Classic Movie World

40′s Movies

Casablanca: Special Edition (Dbl DVD)

Casablanca: easy to enter, but much harder to leave, especially if you’re wanted by the Nazis. Such a man is Resistance leader Victor Laszlo (Paul Henreid), whose only hope is Rick Blaine (Humphrey Bogart), a cynical American who sticks his neck out for no one – especially Victor’s wife Ilsa (Ingrid Bergman), the ex-lover who broke his heart. Ilsa offers herself in exchange for Laszlo’s transport out of the country and bitter Rick must decide what counts more – personal happiness or countless lives hanging in the balance. Winner of three Academy Awards including Best Picture, Casablanca marks 60 years as a beloved favorite with a new digital transfer and so many bonuses that no matter how often you’ve seen it, this Deluxe 2-Disc DVD looks like yet another beginning of a beautiful friendship with an unforgettable classic.

$16.66 on sale now at the WB Shop

Gilda (DVD) (1946)GILDA is the film that gave the world the indelible image of Rita Hayworth in that tight gown, lovingly removing that long glove as she sings, Put the Blame on Mame. That’s enough to justify a viewing, but the film has more, including a bewitched, bothered, etc., performance by a never-better Glenn Ford. GILDA is an intricate noir in which Hayworth, as the titular femme fatale, is placed by her mobster club-owner husband in the care of Ford, a small-time hood who also happens to be her ex-lover.DVD Features:Region 1Keep CaseFull Frame – 1.33Single Side – Dual LayerAudio: Dolby Digital Mono – EnglishAdditional Release Material: Documentary – THE COLUMBIA LADY Trailers – 1.Original Theatrical Trailer Bonus Trailers – 1. THE LOVES OF CARMEN 2. A MAN FOR ALL SEASONS 3. THE LAST HURRAHText/Photo Galleries: Biographies – 1.Charles Vidor – Director 2.Rita Hayworth – Star 3.Glenn Ford – Star 4.George Macready – Star Publicity – Vintage Advertising

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Sullivan’s Travels – Criterion Collection (DVD)Frustrated film director Sullivan (Joel McCrea) is fed up with serving out easily digestible but ultimately meaningless chunks of comedy for the studios. He decides to set off across America to rediscover the daily lives of the Joe Lunchpails as research for his socially responsible next film, O BROTHER, WHERE ART THOU? Giving up all his unnecessaries, he begins his cross-country road trip in hobo’s clothes with barely a dime in his pocket to regain his focus.DVD Features:Region 1Keep CaseFull Frame – 1.33Single Side – Dual Layer – RSDLAudio: Dolby Digital Mono – EnglishAdditional Release Material: Audio Commentary – 1. Noah Baumbach – Director, Christopher Guest, Michael McKean – Actors Documentary – 1. THE RISE AND FALL OF AN AMERICAN DREAMER Production Interview – 1. Sandy Sturges – Widow of Preston Sturges 2. Preston Sturges – Director Trailers – 1. Original Theatrical Trailer Additional Audio Material – 1. Rare Audio Recordings of SturgesText/Photo Galleries: Publicity Production Stills

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American Romance, An (1944) (DVD)Brian Donlevy goes from rags to riches in King Vidor’s ambitious Technicolor ode to hard work, family and the American Dream. Arriving penniless in the United States, Czech immigrant Steve Dangos (Donlevy) soon realizes America truly is the land of opportunity. Starting out in the iron mines of Minnesota, Dangos heads to the steel mills of Chicago, a decision that will earn him wealth and power beyond his wildest dreams – and put him at odds with his workers when they try to unionize. Produced over a two-year period at the then-enormous sum of $3 million, An American Romance is a bold and gripping saga in the Vidor tradition. “No other American director ever matched Vidor’s sense of personal struggle, or the muscular poetry he found to express it” (Tony Rayns, Time Out Film Guide).

$19.95 at WBshop

Notorious (1946) Alfred Hitchcock’s Notorious. Ingrid Bergman plays Alicia Huberman, who goes to hell in a handbasket after her father, an accused WWII traitor, commits suicide. American secret agent Devlin (Cary Grant) is ordered to enlist the libidinous Alicia’s aid in trapping Alexander Sebastian (Claude Rains), the head of a Brazilian neo-Nazi group. Openly contemptuous of Alicia despite her loyalty to the American cause, Devlin calmly instructs her to woo and wed Sebastian, so that that good guys will have an inside woman to monitor the Nazi chieftain’s activities. It is only after Alicia and Sebastian are married that Devlin admits to himself that he’s fallen in love with her. The MacGuffin in this case is a cache of uranium ore, hidden somewhere on Sebastian’s estate. Upon discovering that his wife is a spy, Sebastian balks at eliminating her until ordered to do so by his virago of a mother (Madame Konstantin). Tension mounts to a fever pitch as Devlin, a day late and several dollars short, strives to rescue Alicia from Sebastian’s homicidal designs. Notorious remains one of Hitchcock’s best espionage melodramas. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

~~$19.95~~ $17.76 now at The Video Collection

Spellbound (1945)As Alfred Hitchcock’s classic psychothriller opens, the staff of a posh mental asylum eagerly awaits the arrival of the new director. When the man in question shows up, it turns out to be handsome psychiatrist John Ballantine (Gregory Peck). But something’s wrong, here: Ballantine seems much too young for so important a position; his answers to the staff’s questions are vague and detached; and he seems unusually distressed by the parallel marks, left by a fork, on a white tablecloth. Dr. Constance Peterson (Ingrid Bergman) comes to the conclusion that Ballantine is not the new director, but a profoundly disturbed amnesiac–and, possibly, the murderer of the real director. But is she correct in her inferences? Scriptwriters Angus MacPhail and Ben Hecht soon add to this the complication that Constance begins to fall in love with John. Director Hitchcock tapped surrealist artist Salvador Dali to design the visually arresting dream sequences in the film. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide Edwardes leads deep into the tangled mindscape of Ballantine and proves that danger is very close indeed. To illustrate the psychological journey Ballantine undergoes, the film includes a captivating dream sequence designed by the legendary surrealist painter Salvador Dali.

~~$19.95~~ $17.76 now at The Video Collection

For Whom the Bell Tolls (1943)
Based on the novel by Ernest Hemingway, For Whom the Bell Tolls is a romantic drama set against the turbulent tapestry of the Spanish Civil War. Gary Cooper plays Robert Jordan, an idealistic American fighting with a Spanish guerilla band. He is assigned to blow up a crucial bridge in order to halt the enemy’s progress. He falls in love with Maria (Ingrid Bergman), a young peasant girl who’s joined the fight after being ill-used by enemy troops. Pablo (Akim Tamiroff), the eternally drunken leader of the guerillas, resents Jordan’s attentions toward Maria, and he refuses to help Jordan in his sabotage work. Pablo’s wife Pilar (Oscar-winner Katina Paxinou) takes over command of the guerillas and helps Jordan by arranging horses for the band’s departure after their job is done. The man supplying the horses (Joseph Calleia) is killed, and Jordan is left to finish his task minus a means to escape. For Whom the Bell Tolls was a long, faithful adaptation of the Hemingway novel, with excellent performances, torrid love scenes, and first-rate Technicolor photography. Available for many years only in the 130-minute reissue version, it was restored to nearly its full original length of 168 minutes. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

$14.95 $12.71 now at Critic’s Choice Video

Canterville Ghost, The (DVD)
One brave act and the spell is broken! The specter of Sir Simon de Canterville has haunted Canterville Castle for 300 years, ever since he was walled up alive for cowardice. A daring deed by a kinsman will free his spirit. Unfortunately, the Cantervilles are a timorous lot and Simon is out of luck. Then World War II GIs are billeted at the castle and among them is Canterville descendent Cuffy Williams. But could Cuffy be cursed with the family lily liver? Charles Laughton (as the ghost), Robert Young (as Cuffy) and Margaret O’Brien (as the castle’s six-year-old current owner) conjure peals of merry laughter out of an exuberant, ingenious comedy based on an Oscar Wilde tale and cleverly directed by Jules Dassin (Rififi, Topkapi). (1944)

On sale now for $13.96 at the WB Shop

Technorati Tags: charles vidor, george macready, humphrey bogart, rita hayworth, victor laszlo

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