Vyacheslav Tikhonov, who starred as Prince Andrei Bolkonsky in Sergei Bondarchuk’s War and Peace (1967), died last Friday (12/4) at the age of 81. Tikhonov is one of a trio of actors, along with Lyudmila Savelyava as Natasha Rostova and Bondarchuk himself as Pierre Bezukhov, that anchor the massive four-part film with trenchant, unforgettable performances, ... read more »

Criterion’s two-disc edition of Pandora’s Box, which streets today, is one of most important DVD releases 0f 2006 and possibly the most luxuriant treatment ever afforded a silent picture in home video history. As can be expected from a film nearly 80 years old, the restoration of Pandora’s Box still reveals its age, with scratches ... read more »

Anyone infatuated with silent film—like me—is always on the lookout for that one pre-talkie film that will win over the unconverted, and I think I’ve found a mighty fine contender in Joe May’s 1929 film, Asphalt, recently released as a region 1 disc by Kino. Asphalt was shot right on the cusp of the sound ... read more »

I like John Ford as much as anybody, but when I heard about Warners’ new Ultimate Collector’s Edition of The Searchers, what really made my eyes moist was not the prospect of a new transfer or watching a bunch of filmmakers sit around and idolize the old man…no, it was the inclusion of a reproduction ... read more »