List of the Reviewed Movies from A to Z

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Crossfire (1947)

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Crossfire is an interesting movie for two reasons: the first one is that it is the first B movie to receive an Oscar nomination for Best Picture; the second one is that it is a social message film and a noir thriller at the same time. Nowadays, it's a rarely remembered movie but to be fair a certain importance should be acknowledged to it, because it is an example of how a relatively low-budget film can still be stylistically and aesthetically remarkable and also because of its attempt to treat a socially significant matter within the story of a murder mystery. That said, it's not a movie that achieves everything it sets out for itself and it's also one that has clearly suffered from the passing of the years. But its ambition is still worthy of praise and respect. The story begins with the beating and killing of Joseph Samuels (Sam Levene) at the hands of two men in his own apartment. Samuels, a discharged soldier, was a Jew. Police captain Finlay (Robert Young) is...
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A Farewell to Arms (1932)

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Ernest Hemingway was one of the greatest American writers of all time. He had a gift for vivid descriptions, a talent for conveying complex and layered thoughts with a clear, simple language and a profound ability to observe human behaviors and feelings. That said, adapting his work to the screen is incredibly difficult: Hemingway's novels are full of personal, intimate reflections that carry the meaning of the whole story. In a movie, it's difficult to translate those inner thoughts in a way that does not appear didactic or excessively expository, but, on the other hand, removing them means getting rid of the thematic complexity of the author's work. Unfortunately, this is the case of A Farewell to Arms , Frank Borzage's adaptation of the 1929 novel. Hemingway himself hated the movie, and it's not hard to see why: the novel, a masterpiece, was a powerful, thoughtful meditation on values such as honor, bravery and love and a devastating depiction of a world tor...
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Casque d'Or (1952)

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In an unspecified year in the era of the Belle Epòque, a lonesome carpenter is standing in an inn near Paris. He is raptured by the beauty of a blonde woman, who is dancing with another man. The two lock eyes: as she dances, she glances at him with a playful smile and he smiles back. This is the opening of Jacques Becker's Casque d'Or , a film bursting with erotic flame from start to finish.  Georges Manda, the carpenter, is an ex-convict who has decided to start his life over. He is played by Serge Reggiani in a sublime, largely silent portrayal of quiet strength, subtle warmth and profound dignity. Marie, the woman, is a prostitute under the protection of a local criminal named Roland (William Sabatier, effective at portraying his character's vile, pathetic nature). She is played by Simone Signoret, whose incandescent, rightfully iconic performance earned her a well-deserved BAFTA for Best Foreign Actress. Roland becomes jealous of the growing attraction between ...
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