The Best Forgotten Movies
Movies to rewatch that are total genius but nobody knows about them anymore.
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- DirectorEdgar SelwynStarsWarren WilliamMaureen O'SullivanGregory RatoffAn entrepreneur will let nothing stand in his way of acquiring a 100-story office building.
- DirectorJoseph L. MankiewiczStarsGene TierneyWalter HustonVincent PriceA simple Connecticut farm girl is recruited by a distant relative, an aristocratic patroon, to be governess to his young daughter in his Hudson Valley mansion.
- DirectorJohn BrahmStarsLaird CregarMerle OberonGeorge SandersA landlady suspects that her new lodger is Jack the Ripper.
- DirectorWilliam WylerStarsWalter HustonRuth ChattertonPaul LukasA retired auto manufacturer and his wife take a long-planned European vacation only to find that they want very different things from life.
- DirectorSamuel FullerStarsVincent PriceEllen DrewVladimir SokoloffMaster swindler James Reavis painstakingly spends years forging documents and land grants that will make his wife and him undisputed owners of the entire territory of Arizona.
- DirectorRowland V. LeeStarsBasil RathboneBoris KarloffBarbara O'NeilIn the 15th century Richard Duke of Gloucester, aided by his club-footed executioner Mord, eliminates those ahead of him in succession to the throne, then occupied by his brother King Edward IV of England. As each murder is accomplished he takes particular delight in removing small figurines, each resembling one of the successors, from a throne-room dollhouse, until he alone remains. After the death of Edward he becomes Richard III, King of England, and need only defeat the exiled Henry Tudor to retain power.
- DirectorAlexander MackendrickStarsBurt LancasterTony CurtisSusan HarrisonPowerful but unethical Broadway columnist J.J. Hunsecker coerces unscrupulous press agent Sidney Falco into breaking up his sister's romance with a jazz musician.
- DirectorOtto PremingerStarsFrank SinatraKim NovakEleanor ParkerA junkie must face his true self to kick his drug addiction.
- DirectorRoy Ward BakerStarsRichard WidmarkMarilyn MonroeAnne BancroftAfter being dumped by his girlfriend, an airline pilot pursues a babysitter in his hotel and gradually realizes she's dangerous.
- DirectorHenry HathawayStarsVictor MatureBrian DonlevyColeen GrayA crook arrested for a jewelry heist initially refuses to give up his accomplices, but he changes his mind once his wife dies under worrying circumstances.
- DirectorJules DassinStarsRichard WidmarkGene TierneyGoogie WithersA small-time grifter and nightclub tout takes advantage of some fortuitous circumstances and tries to become a big-time player as a wrestling promoter.
- DirectorRichard QuineStarsFred MacMurrayKim NovakPhilip CareyAn undercover police officer falls for the beautiful moll of a bank robber on the run, and together they plan to double-cross the hood and the cops.
- DirectorWilliam KeighleyStarsEdward G. RobinsonJoan BlondellBarton MacLaneWhen a crusader against rackets is murdered, a grand jury battles the rackets by promoting McLaren to be in charge of the cleanup. He fires NYPD Detective Blake, who punches him and joins the racket.
- DirectorMervyn LeRoyStarsEdward G. RobinsonMarian MarshH.B. WarnerThe City Editor of a sleazy tabloid goes against his own journalistic ethics to resurrect a twenty year old murder case... with tragic results.
- DirectorMichael GordonStarsBarbara StanwyckRobert PrestonStephen McNallyA desperate husband tries to find help for his wife suffering from addictive gambling.
- DirectorVincent ShermanStarsJoan CrawfordDavid BrianSteve CochranA New York socialite climbs the ladder of success man by man until a life among rich gangsters gives her what she thought she always wanted.
- DirectorCurtis BernhardtStarsJoan CrawfordVan HeflinRaymond MasseyAfter being found wandering the streets of Los Angeles, a severely catatonic woman tells a doctor the complex story of how she wound up there.
- DirectorVincent ShermanStarsJoan CrawfordWendell CoreyLucile WatsonHarriet Craig enjoys married life but constantly tries to control those around her. She does not even trust her husband Walter and always checks up on him.
- DirectorMervyn LeRoyStarsJoan BlondellAnn DvorakBette DavisAlthough Vivian Revere is seemingly the most successful of a trio of reunited schoolmates, she throws it away by descending into a life of debauchery and drugs.
- DirectorNicholas RayStarsHumphrey BogartGloria GrahameFrank LovejoyA potentially violent screenwriter is a murder suspect until his lovely neighbor clears him. However, she soon starts to have her doubts.
- DirectorAlfred E. GreenStarsBarbara StanwyckGeorge BrentDonald CookA young woman, sexually exploited all her life, decides to turn the tables and exploit the hapless men at a big city bank by gleefully seducing her way to the top.
- DirectorArchie MayoMichael CurtizStarsHumphrey BogartAnn SheridanDick ForanA hard-working machinist loses a promotion to a Polish-born worker, he's seduced into joining the secretive Black Legion, which intimidates foreigners through violence.
- DirectorSam WoodStarsGinger RogersDennis MorganJames CraigA hard-working white-collar girl from a middle-class family meets and falls in love with a young socialite, but she soon clashes with his family.
- DirectorJack ConwayStarsJean HarlowChester MorrisLewis StoneLillian (Jean Harlow) relentlessly attempts to seduce a married man (Chester Morris).
- DirectorClarence BrownStarsJoan CrawfordGene RaymondFranchot ToneA working girl's fortunes improve when she marries into money, but happiness is not so easily won.
- DirectorGeorge CukorStarsMarie DresslerJohn BarrymoreWallace BeeryAffluent Millicent and Oliver Jordan throw a dinner for a handful of wealthy and/or well-born acquaintances, each of whom has much to reveal.
- DirectorJohn CromwellStarsIrene DunneJoel McCreaLaura Hope CrewsA domineering matriarch is less than happy when her son brings home his new bride. She immediately sets to work at sabotaging their marriage as well as the engagement of her younger and weaker son.
- DirectorRoy Del RuthStarsLee TracyMary BrianDick PowellAl Roberts writes a gossip column for the Daily Express. He will write about anyone and everyone as long as he gets the credit. He gets into a little difficulty with a hood named Goebel who sends Frankie to talk to Alvin. But Al has the confession of Frankie on cylinders so Frankie becomes his own bodyguard and information line. One person Al is always taking digs at is crooner Bunny Harmon, because he hates crooners. When he writes a story about Dorothy's blessed event, he comes to regret destroying her life. But more importantly to Al and Frankie, her man may end 'Spilling the Dirt' permanently.
- DirectorWilliam WylerStarsJohn BarrymoreBebe DanielsDoris KenyonA successful attorney has his Jewish heritage and poverty-stricken background brought home to him when he learns that his wife has been unfaithful.
- DirectorJoseph L. MankiewiczStarsEdward G. RobinsonSusan HaywardRichard ConteAfter years in prison, Max promises revenge on his brothers for their betrayal. His lover Irene and memories of his past yield him a broader perspective.
- DirectorPhil KarlsonStarsRichard ConteDianne FosterKathryn GrantA retired mob accountant is drawn back in when his brothers, who have recently made a hit for the organization, decide to go to the authorities.
- DirectorArchie MayoStarsGeorge RaftConstance CummingsWynne GibsonA successful ex-boxer opens a high-class speakeasy in what once was the childhood home of a formerly rich society girl.
- DirectorWesley RugglesStarsMae WestCary GrantGregory RatoffCircus performer Tira seeks a better life pursuing the company of wealthy New York men with improbable comic complications along the way.
- DirectorLowell ShermanStarsMae WestCary GrantOwen MooreIn the Gay Nineties, a seductive nightclub singer contends with several suitors, including a jealous escaped convict and a handsome temperance league member.
- DirectorLloyd BaconStarsGeorge RaftJane BryanWilliam HoldenAn ex-con who wants to go straight has difficulties trying to reintegrate into society while on parole.
- DirectorWilliam WylerStarsKirk DouglasEleanor ParkerWilliam BendixOn one day in the 21st Precinct squad room, assorted characters form a backdrop for the troubles of hard-nosed Detective Jim McLeod.
- DirectorVincente MinnelliStarsLana TurnerKirk DouglasWalter PidgeonAn unscrupulous movie producer uses an actress, a director and a writer to achieve success.
- DirectorBilly WilderStarsKirk DouglasJan SterlingRobert ArthurA frustrated former big-city journalist now stuck working for an Albuquerque newspaper exploits a story about a man trapped in a cave to rekindle his career, but the situation quickly escalates into an out-of-control circus.
- DirectorCurtis BernhardtStarsBarbara StanwyckGeorge BrentWarner AndersonA recent widow meets an army major while skiing and despite pressures from friends and family becomes romantically involved with him.
- DirectorWilliam A. WellmanStarsBarbara StanwyckGeorge BrentLyle TalbotA torch singer becomes a farmer's mail-order bride.
- DirectorWilliam WylerStarsBette DavisHerbert MarshallTeresa WrightThe ruthless, moneyed Hubbard clan lives in, and poisons, their part of the Deep South at the turn of the twentieth century.
- DirectorMichael GordonStarsFredric MarchDan DuryeaEdmond O'BrienThis 'prequel' to The Little Foxes tells how the ruthless members of the old-South Hubbard family got that way.
- DirectorRoy William NeillStarsDan DuryeaJune VincentPeter LorreWhen Kirk Bennett is convicted of a singer's murder, his wife tries to prove him innocent...aided by the victim's ex-husband.
- DirectorMervyn LeRoyStarsBarbara StanwyckJames MasonVan HeflinA vain businessman puts a strain on happy marriage to a rich, beautiful socialite by allowing himself to be seduced by a former girlfriend.
- DirectorJoseph LoseyStarsVan HeflinEvelyn KeyesJohn MaxwellAfter Susan Gilvray reports a prowler outside her house police officer Webb Garwood investigates and sparks fly. If only her husband wasn't in the way.
- DirectorMichael CurtizStarsBette DavisGeorge BrentRoscoe KarnsA woman reporter tries to prove she's just as good as any man, but runs into trouble along the way.
- DirectorJohn HustonRaoul WalshStarsBette DavisOlivia de HavillandGeorge BrentThe day before her wedding, a pampered young woman absconds with her sister's husband. Her sister begins seeing the woman's former fiancé.
- DirectorIrving RapperStarsBette DavisJohn DallNigel BruceA schoolteacher becomes the mentor of a talented young miner and seeks to get him into a university.
- DirectorCurtis BernhardtStarsBette DavisGlenn FordDane ClarkWhen a woman's twin sister is drowned, she assumes her identity in order to be close to the man she feels her sister took from her years before.
- DirectorIrving RapperStarsBette DavisPaul HenreidClaude RainsAfter marrying her long-lost love, a musician finds the relationship threatened by a wealthy composer who is besotted with her.
- DirectorDavid MillerStarsJoan CrawfordJack PalanceGloria GrahameAfter an ambitious actor insinuates himself into the life of a wealthy middle-aged playwright and marries her, he plots with his mistress to murder her.
- DirectorMichael CurtizStarsJoan CrawfordZachary ScottSydney GreenstreetA corrupt small town sheriff manipulates local candidates to the state legislature but he eventually comes into conflict with a visiting carnival dancer.
- DirectorRobert AldrichStarsJoan CrawfordCliff RobertsonVera MilesA lonely middle-aged woman meets a younger man, but their relationship is threatened after the man's troubled past reveals itself.
- DirectorRanald MacDougallStarsJoan CrawfordBarry SullivanBetsy PalmerWhen a young woman arrives at the home of her socialite cousin, she soon gets sucked into the woman's complex web of deceit.
- DirectorLloyd BaconStarsLucille BallWilliam HoldenJanis CarterA newly hired dumb secretary working for a bookie masquerading as a Realtor causes unintended hilarious troubles for her employer.
- DirectorRaoul WalshStarsJames CagneyVirginia MayoEdmond O'BrienA psychopathic criminal with a mother complex makes a daring break from prison and leads his old gang in a chemical plant payroll heist.
- DirectorLloyd BaconStarsJames CagneyRalph BellamyPatricia EllisEx-convict Danny Kean decides to become honest as a photographer for a paper. He falls in love with Patricia, the daughter of the policeman who arrested him. Mr Nolan, her father, doesn't like that relation at first, but McLean, Kean's boss, convinces him of Kean's good nature. But Kean uses his relation to Patricia to make a photo of an execution. Due to this, Nolan loses his stripes and Kean isn't allowed to see Patricia any longer. But when one of his former friends kills two policemen, Kean sees his chance....
- DirectorWilliam KeighleyStarsJames CagneyGeorge RaftJane BryanA corrupt D.A. (Thurston Hall) with political ambitions is angered by news stories implicating him in criminal activity and decides to frame the reporter (James Cagney) for manslaughter in order to silence him.
- DirectorRobert SiodmakStarsBurt LancasterAva GardnerEdmond O'BrienHit men kill an unresisting victim, and investigator Reardon uncovers his past involvement with beautiful, deadly Kitty Collins.
- DirectorStanley KubrickStarsSterling HaydenColeen GrayVince EdwardsCrook Johnny Clay assembles a five-man team to plan and execute a daring racetrack robbery.
- DirectorJohn FarrowStarsRay MillandMaureen O'SullivanCharles LaughtonA magazine tycoon commits a murder and pins it on an innocent man, who then tries to solve the murder himself.
- DirectorFrank TuttleStarsAlan LaddVeronica LakeRobert PrestonWhen assassin Philip Raven shoots a blackmailer and his beautiful female companion dead, he is paid off in marked bills by his treasonous employer who is working with foreign spies.
- DirectorHoward BrethertonWilliam KeighleyStarsWarren WilliamLili DamitaGlenda FarrellUnscrupulous Paul Kroll, starting as a Chicago janitor, uses graft to finance a trip to Sweden where by trickery he gains control of his uncle's small match factory. By expert manipulation of everyone and employment of femmes-fatale, he parlays this into a match monopoly, expanding over many countries. Finally he meets a woman so gorgeous she turns his head away from a business that needs constant financial manipulation to survive. Based on the real career of Ivar Kreuger.
- DirectorOtto PremingerStarsDana AndrewsGene TierneyGary MerrillDet. Sgt. Mark Dixon wants to be something his old man wasn't: a guy on the right side of the law. Will Dixon's vicious nature get the better of him?
- DirectorWilliam DieterleStarsRita HayworthStewart GrangerCharles LaughtonAfter her banishment from Rome, Jewish Princess Salome returns to her Roman-ruled native land of Galilee, where prophet John the Baptist preaches against Salome's parents, King Herod and Queen Herodias.
- DirectorWilliam DieterleStarsEdward G. RobinsonEdna BestEddie AlbertStarting with a small flock of carrier pigeons, nineteenth-century entrepreneur Julius Reuter turns his small company into Europe's most respected news wire service.
- DirectorRoy RowlandStarsBarbara StanwyckGeorge SandersGary MerrillA woman's sanity comes into question, after she claims to have witnessed a murder from her apartment window.
- DirectorMichael GordonStarsSusan HaywardDan DaileyGeorge SandersA ruthless fashion designer steps on everyone in her way in order to reach the top of her profession. Eventually she is forced to choose between her ambition and the man she loves.
- DirectorRobert FloreyStarsWarren WilliamJean MuirAllen JenkinsBob Brown uses his bedside manner to charm his patients while his partner makes the actual diagnoses.
- DirectorLeslie ArlissStarsMargaret LockwoodJames MasonPhyllis CalvertAfter a brutish, hedonistic Marquis marries a pretty young Clarissa to act as a 'brood sow,' he begins an affair with her friend who plots to take her place.
- DirectorByron HaskinStarsBurt LancasterLizabeth ScottKirk DouglasFrankie Madison leaves prison expecting a share from his ex-partner. But Prohibition bootlegging didn't prepare Frankie for Big Business.
- DirectorWilliam DieterleStarsBurt LancasterPaul HenreidClaude RainsA man abused by a sadistic mining company cop before he could tell where on their desert property he'd found diamonds decides to steal them instead.
- DirectorAnthony AsquithStarsPhyllis CalvertJames MasonWilfrid LawsonReturning to 1870's London after finishing at boarding school, Fanny witnesses the death of her father in a fight with Lord Manderstoke. She then finds that her family has for many years been running a bordello next door to their home. When her mother dies shortly after, she next discovers that her real father is in fact a well-respected politician. Meeting him and then falling in love with his young advisor Harry Somerford leads to a life of ups and downs and conflict between the classes. Periodically the scoundrel of a Lord crosses her path, always to tragic effect.
- DirectorLewis AllenStarsJohn HodiakLizabeth ScottBurt LancasterThe daughter of a Nevada casino owner gets involved with a racketeer, despite everyone's efforts to separate them.
- DirectorLewis GilbertStarsDirk BogardeMargaret LockwoodKay WalshEdward "Teddy" Bare is a delusional psychotic with a lust for wealth, older women and murder. Having committed what he thinks is the perfect murder of his elderly wife; Teddy sets his sights on new targets when her fortune goes elsewhere.
- DirectorRichard BrooksStarsBurt LancasterJean SimmonsArthur KennedyA fast-talking traveling salesman with a charming, loquacious manner convinces a sincere evangelist that he can be an effective preacher for her cause.
- DirectorVictor SchertzingerStarsJack OakieShirley GreyLeon AmesPat and Max are in love and share an intimate relationship. However, after Max receives his surgeon's diploma, his parents have arranged a marriage for him with a woman from a rich, good background.
- DirectorTim WhelanStarsSonia DresdelBarbara WhiteWalter FitzgeraldA wife whose goal is power begins a game of manipulation that insidiously destroys her family.
- DirectorJean NegulescoStarsVan HeflinLauren BacallCornel WildeAn executive plans to fill a high-ranking position by interviewing the candidates' wives.
- DirectorCharles VidorStarsIda LupinoLouis HaywardEvelyn KeyesThe housekeeper to a retired actress tries at the same time to look after her own two emotionally disturbed sisters, with dramatic results.
- DirectorJulien DuvivierStarsCharles BoyerRita HayworthGinger RogersA formal tailcoat that gets passed from one owner to another affects each life in a significant way.
- DirectorFelix E. FeistStarsRuth RomanSteve CochranLurene TuttleAn ex-convict and a woman fall in love, after she shoots her police Lt. boyfriend dead in self defense, and falsely leads him to believe that he did the shooting.
- DirectorCarol ReedStarsRalph RichardsonMichèle MorganSonia DresdelA butler working in a foreign embassy in London falls under suspicion when his wife accidentally falls to her death, the only witness being an impressionable young boy.
- DirectorVincent ShermanStarsAnn SheridanLew AyresZachary ScottA Los Angeles socialite kills a man while home alone one night and claims he was an intruder she did not know. It seems like a clear case of self defense until the story hits the papers and people connected to the dead man come forward.
- DirectorHenry LevinStarsJohn DerekLee J. CobbJody LawranceA lawyer faces a difficult decision when his son accidentally kills his best friend with no witnesses present, and a rift develops when his mother and father offer contradictory solutions to their son's dilemma.
- DirectorJoseph M. NewmanStarsEdmond O'BrienJoanne DruOtto KrugerAn electronics expert creates a huge bookie broadcast system for his crime boss, and takes over operations when his boss is murdered. His greed leads him on a deadly destructive path.
- DirectorPat JacksonStarsAnn SothernZachary ScottGigi PerreauA woman impulsively murders her sister after discovering she has been having an affair with her fiancé, and later plans on killing the little girl who may have witnessed the crime.
- DirectorPhil KarlsonStarsJohn DerekDonna ReedBroderick CrawfordThe editor of an exploitation newspaper commits a murder and assigns his protégé to investigate hoping to divert attention away from himself.
- DirectorWilliam KeighleyStarsMark StevensRichard WidmarkLloyd NolanA covert FBI agent infiltrates a ruthless gangster mob, but his life is at risk from a mysterious informant who funnels inside information to the hoodlums.
- DirectorFritz LangStarsLouis HaywardLee BowmanJane WyattA deranged writer murders a maid after she resists his advances. The writer engages his brother's help in hiding the body, causing unexpected problems for both of them.
- DirectorAnatole LitvakStarsBarbara StanwyckBurt LancasterAnn RichardsWhile on the telephone, an invalid woman overhears what she thinks is a murder plot and attempts to prevent it.
- DirectorGottfried ReinhardtStarsVan JohnsonDorothy McGuireRuth RomanA millionaire tries to buy his dying daughter a husband.
- DirectorRobert SiodmakMervyn LeRoyStarsGregory PeckAva GardnerMelvyn DouglasIn the 1860s, in the casino resort town of Wiesbaden, Germany, a reformed gambling addict, Pauline Ostrovsky, tenderly nurses the talented Russian writer Fedja, who is a physical wreck.
- DirectorRobert WiseStarsClaire TrevorLawrence TierneyWalter SlezakA calculating divorcée risks her chances at wealth and security with a man she doesn't love by getting involved with the hotheaded murderer romancing her foster sister.
- DirectorSam WoodStarsAnn SheridanRobert CummingsRonald ReaganThe dark side and hypocrisy of provincial American life is seen through the eyes of five children as they grow to adulthood at the turn of the century.
- DirectorGerald MayerStarsDavid BrianArlene DahlBarry SullivanRip MacCool has learned early in life that "money talks" and after he arrives in San Francisco, he has no qualms about being ruthless in business, and his first fast-deal bilks Ada Stritch out of her hotel. A combination of shrewd deals and playing the stock market builds him a financial empire. He marries Lily Douvane, who presents him with a child, but Lily has some ambitions of her own and leaves him, taking a sizable chunk of his money on the way out. He soon marries Zoe Carnot, his son's nurse, loses and wins a fortune again, but sinks into gloom when Zoe dies giving childbirth. He keeps piling up the money and he soon has most of it in San Francisco, and there is about to be a run on the bank, operated by Ada Stritch, and the city and its citizens face ruin. Rip puts up his fortune against the bank and a hand of cards dictates winner-takes-all.
- DirectorWilliam K. HowardStarsWilliam PowellMyrna LoyUna MerkelThe neglected wife of a high profile attorney dallies with a unscrupulous womanizer and finds herself involved in blackmail and murder.
- DirectorW.S. Van DykeJack ConwayGeorge CukorStarsClark GableWilliam PowellMyrna LoyThe friendship between two orphans endures even though they grow up on opposite sides of the law and fall in love with the same woman.
- DirectorBudd BoetticherStarsJoseph CottenRhonda FlemingWendell CoreyAn unhinged, deceptively mild-mannered bank robber escapes prison, seeking revenge on the cop who accidentally killed his wife during a gun battle.
- DirectorHarold DanielsStarsCharles McGrawJoan DixonLowell GilmoreHonest LA insurance detective Joe Peters becomes corrupt after falling in love with sensual gold-digger model Diane.