Streaming The House Across the Lake Online

The House Across the Lake (1954)iMDB Rating: 6.1
Date Released : 21 June 1954
Genre : Crime, Drama
Stars : Alex Nicol, Hillary Brooke, Sidney James, Susan Stephen
Movie Quality : HDrip
Format : MKV
Size : 700 MB

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An American writer living in England gets entangled in a scheme by a beautiful blonde to murder her rich husband.

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Review :

British "Double Indemnity"-style mystery, w/ two US leads

Released in the US by Lippert as "Heat Wave", The House Across The Lake (actually a more accurate title, although Heat Wave suggests some of Hillary Brooke's smoldering sensuality!) is yet another film owing a debt to both Double Indemnity and The Postman Always Rings Twice. American Alex Nicol stars as a heavy-drinking writer who lives across the lake from Hillary Brooke, a scheming Black Widow temptress who teases various men she meets while being married to a wealthy but distant husband (yes, all the cliches are here, but they play well!). Needless to say, Nicol begins a friendship with the husband while falling for the ravishing Ms. Brooke, and any lover of noir thrillers can probably predict the way the film develops. Still, it is well-played by the leads and by the British supporting cast, and Mr. Nicol convincingly portrays a man beaten-down by life, who is brought to the point where he has nothing to lose. I won't give away the ending, but it seems somewhat of a surprise while it is happening, which is what a good mystery should do, even if it is constructed from well-known plot elements of the genre. If you like post-war B&W noir-tinged mysteries of this type, it's a good way to spend 85 minutes on a rainy day--and another opportunity to re-acquaint yourselves with the two underrated American stars, Alex Nicol and Hillary Brooke (fans of Ms. Brooke should check out the early 50s gem CONFIDENCE GIRL, co-starring Tom Conway, for a real Hillary Brooke tour-de-force).

Streaming Arrow in the Dust (1954) Online

Arrow in the Dust (1954)iMDB Rating: 5.5
Date Released : 25 April 1954
Genre : Western
Stars : Sterling Hayden, Coleen Gray, Keith Larsen, Tom Tully
Movie Quality : BRrip
Format : MKV
Size : 870 MB

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Army deserter Bart Laish decides that the best way for him to get away is to join a wagon train headed for Oregon. They're about a week ahead of him and on the trail Bart comes across an old friend, Major Andy Pepperis who is dying from wounds received in an Indian attack. He warns Bart that the Indians will next attack the wagon train and afterward finds the army station, Camp Taylor, destroyed. He assumes Pepperis' identity and catches up to the wagon train taking command of the soldiers escorting it. He proves to be a capable leader and quickly gains everyone's respect. As they get closer to their destination, Bart is closer to being caught and has to decide if and when he will leave them.

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Review :

Lack-luster, routine shoot-'em-up western.

The use of stock footage and uninspired acting and direction make this a very slow, routine western effort. Despite the cast (Hayden, Larson) this one is just too predictable to suffer through. And yet, in spite of it's failings, it often appears on TV while better efforts rot in a can somewhere. Go figure.

Streaming Anni facili Online

Anni facili (1953)iMDB Rating: 7.2
Date Released : 12 November 1953
Stars : Nino Taranto, Alda Mangini, Gino Buzzanca, Clelia Matania." />
Movie Quality : BRrip
Format : MKV
Size : 700 MB

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Watch Trent's Last Case (1952) Online

Trent's Last Case (1952)iMDB Rating: 6.0
Date Released : 10 November 1952
Genre : Mystery
Stars : Michael Wilding, Margaret Lockwood, Orson Welles, John McCallum." />
Movie Quality : BRrip
Format : MKV
Size : 870 MB

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Review :

Classic British "Whodunnit" from 1952

Unlike the other reviewers above, I enjoyed this film immensely, probably because I am a Margaret Lockwood fan and collect as many of her films as I can when they are available.This one is not commercially available but I managed to find a dealer on Ebay who specialises in the older films I like.The other reviewers mention it is too "talky" but this is not supposed to be "Die Hard" or even a James Bond adventure.It is a cultured British film, from Republic films, from 1952 with an excellent cast who speak with wonderful diction and enunciation before "kitchen sink drama" mesmerised film producers.Herbert Wilcox (Anna Neagle's husband) produced this gripping thriller that keeps you guessing right up to the very end.I will concede that the plot is at times a bit like an amateur dramatic society but this gives it its intrinsic charm especially when the principal parts are played by good professional actors.An example is Orson Wells sitting in an armchair and filmed from the rear redolent of a James Bond villain.He only needed to be stroking a white cat on his lap!! Michael Wilding plays his usual debonair self as "Philip Trent" the artistic crime reporter.Margaret Lockwood plays again the pianoforte (see my critique of "Love Story" (1944) when she played Lissa Campbell),This time we have the pleasure of listening to Eileen Joyce (the real pianist) playing the famous Mozart piano concerto no:24 in C minor, larghetto movement.Eileen's other famous film credit was playing the Rachmaninov 2nd piano concerto in C minor for "Brief Encounter (1945).Orson as mentioned was fond of Shakespeare's "Othello" and some of this plot is worked into this film.Like "The Third Man" (1949), Orson does not appear until late into the film but he immediately makes his not inconsiderable presence felt as "Sigsbee Manderson".Margaret plays Margaret Manderson his wife.No trouble remembering her name by the cast!John McCallum gives a workmanlike performance as John Marlowe, the secretary to Manderson and Miles Malleson for once leaves aside his clerical garb to play Burton Cupples, Margaret's uncle.What amused me was seeing a very young Kenneth Williams playing a garrulous Welsh gardener! You would only see this film if you you actively set out to acquire it since it never appears on the the TV and as I said is not commercially available.Obviously being a thriller I will not divulge the plot.Suffice to say it ends happily for all concerned.I rated it 8/10. Since I wrote this critique in July 2007 this title is now commercially available from www.silversirens.co.uk Enjoy!

Watch They Rode West (1954) Online

They Rode West (1954)iMDB Rating: 5.8
Date Released : 4 December 1954
Genre : Western
Stars : Robert Francis, Donna Reed, May Wynn, Philip Carey
Movie Quality : BRrip
Format : MKV
Size : 870 MB

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Dr. Allen Seward (Robert Francis) is assigned to a western cavalry post where his predecessors had been drunks and slackers. The post doesn't take kindly to him either, especially after he disregards regulations and tends to sick Indians on the malaria-infested reservation. The Indians break away from the reservation to move to a healthier higher ground, and when they join with the Comanches to besiege the fort, Seward is branded as a "woodhawk", the bird that turns against its own. Donna Reed is present as the niece of the post commander; Phil Carey is a cavalry captain that believes the only good Indian is a dead Indian, and May Wynn (who shared a screen debut with Francis in "The Caine Mutiny)is the white girl raised by the Indians and married to the chief's son. Francis would make only two more films before being killed in a 1955 plane crash.

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Review :

Should've been better

Directed by Phil Karlson who later helmed the excellent GUNMAN'S WALK, this one involves an army surgeon (Robert Francis) who is at odds against his commander (Philip Carey) over the treatment of a malaria outbreak amongst the Kiowa.

Carey hates army doctors as much as the Kiowa since the last three he's had on his post were drunkards who should never have been in the service to begin with, so he doesn't take too kindly to Francis and treats the guy with contempt. Francis also feels he has to step in order to prevent another Indian war and he disobeys a direct order from Carey to treat the Kiowa chief's ailing son.

It's fairly standard fare that could have been better if the dialog wasn't so silly and they avoided using old stock footage of battle scenes that looked out of place with the rest of the film. Not to mention the fact that the rest of it was filmed on the same Columbia ranch locations that we've seen a hundred times before. It makes the whole thing look more typical than it should be.

With Jack Kelly & James Best as the junior officers, and Donna Reed as the niece of the post commander who spends a lot of time flirting with the officers, I'd give this one a less than average rating than a subject treatment like this deserves.

4 out of 10

Streaming Totò all'inferno Online

Totò all'inferno (1955)iMDB Rating: 6.5
Date Released : 16 March 1955
Genre : Comedy
Stars : Totò, Maria Frau, Fulvia Franco, Dante Maggio." />
Movie Quality : HDrip
Format : MKV
Size : 870 MB

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Watch The Gambler from Natchez (1954) Online

The Gambler from Natchez (1954)iMDB Rating: 6.8
Date Released : 4 August 1954
Genre : Action, Adventure, Mystery, Romance, Western
Stars : Dale Robertson, Debra Paget, Thomas Gomez, Lisa Daniels. Returning to New Orleans, following four years of army service in Texas in the 1840s, Captain Vance Colby finds his father, a professional gambler, has been killed. The police tell him his father was killed while caught cheating in a card game by Andre Rivage, an arrogant young dilettante. Vance protests that his father was an honest gambler and never used marked cards, but the police inspector ..." />
Movie Quality : BRrip
Format : MKV
Size : 870 MB

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Returning to New Orleans, following four years of army service in Texas in the 1840s, Captain Vance Colby finds his father, a professional gambler, has been killed. The police tell him his father was killed while caught cheating in a card game by Andre Rivage, an arrogant young dilettante. Vance protests that his father was an honest gambler and never used marked cards, but the police inspector tells him there were witnesses. Aided by a riverboat owner, Captain Barbee, and his daughter, Melanie, Vance sets out to clear his father's name and avenge his death.

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Review :

Iron Mistress, Mississipi Gambler, Count of Monte Cristo

If you take the main characters from "The Iron Mistress" (1952), and "The Mississipi Gambler" (1953), which are the gambler, the noble brother and the proud sister, and add the story of the Count of Monte Cristo you will have this film. It could have been a flop, but having Irving Wallace to do the screenplay made quite a difference. Dale Robertson is Vance Colby that comes back from the war and besides almost getting killed, finds out that his father, a notorious gambler has been murdered at the casino. His mission becomes to kill every man that took part in the murder of his father. This film came out surprisingly good, as good as the two others that inspired it, and on a much lower budget. Dale Robertson gives good performance as Colby, Debra Paget a bit out of character. I rate it 8 out of 10.