▶

Thieves’ Highway (1949, USA, Dassin)

I love how this movie makes the apple trucking business appear dangerous and exciting. Even the honest guys are hard-nosed entrepeneurs, living right on the edge of broke and always looking for a good deal. This is really a drama about capitalism (for or against according to your bias). Railroad Tycoon the movie – with lots of crooks but no guns, because why would apple truckers carry guns? Watched it all. I also love how everybody’s an immigrant or has immigrant parents, and break into some European language whenever they get angry.

The Winter of Three Hairs (1949, China)

A beggar boy walks hungry in the streets, visions of food dancing before him.  Oh, if only there were some sort of movement or army that could liberate the people and (after a brief transition period) make sure that nobody in China would ever starve again!  Watched: 11 minutes.

The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr Toad (1949, USA)

At last – a Disney movie I don’t like at all!  In fact, it’s awful!  This is wonderful!  I’ve seen so many less-than-classic 40’s Disney movies in this marathon, and sort of liked them all, that I was beginning to wonder what was wrong with me.  And it’s quite fitting that it would arrive in the worst movie year of the decade.  Watched: 9 minutes.

Adam’s Rib (1949, USA, Cukor)

One way a marathon like this warps your perspective is that suddenly you start thinking things like: Another Tracy and Hepburn comedy? That’s so thirties! Watched: 10 minutes.