Louis de Rochemont Movies

Vivien Leigh plays Karen Stone, a middle-aged actress whose career is in a tailspin. To assuage her hurt feelings, Karen goes on a vacation to Rome with her husband, who dies en route. Her best friend (Coral Browne) compassionately arranges for a young Italian escort (read: gigolo) to keep Karen from wallowing in her grief in Rome. The man hired for the task is sneering, contemptuous Pablo di Leo, played by Warren Beatty. Despite Pablo's rude behavior, the lonely Karen throws herself at him, showering him with expensive gifts and demanding his undivided attention. This being an adaptation of a Tennessee Williams novel, Blanche Dubois --er, Karen Stone must pay the piper for her eleventh-hour surfeit of passion; she is dispensed with by an "Angel of Death" in the form of psycho Jeremy Spencer. More operatic than dramatic, The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone represents the only feature-film directorial effort of experimental-theatre maven Jose Quintero; his assistant was future Bullitt helmer Peter Yates. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

The British animation firm of John Halas and Joy Batchelor perform yeoman service in adapting George Orwell's allegorical novel Animal Farm to the screen. As any high-school English student can tell you,the original 1945 novel was Orwell's spin on the rise and fall of the Communist myth. A group of intelligent animals overthrow their corrupt human owner and set up their own self-sustained farm, predicated on an idealistic credo: "All Animals are Created Equal", "No Animal Shall Ever Drink Liquor", "Four Legs Good: Two Legs Bad" etc. But when Snowball the Pig (read: Trotsky) is overthrown by the despotic Napoleon (read: Stalin), all idealism goes out the window, and soon the pigs are ruling dictatorially over the other animals. Before long, Animal Farm operates on but one principle: "All Animals Are Created Equal, But Some Are More Equal Than Others." Orwell's ironic ending, in which it becomes impossible to tell the difference between the Pigs and the Humans, is blunted in favor of a grafted-on happy ending, perhaps to mollify the kiddie trade. Maurice Denham supplies all the character's voices, while Gordon Heath serves as narrator. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Westbrook Van Voorhis, the newsreel "voice of the news," narrates this look at mainstream America in the post-World War II years. The archival newsreel segments presented here include "Public Relations -- This Means You," about the engineering of the public's consent by business; "The Case of Mrs. Conrad"; "White Collar Girls," about the emerging female work force; "Watchdogs of the Mail," saluting the U.S. Mail Service; "Farming Pays Off," a farming success story; "Mid-century: Halfway to Where?"; and "Where's the Fire?," about volunteer firefighters. Gleaned from newsreels produced by Time Magazine during the years 1935-1951, the monumental The March of Time videotape series features the pictorial journalism that informed, educated, and entertained millions of Americans for 16 years. ~ Steve Blackburn, Rovi

The first volume in The March of Time video series March of Time: Post-War Problems, Vol. 1 features an array of archival newsreel footage concerning Americans recovering from World War II. Included are clips and stories covering postwar planning for jobs and employment, new discoveries in farming, the problems facing servicemen and their families as soldiers return to civilian life, the rise in alcoholism, the housing shortage, and the American cop. Gleaned from nearly two decades of newsreels produced by Time Magazine during the years 1935-1951, the monumental The March of Time videotape series features the "pictorial journalism" that informed, educated and entertained millions of Americans for over a decade, and won two Academy Awards as well. The newsreels from which this series was created were originally produced by Louis de Rochmont and are narrated by Westbrook Van Voorhis, who was for many Americans of the time "the voice of the news." ~ Steve Blackburn, Rovi

When World War II ended, the once-isolationist U.S. turned its attentions to peacetime problems and opportunities around the world, and the March of Time cameras helped educate the average American about global issues. The archival news segments in this compilation include "World Food Problem," "The Soviet's Neighbor," "Czechoslovakia," "Germany-Handle With Care!," "Storm Over Britain," "Turkey's 100 Million," "End of an Empire?" (Indonesia), and "Policeman's Holiday" (Scotland Yard). Gleaned from newsreels produced by Time Magazine during the years 1935-1951, the monumental The March of Time videotape series features the pictorial journalism that informed, educated, and entertained millions of Americans for 16 years. ~ Steve Blackburn, Rovi

Produced by "March of Time" maven Louis de Rochemont, Whistle at Eaton Falls is docudrama concerning a labor dispute in a small New Hampshire town. Union leader Lloyd Bridges is reluctantly promoted to the presidency of Eaton Falls' plastics plant. Now in a management position, Bridges must lay off several of his old friends in order to cut down costs. He tries to do this as painlessly as possible, but his union-boss successor Murray Hamilton public derides Bridges' methods. The potent problems posed by the film are solved in too-slick Hollywood fashion when the plant is saved by a huge government contract and the introduction of cost-efficient machinery. Dorothy Gish makes one of her rare talking-picture appearances as the widow of the plant's former owner in Whistle at Eaton Falls, and if you look closely you'll spot Lloyd Bridges' infant son Jeff in his movie debut. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

This first volume of a six-part series is called March of Time: American Lifestyles - Show Business, the War Years. The segments include "The Movie Marches On," "Show Business at War," and "Challenge to Hollywood." Gleaned from nearly two decades of newsreels produced by Time Magazine during the years 1935-1951, the monumental The March of Time videotape series features the pictorial journalism that informed, educated, and entertained millions of Americans for over a decade, and won two Academy awards as well. The video series was created from newsreels originally produced by Louis de Rochemont and narrated by Westbrook Van Voorhis, who was for many Americans of the time, "the voice of the news." ~ Steve Blackburn, Rovi

In March of Time: American Lifestyles - Show Business, the Postwar Years 1946-1950, narrated by Westbrook Van Voorhis, the segments include "The Nightclub Boom," "Is Everybody Listening," "On Stage," "It's in the Groove," and "Beauty at Work." Gleaned from nearly two decades of newsreels produced by Time during the years 1935-1951, the monumental March of Time videotape series features the pictorial journalism that informed, educated, and entertained millions of Americans for over a decade, and won two Academy awards as well. ~ Steve Blackburn, Rovi

The rapid post-World War II changes in the American family are revealed in the fourth part of this video series looking at American lifestyles during the 1940s. Narrated by Westbrook Van Voorhis, The March of Time: American Lifestyles - The American Family, the Post-War Years presents the archival news segments "Life With Baby," "Nobody's Children," "Life With Junior," "Life With Grandpa," and "Marriage and Divorce." Gleaned from nearly two decades of newsreels produced by Time, Inc. during the years 1935-1951, the monumental The March of Time videotape series features the pictorial journalism that informed, educated, and entertained millions of Americans for over a decade, and won two Academy awards as well. ~ Steve Blackburn, Rovi

Boomerang, directed by Elia Kazan, is a chilling film noir, the true story about the murder of a priest, the subsequent arrest and trial of a jobless drifter, and the efforts of young state's attorney Henry Harvey (Dana Andrews) to uncover the truth. Closely based on the actual 1924 murder of Fr. Hubert Dahme in Bridgeport, Connecticut, the film was directed by the young Elia Kazan in a highly effective, semi-documentary style. Kazan shot most of the film on location, using high-contrast cinematography and an extremely mobile camera to create a palpable sense of urgency. The screenplay, expertly crafted by Richard Murphy received an Academy Award nomination. ~ Linda Rasmussen, Rovi