Films / September 18

Madonna Of The Seven Moons (1945) / Love Story (1944) / Caravan (1946) / Durante la Tormenta (2018) / Lady Hamilton (1941) / The Stars Look Down (1940)

Madonna Of The Seven Moons (1945) Suffused with religious imagery, a swirling, heady brew of costume melodrama, aided by a marvelous Hans May score. Phyllis Calvert, Stewart Granger and Patricia Roc float amid the lush silver and black visuals.

Love Story (1944) Though set in contemporary wartime, the intensity and emotion mirrors other Gainsborough melodramas as characters battle tragedy and loss to live the day. Involving performances from Lockwood, Granger and Roc as well perennial Cornish Rhapsody still engage today.

Caravan (1946) Existing in a fevered, dream state, any sense of reality quickly discarded as Stewart Granger is torn between wild Jean Kent and demure Anne Crawford. Occasionally slipping into self-parody, more a series of increasingly frenzied sequences than cohesive narrative.

Durante la Tormenta (2018) Intricately plotted, slickly made, the narrative gradually grips tight with genuine surprises. Taking place across three timelines, with the usual frustrations of time travel thrillers, but anchored by Adriana Ugarte's heroine who provides real emotion.

Lady Hamilton (1941) Sumptuous production values and Miklós Rózsa's score sweep away the inadequacies of storytelling, especially since it needs to balance contemporary wartime propaganda. However, Vivien Leigh's luminous, passionate performance compels the eye and the heart.

Dangerous Crossing (1953) Sound and visuals conjure up a suitably eerie atmosphere on the foggy ocean liner as desperate Jeanne Crain searches for her husband and maintain her sanity. However, the central narrative lacks urgency and only minor pleasures maintain interest.

The Stars Look Down (1940) Skillful, persuasive blend of poetic drama and social politics. As the conflict of coal mine workers and owners inevitably results in disaster, the story is personal rather than didactic, with powerful sequences and Michael Redgrave's driven performance.