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P.S. Here's a list of my favorite actors. In no particular order.
1. Dev Anand
2. Shammi Kapoor
3. Rajesh Khanna
4. Joy Mukherjee
5. Rajendra Kumar
6. Dilip Kumar
7. Sunil Dutt
8. Guru Dutt
9. Raj Kapoor
10. Shashi Kapoor
11. Gregory Peck
12. Cary Grant
13. Tyrone Power
14. Clark Gable
15. Robert Donat
16. Michael Redgrave
17. Laurence Olivier
18. Leslie Howard
19. James Stewart
20. Peter Davison
21. Dharmendra
22. Joel McCrea
23. Robert Taylor
24. Henry Fonda
25. Gary Cooper
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The Petrified Forest (1936)
I ended up getting more than I bargained for - excellent film.
I first watched this because I wanted to see Bogie, as Duke Mantee. I had no idea whatsoever that he wasn't the main character in this film, but the summary sounded promising enough. The film captivated my attention all throughout, and lo and behold - I fell in love with Leslie Howard. With no idea who he was, I started to fall in love with the character of Alan Squier, and as such, I ended up bawling at the ending. I do believe that he could have ended up living, but at the same time I understand why he did that. The tension throughout the whole hostage situation was very well-done, and kept me on the edge of my seat throughout. Bogie's character, "the last rugged apostle of individualism", as Alan puts it, was very believable as well.
Bette Davis as Gabby Maple shined in her role, and her chemistry with Leslie Howard was great. The two of them together are just pure entertainment. The dialogue in this film is also brilliant, especially the way Alan talks, in a rather strange but not foreign way, and his exchanges with Duke, when he asks Duke to kill him. When Duke questions his sincerity, Alan replies, "I hope neither of us was kidding." Watch this film; you're really missing out if you don't!
Perfect Understanding (1933)
Laurence Olivier is gorgeous.
Yes, yes, I know that Sir Laurence thought that all his films before "Wuthering Heights" were garbage. But this is a forgotten gem. Sure, people may not like it, and I get why, because this film doesn't introduce anything new. It's got Judy (Gloria Swanson), an actress I really like, paired with Nick Randall (Laurence Olivier), in a film that involves at first, a good deal of fluff, and then it takes a turn for the dramatic. Honestly, I have to say, the last half hour of the film didn't impress me. Yes, I'm a sucker for fluff and light-hearted stuff, and the fact that Laurence Olivier was looking his best here, at age 26, didn't really predispose me not to like this film. But I have to say about the character of Nick, he was a complete blockhead in the last half hour. He admitted his mistake and wanted forgiveness, but when he thought that Judy did the same thing, gosh, he totally flew off the handle and absolutely frustrated both me and her. You did the same thing, Nick, so you may as well take responsibility. But the jealousy part plays out very realistically, so I don't mind too much. The ending was a bit rushed, though.
Still, watch this movie if you're either a Laurence Olivier fan who just wants to see him (and not mind characters being blockheads), or if you're a Gloria Swanson fan. Nothing new, but enjoyable all the same.
Blackwell's Island (1939)
I watched a B-movie and daresay I enjoyed it.
This was my first John Garfield film, and it has him in the first of many tough-guy roles, this time as journalist Tim Haydon, who's out to bring down city mob 'Bull' Bransom. I found it a rather enjoyable movie, and it's not too exhaustingly long, lasting only 75 minutes. John Garfield also puts in a stellar performance - his dialogue delivery and everything is spot-on, but the screenplay lets the actors down. Watched today, it seems more like a run-of-the-mill prison/gangster film, and a little dated, but if you haven't seen a lot of Warner Brothers or John Garfield films, this is an okay time-pass film. Now I'm off to watch some more of his other (supposedly better) films!
Nau Do Gyarah (1957)
Excellent movie, possibly Vijay Anand's best
Vijay Anand made his stunning debut with this film, which was a superhit back then. The story is simple, but gripping and compelling. Raksha (Kalpana Kartik) runs away from her marriage, and hides in Madan's (Dev Anand) truck. Madan is headed for Bombay to claim his inheritance of 11 (9 lakhs of property, 2 lakhs cash) lakh from his uncle, and he thinks Raksha is a thief. Upon reaching there, he finds out that his uncle has already expired. He goes with Raksha to Mahabaleshwar upon his friend's advice, and the two pretend to be a married couple in order to stay there and keep an eye on the property. Madan is confident that there is a second will, but they don't know where.
Goldie made a solid debut with this film, and the story was ably acted out by Dev Anand and Kalpana Kartik, and they were already married by that time. They had great, great chemistry together, and their comfort level is very obvious. The songs too, are sublime. Whether it's the romantic "Aankhon Mein Kya Jee" rendered by Kishore and Asha, or the "Kya Ho Jo Phir Din Rangeela Ho" with the gorgeous Helen, the musical score, composed by S.D. Burman is sure to delight.
Give it a watch. You won't regret it.