Barabbas 1962  N/R, 144 min.
Genre: Adventure / Drama
Director: Richard Fleischer
Cast: Anthony Quinn, Arthur Kennedy, Ernest Borgnine, Silvana Mangano, Jack Palance, Katy Jurado, Harry Andrews, Vittorio Gassman, Valentina Cortese, Douglas Fowley, Norman Wooland, Michael Gwynn, Roy Magnano
This is the story of Barabbas (Anthony Quinn), the thief who Pontius Pilate (Arthur Kennedy) tried along with Jesus and allowed to escape crucifixion. After being released, the guilt-ridden Barabbas goes through many ordeals searching for meaning in his life and, finally, becomes a follower of Christ. The script and cast are good in this religious epic.
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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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The Fall of the Roman Empire 1964 N/R, 175 min.
Genre: Adventure / Drama
Director: Anthony Mann
Cast: Alec Guinness, Sophia Loren, Stephen Boyd, James Mason, Christopher Plummer, Anthony Quayle, John Ireland, Mel Ferrer, Omar Sharif, Eric Porter, Finlay Currie, Andrew Keir, Douglas Wilmer, George Murcell, Norman Wooland
Marcus Aurelius (Alec Guinness) rules the Roman Empire and tells his daughter Lucilla (Sophia Loren) that he has chosen his adopted son Livius (Stephen Boyd) to inherit the throne instead of the legal heir Commodus (Christopher Plummer). After Marcus Aurelius is murdered, Commodus claims the throne. Lucilla wants Livius to claim the throne, but her pleas to him fall on deaf ears. Meanwhile, Commodus is wreaking havoc and murdering anyone who poses a threat to his rule. Now he sees Lucilla as a threat and orders her death. This time, Livius does come to her rescue, slays Commodus, and brings an end to his evil rule.
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 Hamlet 1948   N/R, 153 min.
Genre: Drama
Director: Laurence Olivier
Cast: Laurence Olivier, Basil Sydney, Eileen Herlie, Jean Simmons, Felix Aylmer, Norman Wooland, Terence Morgan, Peter Cushing, Stanley Holloway, John Laurie, Esmond Knight, Anthony Quayle, Niall MacGinnis, Harcourt Williams, Christopher Lee
This film represents Laurence Olivier at his best starring as the melancholy Dane, Prince Hamlet. Soon after his father's death, Hamlet's mother, Queen Gertrude (Eileen Herlie), marries her brother-in-law Claudius (Basil Sydney). Now his father's ghost returns to speak to Hamlet and tells him that his own brother Claudius murdered him. He wants Hamlet to be kind to Gertrude but to kill Claudius. Hamlet vows to avenge his death and fakes madness to accomplish that goal. His acts lead to the end of several lives–including Claudius, Gertrude, Hamlet's chief counselor Polonius (Felix Almer) and Polonius' daughter Ophelia (Jean Simmons) who loves Hamlet, and, finally, Hamlet. There was a well-deserved Best Actor Oscar presented to Olivier. The film also won Oscars for Best Picture, Art Direction/Set Decoration, and Costume Design. Olivier also received a nomination for Best Director, and Simmons was nominated for Best Supporting Actress.
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 Ivanhoe 1952 N/R, 106 min.
Genre: Action / Adventure / Drama / Romance
aka: Sir Walter Scott's Ivanhoe
Director: Richard Thorpe
Cast: Robert Taylor, Elizabeth Taylor, Joan Fontaine, George Sanders, Emlyn Williams, Robert Douglas, Finlay Currie, Felix Aylmer, Sebastian Cabot, Francis De Wolff, Norman Wooland, Basil Sydney, Harold Warrender, Patrick Holt, Guy Rolfe
Ivanhoe (Robert Taylor) is a knight whose quest is to save King Richard the Lionhearted (Norman Wooland) who has been captured during his return home from the Crusades. King Richard is imprisoned in Austria, and Ivanhoe plans to enter a tournament to raise ransom money to rescue him when Ivanhoe's evil brother Prince John (Guy Rolfe) refuses to pay for Richard's release. The lovely Rebecca (Elizabeth Taylor) pays Ivanhoe's entry fee for the tournament because Ivanhoe had rescued her Jewish father Isaac (Felix Aylmer) from the anti-Semites. But, Prince John's cohort De Bois-Guilbert (George Sanders) wants Rebecca for himself and kidnaps her. Action and chivalry abound, and, by story's end, good overtakes evil.
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Madeleine 1950 N/R, 101 min.
Genre: Drama
aka: The Strange Case of Madeleine
Director: David Lean
Cast: Ann Todd, Norman Wooland, Ivan Desny, Leslie Banks, Elizabeth Sellars, Edward Chapman, Barbara Everest, Andre Morell, Barry Jones, Anthony Newley, Patricia Raine, Eugene Deckers, Susan Stranks, Ivor Barnard, John Laurie
Madeleine Smith (Ann Todd) was a 19th-century Scottish woman who was accused and put on trial for poisoning her French lover Emile L'Anglier (Ivan Desny) in 1857. The trial is reenacted in this interesting film that leaves the audience guessing. Based on a true story.
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No Road Back 1957  N/R, 83 min.
Genre: Drama
Director: Montgomery Tully
Cast: Skip Homeier, Paul Carpenter, Patricia Dainton, Norman Wooland, Margaret Rawlings, Sean Connery, Alfie Bass, Eleanor Summerfield, Robert Bruce, Thomas Gallagher, Philip Ray, Ricky Arden
A young man is framed for a crime after his blind and deaf mother has become involved with underworld elements. Sean Connery's feature film debut.
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Quo Vadis 1951  N/R, 171 min.
Genre: Drama / Romance
Director: Mervyn LeRoy
Cast: Robert Taylor, Deborah Kerr, Leo Genn, Peter Ustinov, Patricia Laffan, Finlay Currie, Abraham Sofaer, Buddy Baer, Felix Aylmer, Marina Berti, Nora Swinburne, Ralph Truman, Norman Wooland, Peter Miles, Geoffrey Dunn
One of MGM's biggest productions at the time, "Quo Vadis," stars Peter Ustinov as the Roman Emperor Nero. Robert Taylor plays the Roman warrior, Marcus Vinicius, who loves the beautiful Christian, Lygia (Deborah Kerr), but, at first, she wants nothing to do with a soldier. As time passes, Marcus converts to Christianity, and Lygia falls in love with him. Meanwhile, Nero's actions against the Christians becomes more violent as he burns Rome and then throws the Christians to the lions. Nero's former aide Petronius (Leo Genn) posthumously delivers the final insult to Nero. The film received eight Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture and two for Best Supporting Actor (Leo Genn and Peter Ustinov).
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Richard III 1955 N/R, 158 min.
Genre: Drama
Director: Laurence Olivier
Cast: Laurence Olivier, Claire Bloom, John Gielgud, Ralph Richardson, Cedric Hardwicke, Clive Morton, Mary Kerridge, Pamela Brown, Stanley Baker, Michael Gough, Nicholas Hannen, Helen Haye, Laurence Naismith, Norman Wooland, John Laurie
You cannot go wrong with this Shakespearean effort directed by and starring Laurence Olivier. This is the dark tale of ruthless Richard III (Olivier), murdering his way to his brother Edward's (Cedric Hardwicke) throne of England. Richard does become king but then must deal with Henry Tudor (Stanley Baker) and defend his realm at the Battle of Bosworth. At the battle field, Richard cries out, "A horse! A horse! My kingdom for a horse!" just before he is struck down. Olivier was nominated for a Best Actor Academy Award.
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| 1. Barabbas (1962)
2. Escape (1948)
3. The Fall of the Roman Empire (1964)
4. Hamlet (1948)
5. Ivanhoe (1952)
aka: Sir Walter Scott's Ivanhoe
6. Madeleine (1950)
aka: The Strange Case of Madeleine
7. No Road Back (1957)
8. Quo Vadis (1951)
9. Richard III (1955)
10. Romeo and Juliet (1954)
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