March 15, 1970

Peter Ibbetson (1935) *

A kind of hopelessly dated, old-fashioned, supernatural romance melodrama that will profoundly enchant a small minority of ultra-sensitive souls and even more profoundly irritate the rest of humanity. It's a cinematographic equivalent of an onion, forcing the tears against one's will. The only asset: an excellent, Academy Award-nominated musical score by Ernst Toch. Not surprisingly, it was the film's sole Oscar nomination.