Contains four classic films starring Gregory Peck: The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit, Gentleman's Agreement, Twelve O'Clock High, The Bravados and The Gunfighter
The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit - Gregory Peck plays a young New York executive who defies the wisdom of the corporate class by deciding his family is more important than the offer of a new job. Lots of melodrama, guilt, and a revelation about a wartime affair (told in flashback), but this well-oiled, good-looking 1956 film still holds up pretty well. Based on a novel by Sloan Wilson, the script and direction are by Nunnally Johnson (
The Three Faces of Eve).
--Tom KeoghGentleman's Agreement - Elia Kazan directed this sometimes powerful study of anti-Semitism in nicer circles. Gregory Peck is a hotshot magazine writer who has been blind to the problem; to ferret it out, he passes himself off as Jewish and watches the WASPs squirm. Seen a half-century later, the attitudes seem quaint and dated: Could it really have been like this? Yet the truth of the story comes through, in the wounded dignity of John Garfield, the upright indignation of Peck, and the hidden ways bigotry and hatred can poison relationships. That's particularly true in the Oscar-winning performance of Celeste Holm, who finds more layers than you'd expect in what seems like a stock character.
--Marshall Fine, amazon.comTwelve O'Clock High - The war-time memories of surviving World War II bomber squadrons were still crystal clear when this acclaimed drama was released in 1949--one of the first post-war films out of Hollywood to treat the war on emotionally complex terms. Framed by a post-war prologue and epilogue and told as a flashback appreciation of war-time valour and teamwork, the film stars Gregory Peck in one of his finest performances as a callous general who assumes command of a bomber squadron based in England. The film's now-classic climax, in which the general waits patiently for his squad to return to base--painfully aware that they may not return at all--is one of the most subtle yet emotionally intense scenes of any World War II drama. With Peck in the lead and Dean Jagger doing Oscar-winning work in a crucial supporting role, this was one of veteran director Henry King's proudest achievements, and it still packs a strong dramatic punch.
--Jeff Shannon, Amazon.comThe Bravados - When four men who Jim Douglas (Gregory Peck) believes raped and killed his wife escape from their death sentences, Jim sets out to track the men down and enact his own vengeance. An honest man, Jim sees his actions as just and brave, but as he criss-crosses Mexico to exact an eye for an eye, he comes to realise that he has lost something of himself in his self-absorbed quest for revenge. Peck did his best work in characters with strong arcs, and
The Bravados is no exception. Carrying the film from scene to scene, Peck hits his mark dead on when he realises that the men he is after may actually be innocent, providing an exceptional cinematic moment. Joan Collins does a fine job as Josefa Velarde, an old flame of Jim's, but Peck's real co-star is the gorgeous colour photography of the mountains and ravines of the Mexican countryside.
The Gunfighter - Numerous films have used
The Gunfighter as a title, but if you're looking for the film classic of that name, this is the one. Gregory Peck followed his powerful performance in
Twelve O'Clock High with an arguably even stronger portrayal: Jimmy Ringo, celebrated shootist just stepping into middle age and mortally weary of having to defend his legend every time he turns around. His trail takes him to a small town where an old comrade now serves as marshal, and where Ringo's estranged wife and the son he has never seen also reside, under an assumed name. Over one night and one day, hoping against hope, he dares to dream of a normal life. But there are avengers not far behind, and other threats yet to be counted. Although critically praised,
The Gunfighter was a box-office disappointment. Darryl F. Zanuck blamed the soup-strainer mustache Henry King had Peck grow for the role, but perhaps the film's virtues of intelligence and restraint weighed against it. In any event, latter-day audiences should have no trouble appreciating the solid performances, literate writing, and impeccable Fox craftsmanship.
--Richard T. Jameson
Stars: Gregory Peck, Hugh Marlowe, Jennifer Jones, Dorothy McGuire, Joan Collins, Helen Westcott
