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richardjstanford
Reviews
The Phantom Empire (1935)
The one and only one of its kind
A classic by anybody's standard! Never before and never since has there ever been such a combination of Western, musical, SciFi, comedy and adventure. Truly imaginative. Gene Autry's first starring vehicle. It predates Flash Gordon, Buck Rogers and all the other SciFi serials of the '30s and '40s. And it was no doubt the reason Republic Pictures stuck to the SciFi theme in most of their serial through to the end of their existence. Has to be seen to be believed. An inside joke appeared in Gene Autry's 1941 feature "Sierra Sue" wherein character actress Dorothy Christy, who plays Queen Tika in this serial, says to Autry "I have the feeling we have met somewhere before. Maybe in another world". A true must see for film historians and fan of all ages. Great fun!
The Great Waltz (1938)
One of my absolute all time favorite movies!
A perfect and absolute delight from beginning to end. The great music of Johann Strauss is performed in such beautiful, elaborate settings! MGM reproduced Vienna and the era perfectly. It is too bad this was the only film in which Miliza Korjus appeared. Such a magnificent voice and charming personality! The carriage ride in the Vienna Woods and that final, unbelievable, note she holds for what seems like eternity are never to be forgotten. Luise Rainer is wonderful and could always convey such emotion without ever uttering a word. Perfect casting, with so many great character actors in supporting roles.
Every Sunday (1936)
A great snapshot of film history
We are very fortunate to have such historic pieces of film preserved. Deanna and Judy captured on film at the very beginning of their individual spectacular careers. Two diverse voices blended in a brief eleven minutes. Many other ledgendary performers were filmed at the outset of sound, and these may be the only records in existance of their performances. Living history.