Classic Quad Set 7: (Anastasia / Gentleman's Agreement / The Ox-Bow Incident / The Snake Pit)

20th Century Fox no longer seem to be issuing their film library on CD and for some, that is a shame, particularly as many of their Fox Blonde Musicals (Alice Faye and Betty Grable) are still unavailable. In the meantime, they have grouped into quartets their existing issues, maybe in an effort to "mop up" current stock. Whatever the reason, the result is that their greatest films are now available in packages which represent outstanding value.Quad Set 7 is a good example. For less than $20, we get 4 strong dramas. "The Ox-Bow Incident", "The Snake Pit" and "Gentleman's Agreement" are contributions to Fox's reputation as the most innovative and mature of the studios moving into the post war period. "Ox-Bow", maybe the least dated and best of the films, is a relentless William A. Wellman production about mob rule and lynching. "Snake Pit" looks into mental illness with a great performance by Olivia de Havilland even if the psychology is somewhat trite. "Agreement" investigates anti-semitism but has some weak acting and a verbose script. "Anastasia", released 10 years later, is possibly the least interesting of the quartet although Ingrid Bergman won an Oscar in the title role.These films were sign posts towards the future as Hollywood began to move away from escapism and the constraints of censorship but by today's standards, they are somewhat naive and pat, especially "Agreement". All were originally issued in the Fox Studio Classic Series so among the extras, there are some worthwhile commentaries which help explain why they were ground breaking. The prints are generally good enough but not perfect.

This volume includes dramas of different subgenres.Anastasia is the story of an opportunistic Russian businessman who triesto pass a mysterious impostor as the Grand Duchess Anastasia.This 1956 movie stars Ingrid Bergman and Yul Brynner.This is color, 105 minutes and in letterbox.This is a historical drama.Includes A&E Biography "Anastasia: Her True Story"and many newsclips including twin premeires and oscars.Gentleman's Agreement is the story of a reporter who pretendsto be Jewish in order to cover a story on anti-Semitism.This 1947 movie stars Gregory Peck and Dorothy McGuire.This is B&W, 118 minutes and in full screen.This is a romantic drama.Includes Backstory and newsclips of Oscars and Spotlight on Darryl Zanuck.The Ox-Bow Incident (1943) stars Henry Fonda in this mob rule story.This is B&W, 75 minutes and in full screen.This is a crime drama set in the west.Includes A&E Biography "Henry Fonda: Hollywood's Quiet Hero"The Snake Pit (1948) stars Olivia De Havilland as a young womanwho does not remember how she ended up in a state insane asylum.This is B&W, 107 minutes and in full screen.This is a mystery drama.Includes many newsclips including Oscars.

The Oxbow Incident, for all its stagey exaggeration, is a timeless piece and one of Fonda's best. He embodies the guy with the conscience here, the holdout juror of 12 Angry Men cowboy style. It holds up as a classic example of a rush-to- judgement, a morality play without being cloying.Gentleman's Agreement, on the other hand, is a painfully heavy handed treatment of the serious subject of ant-semitism. Well meaning for its day, its overstated earnestness doesn't hold up with time. The stalwart Gregory Peck is plodding and tortured and morose. This persona might have worked well worked for Captain Ahab in John Huston's Moby Dick from the same era of Peck's work but not here. Too self righteous by half, a preachy portrayal that misses the mark from over zealousness.Anastasia is ridiculous and slow and cumbersome, with no real likeable characters. A fictionaized account of the supposed lost daughter of the Russian Royal Family, it generates little warmth and interest in her fate. Yul Brynner is a stoic Henry Higgins to Ingrid Bergman's dour Eliza Doolittle. No sizzle. Pass.

I am in the legal field; however, I had not seen The Ox-Bow Incident in more than 30 years. Attended a seminar where the failure of judges in soon to become NAZI Germany to protect the rule of law was a topic of discussion. A participant mentioned The Ox-Bow Incident and I decided I would add it to my DVD collection. The Quad set allows me to add some additional classics for that rainy afternoon.

This is an excellent compilation of cinema classic gems! I bought it for my mother and realized that I enjoyed it so much with her that I wanted my own copy. I think each movie was a credit to the theatrical talents of the actors in them and each story is solid and interesting to view again and again!

Love all of these movies. Excellent condition and arrived early.

Bought this for "Gentlemen's Agreement" 1947 Oscar winner for best picture. Collecting all the Academy Awards Best Picture winning films from 1927 to 2013 ("Wings" to "12 Years A Slave"! The other films in this collection are also excellent. Service with this order was quick and perfect!

It arrived as scheduled. I was especially interested in Anastasia. The other movies are very good as well.