Production Company(ies)
Fantasy Films, Bryna Productions N.V., Zvaluw
 
Distributor
Pioneer Entertainment, United Artists, Warner Home Vídeo, Republic Pictures
 
Release Type
Theatrical
 
Filming Location(s)
Oregon State Mental Hospital – 2600 Center Street NE, Salem, Oregon, USA
 
MPAA / Certificate
R
 
Year of Release
1975
 

 
Genre(s)
Drama
 
Keyword(s)
starring Jack Nicholson, Louise Fletcher, Brad Dourif, William Redfield, Michael Berryman, Peter Brocco, directed by Milos Forman, written by Lawrence Hauben, Bo Goldman, drama, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Alexander Walker, Derek Malcolm, John Cashman, Desmond Ryan, G.J Fleming, Joseph Gelmis, Madeleine Harmsworth, Susan Toepfer, Janet Maslin, Michael Marzella, Stanley Eichelbaum, Charles Johnson, R rating, Pioneer Entertainment, United Artists, Warner Home Vídeo, Republic Pictures, Mono sound mix, 35mm aspect ratio, Nurse Ratched, Randle Patrick McMurphy, mental institution, battle of wills, patients, electroconvulsive therapy, Michael Douglas, Saul Zaentz, produced by
 

Cast & Crew

Jack Nicholson

Louise Fletcher

Brad Dourif

William Redfield

Michael Berryman

Randle Patrick McMurphy

Nurse Mildred Ratched

Billy Bibbit

Harding

Ellis

Jack Nicholson – Randle Patrick McMurphy
Louise Fletcher – Nurse Mildred Ratched
Brad Dourif – Billy Bibbit
William Redfield – Harding
Michael Berryman – Ellis, tall bald patient
Peter Brocco – Col. Matterson

 

Milos Forman

Lawrence Hauben

Michael Douglas

Saul Zaentz

Director

Writer

Producer

Producer

Producer

Director(s)
Milos Forman
 
Writer(s)
Lawrence Hauben, Bo Goldman
 
Producer(s)
Michael Douglas, Saul Zaentz

 

Film Festivals

 
Awards & Nominations
Won 5 Oscars
38 wins & 16 nominations total
 
Academy Awards
Oscar Best Achievement in Directing Winners, Oscar Best Picture Winners, Oscar Best Writing Winners, Oscar Nominees, Oscar Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published Winners, Oscar Winners
 

Top Reviews

Alexander Walker

Derek Malcolm

John Cashman

Desmond Ryan

G.J. Fleming

London Evening Standard

Guardian

Newsday

Philadelphia Inquirer

Orlando Sentinel

ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO’S NEST
  All Critics (115) | Top Critics (32) | Fresh (107) | Rotten (8)
  One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest is a film I admire as much as I mistrust. And I mistrust it very much indeed.
 
  March 8, 2022
 
  Alexander Walker
  London Evening Standard
  TOP CRITIC
  When it matters the strength is there, together with the feeling that our judgment of who is mad and who is sane, is at best faulty and uncertain and at worst downright disastrous.
 
  March 8, 2022
 
  Derek Malcolm
  Guardian
  TOP CRITIC
  One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest ultimately fails as black humor because it is too real for anyone who wants to think about it not to realize what is causing the laughter. Sick persons are not funny. And McMurphy may be the sickest of them all.
 
  March 7, 2022
 
  John Cashman
  Newsday
  TOP CRITIC
  An all but flawless film. It is a movie of numbing power with a raw humor that induces laughter made shrill by an undercurrent of despair.
 
  March 7, 2022
 
  Desmond Ryan
  Philadelphia Inquirer
  TOP CRITIC
  Despite its flaws — which include the audience’s ambivalent attitude toward the hero and his world — it is a surprisingly enjoyable, finely acted character study.
 
  March 7, 2022
 
  G.J. Fleming
  Orlando Sentinel
  TOP CRITIC
  “Cuckoo’s Nest” appeals to audiences’ worst reflexes. It poses as a sort of liberal’s lunatic asylum version of that anti-institutional glorification of criminals, The Dirty Dozen.
 
  March 7, 2022
 
  Joseph Gelmis
  Newsday
  TOP CRITIC
  Every vice and virtue is explored with humour and compassion in this masterly film. Altogether, an unforgettable experience.
 
  March 9, 2022
 
  Madeleine Harmsworth
  Sunday Mirror (UK)
  Under the skillful direction of Milos Forman, and with Jack Nicholson in the “heroic” lead, “Cuckoo’s Nest” attains its greatest power in the medium of film.
 
  March 9, 2022
 
  Susan Toepfer
  Photoplay
  Kesey’s story was hardly designed to be naturalistic, and Forman’s streamlining isn’t the way to make it work (there may not be any way). As it stands, Forman has merely reduced the story without successfully revising it.
 
  March 9, 2022
 
  Janet Maslin
  Boston Phoenix
  It is Jack Nicholson, an actor continually producing profound and stunning performances, who fires a life in McMurphy different from, but not lesser than, Kesey’s character. This is a milestone performance.
 
  March 9, 2022
 
  Michael Marzella
  Tampa Bay Times
  I found the ending, with its heavily rigged tragedy and trite metaphors, neither believable nor very moving… [But] in its better moments, [One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest] is hilariously and potently effective.
 
  March 9, 2022
 
  Stanley Eichelbaum
  San Francisco Examiner
  The problem with stripping away the dramatics is, as I see it, that Forman was not able to replace them with the ingredients of a more truly thoughtful film.
 
  March 8, 2022
 
  Charles Johnson
  Sacramento Bee…

 

Plot
McMurphy has a criminal past and has once again gotten himself into trouble and is sentenced by the court. To escape labor duties in prison, McMurphy pleads insanity and is sent to a ward for the mentally unstable. Once here, McMurphy both endures and stands witness to the abuse and degradation of the oppressive Nurse Ratched, who gains superiority and power through the flaws of the other inmates. McMurphy and the other inmates band together to make a rebellious stance against the atrocious Nurse.
 
Trivia

 
Goofs / Tidbits
Jack Nicholson’s performance in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest is considered a milestone in his career.
 

 
Milos-Forman.jpg

 
Production Company(ies)
Paramount Pictures, Penthouse Video Long Road Productions,
 
Distributor
Paramount Pictures
 
Release Type
Theatrical
 
Filming Location(s)
Spring Street, Chinatown, Los Angeles, California, USA
 
MPAA / Certificate
R
 
Year of Release
1974
 

 
Genre(s)
Crime/Drama
 
Keyword(s)

Cast & Crew

Jack Nicholson

J. J. (Jake) Gittes

Faye Dunaway

Evelyn Cross Mulwray

John Huston

J. J. (Jake) Gittes

Evelyn Cross Mulwray

Noah Cross

Lt. Lou Escobar

Russ Yelburton

Jack Nicholson – J. J. (Jake) Gittes
Faye Dunaway – Evelyn Cross Mulwray
John Huston – Noah Cross
Perry Lopez – Lt. Lou Escobar
John Hillerman – Russ Yelburton
Darrell Zwerling – Hollis I. Mulwray

 

Roman Polanski

Robert Towne

Robert Evans

Director

Writer

Producer

Producer

Producer

Director(s)
Roman Polanski
 
Writer(s)
Robert Towne, Roman Polanski
 
Producer(s)
Robert Evans

 

Film Festivals

 
Awards & Nominations
Won 1 Oscar
21 wins & 24 nominations total
 
Academy Awards
Oscar Best Writing Winners, Oscar Nominees, Oscar Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen Winners, Oscar Winners
 

Top Reviews

Tom Milne

Charles Champlin

Alastair Sooke

Odie Henderson

Gene Siskel

Sight & Sound

Los Angeles Times

Daily Telegraph (UK)

Movie Mezzanine

Chicago Tribune

CHINATOWN
  All Critics (78) | Top Critics (22) | Fresh (77) | Rotten (1)
  [Polanski] handles the mechanics of the plot with a ruthless brilliance that is immediately involving.
 
  April 1, 2020
 
  Tom Milne
  Sight & Sound
  TOP CRITIC
  In its total recapturing of a past, in its plot, its vivid characterizations, its carefully calculated and accelerating pace, its whole demonstration of a medium mastered, Chinatown reminds you again that motion pictures are larger, not smaller than life.
 
  April 22, 2019
 
  Charles Champlin
  Los Angeles Times
  TOP CRITIC
  As private investigator Jake Gittes, hired to dig up some dirt on Hollis Mulwray, chief engineer of Los Angeles’s water department, Nicholson saunters round the city delivering one-liners with offhand brilliance.
 
  May 18, 2016 | Rating: 5/5
 
  Alastair Sooke
  Daily Telegraph (UK)
  TOP CRITIC
  Chinatown is deliciously, intolerably cruel as it toys with us.
 
  February 4, 2014 | Rating: A+
 
  Odie Henderson
  Movie Mezzanine
  TOP CRITIC
  As much as I admire the work of both Polanski and Nicholson, I found Chinatown tedious from beginning to just before the end.
 
  January 18, 2013 | Rating: 2.5/4
 
  Gene Siskel
  Chicago Tribune
  TOP CRITIC
  Polanski’s telling of his tale of corruption in LA is masterly – thrilling, humorous and disturbing at the same time – and brilliantly played by John Huston and Faye Dunaway as well as Nicholson.
 
  January 4, 2013 | Rating: 4/5
 
  Derek Malcolm
  London Evening Standard
  TOP CRITIC
  Chinatown marked the creative zenith for many of those involved in the production, and in particular Robert Towne, who went on to win multiple awards for his screenplay, still considered by most to be the finest of its kind ever written.
 
  March 7, 2022 | Rating: 5/5
 
  Michael Clark
  Epoch Times
  Polanskis predilection for obsessive detail, fatalistic and ironical conclusions, and unconventional storytelling transform the result into an unforgettable and unique motion picture that embodies classic detective film noir thirty years after its zenith
 
  February 23, 2022 | Rating: 4/4
 
  Brian Eggert
  Deep Focus Review
  While Chinatown has a lot of the hallmarks of a Polanski film, it manages to stay most true to its film noir roots.
 
  March 24, 2021
 
  Sarah Brinks
  Battleship Pretension
  One of the best screenplays of all time, even in spite of its Oscar-winning screenwriter Robert Towne.
 
  September 8, 2020 | Rating: 5/5
 
  Matt Neal
  ABC Radio (Australia)
  The epitome of contemporary film noir.
 
  August 27, 2020 | Rating: 10/10
 
  Mike Massie
  Gone With The Twins
  It was with Chinatown that Nicholson made the world sit up and notice: he’s in every scene of this film and he fills the frame with that heady mixture of knowing charm and explosive energy.
 
  June 12, 2020 | Rating: 5/5
 
  Simon Weaving
  Screenwize…

 

Plot
In 1937 Los Angeles, private investigator Jake ‘J.J.’ Gittes specializes in cheating-spouse cases. His current target is Hollis Mulwray, high-profile chief engineer for the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, whose wife suspects him of infidelity. In following Mulwray, Gittes witnesses some usual business dealings, such as a public meeting for construction of a new dam to create additional water supply for Los Angeles, as fresh water is vital to the growing community during the chronic drought; Mulwray opposes the dam. Eventually Gittes sees Mulwray meeting with an unknown young woman who isn’t his wife. Once news of the supposed tryst between Mulwray and this woman hits the media, additional information comes to light that makes Gittes believe that Mulwray is being framed for something and that he himself is being set up. In his investigation of the issue behind Mulwray’s framing and his own setup, Gittes is assisted by Mulwray’s wife Evelyn, but he thinks she isn’t being forthright with him. The further he gets into the investigation, the more secrets he uncovers about the Mulwrays’ professional and personal dealings, including Mulwray’s former business-partnership with Evelyn’s father, Noah Cross. The identity of the unknown woman may be the key to uncovering the whole story.
 
Trivia

 
Goofs / Tidbits
NA
 

 
Roman-Polanski.jpg

 
Production Company(ies)
Zanuck Brown Productions, Universal Pictures,
 
Distributor
MCA/Universal Home Video, Universal Pictures, Universal Home Entertainment
 
Release Type
Theatrical
 
Filming Location(s)
Union Station – Canal St. & Jackson Blvd., Near West Side, Chicago, Illinois, USA
 
MPAA / Certificate
PG
 
Year of Release
1973
 

 
Genre(s)
Comedy/Drama
 
Keyword(s)
starring paul newman, robert redford, robert shaw, charles durning, ray walston, eileen brennan, directed by george roy hill, written by david s ward, produced by tony bill, julia phillips, michael phillips, comedy, drama, box office success, budget, reviewed by alexander walker, derek malcolm, david robinson, tom milne, colin bennett, kenneth robins, margaret minxman, george melly, romola costantino, michael billington, janet maslin, kevin m w, alec b, john b, carlos m, PG rating, con artist, revenge, crime boss, elaborate scheme, twists, improvisation, 1973, MCA/Universal Home Video, Universal Pictures, Universal Home Entertainment, Tubi, streaming, free, AVOD, WatchFree, TubiOriginals, summer of streaming, The Sandlot, RV, The Matrix
 

Cast & Crew

Paul Newman

Henry Gondorff

Robert Redford

Johnny Hooker

Robert Shaw

Henry Gondorff

Johnny Hooker

Doyle Lonnegan

Lt. William Snyder

J.J. Singleton

Paul Newman – Henry Gondorff
Robert Redford – Johnny Hooker
Robert Shaw – Doyle Lonnegan
Charles Durning – Lt. William Snyder
Ray Walston – J.J. Singleton
Eileen Brennan – Billie

 

George Roy Hill

NA

Tony Bill

Julia Phillips

Michael Phillips

Director

Writer

Producer

Producer

Producer

Director(s)
George Roy Hill
 
Writer(s)
NA
 
Producer(s)
Tony Bill, Julia Phillips, Michael Phillips

 

Film Festivals
Cannes
 
Awards & Nominations
Won 7 Oscars
18 wins & 6 nominations total
 
Academy Awards
Oscar Best Picture Winners, Oscar Winners
 

Top Reviews

Alexander Walker

Derek Malcolm

David Robinson

Tom Milne

Colin Bennett

London Evening Standard

Guardian

Times (UK)

Sight & Sound

The Age (Australia)

THE STING
  All Critics (77) | Top Critics (21) | Fresh (72) | Rotten (5)
  Here are all the good old-fashioned film virtues standing up to the test of storytelling in a movie that Is constantly whetting your curiosity to know — “What happens next?”
 
  March 7, 2022
 
  Alexander Walker
  London Evening Standard
  TOP CRITIC
  A beautifully ironic thriller with Paul Newman and Robert Redford that echoes Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid without succumbing to its innate pretensions.
 
  March 7, 2022
 
  Derek Malcolm
  Guardian
  TOP CRITIC
  It is an unabashed, light- hearted entertainment, set in a Runyonesque underworld peopled with amiable, picturesque, larger-than-life gangsters with crepe hair and costume boxes always at the ready to stage some ridiculously elaborate con job.
 
  March 7, 2022
 
  David Robinson
  Times (UK)
  TOP CRITIC
  The Sting is a charmer, no doubt about that.
 
  March 7, 2022
 
  Tom Milne
  Sight & Sound
  TOP CRITIC
  Add sharp professional playing all round (only Robert Shaw’s limping Irish gangster slows the jollity a bit) and you nave a film to carry you along despite its length; a film to leave you all smiles. The best of the year, though?
 
  March 7, 2022
 
  Colin Bennett
  The Age (Australia)
  TOP CRITIC
  The Sting is heartily recommended, for it is a film in which superlative technique transcends any logical carping — not a great film by a long shot but a superb example of the film-maker’s craft which is also top entertainment.
 
  March 7, 2022
 
  Kenneth Robins
  Sydney Morning Herald
  TOP CRITIC
  I suppose when you get right down to it neither Newman nor Redford, nor any of the seasoned cast, are put to too much strain in carrying off the plot with such apparently eff or t less flair. But for sizzling entertainment it could not be bettered.
 
  March 7, 2022
 
  Margaret Minxman
  Liverpool Echo
  It’s an old-fashioned, full-blooded entertainment, with a plot fast enough to conceal any inconsistencies, some cunningly placed coups de cinema ingenious enough to provoke spectators Into releasing sighs of delight at being thoroughly taken in.
 
  March 7, 2022
 
  George Melly
  Observer (UK)
  It’s a film of superb style, using one of the American legends — not the Wild West drama or the New York comedy, but the pre-war Chicago underworld one — to provide tough thrills with a comic edge to them.
 
  March 7, 2022
 
  Romola Costantino
  The Sun-Herald (Australia)
  It is very much a film about disguise, deception and acting; and the cleverness of the plot is that It first of all let us in on who is kidding whom and then pulls a substantial amount of rug from beneath our feet.
 
  March 7, 2022
 
  Michael Billington
  Birmingham Post
  The Sting is good clean fun, quite a lavish production, and lovely to look at, as are its leading men.
 
  February 10, 2022
 
  Janet Maslin
  Boston Phoenix
  Certainly loaded with blanks!
 
  January 17, 2022 | Rating: 4.5/5
 
  James Wegg
  JWR…

 

Plot
Johnny Hooker, a small time grifter, unknowingly steals from Doyle Lonnegan, a big time crime boss, when he pulls a standard street con. Lonnegan demands satisfaction for the insult. After his partner, Luther, is killed, Hooker flees, and seeks the help of Henry Gondorff, one of Luther’s contacts, who is a master of the long con. Hooker wants to use Gondorff’s expertise to take Lonnegan for an enormous sum of money to even the score, since he admits he “doesn’t know enough about killing to kill him.” They devise a complicated scheme and amass a talented group of other con artists who want their share of the reparations. The stakes are high in this game, and our heroes must not only deal with Lonnegan’s murderous tendencies, but also other side players who want a piece of the action. To win, Hooker and Gondorff will need all their skills…and a fair amount of confidence.
 
Trivia

 
Goofs / Tidbits
There is no mention of the film US or anyone in its cast on this page.
 

 
George-Roy-Hill.jpg

 
Production Company(ies)
Columbia Pictures, Bona Film Group Heyday Films,
 
Distributor
Paramount Pictures
 
Release Type
Streaming, Theatrical
 
Filming Location(s)
Corriganville, Ray Corrigan Ranch, Simi Valley, California, USA
 
MPAA / Certificate
Rated R for language throughout, some strong graphic violence, drug use, and sexual references
 
Year of Release
1968
 

 
Genre(s)
Western
 
Keyword(s)
Western, Sergio Leone, directed by Sergio Leone, written by Dario Argento, Bernardo Bertolucci, Sergio Leone, starring Henry Fonda, Claudia Cardinale, Charles Bronson, Jason Robards, Gabriele Ferzetti, Bino Cicogna, PG-13, Paramount Pictures, box office performance, budget, reviewed by TIME Staff, Joshua Rothkopf, Dave Kehr, Stanley Kauffmann, Radheyan Simonpillai, David Jenkins, Brian Eggert, Sarah Brinks, Mike Massie, Ed Travis, David Parkinson, Josh Larsen, 95% Tomatometer, 50,000+ Ratings, Western, Italian, Mono, 35mm, Scope (2.35:1), Sergio Leone spaghetti western, Morricone score, rail baron, henchman, bandit, gunslinger, revenge, landowner, wife, water, showdown, epic, cinematography, scenery, gritty, mysterious, violent, sexist, top Western, best of all time
 

Cast & Crew

Henry Fonda

Claudia Cardinale

Charles Bronson

Jason Robards

Frank Wolff

Frank

Jill McBain

Harmonica

Cheyenne

Brett McBain

Henry Fonda – Frank
Claudia Cardinale – Jill McBain
Charles Bronson – Harmonica
Jason Robards – Cheyenne
Frank Wolff – Brett McBain
Gabriele Ferzetti – Morton

 

Sergio Leone

Dario Argento

Bino Cicogna

Director

Writer

Producer

Producer

Producer

Director(s)
Sergio Leone
 
Writer(s)
Dario Argento, Bernardo Bertolucci, Sergio Leone
 
Producer(s)
Bino Cicogna

 

Film Festivals

 
Awards & Nominations
Won 2 Oscars
143 wins & 380 nominations total
 
Academy Awards

Top Reviews

TIME Staff

Joshua Rothkopf

Dave Kehr

Stanley Kauffmann

Radheyan Simonpillai

TIME Magazine

Time Out

Chicago Reader

The New Republic

AskMen.com

ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST
  All Critics (66) | Top Critics (19) | Fresh (63) | Rotten (3)
  Leone’s newest effort, Once Upon a Time in the West, with a major cast and a lot of big studio money behind it, proves that he is simply a serious bore.
 
  March 24, 2020
 
  TIME Staff
  TIME Magazine
  TOP CRITIC
  If there had to be a final Western, Once Upon a Time in the West would be it.
 
  March 24, 2020
 
  Joshua Rothkopf
  Time Out
  TOP CRITIC
  Moments of intense realism flow into passages of operatic extravagance; lowbrow burlesque exists side by side with the expression of the most refined shades of feeling.
 
  March 24, 2020
 
  Dave Kehr
  Chicago Reader
  TOP CRITIC
  There is something touching and maniacal about the two-and-three-quarter- hour result.
 
  June 18, 2013
 
  Stanley Kauffmann
  The New Republic
  TOP CRITIC
  Sergio Leone loaded up for another Spaghetti Western and shot out his magnum opus with this follow-up to the Dollars trilogy. Charles Bronson stars as an ominous stranger known only as Harmonica — on the account of that instrument being the only other th
 
  August 12, 2009 | Rating: 89/100
 
  Radheyan Simonpillai
  AskMen.com
  TOP CRITIC
  ‘Once Upon a Time…’ now looks like an over-cooked mess of style, metaphor and reference.
 
  July 24, 2009 | Rating: 3/5
 
  David Jenkins
  Time Out
  TOP CRITIC
  Self-aware in every respect, from his dynamic framing to the prolonged showdowns, Leone’s meticulous style may distance some viewers from making an emotional connection to his work, but striking dramatic chords is hardly his principal intention.
 
  March 20, 2022 | Rating: 4/4
 
  Brian Eggert
  Deep Focus Review
  The costumes were great as well. Jill McBain stands out from the crowd as a “city” girl when she first arrives – many of her dresses are elegant and beautiful – whereas someone like Cheyenne is always dusty and looks dirty and hot.
 
  March 26, 2021
 
  Sarah Brinks
  Battleship Pretension
  Although the cast is impressive, with a significant part for a leading lady (something absent from Leone’s other ventures), it’s the primary antagonist who is most amusing.
 
  August 27, 2020 | Rating: 8/10
 
  Mike Massie
  Gone With The Twins
  I wish my words could convey just how wonderful this film is. But they can’t. Sergio Leone was a poet with a camera.
 
  April 2, 2020
 
  Ed Travis
  Hollywood Jesus
  An operatic masterpiece.
 
  March 24, 2020 | Rating: 5/5
 
  David Parkinson
  Radio Times
  …an exaggerated, fairy-tale variation on the Western, big bad wolf and all.
 
  June 25, 2018 | Rating: 3.5/4
 
  Josh Larsen
  LarsenOnFilm…

 

Plot
Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood visits 1969 Los Angeles, where everything is changing, as TV star Rick Dalton (Leonardo DiCaprio) and his longtime stunt double Cliff Booth (Brad Pitt) make their way around an industry they hardly recognize anymore. The ninth film from the writer-director features a large ensemble cast and multiple storylines in a tribute to the final moments of Hollywood’s golden age.
 
Trivia

 
Goofs / Tidbits
Henry Fonda, who plays the villainous Frank in the film, was initially hesitant to take on the role because he had never played a bad guy before.
 

 
Sergio-Leone.jpg

 
Production Company(ies)
The Mirisch Company, Alpha
 
Distributor
Criterion Collection, United Artists, MGM/UA Home Entertainment Inc.
 
Release Type

 
Filming Location(s)
Füssen, Bavaria, Germany
 
MPAA / Certificate
Approved
 
Year of Release
1963
 

 
Genre(s)
War/Drama
 
Keyword(s)
War, Drama, Allied soldiers, German POW camp, escape, Nazi forces, American Captain Virgil Hilts, British Squadron Leader Roger Bartlett, slow-building story, cast for the ages, action classic, directed by John Sturges, produced by John Sturges and James Clavell, written by Paul Brickhill, James Clavell, W R Burnett, starring Steve McQueen, James Garner, Richard Attenborough, Charles Bronson, James Donald, Donald Pleasence, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Jamie Ludwig, Anthony Lane, Nell Minow, Variety Staff, Dave Kehr, Derek Adams, Danielle Solzman, Brian Eggert, David Harris, Mike Massie, Matt Brunson, MPAA rating, Criterion Collection, United Artists, MGM/UA Home Entertainment Inc
 

Cast & Crew

Steve McQueen

James Garner

Richard Attenborough

Charles Bronson

James Donald

Capt. Hilts ‘The Cooler King’

Flight Lt. Hendley ‘The Scrounger’

Squadron Leader Roger Bartlett ‘Big X’

Flight Lt. Danny Velinski ‘The Tunnel King’

Group Capt. Ramsey ‘The SBO’

Steve McQueen – Capt. Hilts ‘The Cooler King’
James Garner – Flight Lt. Hendley ‘The Scrounger’
Richard Attenborough – Squadron Leader Roger Bartlett ‘Big X’
Charles Bronson – Flight Lt. Danny Velinski ‘The Tunnel King’
James Donald – Group Capt. Ramsey ‘The SBO’
Donald Pleasence – Flight Lt. Colin Blythe ‘The Forger’

 

John Sturges

Paul Brickhill

John Sturges

James Clavell

Director

Writer

Producer

Producer

Producer

Director(s)
John Sturges
 
Writer(s)
Paul Brickhill, James Clavell, W. R. Burnett
 
Producer(s)
John Sturges, James Clavell

 

Film Festivals

 
Awards & Nominations
Nominated for 1 Oscar
3 wins & 11 nominations total
 
Academy Awards

Top Reviews

Jamie Ludwig

Anthony Lane

Nell Minow

Variety Staff

Dave Kehr

Chicago Reader

New Yorker

Common Sense Media

Variety

Time Out

THE GREAT ESCAPE
  All Critics (51) | Top Critics (10) | Fresh (48) | Rotten (3)
  For all its missteps, when it comes to escapism, intrigue, and indulgence, you could do a whole lot worse than The Great Escape. Just watch it with an open eye.
 
  February 21, 2019
 
  Jamie Ludwig
  Chicago Reader
  TOP CRITIC
  This is a Boys’ Own Tale, and, as boys, we wanted it, cleansed of horrors, for ourselves.
 
  April 23, 2014
 
  Anthony Lane
  New Yorker
  TOP CRITIC
  An exceptional story about teamwork.
 
  December 28, 2010 | Rating: 5/5
 
  Nell Minow
  Common Sense Media
  TOP CRITIC
  Producer-director John Sturges has fashioned a motion picture that entertains, captivates, thrills and stirs.
 
  March 26, 2009
 
  Variety Staff
  Variety
  TOP CRITIC
  Way too flabby at 168 minutes, but once this 1963 feature gets going it’s good, solid stuff.
 
  March 1, 2007
 
  Dave Kehr
  Chicago Reader
  TOP CRITIC
  Worth seeing the last half hour, if nothing else, for one of the best stunt sequences in years: McQueen’s motor-cycle bid for freedom.
 
  June 24, 2006
 
  Derek Adams
  Time Out
  TOP CRITIC
  Even though the filmmakers make changes to benefit an American audience, the memory of the 50 executed airmen will never be forgotten.
 
  May 29, 2022 | Rating: 5/5
 
  Danielle Solzman
  Solzy at the Movies
  Somehow, The Great Escape manages to mourn the dead and uphold a unified sense of defiance in the same movement.
 
  February 17, 2022 | Rating: 4/4
 
  Brian Eggert
  Deep Focus Review
  There is something undeniably quaint about John Sturges’ sprawling 1963 World War II epic…
 
  March 3, 2021
 
  David Harris
  Spectrum Culture
  The courageous, booming march by Elmer Bernstein that opens the picture is instantly one of the most memorable and notable pieces of music in cinema history.
 
  August 24, 2020 | Rating: 9/10
 
  Mike Massie
  Gone With The Twins
  McQueen’s thrilling motorcycle ride has long been the stuff of cinematic legend, but the movie is packed with countless memorable episodes of this caliber.
 
  May 16, 2020 | Rating: 4/4
 
  Matt Brunson
  Film Frenzy
  This is one of the all-time great war movies, a PoW adventure from director John Sturges that celebrates the indomitable spirit of the Allied forces even when their backs were to the wall.
 
  April 23, 2014
 
  Andrew Collins
  Radio Times…

 

Plot
Based on a true story, a group of allied escape artist-type prisoners-of-war are all put in an “escape proof” camp. Their leader decides to try to take out several hundred all at once. The first half of the movie is played for comedy, as the prisoners mostly outwit their jailers to dig the escape tunnel. The second half is high adventure as they use planes, trains, and boats to get out of occupied Europe.
 
Trivia

 
Goofs / Tidbits
Steve McQueen’s motorcycle chase scene in The Great Escape is considered one of the greatest action sequences in cinema history.
 

 
John-Sturges.jpg

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

 
Filming Location(s)
Garces Highway 1/10th mile East from Corcoran Road and Kern National Wildlife Preserve, Kern County, California, USA
 
MPAA / Certificate
Approved
 
Year of Release
1959
 

 
Genre(s)
Mystery & thriller
 
Keyword(s)
starring Cary Grant, Eva Marie Saint, James Mason, Leo G Carroll, Martin Landau, Jessie Royce Landis, directed by Alfred Hitchcock, written by Ernest Lehman, mystery, thriller, box office success, budget, reviewed by Pauline Kael, Barbara L Wilson, Marie Stevenson, Helen Bower, Kate Cameron, John L Scott, Brian Eggert, Florence Epstein, Hortense Morton, C.A Lejeune, Jay Carmody, Harold V Cohen, MPAA rating, mistaken identity, espionage, action sequences, suspenseful, visually iconic, iconic, thriller, adventure, spy, conspiracy, Technicolor, VistaVision, crop duster chase, Mount Rushmore, United Nations, train, Mata Hari, superheroic score, clever dialogue, charismatic lead, grand adventure, intriguing mystery, colorful characters, lively directorial performance, entertainment value, classic thriller, Hitchcock classic, late-period Hitchcock, top Hitchcock film, iconic action thriller, gripping, visually stunning, suspenseful, thrilling, action-packed, memorable, must-see, timeless, masterpiece, Hollywood classic, American thriller, spy thriller, mistaken identity, espionage, adventure opus, grand scope, intriguing mystery, conspiracy, clever, sophisticated, elegant, glossy, thrilling, brilliant, cool surface, perfect polish, Number 1 hand, superheroic style, cleverly original, cleverly sexy, entertaining, fun, awesome, spy adventure flick
 

Cast & Crew

Cary Grant

Eva Marie Saint

James Mason

Leo G. Carroll

Martin Landau

Roger O. Thornhill/George Kaplan

Eve Kendall

Phillip Vandamm

The Professor

Leonard

– Cary Grant as Roger O. Thornhill/George Kaplan
– Eva Marie Saint as Eve Kendall
– James Mason as Phillip Vandamm
– Leo G. Carroll as The Professor
– Martin Landau as Leonard
– Jessie Royce Landis as Clara Thornhill
– Directed by Alfred Hitchcock
– Produced by Alfred Hitchcock
– Written by Ernest Lehman

 

Alfred Hitchcock

Ernest Lehman

Alfred Hitchcock

Director

Writer

Producer

Producer

Producer

Director(s)
Alfred Hitchcock
 
Writer(s)
Ernest Lehman
 
Producer(s)
Alfred Hitchcock

 

Film Festivals

 
Awards & Nominations
Nominated for 3 Oscars
8 wins & 10 nominations total
 
Academy Awards

Top Reviews

Pauline Kael

Barbara L. Wilson

Marie Stevenson

Helen Bower

Kate Cameron

New Yorker

Philadelphia Inquirer

Fort Worth Star-Telegram/DFW.com

Detroit Free Press

New York Daily News

NORTH BY NORTHWEST
  All Critics (110) | Top Critics (39) | Fresh (107) | Rotten (3)
  Though not as cleverly original as Strangers on a Train, or as cleverly sexy as Notorious, this is one of Hitchcock’s most entertaining American thrillers.
 
  July 6, 2022
 
  Pauline Kael
  New Yorker
  TOP CRITIC
  Alfred Hitchcock’s new thriller, North by Northwest, is one of those no holds barred films. For better than two hours, he lets the Technicolor melodrama ramble across the VistaVision screen while gleefully setting traps for his hero.
 
  June 9, 2021
 
  Barbara L. Wilson
  Philadelphia Inquirer
  TOP CRITIC
  North by Northwest Is the reliable one of mistaken identity and spies with the glossy touches of Hitchcock– a crop dusting plane spraying bullets over a farm road and a chase on the stone faces of Mount Rushmore .
 
  June 9, 2021
 
  Marie Stevenson
  Fort Worth Star-Telegram/DFW.com
  TOP CRITIC
  On all counts, North by Northwest is Hitchcock’s best picture in recent years.
 
  June 9, 2021
 
  Helen Bower
  Detroit Free Press
  TOP CRITIC
  The brilliant director has outdone himself by piling thrill on thrill for the delectation of an enraptured audience.
 
  June 9, 2021 | Rating: 4/4
 
  Kate Cameron
  New York Daily News
  TOP CRITIC
  Grant’s technique, so well established, shines brightly under Hitchcock’s guidance. The two seem completely en rapport in movie making. Miss Saint, effective in her former sweet or drab roles, makes the switch to glamour as a lovely Mata Hari type.
 
  June 8, 2021
 
  John L. Scott
  Los Angeles Times
  TOP CRITIC
  North by Northwest distills Alfred Hitchcock’s obsessions, techniques, and themes into a singular, deliriously entertaining form.
 
  February 12, 2022 | Rating: 4/4
 
  Brian Eggert
  Deep Focus Review
  This is a classic thriller, slick as ice and about as exciting as you can stand.
 
  June 9, 2021
 
  Florence Epstein
  Modern Screen
  Relax and enjoy it — North by Northwest is elegant, in color escape entertainment.
 
  June 9, 2021
 
  Hortense Morton (Screen Scout)
  San Francisco Examiner
  You get a lot of entertainment for your money. You get a couple of clever, sophisticated screen actors and an elegant actress with a fine-drawn, exciting face. You get one scene that will be talked about as long as people talk about films at all.
 
  June 9, 2021
 
  C.A. Lejeune
  Observer (UK)
  The acting in North by Northwest has that brilliant, cool surface that represents the perfect polish for the best of Hitchcock. Grant, to be sure, is the director’s Number 1 hand at this sort of thing. Mason, nevertheless, comes close to matching him.
 
  June 8, 2021
 
  Jay Carmody
  Washington Star
  Very little of it makes sense, but no matter. From the moment Mr. Cary Grant, a Madison Avenue advertising man, is kidnaped by a band of foreign agents who think ne s someone else, North By Northwest stays on a rollercoaster that operates on laughing gas.
 
  June 8, 2021
 
  Harold V. Cohen
  Pittsburgh Post-Gazette…

 

Plot
Madison Avenue advertising man Roger Thornhill finds himself thrust into the world of spies when he is mistaken for a man by the name of George Kaplan. Foreign spy Philip Vandamm and his henchman Leonard try to eliminate him but when Thornhill tries to make sense of the case, he is framed for murder. Now on the run from the police, he manages to board the 20th Century Limited bound for Chicago where he meets a beautiful blond, Eve Kendall, who helps him to evade the authorities. His world is turned upside down yet again when he learns that Eve isn’t the innocent bystander he thought she was. Not all is as it seems however, leading to a dramatic rescue and escape at the top of Mt. Rushmore.
 
Trivia

 
Goofs / Tidbits
Cary Grant’s performance as the lead character is “remarkably charismatic.”
 

 
Alfred-Hitchcock.jpg

 
Production Company(ies)
Otto Preminger Films,
 
Distributor
Columbia Pictures
 
Release Type
Theatrical
 
Filming Location(s)
Tripoli Bar, Ishpeming, Michigan, USA
 
MPAA / Certificate
Not Rated
 
Year of Release
1959
 

 
Genre(s)
Crime/Mystery & thriller
 
Keyword(s)
Anatomy of a Murder, Crime, Mystery & Thriller, Drama, James Stewart, Lee Remick, Ben Gazzara, George C Scott, Otto Preminger, John D Voelker, Wendell Mayes, Columbia Pictures, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Myles Standish, Mae Tinee, Peter Bradshaw, Variety Staff, Jonathan Rosenbaum, Jessica Winter, Shadow Stage, Nicholas Bell, Mike Massie, Clyde Gilmour, Mattie Lucas, Miles Fielder, MPAA rating, courtroom drama, legal system, Michigan lawyer, Army Lt Manion, local innkeeper, rape, extensive trial, District Attorney Lodwick, prosecutor Claude Dancer, victim’s mysterious business partner, Kathryn Grant, dark secret, Mono, Flat (1.85:1)
 

Cast & Crew

James Stewart

Lee Remick

Ben Gazzara

Arthur O’Connell

Eve Arden

Paul Biegler

Laura Manion

Lt. Frederick Manion

Parnell Emmett McCarthy

Maida Rutledge

James Stewart – Paul Biegler
Lee Remick – Laura Manion
Ben Gazzara – Lt. Frederick Manion
Arthur O’Connell – Parnell Emmett McCarthy
Eve Arden – Maida Rutledge
Kathryn Grant – Mary Pilant
Director – Otto Preminger
Producer – Otto Preminger
Writer – John D. Voelker, Wendell Mayes

 

Otto Preminger

John D. Voelker

Otto Preminger

Director

Writer

Producer

Producer

Producer

Director(s)
Otto Preminger
 
Writer(s)
John D. Voelker, Wendell Mayes
 
Producer(s)
Otto Preminger

 

Film Festivals

 
Awards & Nominations
Nominated for 7 Oscars
12 wins & 19 nominations total
 
Academy Awards
Oscar Nominees
 

Top Reviews

Myles Standish

Mae Tinee

Peter Bradshaw

Variety Staff

Jonathan Rosenbaum

St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Chicago Tribune

Guardian

Variety

Chicago Reader

ANATOMY OF A MURDER
  All Critics (50) | Top Critics (13) | Fresh (50)
  Director Preminger has worked out his canvas with minute thoroughness. The film is two hours and 40 minutes long, but so absorbing is it that it seems short.
 
  June 23, 2021
 
  Myles Standish
  St. Louis Post-Dispatch
  TOP CRITIC
  The film is lengthy, with an ending that is both enigmatic and ironic, but presented with such finesse and pace that it is guaranteed to hold your interest from start to finish.
 
  June 18, 2020
 
  Mae Tinee
  Chicago Tribune
  TOP CRITIC
  To me Remick’s damaged, dysfunctional presence is the really subversive thing about the picture. And Stewart’s grandstanding attorney propels this long film to its final verdict.
 
  October 23, 2007 | Rating: 4/5
 
  Peter Bradshaw
  Guardian
  TOP CRITIC
  Preminger purposely creates situations that flicker with uncertainty, that may be evaluated in different ways. Motives are mixed and dubious, and, therefore, sustain interest.
 
  October 23, 2007
 
  Variety Staff
  Variety
  TOP CRITIC
  As an entertaining look at legal process, this is spellbinding all the way, infused by an ambiguity about human personality and motivation that is Preminger’s trademark, and the location shooting is superb.
 
  October 23, 2007
 
  Jonathan Rosenbaum
  Chicago Reader
  TOP CRITIC
  Coolly absorbing, nonchalantly cynical.
 
  June 24, 2006
 
  Jessica Winter
  Time Out
  TOP CRITIC
  People will talk about this startling courtroom drama.
 
  June 23, 2021 | Rating: 4/4
 
  Shadow Stage
  Photoplay
  An exercise in moral ambiguity and borderline procedural, Preminger’s roots as a student of law in his native Austria certainly pay off for what may arguably be one of his best films.
 
  November 19, 2020
 
  Nicholas Bell
  IONCINEMA.com
  It’s a taut series of duels between quick-thinkers, each one distinctly deceptive, hilarious, calculating, and creative.
 
  August 15, 2020 | Rating: 10/10
 
  Mike Massie
  Gone With The Twins
  A top-notch courtroom drama, adapted from the popular novel by Robert Traver.
 
  October 30, 2019
 
  Clyde Gilmour
  Maclean’s Magazine
  [A] fierce, uncompromising exploration of the American legal system.
 
  June 4, 2019 | Rating: 3.5/4
 
  Mattie Lucas
  From the Front Row
  Anatomy of a Murder remains an at times shocking indictment of Eisenhower-era America and an all-around terrific thriller.
 
  April 24, 2019 | Rating: 5/5
 
  Miles Fielder
  The List…

 

Plot
Frederick Manion (Ben Gazzara), a lieutenant in the army, is arrested for the murder of a bartender, Barney Quill. He claims, in his defense, that the victim had raped and beaten up his wife Laura (Lee Remick). Although Laura supports her husband’s story, the local paper has reported that the police surgeon can find no evidence that she has been raped. Manion is defended by Paul Biegler (James Stewart), a humble small-town lawyer and recently deposed district attorney. During the course of interviews, Biegler discovers that Manion is violently possessive and jealous, and also that his wife has a reputation for flirting with other men. Biegler realizes that the prosecution will try to make the court believe that Laura had been drunk and was picked up by the bartender and then her husband killed him and beat her up when he discovered they had been together. Manion pleads “not guilty” and Biegler, who knows that his case is weak, tries to find evidence that will save Manion.
 
Trivia

 
Goofs / Tidbits
The cast of Anatomy of a Murder includes James Stewart, Lee Remick, Ben Gazzara, and George C. Scott, all of whom deliver superb performances.
 

 
Otto-Preminger.jpg

 
Production Company(ies)
Bryna Productions,
 
Distributor
Criterion Collection, MGM/UA Home Entertainment Inc., United Artists
 
Release Type
Theatrical
 
Filming Location(s)
Schleißheim Palace, Oberschleißheim, Bavaria, Germany
 
MPAA / Certificate
Approved
 
Year of Release
1957
 

 
Genre(s)
War/Drama
 
Keyword(s)
War, Drama, Stanley Kubrick, Kirk Douglas, Adolphe Menjou, George Macready, Humphrey Cobb, Calder Willingham, Jim Thompson, Box Office, Budget, Critic Reviews, MPAA Rating, Criterion Collection, MGM/UA Home Entertainment Inc., United Artists, Mono, Stereo, Flat, 35mm, Col Dax, Cpl Philip Paris, Gen George Broulard, Gen Paul Mireau, Lt Roget, Singing Man, Maj Saint-Auban, World War I, Court-Martial, Trench Warfare, Anti-War, Transcendent, Battle Sequences, Humanist, Satire, Radical, Black and White, Americanism, Disturbing, Masterpiece, Uncompromisingly Grim, French Colonel, Nuance, Layers, English, French Soldiers
 

Cast & Crew

Kirk Douglas

Ralph Meeker

Adolphe Menjou

George Macready

Wayne Morris

Col. Dax

Cpl. Philip Paris

Gen. George Broulard

Gen. Paul Mireau

Lt. Roget

Kirk Douglas – Col. Dax
Ralph Meeker – Cpl. Philip Paris
Adolphe Menjou – Gen. George Broulard
George Macready – Gen. Paul Mireau
Wayne Morris – Lt. Roget, Singing Man
Richard Anderson – Maj. Saint-Auban

 

Stanley Kubrick

Humphrey Cobb

Kirk Douglas

James B. Harris

Director

Writer

Producer

Producer

Producer

Director(s)
Stanley Kubrick
 
Writer(s)
Humphrey Cobb, Stanley Kubrick, Calder Willingham, Jim Thompson
 
Producer(s)
Kirk Douglas, James B. Harris

 

Film Festivals
Venice
 
Awards & Nominations
Nominated for 1 BAFTA Film Award
7 wins & 4 nominations total
 
Academy Awards

Top Reviews

Kate Muir

Geoffrey Macnab

Peter Bradshaw

David Jenkins

David Mermelstein

Times

Independent

Guardian

Little White Lies

Wall Street Journal

PATHS OF GLORY
  All Critics (70) | Top Critics (20) | Fresh (67) | Rotten (3)
  Those who are used to 2001: A Space Odyssey or A Clockwork Orange will initially find this black-and-white First World War drama starring Kirk Douglas rather traditional, until its radical content is revealed.
 
  June 2, 2015 | Rating: 4/5
 
  Kate Muir
  Times (UK)
  TOP CRITIC
  A reminder both of [Kubrick’s] extraordinary formal virtuosity and his powers as a satirist.
 
  May 2, 2014 | Rating: 5/5
 
  Geoffrey Macnab
  Independent (UK)
  TOP CRITIC
  It is arguably the best film about the first world war, and still has a reasonable claim to being Stanley Kubrick’s best film.
 
  May 1, 2014 | Rating: 5/5
 
  Peter Bradshaw
  Guardian
  TOP CRITIC
  Some kind of corrupted masterpiece.
 
  May 1, 2014 | Rating: 3/5
 
  David Jenkins
  Little White Lies
  TOP CRITIC
  More than 20 years after Mr. Cobb’s novel was first published, Mr. Kubrick reminded us that human folly is rarely checked for long. A half-century on, he is still right.
 
  March 26, 2013
 
  David Mermelstein
  Wall Street Journal
  TOP CRITIC
  Kirk Douglas gives one of his finest performances as the intelligent and courageous Col. Dax.
 
  March 26, 2013
 
  Crosby Day
  Orlando Sentinel
  TOP CRITIC
  I can’t even begin to imagine how Kubrick made this movie. I was perplexed the entire time. An absolute masterpiece. [Full review in Spanish]
 
  July 7, 2022 | Rating: 10/10
 
  Victor Pineyro
  Seventh Art Studio
  The directors most humanist film.
 
  March 21, 2022 | Rating: 4/4
 
  Brian Eggert
  Deep Focus Review
  At any time, fashionable or not, it is a disturbing plea against the horror and senselessness of war.
 
  December 13, 2021
 
  Jonathan Baumbach
  Film Culture
  Paths of Glory is finally a captivating work, both weakened and reinforced by its Americanism — but a very diluted, Hollywood Americanism, at that, and therefore something of a positive force in the end.
 
  December 9, 2021
 
  André Bazin
  Esprit
  The subject matter is fictional, but it has been handled so realistically that one feels as if he is witnessing a real-life occurrence.
 
  November 17, 2021
 
  P.S. Harrison
  Harrison’s Reports
  Stanley Kubrick brings a controlled power to his direction of the uncompromisingly grim events, and Kirk Douglas, who produced the film, finds a most congenial role as an uncorrupted French colonel fighting for his men.
 
  November 17, 2021
 
  Moira Walsh
  America Magazine…

 

Plot
The futility and irony of the war in the trenches in WWI is shown as a unit commander in the French army must deal with the mutiny of his men and a glory-seeking general after part of his force falls back under fire in an impossible attack.
 
Trivia

 
Goofs / Tidbits
Kirk Douglas gives one of his finest performances as the intelligent and courageous Col. Dax.
 

 
Stanley-Kubrick.jpg

 
Production Company(ies)
Government of West Bengal
 
Distributor
NA
 
Release Type

 
Filming Location(s)
Boral, West Bengal, India
 
MPAA / Certificate
Not Rated
 
Year of Release
1955
 

 
Genre(s)
Drama
 
Keyword(s)
starring Kanu Bannerjee, Karuna Bannerjee, Subir Bannerjee, Uma Das Gupta, Chunibala Devi, Runki Banerjee, directed by Satyajit Ray, written by Satyajit Ray, drama, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Jonas Mekas, Shubhra Gupta, Helen Bower, Mae Tinee, Wanda Hale, Philip K Scheuer, Arlene Croce, Brian Eggert, Gerald Weales, Isabel Quigly, Katherine McLaughlin, Hortense Morton, MPAA rating, impoverished priest, rural Bengal village, family, poverty, dreams, work, rebellion, daily indignities, human condition, Apu Trilogy, Bengali cinema, Indian culture, film history, beauty, ugliness, nature, human pain, human joy, human dignity, warmth, tenderness, artist, rapport, patience, classic, debut, transcends locality, speaks to us all
 

Cast & Crew

Kanu Bannerjee

Harihar Ray

Karuna Bannerjee

Sarbojaya Ray

Subir Bannerjee

Harihar Ray

Sarbojaya Ray

Apu

Durga

Indir Thakrun

Kanu Bannerjee – Harihar Ray
Karuna Bannerjee – Sarbojaya Ray
Subir Bannerjee – Apu
Uma Das Gupta – Durga
Chunibala Devi – Indir Thakrun
Runki Banerjee – Little Durga

 

Satyajit Ray

Satyajit Ray

NA

Director

Writer

Producer

Producer

Producer

Director(s)
Satyajit Ray
 
Writer(s)
Satyajit Ray
 
Producer(s)
NA

 

Film Festivals

 
Awards & Nominations
NA
 
Academy Awards

Top Reviews

Jonas Mekas

Shubhra Gupta

Helen Bower

Mae Tinee

Wanda Hale

Village Voice

The Indian Express

Detroit Free Press

Chicago Tribune

New York Daily News

PATHER PANCHALI
  All Critics (76) | Top Critics (31) | Fresh (74) | Rotten (2)
  It is most simple, most down to earth, and from the very heart. Specifically it is about India, but actually it is about everybody. The poetry of the film transcends its locality and speaks to us all.
 
  April 20, 2022
 
  Jonas Mekas
  Village Voice
  TOP CRITIC
  Satyajit Ray put India on the world map with this felt portrait of life in a Bengal village…
 
  August 16, 2021
 
  Shubhra Gupta
  The Indian Express
  TOP CRITIC
  Pather Panchali will leave many images in the mind’s ye and many impressions of another way of life.
 
  May 5, 2021
 
  Helen Bower
  Detroit Free Press
  TOP CRITIC
  The cast has been well selected and all the players seem completely unaware of the camera. The results are a film which is unvarnished and often painfully vivid.
 
  May 5, 2021
 
  Mae Tinee
  Chicago Tribune
  TOP CRITIC
  Although Pather Panchali falls short of perfection in production, the acting is impeccable and it hits you right in the heart.
 
  May 5, 2021 | Rating: 4/4
 
  Wanda Hale
  New York Daily News
  TOP CRITIC
  Ray has caught the sights and sounds of nature all about them — beauty side by side with ugliness — with a poet’s sensitivity.
 
  May 5, 2021
 
  Philip K. Scheuer
  Los Angeles Times
  TOP CRITIC
  Pather Panchali shows the creative imagination in its humblest involvement with the pathos of the commonplace.
 
  March 29, 2022
 
  Arlene Croce
  Film Culture
  Pather Panchali, more than its social significance within Indian culture, film history, or even Ray’s oeuvre, endures because, quite simply, Ray captures the beauty of the human condition.
 
  February 14, 2022 | Rating: 4/4
 
  Brian Eggert
  Deep Focus Review
  A film that speaks so directly and so movingly of human pain and human joy and, most important, of human dignity.
 
  February 7, 2022
 
  Gerald Weales
  The Reporter
  It invites its audience not so much to watch from outside, as to participate.
 
  December 2, 2021
 
  Isabel Quigly
  The Spectator
  Satyajit Ray speaks to the cruelty and kindness of humanity with perceptive depth in the tender first chapter of his Apu Trilogy.
 
  July 16, 2021 | Rating: 10/10
 
  Katherine McLaughlin
  VODzilla.co
  [Santayjit Ray] is an artist of stature and depth. He has taken the day by day problems of a warm and wonderful family and created a film of far reaching beauty. His mind and camera are always in rapport.
 
  May 5, 2021
 
  Hortense Morton (Screen Scout)
  San Francisco Examiner…

 

Plot
The story of a young boy, Apu, and life in his small Indian village. His parents are quite poor – his father Harihar, a writer and poet, gave away the family’s fruit orchard to settle his brother’s debts. His sister Durga and an old aunt also still lives with them. His mother Sarbojaya bears the brunt of the family’s situation. She scrapes by and sells her personal possessions to put food on the table and has to bear the taunts of her neighbors as Durga is always stealing fruit from their orchard. Things get worse when Harihar disappears for five months and Durga falls ill. Even after Harihar returns, the family is left with few alternatives.
 
Trivia

 
Goofs / Tidbits
Chunibala Devi, who played the role of Indir Thakrun, was actually a retired actress who was convinced by Satyajit Ray to come out of retirement for the film.
 

 
Satyajit-Ray.jpg