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"
Tom Brown's School Days (1940)
6.8/10
Director: Robert Stevens, Robert Stevenson
Starring: Freddie Bartholomew, Cedric Hardwicke, Gale Storm
The engrossing saga of Tom's exploits in a boy's school that seems like a hell-house until he improves things. Freddie Bartholomew, Cedric Hardwicke.... Read more
Waterloo Bridge (1940)
7.8/10
Director: Mervyn LeRoy
Starring: Vivien Leigh, Robert Taylor, Lucile Watson
The second of three adaptations of Robert E Sherwood's acclaimed play, this 1940 film was noticably dampened by the omnipotent Motion Picture Producti... Read more
Mr Wong In Chinatown (1939)
5.8/10
Director: William Nigh
Starring: Boris Karloff, Marjorie Reynolds, Grant Withers
A pretty Chinese woman, seeking help from San Francisco detective James Lee Wong, is killed by a poisoned dart in his front hall, having time only to... Read more
Young Mr Lincoln (1939)
7.6/10
Director: John Ford
Starring: Alice Brady, Henry Fonda, Ward Bond, Marjorie Weaver
Few historical figures are as revered as Abraham Lincoln, and few director-star pairings embody classic American cinema as perfectly as that of John F... Read more
Golden Boy (1939)
6.9/10
Director: Rouben Mamoulian
Starring: Lee J Cobb, William Holden, Barbara Stanwyck, Adolphe Menjou, Joseph Calleia, Sa...
Clifford Odets' play becomes a moving screen drama, with William Holden (in his film debut) as a would-be violinist who is persuaded by girlfriend Bar... Read more
The Mystery of Mr Wong (1939)
6.4/10
Director: William Nigh
Starring: Boris Karloff, Grant Withers, Dorothy Tree
In the second instalment of the Mr Wong series Boris Karloff stars as the inscrutable detective, enlisted to solve another mystery. The largest star s... Read more
(Under Quicksand) Mickey Rooney Triple: Quicksand (1950) / My Outlaw Brother (1951) / Mickey The Great (1939)
Director: Irving Pichel
Starring: Robert Preston, Mickey Rooney, Robert Stack, Jeanne Cagney, Peter Lorre, Barbara...
'Quicksand' - Mickey Rooney is cast once again as the everyman, only this noir crime drama sees him in real jeopardy as Dan, a young man who can't aff... Read more
Dark Victory (1939)
7.6/10
Director: Edmund Goulding
Starring: Bette Davis, George Brent, Humphrey Bogart, Geraldine Fitzgerald, Ronald Reagan,...
As Judy Traherne, the fast-moving Long Island socialite whose world skids to a stop when she discovers she has less than a year to live, Bette Davis i... Read more
Mr Smith Goes to Washington (1939)
8.2/10
Director: Frank Capra
Starring: Jean Arthur, James Stewart, Claude Rains
James Stewart stars in Frank Capra's famous film as the naive Jeff Smith, appointed a U.S. senator by a corrupt political party machine. Famous for it... Read more
Gunga Din (1939)
7.5/10
Director: George Stevens
Starring: Cary Grant, Victor McLaglen, Douglas Fairbanks Jr
The Rudyard Kipling story of the Indian boy who helps the British put down a colonial revolt. Stars Cary Grant and Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. Read more