(The following was included as part of my John Ford Film Study course which I taught in the winter/early spring semester of 2023. This is the last film featured in this Ford series. Please enjoy…) For our last film of this John Ford study, it seems rather fitting to end with the film that many consider to be Ford’s last great film, THE MAN WHO … Continue reading Ford’s Cinematic Send Off: THE MAN WHO SHOT LIBERTY VALANCE
For classic film fans, the holiday season represents a time to wax nostalgic over those classic films that pop up this time of year. Everyone has his or her own must-see favorites. Perhaps you prefer a mainstream flavor like WHITE CHRISTMAS or IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE, or perhaps you go for something a bit under the mainstream radar like HOLIDAY AFFAIR or IT HAPPENED ON … Continue reading Christmas in Connecticut – Holiday Classic or Feminist Screwball?
Dan (Ralph Bellamy): “I certainly learned about women from you.”Aunt Patsy (Cecil Cunningham): “Here’s your diploma.” (As she hands him Lucy’s break-up letter) In The Awful Truth (1937), Ralph Bellamy as wealthy cowpoke Dan does indeed learn a great deal about the risks and foibles of falling for a glamorous socialite (Irene Dunne), still in love with her soon-to-be-ex husband (Cary Grant). In the 1930s and 40s, the Screwball Comedy … Continue reading Surviving Holiday MayhemWith These Ladies of Screwball Comedy
Many a cinephile enjoy debating what films merit the definition for a holiday movie. Ever since Preston Sturges directed THE MIRACLE of MORGAN’S CREEK (1944), the controversy surrounding the film was less focused on whether it’s a Christmas movie, but more on the shock that it ever passed the production code under Breen’s watchful eyes. Written and directed by the king of screwball comedies, Preston Sturges, The Miracle … Continue reading A Christmas Miracle Comes for Trudy Kockenlocker
With this Ford film, we’ll continue the themes from rugged wilderness and racism as discussed in my coverage of THE SEARCHERS, into similar territory in SERGEANT RUTLEDGE. We will take a closer look at the ‘Buffalo Soldiers’ of the U.S. Cavalry history, but with the suspense of a courtroom drama. For discussion of this film’s story, it’s important to note the historical relevance of Black … Continue reading A Western Rarity: SERGEANT RUTLEDGE (1960)
We’ve reached the end of our cinematic journey of Universal Classic Monsters. As we focused on Universal Pictures’ transition into sound production films and their successes in the genre of horror, we finish appropriately enough at the end of the Laemmle empire. Even with the financial and critical success of SHOW BOAT (1936), the too many flops and debts from over-spending added up. Carl Laemmle … Continue reading WEREWOLF OF LONDON (1935)
There’s something engrossing in the character study of a beautiful psychopath. In Otto Preminger’s ANGEL FACE (1953), we get up close with an alluring monster. Don’t be too disappointed that only few spoilers and not much plot details are coming your way. This film is not a whodunnit murder mystery. Oh sure there will be murder. But there’s no mystery of this particular killer… and … Continue reading Falling For a Psychopath: ANGEL FACE (1953)
We’re in for a real treat. Many consider, and I’m in full agreement, that James Whale’s THE BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN (1935) to be the best of the Universal classic monster films. The question is WHY? We’ll discuss that, and perhaps you’ll have your own opinions on this. We have studied several Universal horrors up to this point, along with the details of what was transpiring … Continue reading A Case for Campy or Creepy-THE BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN (1935)
This marks the first of eight films that paired Bela Lugosi and Boris Karloff. Both big names in Hollywood coming off of their huge successes of DRACULA and FRANKENSTEIN. But while Karloff would continue his success in the years that followed, Lugosi’s career struggled. DRACULA would be his first major Hollywood role, and his biggest. Lugosi didn’t seem the right fit for many roles that … Continue reading A Sinister Study: THE BLACK CAT (1934)
As we traverse into our latest Universal monster film, James Whale’s THE INVISIBLE MAN (1933), we feel a sense of familiarity with another examination into madness. But this tale goes deeper and more personal than our prior films. This time, the scientist is not just driven into insanity by his passionate pursuits, but could he be the monster, too? H.G. Wells published his novel, “The … Continue reading Deep Focus on THE INVISIBLE MAN (1933)
Outspoken & Freckled 