Before and After Hitler: Two Films by German Director Robert Siodmak
German director Robert Siodmak‘s 1930 comedy Farewell is a far cry from 1957’s Nazi-influenced crime thriller, The Devil Strikes at Night.
film history
Restored Silent Film ‘The Street of Forgotten Men’ Debuts Louise Brooks
Silent film star Louise Brooks’ first role was that of a “moll”, an uncredited bit part in the evocatively titled The Street of Forgotten Men.
How Digital Disruption Enhanced Slow and Small Cinema
Coming into the 21st century a new attitude was fostered by the digital disruption of filmmaking, which allowed slow cinema and small cinema to become a virtue.
Douglas Sirk’s ‘Written on the Wind’ Blows Away 1950s-Era Conventions
Douglas Sirk’s excellent and subversive drama, Written on the Wind, shows a rich family coming unglued, ungripped, unzipped.
Powell & Pressburger’s Radical and Ravishing ‘The Red Shoes’ Performs the Dark Side of Devotion
Powell & Pressburger’s film version of Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Red Shoes” asks, is Art worth dying for?
Time Out for Love: Five Little-Seen Classic French Films Streaming on OVIDtv
OVIDtv specializes in documentaries and arthouse items such as these five French films of the 1950s and 1960s from directors Marc Allégret and Jacques Doniol-Valcroze. This is my catnip.
1934 Horror Film ‘The Black Cat’ Slinks Easily into Our Time of Terror
Nazi power had already risen and Hitler was Chancellor when The Black Cat shared its laser-focus on the dangers of the rising tide of right-wing politics.
Not So Elementary: ‘The Sherlock Holmes Vault Collection’ Offers Rare Deductions
We thoroughly inspect the four 1930s features and bonuses in The Film Detective’s The Sherlock Holmes Vault Collection.
Does a Fantasy or a Western a Film Noir Make?
Alfred Werker’s fantasy-dabbling Repeat Performance and John Sturges not-your-typical western The Capture may – or may not – be actual film noir.
The Mayhem in Tsui Hark’s ‘Once Upon a Time in China’ Films Echoed Hong Kong Citizens’ Fears
Tsui Hark’s Once Upon a Time in China films resonated strongly with Hong Kong citizens worried about the imminent handover of the country to mainland China.
One More Sad Song: Milos Forman’s Critique of America ‘Ragtime’ at 40
Milos Forman’s Ragtime reflects his jaundiced outsider’s perspective on America’s lures and traps and his mistrust of authority and structure.
’40s-Era Horror-Noir ‘Among the Living’ Ain’t Whistling Dixie
We never know everything that goes on that night in horror-noir ‘Among the Living’. This film is no affirmative vision of a small town in the American South.