1984 (1984)

In these polarized days especially, I've heard many references to the George Orwell book. I came to realize that I shouldn't just rely on what people say about its content. At the same time, I doubted that I would enjoy reading the whole thing. After all, Aldous Huxley's Brave New World succeeded at shocking me, but I gave up when it took too long to show any signs of plot progression. So I chose what appears to be the most popular screen adaptation. Subsequent perusal confirms that it does not deviate far from the source material; there are just a few shifts in Newspeak labels for some reason.

In what had been the future at the time of writing, there are three world superpowers, and the one awkwardly called Oceania extends as far as England. Winston Smith (John Hurt) serves in London's Ministry of Truth but seems less satisfied than the average totalitarian party member. He meets Julia (Suzanna Hamilton), who outwardly presents as an ardent member of the Junior Anti-Sex League but swiftly seduces him into a forbidden relationship. Of course, it's no secret that "Big Brother" (Bob Flag) has eyes everywhere, and Winston is not prepared to pay the price....

Where Eagles Dare (1968)

From the title, I got the impression that this story would concern air force pilots. Instead, there's only a little aviation in the beginning. It's just that the destination and main setting is an alpine fortress nicknamed the "Castle of Eagles" (which had been a working title) for its low accessibility. Regardless, a war flick with the director of Kelly's Heroes and the writer of Guns of Navarone seemed promising.

In World War II, seven commandos in the UK are assigned to parachute a few miles from the castle, enter it in disguise as German soldiers, and fetch an American prisoner before he can spill too much. Because of the international nature of the incident, one of them, Lieutenant Morris Schaffer (Clint Eastwood), is a U.S. Army Ranger. Only field leader Major John Smith (Richard Burton) knows all the details of the mission, including other agents already nearby. He also seems to have the best handle on just how dangerous it is....

The Robe (1953)

Having declined in religiosity, I don't watch film adaptations of Christian legends/books as much as I used to. But a good swords-and-sandals epic doesn't require devout Christianity for entertainment. Heck, Quo Vadis? (1951) had a Jewish director. Perhaps the panned re-remake of Ben-Hur helped inspire me to try another one (along with the streaming deadline).

The protagonist is Marcellus Gallio (Richard Burton), the tribune who oversees the crucifixion of Jesus, despite pleas from slave Demetrius (Victor Mature). As soon as Marcellus puts on Jesus' robe in the rain, he is beset with mental and physical symptoms. The illness remains in some measure long after Demetrius runs off with the robe. Marcellus hopes to find and destroy the robe for a cure, but his journey exposes him to more and more Christian love and piety, including that of Peter (Michael "Klaatu" Rennie). It's no spoiler to say that he converts -- leaving plenty of time for conflict with other Romans, including mutual crush Diana (Jean Simmons) and Emperor Caligula (Jay Robinson).

The Night of the Iguana (1964)

What sounds like a cheesy horror is actually based on a Tennessee Williams drama. His plays have a good track record on screen, if not even better than on stage (see A Streetcar Named Desire; Cat on a Hot Tin Roof; and Suddenly, Last Summer). This appears to be the last silver-screen feature in his lifetime, affording more suggestiveness than the '50s would allow. Having John Huston at the helm couldn't hurt either.

Disgraced Rev. Shannon (Richard Burton) finds work as a tour guide in Mexico. He regards his present company as mostly annoying biddies, one of whom, Miss Fellowes (Grayson Hall), accuses him of molesting teen Charlotte (Sue Lyon), who actually put the moves on him to no avail. In order to postpone his firing until he can regain the tourists' support, he abandons the itinerary and drives to a remote, inexpensive hotel that belonged to a late friend of his, sabotaging the bus to prevent an escape. The widow and current owner, Maxine (Ava Gardner), likes him just enough to reopen off season. Soon after, Hannah (Deborah Kerr) and her nearly gone grandfather "Nonno" (Cyril Delevanti) show up, hoping to buy room and board with art and poetry; Shannon talks Maxine into a tentative agreement. From there, Shannon, Maxine, and Hannah share the main focus.