greatest-ever-made's - Rented List
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Adapted from J.B. Priestley's famous novel charting the ups and downs of a struggling touring concert party, this endearing musical comedy features an outstanding array of British talent. The future looks bleak for The 'Dinky Doos' when their manager runs off with the funds and dwindling audiences force the theatre owner to close their show. Young Susie Dean is particularly disconsolate: the talented singer and dancer is sure the setback will mean an end to her theatrical career. However, a chance meeting of three strangers could bring about a big change in the fortunes of the little company... - Director:
- J. Lee Thompson
- Cast:
- Eric Portman, Celia Johnson, Hugh Griffith
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You'd think chilled borscht pulses in her veins. She's Nina Yoshenka (Cyd Charisse), a lovely yet severe Soviet envoy sent to Paris to rescue wayward comrades from the perils of champagne and capitalism. But there may be a thaw in Nina's Cold War. She meets Steve Canfield (Fred Astaire), a smoothly brash American who won't take 'nyet' for an answer. - Director:
- Rouben Mamoulian
- Cast:
- Fred Astaire, Cyd Charisse, Janis Paige
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Deanna Durbin's feature film debut turned her into an international star almost overnight. A perfect mix of romance, music and comedy, 'Three Smart Girls' was a huge box office hit and was nominated for 3 Academy Awards including Best Picture. Deanna Durbin plays Penny, one of three young sisters living with their divorcee mother (Nella Walker) in Switzerland. When their father (Charles Winninger) announces he is to many again - this time to a beautiful girl about town - their mother is heartbroken. So the three mischievous girls set off for New York with just one aim in mind - to wreck their father's forthcoming wedding plans! When they discover that their father's bride-to-be is nothing but a worthless gold-digger who only loves him for his money, the sisters decide to find her an even richer man to latch onto - with hilarious consequences! A wonderful comedy romp, made irresistible by Deanna Durbin's fresh and effervescent screen personality, 'Three Smart Girls' includes her performing "My Heart is Singing", "Someone to Care for Me" and "II Bacio". - Director:
- Henry Koster
- Cast:
- Binnie Barnes, Charles Winninger, Alice Brady
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This volume contains seven of Chaplin's legendary early films as follows:
Making a Living'Making a Living', produced by Mack Sennett was the first film in which Chaplin was seen by the general public, and as such is a significant piece of history. The tramp character has yet been created and Chaplin plays a stereotypical Victorian villain sporting a frock coat, top hat and monocle.
Kid Auto Races at Venice
Filmed on the boardwalk at Venice, California, this short finds Charlie's character vying for "screen time" as a cameraman tries to film a kiddy-car race. This film also shows Charlie for the first time in the famous tramp costume.
Mabel's Strange Predicament (aka Charlot A L'Hotel)
Charlie has had one too many drinks when he enters a hotel and bumps into the lovely Mabel (Mabel Normand), hopelessly tangled in her dog's leash. Mabel becomes a magnet to him and he pursues her relentlessly.
Between Showers
It's begun to rain while at the park and Charlie struggles with another man for an umbrella. A young lady happens on the scene and the two men fight for the right to assist her across a puddle of water.
Film Johnny
Charlie, in a nickelodeon, is charmed by a pretty girl he sees on screen, so he travels to the Keystone Studio to find her and in the process reeks havoc on the sets and ruins the film negative. Look for Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle in this gem.
Charlie's Recreation (aka Tango Tangle)
Charlie ventures to a public ballroom crowded with dancers in fancy costumes. Fatty Arbuckle is there with his girl, which the bandleader has taken a fancy to. Both men are enraged though because she only dances with Charlie...and a free-for-all ensues.
His Favourite Pastime (aka Charlot Est Trop Galant)
Charlie has two pastimes that he enjoys...drinking and flirting with girls. While doing a little drinking he makes the other patron's lives miserable. He finds a girl and follows her home to find an outraged husband...Fatty Arbuckle.- Director:
- Mack Sennett
- Cast:
- Charlie Chaplin, Emma Bell Clifton, Alice Davenport
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During the Allied push to Paris, General Patton's tanks have outrun their supply lines in a dramatic dash into German-held territory. Lieut. Campbell (Jeff Chandler) is assigned to throw together a racially mixed 'red ball' unit of supply trucks and get them through to the front. Campbell's sergeant is Kallek (Alex Nicol), a bitter young man who despises Campbell, believing him to be responsible for the death of his brother before World War II began. The two men remain at odds during the dangerous mission, and find themselves in a perilous situation where their prejudices are exposed and their commitment to the cause tested. - Director:
- Budd Boetticher
- Cast:
- Jeff Chandler, Alex Nicol, Charles Drake
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Mata Hari: the name breathes mystery, intrigue and sexual allure. Who better to play the notorious World War I spy than Greta Garbo, the enigmatic, exquisite screen icon called The Swedish Sphinx? Garbo is mesmerizing as the dancer-turned-German secret agent in a wartime Paris seething with secrets and betrayal. The notable supporting cast includes Lionel Barrymore as a Russian general besotted with her, Lewis Stone as an icy master spy, and Ramon Novarro as a handsome aviator who wins the heart Mata Hari did not know she possessed. With the world at war, love was her weapon. And the only men she couldn't seduce were the 12 in the firing squad that ended her tragic and tumultuous life. - Director:
- George Fitzmaurice
- Cast:
- Greta Garbo, Ramon Novarro, Lionel Barrymore
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Woman of the Year (1942)La mujer del año
He's earthy, she's erudite. He's lumpy, she's angular. He's Tracy, she's Hepburn. Together, they're spectacular. Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn show what chemistry is all about in this Academy Award' winner* about the grand, bumpy romance between a meat-and-potatoes sportswriter and a world-renowned political pundit. This is the first of the duo's nine film collaborations, and legend says the pairing had a portentous start. "I'm afraid I'm a little too tall for you;' the willowy actress observed. "Don't worry, I'll cut you down to my size;' Tracy replied. George Stevens directs, ending this alternately dramatic and comic delight with a standout of a slap-stick breakfast scene that helps make Woman of the Year a movie for every year - Director:
- George Stevens
- Cast:
- Spencer Tracy, Gerald Mohr, Katharine Hepburn
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The Cop (1972)Un Flic / Dirty Money
Parisian police commissioner Coleman (Alain Delon) is not a happy man, but he does what he can to get through each day. Coleman finds solace in his affair with Cathy (Catherine Deneuve), who also happens to be the girlfriend of Coleman's friend Simon, the head of a gang of daring criminals. As the commissioner's pursuit of the gang intensifies, so does the rivalry between the two men. - Director:
- Jean-Pierre Melville
- Cast:
- Alain Delon, Richard Crenna, Catherine Deneuve
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Early Summer (1951)Bakushû / Shukujo wa nani o wasureta ka
Regarded by many as the world's finest director, and renowned for his exact, formalist style, Yasujiro Ozu made his first film in 1927 and went on to direct 55 films before his death in 1963. It was only during his final years, however, that his genius as a film-maker was recognised in the West alongside such contemporaries as Bunuel, Bergman and fellow countryman Kurosawa. Early Summer (1951) further explores Noriko's relationship with her family, and examines her role as a modern woman in a traditional society. - Director:
- Yasujirô Ozu
- Cast:
- Seiji Miyaguchi, Kuniko Miyake, Chikage Awashima
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The Jessie Matthews Revue: Vol.1 (1935)The Jessie Matthews Revue: Friday the Thirteenth / First a Girl
Throughout the 1930's Jessie Matthews was Britain's best-loved musical film star, her dynamism and gamine charm captivating audiences on both sides of the Atlantic in a string of box-office hits. Showcasing her unique talent and captivating charm, it is easy to see how she became so popular - and why she remains so to this day. 'Showcasing' some the era's finest cinema talent including director Victor Saville, writer Sidney Gilliat, and comedy star (and Matthews' husband) Sonnie Hale - the two films on this volume are presented...
Friday the Thirteenth (1933)
Six very different people are involved in a fatal omnibus accident; which two were killed on this unluckiest of days is eventually revealed in a compelling blend of humour and pathos.
First a Girl (1935)
A messenger girl and would-be entertainer whose big break arrives when she stands in for a drag artiste stricken with laryngitis...and finds life can get very complicated for a girl impersonating a boy impersonating a girl!- Director:
- Victor Saville
- Cast:
- Jessie Matthews, Sonnie Hale, Muriel Aked
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Scarface (1932)Scarface: The Shame of the Nation
Generally regarded to be the best of the classic gangster films, 'Scarface' tells the exciting story of organised crime's brutal control over Chicago during the Prohibition era. Paul Muni gives an electrifying performance as Tony Carmonte, an ambitious criminal with a ruthless drive to be the city's top crime boss. Directed by the legendary Howard Hawks, 'Scarface' was a groundbreaking film which established both Paul Muni and George Raft as major Hollywood stars, while influencing all gangland films to follow. - Director:
- Howard Hawks
- Cast:
- Paul Muni, Ann Dvorak, Karen Morley
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Les Girls (1957)Cole Porter's Les Girls
"Les Girls" is the Rashomon of MGM musicals. The film is told in flashback, as Mitzi Gaynor and Taina Elg, two-thirds of a popular cabaret trio, attempt to legally block the third, Kay Kendall, from writing her memoirs. Each of 'Les Girls' has her own interpretation of the group's previous professional and amorous escapades. To make sense of these wildly diverse recollections, the court must rely upon a fourth party to straighten things out. Enter Gene Kelly, the dancing star who organized 'Les Girls' in the first place. But can Kelly be believed? The 'truth' of the many reminiscences in Les Girls is secondary to the dazzling beauty of its female stars, and to the delightful musical numbers, the best of which is an extended Marlon Brando parody titled 'Why Am I So Gone About That Gal?' This was Gene Kelly's last musical effort for MGM, the studio he joined way back in 1943; the film was the inspiration for the short-lived 1963 TV series Harry's Girls, which starred Larry Blyden, Susan Silo, Dawn Nickerson and Diahn Williams. - Director:
- George Cukor
- Cast:
- Gene Kelly, Mitzi Gaynor, Kay Kendall
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Daisy Miller (1974)Una señorita rebelde
Cybill Shepherd is sensational as "Daisy Miller", a woman who did as she pleased, bat seldom pleased anyone except herself. "Daisy Miller" is adapted from Henry James classic novella about an expatriate American living abroad in Europe with her daffy mother and bratty kid brother. Daisy is very liberated and very much ahead of her time as her behavior scandalizes the Victorian high society of 1878. - Director:
- Peter Bogdanovich
- Cast:
- Cybill Shepherd, Barry Brown, Cloris Leachman
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Mr. Hulot's Holiday (1953)Les Vacances De Monsieur Hulot / Monsieur Hulot's Holiday
The film that brought Jacques Tati international acclaim also launched his on-screen alter ego: the courteous, well-meaning, eternally accident-prone Monsieur Hulot with whom Tati would from now on be inseparably associated. As with Jour de fete, Vacances is set in a sleepy French coastal resort which is seasonally disrupted by holidaymakers in energetic pursuit of fun. At the centre of the chaos is the eccentric Hulot, struggling at all times to maintain appearances, but somehow entirely divorced from his immediate surroundings. There is little plot in Tati's beautifully orchestrated 'ballet' of comic action: it's a series of incidents, a seamless succession of gently studies of human absurdity. - Director:
- Jacques Tati
- Cast:
- Jacques Tati, Nathalie Pascaud, Louis Perrault
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Kitty Foyle (1940)Espejismo de amor
Kitty Foyle (Ginger Rogers) is infatuated by well-to-do Wyn Stafford (Dennis Morgan). But, scared of losing his place in respectable society, Wyn is reluctant to marry Kitty, who lacks the pedigree his family expects. Distraught, Kitty moves to New York and begins a new romance with decent Dr Mark Eisen (James Craig). But she still yearns for Wyn; when he follows her to the city, she is forced to make a choice that will affect her entire life... - Director:
- Sam Wood
- Cast:
- Ginger Rogers, Dennis Morgan, James Craig
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