Author Archives: rarefilm

La città si difende / Four Ways Out (1951) Pietro Germi, Gina Lollobrigida, Renato Baldini, Cosetta Greco, Crime, Drama

La citta si difende (Pietro Germi, 1951)
As a soccer match is in progress, a group of four criminals robs the stadium office. Before they can make their getaway, a chase begins, and they must split up before they can divide the money. The police have little to go on, since it appears that none of the robbers were experienced criminals. Meanwhile, the thieves have to arrange for dividing the money while trying to avoid being captured.
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Honeymoon (1947) William Keighley, Shirley Temple, Franchot Tone, Guy Madison, Comedy

Honeymoon 1947
Pretty but scatterbrained Barbara Olmstead arrives in Mexico City to marry her soldier fiance, learns he’s been delayed, and runs off to find a place to stay. Meanwhile, fiance Phil arrives after all, just misses Barbara, and goes off in quest of her. As further complications ensue, American consul David Flanner (who has an impatient fiancee of his own) is caught in the middle and driven nearly frantic…
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They Won’t Forget (1937) Mervyn LeRoy, Claude Rains, Gloria Dickson, Edward Norris, Drama, Film-Noir, Mystery

They Won't Forget (1937)
A southern town is rocked by scandal when teenager Mary Clay is murdered on Confederate Decoration Day. Andrew Griffin, a small-time lawyer with political ambitions, sees the crime as his ticket to the Senate if he can find the right victim to finger for the crime. He sets out to convict Robert Hale, a transplanted northerner who was Mary’s teacher at the business school where she was killed. Despite the fact that all the evidence against Hale is circumstantial, Griffin works with a ruthless reporter to create a media frenzy of prejudice and hate against the teacher.
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Kathleen (1941) Harold S. Bucquet, Shirley Temple, Herbert Marshall, Laraine Day, Drama, Romance, Comedy

Kathleen 1941
Kathleen is a 12 year old who lives in a big house with a nanny, a butler, maids, no mother and a father who is working most of the time. She dreams of a family with a mother, father and her, and tells everyone that she has such a family. Because of this story, she cannot invite any friends over as they will see that it is not true. Kathleen and her nanny, Mrs. Farrell do not get along, so her father hires a psychologist name Dr. Kent to be her new nanny for the summer. Her father has a new girlfriend, named Lorraine, who he is considering for his wife and mother to Kathleen. Kathleen does not like her and Lorraine is cold to Kathleen. Kathleen envisions Dr. Kent as the perfect mother for her and wife for her father.
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Two-Faced Woman (1941) George Cukor, Greta Garbo, Melvyn Douglas, Constance Bennett, Comedy, Romance

Two-Faced Woman (1941)
While at a ski lodge, Larry Blake sees instructor Karin Borg and decides to sign up for private lessons. The next thing he knows, she is Mrs. Blake. When he announces that he is going back to work on his magazine in New York the next day, Karin refuses to go with him. She later comes to New York, buys expensive clothes, and goes to meet him when she sees he is with old flame Griselda. Caught by Blake’s business partner, O.O. Miller, before she can leave, she explains that she is really Karin’s twin sister Katherine. Hard to believe, but that is what she tries to make everyone, including Larry, believe. Larry, however, has serious doubts, but plays the game to the hilt as the worldly Katherine tries to take him away from both Griselda and Karin.
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Lovecraft: Fear of the Unknown (2008) Frank H. Woodward, Robin Atkin Downes, Neil Gaiman, Peter Straub, Documentary

Lovecraft Fear of the Unknown (2008)
Journey into the life and work of the weird fiction author who gave us the Cthulu mythos and inspired such notable horror authors as Stephen King, Robert Bloch, and Neil Gaiman. Though initially overshadowed by the masterfully morbid prose of author Edgar Allen Poe, H.P. Lovecraft’s writings have proven very influential, and can be seen in everything from movies (Re-Animator, Hellboy) to music (Metallica’s “Call of Cthulu) to video games Call of Cthulu: Dark Corners of the Earth). Discover how an Old World xenophobe crafted one of literature’s greatest mythologies, and why his works continue to fascinate readers long after his untimely death as John Carpenter, Guillermo Del Toro, Peter Straub, and others reflect on Lovecraft’s crucial role in the history of horror fiction.
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Tower of Evil / Horror on Snape Island (1972) Jim O’Connolly, Bryant Haliday, Jill Haworth, Mark Edwards, Horror

Tower of Evil (1972) Horror on Snape Island
This gory low-budget British outing involves a team of archaeologists landing on fog-shrouded Snape Island – recently the site of a hideous double murder – in search of the tomb of a Phoenician chief and subsequently falling victim to an unseen maniac. Accompanying the shore party is a private detective (Bryant Halliday), hired by the family of the young woman suspected of the crimes (Candace Glendenning), who is determined to get to the bottom of the mysterious murders. Though it is eventually determined that the real killer is still at large, the archaeologists stubbornly refuse to abort their dig…and summarily suffer the consequences. Released originally in 1972, this crass, exploitative potboiler (based on a story by horror author George Baxt) found its way to American theaters in 1981 as Beyond the Fog in an attempt to cash in on John Carpenter’s 1980 film. Released later to video and cable as Tower of Evil.
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The Single Standard (1929) John S. Robertson, Greta Garbo, Nils Asther, Johnny Mack Brown, Drama, Romance

The Single Standard (1929)
The wealthy Arden Stuart is bored in a party; after refusing the wedding proposal of Tommy Hewlett, she drives her car with her driver to a lonely place. She has one night stand with him and returns to the party; then she witnesses the driver being fired by a relative and committing suicide. In a rainy day, Arden goes to an exposition and meets the painter and aspirant boxer Packy Cannon. They sail to the South Seas together in his sailboat and Arden falls in love for him. However, a couple of months later, Packy dumps her and brings her back to her city, traveling to China alone. The heartbroken Arden is proposed again by Tommy and gets married with him. Three years later, Arden meets Packy by chance and becomes divided between her unconditional love for Packy and the love for her son.
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Sins of the Realm / Slaves of the Realm (2003) Lloyd A. Simandl, Rena Mero, Daniela Krhutova, Lucie Vondrácková, Action, Adventure, Sexploitation

Sins of the Realm (2003) Slaves of the Realm
In a distant time and place a country is divided into several kingdoms. The king of the richest has recently died and his son and heir will have a new bride selected for him from amongst the princesses by the high priestess. But before the selection can begin, the beautiful princesses must be freed from their jealous kidnappers, who have forced them to work in the silver mines!
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The Lonely Woman / No encontré rosas para mi madre (1973) Francisco Rovira Beleta, Gina Lollobrigida, Danielle Darrieux, Concha Velasco, Drama

The Lonely Woman (1973)
A young male model-cum-hustler juggling “relationships” with three women while looking for the big score, a rich girl who will keep him afloat for life. But no relationship is developed, no background examined, no motivation explained. He just bounces from woman to woman like a pinball and ends up marrying an emotionally stunted girl who plays with dolls.
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