Friday, January 31, 2014

Watch 47 Samurai (1962) Online

47 Samurai (1962)47 Samurai (1962)iMDB Rating: 7.9
Date Released : 3 October 1963
Genre : Action, Drama, History
Stars : Yûzô Kayama, Chûsha Ichikawa, Tatsuya Mihashi, Akira Takarada
Movie Quality : BRrip
Format : MKV
Size : 700 MB

Download Trailer Subtitle

A young lord attempts to combat the corruption endemic to the Shogunate bureaucracy, only to be placed in an impossible conflict of duties. He refuses to pay the "customary" bribe expected by a Chancellor sent from the Shogunate to teach him the etiquette for receiving envoys from the Emperor. In revenge, the Chancellor goads the lord into drawing his sword when the envoys are present, a crime punishable by death. The young lord is forced to commit ritual suicide for this crime. His vassals are ordered to turn over their lords estate for confiscation, forbidden to take revenge for their lords death, then disbanded as a clan. To obey the Shogun, the lords former samurai must follow those orders, but to be loyal to oaths they swore to their lord and have justice, they must avenge him. This conflict of obligations is the primary dilemma in Japanese society, which is why this story is considered their national epic. The story is richly woven and the film worth seeing for the gorgeous art ...

Watch 47 Samurai Trailer :

Review :

Cinematic pinnacle

I first saw Chushingara in 1972 in Boulder, Colorado on the CU campus. I racked up 3 additional viewings in the next couple of years, one at Boston's Park Square Cinema, long gone and lamented. The Park Square often showed Japanese films and I saw the Samurai Trilogy there as well as some of the other classics. I've since seen in again in theaters and now have the video. I was struck, reading some of the other viewer comments, by how many people felt exactly as I did, remembering each viewing as though it were a superb meal to be savored the rest of our lives, rather than simply "seeing a great film". The other comments articulate the reasons why quite well, but I'll add my two cents. Aside from being perhaps the most gorgeous film ever made, its beauty is integral to the psychological mood of heroism intensified by each moment's transience and each life's fragility. The great trial and seppuku scene, framed by that stunningly beautiful music and the equally intense cherry blossoms, stands as one of the most concise statements of life's tragic beauty as well, of course, as the soul of Bushido. The course of action pursued by Chamberlain Oishi creates the emotional hook and the humorous scenes, highlighted by Toshiro Mifune's wonderful character, keep things barreling along. In the end, though, it is the whole package - the stunning sets, many of them modeled fairly closely on classic Japanese woodcuts; the brilliant acting and direction; the loving detail of so many aspects of Japanese culture; the unfolding of justice; the close relationships and their exacting depiction; the revelation of a code that is so alien to anything in contemporary western life; the self-conscious gamble to make this film a cultural monument that breathes life; and of course, the final battle

  • wow! - certainly one of the greatest movies ever made. It is a shame


that it is not more accessible on the large screen - the bigger the better - but as it sustains multiple viewings, see it on video anyway - it's worth it and you can always watch it again.

Thursday, January 30, 2014

Watch Who Stole the Body? (1963) Online

Who Stole the Body? (1963)Who Stole the Body? (1963)iMDB Rating: 4.4
Date Released : 1 February 1963
Genre : Comedy
Stars : Francis Blanche, Darry Cowl, Elke Sommer, Jacqueline Maillan." />
Movie Quality : HDrip
Format : MKV
Size : 700 MB

Download Trailer Subtitle

Watch Who Stole the Body? Trailer :

Wednesday, January 29, 2014

Watch Az aranyember Online

Az aranyember (1962)Az aranyember (1962)iMDB Rating: 7.3
Date Released : 13 December 1962
Genre : Drama, History, Romance
Stars : András Csorba, Ilona Béres, Ernö Szabó, Marianne Krencsey." />
Movie Quality : BRrip
Format : MKV
Size : 870 MB

Download Trailer Subtitle

Watch Az aranyember Trailer :

Review :

Weak adaptation

I do not agree with Meitschi, since this is not a good adaptation of the novel. It is a very important thing in the novel that the readers see Mihály Tímár's doubts, and his fights with himself. He is a complicated, but good person.

After he has found Csorbadzsi's treasure, he thinks a lot, what he should do with it: If he gave it to Timea, her uncle, Brazovics would steal it. So he decides to keep it for himself to be able to rise the amount of the treasure by making good business with it. But he is still not sure that he has made the good choice: his conscience is not relaxed. And all these important things were omitted.

It was said in the film too, that Tímár helped many other people by his money . But it was not disclosed that he could help Teréza and Noémi only by his money, to be the island their property.

In Füred Krisztyán told Tímár a long story about his adventures, but in the film it was very short. I think it should have been longer.

But Dódi was really Mihály's and Noémi's child. We can understand it from the book, too.

Tuesday, January 28, 2014

Watch Akitsu onsen Online

Akitsu onsen (1962)Akitsu onsen (1962)iMDB Rating: 7.9
Date Released : 15 June 1962
Genre : Drama
Stars : Mariko Okada, Hiroyuki Nagato, Sumiko Hidaka, Asao Koike. The day before Japan announces its defeat in WW2, a very ill Shusaku arrives in Okayama. He meets Shinko, an innkeeper, who inadvertently gives him the will to live as he spies her crying one day. As romance blossoms, the secret death wish he'd brought with him contends with true love for precedence in their relationship. Based on the book by Shinya Fujiwara." />
Movie Quality : HDrip
Format : MKV
Size : 700 MB

Download Trailer Subtitle

The day before Japan announces its defeat in WW2, a very ill Shusaku arrives in Okayama. He meets Shinko, an innkeeper, who inadvertently gives him the will to live as he spies her crying one day. As romance blossoms, the secret death wish he'd brought with him contends with true love for precedence in their relationship. Based on the book by Shinya Fujiwara.

Watch Akitsu onsen Trailer :

Review :

A chronicle of compulsion

At some point after her lover has left her to get married to another woman, a forlorn Mariko Okada, hostess of the Akitsu Inn, looks up and says "the Inn is all I have left" and Yoshida frames her from behind the bars of a panel door like a captive of her own prison. Her character remains one for the rest of the movie until the very end, and that type of visual poignancy is the best I got out of Akitsu Springs. There is more of course.

In the first third we get romantic melodrama played to operatic bombast and pastoral colors, against the backdrop of Japan's surrender to the Allies Mariko Okada nurses back to health (and the will to live) a man suffering from tuberculosis come to the hot springs of Akitsu to recuperate. They fall in love, the type of love produced on demand to be the soulmate/love of a lifetime type of love without the movie earning it for its characters, and then the man proposes to Mariko to commit a double suicide - perhaps the most classically poetic statement of undying love in Japanese culture. But it's too early for that, the relationship has not matured to that point, and so the woman laughs. Then he goes away to get married to some other woman and she stays behind to work the Akitsu Inn. For the rest of the movie the man makes "10 years later" reappearances in the village and Mariko tells him they should die together.

This is a movie of gaps, in time and emotion, a chronicle not of impossible love, because that love was burned out and played out quickly and then left behind so that we're looking at the broken shell of that love and the faded memory of it; it's a chronicle of compulsion, of lives unfulfilled and chances missed, of relationships where one partner loves and remembers more than the other. At some point the man says "we've lived our lives" and I like bittersweet fatalism but these are only words scripted by Yoshida. The movie he creates around them is weak, it falters, because the foundations are weak. Because, before the question "why did you have to die?" can be asked in the movie's finale, the question "why did you fall in love?" must be at least posed, and it's not, so it's all a bit inconsequential and unconvincing as far as that goes. Like the movie is so keen to set itself up a certain way that specifics are never given much thought. It doesn't matter why they fell in love but how they fall out of it and what is created to replace that love it would seem, but when lines like "you taught me how to live" are played out in the first 20 minutes, what's left for the rest of the movie to go? Yoshida makes up for it in the end with tragic irony; now Mariko is the one who goes away and the man has to sit behind and wait.

This is old fashioned stuff for 1962, a Shochiku romance that will probably appeal to fans of Mikio Naruse; me, when I want to stare compulsion right in the eye, I'll stick with Yasuzo Masumura's actually daring movies, where the eroticism is perverse and pathos manifests in frightening ways. Yoshida himself would outgrow this film in due time, here he is still reworking the great classics.

Monday, January 27, 2014

Streaming 13 West Street Online

13 West Street (1962)13 West Street (1962)iMDB Rating: 6.5
Date Released : 6 June 1962
Genre : Drama
Stars : Alan Ladd, Rod Steiger, Michael Callan, Dolores Dorn
Movie Quality : HDrip
Format : MKV
Size : 870 MB

Download Trailer Subtitle

An aerospace engineer (Ladd) ignores a policeman (Steiger) and hunts down a gang of juvenile delinquents.

Watch 13 West Street Trailer :

Review :

Pretty good--and a good way for Ladd to wrap up his career

As Alan Ladd's last starring role, this was a pretty good way to finish his all-too-short career. While it's not the best thing he ever did, it is one of his better films. Unfortunately, for me, a real fan of Ladd, it's also a bit tough to watch because he's obviously suffering the effects of advanced alcoholism--with a puffy look about him and slightly slurred speech. In addition, at times his performance was a bit limp--though at other times, particularly at the end, he was able to rouse some of that old Alan Ladd energy and anger.

The film is about a decent man who through no fault of his own is badly beaten by a group of young spoiled rich thugs. The problem is that the information on who did this was scant so catching the thugs looked uncertain. Plus Ladd had a lot of trouble getting on with his life--particularly when members of this little gang began threatening him and his wife. From that point on, Ladd is a bit like Captain Ahab--with an almost incessant need to find and punish the teens. Surprisingly, Rod Steiger underplays the role of a decent detective who is investigating the case (he sometimes seemed to overact in some films--here he was perfect). He's trying his best to find the boys AND keep Ladd from getting himself in trouble for being a vigilante.

Add to this basic plot decent acting, a very good and suspenseful script as well as a very adult plot for 1962 and you've got the formula for a very good drama--far better than many of the mediocre films Ladd had been making through much of the 1950s and 60s.

Sunday, January 26, 2014

Streaming The Young Savages Online

The Young Savages (1961)The Young Savages (1961)iMDB Rating: 7.0
Date Released : 24 May 1961
Genre : Action, Crime, Drama, Thriller
Stars : Burt Lancaster, Dina Merrill, Edward Andrews, Vivian Nathan. A district attorney investigates the racially charged case of three teenagers accused of the murder of a blind Puerto Rican boy. He begins to discover that the facts in the case aren't exactly as they seem to be." />
Movie Quality : HDrip
Format : MKV
Size : 870 MB

Download Trailer Subtitle

A district attorney investigates the racially charged case of three teenagers accused of the murder of a blind Puerto Rican boy. He begins to discover that the facts in the case aren't exactly as they seem to be.

Watch The Young Savages Trailer :

Review :

sincere, but rather muddle headed and unrealistic

This is one of those social conscience movies that were popular in the 50s and early 60s. This is not an especially good example of the genre. It follows prosecutor Burt Lancaster's investigation into a gang killing. The movie seems to be designed around a series of points the screenplay wants to make about the nature of slums and gangs and whether the death penalty is a good thing and that sort of thing, but it approaches all this in an unconvincing, mechanical manner. While the movie isn't all bad throughout, and seems vaguely interesting most of the way through, the trial at the end is so utterly absurd that it ruined what little momentum the movie had going. This is standard Hollywood law, in which Lancaster exhibits fairly incompetent prosecutorial behavior in his quest for "the truth." The movie is sincere and has good credentials, so it looks like it should be a good movie, but it really isn't.

Saturday, January 25, 2014

Streaming Wonderful to Be Young! Online

Wonderful to Be Young! (1961)Wonderful to Be Young! (1961)iMDB Rating: 5.8
Date Released : 26 February 1962
Genre : Comedy, Musical
Stars : Cliff Richard, Robert Morley, Carole Gray, Jet Harris. Nicky and his friends find that their youth club is in danger of being flattened to make way for a new office block unless they can come up with £1500 to pay the new owner, the ruthless property tycoon Hamilton Black. To help raise the cash, Nicky records a song and his friends broadcast it via a pirate radio station, touting him as "The Mystery Singer" - the plan works and interest in their up ..." />
Movie Quality : BRrip
Format : MKV
Size : 700 MB

Download Trailer Subtitle

Nicky and his friends find that their youth club is in danger of being flattened to make way for a new office block unless they can come up with £1500 to pay the new owner, the ruthless property tycoon Hamilton Black. To help raise the cash, Nicky records a song and his friends broadcast it via a pirate radio station, touting him as "The Mystery Singer" - the plan works and interest in their up and coming show is heightened by this new but unknown heart-throb. But Nicky has an even bigger secret and one that he cannot share, even with his girlfriend Toni... Hamilton Black is his father.

Watch Wonderful to Be Young! Trailer :

Review :

hey kids, let's put on a show

Cliff Richard stars in The Young Ones, or Wonderful to be Young, from 1961, also starring Robert Morley, Carole Gray, and The Shadows.

This is a typical teenage movie with the "Hey, kids, let's put on a show" theme. The kids in this case are British, and their club is being closed due to the sale of the building for a high-rise. What no one knows is the developer, Hamilton Black (Robert Morley) is none other than the father of Nicky (Cliff Richard). Nicky, of course, works on behalf of his cronies but his back always goes out when they have to meet with the old man.

There's a renewal clause in the master lease, but Black is a good chess player - they can renew, but it's going to cost them 1500 pounds, a princely sum, up front. The kids decide to raise the money by putting on a show.

Like "Summer Holiday," "The Young Ones" is an exuberant, tuneful teen movie, with lots of singing and dancing. Richard doesn't force his acting - he says his lines in a natural manner, and his looks and charm do the rest. His early inspiration was Elvis, and some of his singing is definitely Elvis-like. But it's a different voice and persona -- he's a very smooth singer and his boyish handsomeness, unlike Elvis', is very nonthreatening. I can't imagine anyone breaking his records or coming out against him in a pulpit.

This is a very fun film. One can't help being impressed by Richard's longevity - 55 years later, he still looks great, he's still singing, and he's a Sir. He's almost Elvis-lite, a pop icon without the demons that caused us to lose Elvis all too soon.

Friday, January 24, 2014

Watch Town Without Pity Online

Town Without Pity (1961)Town Without Pity (1961)iMDB Rating: 7.3
Date Released : 1 March 1961
Genre : Drama
Stars : Kirk Douglas, Barbara Rütting, Christine Kaufmann, E.G. Marshall
Movie Quality : BRrip
Format : MKV
Size : 870 MB

Download Trailer Subtitle

In 1960 Germany, Army lawyer Major Steve Garrett is assigned to defend four American soldiers charged with raping 16 year-old Karin Steinhof. She was swimming in a nearby river when the four of them came across her and they were soon arrested thereafter. Maj. Garrett is anything but impressed with his clients but his job is to give them the best defense possible. He tries to obtain a plea bargain but Karin's father flatly refuses and the prosecutor, Colonel Jerome Pakenham, is seeking the death penalty. In order for the death penalty to be applied, the defense attorney must have the opportunity to thoroughly examine the victim under oath. He sympathizes with Karin and does his best to convince Karin father to keep her from testifying. When he refuses, Garrett is left will little choice but to attack her on the stand.

Watch Town Without Pity Trailer :

Review :

Gripping, powerful, shocking for its time.

When this film was released in 1961, I remember the ads saying this film was for "Adults Only". (The MPAA rating system didn't exist then.) A film about four soldiers stationed in Germany who gang rape a 16 year old girl and the trial that followed was pretty heavy stuff for audiences back then. I recently saw the film on Turner Classic Movies, and it still holds up very well. It is still startling and powerful, even without nudity and foul language, which should show Hollywood it can be done. You can be "adult" without being unnecessarily vulgar or obscene. As it stands, I would still give this film an "R" rating today.

And, of course, there is the memorable title song, sung by Gene Pitney, which accounted for the film's only (surprisingly) Oscar nomination. Even that lost out to the syrupy "Moon River" from "Breakfast at Tiffany's".

My one complaint about Turner's presentation was with the film's aspect ratio. Instead of showing a widescreen version, they showed a full-frame version with the framing "squeezed" so that faces were somewhat elongated and cars appeared "stubby" and compacted. This became very annoying. Even a pan & scan version would be better than this.

Nonetheless, for sheer power, as well as excellent acting by Kirk Douglas, E.G. Marshall, Christine Kaufmann, and a very young Robert Blake, I highly recommend "Town Without Pity".

Thursday, January 23, 2014

Watch Guns of the Black Witch (1961) Online

Guns of the Black Witch (1961)Guns of the Black Witch (1961)iMDB Rating: 6.2
Date Released : 1 December 1961
Genre : Adventure
Stars : Don Megowan, Silvana Pampanini, Emma Danieli, Livio Lorenzon. In the 17th century, a village was the refuge of several French buccaneers. One day, the Spanish under the command of Guzmán, attacked the village and killed everybody, adults and children alike, Two brothers, who were wild kids, escaped because they were absent to play away from their parents; on their return home, they saw the end of the carnage, and vowed revenge. As adults, they made their ..." />
Movie Quality : BRrip
Format : MKV
Size : 870 MB

Download Trailer Subtitle

In the 17th century, a village was the refuge of several French buccaneers. One day, the Spanish under the command of Guzmán, attacked the village and killed everybody, adults and children alike, Two brothers, who were wild kids, escaped because they were absent to play away from their parents; on their return home, they saw the end of the carnage, and vowed revenge. As adults, they made their name feared by the Maracaïbo Spanish colonists. Yet, jealousy made them fall apart of each other, and eventually one brother died - so the other would survive and be happy with the woman they loved.

Watch Guns of the Black Witch Trailer :

Review :

Guns of the Black Witch

In the early 1960s Italian film directors were churning out sword and sandal Hercules/Goliath type "epic" films made with slim budgets and cheesy special effects. All that was needed was an American actor like Steve Reeves or Mark Forrest with bulging pecs and biceps to get the attention of action fans. Every once in a while the directors would change the era and the historical time. Thus some pirate movies like "Morgan the Pirate" with Reeves and "Guns of the Black Witch" were made. "Guns of the Black Witch" is a pretty good saga itself, a pretty strong pirate tale. American actor Don Megowan, who made a lot of westerns and horror films in the US has the lead of the pirates who fight their Spanish warlords tooth and nail. Some very good looking Italian women, namely Silvana Pampanini complement the cast and provide some good eye candy. Megowan as a boy was roughed up by Spanish leaders and is hell bent on revenge as he gets older and turns into a man. The ever present Livio Lorenzon, a staple with his bald head and mean demeanor of all those Italin Hercules movies is the bad guy and he duels Megowan to a fighting finish. The story mainly concerns two brothers who must come together and fight the Spanish and Megowan of course courts a Spanish beauty, who is the king's daughter no less. This of course complicates things as she must remain loyal to her Spanish father. Never worry, love conquers all and at the end Lorenzon is disposed of and Megowan sets off with his lady to conquer new horizons. Not as good as "Morgan the Pirate" with Reeves but still a solid pirate tale. Wonder why the producers had to use the exact same sound track as "Goliath and the Barbarians" though with Reeves??? Go figure....must have wanted to save some money. Worth seeing.

Wednesday, January 22, 2014

Watch Teen Kanya Online

Teen Kanya (1961)Teen Kanya (1961)iMDB Rating: 7.8
Date Released : 5 May 1961
Genre : Comedy, Drama
Stars : Anil Chatterjee, Chandana Banerjee, Sita Mukherjee, Nripati Chatterjee. The first story is about Nanda, a young man who leaves Calcutta to work as a postmaster in an isolated malaria-infested village. The postmaster is looked after by a young orphan girl, Ratan. His only solace in the village is in teaching Ratan how to read and write. The second story is about a student, Amulya, who returns to his village after finishing his exams. His widowed mother is very anxious..." />
Movie Quality : BRrip
Format : MKV
Size : 700 MB

Download Trailer Subtitle

The first story is about Nanda, a young man who leaves Calcutta to work as a postmaster in an isolated malaria-infested village. The postmaster is looked after by a young orphan girl, Ratan. His only solace in the village is in teaching Ratan how to read and write. The second story is about a student, Amulya, who returns to his village after finishing his exams. His widowed mother is very anxious for him to marry, and has already picked out a girl. He rejects his mother's choice and, being forced to choose some girl, marries a lively tomboy who is not ready to give up her freedom.

Watch Teen Kanya Trailer :

Review :

Has one of the most heart-wrenching moments I have ever seen in cinema.

Two daughters by Satyajit Ray was my first introduction to Indian cinema. Satyajit Ray has produced a gem of a movie that differs from almost any other Indian films I have seen. Two daughters actually consists of two separate stories based on stories written by Rabindranath Tagore.

The Postman is the better of the two stories. Not giving away the plot, this movie had one of the most heart-wrenching scenes in cinema. The simple, but powerful way Ray pulls his quiet films together at their end makes these quiet films very memorable. Sampati drags out somewhat longer, but has a powerful climax of its own. After years, these two movies have stuck in my memory. I would recommend them to anyone.

Tuesday, January 21, 2014

Streaming Tammy Tell Me True Online

Tammy Tell Me True (1961)Tammy Tell Me True (1961)iMDB Rating: 6.4
Date Released : 26 July 1961
Genre : Comedy
Stars : Sandra Dee, John Gavin, Charles Drake, Virginia Grey. Tammy leaves the river in Mississippi to attend college, developing a relationship with Tom Freeman (John Gavin). Sandra Dee replaces Debbie Reynolds in this and the third Tammy movie. This film introduces both a new theme song, "Tammy Tell Me True", and the character of Mrs. Annie Call, played by veteran Beulah Bondi. Mrs. Call ultimately moves in with Tammy at the Ellen B. and would be the ..." />
Movie Quality : HDrip
Format : MKV
Size : 700 MB

Download Trailer Subtitle

Tammy leaves the river in Mississippi to attend college, developing a relationship with Tom Freeman (John Gavin). Sandra Dee replaces Debbie Reynolds in this and the third Tammy movie. This film introduces both a new theme song, "Tammy Tell Me True", and the character of Mrs. Annie Call, played by veteran Beulah Bondi. Mrs. Call ultimately moves in with Tammy at the Ellen B. and would be the catalyst for the events in the following film, "Tammy and The Doctor".

Watch Tammy Tell Me True Trailer :

Review :

Fabulous and touching story

I just watched this movie for the first time and I was completely hooked! The main actress has so much spunk and sincerity. I discovered that her real name is Sandra Dee. I had heard of Sandra Dee, but I had never seen her before. I think she was a fabulous actress! Also, this movie has a timeless story which could apply in any era. I loved the movie and Sandra Dee was amazing. I think Sandra Dee could have acted in any era. I was born in 1975 and it is difficult for me to relate to the acting style of older movies before my time. This one was certainly an exception. I was sad to find out that she died this year at 60 years old. I intend to see more of her films.

Monday, January 20, 2014

Streaming The Sand Castle Online

The Sand Castle (1961)The Sand Castle (1961)iMDB Rating: 5.6
Date Released : 15 August 1961
Genre : Family, Fantasy
Stars : Barry Cardwell, Laurie Cardwell, George Dunham, Alec Wilder." />
Movie Quality : HDrip
Format : MKV
Size : 870 MB

Download Trailer Subtitle

Watch The Sand Castle Trailer :

Review :

Charming Fantasy

The Sand Castle is a charming fantasy film which appeared briefly and then disappeared, apparently forever.

A working mom deposits her young son and his sister on a beach as she goes off to work one morning. The kids have a morning of fun with the inhabitants of the beach, including a group of nuns in traditional habits, playing softball.

The kids fall asleep and the subsequent color dream sequence (the film begins and ends monochrome) is a stunning animation using a Victorian-style paper theater in which many of the real-life beach folk appear as inventive characatures.

The performances are all more than adequate for the material, but it is the Wizard-of-Oz-like central conceit that makes the charm of the film.

I only know of this picture being shown at the Nob Hill Theater (In 1961, a rear-projection art house in the basement of the S.F. Fairmont Hotel--not the present porn palace on Bush St.) briefly in the year of its release.

I have been able to find an LP copy of Alec Wilder's charming original score, executed by a relatively small ensemble. Otherwise, the picture just seems to have vanished.

I have been told that it is tied up in copyright disputes. I do hope it has not vanished and will resurface in some format.

Sunday, January 19, 2014

Streaming Salvatore Giuliano (1962) Online

Salvatore Giuliano (1962)Salvatore Giuliano (1962)iMDB Rating: 7.5
Date Released : 28 February 1962
Genre : Crime, Drama, Mystery
Stars : Frank Wolff, Salvo Randone, Frederico Zardi, Sennuccio Benelli. In 1950, 28-year-old outlaw Salvatore Giuliano is found gunned down in a Sicilian courtyard. Little is as it seems. The film moves back and forth between the late 1940s, when Giuliano and other reprobates were recruited by separatist politicians to do their fighting, and the days leading up to and following Giuliano's death. After Sicily's self-rule is declared, will the outlaws be pardoned as ..." />
Movie Quality : BRrip
Format : MKV
Size : 700 MB

Download Trailer Subtitle

In 1950, 28-year-old outlaw Salvatore Giuliano is found gunned down in a Sicilian courtyard. Little is as it seems. The film moves back and forth between the late 1940s, when Giuliano and other reprobates were recruited by separatist politicians to do their fighting, and the days leading up to and following Giuliano's death. After Sicily's self-rule is declared, will the outlaws be pardoned as promised? And why does Giuliano order his gang to fire on a peaceful May Day rally? Police, Carabinieri, and Mafia have their uses for him. There's a trial after his death: will the truth come out or does the code of silence help protect those in power?

Watch Salvatore Giuliano Trailer :

Review :

A Portrait Of Confusion

Salvatore Giuliano is the film Francesco Rosi -one of Italy's most political directors- is most famous for. At its 1962 release, it was highly acclaimed by its country, but elsewhere it was a bit snubbed, possibly because it's a very Italian movie, that reflects a certain time in the country that was significant and shook a lot of Italians. The film shows Sicily's political and social situation from 1942 to 1960, when the region wanted to separate from the rest of Italy. The group of people that sustained this cause were called the separatists. The film circles around a famous bandit named Salvatore Giuliano, who was an essential part of the rebellious movement.

The movie has a non-linear narrative, as it jumps back and forth in time, keeping as a still point of reference the finding of Giuliano's body. The actual film's structure can be divided mainly in three segments: the first is where we see the action, the open field attacks between the police (carabinieri) and the rebels, and an overall greater focus on the life in the rudimentary town that finds itself in the middle of the action. The second part, the briefest one, is the trial in which the more political assumptions are revealed, and in which the character of Gaspare Pisciotta is introduced, the right-hand man of Giuliano. The third part finds Pisciotta as the protagonist, as he unfolds why and how Salvatore Giuliano died.

As you might have noticed, Giuliano is the explicit protagonist of the whole story, but paradoxically, he is almost never seen on screen, and mostly as a corpse when he is. This allows to focus on the big picture, rather than a specific person: points of view are always shifting, all of them keeping a cold objectiveness to the movie, never letting the audience get too familiar with any character seen on screen. Instead, it's a film about the complex and still not completely understood relationship between bandits, organized crime (Mafia) and the police force during those years.

Because he never lets the big picture slip through his fingers, Francesco Rosi proves to be able to capture the film perfectly, and to be able to keep a certain solidity to the film even with the non-linear narration. This solidity is due to the fact that between time changes, there's no significant cut in the film that allows us to understand that we're in a different time frame: that we must figure out ourselves. Aesthetically, Rosi composes his frames like a painter, even if he has the role of a teacher, more than one of the artist.

It's a difficult film, of challenging nature, and it is expected that only more passionate, tolerant viewers would watch Salvatore Giuliano all the way through. While it's not the masterpiece some Italian critics claim it to be, it still remains a significant film in the country's cinema history.

Saturday, January 18, 2014

Watch King of Kings Online

King of Kings (1961)King of Kings (1961)iMDB Rating: 7.1
Date Released : 30 October 1961
Genre : Biography, Drama, History
Stars : Jeffrey Hunter, Siobhan McKenna, Hurd Hatfield, Ron Randell
Movie Quality : HDrip
Format : MKV
Size : 870 MB

Download Trailer Subtitle

The story of the life of Jesus Christ from his birth in Bethlehem to his crucifixion and subsequent resurrection. Filmed on a relatively grand scale, the film includes all of the major events referred to in the New Testament; his baptism by John the Baptist; the miracles - cripples walking, blind men seeing; the fishes and the loaves; and so on. The film actually begins with the Roman invasion by Pompey in 65 B.C., the appointment of King Herod the Great by the Romans and finally the crowning of Herod Antipas after he murders his father. The revolt led by Barrabas is also included and John the Baptist's beheading as Salome's price for dancing for Herod.

Watch King of Kings Trailer :

Review :

the music, the narration, the blue eyes ...

Everything fits together as soon as the film opens with Orson Welles' narrating the story of the Son of God. Little Jesus grows up to be the very American and impossibly blue-eyed Jeffrey Hunter (his opening scene with Robert Ryan's Baptist is superb), who goes on to cure the lame, the insane, the blind, rehabilitate Mary Magdelene, and all the usual things. Hunter is very good in the role, which may have been surprising at the time given his previous form in Westerns (and later in Star Trek's pilot episode!). Other good points - Hurd 'Dorian Gray' Hatfield as Pilate, the dance of the seven veils, the ending, the glorious score ...

It fits together better than The Greatest Story Ever Told, which got too starry and was spoiled by John Wayne's son of gawd. Here everyone knows their place and the religious context remains unscathed by the whitewash of Hollywood. Excellent.

Friday, January 17, 2014

Streaming The Green Archer Online

The Green Archer (1961)The Green Archer (1961)iMDB Rating: 5.9
Date Released : 2 February 1961
Genre : Crime, Drama
Stars : Klausjürgen Wussow, Karin Dor, Eddi Arent, Harry Wüstenhagen. An English businessman comes home to London, only to find visitors to his home being killed by arrows from "the Green Archer."" />
Movie Quality : BRrip
Format : MKV
Size : 700 MB

Download Trailer Subtitle

An English businessman comes home to London, only to find visitors to his home being killed by arrows from "the Green Archer."

Watch The Green Archer Trailer :

Review :

Good Edgar Wallace adaptation is enjoyable, if a bit messy in the telling. A Good introduction to the German Wallace films of the 1960's

This is an adaptation of one of Edgar Wallace's most famous stories. The plot has Valerie Howett and her family moving into a mansion somewhere in England. The estate next door belongs to Abel Bellamy (Gert Frobe), an American of questionable background. Bellamy would prefer that no one live near by, especially the Howetts. In typical Edgar Wallace fashion there are multiple seemingly parallel story lines, Scotland Yard investigating Bellamy, Valerie trying to find out what happened to her long lost mother, and the mysterious and legendary Green Archer of the title, who appears to get vengeance on enemies of his family; which all converge in the final act. The while the plot is needlessly convoluted, it keeps things interesting for its 90 minute running time (it also prevents a simple explanation of the story).

Well acted by the entire cast this is one of the better Wallace adaptations to come out of the German Wallace cycle. Gert Frobe, best known as Goldfinger, is listed last in the credits, but is probably the one character on screen the most. He gives a performance that makes you wonder why we didn't see more of him in other films. The movie moves along at a good clip with some wonderful set pieces on a ship and in a flooding basement that keeps things moving along. If there are any real complaints about the film, its the attempts at humor, especially by the television reporter that acts as a sort of Greek chorus bookend to the film. Simply put its just not funny.

If you have a desire to see a good mystery this is worth a shot. Its probably the best introduction to the Edgar Wallace series that ran in Germany all through the 1960's.

Thursday, January 16, 2014

Watch Der Fall Gleiwitz Online

Der Fall Gleiwitz (1961)Der Fall Gleiwitz (1961)iMDB Rating: 7.2
Date Released : 22 April 1961
Genre : Drama, History, Thriller, War
Stars : Hannjo Hasse, Christoph Beyertt, Wolfgang Kalweit, Georg Leopold. Re-enacted true story of successful assault by Nazis, posing as Poles, on a German border radio station so that Hitler could "justify" thereby his invasion of Poland." />
Movie Quality : BRrip
Format : MKV
Size : 700 MB

Download Trailer Subtitle

Re-enacted true story of successful assault by Nazis, posing as Poles, on a German border radio station so that Hitler could "justify" thereby his invasion of Poland.

Review :

Amazing film -- ahead of its time!

I had no idea this film dated from 1961 as I watched it, mesmerized, last night. It is so well produced, written and acted that I thought it must have been one of the recent German films about WWII, like Der Untergang and Stalingrad and Das Boot. I believed the black and white film -- virtually perfect in the DVD transfer I saw -- was there only for the verisimilitude it offered.

The acting is convincing. The music is disturbing -- modern, yet "classical" to the point of being ageless.

One very minor quibble: In the version I saw, a line about the arms the soldiers will carry on their mission is badly translated/subtitled. It comes out something like "8mm pistols and .98 calibre rifles." The ".98 calibre rifles" should have been the Gewehr 98K ("K" for Karbiner, or carbine). Like I said -- minor!

One caveat: as it was produced for the East German market -- in the year before the Berlin wall went up -- there may be Soviet influences on the film that I didn't pick up on -- believing as I did that this was a post-Cold War film. If the same film were to be made today, in a reunified Germany, there might be thematic differences, but I think they'd be rather minor.

Highly recommended as both a history lesson and as a film.

Wednesday, January 15, 2014

Streaming Drei Mann in einem Boot (1961) Online

Drei Mann in einem Boot (1961)Drei Mann in einem Boot (1961)iMDB Rating: 5.9
Date Released : 25 August 1961
Genre : Comedy
Stars : Walter Giller, Heinz Erhardt, Hans-Joachim Kulenkampff, Susanne Cramer." />
Movie Quality : HDrip
Format : MKV
Size : 700 MB

Download Trailer Subtitle

Watch Drei Mann in einem Boot Trailer :

Review :

Perfectly does, what it sets out to do

I rated this one quite high and above current average. And this is because all that was intended here, was light heart escapist entertainment, no depth, no message beyond and above. Heinz Erhard was the German Comedian of a perfect kind, H.J. Kulenkampff the (later) lead Saturday Night Show Lead and Walter Giller, still very young, the light hearted bachelor. The story is easy, 3 guys of different kind get together on the Rhine, travel from South East Germany via Switzerland to Netherlands along beautiful landscape and with light intervention from the ladies, be they wives, possessive Girlfriend or surprised hands on freighter girl. Light Story, easy touch, well played --> going to 8.