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THE MORTAL STORM (dir: Frank Borzage, Not Rated) - Bart says, "I know all of you well enough to know that you better not miss out on this newly-available-on-DVD WWII drama which reunites Margaret Sullavan and Jimmy Stewart the same year they did THE SHOP AROUND THE CORNER. It's an unusual Hollywood film in that it deals with the rise of National Socialism from a German perspective - clearly anti-fascist in sentiment, but willing to demonstrate the appeal of the Nazi Party for so many of them. Stewart's a horse doctor who's rejected by all his friends because he doesn't like Hitler and loves brave 'non-Aryan' (the word 'Jew' is never used) Sullivan. More entertaining than you might expect given the subject matter, you get a touch of romance and fair amount of adventure, including a proto-James Bond downhill ski-chase scene in which Jimmy Stewart is pursued by Nazis with rifles."
FANTASIA (dir: Walt Disney, Not Rated) - Michelle says, "Since we just got in MAKE MINE MUSIC and MELODY TIME, the two follow-ups to this classic, I thought I’d revisit it. As a kid, I was entranced by Mickey in 'The Sorcerer’s Apprentice' on the big screen, the orchestral music of which is still as vivid for me as the army of dancing broomsticks and the terrible, furrowed brow of the sorcerer when he discovers the misadventures of his poor little assistant, ordered to clean instead of play. It captured so well the curiosity, elation, and fear of childhood misbehavior. The rest of the film was a snoozer at the time, aside from the dancing hippos and ostriches, but now I appreciate the highbrow intellectualism it offers kids, introducing them to classical Western music and using animation to tackle complexities like evolution. All of which probably means that I’ll make my kid watch it, and like me he’ll notice none of that, while I feel all self-satisfied for exposing him to high culture. Thanks, Disney."
THE PHILADELPHIA STORY (dir: George Cukor, Not Rated) - Bart says, "This is my favorite movie. I've watched it so many times I don't even know what it's about anymore. I think it might have something to do with how old money doesn't mix with new (or none). But it's really witty and fun and all the stars are at their best, so just watch it."
THE BANK DICK (dir: Edward F. Cline, Not Rated)
THE GRAPES OF WRATH (dir: John Ford, Not Rated)
THE GREAT DICTATOR (dir: Charles Chaplin, Not Rated)
HIS GIRL FRIDAY (dir: Howard Hawks, Not Rated)
THE MARK OF ZORRO (dir: Rouben Mamoulian, Not Rated)
PINOCCHIO (dir: Hamilton Luske / Ben Sharpsteen, Not Rated)
REBECCA (dir: Alfred Hitchcock, Not Rated)
THE SHOP AROUND THE CORNER (dir: Ernst Lubitsch, Not Rated)
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