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ACROSS THE PACIFIC (1942) Dir: John Houston. Writer: Richard Macauley. Rick Leland: Humphrey Bogart, Alberta Marlow: Mary Astor, Dr. Lorenz: Sydney Greenstreet, Joe Totsuiko: Victor Sen Young, Sam Wing On: Lee Tung Foo, Dan Morton: Monte Blue. Army officer Rick Leland is court marshaled and dismissed from the army. After trying to enlist in the Canadian army, he boards a Japanese steamer for China, via the Panama Canal. On board he meets Alberta Marlow and Dr. Lorenz. Alberta claims to be from Medicine Hat and Dr. Lorenz claims to be a college professor from the Philippines. Alberta is actually headed for a Panamanian plantation in search of her alcoholic father, Dan Morton. Dr. Lorenz is actually a Japanese agent headed for the same plantation where he plans on launching a surprise attack on the Panama Canal on Dec. 7, 1941. Rick Leland is actually working for military intelligence and has been sent to break up the Japanese spy ring.
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AELITA; THE QUEEN OF MARS (1924) Dir: Yakov Protozanov. Writers: Aleksei Fajko, Fyodor Otsep. Aelita Queen of Mars: Yuliya Solntseva, Engineers Los and Spiridinov: Nikolai Tsereteli, Natasha Los: Vera Kiundzhi, Ihoshka, Maidservant of Queen Aelita: Aleksandra Peregonets, Kratsov, an Amateur Detective: Igor Ityinsky, Gusev an Ex-Soldier: Nikolai Batalov, Ehrlich a Man of the Old Order: Pavel Pol. Engineers Los and Spiridonov dream of building a space ship to visit Mars, but there is no chance for them to realize their dreams in the early days of the Soviet Union. When Ehrlich, a man of the old order, and his wife, move into the apartment building that is home to engineer Los and his wife, Natasha, Natasha is tempted by Ehrlich into anti-Soviet behavior. Ehrlich, a friend of Spiridonov from before the revolution, steals from Spiridonov and gets rid of him. Los mistakes his wife's interest in Ehrlich as being romantic in nature and shoots her. Pursued by Kratsov, an amateur who wishes to be a detective for the police, and with the help of Gusev, an ex-soldier, Los builds his space ship and heads to Mars. With him are Gusev, and Kratsov, who has stowed away. On arrival on Mars, they discover that Mars is ruled by a king who mistreats the proletariat. Aelita who wishes to take over, with the help of her maidservant, and Los organizes a revolution of the workers. What Los doesn't realize, is that Aelita wishes to replace King Tuskub with her own autocratic rule, and the workers revolution fails. But it's all Los' delirium brought on by the guilt of shooting his wife. But Natasha Los is not dead, only slightly wounded. Returning to his wife, Los destroys all of his space ship designs, and rededicates his life to building the Soviet state.
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ALRAUNE aka MANDRAKE (1928) Dir: Henrik Galeen. Writers: Henrik Galeen, (novel) Hanns Heinz Ewers. Alruane ten Brinken: Brigette Helm, Prof. Jakob ten Brinken: Paul Wegener, Franz Braun: Ivan Petrovich, The Viscomte: John Loder. Prof. ten Brinken decides to solve the nature vs nurture argument by inseminating a prostitute with the semen of a condemned prisoner and then raising her as his own. When things turn bad, the Prof. takes his experiment away to avoid shame. Things go very, very wrong for all concerned. To read a more detailed review, go to www.thenewcommonsense-wjy.blogspot.com/2009/10/alraune-silent-movie-dvd-of-week.html
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THE AMERICAN (2010) Dir: Anton Corbijn. Writer: Rowan Joffe. Jack: George Clooney, Ingrid: Irina Bjorklund, Father Benedetto: Paolo Bonacelli, Mathilde: Thekla Reuten, Pavel: Johan Leysen, Clara: Violante Placido. An American assassin and maker of custom sniper rifles, on the run from killers, goes to Italy for one last job.
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ARRIVAL OF A TRAIN AT LA CIOTAT (1896) Dir: Louis Lumiere. A train arrives at a French railroad station.