stuart little is a live-action/computer-animated film series , based on the 1945 children 's novel by e. b. white .

the films are produced by franklin/waterman productions and released by columbia pictures .

live-action roles include jonathan lipnicki , geena davis and hugh laurie , while the voice-over roles include michael j. fox and nathan lane .

stuart little ( film series )

stuart little ( film series ) <EOT> this article is about the film . for the book , see stuart little . for the film series , see stuart little ( film series ) . for the television series , see stuart little : the animated series .

stuart little 3 : call of the wild is the very first direct - to - video movie in the stuart little film series .

teaser for stuart little - the animated series ( 2003 ) captured from the stuart little 2 ( 2002 ) vhs tape .

stuart little is now an animated tv series based on the original movie in which stuart continues his life - long adventures .

— stuart little ( michael j . fox ) is back for the second film in this series and he has a new adventure which includes his own plane .

the stuart little franchise is a series , created by e . b . white with a story arc consisting of 3 films , a spin - off tv series , and 3 video games .

it received an academy award for best visual effects nomination , but lost to the matrix . the film , the first in the film series , spawned a sequel in 2002 , stuart little 2 , the short - lived tv show stuart little : the animated series in 2003 , and another sequel in 2005 , the direct - to - video stuart little 3 : call of the wild .

the film received 2 sequels : stuart little 2 ( 2002 ) and stuart little 3 : call of the wild ( 2005 ) . it is currently unknown when stuart little 4 will come out . [ citation needed ]

stuart little 1 and two are very entertaining , my children were a bit disappointed that stuart little 3 is copletely animated though . but over all a good buy . stuart little / stuart little 2 / stuart little 3 : call of the wild [ dvd ] [ 2002 ] [ region 1 ] [ us import ] [ ntsc ]

this film was estelle getty ' s final film before her retirement in 2001 and her death in 2008 .

the potential series would reboot the iconic film franchise , which consists of first blood , rambo : first blood part ii , rambo iii and rambo .

a sequel called stuart little 2 was released on july 19 , 2002 and stuart little 3 : call of the wild was released on october 11 , 2005 .

this is the only stuart little movie rated g . the other movies were pg .

this article is a stub . you can help stuart little wiki by expanding it .

right after brooke and george put the gold kerchief on stuart ' s shirt and before the troopmaster apologises to mr little for mocking stuart , stuart ' s kerchief is red . however , after mrs little says " that ' s our little man " , stuart ' s kerchief becomes gold again .

critics say stuart little is charming with kids and adults for its humor and visual effects .

stuart little 2 is a sweet , visually impressive sequel that provides wholesome entertainment for kids .

sony pictures stuart little 3 call of the wild animated 1 . 78 : 1 widescreen sealed

eat the camera : happens in the second film when the soccer ball is kicked with stuart in tow .

michael j . fox is the voice of stuart little . geena davis and hugh laurie star as eleanor and frederick little , with jonathan lipnicki as stuart ' s big brother george little and nathan lane as the voice of the family cat snowbell .

stuart little 3 : call of the wild ( 2005 ) . animation / stuart little sequel . voices : michael j . fox , hugh laurie , geena davis . director - audu paden . moria - the science - fiction , horror and fantasy film review .

mrs . little : i don ' t know , stuart . something could happen to you .

george has another one when mrs little finally realizes george as been lying about where stuart is .

i enjoyed watching all 13 episodes of the complete animated series of stuart little . they are good , but nowhere near as good as the films . i would only recommend this to people who prefer animation over real acting .

stuart little 3 : call of the wild is a 2005 direct - to - video adventure science - fiction comedy film and the sequel to stuart little 2 and stuart little , directed by audu paden , produced by douglas wick , lucy fisher , lucille hough , steve wendland , and rachel shane , written by bill motz and bob roth , and distributed by columbia pictures .

the continuing adventures of stuart little , the super - intelligent mouse , and his adoptive human family .

stuart little is a 1999 live - action science - fiction comedy adventure film , based on the novel of the same name . the movie combines live - action and computer animation .

while a pleasant , well - animated family film , stuart little 2 is not as gripping as the first movie and lacks the emotional punch associated with the best of the genre .

the novel from charlotte ' s web author e . b . white spawned a three - film series the last time it went to the big screen and has seen action in the form of a small - screen animated series as well . the live - action version featured memorable performances by geena davis , hugh laurie and michael j . fox .

the little family adopt a charming young mouse named stuart , but the family cat wants rid of him .

trailer spoof : the trailer for stuart little 2 imitated moments from the first spider - man movie . .

item 2 sony pictures stuart little 3 call of the wild animated 1 . 78 : 1 widescreen sealed -

remarkably , stuart little 2 manages to be both more satisfying for adults and more kid - friendly than the original . older viewers will appreciate the sequel’s stronger story and witty script ; and even little kids who might have found the original film’s menacing central park gangster cats too intense may be able to watch this film’s villainous falcon without fear of bad dreams . ( not only the menace but also the language is milder in this film than in stuart little , which unnecessarily threw in a couple of curse words that the sequel avoids . )

happily adopted : stuart . somewhat averted in that there is initially a little sibling tension within his new family .

stuart little : the adventure home is a video game for the gameboy light system , based on the book .

stuart little is a 1999 live - action / computer - animated film series , based on the 1945 children ' s novel by e . b . white . the films are produced by franklin / waterman productions and released by columbia pictures . the first two films were directed by rob minkoff ( one of the co - directors of the lion king ) with the first film being notably co - written by m night shyamalan .

prime members enjoy free two - day shipping and exclusive access to music , movies , tv shows , original audio series , and kindle books .

stuart little 2 builds on the first film , but doesn’t require the viewer to have seen it . " spunky mouse lives in new york with cheery human family and histrionic cat " is about all you need to know . geena davis and hugh laurie are back as stuart’s parents , with little jonathan lipnicki as stuart’s older brother george . there’s also a new little , baby martha ( played by twins anna and ashley hoelck ) .

stuart little received generally positive reviews from movie critics . according to rotten tomatoes , 66 % of critics gave the film a positive review , making the movie gain a " fresh " rating . [ 2 ]

stuart little is an exciting fantasy adventure for kids with more than enough verbal and visual wit to tickle adult funny bones .

a video game under name stuart little 3 : big photo adventure was released , but not related to the actual movie .

live - action roles include jonathan lipnicki , geena davis and hugh laurie as the little family ( george , mother eleanor and father frederick ) , while the voice - over roles include michael j fox ( stuart ) and nathan lane ( snowbell the cat ) . the film spawned two sequels in 2002 and 2005 respectively , and a short - lived animated series in 2003 .

samus is a girl : the cougar in " stuart little 3 : call of the wild " turns out to be female .

film . there is the same theme that we had in the second film of stuart feeling overprotected by the littles and desiring freedom of his own . the film comes with moments of tenderness and charm  you cannot help but feel for poor stuart as he struggles to keep up on the summer camp challenges and is disadvantaged by his size . it builds up to a satisfying emotional climax .

, the film has a score of 61 out of 100 , indicating " generally favorable " reviews .

the soundtrack album stuart little ( music from and inspired by the motion picture ) was released by motown / universal records on november 30 , 1999 , on audio cd and compact cassette . tracks in bold do not appear in the film .

chained to a railway : stuart pretends this in the first film in front of george . however , it was a toy train and he used his tail .

a likeable , highly entertaining film that endears in spite of the odd spot of disney - esque schmaltz .

, 66 % of critics gave the film a positive review . the site ' s consensus reads : "

— stuart little is back as he meets margalo ( melanie griffith ) , a tiny bird wounded by the evil falcon ( james woods ) .

the world of stuart little is a wonderful thing to snuggle into , as full of heart and pep and innocence as the title character himself .

some parts are interesting , but surely , not fresh . stuart little , could be a good film to watch with our kids , without a doubt , but really the movie presents some boring scenes and plot , that go annoy the audience . rotten .

the lovable stuart little returns in this animated children ' s film based on e . b . white ' s book . voiced again by michael j . fox , stuart is now off to the woods with his human family ( geena davis and hugh laurie ) for a camping trip that he and all his little viewers will never forget . virginia madsen and tom kenny also lend their voices to the production .

: margalo apparently does this to falcon after landing in stuart ' s car . it ' s all fake , to ingratiate her to stuart . stuart lampshades it , though .

competently directed by gary winick ( 13 going on 30 ) , the film basically sticks to the plot of the book , and the story’s essential charm is echoed in the film . at the same time , the film also dumbs down white with excursions into gimmicky broad humor and bestiary slapstick — something the makers of babe found unnecessary to do .

with everyone getting a little too old to keep making the live action films it made sense for them to try to keep the franchise alive with this animated tv series , that sadly didn ' t catch on . having hugh laurie still be mr little was a big draw , but for some reason audiences seemed to prefer the live action outings of the little mouse with a big heart to this animated counterpart . it ' s a shame , this show had some nice moments .

i found myself caring for the humble little mouse , and that ' s the whole point .

[ from the tv series ; teasing falcon in a sing - song voice ] you ' ll never get me ! you ' ll never get me ! . . . [ blows a raspberry ]

like its predecessor , stuart little 2 is only loosely connected to the 1945 children’s story by e . b . white . white , of course , wrote no sequel to stuart little — though if ever a story cried out to be continued , it was that one , which simply trails off without a satisfactory resolution .

big bad : smokey , the mob boss - like leader of a pack of cats , in the first film . the falcon , a vicious tyrant who forces margalo to do his bidding , is this in the second film . the beast , a deadly mountain lion who forces reeko to do his bidding , serves as the primary villain of the third film .

never trust a trailer : the first film is a criminal offender . several commercials show stuart flying a plane or fighting the cat and other cool things , but none of that happens in the film . but they do happen in the ending credits in a montage that depicts what happens after the story is over .

the tomatometer score — based on the opinions of hundreds of film and television critics — is a trusted measurement of critical recommendation for millions of fans . it represents the percentage of professional critic reviews that are positive for a given film or television show .

for $ 500 for use in the film , unaware of its provenance . in 2009 , art historian gergely barki , while watching

see , now , this is how to make a sequel . just a couple of weeks after releasing the disappointing men in black ii , columbia follows up with stuart little 2 , a thoroughly entertaining family film that’s smarter , funnier , more heartfelt , and more exciting than the amiable 1999 original .

misplaced wildlife : in " stuart little 3 : call of the wild " , the beast , which audiences assume to be a bear , is revealed to actually be a cougar .

avoid the dreaded g rating : the film got a pg rating by having the villains occasionally say " damn " or " hell . "

bought this lovely cartoon dvd for my son as we had borrowed it from the library . stuart little ' s new escapades in this forest log cabin holiday animation . great story and games on the dvd are fab for my boy . he really loved it , so i had to get it for him . for a 4 year old there is no better role model than stuart little . my son loves this character so much that he often has an imaginary stuart little on his shoulder . so when i found the dvd i had to have it .

bond villain stupidity : when he actually has stuart in his talons , instead of eating him , falcon drops stuart - who , fortunately , lands on a soft garbage bag . to be fair , though , this is how monte described falcon ' s feeding habits earlier in the film .

adaptation species change : it ' s never explained why stuart looks like a mouse in stuart little . he is the biological son of two normal humans and it ' s never referred to as any sort of fictional disorder . he ' s just presumed to be a mouse looking boy . in the films he is an actual mouse who ends up adopted by the little family .

margalo : ( opens the window and looks back at the sleeping stuart ) i ' m sorry , stuart . ( sadly flies out the window )

hannibal lecture : falcon explaining to stuart that margalo is simply an artful dodger , and her friendship was a lie to get the littles ' wedding ring . however , margalo tells stuart that their friendship is genuine and stuart believes her . stuart shoots an arrow at falcon , which simply pisses him off .

in stuart little 2 , stuart meets a canary bird named margalo ( voiced by melanie griffith ) and both become friends . what he doesn ' t know is that margalo is forcefully working with a cruel peregrine falcon named falcon ( voiced by james woods ) who wants her to steal mrs . little ' s ring or else he will kill her new rodent friend . margalo leaves to save stuart ' s life and the mouse goes on her trail thinking that falcon kidnapped her .

: the second film has something sort of like this . after being told that margalo isn ' t going anywhere , stuart replies , " yes she is ! " and fires an arrow at falcon - which simply bounces off his beak . he grabs stuart in his talons and drops him off the building .

the film is fairly formulaic , though some of its puns and wisecracks are hilarious , especially those delivered by the littles ' lazy and cynical persian cat .

the stuart little book was an instant classic upon it ' s release exactly 70 years ago . the 1999 movie earned $ 300 million at the box office , and was a huge blockbuster success . michael j . fox voiced the title character , with geena davis and hugh laurie playing the parents . the then very popular jonathan lipnicki played their son and stuart ' s best friend . a sequel titled stuart little 2 was released three years later in 2002 . while it still made an impressive $ 169 million , it wasn ' t as big of a hit as the first movie . stuart little 3 : call of the wild was released direct to video and is notable for being fully animated .

at the same time , stuart little 2 effectively balances its sweetness with acid wit and clever asides for the grown - ups , and never runs the risk of becoming cloying or saccharine . much of the credit in this regard goes to nathan lane in the role of the cat snowbell , funnier and better utilized here than in the original . in one scene , trailing around town on a mission with a determined stuart who vows not to " give up , " snowbell protests plaintively , " giving up is fun ! if more people gave up , there’d be fewer wars ! and look at all the time you save ! " snowbell even manages to get a funny payoff out of the littles’ cutesy family greeting ( " little hi , little lo ; little hey , little ho " ) .

george gets one when he has to lie to mrs little again , supposedly having just left stuart at will ' s house , and then will shows up at the door . he manages to cover himself .

stuart little doesn ' t have the exuberant inspiration or seamless , polished dazzle of toy story 2 , but if the latter is sold out at the multiplex this weekend , the mouse is a passable substitute .

the storyline ties together margalo , mrs . little’s missing ring , and stuart’s garbage - scow voyage into a new plot pitting stuart against a predatory falcon ( james woods ) — a conflict that has the kid - empowering appeal of stories like jack the giant - killer or david and goliath .

: margalo is assigned by the evil falcon to steal household valuables from the little family . however , margalo can ' t seem to focus on her assignment as she starts to enjoy spending time with the family , and becoming smitten with stuart . finally losing his patience , falcon threatens margalo to steal mrs . little ' s ring or else he ' ll kill stuart . reluctantly , margalo steals mrs . little ' s wedding ring . when the littles notice the ring missing , they think it ' s fallen down the drain and stuart volunteers to go after it , but the string that ' s holding him breaks . margalo saves him , but stuart ' s gratitude towards her only makes her feel more guilty .

a lovely family film . working closely with my son so he can learn french as well as english so we love this has both language options on this .

deadpan snarker : though snowbell is ( as expected ) the biggest culprit , ( movie ) margalo lets a little of this sneak through from time to time , when her ditz armor starts to crack around stuart .

when stuart confronts falcon in the pishkin building , stuart and margalo are alternately standing on and off of the grillwork surrounding the water valve on which falcon is perched .

smug snake : anton . he ' s a bully to george and is smug most of the time with little reason to be .

butt monkey : snowbell ends up falling in this trope in the second movie , especially with all the bad luck he gets in the second half of the film .

stuart has one when he gets lost in central park and the cats start appearing .

has been made wholly in animation . it does reunite many of the live - action stars from the other films  geena davis and hugh laurie  as voice artists , as well as michael j . fox , who provided the voice of stuart . notably absent is jonathan lipnicki who played george in the films . there had earlier been a 12 episode animated tv series

no talent has been added to the movie , though its possible that michael j . fox could return to voice stuart , even though he skipped out on the very last sequel . there is no proposed release date yet , but audiences most likely won ' t see the movie until 2018 or 2019 . douglas wick , who produced the original , will also serve the same duties here . it isn ' t known if a script has been written yet . red wagon is finishing up it ' s divergent series with the final two films , the divergent series : allegiant : part 1 , which hits theaters in 2016 and the divergent series : allegiant : part 2 , which arrives in 2017 . they are also in the pre - production stages on a remake of the craft which follows a group of high school witches . no casting has been announced for that movie just yet , but we can expected to hear more soon .

animal athlete loophole : in the first film , based on the corresponding scene from the book . most of the boats in the race are being operated by remote control .

what measure is a non - cute ? : in the second film , stuart befriends margalo , a little bird who is menaced by a peregrine falcon . this would just be another case of carnivores are mean , but note that margalo is an artful dodger disguised as an adorable female canary and the falcon is depicted as a vicious , mad - eyed , scheming fagin expy voiced by james woods .

the plucky talking mouse and his human family are holidaying in a cabin near lake garland when a mysterious beast kidnaps snowbell the cat . stuart and his new skunk friend reeko bravely venture deep into the woods to rescue his old rival . animated sequel to the children ' s adventure series , featuring the voices of michael j fox , geena davis , hugh laurie and wayne brady .

the wave of 90s nostalgia shows now signs of slowing down , and if you feel like you ' re in need of more anthropomorphic animals in your life , you ' re in luck ! it ' s been almost a decade since we last saw everyone ' s fourth favorite talking mouse in stuart little 3 : call of the wild . after his ten year absence , sony and red wagon entertainment finally feel the time is right for a stuart little remake .

besides standard platitudes about looking on the bright side and having confidence in yourself , stuart little 2 deals with the moral issues of lying ( and , to a lesser degree , stealing ) versus honesty and integrity . a significant plot point depends on stuart’s brother george lying to their parents concerning stuart’s whereabouts . predictably , this lie leads to an escalating series of lies that leaves george unhappy and stressed : " i’ve never lied to my parents before , " he explains to a friend , whose significant reply is : " that’s why they believe you . " ironically , while george may be technically correct about never lying to his parents before , he did pave the way for his present predicament by first asking stuart to tell a lie on his behalf , illustrating how one compromise leads to another .

, by telling him if he does it , he ' ll lose mrs little ' s diamond ring , which he forced her to steal .

is trying to talk stuart out of attempting to save snowbell , we have this exchange .

damsel in distress : margalo feigns this to get stuart to trust her . in the end , inverted : she saves stuart from falling to his death after he plane fus falcon .

stuart : don ' t worry about snowbell , he wouldn ' t hurt a fly .

fred willard radiates a unique charm that has established him as one of the industry ' s most gifted comic actors , first coming to prominence as ambitious but dimwitted sidekick jerry hubbard to martin mull ' s smarmy talk - show host barth gimble in the devastating satirical series fernwood tonight ( . . .

stuart little ' s back in an all - new , adventure ! school ' s out for the summer and the little family is spending their big vacation at a beautiful lakeside cabin near lake garland . but meanwhile , there is something lurking in the forest who could spoil all the fun : the beast ; a mean and isolated forest terror who rules the local animals with an iron paw . when snowbell is taken prisoner , a little bravery goes a long way as stuart , along with his new skunk friend , named , reeko , who heroically rescues snowbell , frees the other woodland creatures and outwits the wily beast .

he ' s clever , enthusiastic , a ' can do ' guy with attitude - and he ' s a mouse . combining live - action with groundbreaking visual effects technology by the artists and innovators at sony pictures imageworks , it ' s the story of a mouse who is raised by the littles , a human family who learns to dream big and live large when they think little - stuart little . as stuart embarks on adventures with a variety of characters , including his nemesis , snowbell the cat , stuart learns the true meaning of family , loyalty and friendship .

the movie looks terrific , too . as with the first film , director rob minkoff ( the lion king ) makes excellent use of his new york setting , and the special effects are so well - done that at times you actually forget you’re watching special effects . breezy pop songs enhance the bouncy mood , and at 72 minutes stuart little 2 never wears out its welcome . if only all sequels were this good .

— stuart ' s ( michael j . fox ) older brother george ( jonathan lipnicki ) has a new friend and the lonely stuart meets margalo ( melanie griffith ) , a tiny bir

in addition , " give a little bit " by supertramp was included in the original trailers , but it wasn ' t in the final movie .

stuart little is a 1999 american live - action / cgi animated film directed by rob minkoff . it is loosely based on the novel of the same name by e . b . white . it combines live action and computer animation . the screenplay was written by m . night shyamalan and greg brooker . the plot bears little resemblance to that of the book , as only some of the characters and one or two minor plot elements are the same . the movie ' s sequel more closely resembles the original novel . this movie is minkoff ' s first live - action movie .

interspecies adoption : as mentioned above , the book claims that stuart was born from a human mother , but the movie explains this as the reason why stuart has human parents to begin with .

stuart is an animation wonder - his tiny face is more expressive than most hollywood stars ' .

rascally raccoon : played straight in the animated series episode " the great outdoors " , where a pair of raccoons serve as an antagonistic version of this trope , since they not only try and steal the littles ' food but also threaten snowbell that they will pluck his fur for refusing to give them the food .

the little family spend their vacation near lake garland . meanwhile , in the forest , a beast is threatening the animals to give her food every night .

( 2002 ) , were conducted in live - action with the various talking mice , cats and birds being created via cgi animation that was blended with the live film footage . by contrast ,

eleanor little ( geena davis ) and frederick little ( hugh laurie ) go to the orphanage to adopt a younger brother for their son george ( jonathan lipnicki ) . at the orphanage , they meet and fall in love with an anthropomorphic mouse named stuart ( voiced by michael j . fox ) . despite discouragement from mrs . keeper ( julia sweeney ) , they adopt stuart and take him home . however , stuart is poorly received by george , who refuses to acknowledge the mouse as his brother , and the family cat snowbell ( nathan lane ) , who is against the idea of having a mouse for a " master " .

. pitched as a hybrid live - action / animation take in the vein of john hughes , the film will once again follow the escapades of the titular mouse and his adopted family , the littles .

canadian - american actress , writer , and comedian , catherine o ' hara first gained name recognition as one of the original cast members on the canadian television sketch comedy show sctv ( 1976 ) . the show recreated itself with sctv network ( 1981 ) and later , sctv channel ( 1983 ) . on the series , she . . .

stuart ' s mother is being over - protective of him , especially when he narrowly escapes injury in a soccer game . his big brother george has also made a new friend , will , so stuart is feeing lonely . stuart rescues a canary , margalo , from a falcon ; she moves in with the littles . one day , margalo is nowhere to be found , so stuart and snowbell set out across the city to find her while george covers for stuart ( the first time he ' s had to lie ) .

stuart bids farewell to his friends as he , his family , snowbell , and monty head back home .

does this remind you of anything ? : in the second film , the relationship between falcon and margalo seems very similar to that of a domestic abuser and their victim respectively , especially when falcon is angry .

the film was released to vhs and dvd on april 18 , 2000 . it was later released on a deluxe edition on may 21 , 2002 and on blu - ray disc on june 28 , 2011 .

really good value for money , 3 films in one . i bought this for my son . he wanted to see the first film but was thrilled to get all 3 and has watched and enjoyed them all

3 film box set : stuart little 1 - 3 lenticular dvd : urltoken geena davis , hugh laurie , jonathan lipnicki , jeffrey jones , connie ray , allyce beasley , brian doyle - murray , estelle getty , harold gould , julia sweeney , dabney coleman , marc john jefferies , angelo massagli , robert minkoff , audu paden , douglas wick , lucy fisher , leslie hough , steven wendland , m . night shyamalan , greg brooker , bruce joel rubin : dvd & blu - ray

news of the reboot comes from tracking board . they claim that this new stuart little will follow in the footsteps of the 1999 original . it will blend cg animation with live action . it will also once again follow the biplane flying mouse and his adoptive family the littles .

action & adventure ! a excellent from my children , a really good watch . a great follow on from the storyline / the dvd ' s before this one . the only thing i dislike about this film is that i missed watching the acting , from hugh laurie and geena davis also from the young jonathan lipnicki or wayne brady because it is an animated adventure film but apart from that it is a good watch .

in the first film , the main impression created by the little clan was of quirky retro unhipness and preternatural good cheer . in the sequel , stuart’s parents still have their colorful retro quirkiness ( compare to jimmy neutron ’s parents ) , but they also reveal a more endearing and charming side , and make their family life genuinely appealing . when mr . little compliments his wife’s appearance one morning as she’s feeding the baby breakfast , her chipper response is , " well , some people just know how to wear oatmeal . " later , in a bedtime exchange of " brady bunch " - level parental cuteness , a comment from mr . little about youthful infatuation prompts his wife to ask him whether he had many crushes , to which of course he replies sweetly , as they turn off the light : " i’m still having one . "

when the littles return with no success of finding stuart , snowbell starts to recognize his selfishness and feels guilty for what he has done . the cats pinpoint stuart ' s location in central park and bring snowbell along for the hunt . however , he finds stuart thoughtfully sitting in a bird ' s nest in a tree and decides to save him from the cats , admitting that he lied and the littles do love him . snowbell then tries to reason with smokey to leave stuart alone , but smokey refuses to listen and demands his gang to kill both stuart and snowbell . stuart lures the cats away , but is left hanging from a tree branch . monty and the cats group together on a lower branch to catch stuart , but snowbell breaks the branch they are standing on , sending them falling down into the river below . smokey , seeking revenge , sneaks up from behind snowbell and is about to kill snowbell , but stuart releases a thin branch that hits smokey in the face , and sends him falling into the water below . devastated , smokey runs off , only to encounter a pack of vicious dogs . stuart rides snowbell all the way home and they share a happy reunion with the little family when they arrive to find stuart safely back home .

furry confusion : in the film , stuart is an anthropomorphic mouse adopted as a son by humans ; as a result he has a pet cat . snowbell also speaks , however . it ' s implied that all cats and mice have intelligence in this world , but are generally treated as we treat animals anyway . stuart being given " special treatment " creates a bit of a social scandal in both the human and animal worlds .

stuart ' s new life at the house gets off to a bad start when george unknowingly traps him in a pile of laundry and his mother puts the laundry in the washing machine . stuart quickly feels ostracised in the large little family , especially when george declares stuart is not his brother , but simply a mouse . when stuart tells his parents that he is lonely , they ask mrs . keeper to do some background research on stuart ' s biological family . after accidentally stumbling across george ' s playroom in the basement one day , stuart and george get to know each other and plan to finish george ' s remote - controlled boat , the wasp , for an upcoming boat race in central park . at the same time , one of snowbell ' s alley cat friends , monty ( steve zahn ) , visits unexpectedly and discovers stuart . determined not to have his reputation ruined , snowbell meets with monty ' s leader , smokey ( chazz palminteri ) , a mafia don - like alley cat , and plots to remove stuart from the household without harming him .

adaptational heroism : snowbell . in the book , he is very nasty toward stuart , without a hint of remorse . in the movies , while villainous at first , the cat eventually becomes one of stuart ' s allies .

sadly , on the basis of its first two episodes , new series the muppets is yet another misstep . it’s a spoof documentary full of cutaway character interviews , which would have been a sophisticated touch had this been made in 2005 , but now just comes off as grimly rote . the biggest crime that the muppets commits , however , is what it’s done with the muppets themselves .

when they get there , stuart meets a skunk named reeko ( wayne brady ) who ' s forced to give food to " the beast " . stuart and george ( corey padnos ) join the lake scouts which stuart has trouble in , though he always wanted to be a scout . but reeko makes a deal with the beast ( virginia madsen ) , resulting in snowbell ( kevin schon ) getting captured by him and stuart goes off on an adventure to save him .

as most others state , the movie pales in comparison to the book . i didn ' t like the added in inappropriate language for small movie watchers . not happy with the film , although i love the individual actors and actresses .

the film stars michael j . fox , nathan lane , rino romano , corey padnos , geena davis , hugh laurie , virginia madsen , wayne brady , tara strong , tom kenny , sophia paden , kath soucie , peter macnicol .

cats are mean : played with in the films . snowbell starts out very antagonistic toward stuart , even trying to eat him and kill him , but later is shown as a jerk with a heart of gold and , when his street cat friends from the alley want him to eat stuart to be in with the in crowd , he ultimately sides with stuart .

while i thoroughly enjoyed this movie , i hold with the minority opinion that it isn ' t up to the standards of the original . the first movie succeeded in being sweet and charming without being the least bit sugary . alas , the sequel doesn ' t entirely avoid this pitfall ( that " little high , little low " business is just a little gagging ) . also , the plot is too predictable , although that probably won ' t matter much to children , who are , after all , the film ' s target audience . these are really minor quibbles , though . " stuart 2 " is a fine movie , both for kids and adults . the special effects are well - done , all the actors do a good job in their roles , and the dialogue has some real gems . particularly noteworthy is snowbell , the cat ( voiced to hilarious perfection by nathan lane ) . he gets all the best lines , and steals every scene he ' s in - - he even upstages stuart himself ! verdict : good movie . go see .

this simple story features amazing computer effects to render stuart and a story that will bore anyone over the age of ten .

just as no writer or editor can do without a copy of strunk and white’s the elements of style , so no child’s library is complete without one or more of the latter writer’s beloved trilogy of children’s books : stuart little ( 1945 ) , charlotte’s web ( 1952 ) , and trumpet of the swan ( 1970 ) .

this dvd is packed with extras designed for kids and special - effects enthusiastics . stuart himself hosts the extras , guiding the viewer through the special menus . a favorite with the kids will probably be the game asking questions about the movie . using clips from the movie and three different levels , it ' s quite appealing . as for meatier things , there is a curious look at animators ' " tryouts " in creating stuart , plus excellent demonstrations of how stuart interacts with humans , using multiple images and commentary . another highlight is seeing the first conceptual drawings of the boat race , vastly different from the final sequence . there are two commentary tracks on the film , one with the visual - effects team revealing their secrets and the other with the engaging director , rob minkoff . also including short documentaries , music videos , and a read - along book with stuart , this is a rare disc because the kids will like the extras as much as the film . - - doug thomas

that night , snowbell meets with smokey and the alley cats , who reveal they had forced the stouts to pose as stuart ' s parents in order to remove stuart from the household . fearing retribution should the littles discover snowbell ' s deception , smokey orders the stouts to hand stuart over to them . however , the stouts , having bonded with stuart , tell him the truth and instruct him to escape . smokey subsequently orders a mouse hunt for stuart . he and the alley cats confront him in central park , and chase him into a sewer drain , but he manages to outrun them , losing his roadster in the process . he returns home , but finds the littles absent , going out to put up posters of him . the only one present is snowbell , who lies that the littles have been enjoying themselves since stuart ' s departure and uses stuart ' s removed face from the family photograph as proof ( which they had actually used for the posters ) . crestfallen , stuart leaves again .

as the charm and novelty of the first two films lay in seeing the tiny mouse boy contrasted up against the human environment . with no medium separating either , what we have here seems to be no more than a standard talking animal animated film .

in the first film , the story starts when the littles adopt stuart in an orphanage . the mouse ' s new parents are happy with him , but his foster brother , george , isn ' t but soon they get well with each other . as stuart is beginning to adapt , things get complicated when snowbell , the family ' s pet cat , tries to get rid of him and his supposedly lost parents , the stouts ( voiced by bruno kirby and jennifer tilly ) , appear in the scene .

snowbell : ( after stuart ' s car overheats ) i ' m telling you , stuart , it ' s a sign . this is just like the burning bush — except it ' s a carburetor , and . . . i ' m not moses .

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eventually , stuart and his best friends trick the beast into falling into a trap covered with sticks and leaves . the beast is then taken away to a zoo and reeko tells stuart that he was wrong to betray him and apologizes to him and the other forest animals .

stuart : margalo , you ' re the best friend i ever had . ( hugs margalo , who sadly hangs her head in guilt )

later that night , margalo gives a sleeping stuart her precious jeweled stick - pin , before leaving the house out of guilt and shame .

the littles go on holiday up to lake garland , taking stuart and snowbell with them . stuart is excited and looking forward to joining the lake scouts . frederick decides to join up too to ensure stuarts safety . george has no interest in the scouts and only wants to get through all the levels on his computer game but is persuaded to join when he meets a cute scout girl brooke . stuart soon starts to fall behind everyone else on the courses because he is too small to keep up with the regular size kids . in the woods , stuart befriends the skunk rocko who gives him helpful tips on wilderness survival . what stuart does not know is that rocko has made a deal with the monster  a mountain lion that is terrorizing the woods  to be spared as long as he brings it other animals as food .

when stuart’s parents learn the truth , their response is refreshingly direct . not only does mr . little make it totally clear to george that " it is never okay to lie to your parents , " when george counters by suggesting that he’s bound by his promise to his brother , his mother brushes this aside : " it was wrong to promise your brother to lie to us . " afterwards , having made a full confession , george ventures to ask whether he is in trouble . " no , son , " mr . little replies firmly . " you are in big trouble . "

plus ! : 3 music videos ( if you can ' t rock me , by brian setzer orchestra , i need to know by r . angels , you ' re where i belong by trisha yearwood ) , read - along with stuart , artist ' s screen tests , race with stuart hasbro interactive rom game & stuart ' s central park adventure game , art gallery , isolated music score , dvd - rom & weblinks

the ditz : margalo puts on an understated version of this , mostly to throw stuart off the fact that she ' s an artful dodger .

my god , what have i done ? : margalo says this almost word - for - word after falcon apparently drops stuart to his death .

stuart little 3 : call of the wild is a direct - to - video fully cgi animated sequel . most of the cast returned to voice their respective characters ( laurie , davis and fox ) except for nathan lane ( who was replaced by his timon substitute , kevin schon ) , steve zahn ( who voiced monty , snowbell ' s feral cat best friend ) and jonathan lipnicki . in this one , stuart and his family go for a camping trip . stuart joins the scouts and makes good friends with reeko the skunk ( voiced by wayne brady ) , who like margalo , works for a ferocious employer called the beast ( voiced by virginia madsen ) .

the late hughes , of course , is getting a lot of play these days . his teen classic the breakfast club had a theatrical reissue for its thirtieth anniversary earlier this year , and the new spider - man film is said to be heavily inspired by his films as well .

they find out that their son has been kidnapped by a couple of strangers , and that , according to the authorities , their modus operandi fits criminals interested in thrill - killing , not ransom . luckily , stuart ' s fake parents turn out to have a conscience and he finds his way home , but mr . and mrs . little are scared to death in the meantime .

raised by humans : stuart in the films ( as opposed to the books , where he ' s a mouse mysteriously born to human parents ) .

stuart and george finish the wasp in time , but when the controller gets broken on the day of the race , stuart pilots the wasp himself . he ends up entangled with a larger boat belonging to george ' s rival , anton ( miles marsico ) who always cheats by crashing other competitors boats , but stuart snaps the wires of anton ' s boat , making it inoperable , and manages to win the race . after this , george feels more comfortable with stuart and calls him " his brother " . during the family celebration , however , the littles are visited by a mouse couple , reginald and camille stout ( bruno kirby and jennifer tilly ) , who claim to be stuart ' s parents and that they gave him up for adoption years ago due to poverty . somberly , stuart leaves with the stouts . three days later , mrs . keeper comes to visit and tells the littles that stuart ' s parents actually died many years ago in a supermarket accident . realizing their son has been kidnapped , the littles call the police , who start a search operation .


smilin ' through is a 1932 american pre-code mgm romantic drama film based on the play by jane cowl and jane murfin , also named smilin ' through .

the film was nominated for the academy award for best picture for 1932 .

it was adapted from cowl and murfin 's play by james bernard fagan , donald ogden stewart , ernest vajda and claudine west .

the movie was directed by sidney franklin and starred norma shearer , fredric march , leslie howard and ralph forbes .

the film was a remake of an earlier 1922 silent version also directed by sidney franklin which starred norma talmadge .

smilin ' through ( 1932 film )

smilin ' through ( 1932 film ) <EOT> jeanette macdonald appears in smilin through and new moon . jeanette macdonald appears in smilin through and i married an angel . jeanette macdonald appears in smilin through and broadway serenade . jeanette macdonald appears in smilin through and bitter sweet . jeanette macdonald appears in smilin through and the girl of the golden west .

smilin ' through is a 1932 film directed by sidney franklin , starring norma shearer , leslie howard , and fredric march .

moving picture world , march 18 , 1922 , fritz tidden , review of smilin’ through .

wikimedia commons has media related to a farewell to arms ( 1932 film ) .

smilin ' through is a 1941 mgm musical film based on the 1919 play of the same name by jane cowl and jane murfin .

title drop : moonyeen sings the song " smilin ' through " at the pre - wedding reception .

norma shearer and fredric march in a scene from the 1932 drama smilin ' through ~ please visit my blog http : / / classichollywoodactresses . blog . . .

titled after the song : before the play or the movies there was the 1919 song " smilin ' through . "

' introduced in joseph m . schenck ' s motion picture version of the fantastic play " smilin ' through " featuring

( with jane cowl ; under pseudonym alan langdon martin ) smilin’ through ( play ) , first produced in new york , ny , 1924 .

smilin ' through was an adaptation of a stage play . it had been previously adapted as a silent film in 1922 and was adapted again in 1941 as a vehicle for jeanette mac donald .

2 - sidney franklin is second without any competition for metro - goldwyn - mayer produced titles the guardsman , private lives , reunion in vienna and smilin ' through .

daybreak , lilac time , and smilin’ through , were also made into movies . in fact , smilin’ through was adapted for film three different times . a tragic tale that belies the happy - sounding title , smilin’ through is about a young woman named kathleen whose adoptive uncle , john carteret , forbids her to see the man she loves ; the reason for this is that kenneth wayne is the nephew of the man who killed carteret ' s fiancée on their wedding day . eventually , though , young love wins , and even carteret ' s heart finds some room for forgiveness in it .

smilin’ through director : sidney franklin writers : jane cowl , jane murfin , ernest vajda , claudine west , james b . fagan , donald o . stewart cinematography : lee games film editing : margaret booth art direction : cedric gibbons costume design : adrian

last spring , i caught a day of pre - hayes code films on tcm including her smilin’ through ( 1932 ) , where she is naked in a bath scene . this winter , i caught the film version of one of my favorite plays , noel coward’s private lives , which i had never seen . shearer is just terrific in it ; so eccentric and sexy opposite robert montgomery .

, who is known to have made some musical sketches for the score before the plan fell through .

the title smilin ' through almost seems ironic , considering that this 1932 melodrama might be the weepiest weepy that ever weeped . an also - ran for the best picture academy award of 1932 / 33 , this is actually the second of three adaptations of a popular 1919 play by jane cowl and jane murfin . directed by sidney franklin , who also directed the original silent film adaptation in 1922 , the story still plays quite well , with only a few scattered moments feeling a bit stilted or dated stylistically .

academy award nomination for best original story ( with adela rogers st . johns ) , 1932 , for what price hollywood ?

1 - frank capra through strength of two from columbia , lady for a day and it happened one night .

review : lovely , simply lovely . smilin ' through was first a stage play , then a 1922 silent film starring norma talmadge . the story begins in england in 1868 , on the day of norma shearer ' s wedding to leslie howard . tragedy strikes during the ceremony , when shearer ' s… ( more )

the war is out - of - place , but the rest of smilin’ through is sufficiently romantic and engaging with a passionate performance by fredric march . warner archive recently released this on dvd , so if you’re watch them be sure to send them a thanks !

smilin ' through is an example of romantic melodrama at its best . a hit at the box office , the film boasts a superb production and a strong cast who handle their roles with aplomb . la norma was perhaps never better ( and she never looked lovelier ) , and march , howard , o . p . heggie , and ralph forbes

a comprehensive list of every film ever nominated for the academy award for best picture .

the film was a remake of a previous 1932 version by mgm and was the third and final film version of the play . it starred jeanette macdonald , brian aherne , gene raymond and ian hunter . it was filmed in technicolor and was remade as a musical for macdonald with several older songs interpolated into the story .

had its first sound - film treatment in 1932 in a version again directed by franklin and starring norma shearer , fredric march and leslie howard . ( a musical version , starring jeanette macdonald and gene raymond , would appear in 1941 . )

every film that has ever been nominated for an academy award in any category . enjoy !

pearl buck intended the film to be cast with all chinese or chinese - american actors .

lend sterling support . one of those rare films whose gorgeous soft - focus look and dreamy , unashamed , sentimental romantic conviction suggests the best of frank borzage , smilin ' through was remade by borzage with less success in 1941 , with jeanette macdonald , gene raymond and brian aherne .

borzage made a third film about german life , the mortal storm ( 1940 ) , with james stewart , robert young , sullavan , and frank morgan as members of a family torn apart by the nazis’ rise to power . flight command ( 1940 ) was a blend of sentimentality and aerial acrobatics , with taylor starring as a young man who strives to excel as a navy pilot . borzage then directed smilin’ through ( 1941 ) , a musical remake starring jeanette macdonald of a melodrama that had been previously filmed in 1922 and 1932 .

final thoughts : smilin ' through is an excellent drama which somehow has not lingered in the greater classic - movie consciousness . hopefully , this release - - as bare bones as it is - - will reach more people in the mood for a good old - fashioned cry . highly recommended .

los angeles , ca ) ; married laurence trimble ( divorced ) ; married donald crisp ( an actor and director ) , 1932 ( divorced , 1944 ) .

this hungarian film is a careful , compassionate and beautifully acted character drama with a social conscience .

screenwriter , playwright , and film producer . motion picture supervisor for rko studios , beginning 1934 .

the bulk of the story takes place during the wwi era , 1915 - 1919 , but all of norma shearer ' s clothes , hats , and hairstyles are strictly in the 1932 mode , the year the film was made , a typical practice of the era .

the plot is a mite bit predictable for a modern audience , with the romantic fate of the young lovers hinging on sir john ' s ability to forgive and forget . yet when all is said and done , and the kleenex box is empty , smilin ' through is a memorable , moving little story .

in addition to the popular success of smilin’ through , murfin was also known for bringing hollywood ' s first dog star , strongheart the german shepherd , to the big screen . strongheart starred in five films in the 1920s and was about as popular as rin - tin - tin at the time . a prolific writer from the 1920s through the mid - 1930s , murfin ' s output eased somewhat after she was named the first woman supervisor of motion pictures at rko studios in 1934 . she continued making films , however , through the early 1940s , including 1940 ' s pride and prejudice , an adaptation of the jane austen novel , and 1944 ' s dragon seed , based on the pearl buck book about chinese farmers living through the hell of japanese occupation .

using the hollywood reporter ' s may 1 cut - off date as given in the first poll and the release dates posted to the imdb , wellman ' s qualifying movies for 1932 - 33 would have been : love is a racket , the purchase price , the conquerors , frisco jenny ( all 1932 ) , central airport ( 1933 ) .

lovely , simply lovely . smilin ' through was first a stage play , then a 1922 silent film starring norma talmadge . the story begins in england in 1868 , on the day of norma shearer ' s wedding to leslie howard . tragedy strikes during the ceremony , when shearer ' s jealous suitor , fredric march , shows up drunk and crazed . he pulls a pistol and fires at his rival , . . . read more

the sense of place is as pervasive as a character in “moss , ” a film by daniel peddle .

premiere on january 29 , 1937 . the film credits stated that this was his " last great achievement " .

. new york : wid ' s films and film folk , inc . : 9 february 3 , 1937 .

" helen hayes , gary cooper and adolphe menjou in a film of hemingway ' s " farewell to arms .

the 1932 - 33 report , found inside the may 22 , 1933 edition of the hollywood reporter gives the better explanation of the poll , though i assume it was conducted similarly each year .

film costs hit both extremes : poverty row spends less , big studios more million - dollar features " shoot the works " inexpensive " arty " hit due to make appearance schallert , edwin . los angeles times ( 1923 - current file ) [ los angeles , calif ] , october 16 , 1932 : b13 .

also envisioned casting only chinese actors , but had to concede that american audiences were not ready for such a film . though

and used for the first time in this film . however , some of the supporting cast did include chinese american actors .

the film stars paul muni as wang lung . for her role as his wife o - lan , luise rainer won an academy award for best actress . the film also won the academy award for best cinematography for karl freund . it was nominated for best director , best film editing and best picture . its world premiere was at the elegant carthay circle theatre in los angeles .

" how would you rate the leading box office directors on pictures made since may 1 , 1932 ? your rating should be given on the basis of earned money for you on the play of the pictures . "

there was no awards ceremony in 1933 . the 1932 / 33 academy awards were presented on march 16 , 1934 and covered a full 17 months period ( august 1932 - december 1933 ) . 1932 - 33 was the last year that eligibility for oscar nominees ran for films released from august thru july ( actually december this time ) - to allow the next ceremony to cover films for a single calendar year . the academy had finally decided to match the eligibility period to the calendar year , beginning in the next year , 1934 . ( from then on , the nominating selections and the award ceremony would cover the same calendar year . )

, the film is about a romantic love affair between an american ambulance driver and an english nurse in italy during world war i . the film received academy awards for best cinematography and best sound , and was nominated for best picture and best art direction .

( 1929 ) as a poor farm girl and the paralyzed world war i veteran who loves her . borzage’s final silent film ,

smilin’ through is a remake of a silent film of 1922 . the main character is obviously kathleen / moonyeen , played by norma shearer , though leslie howard’s interpretation of the sir john character was praised by critics . considering the time when the film was made , the effects used to create the ghost moonyeen are remarkable . the film is rich in sentiment and leslie howard’s role is a very sad one , almost tragic ; yet he is able to give the character of the old sir john some lightness and vivacity , as in the scene between sir john and the little kathleen . seeing leslie disguised as an old man always seems very sad to me and always makes me feel uneasy , as i cannot forget that his tragic fate did not allow him to become an old man .

maybe i am dead inside . . but i thought the character mister howard played got a cosmic screw job in this . it seemed wrong . . everything he went through . . . . .

smilin through before sleeping through , i was really disappointed in this film it lacked character and interest . jeanette ' s singing is the only thing that saved me from complete boredom . gene raymond didn ' t fit the character or the movie , jeanette didn ' t have any chemistry with her husband on screen might as well have put nelson eddy in the film it wouldn ' t have been so bad to watch . all in all the songs are nice including " drink to me only with thine eyes " it looked like she was singing that to herself instead of her loving husband if you ask me . even louie b mayor said it himself " sing to him like you love him " she was supposed to be singing to her husband with love that shouldn ' t have been hard , if only she wasn ' t already inlove with nelson . jeanette always looks stunning in color and black and white films if you like jeanette macdonald then watch this film other then that nothing special really .

scarface ( 1932 ) directed by howard hawks ( sergeant york ( 1941 ) ) with a ben hecht ( underworld ( 1927 ) ) screenplay this infamous gangster film was co - produced ( with the director ) by howard hughes . neither took an on - screen credit due to the controversial nature of the film which was released without the censor’s approval with the subtitle “the shame of the nation” . it stars paul muni as a capone - like hood who works his way up [ . . . ]

the hollywood reporter also polled the film exhibitors and they came up with an annual top 10 list of the biggest earning directors in hollywood .

i really want to watch this film – when i saw that wa had released it last month , i got unusually excited ! i’m a big shearer fan and i can tolerate howard , but i can’t stand march lol judging from your review , though , the film is definitely worth seeing at least once .

due to the fact that the category of special visual effects hadn ' t been introduced yet , and it was released by the minor rko film studio , the adventure / horror film from co - directors merian c . cooper and ernest b . schoedsack - king kong , also failed to win any nominations !

the film ' s 1936 production lasted from february 28 to july 23 . thalberg died on september 14 , four - and - a - half months before its

my distaste for leslie howard , norma shearer and ( to a lesser extent ) fredric march , are well - documented in my various reviews of their work . so color me surprised when i settled down to watch smilin’ through , a 1930s romance now available via warner archive . the direction and acting suffer from routine issues plaguing movies till about the mid - 30s ( such as highly overwrought acting and soppy direction ) , but the sensitive telling of the story does enough to temper the movies faults .

interesting lists , huh ? since we ' re voting with our dollars i ' d step right up and give roy del ruth my money in 1932 - 33 as often as possible , though i also love the output of that year ' s winner , alfred e . green .

this film was very successful at the box office , earning mgm a profit of $ 529 , 000 ( $ 9 . 1m in 2017 ) according to studio records .

when mgm inquired into the possibility of making the film in china , the chinese government was divided on how to respond . initial hostility derived from resentment of the novel , which critics charged focused only on the perceived backwardness of the country while some government officials hoped to have control which would be gone if the film work was done outside china . generalissimo

the film ' s budget was $ 2 . 8 million , a small fortune at the time , and took three years to make . a five - hundred - acre farm in

it’s melodramatic as hell and it plays loosey - goosey with time more than any film i’ve seen that doesn’t involve actual time travel . . . but , lord , it broke me .

. . . but time has been kind to the film . it launders out the writer ' s . . . pessimism and replaces it with a testament to the eternal love between a couple . "

unlike most pre - 1950 paramount sound features , a farewell to arms was not sold to what is now known as universal television . warner bros . acquired the rights at an unknown date with the intention to remake the film , but never did . the film would end up in the package of films sold to associated artists productions in 1956 , that company would be sold to united artists two years later .

james l . neibaur of urltoken calls it : " one of the most interesting and important film books of the young year , " adding , " the documentation is original and significant . " full review .

new york times , august 9 , 1940 , bosley crowther , " the screen in review ; pride and prejudice , a delightful comedy of manners , seen at the music ; h3 " ; march 7 , 1941 , bosley crowther , " andy hardy ' s private secretary adorns the capitol— another melodrama at the rialto " ; december 5 , 1941 , bosley crowther , " the screen in review ; smilin’ through in its third reincarnation , with jeanette macdonald , at the capitol—aherne , raymond in the cast " ; april 16 , 1943 , bosley crowther , " flight for freedom , ; a film speculation on fate of woman flier , with rosalind russell in lead , at the music hall " ; july 21 , 1944 , " dragon seed , picturization of the pearl buck novel , with katharine hepburn , walter huston , arrives at music hall . "

topkapi ( 1964 ) a funny unusual caper film which ( along with the pink panther ( 1963 ) ) pioneered many of the robbery stunts you’ve come to see in later films even james bond movies and ultimately inspired tv’s mission impossible . maximilian schell robert morley and melina mercouri star in this film which features peter ustinov’s oscar winning supporting actor performance . directed by jules dassin . purchase this dvd now [ . . . ]

george cukor for little women ( with three nominations and one win - best adaptation ) , the best of many film versions of louisa may alcott ' s civil war story of the march family of four sisters .

paramount pictures , one of the first and most successful of the hollywood film studios . it became a subsidiary of viacom in 1994 . paramount pictures corp . was established in 1914 by w . w . hodkinson as…

the good earth is a 1937 american drama film about chinese farmers who struggle to survive . it was adapted by talbot jennings , tess slesinger , and claudine west from the play by owen davis and donald davis , which was in itself based on the 1931 novel of the same name by nobel prize - winning author pearl s . buck . the film was directed by sidney franklin , with uncredited contributions by victor fleming and gustav machaty .

smilin’ through is gimmicky from the first minute john starts talking to his deceased lover , moonyeen ( also shearer ) , and from there the movie relies on howard in old - age makeup while march and shearer play dual roles . thankfully , it all works because of the script , and original play by jane cowl . the movie is a sensitive tale of love persevering through the ages and john’s blindness to the individual identities of kathleen and kenneth ; they may look like people from the past , but they aren’t the same in spirit . at a brisk 98 - minutes the plot takes its time to set up john’s character more than anyone else . he’s lost a loved one , tasked with caring for a child – the scene is rather sweet – and raises kathleen the best way he knows how . eventually , kathleen grows up and falls in love , leading to a slew of subtle freudian discussions about john’s own love for kathleen although there’s no implication that john sees her as anything more than his ward .

1932 - 33 seems more earthy than 1933 - 34 , doesn ' t it ? sure , the later year claims convention city , but ' 32 - 33 counts three warner brothers ' directors among its top four and the movies they worked on are all the typical working class ( i . e . , gritty ) movies we think of as coming from the studio .

according to mgm records the film earned $ 2 , 002 , 000 in the us and canada and $ 1 , 555 , 000 elsewhere but because of its high cost incurred an ultimate loss of $ 96 , 000 .

the sweeping , episodic film , spanning over thirty years , featured an all - british cast ( including clive brooks , diana wynyard , and young frank lawton ) and traced the lives of the british upper - class marryot turn - of - the - century family , from an 1899 new year ' s eve celebration around the time of the boer war and the death of queen victoria through the sinking of the titanic , world war i , the 1920s , the depression , and up to a second new year ' s eve celebration in 1932 . the effects of good and bad times and world events on the family ' s lives were chronicled ( wartime , the death of the queen , the husband ' s knighthood , the loss of one son on the titanic and another in the great war ) . [ lloyd would be the director for 1935 ' s best picture winner , mutiny on the bounty although he lost for best director . ]

what makes this film quite touching is how natural both shearer and march play their flirting scenes . despite the play’s call for melodramatic emotions—which shearer supplies in abundance towards the end—i was impressed by the chemistry between the two of them . shearer has been dismissed as an actress by quite a few critics and film historians , and while she was never a great actress , she could be quite convincing in her limited range , particularly when it came to expressing sincerity .

remarkably , the best picture and director winner were for the same film - fox ' s and director frank lloyd ' s over - produced cavalcade - a portent of other british costume drama award - winners in future years . the oft - forgotten fox film , based on noel coward ' s dramatic stage play ( adapted by reginald berkeley ) , was honored with four nominations and three wins - best picture , best director , and art direction / decoration .

i ' m a college student getting my master ' s in english , but dreams of getting an additional degree in film . i ' m a movie reviewer for several sites , but i also write classic film reviews for several other sites . i stretch myself pretty thin these days . you can usually find me at a bookstore , or a movie theater . i dream of the day when the two are combined . i base a lot of my friendships on favorite movies .

in film history class when i was a youth , all that i could muster for the work of norma shearer were cynical comments about her crossed - eyes and unusually mannered performances . but , i would later come to appreciate her special talents .

judging by the text inside the latter of those two reports , the hollywood reporter had only conducted this poll in one prior year , for 1931 - 32 . that remains a mystery unless , or hopefully until , the media history digital project gets their hands on a january - june 1932 volume . if you ever see it in their possession , let me know , and i ' ll add the findings to this post .

this title is grotesquely unsuitable to the film . even in full it would be misleading , but the omission of the final consonant of the first word gives it an unbearably arch air of facetiousness , while in fact the film manages to be both a sensitive and sentimental account of the conflict between young love and old feud . [ … ] up to a certain point the film succeeds in being at once rational and moving , and it owes not a little to the acting of miss norma shearer as kathleen . [ … ] only in the last few minutes does it collapse into an abyss of bathos , and for that the director is to be blamed , first , for not knowing when to stop , and , secondly , for allowing a passion for tidying up loose ends to betry him into an absurd , as well as a faintly offensive , climax . mr . fredric march , as kenneth wayne , supports miss shearer adequately , while mr . leslie howard , as john carteret , makes a highly credible pretence of being an old man , although he is actually at his best in those “flash - back” scenes which show him as a young and ardent bridegroom . ( the times , november 14 , 1932 )

sidney franklin directed this film , as he had the very first version in 1922 , and it is all rather exquisite , very enjoyable and at a couple of points , rather touching . howard in particular is interesting to watch as he starts to crack and thaw under the joy…

mogambo ( 1953 ) directed by john ford this better than average remake of screenwriter john lee mahin’s adventure drama red dust ( 1932 ) also stars clark gable in the leading male role but replaces jean harlow with ava gardner and mary astor with grace kelly as well as altering the story . instead of gable running a rubber plantation for its owner and having an affair with the owner’s wife gable is a big game hunter who has a dalliance with one [ . . . ]

could the hollywood reporter have left him off the lists they sent out to exhibitors ? the fact that they sent out such lists seems to skew any potential accuracy of these polls . that is , unless they sent out lists of every film released by every director for each period .

praised the film as " a superb translation of a literary classic . . . one of the finest things hollywood has done this season or any other . while it has taken some liberties with the novel ' s text , it has taken none with its quality or spirit . "

the film ' s storyline greatly resembles that of noël coward ' s operetta bitter sweet , right down to the " frame story " surrounding the main plot . three years later , mgm filmed a technicolor version of bitter sweet , but altered the plot slightly so that audiences would not notice the similarities .

shearer was in so many hits that many of mgm’s plum roles were hers for the picking , and approved by her powerful husband . she wanted to do more adaptations of broadway plays and was given the lynn fontanne role in anti - war comedy idiot’s delight ( 1939 ) , opposite gable in the alfred lunt part . she received rave reviews for other broadway transitions strange interlude ( 1932 ) , again with gable , based on a play by eugene o’neill and , of course , the women ( 1939 ) .

also author of other plays , including flaming sign ; collaborated with jane cowl on other plays , often under the pseudonym alan langdon martin , including lilac time ; author , with anita loos , of play the women , published in twenty best film plays , edited by john gassner and dudley nichols , 1943 .

the merry widow is a 1934 film adaptation of the operetta of the same name by franz lehár . it was directed and produced by ernst lubitsch and starred maurice chevalier and jeanette macdonald . a french - language version was produced at the same time and released in france the same year as la veuve joyeuse .

he was the son of a master stonemason . borzage began acting in his teens with a theatrical troupe , doubling as a prop boy before entering films as an actor in 1912 for producer and director thomas ince . after appearing in a number of westerns and comedies , he began directing films at the american film manufacturing company in 1915 . he worked as an actor and director primarily for triangle film corporation from 1917 to 1919 , where in 1918 he switched to directing exclusively . in the early 1920s he worked at paramount pictures , first national pictures , and metro - goldwyn - mayer ( mgm ) . he finally landed at fox film corporation , the scene of his greatest triumphs , in 1925 . there he began with lazybones , a melancholy romance set in a small town in the american west , though he soon moved over to domestic comedies such as wages for wives ( 1925 ) and early to wed ( 1926 ) .

awhile back i took a deep peek inside several issues of harrison ' s reports to get a look at which mid - 30 ' s era movies the film exhibitors were reporting as actually making them money . that series came to an end when i sold the collection before i could finish ( whoops ! ) .

at her apex , shearer was lavishly gowned for her film roles , and her hair was styled in a fashion that was the essence of sophistication . it was rumored that skilled camera work hid a flaw in her beauty : her eyes were not perfectly aligned . her eyes became a delicate subject at the studio .

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it is based on the stage play in which jane cowl appeared a number of seasons ago , and the experts tell me that norma talmadge once appeared in it in a silent version . in spite of which it still remains a good story , and in sidney franklin’s capable direction and the excellent performances of miss shearer , leslie howard and fredric march , the picture at the capitol comes as a refreshing and affecting variation on the run - of - the - mill product . ( thornton delehanty , new york evening post , october 15 , 1932 )

she was even better in the lavish marie antoinette ( 1938 ) , well - matched opposite tyrone power . it had its posh premiere at the legendary carthay circle theatre with special versailles inspired landscaping just for the event . the film was the last project of thalberg who passed away suddenly when he was just 37 - years - old while it was in pre - production . he was taken by pneumonia , but basically , he had worked himself to death . shearer remained committed to making marie antoinette even if her enthusiasm for her career was waning following his death . it’s budget of two million dollars made it the most expensive film of the 1930s , and one of the biggest money makers .

maytime is a 1937 american musical romantic drama film distributed by mgm . it was directed by robert z . leonard and stars jeanette macdonald and nelson eddy . the screenplay was rewritten from the book for sigmund romberg ' s 1917 operetta maytime by rida johnson young , romberg ' s librettist ; however , only one musical number by romberg was retained .

calls it " not only the best film version of a hemingway novel , but also one of the most thrilling visions of the power of sexual love that even borzage ever made . . . no other director created images like these , using light and movement like brushstrokes , integrating naturalism and a daring expressionism in the same shot . this is romantic

, whose american education made her an advocate for cooperation . permission was granted on condition that the view of china be favorable , that chinese government would supervise and have approval of shots done in china , and the unenforced stipulation that the entire cast be chinese . the government in nanjing did not foresee the sympathy the film would create and when mgm decided to shoot on location in china officials took extraordinary steps to control the production , forcing the studio to hire a nationalist general to advise them on authentic settings and costumes ( most of this footage was mysteriously lost when it was shipped home and had to be re - shot in california ) . there were reports that mgm distributed a different version of the film in china

jacqueline t . lynch , author of ann blyth : actress . singer . star . , says : " a prime example of a classic film fan taking the reins to produce a scholarly study of a neglected figure from the golden age of classic films in a way that i feel is refreshing , infinitely helpful to fans and students of old movies . " full review .

71 early on i thought this film was promising an interesting reincarnation story or at least some spooky ghost shenanigans , but really it’s just a mawkish melodrama in which a bitter old man stands in the way of his niece ( who resembles his slain fiancée ) being happy with the perfectly nice son of his fiancée’s killer ( who looks just like him ) lots and lots of violins .

there is one scene towards the end that made this film ultimately worthwhile for me because for the most part i wasn ' t really immersed in the story . it ' s the reunion scene between march and shearer , after he comes back from the war . especially march is good here , and like the sap i am , i shed a tear or two . march and shearer have good chemistry and do a great deal of kissing in this film but who can blame norma ? fredric looks so kissable , even with the moustache . also noteworthy is the scene , right before march marches off to war , where shearer says : " don ' t you want me , too ? i want you . i ' m not ashamed to say it . i ' m yours . you ' re…

the plot remained essentially the same as in the play and previous film versions . kathleen is a young irish woman in love with an american , kenneth wayne . the romance , however , is opposed by her adopted father john carteret , who recalls the painful memory of his tragically thwarted love for kathleen ' s aunt , moonyean clare . the roles of kathleen and moonyean are both played by macdonald .

shearer’s fame was so great , and her fans were so fervent , that she helped bring attention to one young actor named clark gable just by having an on - screen affair with him even though he was playing a gangster . the film was a free soul ( 1931 ) , and in it , gable gave her such a vicious slapping in one scene that it jolted audiences and outraged critics .

i saw this film at the egyptian theater in sioux falls , sd when i was 7 yrs . old . i can still remember the shooting scene . i cried all the way home . i just watched it today and cried all over again ! i didn ' t realize ' til today what a wonderful actress norma shearer was . the photography was great , better than i remember 30 ' s movies being . the chemistry between norma and frederic was superb . and , of course , leslie howard always gives a stellar performance . i haven ' t seen the re - makes , but can ' t imagine that they could improve upon it . i ' m saving this movie for my daughter to see so she can appreciate a fine film from the past , one with an everlasting theme and a great story .

classic film starter kit i typically ‘hate’ top 10 lists especially movie top 10 lists because i’ve found that it’s nearly impossible to narrow down almost any large category to such a finite number . however i have recommended afi’s original top 100 list as a good place to begin . even though i don’t agree with all the choices on the afi’s list ( s ) and certainly not the rankings therein there are a lot of quality titles to chose from [ . . . ]

wrote , " there is too much sentiment and not enough strength in the pictorial conception of ernest hemingway ' s novel . . . the film account skips too quickly from one episode to another and the hardships and other experiences of lieutenant henry are passed over too abruptly , being suggested rather than told . . . gary cooper gives an earnest and splendid portrayal [ and ] helen hayes is admirable as catherine . . . another clever characterization is contributed by adolphe menjou . . . it is unfortunate that these three players , serving the picture so well , do not have the opportunity to figure in more really dramatic interludes . "

it is a beautiful production , too immaculate , if anything , in its scenes of the past . it is rich in sentiment , but mr . franklin has permitted sufficient gentle comedy to relieve the romance and the tragedy of bygone years . it is another venture that benefits by expert photography , particularly in those scenes in which a wraith - like figure appears and talks . [ … ] mr . march is very good , although a trifle too flippant at times . he is , however , far better than the ordinary choice for such a role . he does make the character determined and sympathetic . miss shearer is no less beautiful than she is in “strange interlude , ” but here , occasionally , she is almost too careful about her personal appearance . mr . howard’s performance is splendid , even though his voice belies his disguise of old age . he is , however , so nicely restrained during his scenes that it is a joy to witness his interpretation at all times . and his chess partner , major owen , is admirably acted by mr . heggie . ( mordaunt hall , new york times , october 15 , 1932 )

the video & audio : presumably cobbled together from different sources , the 1 . 37 : 1 standard image is inconsistent but watchable . certain sequences have quite good detail for a standard - def presentation , while others are a bit soft . many scenes are marked with scratches and specks , but nothing that completely disrupts the image . the blacks are strong throughout , though , and nothing looks terribly washed - out . the mono audio is similarly variable . there are brief moments of distortion , and the track has frequent hiss and crackle . none of it interferes with the dialogue or music , and considering the age of the film , this is in pretty good shape for something that wasn ' t specifically remastered .

the film opens in 1890s england , with sir john canteret ( leslie howard ) communing with the ghost of his thirty - years - dead lover , moonyeen clare ( norma shearer ) . moonyeen is wearing a wedding dress , so you know something bad happened there . also not so positive : moonyeen ' s sister has just died in an accident , along with her husband . the care of their daughter kathleen ( played at this age by cora sue collins ) has been put to sir john . he is reticent , but he is soon won over by the adorable little moppet who first sees him and says , " i don ' t think i like you . " obviously , she must have gotten used to the old man pretty quick , because soon after , we flash forward twenty years , and kathleen ( now played by shearer ) has been living happily in sir john ' s mansion the whole time .

charles laughton ( with his first nomination ) won the best actor award for alexander korda ' s british picture the private life of henry viii . [ laughton was the first british actor / performer in a foreign / british film to win an acting academy award . ] he portrayed the notorious , corpulent and autocratic tudor king as a flamboyant , loud and lusty character with despicable table manners - belching while eating capon . the monarch was noted for his six marriages and wives - catherine of aragon , anne boleyn ( merle oberon ) , jane seymour , anne of cleves ( portrayed by laughton ' s real - life wife elsa lanchester ) , catherine howard , and katherine parr . [ throughout awards history , more oscar nominations have been given for the character of sixteenth - century king henry viii ( 1491 - 1547 ) than any other historical / literary figure . robert shaw was nominated for playing henry viii in a man for all seasons ( 1966 ) , and richard burton was nominated for the same character role in anne of the thousand days ( 1969 ) . ]

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the adoptive father of a young woman is horrified to learn she plans to marry the son of the man who accidentally killed her aunt years before .

hotel transylvania 3 : summer vacation stars plan their dream summer getaways to some memorable movie settings .

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tom collier has had a great relationship with daisy , but when he decides to marry , it is not daisy whom he asks , it is cecelia . after the marriage , tom is bored with the social scene and . . . see full summary »

elizabeth barrett ' s tyrannical father has forbidden any of his family to marry . nevertheless , elizabeth falls in love with the poet robert browning .

the poor , downtrodden ( beautiful , of course ) " dutiful " daughter in a london society family falls for a barrister , disguises herself , and takes a job as governess to his son . adapted from . . . see full summary »

in the late 1800s new england , banker william marlowe and his wife martha have arranged for their daughter mary to marry the officious and older lord hurley of england . mary does not want . . . see full summary »

john carteret has long been depressed and lonely , because , at his wedding years ago , his bride , moonyean , was murdered . he accepts into his house kathleen , the 5 year old orphaned niece of . . . see full summary »

an alcoholic lawyer who successfully defended a notorious gambler on a murder charge objects when his free - spirited daughter becomes romantically involved with him .

in order to avoid a prearranged marriage , a rebellious french princess sheds her identity and escapes to colonial new orleans , where she finds an unlikely true love .

an actor of the stage finds himself pursued by a lovestruck fan while trying to patch up a tempestuous relationship with his actress lover .

three daughters of a small town pharmacist undergo trials and tribulations in their problematic marriages between 1904 and 1908 .

captain fred allison has been in a german prisoner of war camp for a long time . it has been two years since he last saw monica , a girl he met , married and bought a house with in six days . . . see full summary »

a young american man is transported back to london in the time of the american revolution and meets his ancestors .

john has led a solitary life for thirty years since the death of moonyeen clare . but now owens , a close friend , insists that he care for his niece , kathleen , orphaned when her parents were lost at sea . kathleen is five , but the years pass and now she is a young woman who is the image of moonyeen . willy wants kathleen for his wife , but sparks fly when she meets kenneth wayne one dark and stormy night . john is horrified for it was wayne ' s father who shot moonyeen dead on her wedding day and john has never found him or forgiven the family . when ken goes off to war , john forbids any marriage and ken agrees , while kathleen does not . when ken returns four years later when the war is over , he is crippled . he conceals his condition and makes plans to leave for america .

metro - goldwyn - mayer studios - 10202 w . washington blvd . , culver city , california , usa

: look at this . when jeremy wayne got it , he crushed it in his hand and threw it away . why would he do that ?

as m - g - m would later do with " the wizard of oz " , no mention at all is made of any of the actors having dual roles . thus , the characters " moonyeen " and " jeremy wayne " are not even mentioned in the credits , although the characters are drastically important to the story .

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a young woman falls in love with the son of an old family enemy .

previous reviewer a . morris says this movie is " a good story " and a " heart fart mess . " well , he or she is half right .

born april 3 , 1893 , leslie howard steiner was one of two sons of hungarian immigrant to england , a london stockbroker married in 1892 . debonair englishman . . .

leonard maltin classic movie guide , copyright 2005 , 2010 . used by arrangement with penguin group ( usa ) inc .