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Reviews
Mogambo (1953)
Watch it for the wardrobe
Personally I prefer Red Dust and Jean Harlow's earthy and honest prostitute to Ava Gardner's fashion show. Great clothes they are, too, and she looks gorgeous and immaculate at all times, but the movie is set in the jungle and she's traveling with a lot of pure white in her luggage. Case in point: there's a scene where Ava is playfully wrestling with a baby elephant. The elephant is very dirty and she is rolling in the dirt several times, but her white sweater shows only a small spot of dirt. The technicolor is wonderful but I just watch for Ava's perfection in the sweaty tropics. Grace Kelly is more simply dressed but she stays spotless, too.
Parachute Jumper (1933)
Loved it
Nothing new to add except that I love this movie for its realistic view of the Depression. It's like a time capsule albeit filled with capers of a more serious nature. Fairbanks is breezy and gorgeous to look at as is Bette Davis although her southern accent is a bit of a head scratcher and McHugh is great as always.
The Clock (1945)
Simply lovely
What a lovely film. Perfectly of it's time - precisely of it's moment - the feelings experienced and expressed are eternal, magnified by the somber background of the war. I watched this on TCM, on a whim, and I'm so glad I found it. The Clock is rather surprisingly full of twists and turns up to the end, played earnestly and beautifully by the leads. Enjoy.
Return to Me (2000)
Shouldn't work but it does
This is a completely unrealistic story dripping with sap. It should be too ridiculous to believe, and in some ways it is, but it's also heartwarming, funny, romantic and piercingly nostalgic. I loved it in 2000 and after 20 years I love it still. Just enjoy.
Bachelor Mother (1939)
Watch it, you'll love it
I can't add anything to the other reviews but I just finished watching this on TCM and loved it. An honest to goodness original story! Ginger Rogers and David Niven are wonderful, as is the entire cast. It really is both an excellent comedy and a true romance.
The Yearling (1946)
As usual, the book was better
I adore the book The Yearling, Marjorie Kinnan Rowling's story of a young family struggling on a farm stead in post Civil War Florida, and the movie is a Technicolor marvel to watch, especially the scenes of young Jody and his pet deer. Gregory Peck is perfect as Penny Baxter and Jane Wyman is excellent as the mother who's become too afraid to love, but I was disappointed in Jody's portrayal by Claude Jarman Jr. The imagination of the boy in the book whose hero and whole world is his father was just too weepy and wimpy in the movie. Still, a solid family film.