Hobson’s Choice
In the 1880s, the daughter (Brenda de Banzie) of a bootmaker decides the time has come to defy her father (Charles Laughton) and find a husband before it’s too late.…
The Greatest Story Ever Told
Perhaps a certain fatigue was setting in at the time of the premiere, only a few years after another Jesus epic, King of Kings (1961). This one was targeted by…
Oliver Twist: Surviving the Streets
John Howard Davies and Robert Newton. Photo: General Film Distributors There are stories about David O. Selznick attacking Alec Guinness at a party over his portrayal of Fagin in this…
Great Expectations: Educating Pip
Valerie Hobson and John Mills. Photo: Universal After making one of the greatest romantic films of all time, Brief Encounter (1945), director David Lean moved on to what would become…
Bridge on the River Kwai: Pride and Prejudice
Photo: Columbia The Bridge on the River Kwai should not be regarded as a factual account. The bridge is blown up in the movie, but in real life two bridges…
Lawrence of Arabia: Lost in the Sand
Peter O'Toole. Photo: Columbia I regret never having seen this film on a big screen, the kind of epic for which the widescreen format was invented. But it is a…
Brief Encounter: Politely Passionate
Celia Johnson and Trevor Howard. Photo: Eagle-Lion The legendary film critic Pauline Kael didn’t seem to care much for this film. Acknowledging it as a “celebrated tearjerker”, she also called…