Silent Screen Diva Marion Davies’ Enjoyable Nonsense
Silent screen star Marion Davies makes these two restored films by directors George Hill and Sidney Franklin irresistibly delightful.
Michael Barrett
San Francisco Silent Film Festival 2022: Dangers! Thrills! Desires! – and Sweet Enchantment
Silent films have a way of burrowing their stories into your mind and taking root. With this preview of the San Francisco Silent Film Festival 2022, let us plant a few seeds.
Neorealism Meets Fairy Tale in Vittorio De Sica’s ‘Miracle in Milan’
If the escapism in Vittorio De Sica’s Miracle in Milan seems simple-minded, even simpler is the cure to society’s ills.
Robert Siodmak’s Auf Wiedersehen to Hollywood
Robert Siodmak’s reverse immigration film, Deported, and drama about capital and labor, The Whistle at Eaton Falls, were the last he’d make for Hollywood.
Anatomy of the Wounded: Márta Mészáros’ ‘Adoption’
Márta Mészáros’ film Adoption is empathetic and beady-eyed about the negotiations and indignities of those caught up in social prejudices, especially women.
Tied and Noosed ‘Dancing Pirate’ Waltzes into Technicolor
Restored 1936 Technicolor film Dancing Pirate crosses the early talkies’ vogue for absurd musicals with its other vogue for Hollywood Mexicana.
OVIDtv’s ‘Fric-Frac’ and ‘The Scheming Women’ Showcase Major French Stars in Minor Films
Fric-Frac is a character study of Jeanne Moreau’s role early in her starring career and The Scheming Women is bright with future French stars.
Alain Resnais’ Short Films on Art, Plastic, and Institutional Hypnotism
Icarus Films’ recent Blu-ray of Alain Resnais ‘short films ranges from footage of artworks with poetic narration to sensual color conveyed with a wink.
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.
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?