From Russia With Love (1963) Director: Terence Young The second James Bond film was again directed by Terence Young (he was the director of several early Bond films). After the tremendous success of 1962's Dr. No, United Artists quickly pushed for a sequel to be released, and the film was rushed to completion by October … Continue reading From Russia With Love
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On Clement’s Letter to the Corinthians
Clement of Alexandria is rumored to have been a disciple of Peter. He was from Alexandria, Egypt and later became the representative, or "bishop," of Rome, holding that office from about 88 AD until his death in 99 AD (per Tertullian). He was praised among many of the early Christian church leaders. Clement is considered … Continue reading On Clement’s Letter to the Corinthians
The War Between the Sexes in Lysistrata
Lysistrata is the only surviving Aristophanean play whose title designates the name of the main character. Most other plays convey the collective name of the Chorus or another chief theme of the play. Lysistrata means something like "releaser of war" or "army disbander" and we are invited by Aristophanes to consider her character above all others, as the … Continue reading The War Between the Sexes in Lysistrata
Mr. Smith Goes To Washington
Mr. Smith Goes To Washington (1939) Director: Frank Capra Mr. Smith Goes to Washington is Frank Capra's masterpiece, the natural parallel to his earlier Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (1936). This was Jimmy Stewart's fifth film, and certainly his career-defining breakthrough, after the prior year being also cast alongside Jean Arthur in Frank Capra's You Can't Take It … Continue reading Mr. Smith Goes To Washington
The Pursuit of Beauty in Edna Ferber’s So Big
So Big by Edna Ferber is going to take some time for me to mull over. It was an enjoyable novel, albeit scattered. It was published in 1924, and won the Pulitzer in 1925. It is a novel that strives to find beauty in the ordinary, and it seeks to expose the new capitalist class for … Continue reading The Pursuit of Beauty in Edna Ferber’s So Big
Aristophanes’s The Birds: A New City in the Sky
Aristophanes The Birds ("Ornithets") is the only comedy written by Aristophanes whose entire action takes place far from the city of Athens. Consequently, the play makes little mention of the circumstances of the Peloponnesian War, or of contemporary Athenian politics. It won second prize at the Dionysia in 414 BC. It is a play about the … Continue reading Aristophanes’s The Birds: A New City in the Sky
The Story of French Impressionism, Part IX: Gustave Caillebotte
Gustave Caillebotte (1848-1894) -pronounced "kye-bott"- was descended from a wealthy military textile family in Paris. His family owned a home in Paris and later bought a larger home south of Paris, as well. Photograph of Caillebotte circa 1878 Caillebotte studied law, and he was also drafted to serve in the armed forces during the Franco-Prussian War … Continue reading The Story of French Impressionism, Part IX: Gustave Caillebotte
Stagecoach
Stagecoach (1939) Director: John Ford Stagecoach brought about a revival in the Western genre, which had largely fallen out of favor in the late '20s and '30s. The Western is a mythic depiction of the Western country and prairie, a largely historically untrue heroic story of courage and goodness in an amoral land of savages … Continue reading Stagecoach
Visages d’enfants
Visages d'enfants (1923) Director: Jacques Feyder "The Faces of Children" is a simple and beautiful film. It is a French-Swiss pastoral movie that takes place amidst the incredible landscape of the village of Saint-Luc in the mountainous Haut-Valais region of Switzerland. It is a psychological exploration, remarkably complex for the time, and it tells the … Continue reading Visages d’enfants
A Woman of Paris
A Woman of Paris (1923) Director: Charlie Chaplin Unlike Chaplin's other films, A Woman of Paris, is a tragic drama and Charlie Chaplin does not appear in the film. It was a box office failure, as many audiences came to the film expecting to see a classic Chaplin film. Its financial failings caused great pain to Chaplin at … Continue reading A Woman of Paris
