Back Roads 1981  R, 94 min.
Genre: Comedy / Romance
Director: Martin Ritt
Cast: Sally Field, Tommy Lee Jones, David Keith, Miriam Colon, M. Emmet Walsh, Michael V. Gazzo, Dan Shor, Nell Carter, Barbara Babcock, Alex Colon, Lee de Broux, Ralph Seymour, Royce D. Applegate, Bruce M. Fischer, John Dennis Johnston
Amy Post (Sally Field) is a prostitute who teams up with unemployed boxer Elmore Pratt (Tommy Lee Jones). The two become traveling companions and leave their dead-end lives in Alabama. They hitchhike to California where they hope to better their lives–and along the trek, they find themselves attracted to each other.
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The Black Orchid 1958  N/R, 95 min.
Genre: Drama
Director: Martin Ritt
Cast: Sophia Loren, Anthony Quinn, Peter Mark Richman, Virginia Vincent, Frank Puglia, Jimmy Baird, Naomi Stevens, Whit Bissell, Ina Balin, Robert Carricart, Joe Di Reda, Jack Washburn, Lili Valenty, Nina Varela, Fank Yaconelli
The Black Orchid is Rose Bianco (Sophia Loren), a gangster's widow, who strives for a chance for happiness with widower Frank Valente (Anthony Quinn).
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The Brotherhood 1968   PG-13, 96 min.
Genre: Drama
Director: Martin Ritt
Cast: Kirk Douglas, Alex Cord, Irene Papas, Luther Adler, Susan Strasberg, Murray Hamilton, Eduardo Ciannelli, Joe De Santis, Val Avery, Alan Hewitt, Connie Scott, Val Bisoglio, Barry Primus, Louis Badolati, Michele Cimarosa
Frank Ginetta (Kirk Douglas) is an old-line Mafioso on the board of the New York syndicate. Frank's younger brother, Vince (Alex Cord), enters the scene and has many new ideas to modernize the operation. When Frank doesn't go along with Vince's plans, Vince tries to get his father-in-law Dominick Bertolo (Luther Adler) to encourage mob members to rebel. Frank has Bertolo killed, and now Vince gets the assignment to kill Frank. 1 User Review
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| | A movie I have not seen for more than a decade | Anonymous 11/20/2009 | | This is one of the best movies I have ever seen. It is sad that it is one of those movies that is hard to find on DVD so a person can watch it at their pleasure. |
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Casey's Shadow 1978 PG, 116 min.
Genre: Family
Director: Martin Ritt
Cast: Walter Matthau, Alexis Smith, Robert Webber, Murray Hamilton, Andrew A. Rubin, Steve Burns, Harry Caesar, Joel Fluellen, Whit Bissell
Lloyd Bourdelle (Walter Matthau) is a widower who trains horses for a living and manages to raise his kids alone. He owns a quarter horse that he plans to race at Ruidoso, New Mexico but must contend with those who want to get the rights to his horse.
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Conrack 1974  PG, 107 min.
Genre: Drama
Director: Martin Ritt
Cast: Jon Voight, Paul Winfield, Hume Cronyn, Madge Sinclair, Tina Andrews, Antonio Fargas, Ruth Attaway, James O'Rear, MacArthur Nelson, William Hunter III, Kathy Turner, LaCrisia Hardee
Based on Pat Conroy's book "The River is Wide," this story involves young Pat Conroy's (Jon Voight) experiences when he goes to an isolated island off the South Carolina Coast where he is assigned a teaching job in 1967. Conroy soon discovers that most of his Black students are either illiterate or retarded, but, unlike his fellow teachers, he steps up to the plate and teaches his students useful lessons that will help them in life.
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Cross Creek 1983 PG, 120 min.
Genre: Drama
Director: Martin Ritt
Cast: Mary Steenburgen, Peter Coyote, Dana Hill, Rip Torn, Alfre Woodard, Joanna Miles, Ike Eisenmann, Jay O. Sanders, Malcolm McDowell, Cary Guffey, Toni Hudson, Bo Rucker, John Hammond, Tommy Alford, C.T. Wakefield
The Florida backwoods home of "The Yearling" author Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings (Mary Steenburgen) and her life prior to publishing her first novel are the basis for this story. Rawlings leaves her husband and moves to a Florida orange grove where she begins life anew hoping to find needed peace to write her story. Among her new-found friends are her servant Geechee (Alfre Woodard), her lover Norton (Peter Coyote), and father and daughter Marsh and Ellie Turner (Rip Torn and Dana Hill)–all of whom give her the inspiration to write her novel. The film received four Academy Award nominations including Torn for Best Supporting Actor and Woodard for Best Supporting Actress.
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Edge of the City 1957  N/R, 86 min.
Genre: Drama
Director: Martin Ritt
Cast: John Cassavetes, Sidney Poitier, Jack Warden, Kathleen Maguire, Ruby Dee, Robert F. Simon, Ruth White, Val Avery, John Kellogg, David Clarke, William A. Lee, Estelle Hemsley, Mike Dana, Roy Glenn, Ralph Bell
Longshoremen–cohorts Axel North (John Cassavetes) and Army deserter Tommy Tyler (Sidney Poitier)–confront their bullying, racist supervisor Charles Malik (Jack Warden). The result is death for Tyler. The police investigate, but North, who knows that Malik killed Tyler, keeps silent. It isn't until later that North challenges Malik to a showdown in a one-on-one fight to avenge Tyler's death. 1 User Review
| User Review |
| | Anonymous 12/30/2011 | | Correction to the plot summary: Cassavetes's character was the troubled army deserter. Poitier was the role model family man who goes to bat repeatedly for his friend. |
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End of the Game 1976 PG, 106 min.
Genre: Mystery
aka: Getting Away with Murder
Director: Maximilian Schell
Cast: Jon Voight, Jacqueline Bisset, Martin Ritt, Robert Shaw, Helmut Qualtinger, Gabriele Ferzetti, Norbert Schiller, Lil Dagover, Donald Sutherland
Swiss detective Hans Baerlach (Martin Ritt) has been on the trail of Richard Gastmann (Robert Shaw). Now, as he closes in, the waters become murky, and things are not always as clear as they seem.
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The Front 1976 PG, 95 min.
Genre: Comedy / Drama
Director: Martin Ritt
Cast: Woody Allen, Zero Mostel, Michael Murphy, Andrea Marcovicci, Herschel Bernardi, Remak Ramsay, Josef Sommer, Lloyd Gough, David Margulies, Danny Aiello, Marvin Lichterman, Joshua Shelley, Norman Rose, Charles Kimbrough, Georgann Johnson
The 1950s' black-listing of suspected Communists in the Hollywood film industry is the focus of this film. Howard Prince (Woody Allen) must deal with his conscience when he agrees to pass off his friends' scripts as his own because of their black-listed status.
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 The Great White Hope 1970 PG-13, 102 min.
Genre: Drama
Director: Martin Ritt
Cast: James Earl Jones, Jane Alexander, Lou Gilbert, Joel Fluellen, Chester Morris, Robert Webber, R.G. Armstrong, Hal Holbrook, Beah Richards, Moses Gunn
This film provides an insightful look at Jack Jefferson (James Earl Jones), the first black Heavyweight Champion of the World, and the racial prejudice he found surrounding his position. Both Jones and Jane Alexander received Oscar nominations.
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Hemingway's Adventures of a Young Man 1962 N/R, 145 min.
Genre: Adventure / Drama / Romance
aka: Adventures of a Young Man
Director: Martin Ritt
Cast: Richard Beymer, Arthur Kennedy, Jessica Tandy, Susan Strasberg, Paul Newman, Simon Oakland, Diane Baker, Eli Wallach, Dan Dailey, Ricardo Montalban, Corinne Calvet, Fred Clark, James Dunn, Juano Hernandez, Michael J. Pollard
Combining 10 of Ernest Hemingway's short stories, this is the tale of Michigan born and bred Nick Adams (Richard Beymer). Nick leaves his parents' (Arthur Kennedy and Jessica Tandy) home and tries, but fails, to get his desired job as a news reporter in New York City. He enlists in the Italian army during World War I and is taken under the wing of hospital orderly John (Eli Wallach). Nick falls in love with nurse Rosanna (Susan Strasberg) who tragically dies in an air raid. Through all the suffering, Nick finally attains maturity as a responsible man.
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Hombre 1967  N/R, 111 min.
Genre: Action / Western
Director: Martin Ritt
Cast: Paul Newman, Fredric March, Richard Boone, Diane Cilento, Cameron Mitchell, Barbara Rush, Skip Ward, Margaret Blye, Martin Balsam, Frank Silvera, Peter Lazer, Val Avery, David Canary, Larry Ward, Linda Cordova
In this well-acted and entertaining film, John "Hombre" Russell (Paul Newman) is a White man raised by Apaches. He inherits property in the city and travels by stagecoach to trade the property. Passengers on the stagecoach, including Dr. Alex Faver (Fredric March) and his wife Audra (Barbara Rush), exhibit racial bias and force John to ride on top of the stagecoach. Cicero Grimes (Richard Boone) leads his bandits on a raid of the stagecoach, and they take Audra hostage. Now, it is only John who performs the ultimate sacrifice in leading the passengers to safety and rescuing Audra. 1 User Review
| User Review |
| | stewman 09/27/2011 | | Excellent movie gripping and well acted study of human nature and behavior. Surprising ending. |
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Hud 1963 N/R, 112 min.
Genre: Drama / Western
Director: Martin Ritt
Cast: Paul Newman, Melvyn Douglas, Patricia Neal, Brandon DeWilde, Whit Bissell, John Ashley, Val Avery, Crahan Denton, Yvette Vickers, Curt Conway, George Petrie, Pitt Herbert, Sheldon Allman, Carl Low, Robert Hinkle
Cattle rancher Hud (Paul Newman) wants profits in oil and tries to talk his father (Melvyn Douglas) into turning the ranch into an oil field. Alma (Patricia Neal) watches as Hud tries to coerce his father and tries to ward him off when Hud drunkenly propositions her. Neal won the Best Actress Oscar, and Douglas won for Best Supporting Actor. The film also won for Cinematography and received for other nominations, including Best Actor and Director.
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The Long, Hot Summer 1958  N/R, 115 min.
Genre: Drama
Director: Martin Ritt
Cast: Paul Newman, Joanne Woodward, Anthony Franciosa, Orson Welles, Lee Remick, Angela Lansbury, Richard Anderson, Mabel Albertson, J. Pat O'Malley, Val Avery, Sarah Marshall, William Walker, George Dunn, Jess Kirkpatrick, I. Stanford Jolley
Drifter Ben Quick (Paul Newman) arrives in town and changes the lives of the Varner family. Big Daddy Varner (Orson Welles) recognizes that Ben Quick is a man to be reckoned with; however, daughter Clara (Joanne Woodward) is attracted to Quick. Weak son Jody (Tony Franciosa) is jealous of Quick's decisiveness. It all makes for one long, HOT summer.
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The Molly Maguires 1970 PG, 125 min.
Genre: Drama
Director: Martin Ritt
Cast: Sean Connery, Richard Harris, Samantha Eggar, Anthony Zerbe, Art Lund, Frank Finlay, Bethel Leslie, John Alderson, Anthony Costello, Philip Bourneuf, Brendan Dillon, Frances Heflin, Malachy McCourt, Susan Goodman, Chuck Hicks
This film is based on the true story of Irish emigrants who settled in Pennsylvania and worked in coal mines during the 1800s. The miners form a secret group, the "Molly Maguires" whose aim is to correct abuse in the mines. Jack Kehoe (Sean Connery) serves as their leader, and sabotage and murder are how they fight the mine owners. The owners hire Pinkerton detective James McParlan (Richard Harris) to go undercover, infiltrate the Molly Maguires, and report on their activities. McParlan does get first-hand information and begins to understand that the Molly Maguires are protesting truly miserable conditions and exploitation in the mines. Now, McParlan's loyalties become divided between the mine owners who hired him and the struggling miners.
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Murphy's Romance 1985 PG-13, 107 min.
Genre: Drama
Director: Martin Ritt
Cast: Sally Field, James Garner, Brian Kerwin, Corey Haim, Dennis Burkley, Georgann Johnson, Dortha Duckworth, Charles(2) Lane, Bruce French, Henry Slate
This is a delightful tale about a love triangle. Sally Field is a determined divorcee who is trying to make a living with her children. She meets the town's pharmacist (James Garner) and just when romance seems to blossom, her ex-husband (Brian Kerwin) appears back in the picture. Field and Garner make a charming couple in this movie and Garner received and Oscar nomination.
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No Down Payment 1957 N/R, 105 min.
Genre: Drama
Director: Martin Ritt
Cast: Joanne Woodward, Sheree North, Tony Randall, Jeffrey Hunter, Cameron Mitchell, Patricia Owens, Barbara Rush, Pat Hingle, Jim Hayward, Mimi Gibson
The explosion of suburban populations and alienation from traditional family relationships in the 1950s are examined through a look at several couples living in their new look-alike homes.
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Norma Rae 1979 PG, 113 min.
Genre: Drama
Director: Martin Ritt
Cast: Sally Field, Ron Leibman, Beau Bridges, Pat Hingle, Barbara Baxley, Gail Strickland, Morgan Paull, Noble Willingham, Lonny Chapman, John Calvin, Robert Broyles, Booth Colman, Lee de Broux, James Luisi, Vernon Weddle
With encouragement from New York union organizer Ruben (Ron Leibman), Southern textile worker Norma Rae (Sally Field) tries to unionize her work place. Problems arise at home because Norma Rae's husband, Sonny (Beau Bridges), becomes jealous and suspects a romance is taking place between Norma Rae and Ruben. Based on a true story. Sally Field won the Oscar for Best Actress, and an Oscar was also won for Best Song ("It Goes Like It Goes"). The film was nominated for Best Picture.
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Nuts 1987 R, 116 min.
Genre: Drama
Director: Martin Ritt
Cast: Barbra Streisand, Richard Dreyfuss, Maureen Stapleton, Karl Malden, Eli Wallach, Robert Webber, Leslie Nielsen, James Whitmore, William Prince, Dakin Matthews
Claudia Draper (Barbra Streisand) is a prostitute who has killed her customer. The public defender (Richard Dreyfuss) tries to present a defense and give her a right to a fair trial. Meanwhile, her parents want her committed to a mental hospital. 2 User Reviews
| User Reviews |
| | Anonymous 05/29/2012 | | Well worth watching. A great drama and excellent acting |
| | Cindy 09/17/2011 | | This is one of the best movies I've ever seen. Watch it over and over again. Would love to find another tape, mine wore out. |
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The Outrage 1964 N/R, 95 min.
Genre: Western / Drama
Director: Martin Ritt
Cast: Paul Newman, Laurence Harvey, Claire Bloom, Edward G. Robinson, William Shatner, Howard Da Silva, Albert Salmi, Paul Fix, Thomas Chalmers
After Col. Wakefield (Laurence Harvey) is killed and his wife Nina (Claire Bloom) is raped, Mexican bandit Juan Carrasco (Paul Newman) is accused of the crime. Events surrounding the horror are related differently by Nina, Carrasco, and an Indian (Paul Fix) who found Wakefield dying. A preacher (William Shatner) and a prospector (Howard Da Silva) tell the story–shown through flashbacks–to a con-man (Edward G. Robinson) while they wait at a train station, and finally the truth is revealed.
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Paris Blues 1961 N/R, 98 min.
Genre: Drama / Musical
Director: Martin Ritt
Cast: Paul Newman, Joanne Woodward, Sidney Poitier, Louis Armstrong, Diahann Carroll, Serge Reggiani, Barbara Laage, Andre Luguet, Marie Versini, Moustache, Aaron Bridgers, Guy Pedersen, Helene Dieudonne, Niko, Dominique Zardi
American ex-patriots Ram Bowen (Paul Newman) and Eddie Cook (Sidney Poitier) are jazz musicians living in Paris after World War II. They meet American tourists Lillian (Joanne Woodward) and Connie (Diahann Carroll) and fall in love. Connie convinces Eddie to return to America with her and face his fears of racism. Ram, on the other hand, has last minute doubts about leaving Paris and tells Lillian at the train station that he will not be joining her in America. Backed by Duke Ellington's jazz score, the music includes "Take the A Train," "Sophisticated Lady," "Mood Indigo," "Paris Stairs," and "Nite." The film was nominated for an Oscar for Best Musical Score.
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Pete 'N' Tillie 1972 PG, 100 min.
Genre: Drama
Director: Martin Ritt
Cast: Walter Matthau, Carol Burnett, Geraldine Page, Barry Nelson, Rene Auberjonois, Lee Montgomery, Henry Jones, Kent Smith, Whit Bissell, Philip Bourneuf
This combination of comedy and drama is based on the Peter De Vries novel "Witch's Milk" and stars Walter Matthau as bachelor Pete who marries Tillie (Carol Burnett). They suffer the tragedy of the death of their nine-year-old son but finally rekindle their love. Geraldine Page received an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress).
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The Slugger's Wife 1985  PG-13, 105 min.
Genre: Comedy / Musical / Romance
aka: Neil Simon's The Slugger's Wife
Director: Hal Ashby
Cast: Michael O'Keefe, Rebecca De Mornay, Martin Ritt, Randy Quaid, Cleavant Derricks, Lisa Langlois, Loudon Wainwright III, Georgann Johnson, Danny Tucker, Lynn Whitfield, Al Garrison, NiCandra Hood, Ginger Taylor, Kay McClelland, Julie Kemp
Atlanta Braves power-hitter Darryl Palmer (Michael O'Keefe) falls in love with and marries rock singer Debby (Rebecca De Mornay). But almost immediately, a clash in their careers looms when Darryl finds that he can't hit when Debby is not present, and she feels trapped with no time for the music business.
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The Sound and the Fury 1959 N/R, 110 min.
Genre: Drama
Director: Martin Ritt
Cast: Yul Brynner, Joanne Woodward, Margaret Leighton, Stuart Whitman, Ethel Waters, Jack Warden, Albert Dekker, Francoise Rosay, John Beal, Stephen Perry, William Gunn, Roy Glenn, Thaddeus Jones, Esther Dale, Jean Carson
This is the film adaptation of William Faulkner's novel about the Comptons–a Southern family that has seen better days. Jason (Yul Brynner) and Quentin (Joanne Woodward) try to keep the family together but have problems dealing with alcoholic Howard (John Beal), Ben (Jack Warden) who has never grown up, and Caddy (Margaret Leighton) who has returned home after many years.
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Sounder 1972 G, 105 min.
Genre: Family / Drama
Director: Martin Ritt
Cast: Cicely Tyson, Paul Winfield, Kevin Hooks, Taj Mahal, Carmen Mathews, James Best, Janet MacLachlan, Sylvia Kuumba Williams, Eric Hooks, Yvonne Jarrell, Teddy Airhart, Richard Durham, Myrl Sharkey, Inez Dunham, William T. Bennett
Set during 1933 in Louisiana, this is an uplifting story about a Black sharecropper, Nathan Morgan (Paul Winfield), who is sent to jail on a false charge. His wife, Rebecca (Cicely Tyson), manages to keep the family together until Nathan's return. Academy Award nominations were received for Best Picture, Actor (Winfield) and Actress (Tyson).
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The Spy Who Came in from the Cold 1965 N/R, 112 min.
Genre: Drama / Thriller
Director: Martin Ritt
Cast: Richard Burton, Claire Bloom, Oskar Werner, Peter van Eyck, Sam Wanamaker, George Voskovec, Rupert Davies, Cyril Cusack, Michael Hordern, Bernard Lee, Robert Handy, Esmond Knight, Niall MacGinnis, Beatrix Lehmann, Tom Stern
Alec Leamas (Richard Burton) is a disillusioned British spy in Berlin and tries to ruin the career of a dangerous spy, Hans-Dieter Mundt (Peter van Eyck), who serves the Secret Service of East Germany. Leamas' method is to infiltrate the East German organization. This is a good account of John Le Carre's book, and Burton received an Oscar nomination for Best Actor.
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Stanley & Iris 1989 PG-13, 104 min.
Genre: Drama / Romance
Director: Martin Ritt
Cast: Jane Fonda, Robert De Niro, Swoosie Kurtz, Martha Plimpton, Harley Cross, Jamey Sheridan, Feodor Chaliapin Jr., Zohra Lampert, Loretta Devine, Julie Garfield, Karen Ludwig, Kathy Kinney, Laurel Lyle, Mary Testa, Katherine Cortez
A newly widowed, bakery worker, Iris Estelle King (Jane Fonda), realizes that the cook, Stanley Everett Cox (Robert De Niro), is illiterate. She helps him learn to read, and romance blooms as both of their lives are improved.
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| 1. Back Roads (1981)
2. The Black Orchid (1958)
3. The Brotherhood (1968)
4. Casey's Shadow (1978)
5. Conrack (1974)
6. Cross Creek (1983)
7. Edge of the City (1957)
8. End of the Game (1976)
aka: Getting Away with Murder
9. The Front (1976)
10. The Great White Hope (1970)
11. Hemingway's Adventures of a Young Man (1962)
aka: Adventures of a Young Man
12. Hombre (1967)
13. Hud (1963)
14. The Long, Hot Summer (1958)
15. The Molly Maguires (1970)
16. Murphy's Romance (1985)
17. No Down Payment (1957)
18. Norma Rae (1979)
19. Nuts (1987)
20. The Outrage (1964)
21. Paris Blues (1961)
22. Pete 'N' Tillie (1972)
23. The Slugger's Wife (1985)
aka: Neil Simon's The Slugger's Wife
24. The Sound and the Fury (1959)
25. Sounder (1972)
26. The Spy Who Came in from the Cold (1965)
27. Stanley & Iris (1989)
In The News
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