Crowded Paradise

Broadway legend Hume Cronyn shines in this long-lost melodrama about Puerto Rican assimilation. Directed by the elusive Fred Pressburger and featuring a roster of first-rate talent recruited from live TV, Crowded Paradise also highlights the sculpted, mobile camerawork of the great Boris Kaufman and a fine performance by the up-and-coming Mario Alcalde. Cronyn's leering, jingoistic superintendent sparkles with sheer meanness, and Spanish Harlem provides an appropriate backdrop for this "Made in New York" low-budget sleeper. [adapted from an overview by Michael Bowen]