Kings Row | Ann Sheridan, Robert Cummings

Kings Row | Ann Sheridan, Robert Cummings | My Favorite Movie

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Kings Row

	Kings Row Ann Sheridan, Robert Cummings MGM (Warner), 1998 average customer review:based on 35 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

A Dark Masterpiece

"King's Row" is one of the darkest masterpieces ever to come out of the Hollywood studio system. Released on February 2, 1942, this scathing attack on turn of the century small town American life probably would not have been made in patriotic, post-Pearl Harbor USA. As it was, filming was nearly completed when the Japanese attacked. Though Warner Brothers executives were fearful the movie might be too depressing for patrons so soon after their country had gone to war, "King's Row" found it's audience--and has continued to thrill them to this day. Indeed, this dark tale of a young doctor (Robert Cummings) returning to the town of his childhood--finding it hiding more secrets than he ever could have imagined--is a precursor of film noir, and predates David Lynch's similiarly terrifying view of Americana. There is no part of this film that is less than perfect; from the sublimely evocative cinematography of the master, James Wong Howe, to the lushly romantic score of Erich Wolfgang Korngold. The performances, too, are sterling; with Ronald Reagan giving an Oscar worthy performance as Cumming's good-natured--if errant--friend, who suffers a horrific fate at the chillingly brilliant hands of Charles Coburn (surely, the most sinister surgeon ever depicted on screen). Betty Field and Ann Sheridan give the performances of their careers, and Sam Wood's forceful direction remains the pinnacle of his respected career. Future President Reagan so regarded this role, that he titled his 1965 autobiography, "Where's the Rest of Me?", after his famous line in this film. When he utters it onscreen, it's delivery will haunt you for years to come.
"King's Row" was nominated by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences for Best Picture, Director and Cinematography. It won 2 IFCA Awards (Cinematography and Score) and was nominated for 9 others (including Best Film, and a supporting actor nomination for Coburn). Casey Robinson superbly adapted Henry Bellamann's bestselling novel for the screen.

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My Favorite Movie

Anyone that says that Ronald Reagan couldn't act needs to see this movie. It is a sweeping story of friendship, loyalty and hope set in a small town at the turn of the century. Don't think that means that it is sappy, a small town has it secrets and bad times too.

When A Potboiler Becomes a Great Movie

KINGS ROW is one of those rare films that transcends its potboiler status into one that can make a legitimate claim as a near-great movie. Taken from the novel by Harry Bellamann, KINGS ROW, under the sure hand of director Sam Wood, manages to convey a gripping peek into the lives of Middle America at the turn of the century. There are many critics who compare this to a pre-World War II PEYTON PLACE, and there is some justification for that in that both deal with the lives of small town residents who try to be normal and decent when some of them are so repellent as to stagger the imagination. In KINGS ROW, the town of that name is so central to the plot and theme that it very nearly comes close to functioning as a character in its own right almost as if it were a collective chorus from a Greek play.

Ronald Reagan gives arguably his finest performance as Drake, a man who had been sheltered all his life by his family's wealth and status, but early on, he has to deal with the loss of all that as he tries to find a niche in a town where he is hated in secret by a man who is simply biding his time waiting for the moment to do him harm. Today, we tend to laugh at Reagan the actor as we well remember the blandness of his many roles typified in BEDTIME FOR BONZO, a title which feeds into a general distate for those who came to hate him for his politics and conservatism. Yet, here Reagan shows that with the right script and cast, he can and does shine as one who must face the horror of knowing that his fall from grace need never have happened at all. His scenes with Ann Sheridan, the girl from the "other side of the tracks" are memorable in that they reinforce the subtext that middle class westerners were the backbone of a society that was fiercely tested by a crunching Depression and would be soon tested by events in Europe that even then were looming on the cinematic horizon. Robert Cummings as his lifelong friend Parris also has what may have been his best moment as an actor. Here Cummings plays Damon to Reagan's Pythias as both lean on each other for support even though they are widely separated in time and space. There is a cast of supporting actors all of whom bounce off each other in all the right ways. Betty Field as the lunatic suitor of Reagan tears at our heart strings. Charles Coburn as the town doctor harbors a secret so vile that we shudder when we finally learn of it. Claude Rains has yet another opportunity to play the educated gentleman, who like Rochester in JANE EYRE, has his own secret hidden in an attic.

By the end of the film, the viewer can readily understand why KINGS ROW just got nudged out as Best Picture. For the space of two hours, that viewer can participate in an America that is just as real as today as when Harry Bellamann first wrote of it 100 years ago.

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Electrifying!

Personally I think this movie could garner a five-star rating from anyone, regardless of age. Like any exceptional movie, there are multiple layers to solicit an empathy from the urban goth to the rural colonialist. But, if you're a romantic, then this movie is a magic carpet ride into the depths of both heart and soul. The love scene between Parris and Cassie in the storm is just about the most explosive interaction between two hungry, existentialists that's ever been captured on film. This movie is an absolute must for any collection.

Kings Row

This is an outstanding film starring Ronald Reagan, Robert Cummings, Ann Sheridan, Claude Rains, Charles Coburn and Betty Field. (1942) I have been looking for this film and was delighted when I found it available on Amazon.com. It is a great story and I thank you for providing it to me. I strongly recommend this film. Beverly Badini

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reviews: page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7

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