Back to Golden Days

Directed by Edmund Goulding, Dark Victory (1939) tells the story of Julie Traherne (Bette Davis), a carefree heiress with a passion for horses and fast cars. When she begins suffering from chronic headaches, her family physician, Dr. Parsons (Henry Travers), insists that she see Dr. Frederick Steele (George Brent), a brilliant brain surgeon. Judith arrives at Steele's office on the day that he is to retire from surgery due to the death of his patients. However, intrigued by Judith's symptoms and charmed by her spirits, he decides to postpone his retirement and takes her case. After performing a delicate brain surgery on Judith, Steele discovers that she has a malignant tumor which will inevitably kill her within less than a year. LEFT: Bette Davis and George Brent. RIGHT: Bette Davis and Humphrey Bogart.   In order to allow her a few more months of happiness, Steele lies to Judith and assures her that the surgery was a success. However, he cannot hide the truth from her best ...

Did you know that...   The first sequel in motion picture history was The Fall of a Nation (1916), which is a follow-up to D. W. Griffith's epic drama The Birth of a Nation (1915).   Based on Thomas Dixon Jr.'s novel and play The Clansman , The Birth of a Nation changed the history of American cinema. With a cast that included Lillian Gish and future Oscar winner Donald Crisp, the three-hour film chronicled the relationship of two families during the American Civil War and Reconstruction era over the course of several years. The film was a great financial success, although it created a wave of controversy for its portrayal of black men as unintelligent and aggressive towards white women and the portrayal of the Klu Klux Klan as a heroic force.   LEFT: Josephine Crowell, Henry B. Walthall and Lilian Gish in The Birth of a Nation . RIGHT: Raoul Walsh and Lillian Gish in the same film. Hoping to capitalize on the massive success of The Birth of a Nation , Dixon decid...

This week on «Film Friday» I am celebrating Warren Beatty's 80th birthday, which is next Thursday, by telling you a little bit about the film that made him a star. Incidentally, 2017 also marks the 50th anniversary of this film's original release.   Directed by Arthur Penn, Bonnie and Clyde (1967) begins in the middle of the Depression with a meeting between Clyde Barrow (Warren Beatty) and Bonnie Parker (Faye Dunaway), whose car he tries to steal. Bonnie, who is bored by her job as a waitress, is deeply intrigued by Clyde and decides to take up with him by becoming his partner in crime. At first, the duo's amateur efforts are not very lucrative, but their crime spree shifts into high gear once they partner up with a dim-witted gas station attendant named C.W. Moss (Michael J. Pollard), Clyde's older brother Buck (Gene Hackman) and his shrill wife Blanche (Estelle Parsons), a preacher's daughter.   Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty as Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow...

Did you know that... A total of 31 actresses were screen-tested for the coveted role of the indomitable «Southern Belle» Scarlett O'Hara in Victor Fleming's epic Gone with the Wind (1939).   When David O. Selznick purchased the screen rights to Margaret Mitchell's novel Gone with the Wind in July 1936, he began an extensive search for the role of Scarlett. He mounted a nationwide casting call that interviewed 1,400 unknowns, 400 of which were asked to do readings. This was eventually useless for the film, but it created «priceless» publicity — exactly what Selznick wanted. A number of established actresses were also considered, including Miriam Hopkins (the author's preference), Norma Shearer, Katharine Hepburn , Bette Davis, Joan Crawford and Carole Lombard. However, only 31 of these names made the final cut.   Paulette Goddard and Vivien Leigh were the last two finalists in the search for Scarlett. Below is a list of the 31 women who were tested for the role of ...

In Portugal (where I'm from), Father's Day is celebrated on March 19. So, for this week's «Film Friday» I thought I'd bring you a film that features a father as its main character. Directed by Michael Curtiz, Life With Father (1947) follows stockbroker Clarence Day (William Powell), who strives to make his 1890s New York City household run as efficiently as his business. He and his wife Vinnie (Irene Dunne) have four sons. The eldest, Clarence, Jr. (Jimmy Lydon), is headed for Yale. John (Martin Milner), the next eldest, likes to invent things, while brother Whitney (Johnny Calkins) struggles to learn his catechism, and Harlan (Derek Scott), the youngest, is most interested in his dog. Knowing how much Clarence dislikes it when visitors stay in the house, Vinnie neglects to tell her husband that their cousin, Cora Cartwright (ZaSu Pitts), and her young companion, Mary Skinner (Elizabeth Taylor), will spend a week with them.   LEFT: Irene Dunne and William Powell. RI...

Did you know that... In 1947, an FBI analyst investigating Communist infiltration of the motion picture industry submitted a memo to his director, J. Edgar Hoover, claiming that Frank Capra's It's a Wonderful Life (1946) promoted Communism by discrediting bankers.   It's a Wonderful Life is now considered a Christmas classic. According to the memo received by Hoover, written by a certain D. M. Ladd and dated May 26, 1947, It's a Wonderful Life , now a Christmas classic, « represented rather obvious attempts do discredit bankers by casting Lionel Barrymore as a 'scrooge-type' so that he would be the most hated man in the picture. This [...] is a common trick used by Communists .» The report goes on to add that the film « deliberately maligned the upper-class, attempting to show the people who had money were mean and despicable characters .» An informant interviewed by the Federal Bureau of Investigation spoke in particular of the scene in which Mr. Potter (...

This week on «Film Friday» I am honoring Cyd Charisse's 95th birthday, which was on Wednesday, by telling you a little bit about one of her best-known works. This is also widely regarded as one of the greatest musicals of all time. Since I did not have the time to write this article on time, this week's «Film Friday» comes on a Sunday.   Directed by Vincente Minnelli, The Band Wagon (1953) tells the story of stage and screen star Tony Hunter (Fred Astaire), a veteran of musical comedy, who is concerned that his career might be in decline. His good friends Lester and Lily Marton (Oscar Levant and Nanette Fabray) have written a stage show that they believe is perfect for his comeback. Tony signs up, despite misgivings after the pretentious director, Jeffrey Cordova (Jack Buchanan), changes the light comedy into a dark reinterpretation of the Faust legend, with himself as the Devil and Tony as the Faust character. Tony also feels intimidated by the youth, beauty, and classica...

With victory over the Germans within their grasp, the three Allied leaders held a conference in the Soviet town of Yalta in February 1945, for the purpose of discussing Europe's reorganization after World War II. American President Franklin D. Roosevelt, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Soviet Premier Joseph Stalin decided that Germany — as well as its capital city, Berlin — would be divided into four occupied zones. Wanting to limit the Communist influence in Europe, Roosevelt and Churchill also called for elections in areas freed from the Germans. Stalin agreed to these terms, but no plans were made for when the elections would take place. LEFT: Winston Churchill, Franklin D. Roosevelt and Joseph Stalin during the Yalta Conference. RIGHT: Berlin's four zones of occupation. After Roosevelt's death in April 1945 and the transfer of power to President Harry S. Truman, tensions began to mount between the United States and the Soviet Union. This was due to the fa...