Drama: 385

The British film, The History of Mr. Polly (1949), was based on H.G. Wells’ comic novel of the same name and directed by Anthony Pelissier. After losing his job at a draper’s shop where his father had arranged for him to apprentice, Alfred Polly struggles to find work elsewhere. Upon receiving news of his father’s passing, he returns home and inherits £500. While pondering his future, a family friend named Mr. Johnsen suggests investing in a shop, an idea that doesn’t sit well with Polly. During a leisurely bike ride in the countryside, he has a ...

The British romantic drama film, The Passionate Friends (1949), was directed by David Lean. It follows the story of Mary on holiday in Switzerland while waiting for her husband Howard (Claude Rains) to join her from his business. It had been nine years since their last vacation, but also nine years since she last spoke to Steven, the man she loves and who happens to be staying in the neighboring room without her knowledge. The film then delves into flashbacks of their past relationship. Despite her love for Steven, Mary declines his proposal, believing that a marriage built on love would feel suffocating. Steven argues ...

In a drama China Girl (1942) an American newsreel photographer named Johnny Williams finds himself in Luzhou, China where he is taken captive by the Japanese military. Despite being offered a large sum of money to photograph the crucial Burma Road that supports the Chinese war effort, Johnny declines. This results in him being returned to his cell where he meets ‘Major’ Bull Weed, a Canadian posing as a Chinese irregular. With the help of their confederate ‘Captain’ Fifi, who sneaks in a gun during her supposed dramatic goodbye, the two men are able to escape captivity. Fifi then reveals that she saw a plane at an abandoned airfield nearby and ...

Citizen Kane (1941) is a gripping American drama that showcases the multi-talented Orson Welles as director, producer, and lead actor. Collaborating with Herman J. Mankiewicz, Welles brought to life a screenplay that would become his first feature film. The story takes place in Xanadu, a magnificent mansion situated on an expansive Florida estate where the wealthy Charles Foster Kane spends his final days. Clutching a snow globe and whispering ‘Rosebud’ as his dying breath, Kane’s death sets off a media ...

Based on the 1908 novel of the same name, The Trail of the Lonesome Pine (1936) is an American adventure romance western film. In the Eastern Kentucky Coalfield, an ongoing feud between the Tolliver and Falin clans has persisted for generations. With the arrival of engineer Jack Hale and his coal and railroad interests, tensions rise. After saving Dave Tolliver’s life and treating his gangrene injury, Hale gains favor with Dave’s cousin June, who was supposed to marry him. Hale also takes an interest in June’s brother Buddie, educating him and becoming a mentor figure. However, members of both families remain wary of this outsider.