Author Archive: Retro

First and best adaptation of Papa Hemingway’s story of the ill-fated, whirlwind love affair between an American soldier and a British nurse. Dir. Frank Borzage.

Based on the infamous Archer-Shee case of 1912, The Winslow Boy features Neil North as the 14-year-old title character. Accused of a petty theft, North is expelled from Naval College. His father, retired bank official Sir Cedric Hardwycke, is prevented by existing British law to clear his son’s name. He engages attorney Robert Donat, who successfully petitions for the right to sue the Admiralty and make this august organization prove its charges in court. Public opinion, however, is strongly against Hardwycke and his family: particularly effected is Hardwycke’s daughter Margaret Leighton, whose fiance breaks off their engagement. For dramatic purposes, Margaret finds solace in a romantic relationship with barrister Donat. Terrence Rattigan worked on the cinemadaptation of his own play, which was later restaged on American television. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

After refusing to name the father of her out-of-wedlock baby, a girl is condemned to wear the scarlet cloth brand of the letter “A”. Based on the novel by Nathaniel Hawthorne.

Agency tackles the question of the efficiency of media manipulation. An unscrupulous advertising agency, in league with equally untrustworthy political campaign manager Robert Mitchum, plants subliminal messages in its TV commercials. Just as Vance Packard warned in the 1950s expose The Hidden Persuaders, these hidden messages persuade the viewers to vote for Mitchum’s candidate. Given the potency of the the film’s premise, it’s disappointing to watch director George Gaczender handle the material (based on a novel by Paul Gottleib) is so cut-and-dried a fashion. But Mitchum is good, as are his costars Valerie Perrine, Lee Majors, Saul Rubinek and Alexandra Stewart.

In the near future, the Catholic church has joined with other western religions in an ecumenical movement that has washed out much of the original message of the religion. A group of Irish monks have begun saying the mass again in Latin and have begun to have an international following. Martin Sheen is sent from Rome to bring them to task and they must confront what is truly essential in their worship and what is not.

Four part ( mins each) dubbed version of Victor Hugo’s classic novel about the th century France.

Hard hitting drama by Fay Kanin about the prostitution racket. Lee Remick is an investigative reporter and Jill Clayburgh gives a gritty performance as a hooker. Also stars Monte Markham and Alex Rocco.

In the late 1800s, a young girl is seduced by a squire, but decides to raise her child on her own.

Singing teacher with a piercing stare hypnotizes a young model into faking her death and leaving with him for Paris.