Production Company(ies)
Walt Disney Pictures, Walt Disney Animation Studios,
 
Distributor
Astor Pictures Corporation, Republic Pictures, American International Pictures
 
Release Type
Theatrical
 
Filming Location(s)
Villa Giustiniani-Odescalchi, Bassano Romano, Viterbo, Lazio, Italy
 
MPAA / Certificate
Not Rated
 
Year of Release
1961
 

 
Genre(s)
Drama
 
Keyword(s)
starring Marcello Mastroianni, Anita Ekberg, Yvonne Furneaux, Anouk Aimée, Magali Noël, Alain Cuny, directed by Federico Fellini, written by Federico Fellini, Ennio Flaiano, Pier Paolo Pasolini, Tullio Pinelli, drama, box office performance, budget, reviewed by David Stratton, Guardian Staff, Eric Rhode, Peter Bradshaw, Nigel Andrews, Stanley Kauffmann, Patrick McDonald, Jason Best, Matt Brunson, Frank J Avella, Jas Keimig, Dennis Harvey, producer Angelo Rizzoli, Giuseppe Amato, MPAA rating, Marcello Rubini, Sylvia, Maddalena, Fanny, Steiner, Rome, Italian film, character study, cinematography, episodic structure, surrealism, press photography, bourgeois society, social decadence
 

Cast & Crew

Marcello Mastroianni

Marcello Rubini

Anita Ekberg

Yvonne Furneaux

Anouk Aimée

Marcello Rubini

Sylvia

Emma

Maddalena

Fanny

Marcello Mastroianni – Marcello Rubini
Anita Ekberg – Sylvia
Yvonne Furneaux – Emma
Anouk Aimée – Maddalena
Magali Noël – Fanny
Alain Cuny – Steiner

 

Federico Fellini

Federico Fellini

Angelo Rizzoli

Giuseppe Amato

Director

Writer

Producer

Producer

Producer

Director(s)
Federico Fellini
 
Writer(s)
Federico Fellini, Ennio Flaiano, Pier Paolo Pasolini, Tullio Pinelli
 
Producer(s)
Angelo Rizzoli, Giuseppe Amato

 

Film Festivals

 
Awards & Nominations
Won 1 Oscar
11 wins & 12 nominations total
 
Academy Awards

Top Reviews

David Stratton

Guardian Staff

Eric Rhode

Peter Bradshaw

Nigel Andrews

The Australian

Guardian

Sight & Sound

Financial Times

The New Republic

LA DOLCE VITA
  All Critics (78) | Top Critics (26) | Fresh (75) | Rotten (3)
  [La Dolce Vita] propelled Fellini into the front rank of international directors.
 
  June 12, 2020
 
  David Stratton
  The Australian
  TOP CRITIC
  The western cinema has needed for a long time its own kind of healthy puritanism to counter that from the east – notably Poland – and with directors like Fellini and Karel Reisz it now seems that it is getting it.
 
  April 10, 2020
 
  Guardian Staff
  Guardian
  TOP CRITIC
  Fellini admits to having a confused sense of values, to being as uncertain as a child. Why then does he try to make realist films? It’s a great pity; for if La Dolce Vita had beenless grandiose and more private and personal it might have worked.
 
  February 10, 2020
 
  Eric Rhode
  Sight & Sound
  TOP CRITIC
  It is a brilliant film, but there is nothing sweet about it.
 
  January 3, 2020 | Rating: 5/5
 
  Peter Bradshaw
  Guardian
  TOP CRITIC
  This film defined a decade before the decade arrived.
 
  December 23, 2019 | Rating: 4/5
 
  Nigel Andrews
  Financial Times
  TOP CRITIC
  Fellini has set out to move us with the depravity of contemporary life and has chosen what seems to me a poor method: cataloging sins. Very soon we find ourselves thinking: Is that all?
 
  May 1, 2013
 
  Stanley Kauffmann
  The New Republic
  TOP CRITIC
  Every frame of this film is like a black/white painting, in the sense that no matter how many years go by the images move within a pattern of interpretation. Human nature never changes, just the ways/means we can be seduced, while living LA DOLCE VITA!
 
  June 28, 2022 | Rating: 5/5
 
  Patrick McDonald
  HollywoodChicago.com
  That the scenes of decadence and debauchery have dated badly seems, perversely, to work in the film’s favour, underscoring the hollowness of the high life, the vapidity of the ceaseless search for new sensation.
 
  March 24, 2022 | Rating: 5
 
  Jason Best
  Movie Talk
  The second half is astonishing in its execution and emotional implications.
 
  February 12, 2022 | Rating: 4/4
 
  Matt Brunson
  Film Frenzy
  The film is timelier than ever as an indictment of how the media manipulates in order to get a more palpable story.
 
  February 10, 2022 | Rating: A+
 
  Frank J. Avella
  Edge Media Network
  At once a debaucherous ride through the celebrity-studded streets of Rome and a depressing, hedonistic mirror held up to its main character, Federico Fellini’s La Dolce Vita takes you through the ringer in its 176-minute runtime.
 
  December 9, 2021
 
  Jas Keimig
  The Stranger (Seattle, WA)
  Casting aside his prior neo-realism, Fellini seized on a flamboyance of spectacle, symbolism, aesthetic refinement, and unconventional narrative structure that was endlessly striking as well as provocative.
 
  August 30, 2021
 
  Dennis Harvey
  48 Hills…

 

Plot
In 1959/1960 Rome, Marcello Rubini (Marcello Mastroianni) is a writer and journalist, the worst kind of journalist
 
Trivia

 
Goofs / Tidbits
Marcello Mastroianni stars as restless reporter Marcello Rubini in La Dolce Vita.
 

 
Federico-Fellini.jpg

 
Production Company(ies)
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer,
 
Distributor
United Artists
 
Release Type

 
Filming Location(s)
Universal Studios – 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, California, USA
 
MPAA / Certificate
Not Rated
 
Year of Release
1958
 

 
Genre(s)
Drama
 
Keyword(s)
starring Tony Curtis, Sidney Poitier, Theodore Bikel, Charles McGraw, Cara Williams, Lon Chaney Jr., directed by Stanley Kramer, written by Harold Jacob Smith, drama, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Jonas Mekas, George Bourke, Mildred Martin, Kim Newman, Dickson Terry, Elston Brooks, Roger Moore, Harold V Cohen, Ches Washington, Bob Blackburn, Penelope Houston, Hope Pantell, MPAA rating, chain gang, racial prejudice, escape, deep bond, female landowner, advocacy drama, clever concept, brilliant performances, producer Stanley Kramer, distributor United Artists
 

Cast & Crew

Tony Curtis

John “Joker” Jackson

Sidney Poitier

Noah Cullen

Theodore Bikel

John “Joker” Jackson

Noah Cullen

Sheriff Max Muller

Capt. Frank Gibbons

Billy’s Mother

Tony Curtis – John “Joker” Jackson
Sidney Poitier – Noah Cullen
Theodore Bikel – Sheriff Max Muller
Charles McGraw – Capt. Frank Gibbons
Cara Williams – Billy’s Mother
Lon Chaney Jr. – Big Sam

 

Stanley Kramer

Harold Jacob Smith

Stanley Kramer

Director

Writer

Producer

Producer

Producer

Director(s)
Stanley Kramer
 
Writer(s)
Harold Jacob Smith
 
Producer(s)
Stanley Kramer

 

Film Festivals

 
Awards & Nominations
Won 2 Oscars
16 wins & 21 nominations total
 
Academy Awards

Top Reviews

Jonas Mekas

George Bourke

Mildred Martin

Kim Newman

Dickson Terry

Village Voice

Miami Herald

Philadelphia Inquirer

Empire Magazine

St. Louis Post-Dispatch

THE DEFIANT ONES
  All Critics (54) | Top Critics (22) | Fresh (49) | Rotten (5)
  One can feel that Kramer, instead of letting the idea grow from an inner necessity, started with a cliche: “Now I am going to make a social film.”
 
  April 20, 2022
 
  Jonas Mekas
  Village Voice
  TOP CRITIC
  Its message is absorbingly wrapped however, in elements of acute suspense and blood raw action that should excite even those who deplore the integration of sobering thought and fiction in their movie entertainment.
 
  January 30, 2021
 
  George Bourke
  Miami Herald
  TOP CRITIC
  The Defiant Ones is a film no one with mind or heart is likely to forget in a long, long time.
 
  January 30, 2021
 
  Mildred Martin
  Philadelphia Inquirer
  TOP CRITIC
  This Stanley Kramer messageathon plays better as a high-concept thriller than a statement about race relations or the human condition.
 
  January 30, 2021 | Rating: 3/5
 
  Kim Newman
  Empire Magazine
  TOP CRITIC
  Credit goes to producer, director and writers for a picture which combines a strong social document with about as much excitement and suspense as you could ask for.
 
  January 30, 2021
 
  Dickson Terry
  St. Louis Post-Dispatch
  TOP CRITIC
  Stanley Kramer, who has been responsible for some of Hollywood’s greater motion pictures, has a little masterpiece in The Defiant Ones.
 
  January 30, 2021
 
  Elston Brooks
  Fort Worth Star-Telegram/DFW.com
  TOP CRITIC
  Kramer gets a message he felt America needed to hear and probably still needs to hear on the screen in an artful, just-edgy-enough and still-entertaining film that retains its claim as a “classic”
 
  June 25, 2021 | Rating: 3/4
 
  Roger Moore
  Movie Nation
  The Defiant Ones is a great one all the way. It’s a throbbing photoplay made by a man with a conscience.
 
  January 30, 2021
 
  Harold V. Cohen
  Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
  Both Curtis and Poitier turned in superb performances.
 
  January 30, 2021
 
  Ches Washington
  Pittsburgh Courier
  Curtis and Poitier, carrying most of the acting load, both do well, and in addition, there are some very real minor characters. It’s a film with something to say, but apart from a few moments which tend to be talky, it says it with absorbing action.
 
  January 30, 2021
 
  Bob Blackburn
  Ottawa Citizen
  This is the point made by The Defiant Ones: not an attack on colour prejudice in terms of morality, but of plain necessity.
 
  January 30, 2021
 
  Penelope Houston
  Observer (UK)
  It is a picture to be put on everyone’s “must” list.
 
  January 30, 2021
 
  Hope Pantell
  Baltimore Sun…

 

Plot
When the truck that is transporting convicts has an accident on the road, the inmates John “Joker” Jackson and Noah Cullen that are chained to each other escape. They hate each other but they need to help each other to succeed in their intent of going north to jump in a train and reach freedom. Meanwhile the humane Sheriff Max Muller organizes a posse to track them down in a civilized manner and respecting justice. Joker and Cullen reach a small farm where a lonely woman helps them to get rid of their chains. She offers to drive her car with Joker and her son Billy while Cullen would escape through the swamp to the railroad. But when Joker learns that she sent Cullen to a trap, he leaves her and is shot in the shoulder by Billy. Joker seeks out Cullen to save him and when they meet each other, their former hatred has changed to friendship and respect.
 
Trivia

 
Goofs / Tidbits
Tony Curtis and Sidney Poitier deliver outstanding performances and have great chemistry in The Defiant Ones.
 

 
Stanley-Kramer.jpg

 
Production Company(ies)
Fox 2000 Pictures, New Regency Productions, Linson Films,
 
Distributor
United Artists
 
Release Type
Theatrical
 
Filming Location(s)
Moundsville, West Virginia, USA
 
MPAA / Certificate
Not Rated
 
Year of Release
1955
 

 
Genre(s)
Mystery & thriller
 
Keyword(s)
Mystery, Thriller, Robert Mitchum, Shelley Winters, Lillian Gish, Peter Graves, James Agee, Charles Laughton, Paul Gregory, United Artists, Mono, 35mm, MPAA rating, box office performance, budget, reviewed by critics, directed by Charles Laughton, written by James Agee and Charles Laughton, good vs evil, religious fanatic, serial killer, child-hunting preacher, stolen loot, condemned murderer, widow, children, disturbing, haunting, horror, film noir, German Expressionism, symbolism, cinematography, sound design, visual style, experimental, striking imagery, powerful performances, iconic villain, commentary on religion, morality, society
 

Cast & Crew

Robert Mitchum

Shelley Winters

Lillian Gish

Evelyn Varden

Peter Graves

Rev. Harry Powell

Willa Harper

Rachel Cooper

Icey Spoon

Ben Harper

Robert Mitchum – Rev. Harry Powell
Shelley Winters – Willa Harper
Lillian Gish – Rachel Cooper
Evelyn Varden – Icey Spoon
Peter Graves – Ben Harper
James Gleason – Birdie Steptoe

 

Charles Laughton

James Agee

Paul Gregory

Director

Writer

Producer

Producer

Producer

Director(s)
Charles Laughton
 
Writer(s)
James Agee, Charles Laughton
 
Producer(s)
Paul Gregory

 

Film Festivals

 
Awards & Nominations
2 wins
 
Academy Awards

Top Reviews

Gavin Lambert

Philip K. Scheuer

Larushka Ivan-Zadeh

Wendy Ide

Michael Wilmington

Sight & Sound

Times (UK)

Los Angeles Times

metro.co.uk

and Chicago Tribune.

THE NIGHT OF THE HUNTER
  All Critics (79) | Top Critics (23) | Fresh (74) | Rotten (5)
  The Night of the Hunter doesn’t altogether, as they say, “come off,” but it is a film of extremely individual flavour, and its daring, its indifference to convention, make it uniquely surprising for a Hollywood production today.
 
  October 2, 2020
 
  Gavin Lambert
  Sight & Sound
  TOP CRITIC
  Mr. Charles Laughton directs, and, since Mr. Laughton is a highly intelligent man, nothing that he does is without interest. The Night of the Hunter is indeed none the less interesting for being a failure.
 
  October 2, 2020
 
  Times (UK) Staff
  Times (UK)
  TOP CRITIC
  It is doubtful that you will ever hear the old hymn, ‘Learning,’ again without recalling the gaunt, flapping figure of Preacher Powell as he lams it out in the dark night — to the terror of the listening youngsters
 
  June 28, 2019
 
  Philip K. Scheuer
  Los Angeles Times
  TOP CRITIC
  The only film directed by actor Charles Laughton, this haunting masterpiece is simply one of the best horrors ever made.
 
  September 6, 2017 | Rating: 5/5
 
  Larushka Ivan-Zadeh
  metro.co.uk
  TOP CRITIC
  It’s overwrought and lurid; the story is grotesque and so are the characters. It’s unlike anything else before and since. And that is why this strident psychological horror stands up now as one of the great pieces of American genre cinema.
 
  October 5, 2015 | Rating: 4/5
 
  Wendy Ide
  Times (UK)
  TOP CRITIC
  One of the great movie horror tales, with one of the greatest of all movie villains.
 
  October 14, 2014 | Rating: 4/4
 
  Michael Wilmington
  Chicago Tribune
  TOP CRITIC
  [Director Charles Laughton] is experimenting with the medium and, if he fails more of often than he succeeds, this does not make his attempt less admirable. The Night of the Hunter is frequently bad, but it is never less than interesting.
 
  June 7, 2022
 
  Eugene Archer
  Film Culture
  That The Night of the Hunter was Charles Laughton’s first effort as a director is remarkable. That it was his only film behind the camera is one of cinema’s most unfortunate tragedies.
 
  February 12, 2022 | Rating: 4/4
 
  Brian Eggert
  Deep Focus Review
  One of the most iconic American Gothic films and delves deeply into the fear and anxieties of small-town inertia.
 
  June 25, 2021
 
  Rob Aldam
  Backseat Mafia
  It is a true original, unable to be categorized in any specific box or genre, existing within parameters set only by itself.
 
  April 15, 2021
 
  Allen Almachar
  The MacGuffin
  The strong dramatic values inherent in the plot have been dissipated by the director’s striving for symbolic touches and for unusual camera effects, as well as by the fact that the characterizations are not clearly defined and lack conviction.
 
  October 2, 2020
 
  P.S. Harrison
  Harrison’s Reports
  If you enjoy a moody, and often evocative drama, The Night of the Hunter will appeal to you. When Mr. Laughton learns to tell a story through his actors rather than symbolism, something very fine will result.
 
  October 2, 2020
 
  Frank Morriss
  Winnipeg Free Press…

 

Plot
It’s the Great Depression. In the process of robbing a bank of $10,000, Ben Harper kills two people. Before he is captured, he is able to convince his adolescent son John and his daughter Pearl not to tell anyone, including their mother Willa, where he hid the money, namely in Pearl’s favorite toy, a doll that she carries everywhere with her. Ben, who is captured, tried and convicted, is sentenced to death. But before he is executed, Ben is in the state penitentiary with a cell mate, a man by the name of Harry Powell, a self-professed man of the cloth, who is really a con man and murderer, swindling lonely women, primarily rich widows, of their money before he kills them. Harry does whatever he can, unsuccessfully, to find out the location of the $10,000 from Ben. After Ben’s execution, Harry decides that Willa will be his next mark, figuring that someone in the family knows where the money is hidden. Despite vowing not to remarry, Willa ends up being easy prey for Harry’s outward evangelicalism; she is a pious woman who feels she needs to atone for her sins which led to Ben doing what he did, especially as Harry presents himself as the preacher who worked at the prison and provided salvation to Ben before his death. Harry quickly figures out that John and Pearl know where the money is. Conversely, John doesn’t trust Harry, John who first tries not to show to Harry that he indeed does know where the money is, and then second constantly reminds a more-trusting Pearl of their promise to their now-deceased father. With Willa devoted to her new husband, John and Pearl need some other adult assistance in evading Harry’s veiled threats, an adult who not only can see the honesty and goodness in children but who can also see a true wolf in sheep’s clothing like Harry.
 
Trivia

 
Goofs / Tidbits
Robert Mitchum delivers a formidable performance as the child-hunting preacher in The Night of the Hunter.
 

 
Charles-Laughton.jpg

 
Production Company(ies)
Jolly Film Constantin Film Ocean Films,
 
Distributor
Warner Bros. Pictures, Warner Home Vídeo, Warner Bros.
 
Release Type
Theatrical
 
Filming Location(s)
Griffith Observatory, 2800 E Observatory Rd, Los Angeles, California, USA
 
MPAA / Certificate
PG-13
 
Year of Release
1955
 

 
Genre(s)
Drama
 
Keyword(s)
starring James Dean, Natalie Wood, Sal Mineo, Jim Backus, Ann Doran, Corey Allen, directed by Nicholas Ray, written by Nicholas Ray, Irving Shulman, Stewart Stern, drama, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Jack Moffitt, Kate Muir, Charlotte O’Sullivan, David Parkinson, Peter Bradshaw, Dave Kehr, Eugene Archer, Francois Truffaut, Brian Eggert, André Bazin, David Nusair, Éric Rohmer, PG-13, Warner Bros Pictures, Warner Home Vídeo, Warner Bros., new kid in town, troubled teens, juvenile attitude, iconic performance, psychological complexity, teenage angst, outsider, misfit, existentialism, knife fight, drag race, chickie run, emotional literacy, parental issues, repressed gay character, absent parents, screen presence, fresh take, well-crafted drama
 

Cast & Crew

James Dean

Natalie Wood

Sal Mineo

Jim Backus

Ann Doran

Jim Stark

Judy

John “Plato” Crawford

Frank Stark

Mrs. Stark

James Dean – Jim Stark
Natalie Wood – Judy
Sal Mineo – John “Plato” Crawford
Jim Backus – Frank Stark
Ann Doran – Mrs. Stark
Corey Allen – Buzz Gunderson
Nicholas Ray – Director
David Weisbart – Producer
Nicholas Ray, Irving Shulman, Stewart Stern – Writers

 

Nicholas Ray

Nicholas Ray

David Weisbart

Director

Writer

Producer

Producer

Producer

Director(s)
Nicholas Ray
 
Writer(s)
Nicholas Ray, Irving Shulman, Stewart Stern
 
Producer(s)
David Weisbart

 

Film Festivals
Berlin
 
Awards & Nominations
Nominated for 3 Oscars
3 wins & 7 nominations total
 
Academy Awards

Top Reviews

Jack Moffitt

Kate Muir

Charlotte O’Sullivan

David Parkinson

Peter Bradshaw

Hollywood Reporter

Times (UK)

London Evening Standard

Empire Magazine

Guardian

REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE
  All Critics (56) | Top Critics (15) | Fresh (52) | Rotten (4)
  It contains some extraordinarily good acting by the late James Dean, Natalie Wood and Sal Mineo. The direction by Nicholas Ray is outstanding… This is a superficial treatment of a vital problem that has been staged brilliantly.
 
  October 30, 2018
 
  Jack Moffitt
  Hollywood Reporter
  TOP CRITIC
  With his slicked-up quiff, turned-up jeans and revved-up attitude, Dean instantly achieved icon status.
 
  December 31, 2017
 
  Kate Muir
  Times (UK)
  TOP CRITIC
  Looks and sounds so good it makes your heart thump.
 
  April 18, 2014 | Rating: 4/5
 
  Charlotte O’Sullivan
  London Evening Standard
  TOP CRITIC
  A mighty, ageless jolt of teen petulance. Dean is supreme.
 
  April 14, 2014 | Rating: 5/5
 
  David Parkinson
  Empire Magazine
  TOP CRITIC
  The drama and hepcat dialogue feel clunky now, but the movie’s plea for dads to talk to their children — what we now call emotional literacy — is valid enough.
 
  October 23, 2007 | Rating: 3/5
 
  Peter Bradshaw
  Guardian
  TOP CRITIC
  An unmissable film, made with a delirious compassion.
 
  October 23, 2007
 
  Dave Kehr
  Chicago Reader
  TOP CRITIC
  Rebel Without a Cause settles a number of questions regarding Dean’s capacities as an actor. Working more or less on his own, without benefit of Kazan’s rigid control, Dean gave a performance which dominated the film.
 
  June 7, 2022
 
  Eugene Archer
  Film Culture
  Nicholas Ray is the best current American director. Nobody can doubt it after seeing Rebel without a Cause, a heart-rending film in which James Dean repeats, while expanding upon it, his surprising achievement in East of Eden.
 
  May 6, 2022
 
  Francois Truffaut
  La Parisienne
  Rebel Without a Cause stands as a potent expression of teen angst still vital today.
 
  February 14, 2022 | Rating: 4/4
 
  Brian Eggert
  Deep Focus Review
  Johnny Guitar was the first movie of his to make me reconsider the tempering of my esteem and to make me think that the Nicholas Ray fanatics were right. After Rebel Without a Cause, there can no longer be any doubt about it.
 
  December 8, 2021
 
  André Bazin
  L’Obs (France)
  …an overwrought, unconvincing endeavor…
 
  February 8, 2021 | Rating: 2/4
 
  David Nusair
  Reel Film Reviews
  No other director knows how to give his characters so clearly the air of having a common genealogy. They are marked with the seal of the same fate, the same moral or physical disease that is not quite taint or decay.
 
  February 1, 2021
 
  Éric Rohmer
  Cahiers du Cinéma…

 

Plot
Jim Stark is the new kid in town. He has been in trouble elsewhere; that’s why his family has had to move before. Here he hopes to find the love he doesn’t get from his middle-class family. Though he finds some of this in his relation with Judy, and a form of it in both Plato’s adulation and Ray’s real concern for him, Jim must still prove himself to his peers in switchblade knife fights and “chickie” games in which cars race toward a seaside cliff.
 
Trivia

 
Goofs / Tidbits
James Dean’s performance in Rebel Without a Cause is often cited as one of the most iconic in film history.
 

 
Nicholas-Ray.jpg

 
Production Company(ies)
DUST, Fuzzy Door Productions, Warner Bros., Warner Bros. Pictures
 
Distributor
Continental Distributing Inc.
 
Release Type
Theatrical
 
Filming Location(s)

 
MPAA / Certificate

 
Year of Release
1955
 

 
Genre(s)
Comedy
 
Keyword(s)
starring Alec Guinness, Katie Johnson, Cecil Parker, Herbert Lom, Peter Sellers, Danny Green, directed by Alexander Mackendrick, written by William Rose, comedy, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Robert Abele, Peter Bradshaw, Kate Muir, Nick Schager, Nell Minow, Adrian Hennigan, Edward Porter, Carol Rittgers, MPAA rating, produced by Michael Balcon, The Rank Organization, Ealing Studios, Continental Distributing Inc., bank robbery, string quintet, elderly widow, gangsters, murder, double-crossing, dark humor, British comedy, slow-burn, quirky characters
 

Cast & Crew

Alec Guinness

Katie Johnson

Cecil Parker

Herbert Lom

Peter Sellers

Professor Marcus

The Old Lady

Claude

Louis

Harry

Alec Guinness – Professor Marcus
Katie Johnson – The Old Lady
Cecil Parker – Claude
Herbert Lom – Louis
Peter Sellers – Harry
Danny Green – One-Round
Director – Alexander Mackendrick
Producer – Michael Balcon
Writer – William Rose

 

Alexander Mackendrick

William Rose

Michael Balcon

Director

Writer

Producer

Producer

Producer

Director(s)
Alexander Mackendrick
 
Writer(s)
William Rose
 
Producer(s)
Michael Balcon

 

Film Festivals

 
Awards & Nominations
NA
 
Academy Awards

Top Reviews

Robert Abele

Peter Bradshaw

Kate Muir

Nick Schager

Nell Minow

Los Angeles Times

Guardian

Times (UK)

Lessons of Darkness

Movie Mom

THE LADYKILLERS
 All Critics (32) | Top Critics (6) | Fresh (32)
 Crooked smiles guaranteed.
 
 July 15, 2021
 
 Robert Abele
 Los Angeles Times
 TOP CRITIC
 A superbly elegant comedy…
 
 October 23, 2020 | Rating: 5/5
 
 Peter Bradshaw
 Guardian
 TOP CRITIC
 One of the great Ealing comedies of the 1950s.
 
 October 8, 2015 | Rating: 5/5
 
 Kate Muir
 Times (UK)
 TOP CRITIC
 Most of the slapstick set pieces warrant a polite smile rather than a hearty guffaw.
 
 May 4, 2005 | Rating: B
 
 Nick Schager
 Lessons of Darkness
 TOP CRITIC
 Wildly funny!
 
 November 24, 2002 | Rating: 5/5
 
 Nell Minow
 Movie Mom
 TOP CRITIC
 A wonderfully macabre black comedy…
 
 August 12, 2002 | Rating: 5/5
 
 Adrian Hennigan
 BBC.com
 TOP CRITIC
 The twists of fate in the story’s climax are shaped by a marvellous sense of black humour.
 
 October 24, 2022
 
 Edward Porter
 Sunday Times (UK)
 The distinguished comic talents of director Alexander Mackendrick and writer William Rose have misfired in both the conception and execution of The Ladykillers.
 
 March 28, 2022
 
 Carol Rittgers
 Film Culture
 A shining light of the “Ealing comedies,” this 1955 crime caper remains as entertaining today as it did then.
 
 September 20, 2021 | Rating: 4/5
 
 Stefan Pape
 Common Sense Media
 Under Alexander Mackendrick’s direction, all of these actors have a chance to shine… It’s absolutely so much fun to settle back and watch these actors do what they do best.
 
 July 10, 2021
 
 Lael Loewenstein
 FilmWeek (KPCC – NPR Los Angeles)
 It takes all these wonderful twists and turns. It’s very funny and clever.
 
 July 10, 2021
 
 Wade Major
 FilmWeek (KPCC – NPR Los Angeles)
 The script by American William Rose is as close to perfection as a film writer can get.
 
 June 29, 2021
 
 Neely Swanson
 Easy Reader (California)…

 

Plot
A group of bumbling thieves posing as a string quintet rent rooms in an elderly widow’s home, but when they accidentally reveal their true intentions, they must double-cross each other and try to murder the old woman before she reports them to the police in the macabre slow-burn comedy, The Ladykillers.
 
Trivia

 
Goofs / Tidbits
“The Ladykillers” features a talented cast including Alec Guinness, Peter Sellers, and Herbert Lom.
 

 
Alexander-Mackendrick.jpg

 
Production Company(ies)
Warner Bros., Star Thrower Entertainment, Westbrook Studios,
 
Distributor
Rialto Pictures
 
Release Type
Theatrical, Theatrical (Wide)
 
Filming Location(s)
Village Roadshow Studios, Oxenford, Queensland, Australia
 
MPAA / Certificate
Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of creature violence/destruction and brief language
 
Year of Release
1954
 

 
Genre(s)
Sci-Fi
 
Keyword(s)
Godzilla, sci-fi, Japanese, fire-breathing, monster, atomic bomb, postwar commentary, Ishirô Honda, directed by, Tomoyuki Tanaka, produced by, Ishirô Honda, Shigeru Kayama, written by, Takashi Shimura, starring, Momoko Kochi, Akira Takarada, Akihiko Hirata, Sachio Sakai, Fuyuki Murakami, MPAA rating, Rialto Pictures, box office performance, budget, reviewed by, Adam Kempenaar, Chris Vognar, Andrew O’Hehir, Zachary Wigon, Keith Uhlich, Budd Wilkins, Sean Axmaker, Mike Massie, Harris Dang, Witney Seibold, Joe Bendel, David Nusair, genre, sci-fi, original language, Japanese, release date, theaters, streaming, distributor, Takashi Shimura, Dr Kyohei Yamane, Momoko Kochi, Emiko Yamane, Akira Takarada, Hideto Ogata, Akihiko Hirata, Dr Daisuke Serizawa, Sachio Sakai, Newspaper Reporter Hagiwara, Fuyuki Murakami, Dr Tabata
 

Cast & Crew

Takashi Shimura

Momoko Kochi

Akira Takarada

Akihiko Hirata

Sachio Sakai

Dr. Kyohei Yamane

Emiko Yamane

Hideto Ogata

Dr. Daisuke Serizawa

Newspaper Reporter Hagiwara

Takashi Shimura – Dr. Kyohei Yamane
Momoko Kochi – Emiko Yamane
Akira Takarada – Hideto Ogata
Akihiko Hirata – Dr. Daisuke Serizawa
Sachio Sakai – Newspaper Reporter Hagiwara
Fuyuki Murakami – Dr. Tabata

 

Ishirô Honda

Ishirô Honda

Tomoyuki Tanaka

Director

Writer

Producer

Producer

Producer

Director(s)
Ishirô Honda
 
Writer(s)
Ishirô Honda, Shigeru Kayama
 
Producer(s)
Tomoyuki Tanaka

 

Film Festivals

 
Awards & Nominations
2 wins & 16 nominations
 
Academy Awards

Top Reviews

Adam Kempenaar

Chris Vognar

Andrew O’Hehir

Zachary Wigon

Keith Uhlich

Filmspotting

Dallas Morning News

Salon.com

Village Voice

Time Out

GODZILLA
  All Critics (75) | Top Critics (27) | Fresh (70) | Rotten (5)
  …a portrait of a country less than a decade removed from the horrors of the atomic bomb, reckoning – in a movie that is still fun and thrilling – with that trauma.
 
  April 3, 2021 | Rating: 4.5/5
 
  Adam Kempenaar
  Filmspotting
  TOP CRITIC
  It’s a terse, lean terror with a big, swinging tail.
 
  May 8, 2014 | Rating: B+
 
  Chris Vognar
  Dallas Morning News
  TOP CRITIC
  While the acting is hit-and-miss and the story jumps around somewhat confusingly, Honda’s film is a one-of-a-kind experience all the way through, one that stands the test of time better than I had expected.
 
  April 18, 2014
 
  Andrew O’Hehir
  Salon.com
  TOP CRITIC
  Clever storytelling manages to confront tragedy from any number of angles, and sometimes swinging at it from the side can be the most affecting.
 
  April 16, 2014
 
  Zachary Wigon
  Village Voice
  TOP CRITIC
  Honda’s satire is cutting, with several characters resigned to living with the threat of constant cataclysm.
 
  April 15, 2014 | Rating: 4/5
 
  Keith Uhlich
  Time Out
  TOP CRITIC
  Rarely has the open wound of widespread devastation been transposed to celluloid with greater visceral impact.
 
  April 13, 2014 | Rating: 4/4
 
  Budd Wilkins
  Slant Magazine
  TOP CRITIC
  None of the sequels, spin-offs, remakes, or knock-offs ever matched the righteous anger or terrifying ferocity of the lizard king in his first film, rising from the radioactive depths and descending upon Tokyo like some biblical retribution.
 
  June 25, 2022
 
  Sean Axmaker
  Stream on Demand
  Still a well-paced, nicely balanced monster movie that sticks with a fittingly serious, somber tone.
 
  August 22, 2020 | Rating: 7/10
 
  Mike Massie
  Gone With The Twins
  Despite the problems with pacing, effects and some characterizations, Godzilla (1954) does manage to work pretty well and thanks to its mix of social commentary and action, it delivers a satisfying adventure.
 
  November 7, 2019
 
  Harris Dang
  The AU Review
  This is a monster film that more or less launched the entire kaiju genre, but it’s also dark, sad, and downright tragic.
 
  May 21, 2019
 
  Witney Seibold
  Nerdist
  Sixty years later, Godzilla is still one of the baddest cats to grace a movie screen.
 
  July 17, 2016 | Rating: 4/5
 
  Joe Bendel
  Epoch Times
  It’s ultimately rather difficult to discern why Godzilla has amassed a reputation as a classic of the genre…
 
  January 9, 2015 | Rating: 1.5/4
 
  David Nusair
  Reel Film Reviews…

 

Plot
Legends collide as Godzilla and Kong, the two most powerful forces of nature, clash on the big screen in a spectacular battle for the ages. As a squadron embarks on a perilous mission into fantastic uncharted terrain, unearthing clues to the Titans’ very origins and mankind’s survival, a conspiracy threatens to wipe the creatures, both good and bad, from the face of the earth forever.
 
Trivia

 
Goofs / Tidbits
The cast and crew of Godzilla includes Takashi Shimura as Dr. Kyohei Yamane, Momoko Kochi as Emiko Yamane, and Akira Takarada as Hideto Ogata.
 

 
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