Includes: A Face in the Crowd, Blackboard Jungle, Fury, Bad Day at Black Rock, Advise and Consent, The Americanization of Emily and I am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang.
These films, which all took on hot button - some even taboo - topics such as prison injustice, racial tension, juvenile delinquency, homosexuality, mob violence as well as political corruption in Washington, the military and the media, caused America to take notice and do something about the issues the movies raised.
A Face In The Crowd (Dir. Elia Kazan, 1957): (WS 1.85:1 Anamorphic / English - Dolby Digital (1.0) / English ; French ; Spanish subtitles)
A savagely funny look at the way sudden notoriety and power corrupt. A small-town windbag becomes an overnight success when the TV show created for him by network and advertising execs hits the top of the ratings. But behind the scenes he turns out to be a vindictive monster, and the reporter who brought him out of the woods determines to expose him.
Blackboard Jungle (Dir. Richard Brooks, 1955): (WS 1.85:1 Anamorphic / French ; English - Dolby Digital (1.0) / English ; Spanish ; French subtitles)
Richard Dadier, a new teacher at inner city North Manual High, is a man eager to make a difference. Topics such as racial and sexual tensions, gang violence and apathy were topics Blackboard Jungle tackled 50 years ago that are still hot-button issues in schools.
Fury (Dir. Fritz Lang, 1936): (FS Pan & Scan / English - Dolby Digital (1.0) / English ; French ; Spanish subtitles)
Joe Wilson, a wrongly jailed man thought to have died in a blaze started by a bloodthirsty lynch mob, is alive. Now, Joe aims to ensure his would-be executioners meet the fate Joe miraculously escaped.
Bad Day At Black Rock (Dir. John Sturges, 1955): (WS 2.40:1 Anamorphic / French ; English - Dolby Digital (1.0) / English ; French ; Spanish subtitles)
Spencer Tracy plays World War II veteran John J. Macreedy, who keeps his own counsel about why he's come to Black Rock and who keeps his wits about him when confronted with threats and violence. John Sturges directed; Robert Ryan, Walter Brennan, Ernest Borgnine and Lee Marvin are among the town's thugs and other denizens.
To Advise And Consent (Dir. Otto Preminger, 1962) : (WS 2.40:1 Anamorphic / English - Dolby Digital (1.0) / English ; French ; Spanish subtitles)
A controversial political appointee triggers DC gamesmanship and scandal. Henry Fonda, Walter Pidgeon and Charles Laughton in Otto Preminger's film of Allen Drury's best seller.
The Americanization of Emily (Dir. Arthur Hiller, 1964): (WS 1.85:1 Anamorphic / French ; English - Dolby Digital (1.0) / English, French, Spanish subtitles)
Julie Andrews and James Garner headline this earlier milestone from screenwriter Paddy Chayefsky and director Arthur Hiller. Garner plays Charlie Madison, a U.S. Naval officer stationed in London, who cares nothing about glory. That attracts war widow Emily Barham (Andrews), who had her fill of seeing men go to war and never return. But the pair's culture-clash romance is in peril when Charlie sees that the line to become the Navy's first defunct WW II hero forms behind him.
I Am A Fugitive From A Chain Gang (Dir. Mervyn LeRoy, 1932): (FS / English - Dolby Digital (1.0) / English ; French ; Spanish subtitles)
Paul Muni gives a joltingly realistic performance in this powerhouse classic directed by Mervyn LeRoy (Little Caesar), based on autobiographical writings by chain-gang escapee Robert E. Burns. Like many '30s crime sagas, this deals with gritty realities. Yet it also stands apart as a film that made a difference, igniting protests that led to vital penal reforms and Burns himself received a commuted sentence.
