Joan Fontaine
Biography: Joan de Beauvoir de Havilland (October 22, 1917 – December 15, 2013), known professionally as Joan Fontaine, was an English-American actress who is best known for her starring roles in Hollywood films during the "Golden Age". She was born in Tokyo, Japan, in what was known as the International Settlement. Her father was a British patent attorney with a lucrative practice in Japan, but due to Joan and older sister Olivia de Havilland's recurring ailments the family moved to California in the hopes of improving their health. Mrs. de Havilland and the two girls settled in Saratoga while their father went back to his practice in Japan. Joan's parents did not get along well and divorced soon afterward. Mrs. de Havilland had a desire to be an actress but her dreams were curtailed when she married, but now she hoped to pass on her dream to Olivia and Joan. While Olivia pursued a stage career, Joan went back to Tokyo, where she attended the American School. In 1934 she came back to California, where her sister was already making a name for herself on the stage. Joan likewise joined a theater group in San Jose and then Los Angeles to try her luck there. After moving to L.A., Joan adopted the name of Joan Burfield because she didn't want to infringe upon Olivia, who was using the family surname. She tested at MGM and gained a small role in No More Ladies (1935), but she was scarcely noticed and Joan was idle for a year and a half. During this time she roomed with Olivia, who was having much more success in films. In 1937, this time calling herself Joan Fontaine, she landed a better role as Trudy Olson in You Can't Beat Love (1937) and then an uncredited part in Quality Street (1937). Although the next two years saw her in better roles, she still yearned for something better. In 1940 she garnered her first Academy Award nomination for Rebecca (1940). Although she thought she should have won, (she lost out to Ginger Rogers in Kitty Foyle (1940)), she was now an established member of the Hollywood set. She would again be Oscar-nominated for her role as Lina McLaidlaw Aysgarth in Suspicion (1941), and this time she won. Joan was making one film a year but choosing her roles well. In 1942 she starred in the well-received This Above All (1942). The following year she appeared in The Constant Nymph (1943). Once again she was nominated for the Oscar, she lost out to Jennifer Jones in The Song of Bernadette (1943). By now it was safe to say she was more famous than her older sister and more fine films followed. In 1948, she accepted second billing to Bing Crosby in The Emperor Waltz (1948). Joan took the year of 1949 off before coming back in 1950 with September Affair (1950) and Born to Be Bad (1950). In 1951 she starred in Paramount's Darling, How Could You! (1951), which turned out badly for both her and the studio and more weak productions followed. Absent from the big screen for a while, she took parts in television and dinner theaters. She also starred in many well-produced Broadway plays such as Forty Carats and The Lion in Winter. Her last appearance on the big screen was The Witches (1966) and her final appearance before the cameras was Good King Wenceslas (1994). She is, without a doubt, a lasting movie icon.
Place of Birth: Not available
Birthday: October 22, 1917
Deathday: December 15, 2013
Popularity:
Known For
Rebecca
1940-03-23
Rebecca
Overview: Story of a young woman who marries a fascinating widower only to find out that she must live in the shadow of his former wife, Rebecca, who died mysteriously several years earlier. The young wife must come to grips with the terrible secret of her handsome, cold husband, Max De Winter. She must also deal with the jealous, obsessed Mrs. Danvers, the housekeeper, who will not accept her as the mistress of the house.
Genres: Mystery Romance Thriller Drama
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1940-03-23
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Letter from an Unknown Woman
1948-04-28
Letter from an Unknown Woman
Overview: A pianist about to flee from a duel receives a letter from a woman he cannot remember. As she tells the story of her lifelong love for him, he is forced to reinterpret his own past.
Genres: Drama Romance
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1948-04-28
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Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea
1961-07-12
Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea
Overview: The crew of an atomic submarine battle to save the world from global destruction.
Genres: Adventure Drama Science Fiction
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1961-07-12
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Beyond a Reasonable Doubt
1956-09-13
Beyond a Reasonable Doubt
Overview: A newspaper publisher, wanting to prove a point about the insufficiency of circumstantial evidence, talks his possible son-in-law Tom into a hoax in an attempt to expose ineptitude of the city's hard-line district attorney. The plan is to have Tom plant clues leading to his arrest for killing a female nightclub dancer. Once Tom is found guilty, he is to reveal the setup and humiliate the DA.
Genres: Crime Drama
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1956-09-13
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Kiss the Blood Off My Hands
1948-10-30
Kiss the Blood Off My Hands
Overview: Bill Saunders, a former prisoner of war living in England, whose experiences have left him unstable and violent, gets into a bar fight in which he kills a man and then flees. He hides out with the assistance of a nurse, Jane Wharton, who believes his story that the killing was an accident.
Genres: Romance Drama Crime Thriller
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1948-10-30
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The Women
1939-09-01
The Women
Overview: A happily married woman lets her catty friends talk her into divorce when her husband strays.
Genres: Comedy Drama
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1939-09-01
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Suspicion
1941-11-14
Suspicion
Overview: A wealthy and sheltered young woman elopes with a charming playboy and soon learns of his bad traits, including his extreme dishonesty and lust for money. Gradually, she begins to suspect that he intends to kill her to collect her life insurance.
Genres: Mystery Romance Thriller
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1941-11-14
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Jane Eyre
1943-12-24
Jane Eyre
Overview: After a bleak childhood, Jane Eyre goes out into the world to become a governess. As she lives happily in her new position at Thornfield Hall, she meet the dark, cold, and abrupt master of the house, Mr. Rochester. Jane and her employer grow close in friendship and she soon finds herself falling in love with him. Happiness seems to have found Jane at last, but could Mr. Rochester's terrible secret be about to destroy it forever?
Genres: Drama Romance
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1943-12-24
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Gunga Din
1939-01-26
Gunga Din
Overview: British army sergeants Ballantine, Cutter and MacChesney serve in India during the 1880s, along with their native water-bearer, Gunga Din. While completing a dangerous telegraph-repair mission, they unearth evidence of the suppressed Thuggee cult. When Gunga Din tells the sergeants about a secret temple made of gold, the fortune-hunting Cutter is captured by the Thuggees, and it's up to his friends to rescue him.
Genres: Adventure War Action Comedy
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1939-01-26
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You Gotta Stay Happy
1948-10-28
You Gotta Stay Happy
Overview: Indecisive heiress Dee Dee Dillwood is pushed into marrying her sixth fiancée, but unable to face the wedding night, she flees into the adjacent hotel room of commercial pilot Marvin Payne, who just wants to sleep. She then persuades him to take her to California.
Genres: Comedy Romance
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1948-10-28
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Ivanhoe
1952-07-31
Ivanhoe
Overview: Sir Walter Scott's classic story of the chivalrous Ivanhoe who joins with Robin of Locksley in the fight against Prince John and for the return of King Richard the Lionheart.
Genres: Adventure Romance History
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1952-07-31
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The Witches
1966-11-21
The Witches
Overview: Following a nervous breakdown, Gwen takes up the job of head teacher in the small village of Haddaby. There she can benefit from the tranquillity and peace, enabling her to recover fully. But under the facade of idyllic country life she slowly unearths the frightening reality of village life in which the inhabitants are followers of a menacing satanic cult with the power to inflict indiscriminate evil and death if crossed.
Genres: Horror Thriller Mystery Drama
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1966-11-21
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Serenade
1956-03-23
Serenade
Overview: A wealthy woman discovers a vineyard worker with a beautiful operatic singing voice. She helps make him a star but then breaks his heart. He flees in misery to Mexico where he meets a sweet farm girl.
Genres: Drama Music Romance
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1956-03-23
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Island in the Sun
1957-06-12
Island in the Sun
Overview: A scandalous tale of politics, social inequality, interracial romance, and murder set on a fictitious British-owned Caribbean island.
Genres: Drama Romance
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1957-06-12
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Born to Be Bad
1950-09-28
Born to Be Bad
Overview: Christabel Caine has the face of angel and the heart of a swamp rat. She'll step on anyone to get what she wants, including her own family. A master of manipulation, she covertly breaks off the engagement of her trusting cousin, Donna, to her fabulously wealthy beau, Curtis Carey. Once married to Curtis herself, Christabel continues her affair with novelist Nick Bradley, who knows she's evil, but loves her anyway.
Genres: Drama
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1950-09-28
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Ivy
1947-06-26
Ivy
Overview: When Ivy, an Edwardian belle, begins to like Miles, a wealthy gentleman, she is unsure of what to do with her husband, Jervis, and her lover, Dr. Roger. She then hatches a plan to get rid of them both.
Genres: Drama Crime Thriller
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1947-06-26
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Becoming Cary Grant
2017-05-23
Becoming Cary Grant
Overview: For the first time one of Hollywood's greatest stars tells his own story, in his own words. From a childhood of poverty to global fame, Cary Grant, the ultimate self-made star, explores his own screen image and what it took to create it.
Genres: Documentary
Original Language: en
Release Date: 2017-05-23
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The Emperor Waltz
1948-07-02
The Emperor Waltz
Overview: At the turn of the 20th century, travelling salesman Virgil Smith journeys to Vienna in the hope he can sell a gramophone to Emperor Franz Joseph, whose purchase of the recent American invention could spur its popularity in Austria.
Genres: Romance Comedy Music
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1948-07-02
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A Damsel in Distress
1937-11-19
A Damsel in Distress
Overview: Lady Alyce Marshmorton must marry soon, and the staff of Tottney Castle have laid bets on who she'll choose, with young Albert wagering on 'Mr. X'. After Alyce goes to London to meet a beau she is restricted to the castle to curb her scandalous behavior. Albert then summons Jerry to Alyce's aid in order to 'protect his investment'.
Genres: Music Comedy Romance
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1937-11-19
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Othello
1951-11-28
Othello
Overview: When a secret marriage is planned between Othello, a Moorish general, and Desdemona, the daughter of Senator Brabantio, her old suitor Roderigo takes it hard. He allies himself with Iago, who has his own grudge against Othello, and the two conspire to bring Othello down. When their first plan, to have him accused of witchcraft, fails, they plant evidence intended to make him believe Desdemona is unfaithful.
Genres: Drama
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1951-11-28
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Quality Street
1937-03-26
Quality Street
Overview: In the 1810s, an old maid poses as her own niece in order to teach her onetime beau a lesson.
Genres: Comedy Drama Romance
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1937-03-26
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The Bigamist
1953-12-03
The Bigamist
Overview: San Francisco businessman Harry Graham and his wife and business partner, Eve, are in the process of adopting a child. When private investigator Mr. Jordan uncovers the fact that Graham has another wife, Phyllis, and a small child in Los Angeles, he confesses everything.
Genres: Drama Romance
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1953-12-03
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September Affair
1950-10-18
September Affair
Overview: An industrialist and a pianist meet on a trip and fall in love. Through a quirk of fate, they are reported dead in a crash though they weren't on the plane. This gives them the opportunity to live together free from their previous lives. Unfortunately, this artificial arrangement leads to greater and greater stress. Eventually the situation collapses when they come to pursue their original, individual interests without choosing a common path.
Genres: Romance Drama
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1950-10-18
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Casanova's Big Night
1954-04-07
Casanova's Big Night
Overview: Italy 1757, Pippo Popolino, a lowly tailor, disguises himself as the great Casanova in order to romance the attractive widow Francesca. He little suspects what awaits him... Locked into the incongruous role by the desperation of the real Casanova's creditors, Pippo must journey to Venice on a delicate mission far beyond his capabilities.
Genres: Comedy Adventure
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1954-04-07
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The Constant Nymph
1943-06-23
The Constant Nymph
Overview: The daughter of a musical mentor adores a promising composer, who is quite fond of the adolescent. When her father dies, an uncle arrives with his own grown daughter, who begins a romance with the composer which culminates in marriage but creates an emotional rivalry that affects the three.
Genres: Drama Romance
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1943-06-23
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A Certain Smile
1958-07-31
A Certain Smile
Overview: A pretty Parisian law student falls in love with her boyfriend's uncle.
Genres: Romance Drama
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1958-07-31
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Something to Live For
1952-03-07
Something to Live For
Overview: Advertising executive Alan Miller, a recovered alcoholic who now does interventions on behalf of Alcoholics Anonymous, is called to help Broadway actress Jenny Carey whose developing career is threatened by an increasing dependence on alcohol. Alan's growing interest in Jenny strains his marriage to Edna, with whom he has two children.
Genres: Drama
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1952-03-07
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Sky Giant
1938-07-22
Sky Giant
Overview: Given the job of training young pilots for important post-war cargo flights, hard-boiled Col. Stockton forces ex-officer Stag Cahill back into the military to be his aide at the academy. Complications arise when Stockton's son Kenneth arrives for training and Stockton, believing his son to be a slackard, looks for an excuse to drop him from the program. Rivalry develops between Stag and Ken as well, as they fall for the same girl.
Genres: Action Adventure Drama Romance
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1938-07-22
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Until They Sail
1957-10-08
Until They Sail
Overview: Four sisters in New Zealand fall for soldiers en route to the Pacific theater in WWII.
Genres: Romance Drama War
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1957-10-08
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This Above All
1942-05-12
This Above All
Overview: In 1940 England, aristocratic Prudence Cathaway alarms her snobbish parents by joining the WAF service branch. She soon meets and falls in love with the brooding Clive Briggs, despite his prejudice against the upper classes, and agrees to spend a week with him at a Dover hotel. When Clive's soldier friend, Monty, arrives to retrieve him, Prudence learns that Clive went AWOL after Dunkirk, and urges him to recall why England must fight the war.
Genres: Drama Romance War
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1942-05-12
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No More Ladies
1935-06-14
No More Ladies
Overview: A society girl tries to reform her playboy husband by making him jealous.
Genres: Comedy Romance
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1935-06-14
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Frenchman's Creek
1944-09-20
Frenchman's Creek
Overview: An English lady falls in love with a French pirate after he kidnaps her from her ancestral home on the coast of Cornwall and sweeps her off her feet into a world of adventure.
Genres: Romance Adventure
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1944-09-20
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Darling, How Could You!
1951-08-08
Darling, How Could You!
Overview: Two absentee American parents get to know their three children again after spending five years in Panama.
Genres: Comedy
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1951-08-08
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From This Day Forward
1946-03-02
From This Day Forward
Overview: A young American soldier, with an honorable discharge, returns home from World War II to his bride, whom he married after a short courtship and has not seen for several years. The two come together with many trials and tribulations in trying to preserve their marriage in the post-war years.
Genres: Romance Drama War
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1946-03-02
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The Duke of West Point
1938-12-29
The Duke of West Point
Overview: A cocky new West Point cadet from Cambridge is given the cold shoulder by his classmates because of his rule-breaking antics.
Genres: Action Drama Romance
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1938-12-29
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Decameron Nights
1953-01-13
Decameron Nights
Overview: Italian poet Boccaccio (Louis Jourdan) hides in the court of Fiammetta (Joan Fontaine) and tells three tales of love and lust.
Genres: Adventure
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1953-01-13
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The Affairs of Susan
1945-07-08
The Affairs of Susan
Overview: Susan is about to be married, but the wedding may get called off after her fiancé summons three former beaus. Each reveals a different portrait of Susan: one describes her as a naive country girl who reluctantly becomes an actress, another paints a picture of a gay party girl and and the third describes a serious intellectual.
Genres: Comedy Drama Romance
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1945-07-08
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Man of Conquest
1939-05-15
Man of Conquest
Overview: The story of Sam Houston, hero of the Texas revolution, statesman, and first president of the Republic of Texas.
Genres: Drama History Western
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1939-05-15
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Blond Cheat
1938-06-17
Blond Cheat
Overview: Socially prominent Michael Ashburn, chief assistant for a London loan broker makes a large loan during a closing time to a man for a pair of earrings. He is unaware that the collateral can not be removed from the ears in which they reside, so then Julie becomes part of the collateral.
Genres: Comedy Romance Music
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1938-06-17
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Music for Madame
1937-10-08
Music for Madame
Overview: An Italian immigrant singer, Nino, hoping to succeed in Hollywood, falls in with a gang of crooks who use his talent to distract everyone at a party while they steal the jewels.
Genres: Comedy Romance
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1937-10-08
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You Can't Beat Love
1937-06-25
You Can't Beat Love
Overview: The film begins with a knuckle-head playboy (Preston Foster) working on a road crew dressed in a tux in order to win a bet. Apparently, this guy will take on any bet or act on a whim. This becomes very apparent when he disrupts a food giveaway hosted by the mayor's daughter and as a result of this, he announces he's running for mayor--though he seems very much apolitical and has no interest in the job. Later, when he once again meets up with the mayor's daughter (Joan Fontaine) they supposedly fall in love--although there seemed to be little chemistry between them and it made very little sense for Fontaine to suddenly love a guy she so quickly hated at the beginning of the film. Plus, she really had plenty of reason to dislike the guy.
Genres: Romance Comedy
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1937-06-25
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A Million to One
1936-12-31
A Million to One
Overview: The son of a disgraced Olympic decathlete prepares to become a star in his own right. His quest is complicated by a beautiful girl and a bitter rival.
Genres: Drama Action
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1936-12-31
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The Man Who Found Himself
1937-04-02
The Man Who Found Himself
Overview: Young Jim Stanton is a conscientious surgeon, but spends too many off-duty hours pursuing his passion for aviation to suit his stuffy father. When it is discovered that a passenger killed in a plane that Jim crashes was a married woman, the resulting scandal prompts the hospital to put Jim on probation. His pride wounded, Jim takes to the open road and enjoys the simpler life of a vagabond. In Los Angeles--where he is arrested for vagrancy and put to work on a road crew--Jim runs into old pal Dick Miller, who gets him a job as a mechanic for Roberts Aviation. But maintaining his anonymity becomes more difficult, particularly when a pretty nurse, Doris King, decides to make Jim's redemption her personal crusade.
Genres: Drama
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1937-04-02
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Maid's Night Out
1938-03-03
Maid's Night Out
Overview: A millionaire's son works as a milkman for a month to win a bet with his father. While delivering milk he falls in love with a young debutante whom he mistakes for a maid.
Genres: Comedy
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1938-03-03
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Flight to Tangier
1953-11-20
Flight to Tangier
Overview: At the Tangier airport, a group of people await the arrival of a mysterious plane from behind the Iron Curtain. The reception committee includes Susan, an American; Gil Walker, a free-booting pilot; Danzer, a black market operator; and Danzer's girlfriend, Nicki. The plane crashes and burns. No survivors are found, nor are any corpses. Soon the search begins for a missing courier worth $3 million.
Genres: Action Crime
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1953-11-20
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Howard Hughes: His Women and His Movies
2000-06-27
Howard Hughes: His Women and His Movies
Overview: A reclusive millionaire who owed his fortune to his father, Howard Hughes staked his fame on many things, including his credits as a producer, director and aviator. But he is perhaps best known for his skills as a Casanova, reportedly romancing Jean Harlow, Ginger Rogers, Lana Turner, Rita Hayworth and Bette Davis. Actor Billy Zane narrates this documentary, which offers a glimpse of the man behind the glamour.
Genres: Documentary TV Movie
Original Language: en
Release Date: 2000-06-27
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The Users
1978-10-01
The Users
Overview: A beautiful girl from a small town with dreams of making it in Hollywood marries an actor whose career is fading, then schemes to get him back into the big time - and her with him.
Genres: Drama TV Movie
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1978-10-01
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Hollywood: The Selznick Years
1961-12-31
Hollywood: The Selznick Years
Overview: Henry Fonda hosts this retrospective on the career and films of iconic filmmaker David O. Selznick, who epitomized the era of the auteur producer in the 30s and 40s.
Genres: Documentary
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1961-12-31
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Before the Fact: Suspicious Hitchcock
2004-09-07
Before the Fact: Suspicious Hitchcock
Overview: A documentary on Alfred Hitchcock's 1941 film, "Suspicion".
Genres: Documentary
Original Language: en
Release Date: 2004-09-07
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All By Myself: The Eartha Kitt Story
1982-09-10
All By Myself: The Eartha Kitt Story
Overview: Documentary profile of singer-actress Eartha Kitt.
Genres: Documentary
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1982-09-10
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Good King Wenceslas
1994-11-26
Good King Wenceslas
Overview: Based upon the true story that inpired the Christmas carol about a young king's care for his people.
Genres: TV Movie Action
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1994-11-26
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Dark Mansions
1986-08-23
Dark Mansions
Overview: A woman hired to write the history of a wealthy family stays at the family's estate in Oregon. She discovers that she strongly resembles a long-dead ancestor in the family, and finds things happening to her that happened to--and led to the death of--that woman.
Genres: Drama TV Movie
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1986-08-23
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Hitchcock, Selznick and the End of Hollywood
1999-01-23
Hitchcock, Selznick and the End of Hollywood
Overview: Paying homage to two of Hollywood's central icons, the film creates an unparalleled portrait of two very different personalities amidst the demise of the studio system.
Genres: Documentary
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1999-01-23
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The Art Director
1949-11-12
The Art Director
Overview: A film's art director is in charge of the set, from conception to construction to furnishing. This short film walks the viewer through art directors' responsibilities and the demands on their talents. They read a script carefully and design a set to capture the time and place, the social strata, and the mood. They must be scholars of the history of architecture, furnishings, and fashion. They choose the colors on a set in anticipation of the lighting and the mood. Their work also sets styles, from Art Deco in the 20's to 30s modernism. Then it's on to the next project. Preserved by the Academy Film Archive in 2012.
Genres: Documentary
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1949-11-12
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George Stevens: A Filmmaker's Journey
1985-03-03
George Stevens: A Filmmaker's Journey
Overview: Biography of the legendary filmmaker directed by his son.
Genres: Documentary
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1985-03-03
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Tender Is the Night
1962-01-19
Tender Is the Night
Overview: Against the counsel of his friends, psychiatrist Dick Diver marries Nicole Warren, a beautiful but unstable young woman from a moneyed family. Thoroughly enraptured, he forsakes his career in medicine for life as a playboy, until one day Dick is charmed by Rosemary Hoyt, an American traveling abroad. The thought of Dick possibly being attracted to someone else sends Nicole on an emotional downward spiral that threatens to consume them both.
Genres: Drama Romance
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1962-01-19
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Breakdowns of 1942
1942-12-31
Breakdowns of 1942
Overview: Flubs and bloopers that occurred on the set of some of the major Warner Bros. pictures of 1942.
Genres: Documentary Comedy
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1942-12-31
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