THREE NEW ADDITIONS: 1) INHERIT THE WIND, 2) THOSE MAGNIFICENT MEN IN THEIR FLYING MACHINES AND 3) 3 DAYS OF THE CONDOR

1) INHERIT THE WIND (1960) - Rotten Tomatoes 93% Fresh

Synopsis:

A Clarence Darrow-like attorney defends a young public school teacher in Tennessee when he is arrested for teaching the Theory of Evolution.  The prosecuting attorney is a strict evangelical, and though the two lawyers are friends, they go toe-to-toe in this legal thriller.

Thoughts:

Inherit the Wind is a fictionalized dramatization of the 1925 Scopes Monkey Trial.  The outcome of that trial opened the door to increased academic freedom, including the latitude to teach the theory of evolution in American public schools.  In the Scopes Monkey Trial (1925), the person arrested for teaching the theory of evolution in violation of a local statute, willingly did so, in order to bring the case to trial.  Inherit the Wind is a fictionalization of that trial.  

2) THOSE MAGNIFICENT MEN AND THEIR FLYING MACHINES (1965) - Rotten tomatoes 78% Fresh

Synopsis:

A wealthy British newspaper owner offers and incredible 10,000 pound prize to the first pilot to fly from London to Paris in his paper's 1910 air race.  This enormous purse attracts pilots from all over the world.  And, during this comedic adventure, there are heroes and charlatans, as well as many adventures and misadventures along the way.  

Thoughts:

I have distinct childhood memories linked to this film.  Oh, and on a side note, the planes that fly in this movie are actually faithful  reproductions of the kinds of planes that were around in 1910, and pilots actually flew them during shooting of this picture!

3) 3 DAYS OF THE CONDOR (1975) - Rotten Tomatoes 88% Fresh

Synopsis:

Joe Turner is a CIA employee who analyzes print media for the US Government.  When he thinks he may have found an interesting link between a book and several countries, he sends his theory up the chain to Washington.  Then, one day when he returns to the office he discovers that everyone has been murdered.  Following protocol, he calls in the hit, but instead of going in, he is spooked and runs.  Completely at random, he kidnaps a woman and has her take him to her place where he is able to hide.  The big question is whether he can stay alive long enough to figure out who's trying to kill him, and why.

Thoughts:

Robert Redford was a major box office star in 1975 when this movie was released, having starred in other movies including All the President's Men, The Sting, The Way We Were, and Jeremiah Johnson during this same era.  In my opinion, this movie gained less recognition than many of his other films, perhaps because of its R-rating.  Why is it R?  Probably two things pushed it out of being PG-13: 1) There is more than one f-bomb in it; and 2) The level of violence (relatively tame by today's standards) included some shocking gunplay.