Laughing Anne 1953 DVD Wendell Corey, Margaret Lockwood, Forrest Tucker

Description: Item Description NO LAUGHING MATTER Captain Davidson (Wendell Corey) is a rising seaman in the Far East. He gets his own command and tries to bring his wife along for life on the high seas. She, however, is appalled at the idea and leaves him when he refuses to give up his life at sea. Trying to drown his sorrows in a sleazy bar, Davidson meets saloon singer Anne (Margaret Lockwood) and her crippled, helpless husband, Jem Farrell (Forrest Tucker). When Davidson returns to his ship and sets sail, he discovers Anne has stowed away. He puts her to work in the galley and over the course of the voyage, her rather sad history with Farrell is told in flashback. Jem Farrell was once a successful boxer on the cusp of becoming world champion, but when he refuses to take a dive for the mob, he pays for it by losing both his hands. The result is a broken, bitter man that Anne has felt duty-bound to take care of, but it has taken a heavy toll on her. During the slow lazy cruise, Davidson and Anne fall for each other, and he begs her to marry him, but she has a nagging sense of duty to her husband, Jem, and jumps ship at Singapore to make her way back to the hard life of squalor with Farrell. Years later, a cargo of silver dollars takes Davidson to a strange and lonely jungle settlement, he once again encounters the Woman with the Laugh, who has now fallen on very hard times - and has a child named Davy. Davidson's heart soars at the sight of Anne and he tells her he will take her and little Davy away with him. But Farrell is still around, and has heard of Davidson's valuable cargo and has plans to seize it! Herbert Wilcox produces and directs "Laughing Anne" which was based on "Because of the Dollars," a short story by Joseph Conrad, who later reworked it as a play. Robert Harris appears as Conrad to introduce the story. It's a well-told tale, with some nice cinematography by Mutz Greenbaum. This is one of those Republic movies that, for whatever reason, was unfairly blasted by critics when it came out and is now almost totally forgotten, which is a real shame because there's a very fascinating film here. Summarily dismissed in Halliwell's Film Guide as "poor work all around," Laughing Anne must be more than just bad to explain why it stays so well in the memory. One of the highlights is Forrest Tucker's character, Jem Farrell - A boxer who was on the cusp of ultimate success, but refuses to take a dive for the mob and loses everything (including his hands) as a result. This imposing yet sympathetic villain is done so much better than many other attempts at such - you really feel for him even though he's become a total heel. Anne's devotion to Farrell is also portrayed in a much better way than many other films - as since Farrell is almost totally helpless without her, you can completely understand why she feels stuck with him. And this gets to the really interesting thing about Laughing Anne: while it struggles with some of the more basic aspects of film-making, it succeeds spectacularly in the complexity of the characters - an area where so many other supposedly better films fail. The characters here are all living in quiet desperation and, with Tucker's brooding, bitter, wreck of a man, they give the story a very strong resonate tone that many better-regarded films struggle or completely fail to achieve. REGION 0 - WILL PLAY WORLDWIDE INTERACTIVE MENUS / SCENE SELECTION 1953 / COLOR / 4:3 Ratio / ENGLISH / 91 MIN DVD ART WITH INSERT AS SHOWN. A GREAT COLLECTOR'S ITEM - AND A GREAT GIFT FOR ANY FAN OF CLASSIC FILMS! PLEASE NOTE: THIS PRODUCTION HAS NEVER BEEN AVAILABLE ON DVD AND IS NOT AVAILABLE IN STORES. This is not an "official" release or copy thereof. All media came from public domain sources. This is a good-quality copy with interactive menus and packaging designed by myself. This DVD is boxed exactly as pictured above, and is brand new and factory shrink-wrapped. All screenshots are taken directly from the DVD. All files used in the production of this DVD are not in violation of copyright laws or Ebay guidelines. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION DVD is professionally assembled & shipped to you straight from the factory - no low quality stick-on labels or homemade burns! Any defective disks happily replaced! Please allow 3 business days for shipment to be sent out. Orders within the United States will usually arrive within one week of purchase but I have seen it take up to 10-15 days during Christmas time. International orders can sometimes take up to 14 to 21 business days. If you are unhappy for any reason, please contact me before posting negative feedback! I have a 100% satisfaction policy and will gladly iron out problems. I love these neglected films and have spent years tracking down quality copies! I aim to give these films the loving attention they deserve, with quality packaging and interactive menus. I'm always on the hunt for rare & neglected gems so check back often! I'm happy to answer any and all questions you may have! Just drop me a line!

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End Time: 2024-11-24T03:50:05.000Z

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