Juror #3 says: Kings Row feels out of place within our film study lineup. Immediately after watching the movie I googled "Kings Row soap opera" as I was curious to find if there were any comparisons out there - turns out that it's often cited as the precursor to the 1950's soap opera Peyton Place. It's an extremely melodramatic film which got on my nerves. In Kings Row, like a soap opera, characters change rapidly and it feels unnatural. An audience can be forgiving when it's within an expected environment but I wasn't prepared for it here. I thought Ronald Reagan was excellent...but I thought he was good because he was the only one who didn't seem to be playing a soap opera-esque character, so maybe he was the worst actor in a way as I'm assuming he shouldn't have come across as a classically-trained actor in this particular film.
It's worth noting that if we stopped our film study here and had to name a "most influential filmmaker" it would clearly be Hitchcock. A piece of Hitchcock seems to appear in every film now and the early creepiness of Kings Row is no exception. My recommendation would be to read the book. Rated 2/5.
girl by locker says: It is safe to say that I hated this movie though I really wanted to like it. I actually want to like all the movies we pick for Cinema Cram but this is the first one that I wanted to end and kept thinking “Please make it stop.” Essentially, I never connected with the story and never cared deeply about the characters. I felt disjointed and disconnected from what was happening. It never made sense to me why Dr. Tower took his daughter out of school and ultimately killed her, giving mental illness as an explanation. I find it much more plausible that they were having some sort of incestuous affair and thus ended her life. Robert Cummings as Parris Mitchell irritated me to no end. I understand that all the characters are stereotypes of some sort and Cummings’ stereotype is that of the good grandson who will save everyone. He was too one-sided and didn’t have the depth of the other actors. I wanted him to stay in Vienna. The ending wrapped up too neatly for me, and I completely disagree with other reviews that say, “Even after 60 years, the ending still packs a wallop.” A big speech about the truth will rarely snap someone out of depression that easily.
The good parts of the movie: Ann Sheridan, Ronald Reagan and the cinematography. The first two gave stellar performances and I especially loved Reagan after he lost his legs. "Where's the rest of me?" The film was beautifully shot and helped redeem the story. I give this 2 out of 5 stars on Neftlix.
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