Gwenn, Edmund

Pride and Prejudice

Jane Austen's wonderful novel has been adapted to the screen many times, with this 1940 version representing the golden age of the Hollywood studio era. Greer Garson, then just on the cusp of her stardom, plays the headstrong Elizabeth Bennet, smartest of five daughters who must be married off. Laurence Olivier is that difficult fellow Mr. Darcy, whose mulishness about the Bennet girls begins to thaw when he gets a dose of Elizabeth's sense and sensibility. The film is done up in the glamorous MGM house style, which means we're stuck with the less-than-inspired direction of Robert Z. Leonard (The Great Ziegfeld), redeemed somewhat by a collection of handsome sets (Cedric Gibbons and Paul Groesse won the Oscar for Interior Decoration) and the dandy photography by Karl Freund, one of the greats. Anyone accustomed to the 1995 miniseries version of Pride and Prejudice will need to adjust to the swifter demands of a two-hour movie, and to be sure this version, like the 2005 Keira Knightley remake, simplifies some of Austen's scenes. It's one of the few films, by the way, with Aldous Huxley as a credited screenwriter. Edmund Gwenn is lovely as Mr. Bennet, and Mary Boland brash as Mrs. Bennet; Garson, although MGM liked to corset her in fine-lady roles, manages to let Elizabeth's sauciness come through. Actually, the movie's weak spot is Laurence Olivier's elaborate performance as Darcy, which feels too theatrical. Not that it matters; Austen's story is so good, the film sails through to its delicious finish with all flags flying. --Robert Horton

The Keys of the Kingdom

When the movie begins Father Francis Chisholm (Peck) is an aging cleric who is about to be forced into retirement. Though he has apparently accomplished little during his career flashbacks reveal his enormous impact on those who knew him. As a young man Chisholm accepts the daunting challenge of running a mission in rural China. Indeed when he arrives he finds he has no church and no congregation. But over the years his honesty generosity and courage win the villagers' respect and slowly his mission prospers. Co-starring Vincent Price as a church official prone to posturing Edmund Gwenn as Chisholm's mentor and Roddy McDowall (who plays Chisholm as a boy) The Keys Of The Kingdom was written by Joseph L. Mankiewicz ("All About Eve") and Nunnally Johnson ("The Grapes of Wrath")> It is the inspiring moving story of one man's effort to serve God without any thought of personal gain or earthly reward.System Requirements:Running Time: 137 minutesFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: DRAMA UPC: 024543239208 Manufacturer No: 2233920

Them!

That ol' cinematic devil the A-bomb has spawned a colony of giant murderous ants bent on destroying humanity in this, the seminal big bug movie (an obvious and oft-credited influence for Alien among countless others). The special effects may be dated, but this brilliantly rational-sounding film has held up wonderfully in all other regards, including some starkly effective location work in the high Arizona desert, a genuinely inspired sound design guaranteed to bring on the creepy-crawlies, and an unexpectedly dry sense of humor (mainly personified by Grade-A egghead scientist Edmund Gwenn). This is essential viewing for all those who consider themselves science fiction or horror fans. Heroic hardcase James Arness previously played for the other team as the titular character in The Thing from Another World. --Andrew Wright

Radiation from bomb tests creates giant, mutant ants that descend upon a town.

Miracle on 34th Street (Special Edition)

Edmund Gwenn is Kris Kringle, who takes a takes a job at Macy's during the Christmas season, only to have his true identity questioned.
Genre: Feature Film Family
Rating: NR
Release Date: 21-NOV-2006
Media Type: DVD

The original 1947 version of this Valentine Davies story follows the misadventures of Kris Kringle (Edmund Gwenn) as he gets a job playing Santa Claus at Macy's department store in New York City. Natalie Wood is the little girl who tells him she doesn't believe in Santa, and Maureen O'Hara and John Payne are the couple who help Kris through a trial in which he must prove he's the jolly fellow from the North Pole. A sweet movie and perennial Christmas favorite, this is one of those movies that gets under your skin and must be revisited every so often. --Tom Keogh

Life with Father

Ah, remember those good old days when father ruled the roost, keeping a tight rein on the money, the kids, and the docile wife? Well, neither does Clarence Day (William Powell), the title character in Life with Father. Taking place in New York in 1883, this charming comedy purports to show the life of a strict father managing his house and his family, only to be constantly--and unknowingly--out-manipulated by his somewhat ditzy wife, Vinnie (Irene Dunne). Day is terrifying enough that maids keep quitting, but Vinnie manages to keep Day under control--that is, until she discovers that he was never baptized. A battle ensues as she desperately tries to ensure that they will one day meet in heaven, and all the while he severely maintains that the church has no business messing with a man's soul. Meanwhile, young Clarence Day Jr. (Jimmy Lydon) is busy falling for visiting Mary Skinner (played gigglingly by Elizabeth Taylor), and his brother John concocts a money-making scheme that involves the selling of a rather dubious potion. The costumes, the characters, and the wonderful story line--based on a play that was based on the memoir written by Clarence Day Jr.--make this a delightful movie that's perfect for a family-film night. --Jenny Brown

Foreign Correspondent

Johnny Jones is an action reporter on a New York newspaper. The editor appoints him European correspondent because he is fed up with the dry reports he currently gets. Jones' first assignment is to get the inside story on a secret treaty agreed between two European countries by the famous diplomat Mr. Van Meer. However things don't go to plan and Jones enlists the help of a young woman to help track down a group of spies.Running Time: 120 min.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: DRAMA UPC: 085393186227

The first of Alfred Hitchcock's World War II features, Foreign Correspondent was completed in 1940, as the European war was only beginning to erupt across national borders. Its titular hero, Johnny Jones (Joel McCrea), is an American crime reporter dispatched by his New York publisher to put a fresh spin on the drowsy dispatches emanating from overseas, his nose for a good story (and, of course, some fortuitous timing) promptly leading him to the "crime" of fascism and Nazi Germany's designs on European conquest.

In attempting to learn more about a seemingly noble peace effort, Jones (who's been saddled with the dubious nom du plume Hadley Haverstock) walks into the middle of an assassination, uncovers a spy ring, and, not entirely coincidentally, falls in love--a pattern familiar to admirers of Hitchcock's espionage thrillers, of which this is a thoroughly entertaining example. McCrea's hardy Yankee charms are neatly contrasted with the droll, veddy English charm of colleague George Sanders; Herbert Marshall provides a plummy variation on the requisite, ambiguous "good-or-is-he-really-bad" guy; Laraine Day affords a lovely heroine; and Robert Benchley (who contributed to the script) pops up, albeit too briefly, for comic relief.

As good as the cast is, however, it's Hitchcock's staging of key action sequences that makes Foreign Correspondent a textbook example of the director's visual energy: an assassin's escape through a rain-soaked crowd is registered by rippling umbrellas, a nest of spies is detected by the improbable direction of a windmill's spinning sails, and Jones's nocturnal flight across a pitched city rooftop produces its own contextual comment when broken neon tubes convert the Hotel Europe into "Hot Europe." --Sam Sutherland

For inexplicable reasons, Foreign Correspondent never achieved the fame of The 39 Steps or North by Northwest, but it is certainly good enough to join the ranks of these better-known Hitchcock thrillers. Set just before the beginning of World War II, the film focuses on murder, international intrigue, and an innocent Joel McCrea caught between spies and counterspies. Highlights include an assassination on a rainy day with the killer escaping into a sea of umbrellas, a group of spies who signal their Dutch contacts by turning windmills against the wind, and an extraordinary climax aboard a plane that crashes into the ocean. In McCrea's final speech, you can hear the British filmmaker uniting American patriotism with the anti-Nazi cause. --Raphael Shargel

Charley's Aunt

Charley Wyckham and Jack Chesney pressure fellow student Fancourt Babberly to pose as Charley's Brazilian Aunt Donna Lucia. Their purpose is to have a chaperone for their amorous visits with Amy and Kitty niece and ward of crusty Stephen Spettigue. Complications begin when Fancourt in drag becomes the love object of old Spettigue and Sir Francis ChesneySystem Requirements:Runnining Time: 80 Mins.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: COMEDY Rating: NR UPC: 024543440642 Manufacturer No: 2244064

Nothing says comedy like a man in a dress, and Charley's Aunt is the archetypal man-in-a-dress comedy. In desperate need of a chaperone so they can woo their sweethearts, two college lads named Jack and Charley persuade their friend Fancourt (Jack Benny, one of the all-time great radio and television comics) to masquerade as Charley's aunt from Brazil, who had failed to arrive. Of course, the aunt also shows up (and is also in disguise), but not before Benny has had ample opportunity to run amok in petticoats while being chased by fortune-hunting beaus. Though the story's social milieu is woefully dated--the need for a chaperone is just the beginning--the movie has a number of classic comic bits that remain funny. Charley's Aunt doesn't suit Benny's dry style of humor as perfectly as does his next film, To Be or Not to Be, and Benny's English accent is a bit hit and miss, but he milks his wig and bloomers for all they're worth. Also starring Kay Francis (Trouble in Paradise), Edmund Gwenn (Miracle on 34th Street), Laird Cregar (Heaven Can Wait), and a very young Anne Baxter (All About Eve). Extras include a chipper commentary from film historian Randy Skretvedt (who rattles off dozens of Jack Benny anecdotes) and a goofy promotional short in which Benny, Tyrone Power, and Randolph Scott compare their upcoming roles. --Bret Fetzer

The Trouble with Harry

Master of Suspense Alfred Hitchcock directs a delightful comedy-mystery set in New England. It stars John Forsythe Academy Award winner Edmund Gwenn Mildred Natwick and little Jerry Mathers. In addition it marks the noteworthy screen debut of Academy Award - winner Shirley MacLaine. What is THE TROUBLE WITH HARRY? Well it s the fact that he s dead and while no one really minds everybody thinks they are responsible.After several unearthings of the corpse plenty of humor a la Hitchcock and love affairs between the major characters the real cause of death is revealed and Harry troubles no one again. It s a delightful romp and a decidedly different movie from the Master of Suspense.System Requirements:Running Time: 100 minutesFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: ACTION/ADVENTURE/THRILLERS Rating: PG UPC: 025192831621 Manufacturer No: 28316

Lassie Come Home

Faithful collie dog is sold by her poor family but she travels 1000 miles to return home to her beloved master. Based on a novel by Eric Knight.Running Time: 89 min.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: DRAMA UPC: 012569572423

Lassie Come Home is a classic for all the usual reasons: its timeless, universal appeal, its first-of-its-kind status, and its exceptional cinematography, direction, and performances. What makes this 1943 charmer especially fun for grownups who haven't screened it since their own preteen, pet-obsessed days, though, is a couple of cute-as-a-button cast members. An adorably over-earnest Roddy McDowall stars as Joe, the mostly hapless lad whom Lassie refuses to part with despite his down-and-out family's decision to sell her, for a paltry 15 guineas, to a wealthy duke; and Elizabeth Taylor, already stunning at around age 10, surrenders a sweet if mawkish performance as Priscilla, the Duke's tenderhearted granddaughter, who lends a hand in Lassie's escape from her family's unkind kennel master and winks her way into winning the fearless pup a permanent place at her true master's side. Beyond that, it's no mystery why generations of dog-loving audiences have marveled at the precocious collie's career--Lassie is a great actor. She so convincingly digs impossible trenches, leaps towering fences, swims raging rivers, knocks out bad guys, and betrays the essence of brokenheartedness with her bedraggled coat and woebegone expressions that it's sometimes hard to shake the suspicion that she's really an incredibly limber person in a cute dog suit. All told, Lassie Come Home delivers a lot to love, not the least of which is the deeply dramatic score--quirky sounding to the modern ear--which returns audiences to simpler, irony-free times, as does the movie's message of loyalty at all costs. --Tammy La Gorce

Miracle on 34th Street

The original 1947 version of this Valentine Davies story follows the misadventures of Kris Kringle (Edmund Gwenn) as he gets a job playing Santa Claus at Macy's department store in New York City. Natalie Wood is the little girl who tells him she doesn't believe in Santa, and Maureen O'Hara and John Payne are the couple who help Kris through a trial in which he must prove he's the jolly fellow from the North Pole. A sweet movie and perennial Christmas favorite, this is one of those movies that gets under your skin and must be revisited every so often. --Tom Keogh