The Gay Divorcee (1934) Director: Mark Sandrich The Gay Divorcee is a delightfully nostalgic film. It was the second of ten pairings for Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers in movies. It was based on a musical of the same name. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Picture. The film takes place on … Continue reading The Gay Divorcee
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The Man Who Knew Too Much
The Man Who Knew Too Much (1934) Director: Alfred Hitchcock When Francois Truffaut famously interviewed Alfred Hitchcock (published in 1967), Hitchcock remarked that The Man Who Knew Too Much (1934) was merely the work of an amateur. He later went on to create his own remake in 1956, which he much preferred. The film holds nothing in … Continue reading The Man Who Knew Too Much
Tarzan The Ape Man
Tarzan The Ape Man (1932) Director: W.S. Van Dyke Based on the famous novel by Edgar Rice Burroughs, this 1932 film is a little odd and at times awkward. Nevertheless, MGM later released two remakes of the film. Among other studios, it was the first of 12 Tarzan films. There were also several silent era Tarzan … Continue reading Tarzan The Ape Man
The Old Dark House
The Old Dark House (1932) Director: James Whale James Whale was the successful horror film director of great repute in the 1930s, directing films like Frankenstein (1931), The Invisible Man (1933), and Bride of Frankenstein (1935). His production, The Old Dark House (1932) was based on J.B. Priestly's 1927 novel Benighted and it starred the great Boris Karloff, among others. It is a loopy cult-classic, … Continue reading The Old Dark House
Zemlaya (Earth)
Zemlaya (Earth) (1930) Director: Alexander Dovzhenko Zemlaya is silent Soviet propaganda film, and is Dozhenko's best known film in the West. It is part three of his Ukraine trilogy (he only personally directed seven films during his lifetime, before focusing on novels, instead). The story loosely follows a family of farmers in Ukraine, during the … Continue reading Zemlaya (Earth)
L’age d’Or
L'age d'Or (1930) Director: Luis Bunuel One of the first sound films made in France, L'age d'Or or "the age of gold" is a surprisingly compelling surrealist film with the screenplay written by Luis Bunuel and Salvador Dali, not unlike their earlier film, Un Chien Andalou. It is a strangely Freudian film that is linked by a … Continue reading L’age d’Or
The Iron Horse
The Iron Horse (1924) Director: John Ford An early western epic, Ford's The Iron Horse was a massive production. At two and a half hours of running time, it is an extended silent film, even though much of the film was unplanned. It was filmed during a cold winter in the Nevada desert. Ford later said it … Continue reading The Iron Horse
The Big Country
9/12/2016 The Big Country (1958) Director: William Wyler The Big Country is a great film, and one of the few films to feature Charlton Heston in a supporting role, rather than as the protagonist. It has an all-star cast of Heston, Gregory Peck, Jean Simons, Carroll Baker, and Burl Ives (who won an Academy Award … Continue reading The Big Country
Go West
9/11/2016 Go West (1925) Director: Buster Keaton Go West is a delightful film filled with Keaton's classic gags. It is clearly a precursor to The General with his notable fascination with trains and the old west. Much of the film was shot in Arizona in extremely hot weather and it was not one Buster Keaton's favorite films, though … Continue reading Go West
The Phantom of the Opera
9/6/2016 The Phantom of the Opera (1925) Director: Rupert Julian In 1922, Carl Laemmie, the President of Universal Pictures, was on vacation in France when he met Gaston Leroux working in the French cinema industry. Leroux gave Laemmie a copy of his novel, The Phantom of the Opera, which Laemmie read and then immediately decided to … Continue reading The Phantom of the Opera
