On Dangerous Ground – Yet another Robert Ryan film. He stars here as a violent, troubled cop who meets a beautiful blind woman during a murder investigation and falls in love with her, changing his life. This might be the best I’ve seen from Ryan. The film has two distinct parts – In the opening, Ryans’ rogue cop bulldozes his way through life. The second portion takes place in a snowy countryside, and his scenes with the blind woman (Ida Lupino) have a touching tenderness. Nicholas Ray directed this often-overlooked gem. You should check it out. Added note – Ward Bond has a large supporting role as the father of the murder victim.
Great Expectations - The David Lean version from 1946 is still the gold standard film of Dickens' great tale. Dickens is Dickens because of his supporting characters, and Francis L Sullivan as Jaggers, Marita Hunt as Miss Havisham, and Finlay Currie as Magwitch look like they could have been cast by Dickens himself. Highly recommended.
Hot Saturday – This is a “pre-code naughty bit”. Fun-loving girl (Nancy Carroll) plays two suitors (Cary Grant and Randolph Scott) off against one another. The naughtiness is whether or not she has pre-marital num-nums with Grant. (She doesn’t…and then she does). This one is only of mild interest. Jane Darwell, who later gained fame as Ma Joad in The Grapes of Wrath, plays Carroll’s mother.
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