KINGS ROW
8:40
Monday November 30
(1942, Sam Wood) “Where’s the rest of me?” gasps Ronald Reagan (in his best and favorite role) as he wakes to a nasty surprise post-surgery by the normally likable Charles Coburn; and why does doctor Claude Rains react so strongly to daughter Betty Fields’ romance with Robert Cummings? The dark side of coming of age in late-Victorian, all-American small town, with dazzling all-studio deep focus photography by James Wong Howe, and perhaps Erich Wolfgang Korngold’s (Robin Hood) greatest score. Producer David Lewis credited Menzies with "the entire tone of the film.” 35mm. Approx 127 min.
Reviews
“A MELODRAMA OF MADNESS, INCEST, AND SURGICAL HORROR...the picture sings, its expressive composition and peerless studio sets suggesting a dark richness. It is distinguished by Menzies's great visual inventiveness, his practical understanding of construction and lighting, and his exquisite compositional sense, that sure-handed way of structuring the lines in a setup to guide the eye and the heart.”
– Alan Scherstuhl, Village Voice