When Movies Were Good

For this episode we discuss the legendary screen dancing duo Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. In particular we look at two of their later films including Follow The Fleet (1936), featuring their iconic 'Lets Face the Music and Dance' scene as well as Shall We Dance (1937), a movie famous not just for its stars but also for it's been one of the few films to have music written by George and Ira Gershwin. We hope you enjoy our discussion of some of these masterpieces of Art Deco cinema. Please subscribe and join us for more great movie discussion!

A tribute to the late great Dame Olivia de Havilland and the fantastic generation of stars she represented. Olivia de Havilland recently passed away and her role as Melanie in Gone With The Wind is one of her most fondly remembered which she starred in alongside Vivien Leigh, Clark Gable and Leslie Howard. It is also the film for which an African American actor first won an Oscar. This honour was awarded to Hattie McDaniel who received her award along with countless other artists and production workers. Gone With The Wind is a powerful and beautiful classic. A story of survival in the aftermath of the US Civil War. It is equally famous for its complex and expensive production process that made it all possible. Adjusted for inflation it is regarded as the highest box office earner in history. We are equally excited to be celebrating our tenth episode of this show. Time flies when you’re having fun.

We received a special request for an episode of movies with Rod Steiger. We were of course happy to oblige and found two brilliant classics that happened to have a joint theme of boxing. Steiger's parts in On the Waterfront (1954) and The Harder They Fall (1956) are fantastic performances from the 1950s by this strong actor who thrived in tough guy roles. The Harder They Fall has the bittersweet performance of Humphrey Bogart as well which was one of his finest and also his last performance before his death from cancer.

In this episode we discuss the film noir genre, the iconic movies of trench coats, detectives, gangs, mystery and venetian blind shadows. The two movies we discuss are perhaps the most definitive of the genre, Billy Wilder's Double Indemnity (1944) starring Fred MacMurray and Barbara Stanwyck and Howard Hawks' The Big Sleep (1946) starring Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall.

In this episode we have chosen for our theme films based on novels by John Steinbeck. They are The Grapes of Wrath, starring Henry Fonda and directed by John Ford and the other is East of Eden starring James Dean and directed by Elia Kazan. Both are very different explorations of human experience, one observing the plight of whole communities during the dust bowl tragedy and another a modern American adaptation of the story of moral rivalry between brothers Cain and Abel. James Dean would tragically die just a few months after the release of East of Eden. His powerful performance in this movie helped consolidate his iconic identity as an embodiment of post war rebellious youth. Please take a look at our other classic movie discussions on this channel and subscribe to be notified of future content.

n this episode we have chosen the unique theme of films about characters that are trapped in a confined space, a reflection of the situation that many currently face because of the COVID crisis. The first film we examine is Alfred Hitchcock's 1944 movie Lifeboat, set in a small wooden boat where numerous characters are trapped after being torpedoed by a German submarine. The second movie, familiar to anyone who has ever done high school drama, is Sidney Lumet's 12 Angry Men. In this legendary picture a jury of twelve is almost certain that a young boy is guilty of murder. Whether that is the case depends on the jurors reviewing the evidence, and convincing them to in the first place. We apologise for any disruption in audio quality owing to the requirement at this time to record the episode remotely.

In this episode we look at two early films examining the life of Abraham Lincoln, the sixteenth President of the United States of America, who has become an iconic face of American history and politics. Both of the films we discuss were created by major directors. The first film, Abraham Lincoln (1930), was directed by D W Griffith, a veteran director of the silent era who is known for his immense influence in crafting the early language of cinema through short films as well as epic works such as the controversial 1915 film The Birth of A Nation. Abraham Lincoln is one of Griffith's first talking pictures and he makes full use of the Civil War scenes to show off his skill for depicting battles and horseback chases. The second film, Young Mr Lincoln (1939), was directed by the much younger John Ford, who has come to be known for his large scale Western pictures and adaptations of major literary classics by writers like John Steinbeck. His film is unusual in that it focuses on Lincoln in his early life as a lawyer, long before the Civil War and his entering the White House. It is equally noteworthy for featuring a young Henry Fonda, starring in a role very different to his more famous performances.

This episode focuses on two movies whose star characters are men of the cloth, but who experience inspirational and terrifying personal challenges that will excite all audiences. We first discuss The Keys of the Kingdom, one of Gregory Peck's earliest starring roles and which earned him an Oscar nomination for his portrayal of a Scottish missionary in China. Next we examine Alfred Hitchcock's stirring suspense movie I Confess. It features Montgomery Clift as a priest who when hearing a parishioner's confession finds out that he is a murderer. Clift is bound by his priesthood to preserve the seal of confession, even when the police begin to suspect him of the murder of which he knows the culprit but is bound by sacred law to not reveal. We would like to give a special thanks to Leonard Cooke (Diploma of Theology) for his providing consultation on Canon law concerning the sacrament of confession.