Written On The Wind (released in 1956) - Starring Rock Hudson, Lauren Bacall, Robert Stack and Dorothy Malone

"Written On The Wind" is a drama from the director, Douglas Sirk's stable. It stars his favorite, Rock Hudson along with Lauren Bacall, Dorothy Malone and Robert Stack. Based on Robert Wolderman's novel of the same name, it is said to be based on the life of playboy Tobacco Heir, Zachary Smith Reynolds. A tale of love, money and greed, it has all the ingredients of a potboiler.
Texas oil baron, Jasper Hadley, is a great success with his business, but his children have totally disappointed him. Plagued with their childhood experiences, Kyle and Marylee are dysfunctional and spoilt. With money power, Marylee seduces every one and is a total alcoholic. Kyle is a womanizer and is heavily drowning in spirits. Kyle finds love in Lucy Moore, a simple executive secretary and marries her after a whirlwind courtship. She is a calming influence in his life and things start looking up for the Hadleys. But alcoholism has made Kyle incapable of fathering a child and this drives him to depression. Jasper Hadley does not make things easier with his high expectations and low appreciation. Kyle is driven by the bottle and starts physically abusing Lucy.



Mitch Reynolds is a geologist in Hadley's oil business. Marylee loves Mitch and even Jasper finds a surrogate capable son that he always wanted. But Mitch loves Lucy, and even if it is a one sided affair, Kyle becomes suspicious of Lucy's fidelity. Jealousy rips the couple apart and physical abuse becomes the norm of the day. Lucy becomes miraculously pregnant but this drives Kyle in to a rage as he suspects the child to be Mitch's. As the result of the push Lucy looses the baby and breaks ties with her husband. Mitch vows to leave town with her as soon as she is well enough. A jealous Kyle tries to shoot Mitch. Marylee tries to reason with him and Kyle is shot fatally in the melee. .
Marylee threatens to implicate Mitch for the murder if he does not return her love. Mitch refuses to be seduced or threatened and stand by Lucy. Marylee implicates him for the murder at the inquest and soon realizes that love can never be won sadistically. She changes her statement and allows Mitch and Lucy to depart to another life. She is left alone to mourn her brother and handle the reins of the company.
The movie is a typical potboiler with lot of sexist elements woven in to it. Sometimes it surprises me, how Mitch could just be with the goody two shoes Lucy who is boring compared to the smouldering Marylee. Dorothy Malone who plays Marylee does a un-paralled act which ultimately won her an Oscar. Stack also performs admirably and is said to have been ignored by the award company under pressure from 20th Century Fox. The movie also had a great outing at the box of ice even if the critics had not favored it much.
But still there is something missing from the whole story, and that being the repetitive story line. How often we have been fed with the spoilt rich kid against the nice poor guys saga? The women are never strong; with poor whimpering Lucy getting all the sympathy and Marylee being torn to pieces because she gets what she wants. The lack of originality is the film's death knell as it cannot stand scrutiny with the passage of time. If one has time on their hands and nothing much to look up to, then try a watch. Not highly recommended though.

The Wrong man (released in 1956) staring Henry Fonda, struggling to prove themselves innocent

This movie was adapted from a book by Maxwell Anderson, “The True story of Christopher, Emmanuel Balestrero” and is based on a true life incident.
It deals with a couple who fight for justice when the husband is convicted as a result of a mistaken identity. Manny Balestrero, a musician in a night club and his wife Rose live a hand and mouth existence. He tries to borrow money against Rose's insurance for some dental work which needs to be done. While he is at he insurance office, the clerk notices that he resembles the armed robber who had robbed the office. He calls in the police and soon the witnesses are marched in who swear to have seen him robing the office. Manny tries to prove his innocence, but fails. Even in his handwriting sample, in his nervousness, he misspells the same words that the robber himself had mis-spelt. Soon Manny is taken in to custody and the trial begins.
The couple hire Frank O'Connor as the defense attorney who builds up the case in their favor. He argues that Manny and Rose were on a vacation during the first robbery. But the 3 witnesses who had seen them during the vacation had died and this alibi also fails to impress. During the second robbery Manny had a swollen jaw which would have been easily noticeable by the insurance agency employee.



Rose is unable to bear the strain of this ordeal and soon buckles under pressure. She is confined to the sanitarium and is treated for depression. During the trial a bored Juror passes a remark which makes the judge to declare a mistrial. Manny is forced to await another trial in prison. As luck could have it the real robber is arrested and Manny is set free. He reaches Rose with the happy news but finds her apathetic. Soon Rose is cured and the family moves to Florida.
This movie was based on a true life story and is the last movie directed by Alfred Hitchcock for Warner bros. After this he made pictures only for Paramount. This movie is said to have been the only true story in Hitchcock's entire body of work. He is said to have hated the police and this sentiment is amply reflected in this movie. Hitchcock even did a cameo as the story teller in the movie and this is the only time he has appeared in any one of his pictures. He even cast the real Balesstrero witnesses in small parts for the movie. The real life Frank O'Connor is a New York Senator who rises to a appellate Judge.
The wrong man failed to impress at the box office, but is considered a classic. This movie has significant influence on many directors, and was influenced in making of the 2006 movie Lucky Number Slevin.

War and Peace (released in 1956) starring Audrey Hepburn, Henry Fonda and Mel Ferrer

War and peace is an epic novel by Leo Tolstoy and tells a love story with in the back ground of the Russo- Napoleonic war. It was directed by King Vidor and produced as an American/Italian collaboration by Carlo Ponti and Dino Laurentelis.
The story starts with Prince Andrei Bolkonsky who is disillusioned by his marriage to Lise and goes away to fight the Napoleonic war's. Lise, in the mean time lives with his father and sister, princess Marya. Andrei is injured and is supposedly dead but Marya and her father keeps this news away from Lise fearing for her unborn child. However Andrei is under the care of Napoleon himself, recovers and returns home a changed man, ready to love Lise again. But she dies leaving him to care for their son.
Andrei and Nicholas Rostov become friends and they in-turn are introduced to Pierre Bezhukov who has a devil may care attitude. He is attracted to Natasha Rostova who is Nicholas's sister but marries the beautiful Helene. He comes in to his inheritance from his father and leaves to enjoy life not the least bit interested in war.



A distraught Andrei is disillusioned by war and serves under his father in St Petersburg. Here he meets countess Natasha Rostova and falls in love with her. He proposes marriage and Natasha accepts, except for the fact that it is vetoed by Andrei's father. He proposes to the couple to wait for a year and then go for the wedding. Andrei accepts and leaves for a tour of Europe.
Natasha is lonely and is seduced by a married Anatole Kuragin and plans to elope with him. She writes to princess Marya breaking off the engagement and the letter reaches Andrei. But Natasha's cousin Sonya tells her that Anatole is much married and Natasha breaks up with him. She tried to commit suicide and is rescued. Meanwhile her best friend Pierre Bezhukov comes in to his inheritance and is married to a scheming princess Helene. He realizes his mistake and divorces her and reaches St Petersburg.
Andrei is seriously wounded by a grenade in the war and in his trying moments realizes that he is in love with Natasha and is ready to forgive her. An abandoned and wounded Andrei is found by Natasha who cares for him with the help of his sister, but dies of his serious injuries. Natasha meets with Pierre whose wife has died and develops feelings for him. They ultimately marry and have four children.
This film is a golden globe winner for the best film and was nominated for the Oscars for best director, cinematography, color and costume design. The film is often compared to the 1965 version by Sergei Bondarchuk and pales in such comparison. It vastly differs from the book and many of the supporting characters are relegated to the side. This movie was not a big hit and is essentially a love triangle between Andrei, Natasha and Pierre.