Change Your Image
JerryPH
Reviews
Tomorrow Is Forever (1946)
Wife learns husband listed as killed in WWI, but there's more to it.
Director Irving Pichel got so much out of Orson Welles and Claudette Colbert in this movie. Colbert's character is not only believable but strong yet vulnerable, too. I never figured Orson Welles would do well in a part like this, but he exceeded very convincingly by pulling off one of his better roles. This movie was the debut for Richard Long(19), and he was the right person for the role as Claudette Colbert's son. Natalie Wood (8) plays a fine adopted daughter from Europe with an Austrian accent that is quite believable. Two things which really hold this movie together are Irving Pichel's excellent tight directing and Max Steiner's musical score. Pichel is an expert at timing, drama, and suspense. During the final scene, there is no possible way you will leave the screen. Max Steiner always comes up with the right style for his movies, and this movie is definitely a showcase for his sensitive score. His use of strings and wind instruments are so well-placed at the right time, and his music provides a thread which enhances the drama and keeps us on track.
One Way Passage (1932)
Very believable shipboard romance-drama
One of the stars of this movie is its casting. The developing relationship between Kay Francis and William Powell is so genuine and deep and affectionate. Kay Francis glows in every scene, yet her acting shines with her delivery. This movie is one of William Powell's best, for it really shows more depth and more feeling than most of his other movies which are somewhat lighter in style. There is a similarity in the Francis/Powell relationship as there is in that of Cary Grant & Deborah Kerr in "An Affair to Remember" (1957) in terms of depth, but Francis/Powell's is deeper. The supporting cast is superbly led by Aline McMahon and Frank McHugh. McMahon is a fine actress in this movie and quite beautiful, too. McHugh's style gets off to the right start in this movie and shows off his acting skill quickly. His later movies, especially in the Busby Berkeley musicals of the 1930s, emphasized more silliness, but "One Way Passage" shows more of what McHugh can really do when given the opportunity. I'm sure the director, Tay Garnett, had a lot to do with that. I don't understand why this superb film is not available for purchase. It is worth more than one viewing.
Time Limit (1957)
POW drama set in South Korea
This is a fantastic piece of work. To start things off, the casting is superb with Richard Basehart, Richard Widmark, Martin Balsam, Rip Torn, June Lockhart, and Carl Benton Reid. The editing and cinematography are sharp, crisp, and electric. This was filmed in black & white, and I am convinced that color would have ruined the tension which is present throughout the whole movie. What really makes this movie work is the top-notch directing of Karl Malden (the only movie he ever directed). What I absolutely do not understand is why this excellent film is not available for purchase. If you ever get a chance to see this movie, DO SEE IT! Request this film. Maybe one of the movie channels will show it.
Diplomatic Passport (1954)
A film which wasted the talents of Marsha Hunt.
I hate to say this, but if "Plan 9 from Outer Space" is the worst movie ever made, then "Diplomatic Passport" ranks as the second worst. It's too bad, because Marsha Hunt was wonderful in "Pride and Prejudice" (1940), "Blue Denim"(1959), "Jigsaw"(1949), "Bombers B-52"(1957), "The Human Comedy"(1943), "None Shall Escape"(1944) to mention a few. She made at least 50 appearances on TV in episodes of such shows as "Matlock," "Star Trek", "Murder She Wrote," "The Twilight Zone," "Gunsmoke," "Zane Grey Theatre," etc., so it is obvious that those in the business highly respected her talent. She actually did a fair job in "Diplomatic Passport," and it wasn't her fault that the movie turned out so poorly, but the movie itself just couldn't be saved by Ms Hunt.