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Mervyn LeRoy (1900–1987)

Författare till The Wizard of Oz [1939 film]

74+ verk 2,358 medlemmar 36 recensioner

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Verk av Mervyn LeRoy

The Wizard of Oz [1939 film] (1939) — Regissör — 1,344 exemplar
The Green Berets [1968 film] (1968) — Regissör — 112 exemplar
Mr. Roberts [1955 film] (1955) — Regissör — 79 exemplar
Quo Vadis [1951 film] (1951) — Director — 78 exemplar
Little Women [1949 film] (1949) — Director — 69 exemplar
Gypsy [1962 film] (1990) — Director — 61 exemplar
Random Harvest [1942 film] (1942) — Director — 52 exemplar
No Time for Sergeants [1958 film] (1958) — Producer/Director — 49 exemplar
The Bad Seed [1956 film] (1956) — Producer and Director — 42 exemplar
Little Caesar [DVD] [1931] (1931) — Director — 41 exemplar
Gold Diggers of 1933 [film] (1933) — Director — 38 exemplar
Thirty Seconds over Tokyo [1944 film] (1944) — Regissör — 30 exemplar
The FBI Story [1959 film] (1959) — Director & Producer — 27 exemplar
Waterloo Bridge [1940 film] (1940) — Regissör — 27 exemplar
I Am a Fugitive From a Chain Gang [1932 film] (1932) — Regissör — 21 exemplar
Without Reservations [1946 film] (1946) — Regissör — 16 exemplar
Mervyn LeRoy: Take One (1974) 15 exemplar
TCM Greatest Gangster Films Collection: Prohibition Era (2010) — Regissör — 14 exemplar
Madame Curie [1943 film] (2000) — Regissör — 13 exemplar
Forbidden Hollywood Collection, Volume Two (1930) — Regissör — 13 exemplar
Blossoms in the Dust [1941 film] (1941) — Regissör — 12 exemplar
TCM Greatest Classic Films Collection: Literary Romance (2011) — Regissör — 11 exemplar
Three on a Match [1932 film] (1932) — Regissör — 10 exemplar
Lovely to Look At [1952 film] (1952) — Regissör — 6 exemplar
Rose Marie [1954 film] (2011) — Regissör — 6 exemplar
The Devil at 4 O'Clock [1961 film] (2003) — Regissör — 6 exemplar
East Side, West Side [1949 film] (1949) — Director — 6 exemplar
John Wayne: Film Collection (2012) — Regissör — 5 exemplar
The House I Live In [1945 short] (1945) — Regissör — 4 exemplar
Escape [1940 film] (2015) — Regissör — 4 exemplar
John Wayne: The Epic Collection (2014) — Regissör — 4 exemplar
Two Seconds (2011) 3 exemplar
Desire Me [1947 film] — Regissör — 3 exemplar
Tonight or Never [1931 film] (1931) 3 exemplar
Any Number Can Play [1949 film] — Regissör — 2 exemplar
Strange Lady In Town (2014) 2 exemplar
Hard to Handle [1933 film] — Regissör — 2 exemplar
Tugboat Annie [1933 film] (2011) — Regissör — 2 exemplar
Forbidden Hollywood Collection: Volume 5 (1932) — Director — 2 exemplar
Heat Lightning 2 exemplar
Sweet Adeline [1934 film] (2015) — Regissör — 1 exemplar
Random Harvest / The Yearling — Regissör — 1 exemplar
Five Star Final (2015) 1 exemplar
It Takes More Than Talent (1953) 1 exemplar
Elmer the Great DVD-R (2014) 1 exemplar
Anthony Adverse (2015) 1 exemplar
Johnny Eager [1941 film] (1941) — Producer and Director — 1 exemplar
Happiness Ahead (Powell) (2011) 1 exemplar
Rose Marie 1 exemplar
Moment to Moment (1966) 1 exemplar
Hi, Nellie! 1 exemplar
Gentleman's Fate (2015) 1 exemplar
Big city blues 1 exemplar
You, John Jones! 1 exemplar
Fools for Scandal [1938 film] (1938) — Regissör — 1 exemplar
Wake Me When It's Over (2012) 1 exemplar
I Found Stella Parish (2015) 1 exemplar

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Recensioner

“Some people get all the luck.” — Ruth to Mary
“I wonder.” — Mary as she and Ruth watch Vivian's driver take her away

For those interested in the frankness of Hollywood films during the early 1930s in dealing with subjects that would become taboo just a few years later, Three On a Match is required viewing. Thanks to director Mervyn LeRoy and a marvelous cast, some who were not yet big, but would be, this is much more than just a pre-code curio. It is a very good film which manages to cover decades in the lives of three women in just over a single jam-packed hour. It is frank, sometimes raw, yet tender and involving. In the end it is tragic. Ann Dvorak is wonderful and Joan Blondell memorable, as is a young Ann Shirley, billed here in 1932 as Dawn O’Day.

LeRoy had a knack for making you care about his characters and their plight, which was also in evidence in the other memorable film he helmed in 1932, I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang. By showing the girls in school, their personalities and vulnerabilities on full display as they grow up, we both better understand and have empathy for their actions, especially Dvorak’s Vivian. As the young Vivian, Ann Shirley is marvelous, and strikingly pretty just as Dvorak was, capturing the inner restlessness despite her privileged upbringing. Virginia Davis is also quite lovely as the free-spirited Mary, and seems as though she really is the younger version of Joan Blondell. Betty Carse is sweet and subdued as the poor Ruth, and makes for a perfect transition to a young and blonde Betty Davis. The Davis persona did not yet exist, and I find that quite refreshing in this film.

The director used newspaper headlines to mark the passage of time and it works wonders, cramming decades into minutes, making the viewer feel like they are actually following every moment as the three girls mature and go their separate ways. In a good way, it sort of gives the impression to the viewer they’ve watched a two-hour film rather than one which barely clocks in over an hour. The story begins in 1919 and hinges on a superstition borne from the trenches of the Great War, that if you left a match lit long enough to light three cigarettes, the third was marked for death. When the three schoolmates have a reunion of sorts, catching up on their lives since school, it is the rich but unhappy Vivian who gets the last flaming ember, and starts her decent.

Blondell is simply terrific as the vivacious member of the trio, having spent time in the pen and working as a showgirl. In a smaller role, Davis is quite nice as the regular girl working her way into respectability. It is Dvorak's nervous energy as Vivian which drives this film, however. Alive but not living, bored with her rich husband and empty existence, her inner desires will be unleashed by Lyle Talbot. He is no good, and her decent into the rough world of addiction and crime becomes so complete that only Mary’s concern for her child saves him from the same fate. It is here that a romance develops between Mary and Vivian's ex, Robert Kirkwood (Warren William), with her friend Ruth acting as nanny to Vivian’s son.

These are the days of gangsters and depravity, and the story begins to bear this out. Talbot is appropriately weak and slimy as Vivian's connection. It is a very young Humphrey Bogart who impresses, however, as boss Edward Arnold’s unfeeling henchman. A strung out Dvorak shines in a stark and shattering climax when she attempts to redeem her lost soul. One of the finest of the early 1930s pre-code films, Three On a Match has bite with substance, and not one, but two terrific performances. Blondell and Dvorak are incredible here, and fans of this genre and time period in American cinema would do themselves a great favor viewing this one.
… (mer)
 
Flaggad
Matt_Ransom | Nov 24, 2023 |
This beautiful rendering of Ethel Vance’s runaway bestseller has sensitive performances from Robert Taylor and Norma Shearer, and restrained direction from Mervyn LeRoy. Old-time radio fans will be surprised to see Arch Oboler’s name among the writing credits, as the man who took over “Lights Out” and thrilled radio audiences for years helped Marguerite Roberts retool Vance’s tense and exciting melodrama into Norma Shearer’s last great film. The role of Countess Ruby von Trek was beefed up by MGM, and while this remains overall Robert Taylor’s film, it is Shearer’s sacrifice for love the viewer will always remember. Having seen this many times over the years, it remains my favorite of the lovely Shearer’s films, sans her husband, Irving Thalberg. Legend has it she went around incoherently asking people if they were Irving when she was relegated to being cared for in her old age.

Robert Taylor is excellent as the American who travels to Germany to discover what has become of his mother, who had gone there to sell the family home. Silent film star Alla Nazimova hams it up a bit at times, but is effective nonetheless as his mother, Emily Ritter. Mark’s mother had helped refugees escape and would have been wiser to remain in America. Mark isn’t sure what has happened to his mother, and has only a letter and postmark to go by. Shearer is regal and luminous in fur from the very first frame, a glorious flower fronting the beautiful alps in the background. Ruby is an American by birth, a widow who remained in her adopted country when her German husband of title passed on. More worldly than the innocent Mark, she at first refuses to help him, urging him to return to the United States where it is safe.

But Taylor won’t give up, and once his questions have reached the ears of the Gestapo, he’s in real danger. A desperate and exciting plan to get his mother out once he locate her is hatched. Philip Dorn as a doctor and Felix Bressart as the old family friend lend help in a terribly dangerous scheme. In a kind gesture to her own silent screen past, Shearer afforded Nazimova a meaty role here, and she makes the most of her screen time after a long absence from the silver screen.

Norma Shearer is marvelous in her portrayal of a woman with conflicting loyalties. The mistress of General Kolb (Conrad Veidt), a man who has protected her from harm thus far, has developed true feelings are for Mark. A daring plan to escape with them so she and Mark can have their happiness plays out with tension and excitement in this glossy MGM melodrama. The ending might come as a great surprise to many viewers.

Tense and exciting at times, with restrained performances and a fine adaptation of Vance’s novel, this glossy production is MGM at their finest. This is the gorgeous and luminous Norma Shearer the way we’d like to remember her. Bonita Granville also gives a noteworthy performance as the nosy and misguided Ursula. This film released in 1940 offers classic film fans some glossy A+ entertainment.
… (mer)
 
Flaggad
Matt_Ransom | 1 annan recension | Nov 23, 2023 |
“My life began with you. I can't imagine a future without you.” — Smithy

This gentle spring blossom to true love is one of the most beautifully rendered romances ever filmed. It is pure and untarnished, a reminder that love begins in the heart, eclipsing all other things, and is all in life that truly matters. Mervyn LeRoy was a fine studio director who made some memorable films, many now considered screen classics. The romanticist fingerprints of Sidney Franklin, however, give strong evidence that as producer, he and LeRoy worked closely to make this film one of the loveliest of any decade. Having directed Smilin’ Through in 1932, starring Norma Shearer and Leslie Howard, he is in fact responsible for two of the most exquisite love stories spanning two decades.

James Hilton’s tale of a shell-shocked WWI veteran unable to remember and the years of ghost-ridden love that follow is touchingly realized by Ronald Colman and Greer Garson. They make a story that spans years so terribly involving that this film becomes a part of the viewer carried in their hearts long after the final credits. The kind of old-fashioned love between Colman and Garson is so rare in our time it has a nostalgic quality, a reminder of how love used to be, and still is, for a lucky few. Colman is magnificent, small gestures and haunted looks capturing the efforts of an anguished man trying to somehow put together the voices and whispers of memories as they drift like snowflakes though his mind and heart, only to have them dissolve into nothingness as he reaches out to catch them.

Greer Garson is remarkable in one of her finest performances. Her devotion and tender caring, trying to hang around just on the chance someone might one day remember her, is so utterly real it tugs at the heartstrings. She is lovely and wistful, alluring and charming, and makes anyone viewing Random Harvest wish for such love and devotion, or be thankful if they are among the rare few who possess something so valuable. A lovely score from Herbert Stothart and the lush photography of Joseph Ruttenberg frame Colman and Garson against a background full of small but perfect details; a romantic refrain or snow falling outside a windowpane during a tender moment making magic in the darknesss. There are great classic films as lovely, many of which I've seen and commented on, but none which surpass this one. It is a long and beautiful love letter to love and devotion.

Hilton’s story, adapted to the screen by Claudine West, George Froeschel and Arthur Wimperis begins in the autumn of 1919 at an asylum with a military wing for shattered minds of the war to end all wars. Colman is the traumatized soldier who barely speaks, an amnesiac longing just to belong to someone, and knowing he doesn't belong there. In the excitement and wild frenzy created by the armistice, he simply walks out one night and escapes. It is in a tobacco shop that he first meets the kind and sweet Paula, who helps him dodge those out to take him back as she falls in love with her Smithy. He also falls in love with the music-hall angel, and when her friends don’t understand, wanting to send him back too, she runs away with her Smithy and they start a new life.

It is a beautiful display of faith and love, her tender devotion healing his broken and lost spirit as they find their own happiness. He begins to write, and proposes once he feels useful again. A key to the cottage where their happiness abounded is the only tangible item connecting him to that world, however, after a car accident causes him to remember who he was, and forget his Paula. Charles Ranier has a good life, but knows something is missing, if only he could remember…

Garson is simply wonderful here, deciding to accept on the chance that even if he doesn’t remember, he will fall in love with her all over again. Young Susan Peters is also enchanting as Kitty, a young woman who adores Charles but begs off their marriage when she realizes he is haunted by a ghost of which she only reminds him. It is tender and touching, and you realize what a great film this is by the emotional depth of it. There are no wasted scenes or feelings in this film; it is all part of a beautiful mosaic to be seen with the eyes but also felt by the heart.

When it becomes too much for Paula to pretend anymore, to hang onto that slender hope, she goes on a long vacation, revisiting the old places where they were once so happy. The ending rewards our hearts with a lasting memory of love shared by all who watch this loveliest of films.

A fabulous supporting cast inculdes Philip Dorn, Henry Travers, Reginald Owen and Una O’Conner. But it is Ronald Colman and Greer Garson who are unforgettable as Smithy and Paula. Truly one of the great films of all time, with a warmth and tenderness rarely captured on film.
… (mer)
 
Flaggad
Matt_Ransom | 1 annan recension | Nov 22, 2023 |
2023 movie #158. 1968. John Wayne, who was pro-Vietnam war, directed this movie as unabashed propaganda. It was savaged by critics at the time but ended up as the 13th highest grossing movie of the year. Two actors in it (Janssen and Takai) were antiwar but made the movie anyway.
 
Flaggad
capewood | Oct 7, 2023 |

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Associerade författare

George Cukor Director
Noel Langley Screenplay
King Vidor Director
Florence Ryerson Screenplay
Norman Taurog Director
Ray Kellogg Director
John Lee Mahin Screenwriter
Harold Rosson Director of Photography, Cinematographer
Busby Berkeley Choreographer
John Wayne Actor, Director & Actor, Director
Hans Rameau Screenwriter
Frank S. Nugent Screenwriter
Joshua Logan Screenwriter
Andrew Solt Screenwriter
Roy Del Ruth Director
Claudine West Screenwriter
Raoul Walsh Director
John Sturges Director
Billy Wilder Director
Sam Wood Director
Elia Kazan Director
Allen Reisner Director
Jules Dassin Director
Albert Lewin Director
Kathryn Scola Screenplay
Anita Loos Screenwriter
Lucian Hubbard Screenwriter
John Ford Director
Robert Alton Director
Richard Quine Director
Joseph Pevney Director
Arthur Hiller Director
Isobel Lennart Screenwriter
Liam O'Brien Screenwriter
Fritz Lang Director
Nicholas Ray Director
Burt Kennedy Director
Mark Rydell Director
Tenny Wright Director
John Farrow Director
Edward Ludwig Director
Don Siegel Director
Zoë Akins Screenwriter
Lloyd Bacon Director
Robert Wise Director
Bert Lahr Actor
Terry Dog actor
Donald Trumbull Special effects rigger
Harold Arlen Composer
L. Frank Baum Original story
James Lee Barrett Screenwriter
Aldo Ray Actor
Ward Bond Actor
Henryk Sienkiewicz Original novel
Louisa May Alcott Original novel
Leon Ames Actor
Robert H. Planck Director of photography
Charles Edgar Schoenbaum Director of photography
Max Steiner Composer
Arthur Laurents Original play
Gypsy Rose Lee Original story
Paul Muni Actor
W. R. Burnett Adapted from a work by
Paul Fix Actor
Joseph F. Biroc Cinematographer
Dick Kleiner Collaborator
Gene Markey Screenplay
Max Catto Original book
Leonhard Frank Original play

Statistik

Verk
74
Även av
4
Medlemmar
2,358
Popularitet
#10,881
Betyg
4.0
Recensioner
36
ISBN
139
Språk
3

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