Classic and James Bond films unite
It's difficult to say why I find A Notorious Affair so enjoyable. Basil Rathbone has an abysmal Italian (I think) accent, Billie Dove isn't terribly charismatic, and the characterisation isn't exactly hugely well rounded for anyone. Basil really could play the violin, even if he looks a trifle nervous in this screenshot But what I… Continue reading Many-a-melodrama: A Notorious Affair (1930)
Imagine, if you will, going to see a Broadway show in which one of the performers sings a song that features the lyrics "Don't be a dummy, be a smarty! Join the Nazi party!" Would you get up and storm out in great disgust, or stick around when you get the very incorrect idea that… Continue reading Springtime for Larceny: The Producers (1967)
I am thrilled to say that The Suave Swordsman: Basil Rathbone Blogathon has finally arrived! I am so excited to share this event with all of you and the wonderful bloggers (of which there are happily many) who have generously donated their swashbuckling time to writing entries! First up is Maddy, who shares her thoughts… Continue reading The Suave Swordsman has arrived!
The catchphrase for Easter Parade was "The Happiest Musical Ever Made Is Irving Berlin's Easter Parade". And that's pretty accurate. The highest the stakes get is whether or not Hannah Brown (played wonderfully by Judy Garland) and Don Hewes (played equally wonderfully by Fred Astaire) will become a big hit, and you know right from… Continue reading With All The Frills Upon It: Easter Parade (1948)
The human soul is naturally inclined towards seeking comfort, that lovely feeling of reassurance that the world holds hope and wonder, that things once broken can be mended, that not all that is lost, is lost forever. As a child, my comfort film was Gone with the Wind. It was a film that filled me with the… Continue reading The Comfort of Classics: Five Favourites
Like most people, my first exposure to Vincent Price was through horror films, and the only early film of his that I really knew was Dragonwyck. But over the years, as my appreciation for classic film has continued to grow and mature, I've sought out more films from his pre-horror career, such as the two other classics… Continue reading Paging Dr Death: Vincent Price in “Shock” (1946)
A few months ago I undertook the task of watching all fourteen of the Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce Sherlock Holmes movies. I am very glad to say that I was successful in my little quest. Like most classic film fans, my feelings about the series are mixed. I feel that the majority of the… Continue reading A Glowing Mist: Sherlock Holmes and The Scarlet Claw (1944)
Like most people born before the 2000s, I came into contact with classic films through two avenues: a video tape that my parents or some other adult bought and which was rewatched until it gave a dying jolt in the video machine, or through TV. Where I live, there's an open access channel which does… Continue reading Sailing Takes Me To Where The Evil Magician Wants To Be: The 7th Voyage of Sinbad (1958)
Ernest Lubitsch is one of the finest directors of the Golden Age of Hollywood. I've waxed lyrical about him before in my post on To Be Or Not To Be, but every time I watch one of his movies, I am dazzled by his sensational satire and his incredible ability to construct complex but relatable films. Cluny… Continue reading The Class of Cluny Brown (1946)
The first time I watched Rosemary's Baby I turned to my mom and said, "I want her haircut." And I got it. To be fair, I lacked the lithe elegance of Mia Farrow and still had some baby fat, so the result was not quite what I hoped. But when I was in my mid twenties I… Continue reading The Story of an Iconic Hair don’t that became a HairDo: Mia Farrow’s pixie cut
Pale Writer 