Warning: Some of these movies may not play. The PG has been known to be wrong.
Summary: Attempting to do for Westerns what his Guns of Navarone had done for World War II action epics, director J. Lee Thompson crafted Mackenna's Gold as a lavish, absurdly ambitious variation on Erich Von Stroheim's Greed, resulting in a last-gasp Western so eager to encompass the genre's traditions that it turns into a big, silly, wildly entertaining mess. Gregory Peck surely had more serious intentions when he signed on, and he brings prestigious gravitas to his glum role as Marshall Mackenna, who gets shanghaied into searching for the gold-filled canyon of an elusive Apache legend. The rest of the 1969 film labors to undermine Peck's respectable demeanor; how else to explain Omar Sharif as a Mexican villain, Julie Newmar as a hot-blooded Apache temptress (with underwater nude scenes that were celebrated in Playboy magazine), and a jaw-dropping finale that's so ridiculous it's impressive in spite of itself?
Formerly blacklisted screenwriter Carl Foreman and composer Dimitri Tiomkin joined up to coproduce the film, and one can only imagine how Anthony Mann or Howard Hawks might've handled Foreman's sensible script. Thompson goes for scenic splendor, heavy action, and heavier emotions, casting everything at a fever pitch that's wildly enjoyable without betraying his "serious" intentions. A stable of Hollywood veterans (Eli Wallach, Raymond Massey, Edward G. Robinson, and others) appear in lively supporting roles--they're all dispatched in a garish Apache ambush--and Camilla Sparv is an ingénue with plenty of fighting attitude. Gold fever reaches its peak, along with some awesome special effects, and divine intervention reaches new heights of intensity. Top it off with José Feliciano's theme song, and you'll be in zany Western heaven. --Jeff Shannon
Summary: From the dour vantage point of divorce court, Florence (Judy Holliday, Born Yesterday) and Chet Keefer (Aldo Ray) recount the tale of their rocky marriage. Despite its jaunty title, The Marrying Kind is a surprisingly realistic portrait of marriage, with all its expectations, disappointments, compromises, fights, and intimacies. Florence and Chet are tested by trouble and loss, but it's finally good fortune that threatens to pull them apart. The judge in their case, however, thinks they should give it another try. Holliday perfected a ditzy/sexy persona that other actresses have emulated but never quite equalled; The Marrying Kind gave her the opportunity to show her dramatic chops. Though she rises to the challenge, the movie is an awkward blend of humor and pathos. Fans of hoarse-voiced palooka Ray will enjoy his equally strong performance in this, his movie debut. --Bret Fetzer
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Summary: Michael Ritchie's 1972 drama about a political idealist (Robert Redford) recruited to make a run for the Senate is still engrossing and still a terribly accurate reflection of the contemporary campaign process. In one of his trademark roles as a man haunted by some shadow of inauthenticity (see Downhill Racer, The Natural, The Great Gatsby, Sneakers, and such), Redford is superb as a first-time candidate watching his values and control over his message disappear in the age of TV-friendly prefabrication. Peter Boyle is ideal as his clearheaded campaign manager, Allen Garfield is effectively creepy as a media strategist, and Melvyn Douglas makes a memorable appearance as a retired politico whose endorsement is gold. Highly recommended. The DVD release includes production notes, theatrical trailer, Dolby sound, and optional Spanish, French, and English subtitles. --Tom Keogh
Summary: One of the top five screwball comedies of the '30s, this helped to cement a genre that waxed golden until the end of WWII. Director Leo McCarey won an Oscar for Best Director for this 1937 romantic comedy--one of the most successful films of his career. Irene Dunne and Cary Grant are a squabbling couple who separate because of supposed infidelities on both sides. They part but cannot really keep away from each other. Grant finds himself hooked up with a socialite, Dunne becomes engaged to a millionaire hick played by the hapless Ralph Bellamy (as if he ever stood a chance as the "other" man!). When not dating others or baiting one another in a verbal war, Grant and Dunne wage a custody battle over their pathetic pooch. Gags, double entendre, witty remarks, snide comments, and fast-paced dialogue helped this to garner six Academy Award nominations. The Awful Truth was awfully good to Dunne and Grant, as both were breaking out of much more serious molds and this secured their positions. --Rochelle O'Gorman
HD Cinema (101): Mackenna's Gold **+ (1969, Westerns)
Summary: Attempting to do for Westerns what his Guns of Navarone had done for World War II action epics, director J. Lee Thompson crafted Mackenna's Gold as a lavish, absurdly ambitious variation on Erich Von Stroheim's Greed, resulting in a last-gasp Western so eager to encompass the genre's traditions that it turns into a big, silly, wildly entertaining mess. Gregory Peck surely had more serious intentions when he signed on, and he brings prestigious gravitas to his glum role as Marshall Mackenna, who gets shanghaied into searching for the gold-filled canyon of an elusive Apache legend. The rest of the 1969 film labors to undermine Peck's respectable demeanor; how else to explain Omar Sharif as a Mexican villain, Julie Newmar as a hot-blooded Apache temptress (with underwater nude scenes that were celebrated in Playboy magazine), and a jaw-dropping finale that's so ridiculous it's impressive in spite of itself?
Formerly blacklisted screenwriter Carl Foreman and composer Dimitri Tiomkin joined up to coproduce the film, and one can only imagine how Anthony Mann or Howard Hawks might've handled Foreman's sensible script. Thompson goes for scenic splendor, heavy action, and heavier emotions, casting everything at a fever pitch that's wildly enjoyable without betraying his "serious" intentions. A stable of Hollywood veterans (Eli Wallach, Raymond Massey, Edward G. Robinson, and others) appear in lively supporting roles--they're all dispatched in a garish Apache ambush--and Camilla Sparv is an ingénue with plenty of fighting attitude. Gold fever reaches its peak, along with some awesome special effects, and divine intervention reaches new heights of intensity. Top it off with José Feliciano's theme song, and you'll be in zany Western heaven. --Jeff Shannon
CinemaClassics-HD: The Marrying Kind *** (1952, Comedy)
Summary: From the dour vantage point of divorce court, Florence (Judy Holliday, Born Yesterday) and Chet Keefer (Aldo Ray) recount the tale of their rocky marriage. Despite its jaunty title, The Marrying Kind is a surprisingly realistic portrait of marriage, with all its expectations, disappointments, compromises, fights, and intimacies. Florence and Chet are tested by trouble and loss, but it's finally good fortune that threatens to pull them apart. The judge in their case, however, thinks they should give it another try. Holliday perfected a ditzy/sexy persona that other actresses have emulated but never quite equalled; The Marrying Kind gave her the opportunity to show her dramatic chops. Though she rises to the challenge, the movie is an awkward blend of humor and pathos. Fans of hoarse-voiced palooka Ray will enjoy his equally strong performance in this, his movie debut. --Bret Fetzer
Cinema HD: The Candidate *** (1972, Comedy)
Summary: Michael Ritchie's 1972 drama about a political idealist (Robert Redford) recruited to make a run for the Senate is still engrossing and still a terribly accurate reflection of the contemporary campaign process. In one of his trademark roles as a man haunted by some shadow of inauthenticity (see Downhill Racer, The Natural, The Great Gatsby, Sneakers, and such), Redford is superb as a first-time candidate watching his values and control over his message disappear in the age of TV-friendly prefabrication. Peter Boyle is ideal as his clearheaded campaign manager, Allen Garfield is effectively creepy as a media strategist, and Melvyn Douglas makes a memorable appearance as a retired politico whose endorsement is gold. Highly recommended. The DVD release includes production notes, theatrical trailer, Dolby sound, and optional Spanish, French, and English subtitles. --Tom Keogh
HD Cinema (104): The Awful Truth ***+ (1937, Comedy)
Summary: One of the top five screwball comedies of the '30s, this helped to cement a genre that waxed golden until the end of WWII. Director Leo McCarey won an Oscar for Best Director for this 1937 romantic comedy--one of the most successful films of his career. Irene Dunne and Cary Grant are a squabbling couple who separate because of supposed infidelities on both sides. They part but cannot really keep away from each other. Grant finds himself hooked up with a socialite, Dunne becomes engaged to a millionaire hick played by the hapless Ralph Bellamy (as if he ever stood a chance as the "other" man!). When not dating others or baiting one another in a verbal war, Grant and Dunne wage a custody battle over their pathetic pooch. Gags, double entendre, witty remarks, snide comments, and fast-paced dialogue helped this to garner six Academy Award nominations. The Awful Truth was awfully good to Dunne and Grant, as both were breaking out of much more serious molds and this secured their positions. --Rochelle O'Gorman
