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A MAN FOR ALL SEASONS (2:48, 1966) by Fred Zinnemann When Henry VIII's first wife, Catherine of Aragon, is unable to produce an heir to the throne, he uses that as a pretext for the pope to grant him a divorce, so he can marry his newest conquest, Anne Boleyn. The King is backed by everyone on this request except the highly regarded and religious Sir Thomas More. When Cardinal Wolsey, Chancellor of England, names More as his successor, it becomes important for Henry to get More's support, but More cannot be swayed. Henry demands the clergy to renounce the Pope and to name him Head of the Church of England. Oliver Cromwell frames More, forcing him to resign as Chancellor. Eventually More is brought to trial, found guilty of treason, and beheaded. |
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TAMING OF THE SHREW (2:06, 1967) by Franco Zeffirelli Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor bring gusto and ferocity to their roles as Katherine and Petruchio in this quintessential battle of the sexes, a vibrant adaptation of the classic Shakespeare play. When young student Lucentio (Michael York) wanders into the town of Padua, he promptly falls for the beautiful Bianca (Natasha Pyne), but before Bianca's father will let her be courted, he insists her wild, angry, older sister, Katherine (Taylor) be married. Undaunted, Lucentio and the other would-be suitors of Bianca hit upon the idea of hiring tipsy, flea-bitten nobleman Petruchio (Burton) to step up and woo the untamable "shrew." The roles of these battling lovers are perfectly suited to Burton and Taylor, whose passionate and publicized love affair was in full flower at the time. This makes it a fitting follow-up to their earlier co-starring vehicle, WHO'S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF, and a glorious chance to see two larger-than-life stars having at each other with unfettered glee. The realistic period detail is lovingly photographed by Luciano Trasatti, while Nina Rota contributes a lively score. This was the directorial debut of Franco Zeffirelli, and it's Shakespeare with real zest; a treat to both scholars and film-lovers everywhere. |
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JASON AND THE ARGONAUTS (1:44, 1963) by Don Chaffey Greek mythology comes to life in this exciting film adaptation of the story of Jason's quest for the Golden Fleece. Ray Harryhausen's special effects in this picture are legendary, especially a sword fight between three live actors and seven skeletons. Loosely based on the Argonautica of Apollonius of Rhodes (c. 250 B.C.) |
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THE THREE STOOGES IN ORBIT (1:28, 1962) by Edward Bernds While rehearsing a new opening bit for their children's television program THE THREE STOOGES SCRAPBOOK, Moe, Larry and Curly Joe are evicted by their landlady for cooking in the rooming house. Searching for a new apartment, the Stooges travel to Professor Danforth's (Emil Sitka) house in Lompoc. Professor Danforth is convinced that Martians will soon invade Earth, and persuades the boys to help him guard his new invention... a military craft with the ability to move on the ground like a tank, in the air like a helicopter, in the water like a submarine, and even orbit like a spacecraft. Danforth's butler is a Martian spy in human disguise, and he attempts, successfully, to frighten the Stooges away. Fleeing to their television studio, the Stooges learn that their ratings are falling, and the producer doesn't care for any of their new animation ideas. He gives them 10 days to come up with a ratings gimmick, or he'll cancel the show. Danforth arrives on the scene with a deal: he'll create a new "electronic animation" machine for them to use in their TV show, if they return to his house and help with the helio-tank invention. Meanwhile, the Martians have sent two more spies, Ogg and Zogg, to prepare for the invasion. After Danforth's vehicle is finished and given a test run by the Stooges, the Martians steal it and mount their own "ray gun,", to destroy selected Earth targets. The Stooges sneak onto the craft and attempt to stop the Martians! |
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HARPER (2:01, 1966) by Jack Smight Private-eye mystery based on af Ross MacDonald "Lew Archer" novel. When a millionaire businessman turns up missing, his estranged, invalid wife Bacall) hires a private detective (Newman) to find him. The P.I. quickly discovers that the victim has been kidnapped by some of those nearest and dearest to him, and uncovers a tangled web of smuggling, greed, drugs and petty family jealousies. |
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BYE BYE BIRDIE (1:52, 1963) by George Sidney This entertaining musical, based on the Broadway hit inspired by the hysteria surrounding Elvis Presley's induction into the army, traces the shock waves a drafted rock & roll star, Conrad Birdie (Jesse Pearson), creates when he comes to a small town to kiss adoring fan Kim McAfee (Ann-Margret) good-bye on national TV. A feisty secretary, Rosie DeLeon (Janet Leigh), has put the whole plan in motion, hoping that Birdie will sing a song composed by her beau, Albert Peterson (Dick Van Dyke), enabling Rosie's boyfriend to finally break free of his domineering mother (Maureen Stapleton) and marry her. Meanwhile, Kim's new steady, Hugo (Bobby Rydell), is less than pleased about the spotlighted embrace, as are her parents (Paul Lynde and Mary LaRoche)--at least until they get in on the action too. Ed Sullivan appears as himself, Ann-Margret is her usual perky, gyrating self, Van Dyke amply displays his wealth of talents, and Lynde and Stapleton nearly steal the whole production with their hilarious supporting roles. Director George Sidney, who would soon collaborate with the real King in the Presley tour de force VIVA LAS VEGAS, tightens the Broadway original without losing any of its verve and charm to create a rollicking up tempo joyride through a candy-colored early 1960s pop-culture landscape. |