Production Company(ies)
Art Matters Inc., BBC Television, Edelman Family Fund,
 
Distributor
Warner Bros., Warner Home Vídeo
 
Release Type
Theatrical
 
Filming Location(s)
Monument Valley, Arizona, USA
 
MPAA / Certificate
Passed
 
Year of Release
1956
 

 
Genre(s)
Western
 
Keyword(s)
Western, John Wayne, Jeffrey Hunter, Natalie Wood, Vera Miles, Ward Bond, John Qualen, directed by John Ford, produced by C.V Whitney, written by Alan Le May, Frank S Nugent, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Michael Wilmington, Jack Moffitt, Ronald Holloway, Dave Kehr, Derek Adams, Steven D Greydanus, Victor Pineyro, Francois Truffaut, Brian Eggert, Don Shanahan, MPAA rating, Ethan Edwards, Martin Pawley, Debbie Edwards, Laurie Jorgensen, Rev Capt Samuel Johnston Clayton, Lars Jorgensen
 

Cast & Crew

John Wayne

Jeffrey Hunter

Natalie Wood

Vera Miles

Ward Bond

Ethan Edwards

Martin Pawley

Debbie Edwards (older)

Laurie Jorgensen

Rev. Capt. Samuel Johnston Clayton

John Wayne – Ethan Edwards
Jeffrey Hunter – Martin Pawley
Natalie Wood – Debbie Edwards (older)
Vera Miles – Laurie Jorgensen
Ward Bond – Rev. Capt. Samuel Johnston Clayton
John Qualen – Lars Jorgensen

 

John Ford

Alan Le May

C.V. Whitney

Director

Writer

Producer

Producer

Producer

Director(s)
John Ford
 
Writer(s)
Alan Le May, Frank S. Nugent
 
Producer(s)
C.V. Whitney

 

Film Festivals
Cannes
 
Awards & Nominations
3 wins & 3 nominations
 
Academy Awards

Top Reviews

Michael Wilmington

Jack Moffitt

Ronald Holloway

Dave Kehr

Derek Adams

Chicago Tribune

Hollywood Reporter

Variety

Chicago Reader

Time Out

THE SEARCHERS
  All Critics (53) | Top Critics (12) | Fresh (50) | Rotten (3)
  [The Searchers is] Ford’s greatest western, with John Wayne as the relentless adventurer Ethan Edwards.
 
  February 5, 2019 | Rating: 4/4
 
  Michael Wilmington
  Chicago Tribune
  TOP CRITIC
  This C.V. Whitney production is undoubtedly one of the greatest Westerns ever made.
 
  March 19, 2018
 
  Jack Moffitt
  Hollywood Reporter
  TOP CRITIC
  Some fine vignettes of frontier life in the early southwest and a realistic presentation of the difficulties faced by the settlers in carving out a homestead in dangerous Indian country.
 
  June 27, 2007
 
  Ronald Holloway
  Variety
  TOP CRITIC
  Through the central image of the frontier, the meeting point of wilderness and civilization, Ford explores the divisions of our national character, with its search for order and its need for violence, its spirit of community and its quest for independence
 
  June 27, 2007
 
  Dave Kehr
  Chicago Reader
  TOP CRITIC
  There is perhaps some discrepancy in the play between Wayne’s heroic image and the pathological outsider he plays here (forever excluded from home, as the doorway shots at beginning and end suggest), but it hardly matters, given the film’s visual splendou
 
  February 9, 2006
 
  Derek Adams
  Time Out
  TOP CRITIC
  The Searchers’s reputation is so widely accepted that it’s a surprise to discover that the film, and Wayne’s character, are more complex than the reputation suggests.
 
  November 22, 2004 | Rating: A-
 
  Steven D. Greydanus
  Decent Films
  TOP CRITIC
  A road movie disguised as a western. Ford deals with revenge, redemption, love, violence and obsession in a beautifully shot film by veteran cinematographer William C. Hoch. Full review in Spanish
 
  April 7, 2022 | Rating: 8/10
 
  Victor Pineyro
  Seventh Art Studio
  John Ford symbolizes an age of Hollywood, the one when good health prevailed over intelligence, craftiness over sincerity. This age has gone; Elia Kazan’s and Nicholas Ray’s movies make more money than John Ford’s, poetry triumphs over entertainment.
 
  April 4, 2022
 
  Francois Truffaut
  Arts (France)
  The motion picture Ford considered his own masterpiece confronts prior standards, meets issues of revenge and discrimination within a ponderous text, and revises the director’s Western model forevermore.
 
  March 21, 2022 | Rating: 4/4
 
  Brian Eggert
  Deep Focus Review
  Gorgeous cinematography versus pushback politics.
 
  October 31, 2021
 
  Don Shanahan
  Cinephile Hissy Fit Podcast
  Entertaining, well-acted and directed, and beautiful to watch.
 
  May 11, 2021 | Rating: 9/10
 
  Bradley Gibson
  Film Threat
  Overall, I didn’t enjoy The Searchers very much. I respect Ford as a filmmaker and I think he did his best to show a realistic view of how settlers felt about the Native Americans but it is still a tough film to watch with modern eyes.
 
  March 24, 2021
 
  Sarah Brinks
  Battleship Pretension…

 

Plot
After a long three-year absence, the battle-scarred Confederate veteran of the American Civil War, Ethan Edwards turns up on the remote and dusty Texan homestead of his brother, Aaron. In high hopes of finding peace, instead, the taciturn former soldier will embark on a treacherous five-year odyssey of retribution, when the ruthless Chief Scar’s murderous Comanche raiding party massacres his family, burns the ranch to the ground, and abducts his nine-year-old niece, Debbie. Driven by hatred of Indians, Ethan and his young companion, Martin Pawley, ride through the unforgiving desert to track down their lost Debbie; however, is the woman they lost and the prisoner in Scar’s teepee still the same woman the searchers seek?
 
Trivia

 
Goofs / Tidbits
NA
 

 
John-Ford.jpg

 
Production Company(ies)
Maïa Films, Arte France Cinéma Les Films, d’ Ici
 
Distributor
MGM/UA Home Entertainment Inc., United Artists, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
 
Release Type

 
Filming Location(s)
Clay Street, Bunker Hill, Downtown, Los Angeles, California, USA
 
MPAA / Certificate
Not Rated
 
Year of Release
1955
 

 
Genre(s)
Crime/Drama
 
Keyword(s)
starring Ralph Meeker, Albert Dekker, Paul Stewart, Maxine Cooper, Gaby Rodgers, Juano Hernandez, Cloris Leachman, directed by Robert Aldrich, written by Mickey Spillane, A I Bezzerides, crime, drama, box office gross, budget, reviewed by Richard Brody, Chris Nashawaty, Dave Kehr, Variety Staff, Mark Kermode, Nick Schager, Mike Massie, Chris Barsanti, Ángel Fernández-Santos, Rob Aldam, Geoffrey O’Brien, Fernando F Croce, MPAA rating, film noir, private detective, murder mystery, scientist, femme fatale, nihilistic, influential, subversive, Pandora’s box, brutal, unflinching, cynical, sleazy, aggressive, McGuffin, science fiction, character development, cinematography, production value, classic
 

Cast & Crew

Ralph Meeker

Albert Dekker

Paul Stewart

Maxine Cooper

Gaby Rodgers

Mike Hammer

Dr. G.E. Soberin

Carl Evello

Velda

Gabrielle

Ralph Meeker – Mike Hammer
Albert Dekker – Dr. G.E. Soberin
Paul Stewart – Carl Evello
Maxine Cooper – Velda
Gaby Rodgers – Gabrielle
Juano Hernandez – Eddie Yeager

 

Robert Aldrich

Mickey Spillane

Robert Aldrich

Director

Writer

Producer

Producer

Producer

Director(s)
Robert Aldrich
 
Writer(s)
Mickey Spillane, A. I. Bezzerides
 
Producer(s)
Robert Aldrich

 

Film Festivals

 
Awards & Nominations
NA
 
Academy Awards

Top Reviews

Richard Brody

Chris Nashawaty

Dave Kehr

Variety Staff

Mark Kermode

New Yorker

Entertainment Weekly

Chicago Reader

Variety

Observer (UK)

KISS ME DEADLY
  All Critics (43) | Top Critics (9) | Fresh (42) | Rotten (1)
  The actors’ idiosyncratic voices, wrapped around such chrome-plated poetry as “the great whatsit” and “va-va-voom,” are as hauntingly musical as Aldrich’s images.
 
  September 12, 2016
 
  Richard Brody
  New Yorker
  TOP CRITIC
  June 16, 2011 | Rating: B+
 
  Chris Nashawaty
  Entertainment Weekly
  TOP CRITIC
  This independently produced low-budget film was a shining example for the New Wave directors — Truffaut, Godard, et al — who found it proof positive that commercial films could accommodate the quirkiest and most personal of visions.
 
  March 27, 2009
 
  Dave Kehr
  Chicago Reader
  TOP CRITIC
  The trail leads to a series of amorous dames, murder-minded plug-uglies and dangerous adventures that offer excitement but have little clarity to let the viewer know what’s going on.
 
  October 30, 2008
 
  Variety Staff
  Variety
  TOP CRITIC
  Kiss Me Deadly delivers the ‘white-hot thrills’ and ‘blood-red kisses’ promised by its publicity, as well as reminding us whence Tarantino stole his best riffs.
 
  June 24, 2006
 
  Mark Kermode
  Observer (UK)
  TOP CRITIC
  Never was Mike Hammer’s name more fitting than in Kiss Me Deadly, Robert Aldrich’s blisteringly nihilistic noir.
 
  May 1, 2006
 
  Nick Schager
  Slant Magazine
  TOP CRITIC
  The climax is so startlingly unusual that this Robert Aldrich-directed picture safely becomes unforgettable.
 
  August 23, 2020 | Rating: 7/10
 
  Mike Massie
  Gone With The Twins
  By the time the movie comes to its gonzo Pandora’s box conclusion on the beach, neither script nor screen have been able to keep up with reason, preferring instead to simply stay out of Hammer’s way.
 
  July 22, 2020
 
  Chris Barsanti
  Eyes Wide Open
  An astonishing exercise in style without precedents. [Full Review in Spanish]
 
  March 10, 2020
 
  Ángel Fernández-Santos
  El Pais (Spain)
  The kind of films which takes your breath away and makes you grateful for independent cinema.
 
  August 1, 2019
 
  Rob Aldam
  Backseat Mafia
  Mickey Spillane’s Mike Hammer represents the deformed endproduct of a thousand 1940s tough-guy movies, transformed by now into a leisure-oriented 1950s man more interested in his hi-fi and his sports car than in heroics.
 
  August 13, 2018
 
  Geoffrey O’Brien
  The New York Review of Books
  Aldrich’s annihilating masterpiece, one of the decade’s key works
 
  December 10, 2012
 
  Fernando F. Croce
  CinePassion…

 

Plot
A frightened woman is running barefoot on a highway, trying desperately to flag a car. After several cars pass her by, the woman sees another car approaching, and to make sure either the car stops, or she’s killed, she stands in the path of the oncoming car. Private Investigator Mike Hammer is at the wheel, and after almost hitting the woman, he tells her to get in. The woman’s name is Christina Bailey. She is obviously on the run, being barefoot and wearing nothing but a trench coat, and the scent of fear. Whoever was after her eventually catches up with them. Christina has information they want, but dies while being questioned. The killers fake an accident by pushing Hammer’s car off the road, but he survives, waking up in hospital three days later. As Mike starts to investigate Christina’s death, he’s told by the police to stay out of it, but the hard-nosed private investigator proceeds anyway. Little did he know that Christina’s secret would lead to death and destruction.
 
Trivia

 
Goofs / Tidbits
Ralph Meeker embodies Mickey Spillane’s cynical, sleazy private investigator Mike Hammer with an aggressiveness that’s almost frightening; he really seems to be enjoying it as he beats bad guys to a pulp.
 

 
Robert-Aldrich.jpg

 
Production Company(ies)
Nouvelles Éditions de Films,
 
Distributor
Warner Bros.
 
Release Type
Theatrical
 
Filming Location(s)
Denslow-Morgan-Preston Mansion – 45200 Little Lake Street, Mendocino, California, USA
 
MPAA / Certificate
Rated PG for thematic elements and some violent content
 
Year of Release
1955
 

 
Genre(s)
Drama
 
Keyword(s)
starring James Dean, Julie Harris, Raymond Massey, Jo Van Fleet, Burl Ives, Richard Davalos, directed by Elia Kazan, written by Paul Osborn, John Steinbeck, drama, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Basil Taylor, Pauline Kael, Dave Kehr, Geoff Andrew, Kenneth Turan, Dan Callahan, André Bazin, Andrew Sarris, Mike Massie, Barbara Shulgasser, Monica Reid, Robert Hatch, PG rating, California farmer, estranged mother, brothel, family tensions, business venture, love triangle, period drama, epic dimensions, CinemaScope, raging heart, biblical allegory, mixed-up kid, down-to-earth performances, Method acting, vulnerability, emotional truth, American classic, top horror movies, MCU movies, Netflix series, TV premiere dates
 

Cast & Crew

James Dean

Julie Harris

Raymond Massey

Jo Van Fleet

Burl Ives

Cal Trask

Abra

Adam Trask

Kate

Sam the Sheriff

James Dean – Cal Trask
Julie Harris – Abra
Raymond Massey – Adam Trask
Jo Van Fleet – Kate
Burl Ives – Sam the Sheriff
Richard Davalos – Aron Trask
Elia Kazan – Director, Producer
Paul Osborn, John Steinbeck – Writers

 

Elia Kazan

Paul Osborn

Elia Kazan

Director

Writer

Producer

Producer

Producer

Director(s)
Elia Kazan
 
Writer(s)
Paul Osborn, John Steinbeck
 
Producer(s)
Elia Kazan

 

Film Festivals

 
Awards & Nominations
Won 1 Oscar
13 wins & 10 nominations total
 
Academy Awards

Top Reviews

Basil Taylor

Pauline Kael

Dave Kehr

Geoff Andrew

Kenneth Turan

Sight & Sound

New Yorker

Chicago Reader

Time Out

Los Angeles Times

EAST OF EDEN
  All Critics (41) | Top Critics (9) | Fresh (35) | Rotten (6)
  The film ends on a flagrant miscalculation which typifies Kazan at his worst.
 
  March 17, 2020
 
  Basil Taylor
  Sight & Sound
  TOP CRITIC
  It’s far from a dull movie, but it’s certainly a very strange one; it’s an enshrinement of the mixed-up kid.
 
  January 3, 2018
 
  Pauline Kael
  New Yorker
  TOP CRITIC
  John Steinbeck’s painful biblical allegory — Genesis replayed in Monterey, California, circa 1917 — is more palatable on the screen, thanks to the down-to-earth performances of James Dean as Cal/Cain and Richard Davalos as Aron/Abel.
 
  November 1, 2007
 
  Dave Kehr
  Chicago Reader
  TOP CRITIC
  It’s a film of great performances, atmospheric photography, and a sure sense of period and place.
 
  January 26, 2006
 
  Geoff Andrew
  Time Out
  TOP CRITIC
  Not only one of Kazan’s richest films and Dean’s first significant role, it is also arguably the actor’s best performance.
 
  December 6, 2005 | Rating: 5/5
 
  Kenneth Turan
  Los Angeles Times
  TOP CRITIC
  If you turn the sound down on East of Eden (and, by all means, do), you’ll see why Dean is a legend.
 
  May 23, 2005 | Rating: 2.5/4
 
  Dan Callahan
  Slant Magazine
  TOP CRITIC
  I was much more sensitive, on a second viewing, to Kazan’s sincerity and the undeniable lyrical power of his mise-en-scene, which, though probably too willful or conscious, is elevated from within by its powerful grounding in art as well as life.
 
  December 8, 2021
 
  André Bazin
  L’Obs (France)
  Elia Kazan has mastered Cinemascope. Whatever its faults, East of Eden, at least keeps moving visually with its story.
 
  February 3, 2021
 
  Andrew Sarris
  Film Culture
  Frequently smart, engaging, emotional, and intermittently historical (presenting various attitudes toward international conflicts, patriotism, profits, and foreigners).
 
  August 18, 2020 | Rating: 8/10
 
  Mike Massie
  Gone With The Twins
  Book-based classic has violence, drinking, mature themes.
 
  August 6, 2019 | Rating: 3/5
 
  Barbara Shulgasser
  Common Sense Media
  James Dean is decidedly the highlight of the film. His Method acting techniques and uninhibited performing style cause him to stand out among the more conventional cast.
 
  August 28, 2018 | Rating: 3.4/5
 
  Monica Reid
  Far Out Magazine
  East of Eden deals with inner conflict; the entire story could be played out in a living room. Instead it sprawls all over the eye-filling landscape and the real action is padded …
 
  January 30, 2018
 
  Robert Hatch
  The Nation…

 

Plot
In the Salinas Valley, in and around World War I, Cal Trask feels he must compete against overwhelming odds with his brother Aron for the love of their father Adam. Cal is frustrated at every turn, from his reaction to the war, to how to get ahead in business and in life, to how to relate to estranged mother.
 
Trivia

 
Goofs / Tidbits
James Dean’s performance in East of Eden is considered one of his best and helped establish him as a Hollywood legend.
 

 
Elia-Kazan.jpg

 
Production Company(ies)
Marvel Studios, Walt Disney Pictures, Moving Pictures, Company,
 
Distributor
Republic Pictures
 
Release Type

 
Filming Location(s)
Sedona, Arizona, USA
 
MPAA / Certificate
Not Rated
 
Year of Release
1954
 

 
Genre(s)
Western
 
Keyword(s)
starring Joan Crawford, Sterling Hayden, Mercedes McCambridge, Scott Brady, Ward Bond, Ben Cooper, directed by Nicholas Ray, written by Roy Chanslor, Philip Yordan, Western, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Anton Bitel, Roger Ebert, Peter Bradshaw, Tom Huddleston, Joshua Rothkopf, Aaron Hillis, Taylor Baker, Francois Truffaut, Tara Judah, Eve Tushnet, MPAA rating, produced by Nicholas Ray, Joan Crawford as Vienna, Sterling Hayden as Johnny “Guitar” Logan, Mercedes McCambridge as Emma Small, Scott Brady as Dancin’ Kid, Ward Bond as John McIvers, Ben Cooper as Turkey Ralston
 

Cast & Crew

Joan Crawford

Sterling Hayden

Mercedes McCambridge

Scott Brady

Ward Bond

Vienna

Johnny “Guitar” Logan

Emma Small

Dancin’ Kid

John McIvers

Joan Crawford – Vienna
Sterling Hayden – Johnny “Guitar” Logan
Mercedes McCambridge – Emma Small
Scott Brady – Dancin’ Kid
Ward Bond – John McIvers
Ben Cooper – Turkey Ralston

 

Nicholas Ray

Roy Chanslor

Nicholas Ray

Director

Writer

Producer

Producer

Producer

Director(s)
Nicholas Ray
 
Writer(s)
Roy Chanslor, Philip Yordan
 
Producer(s)
Nicholas Ray

 

Film Festivals

 
Awards & Nominations
1 win & 1 nomination
 
Academy Awards

Top Reviews

Anton Bitel

Roger Ebert

Peter Bradshaw

Tom Huddleston

Joshua Rothkopf

Little White Lies

RogerEbert.com

Guardian

Time Out

Village Voice

JOHNNY GUITAR
  All Critics (48) | Top Critics (14) | Fresh (45) | Rotten (3)
  Ray’s film is a western, but it is also an amplified melodrama, with a rich seam of deviant psychology just waiting to be disinterred from its dusty surface. Its time has come.
 
  September 20, 2021
 
  Anton Bitel
  Little White Lies
  TOP CRITIC
  A cheap Western from Republic Pictures, yes. And also one of the boldest and most stylized films of its time, quirky, political, twisted.
 
  January 24, 2018 | Rating: 4/4
 
  Roger Ebert
  RogerEbert.com
  TOP CRITIC
  Unforgettably strange and brilliant.
 
  May 5, 2016 | Rating: 5/5
 
  Peter Bradshaw
  Guardian
  TOP CRITIC
  A movie for anyone who’s ever been judged on their appearance, their outlook or the way they choose to live.
 
  May 3, 2016 | Rating: 5/5
 
  Tom Huddleston
  Time Out
  TOP CRITIC
  It’s not just Joan’s campiness — her line readings take on an almost incantatory quality — but the way the whole thing feels like a stealth therapy session for smart actors trapped in horse-opera stereotypes.
 
  November 13, 2015 | Rating: 5/5
 
  Joshua Rothkopf
  Time Out
  TOP CRITIC
  A slyly radical psychosexual oddity busting through genre conventions, beyond its Old West Arizona setting …
 
  November 10, 2015
 
  Aaron Hillis
  Village Voice
  TOP CRITIC
  Episode 36: Love in the Time of Monsters / Barbarella / Welcome to the Dollhouse / Johnny Guitar
 
  October 3, 2021 | Rating: 65/100
 
  Taylor Baker
  Drink in the Movies
  Johnny Guitar is not really a Western, nor is it an ‘intellectual Western’. It is a Western that is dream-like, magical, unreal to a degree, delirious.
 
  February 1, 2021
 
  Francois Truffaut
  Cahiers du Cinéma
  While I won’t say that I loved the film (it retains enough of its genre’s tropes to not quite work for me), I was surprised by how glorious the sets and landscapes looked.
 
  January 24, 2019
 
  Tara Judah
  Desist Film
  Double-crosses, beautiful losers, gunplay and waterfalls and fire and whiskey, it’s all here.
 
  September 6, 2018
 
  Eve Tushnet
  Patheos
  Mildred Pierce unleashed on the wild, wild West.
 
  June 25, 2018 | Rating: 3.5/4
 
  Josh Larsen
  LarsenOnFilm
  This baroque bonanza fascinates on so many levels that it demands to be repeatedly viewed and reviewed.
 
  January 24, 2018 | Rating: 4/5
 
  David Parkinson
  Radio Times…

 

Plot
Vienna has built a saloon outside of town, and she hopes to build her own town once the railroad is put through, but the townsfolk want her gone. When four men hold up a stagecoach and kill a man the town officials, led by Emma Small, come to the saloon to grab four of Vienna’s friends, the Dancin’ Kid and his men. Vienna stands strong against them, and is aided by the presence of an old acquaintance of hers, Johnny Guitar, who is not what he seems.
 
Trivia

 
Goofs / Tidbits
Joan Crawford’s performance in Johnny Guitar is described as “campy” and her line readings are said to have “an almost incantatory quality.”
 

 
Nicholas-Ray.jpg

 
Production Company(ies)
Constantin Film Norddeutscher Rundfunk Westdeutscher Rundfunk
 
Distributor
20th Century Fox
 
Release Type
Theatrical
 
Filming Location(s)
MGM Studio Borehamwood London, England, UK
 
MPAA / Certificate
Approved
 
Year of Release
1953
 

 
Genre(s)
Comedy/Musical
 
Keyword(s)
starring Marilyn Monroe, Jane Russell, Charles Coburn, Elliott Reid, Tommy Noonan, George Winslow, directed by Howard Hawks, written by Joseph Fields, Anita Loos, Charles Lederer, comedy, musical, box office success, budget, reviewed by David Stratton, Richard Brody, David Fear, Nick Pinkerton, Christian Blauvelt, produced by Sol C Siegel, MPAA rating, 20th Century Fox, Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend, Lorelei Lee, Gus Esmond, Dorothy Shaw, Ernie Malone, Sir Francis “Piggy” Beekman, private detective, cruise, showgirl, wealthy, marriage, disapproval, friendship, color, Technicolor, animal magnetism, dialogue, musical numbers, sequin-studded dresses, glittering backdrops, Novocane in her Lipstick, comedic duo, entertainment, plot changes, endlessly delightful, comedic, silly, snarkily witty, understated, dated premise, funny, entertaining, flawlessly restrained, steals the picture, singing double act, top horror movies, MCU movies, Netflix series, TV premiere dates, worst horror movies, renewed and cancelled TV shows, horror movies ranked by Tomatometer, anticipated movies and TV shows
 

Cast & Crew

Jane Russell

Dorothy Shaw

Marilyn Monroe

Lorelei Lee

Charles Coburn

Dorothy Shaw

Lorelei Lee

Sir Francis “Piggy” Beekman

Ernie Malone

Gus Esmond

Jane Russell – Dorothy Shaw
Marilyn Monroe – Lorelei Lee
Charles Coburn – Sir Francis “Piggy” Beekman
Elliott Reid – Ernie Malone
Tommy Noonan – Gus Esmond
George Winslow – Henry Spofford III

 

Howard Hawks

Joseph Fields

Sol C. Siegel

Director

Writer

Producer

Producer

Producer

Director(s)
Howard Hawks
 
Writer(s)
Joseph Fields, Anita Loos, Charles Lederer
 
Producer(s)
Sol C. Siegel

 

Film Festivals
Berlin
 
Awards & Nominations
NA
 
Academy Awards

Top Reviews

David Stratton

Richard Brody

David Fear

Nick Pinkerton

Christian Blauvelt

The Australian

New Yorker

Time Out

Village Voice

Slant Magazine

GENTLEMEN PREFER BLONDES
  All Critics (46) | Top Critics (15) | Fresh (45) | Rotten (1)
  I cycled home somewhat overwhelmed by the music and colour and sexiness of the film I’d just unexpectedly seen. I’ve seen it many times since and, with all its flaws, I love every minute of it.
 
  April 4, 2020
 
  David Stratton
  The Australian
  TOP CRITIC
  Howard Hawks adds sly sexual insinuation to the blatantly sexual antics of Marilyn Monroe and Jane Russell in this scintillating 1953 adaptation of the stage musical based on Anita Loos’s novel.
 
  January 25, 2016
 
  Richard Brody
  New Yorker
  TOP CRITIC
  You won’t find a more elegant take on ’50s va-va-voom vulgarity or a more joyous paean to the cheesecake self-empowerment of two little girls from Little Rock.
 
  August 4, 2010 | Rating: 4/5
 
  David Fear
  Time Out
  TOP CRITIC
  There’s more warmth in [Russell’s] fondly bemused looks at Monroe, whose friendship is a front-row ticket to the best show in town.
 
  August 3, 2010
 
  Nick Pinkerton
  Village Voice
  TOP CRITIC
  If there’s a single film that could shatter Laura Mulvey’s theory of the “male gaze” it’s Gentlemen Prefer Blondes.
 
  August 1, 2010 | Rating: 3.5/4
 
  Christian Blauvelt
  Slant Magazine
  TOP CRITIC
  If camp comedy capering (don’t call it a social satire!) isn’t your thing, it’s worth the ticket to see Monroe’s iconic and flawlessly choreographed performance of Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend (TM): a perfect four minutes of film.
 
  February 26, 2010 | Rating: 3/5
 
  David Jenkins
  Time Out
  TOP CRITIC
  It’s a delightful, hilarious farce, with great musical numbers (Monroe’s iconic “Diamonds are a Girl’s Best Friend” and Russell’s “Isn’t Anyone Here For Love,” sung to a bevy of beefy but oblivious bodybuilders) and gorgeously garish color…
 
  July 5, 2022
 
  Sean Axmaker
  Stream on Demand
  You must see it!
 
  July 13, 2021
 
  Edward Murrain
  New York Age
  A lively technicolorization of the spicy Broadway stage hit…
 
  December 3, 2019
 
  Clyde Gilmour
  Maclean’s Magazine
  …confirms that Marilyn Monroe should always be thought of as a comedian first.
 
  May 30, 2019 | Rating: 4/4
 
  Josh Larsen
  LarsenOnFilm
  It’s complex and hilarious, and not hilarious at the expense of the film’s two female leads.
 
  January 24, 2019
 
  Samantha Mann
  Bust Magazine
  Classic musical romp with dated premise is silly fun.
 
  July 26, 2014 | Rating: 3/5
 
  Grace Montgomery
  Common Sense Media…

 

Plot
Lorelei and Dorothy are just “Two Little Girls from Little Rock”, lounge singers on a transatlantic cruise, working their way to Paris, and enjoying the company of any eligible men they might meet along the way, even though “Diamonds are a Girl’s Best Friend.” Based on the Broadway musical based on the novel.
 
Trivia

 
Goofs / Tidbits
Marilyn Monroe and Jane Russell’s “sparkling magnetism” anchor the delightfully entertaining 1950s musical.
 

 
Howard-Hawks.jpg

 
Production Company(ies)

 
Distributor
NA
 
Release Type

 
Filming Location(s)
Coney Island, Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA
 
MPAA / Certificate
Not Rated
 
Year of Release
1953
 

 
Genre(s)
Comedy/Drama
 
Keyword(s)
starring Richie Andrusco, Rickie Brewster, Winifred Cushing, Will Lee, Charlie Moss, Tommy DeCanio, directed by Ray Ashley, Morris Engel, Ruth Orkin, written by Ray Ashley, Morris Engel, Ruth Orkin, comedy, drama, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Helen Bower, Dorothy Masters, Marjory Adams, Mae Tinee, Manny Farber, Hortense Morton, Janet Graves, Moira Walsh, Jay Carmody, producer Morris Engel, Ray Ashley, MPAA rating, Coney Island, New York, childhood, adventure, runaway, innocence, documentary style, handheld camera work, 1950s, American independent, kid’s-eye view, refreshingly authentic, simple story, well told, down-to-earth charm, day at the beach, boardwalk, pony rides, junk food, bratty kid, tough Brooklyn neighborhood, older brother, cruel prank, accidentally killed, panicked brother, exploring the excitement of the midway, people in the United States live, enjoy themselves, small boys on the loose, affinity, authentic humor, real New York, tender story, touching image, snapshot of Coney Island and New York, love letter, unpolished style, ambiance, warmhearted kid story, great New York scenery, pioneering, watershed, early handheld camera work
 

Cast & Crew

Richie Andrusco

Rickie Brewster

Winifred Cushing

Will Lee

Charlie Moss

Joey

Lennie

Mother

Photographer

Harry

Richie Andrusco – Joey
Rickie Brewster – Lennie
Winifred Cushing – Mother
Will Lee – Photographer
Charlie Moss – Harry
Tommy DeCanio – Charley

 

Ray Ashley

NA

Morris Engel

Ray Ashley

Director

Writer

Producer

Producer

Producer

Director(s)
Ray Ashley, Morris Engel, Ruth Orkin
 
Writer(s)
NA
 
Producer(s)
Morris Engel, Ray Ashley

 

Film Festivals

 
Awards & Nominations
Nominated for 1 Oscar
4 wins & 3 nominations total
 
Academy Awards

Top Reviews

Helen Bower

Dorothy Masters

Marjory Adams

Mae Tinee

Mildred Martin

Detroit Free Press

New York Daily News

Boston Globe

Chicago Tribune

Philadelphia Inquirer

THE LITTLE FUGITIVE
  All Critics (45) | Top Critics (22) | Fresh (42) | Rotten (3)
  [This film] belongs to the people. It is the first and only American movie in the style of The Bicycle Thief, for simplicity and veracity. It is a movie about the way many people in the United States live and enjoy themselves with a day at Coney Island.
 
  September 16, 2021
 
  Helen Bower
  Detroit Free Press
  TOP CRITIC
  In addition to being infinitely knowledgeable about the inner and outer mechanics of small boys on the loose, Little Fugitive has a genius for sharing this affinity.
 
  September 16, 2021 | Rating: 4/4
 
  Dorothy Masters
  New York Daily News
  TOP CRITIC
  What wonderfully expressive moments the cameramen have captured: the thrill and magic and excitement of a boy with all Coney Island to choose from. There are sad moments, too.
 
  September 16, 2021
 
  Marjory Adams
  Boston Globe
  TOP CRITIC
  It’s a sharply arresting and frequently amusing portrait of a most attractive kid who exhibits a great deal of down-to-earth charm.
 
  September 16, 2021
 
  Mae Tinee
  Chicago Tribune
  TOP CRITIC
  While Little Fugitive paints an amusing cross-section of humanity in wholesale lots, it sticks firmly to its subject a little boy scared into flight, unrepentant, fascinated by the big, crowded playground in which he finds refuge.
 
  September 16, 2021
 
  Mildred Martin
  Philadelphia Inquirer
  TOP CRITIC
  The photography is of a high order and occasionally, as when it catches the pattern of sunlight beneath the boardwalk, of real poetic quality.
 
  September 16, 2021
 
  Philip K. Scheuer
  Los Angeles Times
  TOP CRITIC
  It’s pretty sure to win the hearts of all who see it.
 
  September 16, 2021
 
  Jane Corby
  Brooklyn Daily Eagle
  The film pleased me for about five minutes, even though the plot seemed manufactured to permit yet another documentarist to shoot his favorite run-down American environment; then it disintegrated into a compromise with the truth.
 
  September 16, 2021
 
  Manny Farber
  The Nation
  It is as full of surprises as a little boy’s pockets.
 
  September 16, 2021
 
  Hortense Morton (Screen Scout)
  San Francisco Examiner
  Beautifully put together, the movie finds authentic humor in the real New York.
 
  September 16, 2021
 
  Janet Graves
  Photoplay
  An acutely observed, touching, almost irresistibly funny and not at all pretentious account of a small boy’s twenty-four hours of solitary adventuring in Coney Island.
 
  September 16, 2021
 
  Moira Walsh
  America Magazine
  This is the motion picture that was made on a shoestring and turned out to be worth its weight in emeralds. It is as simple as it is fascinating.
 
  September 16, 2021
 
  Jay Carmody
  Washington Star…

 

Plot
Joey, a young boy, runs away to Coney Island after he is tricked into believing he has killed his older brother. Joey collects glass bottles and turns them into money, which he uses to ride the rides.
 
Trivia

 
Goofs / Tidbits
The Little Fugitive stars a young Richie Andrusco as the bratty 7-year-old Joey.
 

 
Ray-Ashley.jpg

 
Production Company(ies)
Killer Films, New Line Cinema,
 
Distributor
New Yorker Films
 
Release Type

 
Filming Location(s)
20th Century Fox Studios – 10201 Pico Blvd., Century City, Los Angeles, California, USA
 
MPAA / Certificate
Passed
 
Year of Release
1953
 

 
Genre(s)
Crime/Drama
 
Keyword(s)
pickpocket, crime, drama, French, character study, emotional, spare, clockwork precision, redemption, pickpocketing, police inspector, petty thieves, straight job, temptation, Martin LaSalle, Marika Green, Pierre Leymarie, Jean Pélégri, directed by Robert Bresson, written by Robert Bresson, produced by Agnès Delahaie, reviewed by Kevin Maher, Peter Bradshaw, Eric Rhode, Richard Brody, David Parkinson, Derek Malcolm, Rob Aldam, Rich Cline, Anton Bitel, Paul Schrader, Shikhar Verma, Tony McKibbin, starring Martin LaSalle, Marika Green, Pierre Leymarie, Jean Pélégri, box office performance, budget, MPAA rating, New Yorker Films, Mono, Michel, Jacques, Jeanne, La mère, 1er complice
 

Cast & Crew

Martin LaSalle

Michel

Marika Green

Jeanne

Pierre Leymarie

Michel

Jeanne

Jacques

Chief Inspector

La mère

Martin LaSalle – Michel
Marika Green – Jeanne
Pierre Leymarie – Jacques
Jean Pélégri – Chief Inspector
Dolly Scal – La mère
Kassagi – 1er complice

 

Robert Bresson

Robert Bresson

Agnès Delahaie

Director

Writer

Producer

Producer

Producer

Director(s)
Robert Bresson
 
Writer(s)
Robert Bresson
 
Producer(s)
Agnès Delahaie

 

Film Festivals

 
Awards & Nominations
NA
 
Academy Awards

Top Reviews

Kevin Maher

Peter Bradshaw

Eric Rhode

Richard Brody

David Parkinson

Times

Guardian

Sight & Sound

New Yorker

Empire Magazine

PICKPOCKET
  All Critics (45) | Top Critics (15) | Fresh (43) | Rotten (2)
  A short and flawless wonder.
 
  June 3, 2022 | Rating: 5/5
 
  Kevin Maher
  Times (UK)
  TOP CRITIC
  Hypnotically intense and lucid…
 
  May 31, 2022 | Rating: 5/5
 
  Peter Bradshaw
  Guardian
  TOP CRITIC
  At first one may be impressed by the mystery surrounding these characters, until one realises that they are only mysterious because they are unable to create their own destinies.
 
  January 11, 2020
 
  Eric Rhode
  Sight & Sound
  TOP CRITIC
  The movie, above all, affirms the miracle of redemptive love and its price in humility and unconditional surrender.
 
  March 4, 2019
 
  Richard Brody
  New Yorker
  TOP CRITIC
  A marvel of poise and circumspect emotion from French auteur Robert Bresson.
 
  March 5, 2013 | Rating: 5/5
 
  David Parkinson
  Empire Magazine
  TOP CRITIC
  It is, at base, about self-fulfilment and redemption through love — a common enough idea in films. But this 1959 epic has seldom been equalled as a philosophical treatise on the subject.
 
  March 5, 2013
 
  Derek Malcolm
  Guardian
  TOP CRITIC
  A wonderfully flowing character study which treads the border between sanity and lunacy.
 
  July 7, 2022
 
  Rob Aldam
  Backseat Mafia
  It’s both seriously tense and infused with intense yearning.
 
  June 8, 2022 | Rating: 4/5
 
  Rich Cline
  Shadows on the Wall
  Robert Bressons existential character study meticulously examines a pickpocket whose criminality is its own punishment.
 
  May 1, 2022
 
  Anton Bitel
  Projected Figures
  [Robert] Bresson always choses the most realistic settings and situations. He makes a great use of two of film’s most credible devices: the narration and the printed word.
 
  January 23, 2020
 
  Paul Schrader
  Los Angeles Free Press
  Pickpocket is a film that puts the characters directly into a frame of judgment and asks the viewer if they would really try to understand the character’s side of the story.
 
  September 25, 2019 | Rating: 5/5
 
  Shikhar Verma
  High on Films
  Bresson always tells his story obliquely, so he never lets narrative suspense build, or emotional intensity be foregrounded… In short, a masterpiece.
 
  April 25, 2019 | Rating: 5/5
 
  Tony McKibbin
  The List…

 

Plot
On a crowded subway, Skip McCoy picks the purse of Candy. Among his take, although he does not know it at the time, is a piece of top-secret microfilm that was being passed by Candy’s consort, a Communist agent. Candy discovers the whereabouts of the film through Moe Williams, a police informer. She attempts to seduce McCoy to recover the film. She fails to get back the film and falls in love with him. The desperate agent exterminates Moe and savagely beats Candy. McCoy, now goaded into action, confronts the agent in a particularly brutal fight in a subway.
 
Trivia

 
Goofs / Tidbits
The cast of Pickpocket consists of mostly untrained actors who look strangely dazed throughout the film.
 

 
Robert-Bresson.jpg