to reason with the soldiers, pleading that it was an accident. When Messala suddenly appears at the courtyard entrance, Judah appeals to him, but Messala coldly watches as Judah, Tirzah and Miriam are taken away. After their arrest, Messala goes to the roof and sees the loose tiles, confirming that Judah had been telling the truth, but says nothing. Soon guards go to Judah's cell to tell him that he is being sent to the seaport of Tyrus, which Judah knows means imprisonment as a galley slave. He overpowers the guards and escapes into the garrison, then steals a spear and breaks into Messala's quarters. After Messala orders his guards to leave them, Judah demands to know what has happened to Miriam and Tirzah. Messala tells him that Gratus will recover but they will be punished for their crime. Judah does not understand why Messala would let this happen, especially after Messala admits that he knows the truth. Judah begs for mercy, but Messala rebuffs him, saying that the people now will fear him, and warning if Judah kills him, Tirzah and Miriam will be crucified before his eyes. Defeated, Judah has no choice but to let the guards take him away as he asks God to grant him vengeance. Days later, as Judah and other chained prisoners, weakened by thirst and exhaustion, enter the town of Nazareth, townspeople offer them water, but the Roman guard stops a woman who tries to give some to Judah. In despair, Judah falls to the ground and implores God to help him. At that moment, a carpenter, who has seen his plight, approaches, gives him water and bathes his face and hands. The guard then tries to stop the carpenter but strangely acquiesces when he looks into the man's face. Judah also gazes in awe at the young Nazarene, not understanding why he has offered help. Three years later, Judah is rower 41 in a Roman galley. On the day that Roman Consul Quintus Arrius takes command of the vessel, Arrius goes below to survey the rowers. Sensing both strength and hatred in 41, Arrius deliberately taunts him by lashing him, and later observes his reaction when the men are submitted to a grueling test of endurance to increase their rowing speed. Later, Judah is ordered to Arrius' quarters, where the consul offers him the chance to leave the galley and become a charioteer or gladiator. Judah declines, saying that he has not died because God does not want it so. Soon a fleet of Macedonian ships is sighted and the galley prepares for battle. Prior to the start of the fighting, Arrius orders a subordinate to chain and lock the rowers' shackles to their posts, but leave 41's unlocked. During the battle, when their galley is rammed, the rowers are trapped until Judah kills their guard, takes his keys and unlocks the others. He then goes on deck, where he throws a spear at an enemy soldier who has attacked Arrius and forced him into the water. Judah dives after Arrius and pulls him to safety on some floating debris that serves as a raft. When Arrius realizes that his ship is sinking, he tries to kill himself with his own knife, but Judah stops him. The next morning, the two men are alone in the sea, with no ships in sight. Arrius asks to know 41's name and wonders why he saved his life. Moments later, they see a ship in the distance and realize that it is Roman. When they are brought onboard, Arrius shocks the captain by giving Judah water before he himself drinks. He then learns that, although five galleys were lost in the battle, the Romans were victorious. Arrius then takes Judah's arm, and leads him off, past the rowers’ hole. Some time later, Arrius is hailed in a procession through the streets of Rome, accompanied by Judah, who rides in his chariot. When the emperor awards Arrius with the baton of victory, he inquires about Judah and agrees to meet with Arrius to discuss his situation. The next day, the emperor gives Judah to Arrius, to be his slave. Months later, Judah has ridden Arrius' chariot to victory five times in the Roman arena, bringing him fame and admiration throughout Rome. At a celebration banquet, Arrius announces that he is adopting Judah as his heir, replacing the son who had died. When Arrius and Judah, who accepts his new name as Young Quintus Arrius, speak privately, Judah tells Arrius of his affection and gratitude, and accepts his signet ring, but reveals that he must return to Judea to find his mother and sister. On his way to Jerusalem, Judah stops at an oasis, where an old man, Balthasar of Alexandria, thinks that he may be the man whom he saw as a baby in a stable in Bethlehem. Balthasar soon realizes that Judah is not that man, but the two strike up a friendship. Balthasar introduces Judah to Sheik Ilderim, a wealthy Arab who cherishes his magnificent team of white chariot horses. Judah observes the team and admires them, but over dinner in Ilderim’s tent, refuses his suggestion that he drive the team for him in the arena. Judah is intrigued, though, when Ilderim expresses his hope to humiliate the arrogant Messala by a victory over his chariot and adds that, in the arena, there is no law. When Judah arrives at his family’s now-decaying home in Jerusalem, he is surprised to see Esther, who never married but returned to the house with Simonides after he, who was also imprisoned, was released. Simonides, who was crippled and blinded under torture, proudly tells Judah that his fortune is safely hidden. Later, Judah and Esther kiss and reveal their feelings for each other, but Esther worries that Judah is consumed with hate and tells him of a young Nazarene she has heard of who preaches of love. The next day, Messala receives the gift of an expensive knife from Quintus Arrius, the younger. Messala is shocked when the man is revealed to be Judah, who shows him the seal from Arrius’ signet ring. Judah then tells Messala if Miriam and Tirzah are restored to him, he will forget what has happened, and says that he will return the next day. Shaken by Judah’s appearance, Messala tells his underling Drusus to go to the prison and find out what has happened to the women. In the lowest level of the prison, Drusus discovers that the women, who had not been seen in years, are now lepers. Fearful of the disease, the guards order the women taken to the edge of the city and the contents of their cell burned. Late that night, Miriam and Tirzah, covering their deformities in rags, go to their home. Although they merely want to look at it, Esther hears them. The women refuse to let her approach, and when Esther reveals that Judah is not dead, but in Jerusalem, Miriam makes her promise to tell him that they have died in prison. When Esther later tells Judah what Miriam had asked, his bitterness and despair frighten her, and she implores him not to be consumed with hatred. Judah will not listen, though, and leaves, determined to find a means of revenge against Messala. [An intermission divides the story at this point.]
Soon Ilderim goes to Messala’s home, offers a wager of a trunk filled with gold and silver and asks him and his companions for odds on an upcoming chariot race. When Messala hears that his opponent will be Judah, he accepts the wager at four to one, calling it the difference between a Roman and a Jew--or an Arab. On the day of the race, Pontius Pilate, an old friend of Arrius, who has become the new governor of Judea, oversees the race. Ilderim is optimistic, and happy that Judah has earned his horses’ affection, but worries when he sees that Messala’s chariot has spiked wheels and warns Judah. During the nine-lap race, Messala uses the blades on his wheels to destroy many chariots, and several of the other charioteers are killed or maimed. Messala tries to destroy Judah’s chariot, but instead crashes his own and is dragged by his team. Judah wins the race and is crowned victorious by Pilate, who calls him the crowd’s current god when the Judeans cheer loudly for him. After the race, Messala, who is in agony, will not allow the physician to amputate his mutilated legs until after Judah, whom he has summoned, arrives. Rather than seeking forgiveness, as Messala dies, he taunts Judah by revealing that Tirzah and Miriam are not dead but living in the valley of the lepers. In despair, Judah goes to the valley to find his mother and sister, ignoring the fear of contagion. As he searches, he is stunned to see Esther and Malluch, the mute who takes care of Simonides, bringing baskets of food down to the lepers’ caves. Judah angrily confronts Esther for her deception and demands to see Miriam and Tirzah, but she pleads that they would be shattered if he saw what has become of them. When Miriam and Tirzah weakly call for Esther, Judah hides as Esther gives them food, and weeps when he hears his mother ask if he is well and happy. Although still unconvinced by Esther’s pleas to remain hidden, Judah nonetheless leaves with her and Malluch. On their way back to the city, they see a crowd gathering on a mountain top. Balthasar, who is in the crowd, calls out to Judah, saying that the Nazarene who will speak is the one he sought, and that he is the son of God. Although Judah momentarily thinks of the Nazarene who had given him water, he scoffs at the remark and returns to the city alone. Judah is then summoned by Pilate, who greets him warmly as the son of his old friend, and delivers the message that he has been granted Roman citizenship. Though expressing his affection for Arrius, Judah rejects the citizenship and gives Arrius’ ring to Pilate to return, saying that Rome turned Messala into what he became. When Judah returns home, Esther tells him of the words of love and forgiveness she heard from the Nazarene, but Judah will not listen. The next day, Esther returns to the valley of the lepers, followed at a distance by Judah. When Miriam approaches she reveals that Tirzah is dying. As Esther tells Miriam of the Nazarene’s words and says that she wants to take them to him, Judah comes forward. Miriam tries to make Judah go away by showing him her deformed face, but Judah strokes her forehead and embraces her. He then carries Tirzah from the cave and, with Miriam and Esther, walks back to Jerusalem. The city is almost deserted when they arrive. People shun the lepers, but an old blind man tells them that people are gathered for the trial of the Nazarene. They then walk to the center of the city and observe Pilate washing his hands of the man, who is sentenced to death. Seeing the Nazarene's tortured body, the women weep, but Judah suddenly recognizes him. Judah then follows his journey to the crucifixion site, and when the Nazarene stumbles under the weight of his cross, offers him water. As the women sadly return to the valley of the lepers, Judah continues to follow the Nazarene. When Judah sees Balthasar, he relates what happened in Nazareth and wonders what the man has done to deserve this, but Balthasar says that he came into the world for this purpose. As the Nazarene dies, the skies darken and a storm rages. Outside the city, Miriam, Tirzah and Esther have taken cover. Tirzah says that she is no longer afraid, and Miriam sadly says, “His life is over.” Suddenly, through lightning flashes, Esther sees that Miriam and Tirzah no longer bear the deformities of leprosy. That night, when Judah returns home, he embraces Esther and relates that, even near death, the Nazarene sought forgiveness for those who caused his suffering. Esther then shows him that Miriam and Esther have been cured and the four lovingly embrace.
Soon Ilderim goes to Messala’s home, offers a wager of a trunk filled with gold and silver and asks him and his companions for odds on an upcoming chariot race. When Messala hears that his opponent will be Judah, he accepts the wager at four to one, calling it the difference between a Roman and a Jew--or an Arab. On the day of the race, Pontius Pilate, an old friend of Arrius, who has become the new governor of Judea, oversees the race. Ilderim is optimistic, and happy that Judah has earned his horses’ affection, but worries when he sees that Messala’s chariot has spiked wheels and warns Judah. During the nine-lap race, Messala uses the blades on his wheels to destroy many chariots, and several of the other charioteers are killed or maimed. Messala tries to destroy Judah’s chariot, but instead crashes his own and is dragged by his team. Judah wins the race and is crowned victorious by Pilate, who calls him the crowd’s current god when the Judeans cheer loudly for him. After the race, Messala, who is in agony, will not allow the physician to amputate his mutilated legs until after Judah, whom he has summoned, arrives. Rather than seeking forgiveness, as Messala dies, he taunts Judah by revealing that Tirzah and Miriam are not dead but living in the valley of the lepers. In despair, Judah goes to the valley to find his mother and sister, ignoring the fear of contagion. As he searches, he is stunned to see Esther and Malluch, the mute who takes care of Simonides, bringing baskets of food down to the lepers’ caves. Judah angrily confronts Esther for her deception and demands to see Miriam and Tirzah, but she pleads that they would be shattered if he saw what has become of them. When Miriam and Tirzah weakly call for Esther, Judah hides as Esther gives them food, and weeps when he hears his mother ask if he is well and happy. Although still unconvinced by Esther’s pleas to remain hidden, Judah nonetheless leaves with her and Malluch. On their way back to the city, they see a crowd gathering on a mountain top. Balthasar, who is in the crowd, calls out to Judah, saying that the Nazarene who will speak is the one he sought, and that he is the son of God. Although Judah momentarily thinks of the Nazarene who had given him water, he scoffs at the remark and returns to the city alone. Judah is then summoned by Pilate, who greets him warmly as the son of his old friend, and delivers the message that he has been granted Roman citizenship. Though expressing his affection for Arrius, Judah rejects the citizenship and gives Arrius’ ring to Pilate to return, saying that Rome turned Messala into what he became. When Judah returns home, Esther tells him of the words of love and forgiveness she heard from the Nazarene, but Judah will not listen. The next day, Esther returns to the valley of the lepers, followed at a distance by Judah. When Miriam approaches she reveals that Tirzah is dying. As Esther tells Miriam of the Nazarene’s words and says that she wants to take them to him, Judah comes forward. Miriam tries to make Judah go away by showing him her deformed face, but Judah strokes her forehead and embraces her. He then carries Tirzah from the cave and, with Miriam and Esther, walks back to Jerusalem. The city is almost deserted when they arrive. People shun the lepers, but an old blind man tells them that people are gathered for the trial of the Nazarene. They then walk to the center of the city and observe Pilate washing his hands of the man, who is sentenced to death. Seeing the Nazarene's tortured body, the women weep, but Judah suddenly recognizes him. Judah then follows his journey to the crucifixion site, and when the Nazarene stumbles under the weight of his cross, offers him water. As the women sadly return to the valley of the lepers, Judah continues to follow the Nazarene. When Judah sees Balthasar, he relates what happened in Nazareth and wonders what the man has done to deserve this, but Balthasar says that he came into the world for this purpose. As the Nazarene dies, the skies darken and a storm rages. Outside the city, Miriam, Tirzah and Esther have taken cover. Tirzah says that she is no longer afraid, and Miriam sadly says, “His life is over.” Suddenly, through lightning flashes, Esther sees that Miriam and Tirzah no longer bear the deformities of leprosy. That night, when Judah returns home, he embraces Esther and relates that, even near death, the Nazarene sought forgiveness for those who caused his suffering. Esther then shows him that Miriam and Esther have been cured and the four lovingly embrace.
Schindler's List(1993)
Cast:Liam Neeson, Ben Kingsley, Ralph Fiennes
Directors:Steven Spielberg
Producer:Steven Spielberg, Gerald R. Molen, Branko Lustig, Kathleen Kennedy
Writer:Steve Zaillian
Editor:Michael Kahn
Cinematographer:Janusz Kaminski
Genre:Drama
Production Company:Amblin Entertainment
Composer:John Williams [composer]
In September 1939, at the onset of World War II, German entrepreneur and Nazi party member Oskar Schindler goes to Krakow, Poland, where tens of thousands of Polish Jews have been forced to relocate under German occupation. Schindler wants to open a ceramics factory but lacks the necessary capital. He asks Jewish accountant Itzhak Stern to help him recruit Jewish investors, who would go unnamed, as Jews are no longer allowed to own businesses. Stern rejects the idea. However, in March 1941, when Krakow Jews are forced out of their homes and into a sixteen-block walled ghetto, Stern reconsiders. He recruits investors, who initially balk at Schindler’s offer to repay them in ceramic goods, but agree to invest when Schindler convinces them their money will be of no value in the ghetto. Itzhak Stern recruits Jewish workers for Schindler’s factory. Because it is located outside the ghetto, the workers must be deemed “essential” and receive blue cards to allow them to come and go. Stern helps some elderly and handicapped Jews get hired by forging paperwork to prove they are essential. Schindler reprimands him for this practice, but does not fire anyone. He establishes contracts with the German army, and the business gets off to a strong start. Schindler’s estranged wife, Emilie, arrives, and is not surprised when she finds her husband with another woman. Schindler brags to Emilie that he has finally achieved success, and is proud to be a war profiteer. They briefly reunite, but when Emilie offers to stay, if he promises to be faithful, Schindler sends her away. One day, he gets word that Stern has been sent to a concentration camp. He rushes to the train station, threatens the Nazi officers, and retrieves Stern, who apologizes, explaining he accidentally left home without his work card. The exasperated Schindler wonders what would have happened if he had not made it to the station in time. In the winter of 1942, Krakow Jews struggle to withstand the demoralizing conditions of the ghetto. Austrian Schutzstaffel (SS) officer Amon Goeth arrives in Krakow to oversee the building of the Plaszow forced labor camp, and establishes himself as a ruthless killer when he shoots a Jewish engineer for being too argumentative. In March 1943, Krakow Jews are again forced to relocate to Plaszow. Their “liquidation” from the ghetto results in mass bloodshed, as Nazi guards gun down anyone who attempts to hide or flee. Schindler observes the atrocity, and is struck by a young Jewish girl in a red coat, moving alone through the chaotic streets. In the ghetto’s infirmary, a Jewish doctor and nurse administer a fatal dose of medicine to patients just before SS officers burst in and shoot them in their hospital beds. At Plaszow, Goeth amuses himself by shooting slow-moving or resting workers with a sniper rifle. When Schindler’s workers fail to report to the factory, he goes to Plaszow to inquire about their whereabouts, and must ingratiate himself with Goeth to allow for their release. Word spreads that Schindler is a benevolent boss. Regina Perlman, a young Jewish woman living in Krakow under a false identity, begs Schindler to hire her parents. Schindler again reprimands Itzhak Stern for his charitable hiring practices. He defends Goeth as someone who is under tremendous pressure, who would not normally act like a tyrant. Stern relays a story about Goeth executing prisoners at random, and urges Schindler to fight against Goeth’s brutality. Schindler relents and hires Regina Perlman’s parents. The next time he visits Goeth, Schindler pulls aside his Jewish housemaid, Helen Hirsch, who recalls Goeth beating her on the first day of work, and predicts he will someday kill her. Upstairs, Schindler tells the drunken Goeth that true power is refraining from killing someone when you have every reason to do it. The next day, Goeth experiments with showing mercy toward the Jewish prisoners, but quickly gives up and kills his houseboy for failing to properly clean his bathtub. Later, Goeth paces in Helen’s quarters, struggling to restrain himself despite his strong attraction to her. Finally, instead of kissing her, he beats her. In the women’s barracks, a female prisoner shares a rumor that at some camps, Jewish prisoners are lured into gas chambers disguised as showers and killed en masse. Others cannot believe it, and laugh it off as impossible. With an incoming shipment of Hungarian Jews arriving at Plaszow, German doctors are called to determine which existing workers can stay, and who must be sent to concentration camps. Children are loaded into trucks and driven out of the camp, as their parents chase after them in desperation. Schindler goes to the train station, where departing Jews are packed into unventilated train compartments. He suggests hosing them down as a prank, but Goeth realizes Schindler is doing it out of pity, to keep them from overheating. Soon, Schindler is arrested for kissing a Jewish worker who presented him with a birthday cake. Goeth negotiates his release. In April 1944, a Nazi edict requires that buried Jewish bodies be exhumed and burned. Plaszow workers are tasked with digging up the dead bodies. Goeth tells Schindler that the “party is over,” and everyone will soon be sent to Auschwitz. Schindler concocts a plan to start a new factory in his hometown of Zwittau-Brinnlitz, Czechoslovakia. He uses all his money and belongings to bribe SS officials, including Goeth, to allow over 1,000 of his workers, named on a list, to be transferred to the new factory. He wants to add Helen Hirsch to the list, but Goeth plans to shoot her. Schindler entices him to wager Helen in a card game, and Goeth loses, allowing Schindler to rescue her. Although Schindler’s male workers arrive in Zwittau-Brinnlitz, the women are diverted to Auschwitz, due to an alleged clerical error. There, their hair is cut off and they are forced to shower in a large room that they fear is a gas chamber. Schindler goes to Auschwitz and uses diamonds to negotiate their release. SS officers try to steal his child employees, but Schindler insists he needs their small fingers to polish shell casings. Back in Zwittau-Brinnlitz, Schindler forbids SS guards from shooting any of his workers, or carrying guns on the factory floor. He reunites with his wife, Emilie, and promises to be faithful to her. When Stern warns Schindler that the company’s new artillery shells are failing tests, the satisfied Schindler vows never to produce working artillery. The workers are allowed to resume observing the Sabbath, despite the SS guards’ dismay. Just as Schindler and the factory run out of money, Germans surrender to Allied forces, bringing an end to World War II. Schindler makes an announcement to his workers and the SS guards that he is a war criminal and will flee that night. He urges the guards, who have received orders to kill all the Jews at the factory, to return home as men instead of murderers. The guards reluctantly leave. Schindler observes three minutes of silence for the Jewish victims of the war. One of the workers allows three of his gold teeth to be pulled, to fabricate a gold ring as a parting gift for Schindler. At midnight, they present him with the ring, engraved with a Hebrew saying that states, “Whoever saves one life saves the world entire.” Stern credits Schindler with saving 1,100 people. Schindler breaks down in tears, disappointed in himself for not saving more. He dons a concentration camp uniform, and flees with Emilie. The next day, a soldier arrives to tell the workers that they have been liberated, but discourages them from going back to Poland. He points them in the direction of the nearest town, where they walk to find food. In time, Goeth is arrested at a sanitarium and hanged for war crimes. Schindler’s marriage and subsequent business ventures fail. In 1958, he is named a “righteous person” by the council of Yad Vashem in Jerusalem, Israel. The descendants of the Jews he saved eventually outnumber all the Jews in Poland.
Gone with the Wind(1939)
Cast:Thomas Mitchell, Barbara O'Neil, Vivien Leigh
Directors:Victor Fleming, Sam Wood, George Cukor, Chester Franklin, James Fitzpatrick
Producer:David O. Selznick
Writer:Sidney Howard, Barbara Keon, Lydia Schiller, Connie Earl
Cinematographer:Ernest Haller, Lee Garmes
Genre:Romance
Production Company:Selznick International Pictures, Inc.
Composer:Max Steiner
In 1861, Scarlett O'Hara, the headstrong sixteen-year-old daughter of wealthy Georgia plantation-owner Gerald O'Hara, is sick of hearing talk about going to war with the North. She much prefers to have beaux like Brent and Stuart Tarleton talk about the next day's barbecue at Twelve Oaks, the neighboring Wilkes plantation. When the twins reveal the “secret” that Ashley Wilkes is planning to marry his cousin Melanie Hamilton from Atlanta, Scarlett refuses to believe it because she is in love with Ashley herself. Her father later confirms the news when he returns home to Tara, the O'Hara plantation, and advises Scarlett to forget about the serious-minded Ashley, because “like should marry like.” At the barbeque, Scarlett acts coquettish with all of the young men, hoping to make Ashley jealous, then, during an afternoon rest, sneaks into the library to see him. He says that he will marry Melanie because they are alike, but leads Scarlett to believe that he loves her instead of Melanie. When he leaves, Scarlett angrily throws a vase and is startled to discover Rhett Butler, a notorious rogue from Charleston, who has been lying unnoticed on a couch the entire time. She is angry at his seeming indifference to the seriousness of her feelings for Ashley and annoyed by his frank appreciation of her physical beauty. Later, when news arrives that war has broken out between the North and the South, Scarlett is stunned to see Ashley kiss Melanie goodbye as he leaves to enlist, and in a daze accepts the impulsive proposal of Melanie's brother Charles.
Just after Ashley and Melanie marry, Scarlett and Charles marry as well, delighting Melanie, who tells Scarlett that now they will truly be sisters. Some time later, Scarlett receives word that Charles has died of the measles, and she is forced to don widow's black clothing and refrain from going to the parties she loves. Her understanding mother Ellen decides to let her go to Atlanta to stay with Melanie and her Aunt Pittypat, hoping that Scarlett will feel less restless there. At an Atlanta fundraising bazaar, Scarlett is so bored watching other girls dance, that when Rhett bids for her in a dance auction, she enthusiastically leads the Virginia Reel with him, oblivious to the outrage of the shocked local matrons. Rhett, who has become a successful blockade runner, continues to see Scarlett over the next few months and brings her presents from his European trips. As the war rages, Melanie and Scarlett receive word that Ashley will be returning home on a Christmas leave. Atlanta is now suffering the privation of a long siege, but the women manage to give Ashley a small Christmas feast. Before he returns to the front, Ashley tells Scarlett that the South is losing the war and asks her to stay by the pregnant Melanie.
Melanie goes into labor as Atlantans leave the city before Northern troops arrive. When Aunt Pitty leaves for Charleston, Scarlett desperately wants to go with her, but remembers her promise to Ashley, and remains with Melanie. Because Melanie's labor is difficult and the doctor is too busy attending wounded soldiers to come to her aid, Scarlett must attend her alone. After the baby is born, Scarlett sends her maid Prissy for Rhett, who reluctantly arrives with a frightened horse and a wagon. Though he thinks that Scarlett is crazy when she insists upon returning to Tara, he risks his life to drive the women and the infant through the now-burning city. Outside Atlanta, as Rhett and Scarlett see the decimated Southern army in retreat, he feels ashamed and resolves to join them for their last stand. Scarlett is furious with him, even after he admits that he loves her and gives her a passionate kiss before leaving. When the women finally arrive at Tara, the plantation is a shambles and the house has been looted. Scarlett's mother Ellen has just died of typhoid and her father's mind is gone. Desperate for something to eat, Scarlett first tries drinking whiskey, then goes into the fields. After choking on a radish, she vows that if she lives through this she will never go hungry again. [An Intermission divides the story at this point.]
Soon Scarlett bullies her sisters and the remaining house slaves into working in the fields. After she kills a Yankee scavenger and, with Melanie's help, hides the body, the contents of his wallet provide them with some money for food. When the war ends, Ashley returns and Scarlett goes to him for advice when Pork, one of the former slaves who has remained with the family, tells her that $300 in taxes are owed on Tara. Ashley offers no solution to her problem, but admits once again that he loves her, even though he will never leave Melanie. More determined than ever to obtain the money after Jonas Wilkerson, a ruthless Yankee who was once Tara's overseer, says that he is going to buy Tara when it is auctioned off for taxes, Scarlett decides to ask Rhett for the money. With no proper clothes to wear, Scarlett and her old governess, Mammy, use material from Tara's velvet drapes for a new dress. In Atlanta, they discover that Rhett has been imprisoned by the Yankees, but has charmed his way into their good graces. Scarlett tries to pretend that everything is fine at Tara, but Rhett soon sees her roughened hands and realizes what her situation is. Because he is under arrest and his money is all in an English bank, Rhett cannot help Scarlett, so she leaves, infuriated. That same day, she runs into Frank Kennedy, her sister Suellen's beau, and sees that he has become a successful merchant. Scarlett tricks Frank into marrying her by telling him that Suellen loves someone else, and is thus able to use his money to save Tara. Scarlett then moves to Atlanta to work at Frank's shop and to make his fledgling lumber business a success. She also uses an unwitting Melanie to help make Ashley come to work at the lumber mill. One day, Scarlett is attacked by scavengers while driving her carriage near a shanty town, but is saved by Big Sam, a former Tara slave. Scarlett is not physically harmed, but that night Frank, Ashley and some of the other men band together to “clear out” the shanty. While Scarlett, Melanie and the other women wait at Melanie's house, Rhett arrives to warn them that the Yankees are planning an ambush. Melanie tells him where the men have gone, and some time later, he prevents their arrest by pretending to the Yankees that they have all been drinking with him at the notorious Belle Watling's bordello. Ashley is wounded, but Frank has died on the raid.
A few weeks later, Scarlett, who is drinking heavily, is visited by Rhett, who proposes to her and offers to give her everything she wants. Though she says that she does not love him, she agrees to marry him, and on their expensive honeymoon, he vows to spoil her to stop her nightmares of the war. A year later, Scarlett gives birth to a daughter, whom Melanie nicknames “Bonnie Blue.” Though Rhett has never cared about Atlanta society, he now wants to ensure Bonnie's future. He begins to acquire respectability, and within a few years his charitable contributions and sincere devotion to Bonnie impresses even the hardest of Atlanta's matrons. Meanwhile, Scarlett still longs for Ashley and has told Rhett that she no longer wants him to share her bedroom. One day, Ashley's sister India and some other women see Scarlett and Ashley in an embrace. Though nothing improper happened, Scarlett is afraid to attend Melanie's birthday party for Ashley that night. A furious Rhett forces her to attend, though, then leaves. Melanie's open affection to her makes Scarlett ashamed, and when she returns home she sneaks into the dining room to drink. There she finds Rhett drunk and a violent quarrel erupts. After Scarlett calls Rhett a drunken fool, he grabs her and carries her upstairs, angrily telling her that this night there will not be “three in a bed.” The next morning, Scarlett is happy, but when Rhett scoffs that his behavior was merely an indiscretion, her happiness turns to anger. Rhett then leaves for an extended trip to England and takes Bonnie with him.
Some months later, because Bonnie is homesick, Rhett returns to Atlanta and discovers that Scarlett is pregnant. She is happy to see Rhett, but his smirk of indifference and accusation about Ashley enrages her so that she starts to strike him and falls down the stairs. She loses the baby, and although she calls to him during her delirium, Rhett does not know and thinks that she hates him. After she recovers, he suggests that the anger and hatred stop for Bonnie's sake, and Scarlett agrees, but as they are talking, the headstrong Bonnie tries to make her pony take a jump and she falls and breaks her neck. Both are shattered by Bonnie's death, especially Rhett, who refuses to let her be buried because Bonnie was afraid of the dark. Only Melanie, to whom Rhett has always felt a closeness, convinces him to let the child go. After her talk with Rhett, Melanie, who has become pregnant despite the danger to her health, collapses and suffers a miscarriage. On her deathbed, Melanie asks Scarlett to take care of Ashley, but when Scarlett sees how much the distraught Ashley loves Melanie, she finally realizes how wrong she has been for years and knows that it is Rhett she truly loves. She rushes back home and tries to prevent him from leaving her, but he will not stay because it is too late for them. Scarlett tearfully asks him what she will do and as he leaves he answers, “Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn.” Through her sobs, Scarlett begins to think of Tara, from which she has always gained strength, and determines that she will return there and will think of a way to get Rhett back. She resolves to think about it tomorrow for, “after all, tomorrow is another day.”
Just after Ashley and Melanie marry, Scarlett and Charles marry as well, delighting Melanie, who tells Scarlett that now they will truly be sisters. Some time later, Scarlett receives word that Charles has died of the measles, and she is forced to don widow's black clothing and refrain from going to the parties she loves. Her understanding mother Ellen decides to let her go to Atlanta to stay with Melanie and her Aunt Pittypat, hoping that Scarlett will feel less restless there. At an Atlanta fundraising bazaar, Scarlett is so bored watching other girls dance, that when Rhett bids for her in a dance auction, she enthusiastically leads the Virginia Reel with him, oblivious to the outrage of the shocked local matrons. Rhett, who has become a successful blockade runner, continues to see Scarlett over the next few months and brings her presents from his European trips. As the war rages, Melanie and Scarlett receive word that Ashley will be returning home on a Christmas leave. Atlanta is now suffering the privation of a long siege, but the women manage to give Ashley a small Christmas feast. Before he returns to the front, Ashley tells Scarlett that the South is losing the war and asks her to stay by the pregnant Melanie.
Melanie goes into labor as Atlantans leave the city before Northern troops arrive. When Aunt Pitty leaves for Charleston, Scarlett desperately wants to go with her, but remembers her promise to Ashley, and remains with Melanie. Because Melanie's labor is difficult and the doctor is too busy attending wounded soldiers to come to her aid, Scarlett must attend her alone. After the baby is born, Scarlett sends her maid Prissy for Rhett, who reluctantly arrives with a frightened horse and a wagon. Though he thinks that Scarlett is crazy when she insists upon returning to Tara, he risks his life to drive the women and the infant through the now-burning city. Outside Atlanta, as Rhett and Scarlett see the decimated Southern army in retreat, he feels ashamed and resolves to join them for their last stand. Scarlett is furious with him, even after he admits that he loves her and gives her a passionate kiss before leaving. When the women finally arrive at Tara, the plantation is a shambles and the house has been looted. Scarlett's mother Ellen has just died of typhoid and her father's mind is gone. Desperate for something to eat, Scarlett first tries drinking whiskey, then goes into the fields. After choking on a radish, she vows that if she lives through this she will never go hungry again. [An Intermission divides the story at this point.]
Soon Scarlett bullies her sisters and the remaining house slaves into working in the fields. After she kills a Yankee scavenger and, with Melanie's help, hides the body, the contents of his wallet provide them with some money for food. When the war ends, Ashley returns and Scarlett goes to him for advice when Pork, one of the former slaves who has remained with the family, tells her that $300 in taxes are owed on Tara. Ashley offers no solution to her problem, but admits once again that he loves her, even though he will never leave Melanie. More determined than ever to obtain the money after Jonas Wilkerson, a ruthless Yankee who was once Tara's overseer, says that he is going to buy Tara when it is auctioned off for taxes, Scarlett decides to ask Rhett for the money. With no proper clothes to wear, Scarlett and her old governess, Mammy, use material from Tara's velvet drapes for a new dress. In Atlanta, they discover that Rhett has been imprisoned by the Yankees, but has charmed his way into their good graces. Scarlett tries to pretend that everything is fine at Tara, but Rhett soon sees her roughened hands and realizes what her situation is. Because he is under arrest and his money is all in an English bank, Rhett cannot help Scarlett, so she leaves, infuriated. That same day, she runs into Frank Kennedy, her sister Suellen's beau, and sees that he has become a successful merchant. Scarlett tricks Frank into marrying her by telling him that Suellen loves someone else, and is thus able to use his money to save Tara. Scarlett then moves to Atlanta to work at Frank's shop and to make his fledgling lumber business a success. She also uses an unwitting Melanie to help make Ashley come to work at the lumber mill. One day, Scarlett is attacked by scavengers while driving her carriage near a shanty town, but is saved by Big Sam, a former Tara slave. Scarlett is not physically harmed, but that night Frank, Ashley and some of the other men band together to “clear out” the shanty. While Scarlett, Melanie and the other women wait at Melanie's house, Rhett arrives to warn them that the Yankees are planning an ambush. Melanie tells him where the men have gone, and some time later, he prevents their arrest by pretending to the Yankees that they have all been drinking with him at the notorious Belle Watling's bordello. Ashley is wounded, but Frank has died on the raid.
A few weeks later, Scarlett, who is drinking heavily, is visited by Rhett, who proposes to her and offers to give her everything she wants. Though she says that she does not love him, she agrees to marry him, and on their expensive honeymoon, he vows to spoil her to stop her nightmares of the war. A year later, Scarlett gives birth to a daughter, whom Melanie nicknames “Bonnie Blue.” Though Rhett has never cared about Atlanta society, he now wants to ensure Bonnie's future. He begins to acquire respectability, and within a few years his charitable contributions and sincere devotion to Bonnie impresses even the hardest of Atlanta's matrons. Meanwhile, Scarlett still longs for Ashley and has told Rhett that she no longer wants him to share her bedroom. One day, Ashley's sister India and some other women see Scarlett and Ashley in an embrace. Though nothing improper happened, Scarlett is afraid to attend Melanie's birthday party for Ashley that night. A furious Rhett forces her to attend, though, then leaves. Melanie's open affection to her makes Scarlett ashamed, and when she returns home she sneaks into the dining room to drink. There she finds Rhett drunk and a violent quarrel erupts. After Scarlett calls Rhett a drunken fool, he grabs her and carries her upstairs, angrily telling her that this night there will not be “three in a bed.” The next morning, Scarlett is happy, but when Rhett scoffs that his behavior was merely an indiscretion, her happiness turns to anger. Rhett then leaves for an extended trip to England and takes Bonnie with him.
Some months later, because Bonnie is homesick, Rhett returns to Atlanta and discovers that Scarlett is pregnant. She is happy to see Rhett, but his smirk of indifference and accusation about Ashley enrages her so that she starts to strike him and falls down the stairs. She loses the baby, and although she calls to him during her delirium, Rhett does not know and thinks that she hates him. After she recovers, he suggests that the anger and hatred stop for Bonnie's sake, and Scarlett agrees, but as they are talking, the headstrong Bonnie tries to make her pony take a jump and she falls and breaks her neck. Both are shattered by Bonnie's death, especially Rhett, who refuses to let her be buried because Bonnie was afraid of the dark. Only Melanie, to whom Rhett has always felt a closeness, convinces him to let the child go. After her talk with Rhett, Melanie, who has become pregnant despite the danger to her health, collapses and suffers a miscarriage. On her deathbed, Melanie asks Scarlett to take care of Ashley, but when Scarlett sees how much the distraught Ashley loves Melanie, she finally realizes how wrong she has been for years and knows that it is Rhett she truly loves. She rushes back home and tries to prevent him from leaving her, but he will not stay because it is too late for them. Scarlett tearfully asks him what she will do and as he leaves he answers, “Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn.” Through her sobs, Scarlett begins to think of Tara, from which she has always gained strength, and determines that she will return there and will think of a way to get Rhett back. She resolves to think about it tomorrow for, “after all, tomorrow is another day.”
Spartacus(1960)
Cast:Kirk Douglas, Laurence Olivier, Jean Simmons
Directors:Stanley Kubrick, Anthony Mann
Producer:Kirk Douglas, Edward Muhl, Edward Lewis
Writer:Dalton Trumbo
Editor:Robert Lawrence
Cinematographer:Russell Metty
Genre:Epic
Production Company:Universal-International Pictures Co., Inc., Bryna Productions, Inc.
Composer:Alex North
During the last century of the Roman Republic, thousands are born enslaved to either the privileged class known as patricians or the wealthiest of the commoners, known as plebeians. One exceptionally strong slave in the rock mines of Libya, Spartacus, is regularly whipped for displaying his intelligence and pride. One day, Batiatus, who trains slaves to become gladiators, purchases Spartacus and several other slaves for his training camp in Capua. There, Batiatus announces that each man will be taught to fight to the death strategically, for the pleasure of patricians who enjoy the “sport.” Training proves as dehumanizing as the mines; each slave is branded, mercilessly instructed by head trainer Marcellus, and kept in cells. Spartacus tries to befriend Ethopian gladiator Draba, but soon learns that the men refuse to ally, knowing that they may be forced to kill each other. One night, Spartacus is presented the slave woman Varinia. Batiatus and Marcellus, knowing that Spartacus has never had a woman, watch from a grate above his cell as Varinia stoically undresses. Their laughter disgusts Spartacus, and after he refuses to mistreat the young woman, Batiatus takes her away as punishment for not acting as “a man.” Over the next weeks, Spartacus excels at gladiatorial skills and falls further in love with Varinia. Marcellus attempts to derail their attraction, but the couple manages to exchange furtive touches. One day, Marcus Licinius Crassus, a patrician in competition with the plebeian Gracchus for control of the Roman Senate, arrives at Capua along with his wife Lady Helena, sister-in-law Claudia and her fiancé, Marcus Glabrus. To celebrate the betrothal, Crassus insists that a gladiatorial match be arranged, ignoring Batiatus’ concern that forcing the slaves to fight to the death in their own camp could cause an uprising. Helena and Claudia choose four slaves, including Spartacus and Draba, to fight, and order them to be scantily clad. As the matches begin, the patricians banter happily, undisturbed by the desperation of the fighting men. Spartacus listens from the holding cell as a friend is killed, then enters into battle against Draba. Draba overcomes Spartacus, but, unwilling to kill his compatriot, instead attacks Crassus and is immediately killed by a guard. When Spartacus later hears that Crassus has bought Varinia, he can no longer control his rage, and attacks Marcellus. Emboldened, the other slaves follow suit and escape, forming an “army” that travels across the countryside, looting landowners and freeing slaves, who then join the swelling ranks. Word soon spreads to Rome of the slave rebellion, causing outrage in the senate. While Crassus is away, Gracchus cannily challenges Glabrus, now head of the Roman garrison, to lead some of the troops against the slaves, leaving Julius Caesar as temporary chief of the remaining garrison. When Crassus returns, he comprehends immediately that Gracchus plots to keep Glabrus out of Rome, leaving Crassus more vulnerable to attack. Meanwhile, Spartacus inspires his troops to form a united front that can sweep across the country and escape over the sea to their homelands. In one town, Spartacus is elated to find Varinia, who has escaped and now confesses her love. Back in Rome, while Crassus admires his new “body slave,” Antoninus, Gracchus schemes with Batiatus, who blames Crassus for Spartacus’ rebellion. Soon, Spartacus’ army settles at Mt. Vesuvius, where an escaped Antoninus impresses Spartacus, who longs for an education, with his songs. One day, Tigranes, a representative of Salician pirates, visits to offer the slaves support. Spartacus trades the army’s riches for 500 ships, to await the army on the east coast of Italy. Tigranes agrees to the trade, and when he wonders aloud why Spartacus believes he can defeat the mighty Roman garrison, the former slave replies that, unlike soldiers, his men are not afraid to die, since even death is preferable to a life in chains. Soon after, Glabrus arrives and, underestimating the intelligence of the slaves, fails to prepare his troops adequately. Spartacus is able to destroy the garrison and capture Glabrus, whom he sends back to the senate with the message that the army will not be stopped. Crassus is forced to banish Glabrus and retire in shame. Throughout the winter, Spartacus’ ever-growing group crosses the country, many dying along the way. In the spring, Spartacus is overjoyed to learn that Varinia is pregnant. Meanwhile, Gracchus convinces the senate to name Caesar as commander of the garrison and to send two legions to destroy Spartacus. When no one volunteers to lead the legions against Spartacus, Gracchus is forced to ask Crassus, who is delighted to head the campaign to "restore order" to Rome. Later, Gracchus reveals to Caesar that he has maneuvered the sale of the Salician ships to Spartacus, knowing that Spartacus’ triumph will spell defeat for Crassus. Although Spartacus celebrates upon reaching an encampment a mere twenty miles away from the Salician ships, Tigranes soon arrives, with the news that Pompey and Crassus have conspired to surround Spartacus’ army, necessitating the withdrawal of the ships. Spartacus realizes that Crassus is forcing him to attack Rome, which will allow the patrician to use all the troops at his disposal against them. Dismissing Tigranes’ offer to smuggle Spartacus and Antoninus, now his closest aide, to freedom, Spartacus instead stirs his troops to march against Rome. At the same time, the Romans elect Crassus as head consul and leader of the legions, and he vows to destroy Spartacus and restore order to the empire. The armies soon come within fighting distance of each other, and Crassus, single-minded in his fear of and hatred for Spartacus, pays Batiatus to identify the former slave on the battleground. Just before the battle, Spartacus tells Varinia that his only prayer is for his son to be born free and to learn about his father’s cause. Within hours, Crassus’ trained troops have overcome the slave army, and Crassus announces to the survivors that they will be spared crucifixion if they identify Spartacus. Spartacus stands to speak, but before he can sacrifice himself, Antoninus stands and declares, “I am Spartacus.” One by one, each slave follows suit, choosing death over betraying the man who brought him freedom. Enraged, Crassus orders them all to be crucified during a long march, lining the road to Rome with their bodies. He also finds Varinia, clutching Spartacus’ newborn son, and sends her to his estate. Along the march, Crassus recognizes Antoninus and then, upon spotting Spartacus, guesses he may be his enemy, and orders the two men be kept alive until they reach his estate. There, he banishes Gracchus to the country, intending to use him in the future for his popularity with the “rabble.” Soon after, Batiatus experiences what Gracchus terms “a bad case of dignity” and refuses to identify Spartacus, and instead plots with Gracchus to steal Varinia from the estate in order to irritate Crassus. Crassus dotes on Varinia, whose love he believes will prove his superiority over Spartacus but she vows never to stop loving Spartacus. Meanwhile, Spartacus mourns Varinia and his son, who he assumes have died. When Crassus confronts Spartacus, the slave spits in his face, spurring the dictator to order him to fight Antoninus to death, with the winner to be crucified. Spartacus and Antoninus fight valiantly, each trying to save the other from a more painful death, and Spartacus soon triumphs. After murmuring that he loved Spartacus like a father, Antoninus dies, and Spartacus proclaims that “he will come back, and he will be millions.” Crassus, fearful even in his victory, orders Spartacus crucified at the gates to Rome. Meanwhile, Batiatus brings Varinia and the boy to Gracchus, who presents them with falsified papers that will allow them freedom, then kills himself. As Varinia leaves Rome, she catches sight of Spartacus on the cross. In his last moments of life, Spartacus sees Varinia lift his son and hears her declare that the boy, now free, will never forget his father.
Titanic(1997)
Cast:Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet, Billy Zane
Directors:James Cameron
Producer:James Cameron, Jon Landau
Writer:James Cameron
Editor:Conrad Buff, James Cameron, Richard A. Harris
Cinematographer:Russell Carpenter
Genre:Drama, Romance
Production Company:Paramount Pictures Corp., Twentieth Century Fox Film Corp., Lightstorm Entertainment
Composer:James Horner
In 1996, a diving team led by Brock Lovett explores the sunken R.M.S. Titanic in search of treasure, specifically a large blue diamond known as the “Heart of the Ocean.” They discover a nude drawing made during the Titanic’s voyage, in which the subject, Rose DeWitt Bukater, wears the Heart of the Ocean around her neck. The woman, now Rose Dawson Calvert, is brought to the research vessel to talk with Lovett. She recalls the beginning of the Titanic’s voyage, in April 1912: in Southampton, England, seventeen-year-old Rose boards the ship with her mother, Ruth, and her fiancé, Cal Hockley. Rose despises Hockley but has resigned to marry him to restore her family’s finances and social status. Nevertheless, she contemplates suicide by throwing herself off the ship. Meanwhile, Jack Dawson, a poor young artist, has boarded the Titanic via a third-class ticket won in a poker game. Dawson happens upon Rose and dissuades her from killing herself. Hockley reacts jealously when he discovers the two together, but Rose insists that Jack saved her from an accidental fall over the side of the ship. Hockley invites the young man to join them at dinner in the first-class dining saloon. Rose continues to enjoy Jack’s company and sneaks away with him after the meal. Although she initially rejects his romantic advances, after spending more time with him, she agrees to pose for a nude sketch. In her room, she sits for him wearing only her Heart of the Ocean necklace—a gift from Cal. Afteward, they elude Cal’s bodyguard, Mr. Lovejoy, by sneaking into the cargo hold, where they have sex inside a motorcar. When they return to an upper deck, Rose and Jack witness the Titanic crash into an iceberg. A mounting hysteria ensues as officers of the ship confront the likelihood that the vessel will sink. In the meantime, Hockley finds the nude sketch of Rose. At his behest, Lovejoy plants the Heart of the Ocean necklace inside Jack’s pocket, and Jack is arrested for theft. As the ship begins to sink, passengers frantically board lifeboats. Rose separates from her mother and Hockley, and rushes to free Jack from the master-at-arms’s office. Soon after, Jack and Hockley urge Rose to take an available seat on a lifeboat, but she cannot bear to leave Jack. An angry Hockley seizes Mr. Lovejoy’s handgun and chases Rose and Jack into the first-class dining saloon, partially underwater. He shoots at them but misses. To save himself, he picks up a lost child and uses him to gain access to a lifeboat. Jack and Rose remain on the ship after all the lifeboats have been filled. Abandoned passengers fall or jump to their deaths as the ship’s stern rises. When the vessel breaks into two, Jack and Rose are plunged into the ocean. He helps her climb onto a floating piece of wood but refuses to join her lest it sink. As he succumbs to hypothermia, Jack soothes Rose with a vision of her promising future. Only Rose survives the ordeal. She is brought aboard the rescue ship, R.M.S. Carpathia, where she narrowly avoids Hockley. Arriving in New York City, Rose registers her name as Rose Dawson, and begins her new life. Back in the present, elderly Rose recalls that Hockley ultimately killed himself after the stock market crash of 1929. Impacted by her story, Lovett changes his mind and abandons his search for the Heart of the Ocean. Secretly, Rose still has the diamond in her possession, after Hockley unwittingly returned it to her while the Titanic was sinking. She goes alone to drop the diamond into the ocean, just above the wreck. Later, in a dream, she and Jack are reunited on the Titanic as it was before it sank, surrounded by other passengers who applaud when they kiss.
All Quiet on the Western Front(1930)
Cast:Louis Wolheim, Lew Ayres, John Wray
Directors:Lewis Milestone
Producer:Carl Laemmle Jr.
Writer:George Abbott, Del Andrews
Editor:Edgar Adams, Milton Carruth
Cinematographer:Arthur Edeson
Genre:Drama
Production Company:Universal Pictures Corp.
Paul Bäumer, a young German schoolboy, along with his friends, is inspired by his schoolmaster to "save the Fatherland" and joins the Kaiser's forces. Their illusions are soon dispelled, however, by the cruel realities of battle, relieved only by a brief romantic interlude with some French farm girls and the humorous interjections of Katz and Tjaden. When Paul, the only survivor of the group, returns home, he finds the professor still haranguing his young scholars to join the conflict; and when Paul denounces this attitude, he is proclaimed a coward by the youths. Tiring of the false impression of war at home, he returns to the front to instruct his new comrades in warfare. As the sole survivor of this group also, Paul reaches over the top of a trench to catch a butterfly and is killed by an enemy sniper. ... Quiet reigns on the front lines.
Saving Private Ryan(1998)
Cast:Tom Hanks, Edward Burns, Tom Sizemore
Directors:Steven Spielberg
Producer:Steven Spielberg, Ian Bryce, Mark Gordon, Gary Levinsohn
Writer:Robert Rodat
Editor:Michael Kahn
Cinematographer:Janusz Kaminski
Genre:Drama
Production Company:Amblin Entertainment , Mutual Film Company
Composer:John Williams [composer]
In Normandy, France, an elderly veteran visits a World War II memorial and cemetery with his family, and cries at a gravesite. Decades earlier, on June 6, 1944, U.S. soldiers participate in the invasion of Normandy. Under heavy German gunfire, droves of American troops fall to their deaths on Omaha Beach. U.S. Captain John H. Miller and some of his battalion survive the ordeal. Soon after, at U.S. War Department headquarters in Washington, D.C., General Marshall gets the news that three brothers in a family of four sons have died in combat; and that the remaining brother, James Ryan, is currently stationed in Normandy with the 101st Airborne Division. Marshall orders for Private Ryan to be brought home safe to his family. Capt. Miller receives the order and selects seven men to accompany him on the rescue mission. The team includes Sergeant Horvath; Private Reiben; Private Caparzo; Private Mellish; Private Jackson; T/4 Medic Wade; and Corporal Upham, an interpreter. They meet up with the 101st Division in Neuville, France, where they locate a Private James Ryan; however, he is not the Ryan with three brothers. In the meantime, Private Caparzo is shot and killed by a German sniper. Private Jackson retaliates by killing the sniper. Miller is told by a group of soldiers moving through the area that the correct Private Ryan is stationed at a bridge in the French town of Ramelle. On the way there, Miller and his men discover two dead bodies of U.S. paratroopers near a radar site, and locate a German machine gun position. Miller chooses to engage the Germans, putting his company at risk. The ensuing skirmish leaves Wade dead. They succeed, however, and take a remaining German soldier as their prisoner. Cpl. Upham speaks to the German and convinces Miller to let him go. Private Reiben disapproves and threatens to leave, but Miller regains his confidence with a personal confession. He reveals his work as a school teacher back home, and openly regrets how many lives he has taken. While he does not actually care about Private Ryan, he wants badly to complete the mission as he hopes it will earn all of them a return home. Miller and his men continue to Ramelle, where they find Private Ryan making preparations for an impending attack on the bridge he’s been defending. Although he is devastated by the news about his brothers, he is adamant to keep fighting alongside his men. Miller agrees to join forces with Ryan’s paratrooper unit, and helps orchestrate an ambush. The ensuing fight ends in many casualties, including Privates Jackson and Mellish, and Sergeant Horvath. Capt. Miller is shot by the same German soldier he freed in Neuville. Cpl. Upham, who had advocated for the man, kills the German in retaliation. As an American plane and more ground units show up, the Germans retreat. A dying Miller is surrounded by Privates Reiben and Ryan. With his last words, he tells Ryan, “Earn this.” Back in the present, the elderly man at the memorial is Private Ryan, and the grave he visits belongs to Capt. Miller. Ryan asks his wife if his life was worthy of Miller’s sacrifice, and she assures him that it was. As he leaves, Ryan gives a heartfelt salute to Miller’s tombstone.
Reds(1981)
Cast:Warren Beatty, Diane Keaton, Edward Herrmann
Directors:Warren Beatty
Producer:Warren Beatty, Simon Relph, Dede Allen
Writer:Warren Beatty, Trevor Griffiths
Editor:Dede Allen, Craig McKay
Cinematographer:Vittorio Storaro
Genre:Biography, Drama, Epic, Romance
Production Company:Paramount Pictures , J. R. S. Productions
In 1915 Portland, Oregon, aspiring journalist Louise Bryant Trullinger attends a meeting at the Liberal Club and is intrigued when the guest of honor, noted progressive writer John “Jack” Reed, states that the current war in Europe is only about “profits.” While Jack is in town to promote his magazine, The Masses, Louise convinces the handsome journalist to grant her an interview. Attracted to the earnest young woman, Jack forgets the time as he discusses his anti-war position all night. When they encounter each other later at a dinner party, Jack is surprised to learn that the seemingly independent Louise is married to a dentist. Once they are alone again, Louise propositions Jack, and the two sleep together. He invites her to return with him to New York City, describing the trip as an opportunity to have freedom and to be around other writers. Although concerned about being perceived as a “mistress” or “girl friend,” Louise abandons her husband and arrives at Jack’s apartment in Greenwich Village. There, she meets his circle of friends, artists, and fellow radicals, including Emma Goldman, Max Eastman, and the playwright Eugene O’Neill. However, Louise struggles to find her place among the intellectual conversations. She is disheartened as Jack frequently leaves to report on workers’ rights around the country, and is annoyed by his friends who come and go from the apartment as they please. While Jack accuses Louise of not writing “serious” articles, he faces criticism from an editor for reporting “red” communist propaganda. In an effort to pursue their interests with less distraction, the couple escapes the city for a seaside cottage in Provincetown, Massachusetts. There, they hang out with bohemian friends and stage experimental plays written by O’Neill. When Jack leaves to report on the Democratic National Convention, Louise has an affair with the attentive playwright. The night Jack returns, he sees Louise and O’Neill kissing, but says nothing. Instead, he asks Louise, by now divorced from Trullinger, to marry him. In 1916, the newlyweds move to a house in Croton-on-Hudson, New York. While Jack is away, the heartbroken O’Neill stops by to give Louise a love poem, but she dismisses the chance to resume their affair and hides the poem inside the book, Leaves of Grass. As Jack continues to campaign against U.S. involvement in the war, he experiences kidney problems and is advised to rest. At home one night, he finds O’Neill’s love poem and suggests to Louise that he has also been unfaithful. In the middle of their heated quarrel, she packs a suitcase and walks out. Determined to free herself from Jack’s shadow, she accepts an assignment from Bell Syndicate in 1917 and writes about the war from Paris, France, while Jack undergoes surgery to remove his damaged kidney. In her correspondence, Louise describes her job in France as “exhilarating.” However, Jack later learns from editor Pete Van Wherry that Louise was fired for not submitting substantial stories. He travels to France and invites her to join him in Petrograd, Russia, to report on a potential workers’ revolution by the Bolsheviks. Louise agrees as long as she can have her own byline and be known as “Miss Bryant.” Arriving at the Russian front by train, he and Louise observe weary soldiers abandoning the fight to join the Bolsheviks. Acquaintance Alex Gomberg arranges for the couple to stay at a vacant apartment in Petrograd and acts as translator while guiding them to rallies in the streets, where they also witness long lines for food. Jack and Louise obtain interviews with the country’s influential political figures, such as Vladimir Ilyich Lenin and Alexander Kerensky. Although the two cover the imminent insurrection together and edit each other’s articles, Louise is still reluctant to resume their relationship as husband and wife, and insists Jack sleep on the couch. At a factory one night, a large gathering of workers debate whether to strike, and one of the men persuades Jack to address the crowd. When he declares through an interpreter that American workers will follow their example, the Russians cheer and sing their revolutionary anthem, “The Internationale.” Inspired by the moment, Louise cries as Jack finds her in the crowd. The lovers reconcile and march with the Bolsheviks in their moment of triumph. In 1918, the Reeds return to Croton-on-Hudson and are determined to stay together as they write and campaign for the American worker. Louise lectures about the Russian Revolution, amid an atmosphere of mistrust about the movement in America, while Jack writes his eyewitness account, Ten Days That Shook the World, which becomes a huge success. However, they are both under surveillance by the U.S. government as communist sympathizers. When the left wing of the American Socialist Party is expelled from the organization’s convention in 1919, two rival communist factions emerge, one led by Louis Fraina and a smaller one led by Jack, called the Communist Labor Party of America (CLP). To obtain recognition from the Communist International (Comitern), the CLP elects to send Jack to Moscow, Russia, as their delegate. The development upsets Louise. Unlike her idealistic husband, she is skeptical about the possibility of a workers’ revolution in America and reminds Jack he can accomplish more as a writer than a politician. He promises to return by Christmas, but Louise refuses to join him. After Jack leaves, government agents notify Louise of a warrant for his arrest on sedition charges. Meanwhile, Jack must illegally enter Bolshevik “red” Russia, which is surrounded by counter-revolutionary forces, known as the White Army. In Moscow, he fails to obtain the endorsement of the Comitern executive committee, which believes the two communist factions in America should merge. Instead of helping Jack return to the U.S., committee head, Grigory Zinoviev, asks him to work for Russia’s Propaganda Bureau, calling him an important “engineer” in the international revolution. Jack, however, is anxious to see Louise and tries to escape the country on his own. While traveling on a railroad handcar, he is apprehended by White Army soldiers and imprisoned in Finland. When Louise learns of her husband’s predicament, she appeals to the U.S. State Department, but they are indifferent. Beside the fact that Jack left without a proper passport and visa, America is an ally of the White Army against the Bolsheviks. Through the help of Eugene O’Neill, Louise travels as a stowaway on a freighter to Norway, followed by an arduous trek through the snow toward Finland. Jack’s health deteriorates in jail as he develops scurvy, and Finnish authorities destroy telegrams from Louise notifying him she is on her way. After the Bolsheviks negotiate a prisoner exchange, Jack is released and taken back to Petrograd. Unaware of Louise’s travels, he sends numerous telegrams to her in New York and is confused by her lack of response. Emma Goldman, who is also an exile in Petrograd, comments that Louise was never a revolutionary and advises Jack to give her the chance to lead another life. When Louise finally arrives at the remote Finnish prison, she is speechless to learn her husband has been released. Meanwhile, Jack resumes his work with the revolution, and participates in a Comitern Congress, as a member of the American delegation. Emma declares that the Bolshevik movement that originally inspired them is dying and being replaced by Soviet bureaucracy, but Jack still has faith in the workers’ cause. He agrees to join Zinoviev at a Congress for the people of the Middle East, in Baku, Azerbaijan, risking a journey through hostile territory. Meanwhile, in Petrograd, Emma is shocked when she encounters Louise, who has managed to cross into Russia, and apologizes for being wrong about her commitment. During the Congress, Jack appears unwell in the chaotic atmosphere of Baku, and counter-revolutionaries ambush the Comitern train on the way back to Petrograd. Unaware if Jack has survived, Louise waits at the station when the train arrives and scans the departing passengers for her husband. After observing a dead body on a stretcher, she looks up and sees a weary Jack. As they embrace, he pleads with her not to leave him. In failing health, Jack is hospitalized in Russia and Louise rarely leaves his bedside. When she returns to his room after refilling a water bottle, she cannot hold back tears upon realizing he has died.
The Ten Commandments(1956)
Cast:Charlton Heston, Yul Brynner, Anne Baxter
Directors:Cecil B. DeMille
Producer:Cecil B. DeMille
Writer:Aeneas MacKenzie, Jesse L. Lasky Jr., Jack Gariss, Fredric M. Frank
Editor:Anne Bauchens
Cinematographer:Loyal Griggs
Genre:Epic
Production Company:Paramount Pictures Corp.
Composer:Elmer Bernstein
During the rule of Rameses I in Ancient Egypt, the pharaoh is informed that the Hebrew slaves believe that a recently seen star portends the arrival of a deliverer who will free them. Wanting to subvert the deliverer, yet unwilling to kill all the Hebrew slaves, Rameses I theorizes that the deliverer must be newly born and so orders the death of every male, Hebrew infant. Jewish slave Yochabel, along with her young daughter Miriam, prepares an ark of bulrushes and places her infant son in it. Pushing the ark into the Nile, Yochabel instructs Miriam to follow it, and the girl watches as it is found by Bithiah, the pharaoh’s daughter. The recently widowed Bithiah believes that the baby was sent by her deceased husband and, naming him Moses, dismisses the concern of her servant Memnet, who warns her that the child’s swaddling cloth was made by Levite Hebrews. Declaring that her son will be a prince of Egypt, Bithiah makes Memnet vow never to reveal his origins, although the servant secretly keeps the cloth. Thirty years later, Bithiah’s brother Sethi is pharaoh, and Moses is much loved by the Egyptians, even more than Sethi’s own son, Rameses II. Rameses is deeply jealous of Moses, who has returned from Ethiopia after conquering it in Sethi’s name. Sethi chides Rameses for not completing the treasure city for his upcoming jubilee, and Rameses blames his failure on the stubbornness of the Hebrew slaves. At Rameses’ urging, Sethi sends Moses to oversee the new city’s construction, much to the chagrin of Nefretiri, the princess who must marry Sethi’s heir. Nefretiri is in love with Moses, who shares her passion, even though Sethi has not announced whether Moses or Rameses will succeed him. In Goshen, where the new city is being built, Moses supervises Baka, the cold-hearted master builder. Also driving the slaves is Dathan, a ruthless Hebrew who has become an overseer. Dathan and Baka both desire Lilia, a Hebrew slave who is in love with the stone cutter Joshua. One day, Yochabel, now an old woman, is almost crushed by the enormous stones being used to build the city. Joshua is condemned to death for attempting to save her, and Lilia then races through the crowd to find Moses and plead for his mercy. Upon examining the scene, Moses frees Yochabel and Joshua, then decrees that not only should the exhausted, starving slaves have a day of rest, they should be fed from the temple granaries. Soon the city is almost completed, and although Rameses and the greedy priests attempt to prejudice Sethi against Moses, Sethi is pleased by Moses’s progress. Sethi announces his intention to name Moses his successor, but Memnet, determined not to let a Hebrew sit on Egypt’s throne, reveals the truth of his birth to Nefretiri. Desperate to protect her beloved, Nefretiri kills Memnet, then tries to cover her actions. She confesses all to Moses, however, when he finds the swaddling cloth. Astonished by the news, Moses seeks out Yochabel, whom Nefretiri reveals is his mother. Moses finds Yochabel just as Bithiah is pleading with her to leave Egypt before Moses learns the truth, but when Yochabel cannot deny that he is her son, Moses accepts his heritage. After being welcomed by Miriam and his brother Aaron, Moses begins working in the mud pits making bricks alongside the slaves he once commanded. Although Yochabel is convinced that Moses is the deliverer, he remains doubtful about the god of the Hebrews. Later, Nefretiri pleads with Moses to return to the palace before Sethi learns of his situation. Nefretiri’s argument that he can better help his people after he is pharaoh seems to sway Moses, but he states that first he must see Baka, who has taken Lilia to be his house slave. Moses arrives as Baka is about to whip Joshua, who had come to rescue Lilia. Infuriated by Baka’s callousness, Moses kills him, then reveals his heritage to Joshua. The amazed stone cutter declares that Moses is the deliverer, and his words are overheard by Dathan, who informs Rameses. On the day of Sethi’s jubilee, Rameses announces that he has captured the Hebrew deliverer, and the courtiers are stunned when Moses, bound in chains, is led in. Shaken, Sethi asks Moses if he would lead the slaves in revolt against him, and Moses confesses that he would free them if he could. The heartbroken Sethi then announces that Rameses will succeed him and marry Nefretiri, and leaves Moses’s fate for Rameses to determine. Rameses then escorts Moses to the edge of the vast desert and, giving him the pole to which he was bound as a staff, tells him to go forth into his kingdom. Despite his lack of water and food, Moses crosses the desert to reach Midian, where he collapses at a well tended by the daughters of Bedouin shepherd Jethro. As time passes, Moses is accepted by the Bedouins and marries Jethro’s oldest daughter, Sephora, although he confesses that he is still tormented by the thought of Nefretiri. Several years later, Moses and Sephora have a son, Gershom, and happily tend their flocks, while in Egypt, Rameses, made pharaoh after Sethi’s death, has a son with Nefretiri. One day, Moses sees a burning bush on Mt. Sinai, the holy mountain of God. Climbing up the mountain, upon which no mortal man has set foot before, Moses finds the burning bush and hears the voice of God, who orders him to return to Egypt and lead the Israelites to Sinai, where they will receive God’s laws. Although he still doubts his ability to serve God, Moses is touched by the “light of the eternal mind,” and Joshua, who escaped from Egypt, swears to accompany him, as does Sephora. [An Intermission divides the story at this point.]
Upon reaching Egypt, Moses confronts Rameses, demanding that his people be freed. Rameses laughs at Moses’s proclamation that he brings the word of God, although Nefretiri is thrilled to see that Moses is alive. When Moses turns his staff into a serpent that swallows up the serpents produced by the Egyptian priests, Rameses dismisses his actions as a magician’s tricks, then continues to ignore Moses’s pleas to free his people, even though God sets loose nine plagues upon Egypt. Finally, after Moses turns the Nile into blood for seven days, Rameses’ advisors urge him to acquiesce, but the pharaoh insists that there must be a natural explanation for the phenomenon. When Rameses again denies Moses, Moses asserts that one final, terrible plague will be brought upon the Egyptians by Rameses’ own words. Scornful, Rameses declares that the next day, his soldiers will kill all the firstborn Hebrew children. Rameses’ words are turned back upon him, however, when the Hebrews protect their children by painting their doors with lambs’ blood, and a spreading pestilence kills every other firstborn child, including Rameses’ own son. Grief-stricken, Rameses grants the slaves their freedom, but after the exodus has begun, the vengeful Nefretiri taunts Rameses until he orders his charioteers to chase the freed slaves. Soon the Egyptian forces find the Hebrews by the Red Sea, and Dathan foments a call for Moses’s death for leading them to certain doom. To demonstrate the power of the Lord, Moses uses his staff to part the Red Sea and clear a path for the Hebrews, while God’s pillar of fire holds back the chariots. When the fire dissipates, Rameses orders his soldiers to cross the Red Sea, but before they can reach the Hebrews, Moses restores the sea and the Egyptians are drowned. Defeated, Rameses returns to the palace and there declares to Nefretiri that the god of Moses cannot be defied. Soon after, Moses leads his people to the base of Mt. Sinai and ascends the mountain to receive God’s laws. As forty days pass, the people grow anxious, with Dathan proclaiming that because Moses must be dead, the people should return to Egypt, where at least they can find food. Dathan assures the people that if they follow an Egyptian idol, they will be safe from the pharaoh’s wrath, and Aaron is ordered to craft a large, golden calf. Meanwhile, on the mountain, Moses witnesses God’s finger carve His ten commandments on two stone tablets. When Moses comes down from the mountain to share the laws, he is horrified to see the people worshipping the calf. Dathan attempts to defy Moses, but Moses throws the tablets on the ground, causing an immense earthquake that swallows the nonbelievers. Although they are forced by God’s anger to wander the wilderness for forty years, Moses and his people remain strong in their faith, until one day, they come to the River Jordan, across which lays their promised land. Moses informs his family that God has told him that he shall not pass the river, however, and gives his staff and robe to Joshua, thereby anointing him the new leader. With the restored tablets in the ark of the covenant, Moses urges his people to proclaim liberty throughout the land, then waves farewell as he ascends Mt. Nebo.
Upon reaching Egypt, Moses confronts Rameses, demanding that his people be freed. Rameses laughs at Moses’s proclamation that he brings the word of God, although Nefretiri is thrilled to see that Moses is alive. When Moses turns his staff into a serpent that swallows up the serpents produced by the Egyptian priests, Rameses dismisses his actions as a magician’s tricks, then continues to ignore Moses’s pleas to free his people, even though God sets loose nine plagues upon Egypt. Finally, after Moses turns the Nile into blood for seven days, Rameses’ advisors urge him to acquiesce, but the pharaoh insists that there must be a natural explanation for the phenomenon. When Rameses again denies Moses, Moses asserts that one final, terrible plague will be brought upon the Egyptians by Rameses’ own words. Scornful, Rameses declares that the next day, his soldiers will kill all the firstborn Hebrew children. Rameses’ words are turned back upon him, however, when the Hebrews protect their children by painting their doors with lambs’ blood, and a spreading pestilence kills every other firstborn child, including Rameses’ own son. Grief-stricken, Rameses grants the slaves their freedom, but after the exodus has begun, the vengeful Nefretiri taunts Rameses until he orders his charioteers to chase the freed slaves. Soon the Egyptian forces find the Hebrews by the Red Sea, and Dathan foments a call for Moses’s death for leading them to certain doom. To demonstrate the power of the Lord, Moses uses his staff to part the Red Sea and clear a path for the Hebrews, while God’s pillar of fire holds back the chariots. When the fire dissipates, Rameses orders his soldiers to cross the Red Sea, but before they can reach the Hebrews, Moses restores the sea and the Egyptians are drowned. Defeated, Rameses returns to the palace and there declares to Nefretiri that the god of Moses cannot be defied. Soon after, Moses leads his people to the base of Mt. Sinai and ascends the mountain to receive God’s laws. As forty days pass, the people grow anxious, with Dathan proclaiming that because Moses must be dead, the people should return to Egypt, where at least they can find food. Dathan assures the people that if they follow an Egyptian idol, they will be safe from the pharaoh’s wrath, and Aaron is ordered to craft a large, golden calf. Meanwhile, on the mountain, Moses witnesses God’s finger carve His ten commandments on two stone tablets. When Moses comes down from the mountain to share the laws, he is horrified to see the people worshipping the calf. Dathan attempts to defy Moses, but Moses throws the tablets on the ground, causing an immense earthquake that swallows the nonbelievers. Although they are forced by God’s anger to wander the wilderness for forty years, Moses and his people remain strong in their faith, until one day, they come to the River Jordan, across which lays their promised land. Moses informs his family that God has told him that he shall not pass the river, however, and gives his staff and robe to Joshua, thereby anointing him the new leader. With the restored tablets in the ark of the covenant, Moses urges his people to proclaim liberty throughout the land, then waves farewell as he ascends Mt. Nebo.
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ANIMATION
AFI defines “animated” as a genre in which the film’s images are primarily created by computer or hand and the characters are voiced by actors.
1. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs(1937)
Cast:Adriana Caselotti, Harry Stockwell, Lucille LaVerne
Producer:Walt Disney
Writer:Ted Sears, Richard Creedon, Otto Englander, Dick Rickard, Earl Hurd, Merrill De Maris, Dorothy Ann Blank, Webb Smith
Production Company:Walt Disney Productions, Ltd.
2. Pinocchio(1940)
Cast:Dickie Jones, Cliff Edwards, Christian Rub
Writer:Ted Sears, Webb Smith, Joseph Sabo, Otto Englander, William Cottrell, Erdman Penner, Aurelius Battaglia
Production Company:Walt Disney Productions
3. Bambi(1942)
Cast:Peter Behn, Hardie Albright, Ann Gillis
Writer:Larry Morey, George Stallings, Melvin Shaw, Carl Fallberg, Chuck Couch, Ralph Wright
Production Company:Walt Disney Productions
4. The Lion King(1994)
Cast:Jonathan Taylor Thomas, Matthew Broderick, James Earl Jones
Directors:Roger Allers, Rob Minkoff
Producer:Don Hahn
Writer:Irene Mecchi, Jonathan Roberts, Linda Woolverton
Editor:Ivan Bilancio
Production Company:Walt Disney Pictures
5. Fantasia(1940)
Cast:Leopold Stokowski, Deems Taylor
Directors:Sam Armstrong, James Algar, Bill Roberts, Paul Satterfield, Hamilton Luske, Jim Handley, Ford Beebe, T. Hee, Norm Ferguson , Wilfred Jackson
Producer:Walt Disney, Ben Sharpsteen
Writer:Lee Blair, Elmer Plummer, Phil Dike, Sylvia Moberly-Holland, Norman Wright, Albert Heath, Bianca Majolie, Graham Heid, Perce Pearce, Carl Fallberg, William Martin, Leo Thiele, Robert Sterner, John Fraser McLeish, Otto Englander, Webb Smith, Erdman Penner, Joseph Sabo, Bill Peet , George Stallings, Campbell Grant, Arthur Heinemann
Production Company:Walt Disney Productions
6. Toy Story(1995)
Cast:Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Don Rickles
Directors:John Lasseter
Producer:Ralph Guggenheim, Bonnie Arnold
Writer:Joss Whedon, Andrew Stanton, Joel Cohen, Alec Sokolow
Editor:Robert Gordon, Lee Unkrich
Production Company:Pixar Animation Studios, Walt Disney Pictures
7. Beauty and the Beast(1991)
Cast:Paige O'Hara, Robby Benson, Richard White
Directors:Gary Trousdale, Kirk Wise
Producer:Don Hahn, Howard Ashman
Editor:John Carnochan
Production Company:Walt Disney Pictures , Silver Screen Partners IV
8. Shrek(2001)
Cast:Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz
Directors:Andrew Adamson, Vicky Jenson
Producer:Aron Warner, John H. Williams, Jeffrey Katzenberg, Penney Finkelman Cox, Sandra Rabins
Writer:Ted Elliott, Terry Rossio, Joe Stillman, Roger S. H. Schulman, Jenna Grigg Thomas, Kelly Asbury, Francisco Avalos, Rejean Bourdages, Ken Harsha, Ken Bruce, Cody Cameron, Becky Cassady, Eric Darnell, Rick Farmiloe, James Fujii, Edmund Fong, Robert Koo, Todd Kurosawa, Robert Lence, Chris Miller, Catherine Yuh Rader, Tom Sito, David Soren, Robert Souza, John Stevenson, Conrad Vernon
Editor:Sim Evan-Jones
Production Company:PDI/DreamWorks Pictures
9. Cinderella(1950)
Cast:Ilene Woods, Helene Stanley, Eleanor Audley
Directors:Wilfred Jackson, Hamilton Luske, Clyde Geronimi
Producer:Ben Sharpsteen
Writer:William Peed, Erdman Penner, Ted Sears, Winston Hibler, Homer Brightman, Harry Reeves, Kenneth Anderson, Joe Rinaldi
Editor:Donald Halliday
Production Company:Walt Disney Productions
10. Finding Nemo(2003)
Cast:Albert Brooks, Ellen DeGeneres, Alexander Gould
Directors:Andrew Stanton
Producer:Graham Walters, John Lasseter
Writer:Andrew Stanton, Bob Peterson, David Reynolds, Ronnie del Carmen, Dan Jeup, Jason Katz
Editor:David Ian Salter
Cinematographer:Sharon Calahan, Jeremy Lasky
Production Company:Pixar Animation Studios, Walt Disney Pictures
ROMANTIC COMEDY
AFI defines “romantic comedy” as a genre in which the development of a romance leads to comic situations.
1. City Lights(1931)
Cast:Charlie Chaplin, Virginia Cherrill, Florence Lee
Directors:Charles Chaplin
Writer:Charles Chaplin
Editor:Charles Chaplin
Cinematographer:Rollie Totheroh, Gordon Pollock, Mark Marklatt
Production Company:Charles Chaplin Productions
2. Annie Hall(1977)
Cast:Woody Allen, Diane Keaton, Tony Roberts
Directors:Woody Allen
Producer:Charles H. Joffe, Robert Greenhut
Writer:Woody Allen, Marshall Brickman
Editor:Ralph Rosenblum , A.C.E., Wendy Greene Bricmont
Cinematographer:Gordon Willis , A.S.C.
Production Company:United Artists Corp.
3. It Happened One Night(1934)
Cast:Clark Gable, Claudette Colbert, Walter Connolly
Directors:Frank Capra
Producer:Harry Cohn
Writer:Robert Riskin
Editor:Gene Havlick
Cinematographer:Joseph Walker
Production Company:Columbia Pictures Corp.
4. Roman Holiday(1953)
Cast:Gregory Peck, Audrey Hepburn, Eddie Albert
Directors:William Wyler
Producer:William Wyler
Writer:Ian McLellan Hunter, John Dighton, Dalton Trumbo, Ian McLellan Hunter, Dalton Trumbo
Editor:Robert Swink
Cinematographer:Frank F. Planer, Henri Alekan
Production Company:Paramount Pictures Corp.
5. The Philadelphia Story(1940)
Cast:Cary Grant, Katharine Hepburn, James Stewart
Directors:George Cukor
Producer:Joseph L. Mankiewicz
Writer:Donald Ogden Stewart
Editor:Frank Sullivan
Cinematographer:Joseph Ruttenberg
Production Company:Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Corp.
6. When Harry Met Sally...(1989)
Cast:Billy Crystal, Meg Ryan, Carrie Fisher
Directors:Rob Reiner
Producer:Rob Reiner, Andrew Scheinman
Writer:Nora Ephron
Editor:Robert Leighton
Cinematographer:Barry Sonnenfeld
Production Company:Castle Rock Entertainment, Nelson Entertainment
7. Adam's Rib(1949)
Cast:Spencer Tracy, Katharine Hepburn, Judy Holliday
Directors:George Cukor
Producer:Lawrence Weingarten
Writer:Ruth Gordon, Garson Kanin
Editor:George Boemler
Cinematographer:George J. Folsey
Production Company:Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Corp.
8. Moonstruck(1987)
Cast:Cher, Nicolas Cage, Vincent Gardenia
Directors:Norman Jewison
Producer:Patrick Palmer, Norman Jewison
Writer:John Patrick Shanley
Editor:Lou Lombardo
Cinematographer:David Watkin
Production Company:Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Inc., Star Partners, Ltd.
9. Harold and Maude(1971)
Cast:Ruth Gordon, Bud Cort, Vivian Pickles
Directors:Hal Ashby
Producer:Mildred Lewis, Colin Higgins, Charles B. Mulvehill
Writer:Colin Higgins
Editor:William A. Sawyer, Edward Warschilka
Cinematographer:John Alonzo
Production Company:Paramount Pictures Corp., Mildred Lewis & Colin Higgins Productions, Inc.
10. Sleepless in Seattle(1993)
Cast:Tom Hanks, Meg Ryan, Bill Pullman
Directors:Nora Ephron
Producer:Gary Foster, Lynda Obst, Patrick Crowley
Writer:Nora Ephron, David S. Ward, Jeff Arch, Jeff Arch
Editor:Robert Reitano
Cinematographer:Sven Nykvist
Production Company:TriStar Pictures
WESTERN
AFI defines “western” as a genre of films set in the American West that embodies the spirit, the struggle and the demise of the new frontier.
1. The Searchers(1956)
Cast:John Wayne, Jeffrey Hunter, Vera Miles
Directors:John Ford
Producer:Merian C. Cooper
Writer:Frank S. Nugent
Editor:Jack Murray
Cinematographer:Winton C. Hoch
Production Company:C. V. Whitney Pictures, Inc.
2. High Noon(1952)
Cast:Gary Cooper, Thomas Mitchell, Lloyd Bridges
Directors:Fred Zinnemann
Writer:Carl Foreman
Editor:Harry Gerstad, Elmo Williams
Cinematographer:Floyd Crosby
Production Company:Stanley Kramer Productions, Inc.
3. Shane(1953)
Cast:Alan Ladd, Jean Arthur, Van Heflin
Directors:George Stevens
Producer:George Stevens
Writer:A. B. Guthrie Jr.
Editor:William Hornbeck, Tom McAdoo
Cinematographer:Loyal Griggs
Production Company:Paramount Pictures Corp.
4. Unforgiven(1992)
Cast:Clint Eastwood, Gene Hackman, Morgan Freeman
Directors:Clint Eastwood
Producer:Clint Eastwood, David Valdes
Writer:David Webb Peoples
Editor:Joel Cox
Cinematographer:Jack N. Green
Production Company:The Malpaso Company
5. Red River(1948)
Cast:John Wayne, Montgomery Clift, Joanne Dru
Directors:Howard Hawks
Producer:Charles K. Feldman, Howard Hawks
Writer:Borden Chase, Charles Schnee
Editor:Christian Nyby
Cinematographer:Russell Harlan
Production Company:Monterey Productions, Inc.
6. The Wild Bunch(1969)
Cast:William Holden, Ernest Borgnine, Robert Ryan [1909-1973]
Directors:Sam Peckinpah
Producer:Phil Feldman
Writer:Walon Green, Sam Peckinpah, Walon Green, Roy N. Sickner
Editor:Louis Lombardo
Cinematographer:Lucien Ballard
Production Company:Phil Feldman Productions, Inc., Warner Bros.--Seven Arts, Inc.
7. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid(1969)
Cast:Paul Newman, Robert Redford, Katharine Ross
Directors:George Roy Hill
Producer:John Foreman, Paul Newman, Paul Monash
Writer:William Goldman
Editor:John C. Howard, Richard C. Meyer
Cinematographer:Conrad Hall
Production Company:Campanile Productions, Inc.
8. McCabe & Mrs. Miller(1971)
Cast:Warren Beatty, Julie Christie, Rene Auberjonois
Directors:Robert Altman
Producer:David Foster, Mitchell Brower
Writer:Robert Altman, Brian McKay
Editor:Louis Lombardo
Cinematographer:Vilmos Zsigmond
Production Company:Lion's Head, David Foster Productions
9. Stagecoach(1939)
Cast:Claire Trevor, John Wayne, Andy Devine
Directors:John Ford
Writer:Dudley Nichols
Editor:Otho Lovering, Dorothy Spencer, Walter Reynolds
Cinematographer:Bert Glennon
Production Company:Walter Wanger Productions, Inc.
10. Cat Ballou(1965)
Cast:Jane Fonda, Lee Marvin, Michael Callan
Directors:Elliot Silverstein
Producer:Harold Hecht
Writer:Walter Newman, Frank R. Pierson
Editor:Charles Nelson
Cinematographer:Jack Marta
Production Company:Harold Hecht Corp.
SPORTS
AFI defines “sports” as a genre of films with protagonists who play athletics or other games of competition
1. Raging Bull(1980)
Cast:Robert De Niro, Cathy Moriarty, Joe Pesci
Directors:Martin Scorsese
Producer:Irwin Winkler, Robert Chartoff, Peter Savage
Writer:Paul Schrader, Mardik Martin
Editor:Thelma Schoonmaker
Cinematographer:Michael Chapman
Production Company:Chartoff-Winkler Productions, Inc.
2. Rocky(1976)
Cast:Sylvester Stallone, Talia Shire, Burt Young
Directors:John G. Avildsen
Producer:Irwin Winkler, Robert Chartoff, Gene Kirkwood
Writer:Sylvester Stallone
Editor:Richard Halsey, Scott Conrad
Cinematographer:James Crabe
Production Company:Chartoff-Winkler Productions, Inc.
3. The Pride of the Yankees(1943)
Cast:Gary Cooper, Teresa Wright, Babe Ruth
Directors:Sam Wood
Producer:Samuel Goldwyn
Writer:Jo Swerling, Herman J. Mankiewicz
Editor:Daniel Mandell
Cinematographer:Rudolph Maté
Production Company:Samuel Goldwyn Productions, Inc.
4. Hoosiers(1986)
Cast:Gene Hackman, Barbara Hershey, Dennis Hopper
Directors:David Anspaugh, Angelo Pizzo
Producer:Carter De Haven, Angelo Pizzo, John Daly, Derek Gibson
Writer:Angelo Pizzo
Editor:C. Timothy O'Meara
Cinematographer:Fred Murphy, Oliver Wood
Production Company:Hemdale Film Corporation
5. Bull Durham(1988)
Cast:Kevin Costner, Susan Sarandon, Tim Robbins
Directors:Ron Shelton
Producer:Thom Mount, Mark Burg, David V. Lester
Writer:Ron Shelton
Editor:Robert Leighton, Adam Weiss
Cinematographer:Bobby Byrne , Bob Hillman
Production Company:Mount Company
6. The Hustler(1961)
Cast:Paul Newman, Jackie Gleason, Piper Laurie
Directors:Robert Rossen
Producer:Robert Rossen
Writer:Sidney Carroll, Robert Rossen
Editor:Dede Allen
Cinematographer:Eugen Shuftan
Production Company:Rossen Enterprises
7. Caddyshack(1980)
Cast:Chevy Chase, Rodney Dangerfield, Ted Knight
Directors:Harold Ramis
Producer:Douglas Kenney, Jon Peters
Writer:Brian Doyle-Murray, Harold Ramis, Douglas Kenney
Editor:William Carruth, Robert Barrére
Cinematographer:Stevan Larner
Production Company:Orion Pictures Company
8. Breaking Away(1979)
Cast:Dennis Christopher, Dennis Quaid, Daniel Stern
Directors:Peter Yates
Producer:Peter Yates
Writer:Steve Tesich
Editor:Cynthia Scheider
Cinematographer:Matthew F. Leonetti
Production Company:Twentieth Century-Fox
9. National Velvet(1945)
Cast:Mickey Rooney, Donald Crisp, Elizabeth Taylor
Directors:Clarence Brown
Producer:Pandro S. Berman
Writer:Theodore Reeves, Helen Deutsch
Editor:Robert J. Kern
Cinematographer:Leonard Smith
Production Company:Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Corp.
10. Jerry Maguire(1996)
Cast:Tom Cruise, Cuba Gooding, Jr., Renée Zellweger
Directors:Cameron Crowe
Producer:James L. Brooks, Cameron Crowe, Richard Sakai, Laurence Mark
Writer:Cameron Crowe
Editor:Joe Hutshing
Cinematographer:Janusz Kaminski
Production Company:TriStar Pictures
MYSTERY
AFI defines “mystery” as a genre that revolves around the solution of a crime.
1. Vertigo(1958)
Cast:James Stewart, Kim Novak, Barbara Bel Geddes
Directors:Alfred Hitchcock
Producer:Alfred Hitchcock
Writer:Alec Coppel, Samuel Taylor
Editor:George Tomasini
Cinematographer:Robert Burks
Production Company:Alfred J. Hitchcock Productions, Inc., Paramount Pictures Corp.
2. Chinatown(1974)
Cast:Jack Nicholson, Faye Dunaway, John Huston
Directors:Roman Polanski
Producer:Robert Evans
Writer:Robert Towne
Editor:Sam O'Steen
Cinematographer:John A. Alonzo , Stanley Cortez
Production Company:Long Road Productions, Inc.
3. Rear Window(1954)
Cast:James Stewart, Grace Kelly, Wendell Corey
Directors:Alfred Hitchcock
Producer:Alfred Hitchcock
Writer:John Michael Hayes
Editor:George Tomasini
Cinematographer:Robert Burks
Production Company:Paramount Pictures Corp., Patron, Inc.
4. Laura(1944)
Cast:Gene Tierney, Dana Andrews, Clifton Webb
Directors:Otto Preminger
Producer:Otto Preminger
Writer:Jay Dratler, Samuel Hoffenstein, Betty Reinhardt
Editor:Louis Loeffler
Cinematographer:Joseph La Shelle, Lucien Ballard
Production Company:Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corp.
5. The Third Man(1949)
Cast:Joseph Cotten, Valli, Orson Welles
Directors:Carol Reed
Producer:Carol Reed
Writer:Graham Greene
Editor:Oswald Hafenrichter
Cinematographer:Robert Krasker
Production Company:London Film Productions, Ltd.
6. The Maltese Falcon(1941)
Cast:Humphrey Bogart, Mary Astor, Gladys George
Directors:John Huston
Producer:Hal B. Wallis
Writer:John Huston
Editor:Thomas Richards
Cinematographer:Arthur Edeson
Production Company:Warner Bros. Pictures, Inc.
7. North by Northwest(1959)
Cast:Cary Grant, Eva Marie Saint, James Mason
Directors:Alfred Hitchcock
Producer:Alfred Hitchcock
Writer:Ernest Lehman
Editor:George Tomasini
Cinematographer:Robert Burks
Production Company:Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Corp.
8. Blue Velvet(1986)
Cast:Kyle MacLachlan, Isabella Rossellini, Dennis Hopper
Directors:David Lynch
Producer:Fred Caruso, Richard Roth
Writer:David Lynch
Editor:Duwayne Dunham
Cinematographer:Frederick Elmes
Production Company:Blue Velvet Productions
9. Dial M for Murder(1954)
Cast:Ray Milland, Grace Kelly, Robert Cummings
Directors:Alfred Hitchcock
Producer:Alfred Hitchcock
Writer:Frederick Knott
Editor:Rudi Fehr
Cinematographer:Robert Burks
Production Company:Warner Bros. Pictures, Inc.
10. The Usual Suspects(1995)
Cast:Stephen Baldwin, Gabriel Byrne, Benicio Del Toro
Directors:Bryan Singer
Producer:Bryan Singer, Michael McDonnell
Writer:Christopher McQuarrie
Editor:John Ottman
Cinematographer:Newton Thomas Sigel
Production Company:Blue Parrot
FANTASY
AFI defines “fantasy” as a genre where live-action characters inhabit imagined settings and/or experience situations that transcend the rules of the natural world.
1. The Wizard of Oz(1939)
Cast:Judy Garland, Frank Morgan, Ray Bolger
Directors:Victor Fleming, King Vidor
Producer:Mervyn Le Roy
Writer:Noel Langley, Florence Ryerson, Edgar Allan Woolf, Noel Langley
Editor:Blanche Sewell
Cinematographer:Harold Rosson
Production Company:Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Corp.
2. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring(2001)
Cast:Alan Howard, Noel Appleby, Sean Astin
Directors:Peter Jackson
Producer:Barrie M. Osborne, Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh, Tim Sanders, Mark Ordesky, Bob Weinstein, Harvey Weinstein, Robert Shaye, Michael Lynne
Writer:Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, Peter Jackson
Editor:John Gilbert
Cinematographer:Andrew Lesnie, Allen Guilford, John Cavill, Simon Raby, Richard Bluck, Nigel Bluck, Alun Bollinger, Chuck Schuman, David Hardberger
Production Company:New Line Cinema , Wingnut Films
3. It's a Wonderful Life(1946)
Cast:James Stewart, Donna Reed, Lionel Barrymore
Directors:Frank Capra
Producer:Frank Capra
Writer:Frances Goodrich, Albert Hackett, Frank Capra
Editor:William Hornbeck
Cinematographer:Joseph Walker, Joseph Biroc, Victor Milner
Production Company:Liberty Films, Inc.
4. King Kong(1933)
Cast:Fay Wray, Robert Armstrong, Bruce Cabot
Directors:Merian C. Cooper, Ernest B. Schoedsack
Producer:David O. Selznick
Writer:James Creelman , Ruth Rose
Editor:Ted Cheesman
Cinematographer:Eddie Linden, Vernon Walker , J. O. Taylor
Production Company:RKO Radio Pictures, Inc.
5. Miracle on 34th Street(1947)
Cast:Maureen O'Hara, John Payne, Edmund Gwenn
Directors:George Seaton
Producer:William Perlberg
Writer:George Seaton, Valentine Davies
Editor:Robert Simpson
Cinematographer:Charles [G.] Clarke , Lloyd Ahern
Production Company:Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corp.
6. Field of Dreams(1989)
Cast:Kevin Costner, Amy Madigan, James Earl Jones
Directors:Phil Alden Robinson
Producer:Lawrence Gordon, Charles Gordon, Brian Frankish
Editor:Ian Crafford
Cinematographer:John Lindley, Ricky Bravo
Production Company:Gordon Company
7. Harvey(1950)
Cast:Wallace Ford, William Lynn, Victoria Horne
Directors:Henry Koster
Producer:John Beck
Writer:Mary Chase, Oscar Brodney
Editor:Ralph Dawson
Cinematographer:William Daniels
Production Company:Universal-International Pictures Co., Inc.
8. Groundhog Day(1993)
Cast:Bill Murray, Andie MacDowell, Chris Elliott
Directors:Harold Ramis
Producer:Trevor Albert, Harold Ramis, C. O. Erickson
Writer:Danny Rubin, Harold Ramis, Danny Rubin
Editor:Pembroke J. Herring
Cinematographer:John Bailey, James Blanford, George Kohut
Production Company:Columbia Pictures
9. The Thief of Bagdad(1924)
Cast:Douglas Fairbanks, Snitz Edwards, Charles Belcher
Directors:Raoul Walsh
Writer:Elton Thomas, Lotta Woods
Editor:William Nolan
Production Company:Douglas Fairbanks Pictures Corp.
10. Big(1988)
Cast:Tom Hanks, Elizabeth Perkins, Robert Loggia
Directors:Penny Marshall
Producer:James L. Brooks, Robert Greenhut
Writer:Gary Ross, Anne Spielberg
Editor:Barry Malkin
Cinematographer:Barry Sonnenfeld
Production Company:Gracie Films
SCI-FI
AFI defines “science fiction” as a genre that marries a scientific or technological premise with imaginative speculation.
1. 2001: A Space Odyssey(1968)
Cast:Keir Dullea, Gary Lockwood, William Sylvester
Directors:Stanley Kubrick
Producer:Stanley Kubrick
Writer:Stanley Kubrick, Arthur C. Clarke
Editor:Ray Lovejoy
Cinematographer:Geoffrey Unsworth
Production Company:Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Inc.
2. Star Wars(1977)
Cast:Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher
Directors:George Lucas
Producer:Gary Kurtz, George Lucas
Writer:George Lucas
Editor:Paul Hirsch, Marcia Lucas, Richard Chew, John Jympson
Cinematographer:Gilbert Taylor
Production Company:Lucasfilm, Ltd.
3. E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial(1982)
Cast:Dee Wallace, Peter Coyote, Robert MacNaughton
Directors:Steven Spielberg
Producer:Steven Spielberg, Kathleen Kennedy
Writer:Melissa Mathison
Editor:Carol Littleton
Cinematographer:Allen Daviau
Production Company:Universal Pictures , Amblin' Entertainment
4. A Clockwork Orange(1971)
Cast:Malcolm McDowell, Patrick Magee, Michael Bates
Directors:Stanley Kubrick
Producer:Stanley Kubrick, Max L. Raab, Si Litvinoff
Writer:Stanley Kubrick
Editor:Bill Butler
Production Company:Hawks Films Limited, Polaris Productions, Inc.
5. The Day the Earth Stood Still(1951)
Cast:Michael Rennie, Patricia Neal, Hugh Marlowe
Directors:Robert Wise
Producer:Julian Blaustein
Writer:Edmund H. North
Editor:William Reynolds
Cinematographer:Leo Tover
Production Company:Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corp.
6. Blade Runner(1982)
Cast:Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer, Sean Young
Directors:Ridley Scott
Producer:Michael Deeley, Brian Kelly, Hampton Fancher
Writer:Hampton Fancher, David Peoples
Editor:Marsha Nakashima
Cinematographer:Jordan Cronenweth
Production Company:The Ladd Company, Sir Run Run Shaw
7. Alien(1979)
Cast:Tom Skerritt, Sigourney Weaver, Veronica Cartwright
Directors:Ridley Scott
Producer:Gordon Carroll, David Giler, Walter Hill, Ronald Shusett
Writer:Dan O'Bannon, Ronald Shusett
Editor:Terry Rawlings, Peter Weatherley
Cinematographer:Derek Vanlint
Production Company:Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corp.
8. Terminator 2: Judgment Day(1991)
Cast:Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, Robert Patrick
Directors:James Cameron
Producer:James Cameron, Gale Anne Hurd
Writer:James Cameron, William Wisher
Editor:Conrad Buff, Mark Goldblatt, Richard A. Harris
Cinematographer:Adam Greenberg, Michael A. Benson
Production Company:Carolco, Pacific Western , Lightstorm Entertainment
9. Invasion of the Body Snatchers(1956)
Cast:Kevin McCarthy, Dana Wynter, Larry Gates
Directors:Don Siegel
Producer:Walter Wanger
Writer:Daniel Mainwaring
Editor:Robert S. Eisen
Cinematographer:Ellsworth Fredericks
Production Company:Walter Wanger Pictures, Inc.
10. Back to the Future(1985)
Cast:Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson
Directors:Robert Zemeckis, Frank Marshall
Producer:Bob Gale, Neil Canton, Steven Spielberg, Frank Marshall, Kathleen Kennedy
Writer:Robert Zemeckis, Bob Gale
Editor:Arthur Schmidt, Harry Keramidas
Cinematographer:Dean Cundey, Raymond Stella
Production Company:Universal Pictures , Amblin Entertainment
GANGSTER
AFI defines the “gangster film” as a genre that centers on organized crime or maverick criminals in a twentieth century setting.
1. The Godfather(1972)
Cast:Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan
Directors:Francis Ford Coppola
Producer:Robert Evans, Albert S. Ruddy
Writer:Mario Puzo, Francis Ford Coppola
Editor:William Reynolds, Peter Zinner
Cinematographer:Gordon Willis
Production Company:Paramount Pictures Corp., Alfran Productions, Inc.
2. Goodfellas(1990)
Cast:Robert De Niro, Ray Liotta, Joe Pesci
Directors:Martin Scorsese
Producer:Irwin Winkler, Barbara De Fina
Writer:Nicholas Pileggi, Martin Scorsese
Editor:Thelma Schoonmaker, James Kwei
Cinematographer:Michael Ballhaus
Production Company:Warner Bros. Pictures , Irwin Winkler Productions
3. The Godfather Part II(1974)
Cast:Al Pacino, Robert Duvall, Diane Keaton
Directors:Francis Ford Coppola
Producer:Robert Evans, Francis Ford Coppola
Writer:Francis Ford Coppola, Mario Puzo
Editor:Richard Marks
Cinematographer:Gordon Willis
Production Company:The Coppola Company
4. White Heat(1949)
Cast:James Cagney, Virginia Mayo, Edmond O'Brien
Directors:Raoul Walsh
Producer:Louis F. Edelman
Writer:Ivan Goff, Ben Roberts
Editor:Owen Marks
Cinematographer:Sid Hickox
Production Company:Warner Bros. Pictures, Inc.
5. Bonnie and Clyde(1967)
Cast:Warren Beatty, Faye Dunaway, Michael J. Pollard
Directors:Arthur Penn
Producer:Warren Beatty
Writer:David Newman, Robert Benton
Editor:Dede Allen
Cinematographer:Burnett Guffey
Production Company:Tatira-Hiller Productions
6. Scarface(1932)
Cast:Paul Muni, Ann Dvorak, Karen Morley
Directors:Howard Hawks
Writer:Ben Hecht, Fred Pasley
Editor:Edward Curtiss
Cinematographer:Lee Garmes, L. W. O'Connell
Production Company:The Caddo Co., Inc.
7. Pulp Fiction(1994)
Cast:John Travolta, Samuel L. Jackson, Uma Thurman
Directors:Quentin Tarantino
Producer:Lawrence Bender
Writer:Quentin Tarantino
Editor:Sally Menke
Cinematographer:Andrzej Sekula
Production Company:A Band Apart , Jersey Films
8. The Public Enemy(1931)
Cast:James Cagney, Jean Harlow, Edward Woods
Directors:William A. Wellman
Writer:Kubec Glasmon, John Bright, Harvey Thew
Editor:Edward M. McDermott
Cinematographer:Dev Jennings
Production Company:Warner Bros. Pictures, Inc.
9. Little Caesar(1931)
Cast:Edward G. Robinson, Douglas Fairbanks Jr., Glenda Farrell
Directors:Mervyn LeRoy
Writer:Francis Faragoh
Editor:Ray Curtiss
Cinematographer:Tony Gaudio
Production Company:First National Pictures, Inc.
10. Scarface(1983)
Cast:Al Pacino, Steven Bauer, Michelle Pfeiffer
Directors:Brian DePalma
Producer:Martin Bregman, Louis A. Stroller
Writer:Oliver Stone
Editor:Jerry Greenberg, David Ray
Cinematographer:John A. Alonzo
Production Company:Universal Pictures
COURTROOM DRAMA
AFI defines “courtroom drama” as a genre of film in which a system of justice plays a critical role in the film’s narrative.
1. To Kill a Mockingbird(1962)
Cast:Gregory Peck, John Megna, Frank Overton
Directors:Robert Mulligan
Producer:Alan J. Pakula
Writer:Horton Foote
Editor:Aaron Stell, J. Terry Williams
Cinematographer:Russell Harlan
Production Company:Pakula-Mulligan Productions, Inc., Brentwood Productions, Inc.
2. 12 Angry Men(1957)
Cast:Henry Fonda, Lee J. Cobb, Ed Begley
Directors:Sidney Lumet
Producer:Henry Fonda, Reginald Rose
Writer:Reginald Rose
Editor:Carl Lerner
Cinematographer:Boris Kaufman
Production Company:Orion-Nova Productions
3. Kramer vs. Kramer(1979)
Cast:Dustin Hoffman, Meryl Streep, Jane Alexander
Directors:Robert Benton
Producer:Stanley R. Jaffe
Writer:Robert Benton
Editor:Jerry Greenberg
Cinematographer:Nestor Almendros
Production Company:Columbia Pictures
4. The Verdict(1982)
Cast:Paul Newman, Charlotte Rampling, Jack Warden
Directors:Sidney Lumet
Producer:Richard D. Zanuck, David Brown, Burtt Harris
Writer:David Mamet
Editor:Peter Frank
Cinematographer:Andrzej Bartkowiak
Production Company:Zanuck/Brown Productions, Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation
5. A Few Good Men(1992)
Cast:Tom Cruise, Jack Nicholson, Demi Moore
Directors:Rob Reiner
Producer:David Brown, Rob Reiner, Andrew Scheinman, William Gilmore, Rachel Pfeffer
Writer:Aaron Sorkin
Editor:Robert Leighton, Steve Nevius
Cinematographer:Robert Richardson
Production Company:Castle Rock Entertainment
6. Witness for the Prosecution(1958)
Cast:Tyrone Power, Marlene Dietrich, Charles Laughton
Directors:Billy Wilder
Producer:Arthur Hornblow
Writer:Billy Wilder, Harry Kurnitz, Larry Marcus
Editor:Daniel Mandell
Cinematographer:Russell Harlan
Production Company:Theme Pictures, Inc., Edward Small Productions, Inc.
7. Anatomy of a Murder(1959)
Cast:James Stewart, Lee Remick, Ben Gazzara
Directors:Otto Preminger
Producer:Otto Preminger
Writer:Wendell Mayes
Editor:Louis R. Loeffler
Cinematographer:Sam Leavitt
Production Company:Carlyle Productions, Inc.
8. In Cold Blood(1967)
Cast:Robert Blake, Scott Wilson, John Forsythe
Directors:Richard Brooks
Producer:Richard Brooks
Writer:Richard Brooks
Editor:Peter Zinner
Cinematographer:Conrad Hall
Production Company:Pax Enterprises
9. A Cry in the Dark(1988)
Cast:Meryl Streep, Sam Neill, Bruce Myles
Directors:Fred Schepisi
Producer:Verity Lambert, Menahem Golan, Yoram Globus
Writer:Robert Caswell, Fred Schepisi
Editor:Jill Bilcock
Cinematographer:Ian Baker
Production Company:Cannon Entertainment Inc., Cinema Verity , Evil Angels Films Pty. Ltd.
10. Judgment at Nuremberg(1961)
Cast:Spencer Tracy, Burt Lancaster, Richard Widmark
Directors:Stanley Kramer
Producer:Stanley Kramer
Writer:Abby Mann
Editor:Frederic Knudtson
Cinematographer:Ernest Laszlo
Production Company:Roxlom Films
EPIC
AFI defines “epic” as a genre of large-scale films set in a cinematic interpretation of the past.
1. Lawrence of Arabia(1962)
Cast:Peter O'Toole, Alec Guinness, Anthony Quinn
Directors:David Lean
Producer:Sam Spiegel, David Lean
Writer:Robert Bolt, Michael Wilson
Editor:Anne V. Coates
Cinematographer:F. A. Young
Production Company:Horizon Pictures (G.B.), Ltd.
2. Ben-Hur(1959)
Cast:Charlton Heston, Jack Hawkins, Haya Harareet
Directors:William Wyler
Producer:Joseph R. Vogel, Sol C. Siegel, Sam Zimbalist, J. J. Cohn
Writer:Karl Tunberg
Editor:Ralph E. Winters, John D. Dunning, Margaret Booth
Cinematographer:Robert L. Surtees
Production Company:Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Corp.
3. Schindler's List(1993)
Cast:Liam Neeson, Ben Kingsley, Ralph Fiennes
Directors:Steven Spielberg
Producer:Steven Spielberg, Gerald R. Molen, Branko Lustig, Kathleen Kennedy
Writer:Steve Zaillian
Editor:Michael Kahn
Cinematographer:Janusz Kaminski
Production Company:Amblin Entertainment
4. Gone with the Wind(1939)
Cast:Thomas Mitchell, Barbara O'Neil, Vivien Leigh
Directors:Victor Fleming, Sam Wood, George Cukor, Chester Franklin, James Fitzpatrick
Producer:David O. Selznick
Writer:Sidney Howard, Barbara Keon, Lydia Schiller, Connie Earl
Cinematographer:Ernest Haller, Lee Garmes
Production Company:Selznick International Pictures, Inc.
5. Spartacus(1960)
Cast:Kirk Douglas, Laurence Olivier, Jean Simmons
Directors:Stanley Kubrick, Anthony Mann
Producer:Kirk Douglas, Edward Muhl, Edward Lewis
Writer:Dalton Trumbo
Editor:Robert Lawrence
Cinematographer:Russell Metty
Production Company:Universal-International Pictures Co., Inc., Bryna Productions, Inc.
6. Titanic(1997)
Cast:Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet, Billy Zane
Directors:James Cameron
Producer:James Cameron, Jon Landau
Writer:James Cameron
Editor:Conrad Buff, James Cameron, Richard A. Harris
Cinematographer:Russell Carpenter
Production Company:Paramount Pictures Corp., Twentieth Century Fox Film Corp., Lightstorm Entertainment
7. All Quiet on the Western Front(1930)
Cast:Louis Wolheim, Lew Ayres, John Wray
Directors:Lewis Milestone
Producer:Carl Laemmle Jr.
Writer:George Abbott, Del Andrews
Editor:Edgar Adams, Milton Carruth
Cinematographer:Arthur Edeson
Production Company:Universal Pictures Corp.
8. Saving Private Ryan(1998)
Cast:Tom Hanks, Edward Burns, Tom Sizemore
Directors:Steven Spielberg
Producer:Steven Spielberg, Ian Bryce, Mark Gordon, Gary Levinsohn
Writer:Robert Rodat
Editor:Michael Kahn
Cinematographer:Janusz Kaminski
Production Company:Amblin Entertainment , Mutual Film Company
9. Reds(1981)
Cast:Warren Beatty, Diane Keaton, Edward Herrmann
Directors:Warren Beatty
Producer:Warren Beatty, Simon Relph, Dede Allen
Writer:Warren Beatty, Trevor Griffiths
Editor:Dede Allen, Craig McKay
Cinematographer:Vittorio Storaro
Production Company:Paramount Pictures , J. R. S. Productions
10. The Ten Commandments(1956)
Cast:Charlton Heston, Yul Brynner, Anne Baxter
Directors:Cecil B. DeMille
Producer:Cecil B. DeMille
Writer:Aeneas MacKenzie, Jesse L. Lasky Jr., Jack Gariss, Fredric M. Frank
Editor:Anne Bauchens
Cinematographer:Loyal Griggs
Production Company:Paramount Pictures Corp.
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