Pittsburgh (1942) - Lewis Seiler
Pittsburgh (1942) - Lewis Seiler
DVD-Rip | MKV x264 at 2 050 Kbps | 720 x 560 (1.402) at 25.000 fps | AC-3 at 192 Kbps (2 ch) 48.0 KHz
Language: English | Subtitles: English, French, German, Others | Runtime: 1h 27mn | Size: 1.40 GB
Sourced from "De Marlene Dietrich Collectie" (Indies, 2009) | Director: Lewis Seiler | Genre: Drama
Cast: Marlene Dietrich, John Wayne, Randolph Scott
DVD-Rip | MKV x264 at 2 050 Kbps | 720 x 560 (1.402) at 25.000 fps | AC-3 at 192 Kbps (2 ch) 48.0 KHz
Language: English | Subtitles: English, French, German, Others | Runtime: 1h 27mn | Size: 1.40 GB
Sourced from "De Marlene Dietrich Collectie" (Indies, 2009) | Director: Lewis Seiler | Genre: Drama
Cast: Marlene Dietrich, John Wayne, Randolph Scott
Charles "Pittsburgh" Markham (Wayne) and John "Cash" Evans (Randolph Scott, Ride the High Country [1962]) are lowly coal miners until Pittsburgh's attraction to upscale Josie Winters (Marlene Dietrich) plants visions of wealth and power in his head. Pittsburgh cuts a deal with Morgan Prentiss (Samuel S. Hinds, It's a Wonderful Life [1946]) to supply his Prentiss Steel Company with coke for a fraction of what the old man currently pays. Markham and Evans have no mine or refining equipment, or capital to purchase either. This is a problem easily solved by some fraud and forgery on Pittsburgh's part. In no time flat, the Markham and Evans Colliery is up and running, and the boys are rich. Wealth and power prove a fatally addictive combination for Pittsburgh, who ditches Josie for Shannon Prentiss (Louise Allbritton, Son of Dracula [1943]) in order to increase his influence at the steel company, bullies underlings, and refuses to deliver on promises of a living wage and health care coverage for his miners. His own ruthlessness and greed get the better of him, though, when he's outsmarted by Morgan Prentiss, ending his career. But as America enters World War II, there is a need for the steel to supply munitions. Pittsburgh sees this new business opportunity not only as a way back into corporate power, but also as a way to right his previous wrongs.
Pittsburgh (1942) - Lewis Seiler
![Pittsburgh (1942) - Lewis Seiler]()
Pittsburgh (1942) is the third of the three films Marlene Dietrich and John Wayne made together after Seven Sinners (1940) and The Spoilers (1942). Directed by Lewis Seiler (Guadalcanal Diary [1943]), the picture is little more than a long and rambling public service announcement honoring the patriotism of major industries rolling up their sleeves and pitching in for the war effort. Though much of the movie's running time is concerned with Pittsburgh Markham's descent into avarice and ruthless corporate politics, the main action is framed by sequences of Markham and Evans Colliery and Prentiss Steel proudly turning their efforts to the manufacture of tanks, planes, and armored vehicles—out of altruism, naturally; emerging revenue streams have nothing to do with it. The gently propagandistic nature of the film is perfectly understandable given how recently America had entered the war at the time of the film's production, but it doesn't change the fact that, as a result, over 60 years later Pittsburgh feels more like a curiosity than classic.
Sadly, there's more fizzle than sizzle between Dietrich and Wayne this time around. Dietrich, as a matter of fact, spends more of the running time romantically connected to Randolph Scott than Wayne, though it's clear her "Hunky" Winters is hopelessly in love with Markham no matter how dastardly he behaves. But Dietrich is more fun when playing a woman on the sexual prowl like Seven Sinners' Bijou than a doormat like "Hunky." Her turn here is bound to disappoint anyone looking for classic Dietrich style.
It's John Wayne's performance that makes Pittsburgh worth 91 minutes of your time. He does a fine job playing a character who starts off cocky and ambitious, and slowly devolves into a grade-A bastard. For most of the second act he's a tough and nasty son-of-a-bitch, using his wits and physical presence to devastating effect as he bullies, berates, and outright crushes anyone who stands in the way of his success. You'll have a great time hating Markham, even if you're a huge fan of John Wayne. (Judge Dan Mancini @ DVD Verdict // August 10th, 2006)
Pittsburgh (1942) - Lewis Seiler
![Pittsburgh (1942) - Lewis Seiler]()
Review by Craig Butler @ allrovi:
Universal clearly hoped that lightning would strike twice with Pittsburgh, which reunited its trio of stars from The Spoilers. Unfortunately, Pittsburgh is at best only a moderately entertaining film, in need of a spark to ignite it. Blame rests primarily with the team of writers (at least five, and likely more that received no credit); the story they have crafted wants to have the sweep and grandeur of an Edna Ferber epic, but it lacks the clarity and vision. It also lacks originality, and this is much more damaging; there's too much of a "been there, done that" feeling to the goings-on. And it certainly doesn't help matters that there's more than a whiff of wartime propaganda in the writing, which places too much emphasis on the willingness of the steel industry to churn out product for the good of the war effort while glossing over the profit element involved. Lewis Seiler's direction also deserves some of the rap; it's not bad by any means, but it doesn't give a better shape to the story or disguise the familiarity. And it certainly doesn't provide the epic feel that the writers seem to be trying for. Fortunately, Pittsburgh has a cast that helps make up for its other flaws. True, Marlene Dietrich doesn't have enough to do, but she brings her special luminosity to what she does have. John Wayne is in fine form, playing up the caddishness of his part especially well, and Randolph Scott is a perfect foil for him. The stars can't make Pittsburgh a great film, but they make it more than watchable.
Pittsburgh (1942) - Lewis Seiler
![Pittsburgh (1942) - Lewis Seiler]()
Produced by: Charles K. Feldman & Robert Fellows
Written by: Kenneth Gamet & George Owen, based on a story by George Owen and Tom Reed
Original Music by: Hans J. Salter & Frank Skinner
Cinematography by: Robert De Grasse
Film Editing by: Paul Landres
Production Company: Universal Pictures (11 December 1942)
Pittsburgh (1942) - Lewis Seiler
Pittsburgh (1942) - Lewis Seiler
Pittsburgh (1942) - Lewis Seiler
Pittsburgh (1942) - Lewis Seiler
Pittsburgh (1942) - Lewis Seiler
Pittsburgh (1942) - Lewis Seiler
Pittsburgh (1942) - Lewis Seiler
Pittsburgh (1942)_amara.mkv
Format : Matroska
File size : 1.40 GiB
Duration : 1h 27mn
Overall bit rate : 2 285 Kbps
Video
Format : AVC High@L3.0
Resolution : 720 x 560 pixels
Bit rate : 2 050 Kbps
Aspect ratio : 1.402
Frame rate : 25.000 fps
Bits per Pixel : 0.203 bit/pixel
Audio 0
Format : AC-3
Bit rate : 192 Kbps
Channel(s) : 2 channels
Sampling rate : 48.0 KHz
Language : English
Sourced from "De Marlene Dietrich Collectie" (2009) - Indies Home Entertainment (Netherlands)
included subtitles: English, French, German, Czech, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, Hungarian, Norwegian, Hungarian, Polish, Swedish
Ripper: amara@SMz.
Thank You to BlackAnchor @ Demonoid
Marlene Dietrich Collection:
Der blaue Engel (1930) (German vesion)
The Blue Angel (1930) (English vesion)
Morocco (1930)
Dishonored (1931)
The Song Of Songs (1933)
The Scarlet Empress (1934)
The Devil Is A Woman (1935)
Seven Sinners (1940)
The Flame of New Orleans (1941)
Classic Movies:
The Broadway Melody (1929)
The Divorcee (1930)
Libeled Lady (1936)
The Talk of the Town (1942)
The Best Years of Our Lives (1946)