Cinema: Current & Choice, Apr. 18, 1949

Champion. Kirk Douglas in an expert retelling of a Ring Lardner short story; with some of the fastest and most realistic boxing scenes ever screened (TIME April 11).

The Fallen Idol. A handsome, British-made suspense film which is also a brilliant study of child behavior, with Ralph Richardson (TIME, April 4).

Devil in the Flesh. A moving, French-made look at the pleasures and perils of adolescent love; with Gérard Philipe and Micheline Presle (TIME, March 21).

Little Women. A lushly romantic remake of Louisa May Alcott’s genteel tearjerker, with June Allyson, Elizabeth Taylor, Margaret O’Brien, Janet Leigh (TIME, March 14).

Down to the Sea in Ships. A fairly seaworthy version of the old whaling yarn, with Richard Widmark in his first sympathetic role (TIME, March 7).

Quartet. Four unrelated short stories by Somerset Maugham; a British-made film of wit and compassion (TIME, Feb. 21).

The Accused. Loretta Young as the culprit in a cat & mouse melodrama, with Robert Cummings and Wendell Corey (TIME, Jan. 24).

A Letter to Three Wives. Some witty insight into three marriages headed for the rocks, with Paul Douglas, Linda Darnell, Ann Sothern (TIME, Jan. 17).

The Paleface. Bob Hope in a comic horse opera (TIME, Dec. 27).

The Snake Pit. A harrowing adaptation of the bestselling novel, with Olivia de Havilland as the mental patient (TIME, Dec. 20).

Joan of Arc. A spectacular retelling of the classic story, with Ingrid Bergman (TIME, Nov. 15).