Tag Archives: Stanley Kramer

1967 Films, Drama, Romantic Drama, San Francisco, Social Issues

Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner-1967

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Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner-1967

Director Stanley Kramer

Starring Spencer Tracy, Katharine Hepburn, Sidney Poitier

Scott’s Review #1,539

Reviewed June 29, 2026

Grade: A

Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner is a groundbreaking, socially themed film made in 1967, in the midst of the Civil Rights movement that was sweeping the United States.

The rights aimed to abolish legalized racial segregation, discrimination, and disenfranchisement in the country, which most commonly affected African Americans.

So, the time was perfect for a star-studded film of this caliber.

The screenplay by William and Tania Rose is rich with character motivation and development.

Both the characters themselves and audiences can understand the perspectives of each of the six prominent characters as they slowly explain their thoughts and, at times, their underlying unconscious biases.

At the time of release, the film was understandably a commercial and critical hit during a fabulous time in cinema.

On the threshold of increased creative richness in the 1970s, the late 1960s were the building blocks to expressionism and tremendous cinematic thought.

The film was one of the first to depict an interracial marriage in a positive light.

While a film like Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner would be dated if made in 2026, sadly, lots of blatant racism and discrimination still exist in the United States, though we have certainly made progress.

Joey Drayton (Katharine Houghton) is a young, free-thinking white woman from a wealthy family in San Francisco. She and a successful black doctor, John Prentice (Sidney Poitier), become engaged.

In addition to their racial differences, he is much older than she is and has been married once before.

They nervously fly to San Francisco to meet her parents and break the news, and they are to be married two weeks later in Switzerland.

Matt Drayton (Spencer Tracy) and his wife, Christina (Katharine Hepburn), are open-minded liberals who must confront the many issues and feelings the impending marriage arouses.

Also attending the Draytons’ dinner are Prentice’s parents, John Sr. and Mary (Roy E. Glenn Sr., Beah Richards), who vehemently disapprove of the relationship.

Other supporting characters, like the kindly Monsignor Mike Ryan (Cecil Kellaway), a white male, and the efficient yet unfeeling black housekeeper Tillie (Isabel Sanford), offer differing perspectives on the union.

While the interracial pairing is front and center, the set pieces and artistic design are flawless, offering a looming backdrop of San Francisco.

Frequent scenes occur on the family terrace, lush with bright flowers, images of the Pacific Ocean and the Golden Gate Bridge, and, in one sequence, a rich orange hue amid a dazzling sunset.

To say nothing of the lavish family estate with exquisite art, furniture pieces, and grand rooms all on display during the film.

Director Stanley Kramer deserves praise for these elements and many more, as the film is woven together tremendously well.

The acting is flawless all around, with the top honors going to Hepburn and Poitier.

A poignant scene in which Christina (Hepburn) remembers how happy Joey always was as a child, and how her past happiness pales in comparison to how happy she is now, will bring any viewer to a soggy mess as Hepburn slowly tears up.

Poitier shows his strong range during John’s knockdown, drag-out argument with his father, exclaiming how he owes nothing to his father, and a father’s role is to want the best for his child and to let his child make his own choices.

While Mike thinks nothing but beauty from the union, Tillie is outraged at the nerve of John to mix with white wealth. She shockingly calls him ‘boy’ and scolds him for thinking above his ‘station in life’.

With Tillie and John Sr., we see that bias and racism are not always exclusive to the white community. Black people also see color and prejudice.

This point is the film’s genius, as most of the characters undergo deep dives and learn about themselves, for better or worse.

Some fun facts are that Houghton is the niece of Hepburn, and the film is Spencer Tracy’s final role, having battled illness throughout shooting, but insisting on finishing the film.

Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner (1967) challenges the norms of the times amazingly well, and the brilliance of the acting holds up decades later.

Oscar Nominations: 2 wins-Best Picture, Best Director-Stanley Kramer, Best Actor-Spencer Tracy, Best Actress-Katharine Hepburn (won), Best Supporting Actor-Cecil Kellaway, Best Supporting Actress-Beah Richards, Best Story and Screenplay-Written Directly for the Screen (won), Best Art Direction, Best Film Editing, Best Original Song Score or Adaptation Score

1952 Films, Black & White, Favorite Film of the Year, Top 250 Films, Western

High Noon-1952

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High Noon-1952

Director Fred Zinneman

Starring Gary Cooper, Grace Kelly

Top 250 Films #150

Scott’s Review #638

Reviewed April 28, 2017

Grade: A

Billed as a standard Western but much more complex than a traditional, basic Western, High Noon accomplished what no other Western did in 1952- adding complexities from different genres, such as suspense and drama, to a film form.

Additionally, High Noon challenged typical Western themes, such as male-driven fights and chases, in favor of a moral and emotional approach, and oh, is the film ever character-driven.

The results are astounding, and to understand and appreciate all its elements, the film should be studied in film school.

High Noon heartily breaks the mold. It was released when mainstream Western was quite popular in the film, adding enormous risk, and the results paid off in spades.

Marshal Will Kane (Gary Cooper) has just wed his beloved bride, Amy (Grace Kelly), in a small ceremony in a tiny New Mexican town. He plans to turn over his badge and retire to the prairie land with his new wife.

Suddenly, the town receives word that a dastardly villain, Frank Miller, whom Kane once sent away, has been released from a Texas prison and plans to exact revenge on Kane.

Miller is to arrive on the noon train as his three accomplices await his arrival, much to the chagrin of the rest of the town, who become panicked with each passing moment.

The film begins at approximately ten-thirty in the morning and ends shortly after Noon.

High Noon has subtle political themes and clear examples of McCarthyism. However, some dispute that McCarthyism was a campaign launched by Senator Joseph McCarthy, which ended up blacklisting many artists suspected of communism.

The central theme is how people become frightened and blame one another for the attack out of that fear.

Our main protagonist (Kane) faces the daunting task of confronting four angry gunmen, with revenge on their minds, alone, as an entire town chooses not to get involved.

It’s brilliant that High Noon more or less takes place in real-time.

The inclusion of clocks in the film, specifically pendulums swaying back and forth, creates a distinct sense of tension as character after character nervously glances at the time.

They know full well that with each passing minute, they inch closer and closer to a fantastic and deadly showdown- much blood will be shed.

Cooper, old enough to be Kelly’s grandfather, is noticeable if one chooses to be nitpicky, but the couple works well together, and I bought the happily wedded couple as genuine.

I adore the character of Helen Ramirez, played by actress Katy Jurado. A Mexican character, Ramirez, is a prominent businesswoman in the small town who owns a saloon.

She is empowered and confident, a character to admire regardless of gender.

A strong female character of Mexican heritage in a 1952 film was relatively uncommon, considering the film is set in the Wild West.

Equally impressive and completely backward for the time, the events of Amy coming to the rescue of Kane, instead of the standard, gender-specific “man rescues woman,” challenge the norm.

Further, Amy is groundbreaking: she is written as a Quaker woman, not a traditional Christian woman, nor is she skittish or silly.

Western stereotypes are entirely turned upside down, which is arguably way ahead of its time.

Eerie yet highly effective is the use of a “theme song” either sung or in another form (musical score or background music) throughout the film—the song is “Do Not Forsake Me, My Darling,” which became a hit for Texas Ritter.

It is worth noting that the success of this added “theme song” encouraged subsequent Westerners to include similar songs in their films.

Challenging the standard in many ways, High Noon sets a very high bar for its thoughtfulness, message, and conflict.

The film exemplifies people who take the world and turn it upside down with fantastic and inspiring results.

Oscar Nominations: 4 wins-Best Motion Picture, Best Director-Fred Zinnemann, Best Actor-Gary Cooper (won), Best Screenplay, Best Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture (won), Best Song-“The Ballad of High Noon (“Do Not Forsake Me, O My Darlin”)” (won), Best Film Editing (won)

Golden Globe Nominations: 4 wins-Best Motion Picture-Drama, Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture-Drama-Gary Cooper (won), Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in any Motion Picture-Katy Jurado (won), New Star of the Year-Actress-Katy Jurado, Best Screenplay-Motion Picture, Cinematography-Black and White (won), Best Original Score-Motion Picture (won)

1959 Films, Drama, Science Fiction

On the Beach-1959

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On the Beach-1959

Director Stanley Kramer

Starring Gregory Peck, Ava Gardner

Scott’s Review #1,179

Reviewed September 19, 2021

Grade: A-

On the Beach (1959) is a film that showcases a grim subject matter but remains relevant considering the period in which it was made. The Cold War era kept most people on edge with the threat of nuclear war as they rolled into the 1960s.

The lavishness of the 1950s turned into a more distrustful time as countries gained modern technological advances, making nuclear weapons a real possibility.

The film was not met with much praise or popularity at the time.

Indeed, people were content in the cinematic bubbles of nice, comforting films that largely emerged during the 1950s, but On the Beach was a fantastic discovery decades later.

I suppose people expected a sweeping epic romantic adventure, but they received a harsher tale. It’s not nearly as dark as it could have been.

The black and white cinematography is highly effective at relaying a cold and stark world that is left for the film’s characters. Another success is that the film is set in the future, 1964 to be exact, while the film was made in 1959.

The film is hardly a downer. While the subject matter of nuclear disaster and devastation sounds heavy, there is as much romance as social storytelling. The romance between Peck and Gardner is compelling and the best part of the film experience.

As the story begins, we learn that World War III has already occurred, leaving Australia the only remaining safe place for survivors. However, wind currents carrying lingering radiation are headed their way, condemning those on the continent to certain death.

When the survivors receive a strange signal from San Diego, California, Commander Dwight Towers (Peck) must embark on a mission with Lieutenant Peter Holmes (Anthony Perkins) to see if humanity still has hope. They leave behind Moira (Gardner) and Mary (Donna Anderson), the women they love.

Director Stanley Kramer knows his way around a message movie. In 1967, he directed the racially significant Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner, starring Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn.

The romance between Dwight, Moira, Peter, and Mary is my favorite aspect of the film. Dwight has lost his wife and two children, so out of loneliness, he falls for Moira, who has never married and has no one. Their soon-to-be doomed romance is fraught with complications as they tenderly cling to each other, knowing their time is limited.

Peter and Mary, on the other hand, are married with an infant young daughter. A significant conflict the couple deals with is whether to take suicide pills rather than get sick and die a slow and painful death.

There is enough chemistry between Peck and Gardner to keep the viewer engaged, but it’s tough to watch Perkins, a known gay man, play a macho father figure with a newborn. For some reason, it’s also hard not to see Norman Bates from Psycho (1960). I half-expected Peter to attack Mary in the shower with a butcher knife.

Still, the acting is good.

On the Beach states a powerful message in its conclusion. Ultimately, within just a few days of the shifting winds bringing the toxins to Australia, the last pockets of humanity are dead.

Melbourne’s empty, windblown streets are filled with dramatic music over a single powerful image of a previously seen Salvation Army street banner that reads, “There is still time .. Brother”.

Indeed, there is.

This leaves the viewer pondering their fate and the terrible dangers of nuclear war. Decades later, On the Beach (1959) still frightens and teaches about the ravages of world conflict and the plea for a peaceful society.

Oscar Nominations: Best Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture, Best Film Editing