The bawdy "Miller's Tale," the second in Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, brings to light the idea of requital. The Host initially chooses The Monk as the appropriate response to the noble Knight's Tale, however the drunken Miller, a 'loudmouth and a buffoon,' interrupts and demands to tell a tale. The Host refuses only until the Miller … Continue reading The Idea of Requital in The Miller’s Tale
Author: Great Books Guy
On Eusebius’s Ecclesiastical History and the Origins of the Gospels
Eusebius is the noted historiographer of the early Christian Church. He lived during the 4th century AD and was the Bishop of Caesarea (a maritime region in northern Israel-Palestine). Like other early Christian theologians, Eusebius wrote voluminously, including apologetic texts, books about the Biblical canon, as well as a somewhat controversial book on the Life … Continue reading On Eusebius’s Ecclesiastical History and the Origins of the Gospels
Rebecca
Rebecca (1940) Director: Alfred Hitchcock Hitchcock's brilliant Oscar-winning film was based on Daphne du Maurier's novel of the same name (published in 1938), and which is, in turn, a similar re-telling of Charlotte Brontë's Gothic novel, Jane Eyre. Rebecca was Hitchcock's only film to win Best Picture from the Academy. David O. Selznick was hoping … Continue reading Rebecca
A Shot In The Dark
A Shot In The Dark (1964) Director: Blake Edwards In many ways, A Shot In The Dark is the first true "Pink Panther" film, despite technically being the second "Pink Panther" picture after the prior year's The Pink Panther (1963). It features the great Peter Sellers with a perfected thick French accent, his spiteful boss, … Continue reading A Shot In The Dark
The Pink Panther
The Pink Panther (1963) Director: Blake Edwards The Pink Panther is the first film in the "Pink Panther" series, featuring Peter Sellers as the bumbling but lovable French inspector, Jacques Clouseau. Unfortunately, Inspector Clouseau is something of a secondary character in this first picture, with the focus turned primarily to Sir Charles Lytton (played by … Continue reading The Pink Panther
Jaws
Jaws (1975) Director: Steven Spielberg Based on Peter Benchley's best-selling novel of the same name, Jaws is the classic horror film about a massive great white shark plaguing a summer New England resort town. Benchley, who later regretted creating fear-based literature focused on sharks, makes a small cameo as a reporter on the beach in … Continue reading Jaws
A Hard Day’s Night
A Hard Day's Night (1964) Director: Richard Lester A Hard Day's Night is the anarchistic, irreverent "mockumentary" film by Dick Lester ( he also directed The Beatles's next film Help!). It purports to follow The Beatles through a day in the life, at the height of their popularity. The film is rife with all manner … Continue reading A Hard Day’s Night
On Her Majesty’s Secret Service
On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969) Director: Peter R. Hunt On Her Majesty's Secret Service is the first Bond film not to star Sean Connery. After his decision to retire (Connery was not on speaking terms with producer Albert Broccoli), Eon replaced him with an unknown Australian male model, George Lazenby. He was the only … Continue reading On Her Majesty’s Secret Service
You Only Live Twice
You Only Live Twice (1967) Director: Lewis Gilbert This was Lewis Gilbert's first time directing a Bond film (he would later return to the genre with The Spy Who Loved Me in 1977 and Moonraker, both featuring Roger Moore). Interestingly enough, the script for You Only Live Twice was written by noted children's novelist, Roald … Continue reading You Only Live Twice
Rocky
Rocky (1976) Director: John G. Avildsen Somehow Rocky won the award for Best Picture from the Academy in 1976 over All The President's Men (a much better overall movie). It also won the award for Best Director. The film was a low budget movie, based on the idea for the story written by Sylvester Stallone. … Continue reading Rocky
