Classic and James Bond films unite
The Reckless Moment (1949) is a Christmas film as Batman Returns or Die Hard is. It takes place during the holidays, but this happy time is marred by strife and tragedy. A coal in one's stocking for sure. For Lucia Harper (played by Joan Bennett) the coal comes in the form of borderline child sexual… Continue reading Unlikely kindred spirits: Joan Bennett in “The Reckless Moment” (1949)
The film starts with a visual representation of Edward "Teddy" Bare's (played by Dirk Bogarde) mind. A stark, dark, confusing labyrinth, with the face of a screaming woman. The things in the labyrinth: a stuffed ape, a clown, would be mundane in the sunlight, in the sane world, but in this place they are representations… Continue reading The Chamber: Dirk Bogarde in “Cast a Dark Shadow” (1955)
As with Love Story, I had never heard of Footsteps in the Fog. Perhaps this is because the film has been overshadowed by similar outings such as Gaslight (1944), The Lodger (1944) and Dragonwyck (1946). But this should not be so, as Footsteps in the Fog is just as impressive as its similarly gothic predecessors. It has the same paranoid, moody atmosphere, the same intensely psychological storyline,… Continue reading The Poison of Thine Lips: Stewart Granger in Footsteps in the Fog (1955)
Pale Writer 