Drama
The denotative aspects of drama from Aristotle's "Poetics" include a story development with a beginning, middle and an end. In the more conventional sense, dramatic presentations include the portrayal of characters, settings, life situations and stories in the course of a theatrical performance. In theatre, drama usually takes on the scope of dealing with matters of a serious nature.
Drama is Alice's largest section and a treasure trove of great drama catering for every taste. The bulk of the "Drama" section (generally made since 1965 and include psychological dramas) is listed below, however you may also choose from the "Classic Drama" sub-section (generally made before 1965), in blue on left. Also helpful may be "Alices Playhouse", "True Stories" and "Shakespeare" features.
Right: Scene from Kubrick's beautifully mounted "Barry Lyndon"
Northwest Passage (1940)
7.1/10
Director: King Vidor
Starring: Spencer Tracy, Robert Young, Walter Brennan
This rousing adventure saga is based on the exploits of colonial American frontiersman Robert Rogers and his men. Spencer Tracy stars as Rogers, leadi... Read more
The Son of Monte Cristo (1940)
6.3/10
Director: Rowland V Lee
Starring: Louis Hayward, Joan Bennett, George Sanders, Lionel Royce, Florence Bates
Louis Hayward stars as the sword-slinging hero, Edmond Dantes Jr., in this swashbuckling adventure from director Rowland V Lee. Masquerading as a fopp... Read more
Mr Wong at Headquarters (1940)
Director: William Nigh
Starring: Boris Karloff, Grant Withers, Marjorie Reynolds
AKA 'The Fatal Hour'. This entry in the Mr. Wong series once again stars Boris Karloff as the inscrutable detective, enlisted by baffled police to so... Read more
Terry and the Pirates (1940)
6.3/10
Director: James W Horne
Starring: Granville Owen, William Tracy, Shelia Darcy
Based on the 1934 comic strip by Milton Caniff, and transferred to the big screen in this thrill-a-minute, 15-episode serial. Young Terry Lee and his... Read more
The Howards of Virginia (1940)
6.1/10
Director: Frank Lloyd
Starring: Cary Grant, Martha Scott, Cedric Hardwicke, Alan Marshal, Richard Carlson
Cary Grant stars as Matt Howard, a down-to-earth surveyor busy at work building the United States of America, who marries (for love) Jane, an aristocr... Read more
The Grapes of Wrath (1940)
8.1/10
Director: John Ford
Starring: John Carradine, Jane Darwell, Henry Fonda
One of the great classics, this adaptation of the John Steinbeck novel stars Henry Fonda as Tom Joad and John Carradine as Casey. Tom returns to the f... Read more
High Sierra (1940)
7.6/10
Director: Raoul Walsh
Starring: Humphrey Bogart, Ida Lupino, Arthur Kennedy
Humphrey Bogart gives a classic performance as an aging gangster in a modern, changing world. As a favour to a friend, Bogart agrees to one more job,... Read more
The Mark of Zorro (1940)
7.6/10
Director: Rouben Mamoulian
Starring: Tyrone Power, Basil Rathbone, Linda Darnell
This classic romantic swashbuckler stars dashing Tyrone Power as the son of a powerful nobleman in 1820s California who returns home from Europe to fi... Read more
The Sea Hawk (1940)
7.8/10
Director: Michael Curtiz
Starring: Errol Flynn, Brenda Marshall, Claude Rains, Flora Robson, Donald Crisp, Alan Hal...
Errol Flynn at his finest plays dashing privateer, Geoffrey Thorpe, hired by Her Majesty Elizabeth I (Flora Robson) to make life miserable for any Spa... Read more
The Thief of Bagdad (Sabu) (1940)
7.6/10
Director: Ludwig Berger, Michael Powell, Tim Whelan
Starring: Sabu, John Justin, June Duprez, Conrad Veidt
This multiple Oscar-winning film is a magical, atmospheric, epic - its sumptuous art direction and beguiling special effects making this the definitiv... Read more