How anaesthetics may have been invented.
I like biopics and interesting to see Joel McCrea in this type of role. As much as I like humour, I feel this may have been better with not such a light hand. Interesting none the less on a subject you don't see too many movies on. 6/10
Greedy relatives assemble in an old house to hear an eccentric's will.
Another remake of this classic. Relly rather boring to be honest and considering the quality of cast, not memorable in the acting department. Wilfred Hyde-White was as watchable as ever. 4/10
A millionaire leaves a fortune to his favourite secretary, hoping it will make his nephew take notice of her.
Quite enjoyed this at the start but is rapidly went downhill and became a little silly. The accent on the men was unnecessary and very difficult to listen to. 3/10
The electrician of a touring company hs an affair with a 15-year-old actress, but finally returns to his wife.
So British, a slightly uncomfortable watch and yet Olivia Hussey is so engaging, you can't stop watching. I loved the nostalgia, the father is brilliantly portrayed and there is an ambiguity at the end which would make a great discussion. Haunting soundtrack, what an interesting movie. 8/10
Following an artificially-induced dream, a labourer remembers his previous existence as a secret agent on Mars.
Started okay but rapidly deteriorated for me. I'm not the biggest fan of sci-fi, but there has to be a level of believability, however far fetched. Lots of action, particularly if you like people diving through glass panes for no apparent reason. More than anything, this is unnecessarily violent which makes it deeply unpleasant. 3/10
When a millionaire buys a Scottish castle and transports it stone by stone to America, the castle ghost goes too.
Lovely, light-hearted romp. Strongest in its early stages although there is a satisfactory ending. Absolutely no need to set some if the film in the USA, would have worked perfectly well if it had been solely set in Scotland. 5/10
A rich man is saved from death by a female hypnotist, who keeps him under her spell.
Odd little movie, very downbeat in every performance, only one moment of ear piercing choir singing to counter that. All very unbelievable, does make you think a little about personality though. 4/10
After accidentally killing a man, a cowboy is vengefully pursued by the victim's father.
Started slowly but grew on me. I enjoyed the characters the cowboy met along the wayThe father and family of the girl he falls for were excellent, as was the villain. Neat little ending too. 5/10
During World War 11, a pedigree cow is rescued from the German-occupied Channel Islands.
Every now and again, you really connect with a movie. I absolutely loved this. Bizarre in its subject matter gave it a charm. Niven and Glynnis Johns oozed class and all the supporting cast were perfect. Great stuff, an absolute gem. 10/10
A stable owner accidentally kills his drunken wife, but fate and a complex series of events clear him.
Do not be put off by the title, only a brief horse racing clip. A decent crime mystery, a shame the wife dies as she was excellent. Good to see Nigel Patrick and Michael Hordern in his prime. Never seen so many drinks poured in a movie, great use of lighting throughout. Unexpected and excellent ending. 7/10
An orphan suspects his friend is an axe murderer.
Very unusual and odd. Has interest although a little slow. Perkins plays an unhinged character as ever, the soundtrack is the true start of this movie. 5/10
American and Russian agents clash on a train between Salzburg and Trieste; an unexpected master spy is revealed after several chases.
Decent spy thriller where everybody seems to know everybody else, despite never having been in the city before. Slightly confusing at times but great spotting a few well known actors and the locations were great. 6/10
A philandering gangster, shot dead by an irate husband, is reincarnated in his friend's house as a dishy blonde.
A decent idea for a movie, typically 60's, Debbie Reynolds is excellent. The movie however, plays on the same gag for most of the movie, is too long and the charm wears off. I've never been a fan of Tony Curtis which didn't help. 4/10
An American slave captain decides to become respectable but finds a mutiny on his hands.
Part of our history but the idea of slave ships is deeply troubling. This is quite well done, plenty of action and the scenes with the slaves, albeit brief, are the most effective. Mickey Rooney steals the show with a high energy role as a cabin boy. Some of the scenes were a little dark, but more than anything else, this was a thought-provoking movie. 5/10
In 1943, a refugee doctor from Nazi Germany uses new methods to rehabilitate those with spinal injuries in Great Britain. Based on actual events
Remarkable story, beautifully acted, it tears at the heartstrings and yet you have to admire the dogged, determination of Dr Ludwig Guttmann. You almost wanted this to be a series of hourly episodes, this surely only scratched the surface. Released in the year of the UK 2012 Olympics, the final couple of minutes unashamedly brought a lump to my throat. 8/10
A young outlaw is arrested and seems destined to be lynched; the marshal tries to see fair play.
Fred MacMurray seems to come up in my movies at least a couple of times a year, this is an excellent Western. Makes you think and understand the pressure and dilemma the marshal is under. Decent, well played out finale. 9/10
A man-ape is discovered in a pothole and trained by a lady scientist.
Watching Joan Crawford step from the golden Hollywood age to the 1970's is slightly distressing at first, yet she is brilliant, actually really believable and it was a pleasure to watch her last big screen role. The script is not great, a lot of the acting questionable and yet this has a real heart, sends so many thought-provoking messages and I ended up enjoying it thoroughly. A shame there were a few Hammer Horror type moments which let it down slightly. 7/10
An attempt to pass off a fake heiress to an English stately home is prevented by the resourceful butler.
Jodie Foster is perfect as the sassy, American Tom-Boy and Niven in my opinion, was best in this sort of role. Lots of high-jinks and slapstick humour, the last 15 minutes was surely the inspiration for Home Alone? 7/10
In wartime Paris a doctor leads the resistance forces.
Made during the war, this turned out to be a bit of an emotional roller coaster. Shows the pointlessness and tragedy of war but was well put together, didn't glamourise and was really quite sad in places, the way that families accepted these tragedies almost as a matter of course, even sadder. 7/10
A Washington hostess joins the WACs and finds she can't get beyond the rank of private.
All a bit of fluff really, a nice idea and some decent characterisations, it's just lacking a bit in the plot front. 4/10
