Kings Row
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Movie Reviews of Kings Row
Movie Review: Dark side of "Our Town"
Summary: 5 Stars
KING'S ROW has always been one of my favorite films; it seemed to mirror the small town of my grandparents that I visited as a child. A much lesser known American movie masterpiece (directed by Sam Wood) that was years before "Peyton Place". Less about bedroom conduct but a genuinely disturbing view of small town corruption, status quo. Ronald Reagon, who's very good in this film--maybe the best performance he ever gave--is the vulnerable victim of a small town authoritarian, a role he unfortunately outgrew. Anne Sheridan who probably never gave a bad performance, is mature, lovely and thoroughly believable, likeable. Robert Cummings as the young doctor is at his buoyant best. But it is Betty Field and Nancy Coleman who are heartbreaking; stifled by their fathers: Claude Rains and Charles Coburn respectively. Korngold's score is wonderful and the film that was probably shot on Hollywood lots has that quality of the periods it portrays and the time it was filmed (1942). The DVD was released in a set w/other Ronald Regan opuses. This is the one to own. This film is a true clasic of turn of the (20th) Century small town America that was subject of so many great writers from Sinclair Lewis to Thomas Wolfe and ever so many more, but this film is the one that comes to mind when referencing this 'gothic'small town persona. One could only have wished the DVD package contained liner notes. An original 'trailer'(of sorts) is included but no commentary or real quotes. A great movie.
Movie Review: A forerunner film!
Summary: 5 Stars
First and foremost, "Kings row" is a film that anticipated itself for years to late classics (All the king's men, for instance). Behind the peaceful facade of a small town, two men (Ronald Reagan in his lifetime `s performance and Robert Cummings, who would be the star in Hitchcock's Sabotage) will grow up and experience in own flesh the moral decay and relentless corruption.
The main obstacle which had to surmount this extraordinary movie, was to have dealt with the sordid and demolishing film "Grapes of Wrath". These were wartimes and films like this one or "The Citizen Kane" (a film that is still regarded as the supreme masterpiece of the American cinema, ignored, overlooked and displaced by "How green was my valley") wouldn't contribute as moral infusion in order to feed the kindled patriotism to face with the outland enemy. Needless to say the great public needed evasion and that's why you should not surprise why films such as "Snow white and the seven dwarfs"(1938), "Wizard of Oz" (1939) or "Fantasia"(1940) literally were the most celebrated films during those years.
So the film had to wait for almost a decade to be truly recognized as a forerunner movie. But the acidic test of time has dictated its final judgment and has set it a golden crown for the next generations.
Movie Review: a masterpiece and a classic---
Summary: 5 Stars
this movie is so heavy and intense--and ultimately joyful !!! it knocks me out every time i watch it-- sheer brilliance---- every aspect--cast crew soundtrack-- howe's cinematography !!sam woods' briiliant direction and the soundtrack !! korngold at his best -- and thats saying something ! masterful at every turn !! and what turns-- this plot will knock u out !! and the amazing prescient book its based on-- it's about the early days of psychiatry-among other things--and the underbelly of the human psyche like you`ve never seen it before !! set in new england 100 yeaRS AGO !! a small twisted town ( its people ! )THAT lies under a veneer of normalcy -- besides having a future president say the great line what happened to the rest of me---get this movie immediately if you have never seen it-- pop it in yer dvd player sit back and take some ride !!!! hollywood/ warner brothers at its quirky best !!!!! if u've ever heard anyone say they dont make em like they used to-- check this out and see what it means !! ann sheridan reagan cummings coburn reins ouspenskia---they all rise to the occasion--its a real tour de force not to be missed ! !!!Movie Review: Provocative Drama
Summary: 5 Stars
"King's Row" is a daring film for it's day. It's basic premise is that the sins of the elders results in wrath upon their innocent offspring. What I admire about the Production code days is that they don't have to spell out explicitly the venality of the characters but they depend on the intuitive intelligence of the audience to know what's going on. Director Sam Wood paints a pessimistic picture of smalltown America but ultimately offers a message of hopefullness that doesn't feel hokey or contrived. The film is impeccably cast without a bad performance in the bunch. Most interest is in Ronald Reagan as the devil-may-care Drake and working with a top-notch cast seems to inspire Reagan to give one his best performances. A common misperception about Reagan was that he was a one-note actor while truth be told he was typecast by the studio bosses. To dispel this myth you should check out Reagan's performance as a heavy in Don Siegel's remake of "The Killers".Movie Review: ron and bob's shining moment
Summary: 5 Stars
Ronald Reagan's acting proved when he had material and a good director he was better than people thought. On the other hand Bob Cummings peformance has been blasted left and right. He supposedly seemed weak, but people are missing the point. Parris wasn't as much weak as naive. Here's this poor kid brought up with old world values but no street smarts. So compared to Drake he is weak. Bob Cummings brings out the fact that Parris has pretty much been sheltered all his life until going to Vienna. As a side note Hal Wallis tried to make a deal with 20th Century Fox. He wanted to cast as Drake Tyrone Power and Henry Fonda as Parris, but Darryl Zanuck wouldn't agree to it. King's Row is a great film that I will buy when it comes out on dvd