 All About Eve 1950  N/R, 138 min.
Genre: Drama
Director: Joseph L. Mankiewicz
Cast: Bette Davis, Anne Baxter, George Sanders, Celeste Holm, Gary Merrill, Thelma Ritter, Marilyn Monroe, Hugh Marlowe, Gregory Ratoff, Barbara Bates, Walter Hampden, Randy Stuart, Craig Hill
This Oscar winner for Best Picture, Director, Supporting Actor (George Sanders), and three other awards tells the story of young actress Eve's (Anne Baxter) attempts to reach stardom without paying her dues by joining a group of famous Broadway types. A candid and humorous look at New York theater is the result. Bette Davis: "Fasten your seatbelts. It's going to be a bumpy ride." The film also received eight other Oscar nominations including two for Best Actress (Bette Davis and Anne Baxter) and two for Supporting Actress (Celeste Holm and Thelma Ritter). The 14 total nominations tied 1997's "Titanic" as the most received by any film.
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The Barefoot Contessa 1954  N/R, 128 min.
Genre: Drama
Director: Joseph L. Mankiewicz
Cast: Humphrey Bogart, Ava Gardner, Edmond O'Brien, Marius Goring, Rossano Brazzi, Valentina Cortese, Elizabeth Sellars, Warren Stevens, Franco Interlenghi, Bessie Love, Mari Aldon, Diana Decker, Bill Fraser
Through flashbacks from her graveside, friends (Humphrey Bogart and Edmond O'Brien) tell the story of film star Maria Vargus (Ava Gardner) and her rise and fall. Edmond O'Brien won an Oscar as Best Supporting Actor.
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 Cleopatra 1963  G, 245 min.
Genre: Drama / Romance
Director: Joseph L. Mankiewicz
Cast: Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, Rex Harrison, Martin Landau, Pamela Brown, Roddy McDowall, Michael Hordern, George Cole, Hume Cronyn, Cesare Danova, Kenneth Haigh, Andrew Keir, Robert Stephens, Francesca Annis, Gregoire Aslan
This film stars Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton as Cleopatra and Marc Antony, but the film is more famous for the off-screen romance of the two stars. Cleopatra is queen of Egypt and uses her wiles to begin an affair with Roman emperor Julius Caesar (Rex Harrison) in order to gain power to retain her empire. When Caesar is killed in the Roman Senate, Cleopatra seduces Roman general Marc Antony planning to make him her protector. But, Marc Antony is defeated at the Battle of Actium, and the doomed lovers meet for the last time. The film won four Oscars (Best Cinematography, Art Direction, Costume, and Special Visual Effects) and had five nominations including Best Picture and Actor (Harrison).
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Dragonwyck 1946 N/R, 103 min.
Genre: Drama / Mystery / Thriller / Romance
Director: Joseph L. Mankiewicz
Cast: Gene Tierney, Walter Huston, Vincent Price, Glenn Langan, Anne Revere, Spring Byington, Harry Morgan, Jessica Tandy, Connie Marshall, Vivienne Osborne, Trudy Marshall, Trevor Bardette, Addison Richards, Grady Sutton, Jane Nigh
This film marks Joseph L. Mankiewicz's directorial debut and is based on Anya Seton's best-selling novel. The Gothic suspense story features Gene Tierney as Miranda, a governess who marries her rich cousin, Nicholas Van Ryn (Vincent Price). After the wedding, young Dr. Jeff Turner (Glenn Langan) becomes suspicious that Nicholas murdered his first wife in order to marry Miranda. And the mystery deepens.
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Escape 1948 N/R, 79 min.
Genre: Drama
Director: Joseph L. Mankiewicz
Cast: Rex Harrison, Peggy Cummins, William Hartnell, Norman Wooland, Betty Ann Davies, Jill Esmond, Frederick Piper, Cyril Cusack, Maurice Denham, Marjorie Rhodes
Rex Harrison plays the role of a former RAF commander who is sent to prison unjustly–in his opinion. This is a gripping tale of how he comes to terms with himself.
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Five Fingers 1952  N/R, 108 min.
Genre: Mystery
Director: Joseph L. Mankiewicz
Cast: James Mason, Danielle Darrieux, Michael Rennie, Walter Hampden, Oscar Karlweis, Herbert Berghof, John Wengraf, Nestor Paiva, Michael Pate, Richard Loo
Based on a true story of World War II German spy Ulysses Diello (whose code name was Cicero (James Mason)), this is a great thriller. Stationed in Turkey, Cicero's mission was to gain information from documents in the British Embassy.
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The Ghost and Mrs. Muir 1947  N/R, 104 min.
Genre: Comedy
Director: Joseph L. Mankiewicz
Cast: Gene Tierney, Rex Harrison, George Sanders, Edna Best, Vanessa Brown, Anna Lee, Robert Coote, Natalie Wood, Isobel Elsom, Victoria Horne
When widowed Mrs. Muir (Gene Tierney) and her small family move into Gull Cottage, they find it is already inhabited–by the ghost of sea Captain Daniel Gregg (Rex Harrison). Although she thinks she is in love with Miles Fairley (George Sanders), it is really the captain with whom Mrs. Muir is destined to become a soul mate.
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 Guys and Dolls 1955 N/R, 150 min.
Genre: Musical / Comedy / Romance
Director: Joseph L. Mankiewicz
Cast: Marlon Brando, Jean Simmons, Frank Sinatra, Vivian Blaine, Stubby Kaye, Sheldon Leonard, Regis Toomey, Robert Keith, B.S. Pully, George E. Stone, Johnny Silver, Danny Dayton, Kathryn Givney, Veda Ann Borg, Mary Alan Hokanson
In this Damon Runyon story, gambler Sky Masterson (Marlon Brando) falls in love with Salvation Army worker Sarah Brown (Jean Simmons) after he accepts Nathan Detroit's (Frank Sinatra) bet that he will not be able to convince Sarah to go on a date to Havana with him. Meanwhile, Nathan tries to fend off Miss Adelaide (Vivian Blaine) who wants him to marry her. Songs include "Luck Be a Lady" and "Sit Down, You're rocking the Boat." The film received four Academy Award nominations, including Best Cinematography.
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The Honey Pot 1967 N/R, 131 min.
Genre: Comedy / Drama
aka: It Comes Up Murder
Director: Joseph L. Mankiewicz
Cast: Rex Harrison, Susan Hayward, Cliff Robertson, Capucine, Edie Adams, Maggie Smith, Adolfo Celi, Hugh Manning, David Dodimead, Mimmo Poli, Luigi Scavran
Although he is in perfect health, Cecil Fox (Rex Harrison) feigns a fatal disease and sends his personal secretary William McFly (Cliff Robertson) to invite three of Cecil's previous mistresses–Merle McGill (Edie Adams), Princess Dominique (Capucine), and the very wealthy Mrs. Sheridan (Susan Hayward)–to visit his home. The women come, but Cecil's game proves deadly when Mrs. Sheridan is found murdered. The plot thickens as Inspector Rizzi (Adolfo Celi) arrives on the scene to investigate.
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House of Strangers 1949 N/R, 101 min.
Genre: Drama
Director: Joseph L. Mankiewicz
Cast: Edward G. Robinson, Susan Hayward, Richard Conte, Luther Adler, Efrem Zimbalist Jr., Debra Paget, Hope Emerson, Esther Minciotti, Diana Douglas, Paul Valentine
A banker, Gino Monette (Edward G. Robinson), is the patriarch of his family, and his manipulation of his four sons causes conflicts between them all.
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Julius Caesar 1953 N/R, 120 min.
Genre: Drama
aka: William Shakespeare's Julius Caesar
Director: Joseph L. Mankiewicz
Cast: Louis Calhern, Marlon Brando, James Mason, John Gielgud, Greer Garson, Deborah Kerr, Edmond O'Brien, George Macready, Michael Pate, Richard Hale, Alan Napier, John Hoyt, William Cottrell, Tom Powers, Ian Wolfe
This rendition of Shakespeare's play is excellent. Marlon Brando's performance as Mark Anthony is powerful, and James Mason's portrayal of Brutus is just as good. The film received an Oscar for Art Direction/Set Decoration and had four other nominations, including Best Picture and Actor (Brando).
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The Late George Apley 1947 N/R, 95 min.
Genre: Comedy
Director: Joseph L. Mankiewicz
Cast: Ronald Colman, Peggy Cummins, Vanessa Brown, Richard Haydn, Charles Russell, Richard Ney, Mildred Natwick, Edna Best, Paul Harvey, Nydia Westman
Ronald Colman is excellent in his portrayal of the stuffy, autocratic Bostonian who is determined to rule his roost and maintain his family's social status.
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A Letter to Three Wives 1949 N/R, 103 min.
Genre: Drama
Director: Joseph L. Mankiewicz
Cast: Jeanne Crain, Linda Darnell, Ann Sothern, Kirk Douglas, Paul Douglas, Barbara Lawrence, Jeffrey Lynn, Connie Gilchrist, Florence Bates, Hobart Cavanaugh
Three women receive a letter from their close friend telling them she has run off with one of their husbands. Through flashbacks, the wives review their individual marriages. Joseph L. Mankiewicz won the Academy Award for Best Director, and a nomination was received for Best Picture.
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No Way Out 1950 N/R, 106 min.
Genre: Drama
Director: Joseph L. Mankiewicz
Cast: Richard Widmark, Linda Darnell, Sidney Poitier, Stephen McNally, Ruby Dee, Ossie Davis, Harry Lauter, Stanley Ridges, Will Wright, Jack Kruschen, Mildred Joanne Smith, Harry Bellaver, Dots Johnson, Robert Adler, Ray Teal
Revenge based on racial prejudice is the name of the game in this movie that marks Sidney Poitier's film debut. Poitier plays medical intern Dr. Luther Brooks who is blamed for the death of Ray Biddle's (Richard Widmark) brother George (Harry Bellaver). The Biddle brothers are shot during a robbery and taken to a county hospital. The Biddles are racists, and when Brooks arrives to treat Ray, he refuses treatment because Brooks is Black. George dies while under Brooks' care, and Ray blames Brooks. He calls on his gang to cause violence in the Black neighborhoods, but the Blacks fight back. Ray escapes from the hospital with Brooks as his hostage and plans to kill him. But, Ray's girlfriend Edie steps in and thwarts his plans.
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People Will Talk 1951 N/R, 110 min.
Genre: Comedy
Director: Joseph L. Mankiewicz
Cast: Cary Grant, Jeanne Crain, Finlay Currie, Hume Cronyn, Walter Slezak, Sidney Blackmer, Margaret Hamilton, Will Wright, Katherine Locke, Basil Ruysdael
While under investigation by his colleagues, a doctor (Cary Grant) teaching at the university does not help his case when he marries a young, pregnant woman (Jeanne Crain).
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 The Quiet American 1958 N/R, 120 min.
Genre: Drama / Thriller / Romance
Director: Joseph L. Mankiewicz
Cast: Audie Murphy, Michael Redgrave, Claude Dauphin, Giorgia Moll, Bruce Cabot, Richard Loo, Yoko Tani, Sonia Moser, Fred Sadoff, Kerima, Peter Trent, Georges Brehat, Clinton Anderson, Nguyen Long, C. Long Cuong
Told in flashbacks, this film, based on Graham Greene's novel, stars Audie Murphy as the innocent young American who goes to Vietnam with idealistic plans to help the Vietnamese fight the Communists and the French. He meets embittered British reporter Thomas Fowler (Michael Redgrave) who is living with a beautiful woman, Phuong (Giorgia Moll), and the American falls in love with her. Fowler retaliates, and the American ends up as a pawn whose fate is sealed when Fowler tells the Communists that the American is selling arms to their enemy.
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Sleuth 1972 PG, 137 min.
Genre: Drama / Mystery / Thriller
Director: Joseph L. Mankiewicz
Cast: Laurence Olivier, Michael Caine, Alec Cawthorne, Eve Channing, John Matthews, Teddy Martin
Mystery writer Andrew Wyke (Laurence Olivier) lures British hairdresser Milo Tindle (Michael Caine) to his mansion after learning that his wife Marguerite (Eve Channing) is having an affair with Milo. Andrew suggests that Milo steal Marguerite's jewels to gain wealth needed if he is to marry Marguerite, and then Andrew can put in a claim to his insurance company to balance off the loss. The plot twists and turns delightfully as Andrew and Milo employ mental exercises in one-upmanship on each other. Both Olivier and Caine were nominated for Oscars, as was Director Mankiewicz.
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Somewhere in the Night 1946 N/R, 108 min.
Genre: Drama
Director: Joseph L. Mankiewicz
Cast: John Hodiak, Nancy Guild, Lloyd Nolan, Richard Conte, Josephine Hutchinson, Fritz Kortner, Margo Woode, Sheldon Leonard, Lou Nova, John Russell, Houseley Stevenson, Charles Arnt
Returning home to LA from the World War II battlefront, George W. Taylor (John Hodiak) suffers from amnesia. With only two clues available to uncover his past, George stumbles onto evidence that he is a murder suspect and has stolen millions in cash.
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Suddenly, Last Summer 1959 N/R, 112 min.
Genre: Drama
Director: Joseph L. Mankiewicz
Cast: Elizabeth Taylor, Katharine Hepburn, Montgomery Clift, Mercedes McCambridge, Albert Dekker, Gary Raymond, Mavis Villiers, Joan Young, Patricia Marmont, Maria Britneva
Sebastian was a sensitive, gay poet whose premature death haunts his cousin, Catherine (Elizabeth Taylor). To keep a dark secret, Sebastian's mother (Katharine Hepburn) plots to have a lobotomy performed on Catherine to ensure her loss of memory of the event. Both Taylor and Hepburn received Academy Award nominations as Best Actress for this film.
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There Was a Crooked Man... 1970 R, 125 min.
Genre: Western
Director: Joseph L. Mankiewicz
Cast: Kirk Douglas, Henry Fonda, Hume Cronyn, Warren Oates, Burgess Meredith, John Randolph, Arthur O'Connell, Martin Gabel, Michael Blodgett, Claudia McNeil
When Paris Pittman Jr. (Kirk Douglas) is caught stealing and sent to prison, the warden (Henry Fonda) takes a special interest in him in this Comedy/Western.
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| Oscar: Best Director for A Letter to Three Wives (1949) |
1. All About Eve (1950)
2. The Barefoot Contessa (1954)
3. Cleopatra (1963)
4. Dragonwyck (1946)
5. Escape (1948)
6. Five Fingers (1952)
7. The Ghost and Mrs. Muir (1947)
8. Guys and Dolls (1955)
9. The Honey Pot (1967)
aka: It Comes Up Murder
10. House of Strangers (1949)
11. Julius Caesar (1953)
aka: William Shakespeare's Julius Caesar
12. The Late George Apley (1947)
13. A Letter to Three Wives (1949)
14. No Way Out (1950)
15. People Will Talk (1951)
16. The Quiet American (1958)
17. Sleuth (1972)
18. Somewhere in the Night (1946)
19. Suddenly, Last Summer (1959)
20. There Was a Crooked Man... (1970)
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