Three lost films - any true filmfreaks who can recognize these?
 

Hi, I´m visiting first time in this forum - let´s see if there is really good film geeks out there...

I´m 32yo fellow from Finland and there have been few movies which have left strong impressions to my memory, but I don´t have any clue on actors, titles, directors and can´t identify the movies anymore. Luckily I have encountered few of the lost films myself including great classics as Roger Corman´s "The Terror", Howard Hawk´s "A Song is Born", Raoul Walsh´s "Distant Drums" and maybe even supergood "The Thief of Bagdag (1940)" which I lost some years ago. These titles are recommended by me. Great adventures.

So, here are the movies still lost to me:

CASE 1:
Biblical/egypt/farao/sahara -movie.
Old, but most likely still a color movie.
I remember this scene: big battle on desert, two sides against each other. The other side is attacking but defender´s use brilliant tactics. They use their shields as mirrors (or maybe they have mirrors), blind the enemy who charges with their chariots into a deep and long pit the defender´s have dug in front of them.
CAN YOU IDENTIFY THE MOVIE?

CASE 2:
A big city type of comedy.
Perhaps black & white.
Perhaps a movie from 50´s. Perhaps 40´s or 60´s.
Story: The main character (male) gets a job in a tall building (a skyscraper?). The job is at the lowest level of the building. Perhaps a delivery boy or a posting assistant. The main character keeps getting better jobs in the building (perhaps by accidents), quickly moves up in the building, maybe even to the top. Some kind of comedy...
CAN YOU IDENTIFY THE MOVIE?

CASE 3:
A pirate or a buccaneer movie.
I think it´s a color movie, but could be B/W.
Scene at the end of the movie: The main character, most likely a pirate, attacks the other ship by swimming towards it. Everybody is expecting him to climb over the bulwark, but the pirate dives, goes under the ship, and surprises everybody by getting on board over the other bulwark.
CAN YOU IDENTIFY THE MOVIE?


I think I have one more case, but I get back to it when I remember it. ;)

If there are true moviegeeks who knows also about older films, please help me. It would awesome to identify the above mentioned movies...

Yours truly,

moviefreak#69

Re: Three lost films - any true filmfreaks who can recognize these?
 

Solomon and Sheba is the first one. How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying should be the second. I'm not as sure about the third, but I'd guess The Crimson Pirate.

Thank you Mark F. That´s some serious movie knowledge. Impressive!

Solomon and Sheba --- very likely the information is correct! I ordered this movie immediately. I´ll see if it´s any good. I hope!

How to succeed... --- could be it. Sounds like a fun movie. I ordered this too.

The Crimson Pirate --- there´s many pirate movies around. From reviews, this sounds also pretty good. Luckily my friend has this, so I borrow it first and check it out. One of the other pirate movies is called Captain Blood. Maybe it´s that. Or some other. Just have to come across with the right one. And maybe find some other good movies while looking!

Brilliant. Appreciate your help.

Re: Three lost films - any true filmfreaks who can recognize these?
 

Film #2 might be The Hudsucker Proxy. It's a modern movie (1994), but it has a 1950's timeline. The guy does start out in the mailroom and moves up to be president.

Re: Three lost films - any true filmfreaks who can recognize these?
 

Well, (naturally) I know The Hudsucker Proxy. A great movie, but not the one I´m looking for. The movie I´m looking for is definitely older.

Maybe it is that "How to succeed..." I will see when I get it. Unfortunately, my recollection of this movie is very thin.

Hmm, it never occurred to me that Hudsucker has very similar plotting. Anyway, thanks helping OHForums.

Update:

CASE 3 is very likely The Crimson Pirate (1952). I just saw it and it indeed has the described sequence: the pirates dive under the enemy ship and surprises everybody by rising from the other bulkward.

Pretty good adventure movie. Recommended.

Re: Three lost films - any true filmfreaks who can recognize these?
 

CASE 2: I just saw How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying and I think it is very likely that this is the movie I was looking for. The plot is exactly what described. The movie was very funny and I think I could have liked this kind of movie when I last saw it as a child (maybe 25 years ago). Very funny and well made movie. Everyone should see this!

I also noticed that there is similar Michael J. Fox movie The Secret of My Succe$s 1987. But I bet How to Succeed... is the one I was looking for.

Great forum, good help so far.

Re: Three lost films - any true filmfreaks who can recognize these?
 

and finally CASE 1:
Solomon and Sheba --- that´s it. The attack scene I described was quite efficient, powerful and striking. No wonder that the sequence stuck in to my mind when I saw this as a kid.

Hundreds and thousands chariots and soldiers run into a gorge/pit/abyss. After the dust settles, we can see they all lie dead on the bottom. Some has severed arms even. Strong sequence.

Otherwise the movie was little bit too slow and easy to predict. Little bit too standard. However, it had other good sequences like the destruction of the Temple of Solomon and Gina Lollobrigada´s magical dance on her paganic orgy-party.

Two out of five stars.

All cases were solved. Great result. I found to me three beautiful movies. I hope somebody else is going to see those too.

Re: Three lost films - any true filmfreaks who can recognize these?
 

Ah, excellent - I will mark this thread as answered. :)