Classic Movie Picks: October

Each month, I scour the Turner Classic Movies Now Playing guide for upcoming films that I can't miss. The highlights are posted here for your reading and viewing pleasure! (All listed times are Eastern Standard, check your local listings or TCM.com for actual air times in your area. Each day's schedule begins at 6:00 a.m.; if a film airs between midnight and 6 a.m. it is listed on the previous day's programming schedule.)

Hammer Horror
10/1: Horror of Dracula (1958), Brides for Dracula (1960), Dracula Prince of Darkness (1966), Dracula Has Risen from the Grave (1969)
10/8: The Plague of the Zombies (1966), The Devil's Bride (1968), The Reptile (1966), The Gorgon (1964)
10/15: The Mummy (1959), The Curse of the Mummy's Tomb (1964), The Mummy's Shroud (1967), Blood from the Mummy's Tomb (1971)
10/22: X: The Unknown (1956), Five Million Years to Earth (1968), These Are the Damned (1963), The Stranglers of Bombay (1960)
10/29: The Curse of Frankenstein (1957), Revenge of Frankenstein (1958), Frankenstein Created Woman (1966), Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed (1969)
Every Friday this month TCM is showing films from the British studio Hammer Films Production, famous for their low-budget horror movies from the late 50s through the early 70s. The earlier films tend to take a slightly more "traditional" approach to well-known monster tales (Dracula, The Mummy, Frankenstein), while the later films are more campy with increased levels of sex and gore. You can decide for yourself which sounds like more fun. I'll be looking for anything that stars Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee.
Read more about Hammer and all the featured films on the TCM website.


10/3, 2:30 AM: Ballad of a Soldier (1959)
A Soviet soldier on leave during WWII makes the long journey home to visit his mother one more time before immediately returning to the front lines. Simple, lovely, and touching, this is a story of a very particular place and time, whose emotional impact is universal.


10/6: Two Films by Max Ophuls
2 AM - The Earrings of Madame de... (1954)
4 AM - Lola Montes (1955)
German-born Max Ophuls was a director of unfortunately limited output; however, the four films he made in France during the 1950s are considered masterpieces and tonight, TCM is showing two of these films. They share exciting camerawork, lavish sets and costumes, and stories of the dramatic consequences of love. The Earrings of Madame de... takes an interesting look at infidelity when a socialite commits an indiscretion which leads to a series of betrayals. In Lola Montes, a notorious courtesan has become the center of a circus attraction in which she recounts her colorful life. Anton Walbrook and Peter Ustinov are both exceptional as important men in the life of Lola.


10/17, 2 AM: Infernal Affairs (2002)
This intense drama from Hong Kong, about an undercover cop who must find a mole within the police department, stars the great Tony Leung and was the source material for 2008 Best Picture winner The Departed.


10/18: Starring Miriam Hopkins
6 AM - Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1932)
7:45 AM - The Richest Girl in the World (1934)
9:15 AM - Wise Girl (1937)
10:30 AM - The Old Maid (1939)
12:15 PM - Lady with Red Hair (1940)
1:45 PM - Virginia City (1940)
4 PM - The Heiress (1949)
6 PM - The Children's Hour (1961)
10/19, 8 PM: Design for Living (1933)
Three-time co-star of official "Star of the Month" Frederic March, Miriam Hopkins was a popular leading lady during the 1930s, but she hasn't sustained the name-recognition or fanbase of her contemporaries like Bette Davis (Hopkins on- and off-screen foil). I've heard Hopkins described as a blonde terrier and, as the owner of a (canine) blonde terrier, I would consider that description a compliment. Her starring vehicles are not shown that often, so today's line-up is a real treat.
If you can't catch the mini-marathon, don't miss Design for Living the following evening. This film puts Miriam at the vertex of a love triangle with Frederic March and Gary Cooper. It's an unexpectedly "modern" take on an old set-up, directed with a characteristically deft hand by Ernst Lubitsch.
BONUS PICKS: More Miriam!
10/5, 11:45 PM - Old Acquaintance (1943)
8 PM - Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1932)


10/22, 4:15 AM: Night of the Lepus (1972)
I am not a big fan of "scary movies" because, well, I don't like being scared. But, despite my fears, every Halloween I find myself in the mood for monster movies. The ones I like to watch are usually a little cheesy and not too terrifying. A perfect example is tonight's film in which the Lepus of the title is a gang of giant man-eating rabbits. If you enjoy watching bad films that are entertaining for all the wrong reasons, you'll like Night of the Lepus.


10/23, 10 PM: Captain's Paradise (1953)
Alec Guinness plays a ferryboat captain on the Strait of Gibraltar who has a wife on either side of the water. He thinks he has devised the perfect life with each wife fulfilling different sides of his personality; however, his wives each yearn to live outside the roles he has assigned to them. Guinness is very funny as the initially smug captain who grows increasingly frustrated with his "paradise."
BONUS PICKS: 5 More Rounds of Guinness!
8 PM - Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949)
11:45 PM - Last Holiday (1950)
1:30 AM - The Horse's Mouth (1958)
3:15 AM - The Lavender Hill Gang (1951)
5 AM - The Ladykillers (1955)