Classic and James Bond films unite
As Classic Film Fans we often talk about the stars of classic cinema being great in the singular, as in Joan Crawford was spectacular or Myrna Loy's capacity for shade was untouchable. But what we often don't talk about is how fantastic it was when two classic film stars came together and made the perfect… Continue reading Lake and Ladd: The Perfect Pair
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)
Al Pacino, in my humble opinion, is one of the greatest actors to ever live. He has given us so many iconic performances from his incredible turn as Michael Corleone to Tony in Scarface and the Colonel in Scent of A Woman. Pacino was born in East Harlem to Italian American parents. His childhood and… Continue reading Announcing the All About Al Pacino Blogathon
The women's pictures of the 1940s seemed to have been defined by mental illness. Women who could not carry on as they were, and broke psychologically, terribly unmoored in a world which seemed to provide them with little support. Often the source of these women's mental illness was the cruelty of men, such as in… Continue reading The Mental Kaleidoscope: Olivia de Havilland in The Snake Pit (1948)
And so The Calls of Cornwall: Daphne du Maurier Blogathon has come to an end. I would like to thank all of the bloggers who contributed. I cannot WAIT to go through everyone's posts and read all about du Maurier and her works. I would also like to ask the bloggers who participated, or bloggers… Continue reading Finn…or will she come back?
Strange Cargo (1940) is not an easy film to describe. It has elements of drama, romance, adventure and tragedy. It is all these things, but it does not fit neatly into any of these genres. It could perhaps be compared to I Was A Fugitive of a Chain Gang, with its frank depiction of prison… Continue reading Into the Wilderness: Clark Gable in “Strange Cargo” (1940)
It may seem strange to choose a nun as the subject for a post written for The Reel Infatuation Blogathon. But, it is not strange when you think of the tremendous courage of both the character, based on a real woman of this marrow, and the actress who played her, who had these same traits.… Continue reading Obedience, that impossible thing: Audrey Hepburn as Sister Luke in “The Nun’s Story” (1959)
De-Lovely (2004) is one of the best and most underrated biopics I have ever seen. It has everything you'd want in such a film, awesome music, a fascinating, but very flawed central figure, which the filmmakers do not shy away from, a brilliant actor play that figure, and great supporting performances. Why people are not singing this film's… Continue reading In The Still of the Night: De-lovely (2004)
Although Our Dancing Daughters (1928) is the film that is often cited as Joan's star making role, she herself said that it was her starring in The Unknown that really taught her to act. According to IMDB , Joan Crawford always considered The Unknown (1927) a big turning point for her. She said it wasn't until working with Lon… Continue reading The Perfect Joan Double Bill: The Unknown (1927) and Berserk! (1967)
In a career that spanned almost fifty years, Joan starred in almost every type of Woman's Picture, and played almost every kind of part in the genre, as well as starring in almost every other kind of genre, and playing almost every type of role in those genres, too. But Joan's later films are often… Continue reading What A Dame: Joan’s Four Essential Later Performances
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