Where east is east

 

This was a pretty bad silent movie but it's worth it for the unintentional funny ending. Estelle Taylor is really the star of this one. She's quite exotic looking. She plays Lon Chaney's ex. He knows she's up to no good and soon she is seducing her estranged daughter Lupe Velez's boyfriend. SPOILER: Lon Chaney opens up a gorilla cage and tells the animal to get at it (the ex-wife.) It ended the movie on a cheesy point. The talent of this movie like Lon Chaney and Todd Browning outweighs the movie itself.

This is the Night

 

This was an ok pre-code movie. This was Cary Grant's first movie and you can already tell that he has a charming persona here. However, the movie really belongs to Lily Damita. Damita is supposed to play the wife of Roland Young. Young is currently having an affair with Cary Grant's wife Thelma Todd. But Young finds himself jealous of the affections that Cary Grant has been showing towards Damita. This was all right. 

Girls' Dormitory

 

Tyrone Power only has a small role in the movie Girls' Dormitory. It was pretty short but I liked it. It deals with a very young cute Simone Simon before her breakthrough role in Cat People. She plays a nineteen-year-old school girl that has a crush on Herbert Marshall. People are shocked by a love letter that the student has written. When Herbert finds out that she wrote the letter to him he is taken back. Who could love him a boring headmaster. He discovers he has feelings for Simone as well.  SPOILER: I loved the ending although it was rushed. The movie would have been better if it added twenty minutes. It turned out that Ruth Chatterton had feelings for him.  I expected the movie to change because of this information after she's closer to him in age.  But that didn't happen thankfully.

Osaka Elegy

 

This was an ok Kenji Mizoguchi movie. A woman agrees to become the mistress of her boss after her father can't pay his debts. Also, she financially takes on her brother's college education. While she does this all to help the family she loves in the end they just shun her bad reputation. There is a man she is in love with but later we will see he doesn't have a spine. Apparently, the Eclipse series put together a box set of Mizoguchi's movies that deal with the theme of fallen women. I'm looking forward to watching the rest.

A New Kind of Love

 

This romantic comedy was pretty bad. Joanne Woodward and Paul Newman do have chemistry. They proved it in The Long Hot Summer and I recommend that movie. However, this was a mess. Joanne Woodward plays an androgynous fashion designer who reporter Paul Newman takes for a man. She gets a makeover that makes her unrecognizable. She deceives Paul by telling him she's a call girl.  Eventually, the truth comes out. The characters are unlikable. Pass. 

Pierrot Le Fou

 

It's obvious to me now that I don't care for Jean-Luc Godard. So far the only movies I've liked of him are Band of Outsiders and Breathless. I've liked two of his movies but have found that his films are pretty pretentious. I liked the first hour of this movie actually. In this movie, Jean-Paul Belmondo runs off with his babysitter. The second hour lacked structure. I do like Jean-Paul Belmondo and Anna Karina though. I wish more directors took advantage of Anna Karina's presence. She will be forever known for these Godard movies, however.

Cobra Woman

 

This was a pretty fun movie where Maria Montez is kidnapped and finds out that she has an evil twin sister who wants to make her life a nightmare. Sabu plays a friend of Maria's love interest. This movie is a short campy delight. 

Macabre

 

This was just an ok William Castle movie. Frankly, I've seen better. It's about a father who gets a call that his daughter has been buried alive. Soon the parents are frequenting the graveyards trying to search for their daughter. Is this caller to be trusted?

Jodhaa Akbar

 

This Indian movie was all right. I got it because of the lovely Aishwarya Rai who is not given enough credit for her acting abilities as well. It's about an arranged marriage but there is a catch Rai gets to practice her own religion. The man agrees to this. This was an unexpected twist but the man is respectful to Rai and the two eventually fall in love.  This movie is long though.  It's three hours and a half.

Underwater

 

This was a pretty boring movie about treasure hunters undersea. I didn't really care for the characters and when they succeeded I still wasn't thrilled.  Jane Russell does look good in this but if that's your motivation for watching this I suggest you just watch Gentlemen prefer Blondes again. 

Boot Polish

 This was an ok old Indian movie.  It's about two children who are beggars. They take up shining people's shoes for a living. One day the girl gets in luck and finds two adults who are loving and willing to take her in. However, their past abusive caretaker lies about the state the boy is in leaving the two separated for a time. Will the two siblings meet each other again? 

The Innocents

 

This was an excellent adaptation of Henry James' The Turn of the Screw.  The fact that it was written by two writers John Mortimer and Truman Capote puts it above par compared to other horror movies.  (I suspect that the most shocking moments were the ones written by Capote.)  It's about a governess who is either crazy or perceptive about the ghosts going on in the house.  This is one of Deborah Kerr's best roles.  You believe she is going out of her mind.  The black and white atmosphere adds to the chilliness of the movie.  I typically watch my movies with the light on doing something.  But I decided that this movie was meant to be seen in the dark.  I rarely do that but it was a good choice.  The Criterion Collection unsurprisedly picked this up.

Strangers in the Night

 

This is a short Anthony Mann movie. It's about an old woman who creates a fictional daughter and the man that visits the house eager to meet her.  It's kind of a want to be Rebecca and I thought some parts of the ending were unintentionally funny.  Still, it was ok.  The reason to watch this is if you're an Anthony Mann fan.  He was one of the best directors in the western and noir at the time.  He's the main star of this movie since there are no big-name stars.  

Fall Guy

 

This was the typical noir about a framed man trying to prove his innocence.  The main actor was Sean Penn's father.  This movie features one of the worst songs I've ever heard in a movie.  It seems that every noir needs a singer to sing a song but this movie definitely could have done without it.

Women in Bondage

 

The title may make this sound interesting but actually, it was pretty boring. Gail Patrick returns to Germany after 10 years and is appalled at the way women are being treated.  She gets in trouble for wanting to help a girl who can't get married to an officer she loves because of the problem with her eyes.  This movie was that it wasn't involving and frankly, there were better anti-Nazi movies around at this time.  

Rachel and the Stranger

 

This western was a lot better than I expected it to be.  This movie basically says you should be grateful for what you have.  William Holden buys Loretta Young to be a wife (but really a bondswoman.)  He needs someone to educate his son and do the housekeeping.  However, Robert Mitchum sees her potential, and then Holden gets jealous.  Loretta Young is made to look frumpy.  Only a few times does her beauty show through in this movie.  This was an above-average western.

Cry of the City

 

I really didn't care for this movie. It's about a cop and a murderer who used to be childhood friends.  It's basically a chase between the two.  Unfortunately, we don't hear much about their childhood friendship.  Some flashbacks would have been nice.  I didn't hate it but it was generic.  I have seen this all before and frankly, I was expecting more from Robert Siodmak, who made great noir movies like Criss Cross and Phantom Lady. 

Zero Focus

 

This was a good Japanese thriller about a bride who is only briefly married before her husband disappears.  The bride takes it upon herself to find the truth of what really happened.  She uncovers stories about adultery, suicide, and murder to see what really happened. I thought it had an effective villain.  Not enough old Japanese thrillers are released and I'm sure they are out there. 

Suds

 

This movie is just plain weird but I like it.  I think it shows Mary Pickford's comic talents well.  It deals with a laundress.  She keeps the shirt of one of her customers. Mary declares to her co-workers that he is coming back for the shirt and her.  Things end happy but just in ways, the viewer didn't expect.  Mary Pickford may have been one of the most famous silent stars of her time but I feel that she is kind of neglected these days. The woman deserves her due.  

Les Cousins

 

This was a pretty effective early effort from Claude Chabrol.  It's concerning two cousins who decide to live together while they go to college.  One is hardworking and the other is a lucky guy who just gets by.  You feel so sorry for the doormat hardworking guy as his cousin proceeds to take his girl, played by the very beautiful Juliette Mayniel.  The guy seems to not be angry at all at his cousin for taking his girl as he continues to live with him peacefully. You wonder if this guy is even human but then comes the ending.  I have to admit the ending took me by surprise.  I think this is one of Chabrol's best.  

When the Clouds Roll By

 Douglas Fairbanks amazes me.  I've been watching his adventure movies lately and decided to watch this 1920 movie.  He was also an effective comedian.  The man had talent.  In this movie, his psychiatrist plans an experiment on Douglas to see just how miserable he can make his patient.  This includes making sure that he doesn't get the girl.  My sister who watched this with me said this movie reminded her of "The Truman Show."  Actually, this movie was pretty funny at times.   This movie also features a scene where Douglas walks on the ceiling and floor predating Fred Astaire's later attempt.  

The Private Life of Don Juan

 

This was Douglas Fairbanks' last movie and in many ways, it is a good end to his film career.  He made a career out of playing several adventurous characters like Robin Hood.  So it's not far to see him play a role like a lover like Don Juan.  However, this Don Juan is nothing to brag about.  He doesn't have the strength to be a lover like the one before.  Even an impostor starts stealing the ladies but Don Juan has nothing on him since he's more believable and better at flirting with the women at this point.  Don Juan tries to convince people he still has it but no one believes it so he realizes he has to settle down.  This was probably echoing Fairbanks' film career at this point so the film was well cast.  Still, I prefer to think of Fairbanks in his prime as the swashbuckling actor that played in movies like The Three Musketeers.  

The Missing Juror

 I watched Framed with Janis Carter recently and liked it.  However, this movie was mediocre and I watched it two days ago and still have a hard time recalling it.  I think Janis was better than her movies and she rarely had a moment like Framed to shine.  This isn't director Budd Boetticher (who is better known for his westerns) finest hour either.  Somebody is out to get everyone killed on a jury who convicted a man of guilty.  A reporter goes on the case. At least the movie was short.

Masculin Feminin

 

I really didn't like this movie.  I've watched some movies from Jean-Luc Godard.  Some of them were ok.  I thought for instance that Band of Outsiders which I saw a month or two ago was all right.  It's just that I  didn't like the main character played by Jean-Pierre Leaud.  I found him really unlikable.  This movie is about the relationship between pop singer Chantal Goya and Leaud.  I just thought they didn't much have chemistry.  I do like Chantal Goya's ye-ye recordings and if you are a fan of those recordings I suggest watching this.  Otherwise, I would skip it.   

You'd be surprised

 This was a pretty funny short silent movie about a coroner (played by the underrated silent comedian Raymond Griffith) who arrives at a crime scene but announces he only has an hour to spare.  He has to go to the theatre.  He refuses to believe that the obvious suspect is the lovely girl present since he wants her to be his date at the theatre.  Raymond is able to solve the crime within the hour of course.  

Pyassa

 This was a pretty good Indian movie from the 1950s.  I watched it on youtube.  It concerns a poet's rise to the top and back to the bottom again.  His brothers are scum and the woman he loved married someone else for money.  When he mistakenly dies from a train his country honors him, but how will they treat him when comes back from the dead.  This movie has an interesting outlook on fame and what happiness really is. Overall the ending was different than the usual movie although I loved it.  

Lola

 This was just an ok Jacques Demy movie.  It didn't have the magic of The Umbrellas of Cherbourg or The Young Girls of Rochefort.  I even watched one of his nonmusical films Bay of Angels recently and I liked that one better than this one too.  Anouk Aimee does a good job though as the dancer who can't let go of her past love Michel despite the attentions of a childhood friend and also a sailor.  I didn't think that it broke new ground.  The beautiful dancer that men seem enamored by is a tired plot.  Still, Demy would go on to better things.  

The Mark of Zorro

 Lately, I've become a fan of Douglas Fairbanks.  He wasn't really athletic and he wasn't the best looking but there was an undeniable charm about him.  It made you accept all of the adventurous roles he took on.  (He was also a good comic actor when given the chance.)  The Mark of Zorro is a pretty fun silent movie.  It's about a guy who leads a double life, one as a boring Clark Kent guy and the other as Zorro.  His love interest dates the boring guy to do the family a favor but she finds him ultimately boring.  Little does she know he is also Zorro the guy who has been saving her life so much lately.  Douglas Fairbanks also played Don Juan and Robin Hood too in his career.  I plan to see them too.  I'm hooked.  

Wild Strawberries

This is one of Ingmar Bergman's most impressive movies about a physician on a road trip with his daughter in law (Ingrid Thulin) and some hitchhikers.   Along the way, he hallucinates about his past especially about Bibi Andersson, the girl who loved him but stumbled to his brother's flirtations.  Bibi Andersson and Ingrid Thulin have never looked prettier.  This is the perfect movie about missed opportunities.  The impressive performance of Victor Sjostrom is the best thing about the movie.  Victor Sjostrom was one of the best silent directors of his day.  I've watched this movie a few times but had no idea that he was the lead actor.  He's multi-talented.  Bibi Andersson plays two roles that of a hitchhiker and the love.  I feel like she was never given her due as an actress.  A must to see.

Fiesta

 

This wasn't a good movie but I don't think it's as bad as Leonard Maltin made it out to be.  Esther's brother has been trained to be a bullfighter his whole life but he actually prefers music.  His father is not happy with this choice and runs off.  In order to lure him back home, Esther takes his place as the bullfighter.  There's one scene where Esther Williams swims and it made me think of what I would rather be watching.  That really was Esther's thing.  It's watchable but not great.

The Strawberry Blonde

 

This was a good movie where James Cagney reflects back on his life and wishes he was able to get married to Rita Hayworth and not Olivia de Havilland.  Rita Hayworth was a golddigger though and married his friend Jack Carson, a rich man who used James Cagney.  However, the reflection and the present makes him realize that things really did work out for the best for him.  Not only that he sees that Olivia de Havilland is an outstanding wife.  The actress Olivia de Havilland was not a plain woman at all.  However, she was no match against Rita Hayworth.  Jack Carson is really good as the backstabbing friend.  This movie was cute.

Bay of Angels

 

This was an ok Jacques Demy movie. He wrote and directed it. I loved his musical movies especially The Umbrellas of Cherbourg.  He had an interesting whimsical vision.  Still, I need to give more of a chance to his other films like this.  I did like this movie although I wish the ending was more developed.  At the beginning of the movie a banker swears he will never gamble.  Soon though he finds himself addicted and falling for a blonde Jeanne Moreau, a woman who is even more addicted than he is.  They can be rather cruel to each other as well.  Jeanne Moreau does a good job as this woman who can either hate or love.  It's not one of the movies that she is most remembered for but it's worth watching to see her range as an actress.  

Last Year at Marienbad

This movie is pretentious yet it works.  I've found myself stopping halfway through foreign movies of the sort but this movie is interesting anyway.  I watched this movie all the time as a kid.  I was a weird kid.  The whole movie deals with a man trying to persuade a woman that he met her at the same hotel last year.  He can get quite persuasive.  The sets particularly the garden are cool.  The screenplay was written by a real French writer Alain Robbe-Grillet and it was even nominated for an Oscar.  It's a stunning looking film.  There's not much substance.  It's all style.  

Nauker

 A man's servant and his master switch roles in order to find a sincere woman who will also be a great mother.  The man though falls for the help Geeta which was not his original intention at all.  She is played by the great Indian actress Jaya Bachchan.  (She later resurrected her career in such movies as Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham).  I watched this on youtube and I thought it was good enough to get a DVD release.  

The Story of Temple Drake

 I was thrilled about this movie getting released but it was kind of a letdown.  I loved William Faulkner's Sanctuary. This wasn't as involving.  This was controversial in its day but there were better precode movies.  To be honest I prefer the comic precodes so this has something to do with my opinion.  The plot has to do with a judge's daughter.  When there's a car accident she is left vulnerable to the help she gets.  Unfortunately, that company includes criminals and leads her to a destructive path.  Miriam Hopkins' acting was pretty good and the movie's strongest point.  

Karin Ingmarsdotter

The Swedish director Victor Sjostrom is one of silent's most famous directors.  Yet his movies aren't being treated properly.  Even his most famous movie The Wind is not available.  The few movies that are available of him on youtube are not subtitled.  I'm frustrated but at least this was.  This movie deals with a woman who rejects her fiance when he gets drunk once.  Yet her second husband takes to drink and becomes a scoundrel. Karin starts to see what a mistake she made when later on the old fiance enters her life once more.  I thought this movie was sincere.  At least The Outlaw and his Wife is on dvd.     

The Spiral Staircase

 

This was a pretty cool movie from noir director Robert Siodmak.  There's a murderer about killing women with disabilities which rightfully distresses the mute Dorothy McGuire.  Every male becomes a suspect almost in this movie.  I expected a straightforward predictable horror movie but there was something I didn't see coming and it wasn't a cheap twist ending.  Dorothy McGuire does a good job with this.  I wonder why this didn't make The Criterion Collection as Siodmak is a noted director.

Framed

 

It's interesting.  I saw Girl in the Case awhile back which was an unremarkable movie.  After seeing this though I am convinced that Janis Carter should have had more of a career. She's quite pretty too looking a bit like Peggy Lee. She really sinks her teeth into this pretty generic noir.  It's the usual story of a femme fatale conning a man and trying to string him along, blaming the murder on Glenn Ford and is just fine with Glenn's business partner Edgar Buchanan rotting in jail.  SPOILER:  My favorite moment of the movie was something small.  It was the reaction that Edgar had when Glenn asked him how he was doing in jail.  It was a reaction I hadn't seen before in movies and television.  My sister and I just loved the scene.  

Walk Softly, Stranger

 

This has a fantastic cast but then the leads from The Third Man (a movie I need to watch again) are in it.  Joseph Cotten plays a crook and the beautiful Alida plays a woman in a wheelchair.  His past catches up to him.  This was just an ok movie.  It's mostly to watch for the leads.  SPOILER:  He says an awesome pickup line to her that I fell for. 

Fifth Avenue Girl

 

This is a less enthusiastic My Man Godfrey.  It's directed by the same guy so it makes sense - Gregory La Cava.  Part of the fault lies in Ginger Roger's monotone performance but then the movie is dull.  I don't like to put Ginger Rogers down since she's usually a very excellent charming actress.  This is one of those movies that focus on the rich/poor social status and favors the poor.  A wealthy man brings home the poor girl Ginger to his household.  Then you also see that his daughter loves the chauffeur.  I'm not against the pro poor plot.  There are several movies that do it well.  This wasn't a bad movie.  It just wasn't exciting either. 

Awaara

 

This was a pretty good old Indian movie.  A judge leaves behind his pregnant wife because he says the baby is from another man.  The truth is he's a coward who can't take the gossip surrounding him in his town.  His philosophy is that if the boy came from a bandit he will be a bandit.  The boy starts out good but soon his surroundings affect him.  The boy meets his childhood friend Rita again and soon they find themselves in love.  However, his life of crime catches up with him and soon he is on trial with his father as the judge.  This movie is an interesting tale about the effects that the environment can have on a person.  The ending wasn't what I expected.  

The Magician

 

This is one of Bergman's lesser works but it is still worth watching.  I think Criterion did well by adding the movie in its collection.  It's about a magician played by Max Von Sydow who comes across as a phony at times and wondrous at others.  Bibi Andersson plays a woman who may be under the influence of a love potion.  Bibi Andersson and Ingrid Thulin (who also stars) were regulars of Bergman at this time.  I was such a strange little girl that at 12 Bibi Andersson was one of my favorite actresses. This is worth viewing. 

Thirst

 This early Bergman movie is just all right.  Frankly, I think he showed potential but his genius didn't show through until the 1950's when he would make masterpieces like The Virgin Spring and The Seventh Seal.  There are two plots to this movie.  One is about a struggling marriage and a woman who regrets a past affair and abortion.  The other is about a confused lesbian.  I even liked Port of Call more.  I recommend this only for people who are already fans of Bergman.  

The Love Expert

I love the silent comedienne Constance Talmadge but this was a hit and miss.  This reminds me of Jane Austen's Emma.  It deals with a matchmaker who is trying to score romance herself.  However, some of the things she does are questionable, especially how she plays with her father's love life.  Constance Talmadge is a delight still.  I'm happy with Kino's release of two of her movies and hope that more are released.  

Victim

This was a good movie from Basil Dearden about a gay man who is being blackmailed and his lover who has just been killed.  He worries about the effect the news will have on his career and his family life.  At the time of this movie, homosexuality was against the law in England and more taboo than it is now.  Dick Bogarde does a good job as the blackmailed man.  SPOILERS: I like the ending when he tells his wife that he will need her.  She says needing is more important than love.  I don't know if that is necessarily true but it did make me ponder.

Au Hasard Balthazar

It's interesting how different Netflix is than imdb.com.  If you look at imdb.com most of the ratings talk about how this movie is a masterpiece.  If you look at Netflix half of the reviews discuss how they didn't like the abuse of the donkey and the girl.  Somehow this abuse is supposed to be talking about spirituality.  I'm more with the negative half of Netflix.  The torment that the girl's childhood donkey and her receive is unsettling.  I was annoyed with the girl's character.  There was a guy in the movie who treated her right but she had to go for the bad boy.  Of course, this is the story of millions of girls.  It probably got The Criterion Collection because it was made by Robert Bresson who did make excellent movies like Pickpocket.  I thought the actress though in the movie was interesting Anne Wiazemsky.  She was Jean Luc-Godard's wife for a time.

Lizzie

Eleanor Parker plays a woman with multiple personalities.  She does a good job.  Frankly, The Three Faces of Eve is just better.  It was released at the same year and there's a reason why it's more popular.  This was based on a Shirley Jackson novel The Bird's Nest.  I didn't think it was one of Shirley's best.  That was just ok too.  If you're interested in movies about mental illness this might interest you.  It isn't essential though.

Light in the Piazza

Olivia de Havilland fans might want to watch this movie. (She died this week and this magnificent actress will be missed.)  It's one of her great last movies.  She plays the mother of a beautiful handicapped girl played by Yvette Mimieux.  Her husband wants to be realistic about their daughter.  However, when a handsome Italian male expresses interest assuming the girl is just an airhead the mother can't resist.  Olivia wrestles with her conscience and she debates whether she should tell the young man the truth.  This movie was also made into a musical later on.  

What every woman knows

Helen Hayes plays a smart woman who is in love with aspiring politician Brian Aherne.  He's not all that bright and she is really the brains behind his success.  He has an affair with Madge Evans.  Moviegoers weren't pleased with Madge playing the other woman as she usually had the girl next door roles.  But she's good in this and it shows her range.  However, the real star is Helen Hayes.  This was based on a J.M. Barrie play.

You Never Call Tell

I got because I'm a fan of Peggy Dow, one of the loveliest actresses from the '50s.  The plot of this movie is weird, a murdered dog comes back to life in the form of Dick Powell.  He wants to help out his friend Peggy and clear her name from the murder.  He is accompanied by a horse who also returns in the form of a human.  This was played by Joyce Holden and I thought she did a good job.  This movie would probably appeal more to kids but it was all right.  There were some funny scenes. It was later remade as Oh, Heavenly Dog with Chevy Chase.

The Big City

When I was a teenager I watched a couple of Satyajit Ray movies.  I found them boring.  However, the feminist angle to this movie made me curious.  I liked The Big City and I think it's about time for a rewatch of Satyajit Ray's movies.   That was around twenty years ago and a person's perspective can definitely change in that amount of time.  This movie is about a housewife who gets a job as a salesperson.  When her husband unexpectedly loses her job it's up to her to support the household and their relationship will never be the same.  But when she sees a fellow co-worker being discriminated against by her boss the woman has to make some tough decisions.  It's pretty long two hours and sixteen minutes but I found it rewarding.  The acting in it is pretty solid.   

A Double Tour

This movie was a mess.  It's a want to be Hitchcock movie about an affair and a murder.  It's trashy and doesn't say anything new.  Frankly, Claude Chabrol made much better movies (and so did Jean-Paul Belmondo).  You're better off with Chabrol's Les Bonnes Femmes and Le Boucher.  

Day of Reckoning

I like Madge Evans and I've been going through her filmography.  My twin sister calls her the drier Norma Shearer.   She plays a woman who spends too much of her husband's money.  He resorted to embezzling to provide for her.  While in jail she has an affair that has unexpected consequences.  Madge Evans is awesome in this.  She's not playing her typical girl next neighbor role.  It shows the range this actress had.

The Swan

The fact that Grace Kelly was a princess and she played a princess is awesome. That's my main motivation for watching this movie.  However, it was really boring.  Grace Kelly is planned to marry Alec Guinness.  Things don't go as planned though when she falls in love with a regular guy Louis Jourdan.  At least Grace Kelly is pretty here.  

The Spirit of the Beehive

In this Spanish movie, a little girl becomes fixated with the movie Frankenstein.  I think that the main strengths of the movie are her interactions with her friend.  It shows her being a regular kid. The obsessions with Frankenstein may be the main plot of this movie but it has far more to it than that.  It's a layered movie.   

Purple Noon

Alain Delon kills his friend, then takes on his identity and his girlfriend Marie Laforet.  I decided to watch this again after five years since I own a collection of Marie Laforet.  But the movie belongs to Alain Delon, I think of the most handsome men in the cinema.  He plays an excellent Tom Ripley.  I prefer this to the remake The Talented Mr. Ripley with Matt Damon. The French got it right.

Calm Yourself

In this movie, Robert Young creates a business for getting people's dirty work done for them. It sounds like a good idea until he gets involved with a kidnapped baby.  The lovely Madge Evans co-stars.  This was just all right.  I give a 2.5 out of 5 stars.  

Port of Call

This early Ingmar Bergman movie covers topics like abortion and prostitution. It's about a suicidal girl and a boy that can't look back at her past.  Apparently, Ingmar Bergman didn't think he was any good at this time but I'm glad he stuck with it.