The Frenchman, Maurice Tourneur, and the Austrian, Richard Oswald, were major producer/directors during cinema’s Silent Era, but are hardly remembered today. These days, movie lovers are more likely to know the films and television shows directed by their sons — Jacques Tourneur (Cat People, I Walked With a Zombie, Out of the Past), and Gerd Oswald (Brainwashed, Screaming ... read more »

  I’m thankful that the cult classic SPIRITS OF THE DEAD (1968), a trio of Edgar Allan Poe adaptations — “Metzengerstein” directed by Roger Vadim, “William Wilson” directed by Louis Malle, and “Toby Dammit” (above) directed by Federico Fellini — has finally been released in a reportedly gorgeous Region-free Blu-ray edition in which we get to ... read more »

With regard to the whole issue of dubbing, conventional wisdom tells us that foreign films are best viewed in their original language. And I tend to agree with that. But there are some major exceptions to that rule – most of them Italian. That’s because Italian films are (or were) generally shot without synchronized sound. ... read more »

There is absolutely no connection between the James Poe who wrote Attack! (discussed immediately below) and the Edgar Allan Poe who inspired Roger Corman’s The Pit and the Pendulum (illustrated immediately above). Except, of course, that James Poe was briefly married to The Pit and the Pendulum’s beautiful star, Barbara Steele. But seriously, if you ... read more »

Edward Copeland at The House Next Door has written a great post concerning film monologues. After considering what makes a great film monologue, he describes in detail 5 stellar examples. Rather than repeat Copeland’s examples, I thought I’d cite some personal favorites. Not surprisingly, they all result from a synthesis of great actors, first-rate screenwriting, ... read more »