Author Archives: rarefilm

Quartieri alti / In High Places (1945) Mario Soldati, Adriana Benetti, Massimo Serato, Nerio Bernardi, Comedy

Quartieri alti (1945)
The story involves Giorgio (Serato) who is maintained by a woman of high class and live a lifestyle far beyond their means. She meets and falls for the young and virtuous Isabel (Benetti), and in order to impress and keep secret their true circumstances, rent a villa and passed a couple of actors by their parents. However, things did not go quite right …
Read More »

The Unguarded Moment (1956) Harry Keller, Esther Williams, George Nader, John Saxon, Drama, Mystery, Thriller

The Unguarded Moment (1956)
A woman has recently been murdered. A teacher at the nearby high school receives threatening notes from a student. Detective Graham is the only one who believes that she is in danger. She fingers the boy, a popular student. Her teaching career is threatened, as is her life. The detective looks for evidence, and brings him in on burglary and murder charges. Both crimes are solved.
Read More »

Above Suspicion (1943) Richard Thorpe, Joan Crawford, Fred MacMurray, Conrad Veidt, Drama, Thriller

Above Suspicion (1943)
Frances and Richard Myles (Joan Crawford and Fred MacMurray) are newlyweds honeymooning in Europe on the eve of World War II. Unexpectedly, they find themselves commissioned by the British secret service to secure the plans for a new secret weapon masterminded by the Nazis (involving magnetic mines). The trail leads them to Innsbruck where they arouse the suspicions of a Gestapo chief.
Read More »

Tea for Two (1950) David Butler, Doris Day, Gordon MacRae, Gene Nelson, Comedy, Musical, Romance

Tea for Two (1950)
In this reworking of “No, No, Nanette,” wealthy heiress Nanette Carter bets her uncle $25,000 that she can say “no” to everything for 48 hours. If she wins, she can invest the money in a Broadway show featuring songs written by her beau, and of course, in which she will star. Trouble is, she doesn’t realize her uncle’s been wiped out by the Stock Market crash.
Read More »

Strangers on a Train (1951) Alfred Hitchcock, Farley Granger, Robert Walker, Ruth Roman, Crime, Film-Noir, Thriller

Strangers on a Train (1951)
In Alfred Hitchcock’s adaptation of Patricia Highsmith’s thriller, tennis star Guy Haines (Farley Granger) is enraged by his trampy wife’s refusal to finalize their divorce so he can wed senator’s daughter Anne (Ruth Roman). He strikes up a conversation with a stranger, Bruno Anthony (Robert Walker), and unwittingly sets in motion a deadly chain of events. Psychopathic Bruno kills Guy’s wife, then urges Guy to reciprocate by killing Bruno’s father. Meanwhile, Guy is murder suspect number one.
Read More »

Sullivan’s Travels (1941) Preston Sturges, Joel McCrea, Veronica Lake, Robert Warwick, Adventure, Comedy, Drama

Sullivan's Travels (1941)
Successful movie director John L. Sullivan (Joel McCrea), convinced he won’t be able to film his ambitious masterpiece until he has suffered, dons a hobo disguise and sets off on a journey, aiming to “know trouble” first-hand. When all he finds is a train ride back to Hollywood and a beautiful blonde companion (Veronica Lake), he redoubles his efforts, managing to land himself in more trouble than he bargained for when he loses his memory and ends up a prisoner on a chain gang.
Read More »