
Coming of age story for two girls, Mary Clancy and Rachel Devery, who find themselves as students at the St. Francis Academy, a catholic boarding school for girls. The story spans three years and follows the girls and their many pranks including setting off fire alarms, smoking cigars in the basement and putting bubble baths in the nuns’ sugar bowls. As the girls mature, they gain a greater respect for their teachers and the commitment and devotion required to be a nun, leading one of them to make a life changing decision.
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Author Archives: rarefilm
War Paint (1953) Lesley Selander, Robert Stack, Joan Taylor, Charles McGraw

Lieut. Billings and his army patrol are ordered to deliver a new peace treaty to the Indian Commissioner, who is missing. They have nine days to get the treaty to Chief Gray Cloud or there will be war. Chief’s son Taslik offers to guide them. But as their water runs low and conflicts escalate, they can’t help wondering why Taslik is wearing war paint.
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Run for the Sun (1956) Roy Boulting, Richard Widmark, Trevor Howard, Jane Greer

Mike, a Hemingway-esque adventure novelist, is spending his days in a self-imposed exile somewhere in Central America. A reporter for Sight Magazine, Katie, has tracked him down in the hope of getting the biggest scoop of her career. Mike falls for Katie. On a flight to Mexico City, their plane crashes near a remote hideaway of Nazi war criminals in hiding. The Nazis want to stay hidden and plan to dispose of their new guests.
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L’assedio / Besieged (1998) Thandie Newton, David Thewlis, Claudio Santamaria, Bernardo Bertolucci

When an African dictator jails her husband, Shandurai goes into exile in Italy, studying medicine and keeping house for Mr. Kinsky, an eccentric English pianist and composer. She lives in one room of his Roman palazzo. He besieges her with flowers, gifts, and music, declaring passionately that he loves her, would go to Africa with her, would do anything for her. “What do you know of Africa?,” she asks, then, in anguish, shouts, “Get my husband out of jail!” The rest of the film plays out the implications of this scene and leaves Shandurai with a choice.
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Born Romantic (2000) David Kane, Craig Ferguson, Ian Hart, Jane Horrocks

Centered around a salsa club, three men pursue three women across London. Fergus is trying to find his ex-girlfriend, the elderly charmer Frankie the beautiful Eleanor and the robber Eddie is trying to find one of his victims, cemetery worker Jocelyn.
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Árido Movie (2005) Lírio Ferreira, Guilherme Weber, Giulia Gam, José Dumont

Weatherman from a TV network goes back to his hometown, Vale da Rocha, a place in Northeast Brazil, devastated by the drought. He is forced to face the geographic elements and his own memories.
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Lo svitato (1956) Carlo Lizzani, Dario Fo, Franca Rame, Giorgia Moll

Achille is the errand boy in a newspaper of Milan, who wants to become a famous journalist.
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Two Way Stretch (1960) Robert Day, Peter Sellers, David Lodge, Bernard Cribbins

Dodger Lane (Peter Sellers) has planned the perfect robbery while in prison. He intends to break out of prison, steal a fortune in diamonds, and break back into prison before anyone notices. With only a few days’ sentence left, and the perfect alibi, what could possibly go wrong?
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Une femme à sa fenêtre (1976) Granier-Deferre, Romy Schneider, Philippe Noiret, Victor Lanoux

On August 4, 1936, General Metaxas declared martial law in Greece. A union leader using the name Boutros is sought in Athens by Primoukis, a ruthless police leader. Boutros narrowly escapes and, early the next morning, jumps through the window of Marchese Margot Santorini, the wealthy Austrian-born wife of Rico, a penniless Italian diplomat and playboy. Margot is bored and without purpose: aiding Boutros’s escape invigorates her, and soon she is in love. The film briefly jumps to 1945 when Rico and Raoul (who assisted her out of love) meet in France to talk about her fate, and then jumps 30 years to Margot’s daughter’s visit to Greece to find out about her father.
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Rancho Notorious (1952) Fritz Lang, Marlene Dietrich, Arthur Kennedy, Mel Ferrer

A western based on the story “Gunsight Whitman” by Silvia Richards. Vern Haskell, a nice rancher, seeks out to avenge his fiancé’s death when she is killed during a robbery. His revenge leads him to Chuck-a-luck, Altar Keane’s ranch set up to hide criminals, and he finds more than he bargains for.
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