History From The Back Pages

The masterpiece spy thriller North by Northwest was released in 1959 and directed by legendary director Alfred Hitchcock. The main plot deals with an advertising executive in New York City named Roger Thornhill, played by the legendary leading man Carey Grant. Unfortunately, Mr. Thornhill is the victim of mistaken identity, and the film's plot deals with him traveling by train, car, bus, and plane all over the country from a group of evil spies. 

Another important character in the film is Eve Kendall. The brilliant Eva Marie Saint plays her. The main villain is the ringleader of a spy organization Phillip Vandamm, played by James Mason. And his second in command is Leonard, played by the fantastic Martin Landau. 

Some of the incredible locations chosen for filming were Grand Central Station, Chicago Midway Airport, United Nations Headquarters, LaSalle Street Station, Mount Rushmore, and more! 

Along with my review of the film, I also talk about the casting choices, filming locations, and the lore surrounding Cary Grant's gray suit. If you are a fashion fan, I recommend listening to this last part. 

The Vietnam war epic Full Metal Jacket was released in 1987, directed by Stanley Kubrick, starring Mathew Modine as Private Joker Vincent D'Onofrio as Private Leonard, and Lee Ermey as Sergent Hartman.  

The plot revolves around Marnie recruits training on Parris Island for eight weeks during the Vietnam War. Sergeant Hartman is played by Lee Ermey, who portrays their foul-mouthed, harsh, and ruthless drill instructor. 

Host Collin Sugg while in drill instructor mode, which involves screaming, quotes a few of Sergent Hartmans best insults, including, 

"I am Gunnery Sergeant Hartman, your senior drill instructor. From now on you will speak only when spoken to, and the first and last words... will be 'Sir'. Do you... understand that?" And 

"If you ladies leave my island, if you survive recruit training, you will be a weapon. You will be a minister of death praying for war. But until that day... you are the lowest form of life on Earth."

The masterpiece biographical war film Patton details the controversial life and career of legendary American WWII General George S. Patton, who famous actor George C. Scott plays.

References

Carlo D'Este. (2017). The Patton Film: From Real to Reel. History.Net https://www.historynet.com/patton-film-real-reel/

The classic mystery and comedy film The Lady Vanishes, directed by Alfred Hitchcock and released in 1938, is considered the film that put Hitchcock on the radar of Hollywood. 

The main stars are a beautiful, wealthy young woman named Iris Henderson, played by the 1940s star Margaret Lockwood, and an older mysterious woman named Miss Froy, played by Dame May Whitty. Micheal Redgrave plays Iris's love interest Gilbert in his first big break, and the comedy duo obsessed with cricket, Caldicott, and Charter are played by Naunton Wayne and Basil Radford. Finally, a menacing doctor named Dr. Hartz, played by Paul Lukas, is equipped with an evil laugh. 

The movie starts by showing an eccentric band of travelers stuck in an Eastern European ski mountain town for the night while they wait for their train. During this part, you meet a colorful cast of characters from a group of clog dancers, the comedy duo Caldicott and Charters, a beautiful English woman, a singer, and a mysterious older woman.  

The plot is about a woman named Iris Henderson who gets bumped on the head before her long train journey from the ski lodge. She meets Miss Froy, and they become friends. And suddenly, during the trip, Miss Froy vanishes into thin air. Oh my goodness!!! 

The classic mystery film The Three Faces of Eve, directed by Nunnally Johnson, will shock you and make you question your sense of reality. 

The plot revolves around a young woman who has three distinct personalities. In addition, the film delves into the controversial mental disorder called multiple personality disorder, now known as dissociative identity disorder. 

The film stars academy award winner and superstar actress Joanne Woodward as the main character Eve White/ Eve Black and Jane. The second main character, Doctor Curtis Luther, is played by the brilliant Lee J. Cobb, who I discussed in my film review for 12 Angry Men about a month ago. 

For this week's episode, I chose to review The film Dial M for Murder, a highly acclaimed classic crime thriller directed by Alfred Hitchcock based on the wildly successful Broadway play by Frederick Knott. 

The plot revolves around a retired English tennis player named Tony Wendice who discovers his wife Margot, a wealthy socialite, is having an affair with a crime fiction writer named Mark Halliday. Tony then plans the perfect murder to remove his wife from the picture and inherit her vast fortune. 

The film stars legendary actor Ray Milland as Tony Wendice, the highly talented Academy Award winner Grace Kelly as his wife Margot, successful actor Robert Cummings plays Margot's lover Mark Halliday, and British actor John Williams plays Chief Inspector Hubbard. 

Also, keep a lookout for Alfred Hitchcock's cameo early on. Feel free to let me know if you spotted him. 

I watched The 1944 masterpiece Double Indemnity for this week's episode, directed by Billy Wilder. The film stars superstar Fred MacMurray as Insurance Salesmen Walter Neff, award-winning star actress, and one of my favorites Barbara Stanwyck as the femme fatale, alluring and manipulative wife Phyllis Dietrichson and the longtime actor known for playing tough guys Edward Robinson as Insurance Investigator Barton Keyes. 

The plot involves Insurance Salesmen Walter Neff going to the home of Phyllis Dietrichson to meet her husband to discuss renewing his auto insurance with the Pacific All Risks Insurance Company. While there, he falls in love with Phyllis, and together they plan the perfect murder to remove Phyllis's husband from the picture. 

Warning: This movie is based on an actual true story, not a Hollywood or Disney type of film. There is not a comfortable ride off into the sunset type of ending tragedy does occur, and devastating events transpire.

The true story of the fishing vessel Andrea Gail's journey during Hurricane Grace in 1991 off the coast of Massachusetts is one of danger, heartbreak, and heroism. The Perfect Storm film is based on a true story and a book of the same name. The plot, in simple terms, is about the fishing boat Andrea Gail's journey during a massive storm caused by Hurricane Grace and other factors in 1991. 

The main actors are the crew members of Andrea Gail. Captain Billy Tyne, played by George Clooney; Bobby Shatford, played by Mark Wahlberg, Murph Murphy, played by John C. Reilly; David Sulivan, played by William Fichtner, Bugsy Moran, played by John Hawkes and finally Alfred Pierre, played by Allen Payne.