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The Devil Dancer
(1927)
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Mercury Staff
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[Gilda Gray] gives a fine performance in the gorgeously produced film, The Devil Dancer.
Posted Dec 05, 2023
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The Kaiser, the Beast of Berlin
(1918)
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Mercury Staff
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The evils of Kultur as depicted on the screen sway the onlooker with righteous indignation. Some magnificent acting is seen, and the groupings and stage effects are splendid.
Posted Dec 05, 2023
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State Fair
(1933)
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Mercury Staff
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Will Rogers as Abel Frake, carries off the honors with his natural and very human portrayal.
Posted Nov 09, 2023
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Bringing Up Baby
(1938)
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Mercury Staff
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This is "down-to-earth" farce with liberal flashes of slapstick, and the surprise performance comes from Katharine Hepburn. She turns in a breezy performance that is different and incomparable with anything she has done before.
Posted Jul 25, 2023
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The Black Pirate
(1926)
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Mercury Staff
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The photography is really wonderful, being absolutely natural. Douglas Fairbanks has a role which suits him perfectly. As the dashing and romantic pinto leader he is a fascinating and impressive figure.
Posted Mar 22, 2023
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Back to Bataan
(1945)
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Mercury Staff
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Back to Bataan has a lot of action and thrills.
Posted Feb 01, 2023
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Frankenstein
(1931)
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Mercury Staff
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The film's characterization is remarkable. Boris Karloff as the monstrosity contributes a great if unenviable achievement in ghastly makeup and consistent acting.
Posted Jan 13, 2023
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The Lady Eve
(1941)
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Mercury Staff
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Comedy romp with ingredients of first-rate entertainment.
Posted Dec 29, 2022
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Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
(1937)
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Mercury Staff
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As to the picture as entertainment It is an amazing piece of work a triumph for the creative genius of Wait Disney and a monument to the artistry of all those associated with its making.
Posted Dec 20, 2022
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King Kong
(1933)
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Mercury Staff
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As an example of photography, King Kong is a wonderful spectacle, although not a production suited to the highly strung. It is the crowning proof of what an ingenious cameraman can do, for it is impossible to detect where the "faking" is.
Posted Nov 08, 2022
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Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
(1939)
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Mercury Staff
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Mr. Smith Goes to Washington [is] a show that is going to be thoroughly enjoyed while it is here and remembered after it has gone. It is a Frank Capra production, and his master touch is evident in every foot of the film.
Posted Nov 08, 2022
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The Shop Around the Corner
(1940)
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Mercury Staff
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The Shop Around the Corner... is a story abounding in gentle humour and with an ideal romantic team in James Stewart and Margaret Sullavan.
Posted Nov 07, 2022
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The Thief of Bagdad
(1924)
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Mercury Staff
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A new mark for spectacular bigness.
Posted Oct 21, 2022
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Peter Pan
(1924)
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Mercury Staff
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The picturisation is delightful -- a true expression of humanity's finest thoughts and beliefs, and great enthusiasm was manifested throughout the picture.
Posted Oct 20, 2022
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The Toll of the Sea
(1922)
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Mercury Staff
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The production has a wonderfully fine cast, and the play is admirably acted. Ann May Wong is excellent.
Posted Oct 18, 2022
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Cobra Woman
(1944)
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Mercury Staff
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You will have to let your imagination run riot to take the story, but perhaps therein lies the film's greatest attraction. It is as unreal as an ancient legend in modern frockings.
Posted Sep 20, 2022
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You Can't Take It With You
(1938)
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Mercury Staff
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Of the players, Jean Arthur makes a welcome reappearance, and Lionel Barrymore is right in character; James Stewart plays the awkward Romeo with typical ease of manner; and Edward Arnold gives a polished portrayal.
Posted Feb 07, 2022
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Mrs. Miniver
(1942)
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Mercury Staff
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The drama is real, the humor human, the romance tender, the war cruel, the courage invincible.
Posted Jan 04, 2022
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Nightmare Alley
(1947)
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Mercury Staff
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The story gives a rare insight into the lives of those people who inhabit America's great "midways" or carnivals. But the story is incidental to the powerful drama the film projects through brilliant performances by Power, Joan Blondell, and Colleen Gray.
Posted Dec 03, 2021
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All the King's Men
(1949)
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Mercury Staff
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The sterling acting of Broderick Crawford (as Stark), John Ireland, and the newcomer Mercedes McCambridge gives the film its strength.
Posted Nov 23, 2021
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His Girl Friday
(1940)
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Mercury Staff
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[His Girl Friday] is one of the raciest, slickest comedies in months. It gets away to a flying start and gains rather than loses momentum as it speeds to Its climax.
Posted Oct 14, 2021
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Leave Her to Heaven
(1945)
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Mercury Staff
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First psychological drama filmed in Technicolor, Leave Her to Heaven, is a successful experiment.
Posted Sep 29, 2021
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Gun Crazy
(1950)
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Mercury Staff
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[It] is as abundantly violent as any work to which the Kings have applied their singularly vivid artistry. The film also is thoughtful, and it takes care to establish fully the psychological background and the emotional makeup of the non-killing gunman.
Posted Sep 14, 2021
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The Maltese Falcon
(1941)
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Mercury Staff
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Meaty, slightly morbid stuff that packs tremendous punch. Mystery melodramas are as common as dust, but here ls one with new. unexpected twists, and a climax that will "slap you down."
Posted Jun 23, 2021
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The Philadelphia Story
(1940)
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Mercury Staff
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A show to cheer. A story that you can get your teeth into. A script that bristles with pungent lines. Situations made for adult consumption. Characters that blast each other with strong words -- and come up for more.
Posted Jun 09, 2021
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The Last Days of Pompeii
(1913)
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Mercury Staff
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The picture provides a delightful entertainment.
Posted Jun 04, 2021
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The Women
(1939)
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Mercury Staff
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A play bristling with piquant situations and dialogue.
Posted May 24, 2021
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The Dragon Painter
(1919)
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Mercury Staff
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The role of Tatsu, the mad artist, affords [Hayakawa] a totally different type of character to portray than any he has attempted. His conception of the part is inherently artistic.
Posted May 18, 2021
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Squadron Leader X
(1943)
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Mercury Staff
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Squadron Leader X is a British melodrama with a terrific kick in its more desperate moments. A well-constructed story with a sound plot, and British players right down to the bit parts, giving character to their roles.
Posted May 14, 2021
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The Power and the Glory
(1933)
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Mercury Staff
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Because of its originality, and because of the line acting and direction, The Power and the Glory deserves to be placed among the most distinguished pictures of the year.
Posted May 13, 2021
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Modern Times
(1936)
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Mercury Staff
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Charlie Chaplin is still the screen's supreme pantomimic comedian. He defends his right to the title in Modern Times.
Posted May 06, 2021
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The Wizard of Oz
(1939)
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Mercury Staff
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The Wizard of Oz Is so gay, spectacular, clever, beautiful, and tuneful, that many who see it want to go again. Fairyland Is seen on the screen -- but do not think that fairyland Is Intended only for children. Almost everyone will like the Wizard.
Posted May 03, 2021
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It Happened One Night
(1934)
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Mercury Staff
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A first-class story interpreted by spirited acting amidst scenes of ever-changing interest.
Posted Mar 31, 2021
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For the Freedom of the World
(1917)
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Mercury Staff
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This picture is a stirring drama of the battlefields of France, and one of the most fascinating war stones yet written for the screen.
Posted Mar 12, 2021
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Fox Movietone Follies of 1929
(1929)
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Mercury Staff
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There Is no drama about it, and the story which binds the sequence together is in effect no story, but the music, the songs and dancing, and the varied effects obtained by skilful camera work mark the Fox Follies as the zenith of talkie entertainment.
Posted Mar 06, 2021
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The Jazz Singer
(1927)
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Mercury Staff
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How far this interesting combination of sound and sight may yet be carried on the way to uttermost artistic perfection must remain a matter of speculation, but this need not for a single moment hold one back from enjoying The Jazz Singer as it stands.
Posted Feb 24, 2021
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Babes in Arms
(1939)
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Mercury Staff
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The song numbers arc tuneful, the comedy is bright and clever, and Rooney and Garland are at their best. Babes In Arms ls a show to be seen.
Posted Feb 12, 2021
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Casablanca
(1942)
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Mercury Staff
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A brilliant and moving melodrama.
Posted Feb 10, 2021
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Intruder in the Dust
(1949)
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Mercury Staff
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It delves below the surface of a state of mind which casts no aura of credit on American democracy.
Posted Jan 28, 2021
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Stormy Weather
(1943)
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Mercury Staff
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For those who like a bright musical film, I recommend this brilliant cavalcade of rhythm.
Posted Jan 28, 2021
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Daughter of Shanghai
(1937)
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Mercury Staff
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Anna May Wong and Philip Ahn get the most from their roles, and Charles Bickford and J. Carrol Naish are in strong support.
Posted Dec 11, 2020
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A Night at the Opera
(1935)
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Mercury Staff
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The film has a definite and important musical angle, and it is to the credit of producer and director that the two angles of the production have been so successfully interwoven.
Posted Nov 20, 2020
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Home of the Brave
(1949)
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Mercury Staff
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Home of the Brave is very real cinema; perhaps too real for some audiences to digest without discomfort and shock. It is brilliantly acted and graphically staged.
Posted Nov 17, 2020
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The Legion of the Condemned
(1928)
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Mercury Staff
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The wonderfully photographed scenes of airplanes, singly and in groups, shown in actual operation at the seat of war, would alone suffice to make this film one of the most fascinating of the year.
Posted Nov 13, 2020
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Paris
(1929)
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Mercury Staff
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Paris is a comedy of song, dance, and colour, in which Irene Bordoni makes the best use of her sparkle and vivacious manner.
Posted Nov 13, 2020
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Cabiria
(1914)
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Mercury Staff
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The great scenes are awe-striking to a degree that would have been inconceivable before kinematography had reached its present perfection.
Posted Oct 16, 2020
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The Invisible Man Returns
(1940)
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Mercury Staff
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The camera magic that permitted the character created by H. G. Wells to appear on the screen has been developed to a higher degree of effectiveness, with the result that the film now showing is not just a repetition.
Posted Oct 14, 2020
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Son of Frankenstein
(1939)
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Mercury Staff
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I question whether any good purpose is served by making this class of picture, but I cannot gainsay the masterly production of this Universal film.
Posted Oct 14, 2020
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Dead of Night
(1945)
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Mercury Staff
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This is probably Ealing Studios' best effort to date.
Posted Oct 13, 2020
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Island of Lost Souls
(1933)
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Mercury Staff
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Tho screen version ls too sketchy adequately to convey the scientific scope of Wells' work, with the result that, apart from the characterisation, the picture has little moaning, and at times becomes repulsive.
Posted Oct 08, 2020
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