Classic and James Bond films unite
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)
William Holden was born to play David Larrabee, with his perfectly combed golden hair and that little smile that always bordered on a smirk. He has that whole likeable cad thing, like George Sanders, Basil Rathbone and Richard Widmark down to a tee. He looks louche and sunkissed (even though the film's in black and… Continue reading The Privileged Playboy: William Holden in ‘Sabrina’ (1954)
I can't remember how I first discovered Now Voyager. It just seems to have come into my life and never left. There are movies like that. They become lifelong treasures, friends that you can visit whether you're feeling triumphant or lonely. Now Voyager has been like that for me. Whether I'm on the top of the world like Charlotte… Continue reading The Pain of metamorphosis: Bette Davis in ‘Now Voyager’
Watching a film where Bette Davis plays the female lead is really something. From Now Voyager to Jezebel, Bette never put a foot wrong. But seeing her play both female leads. Well that's really something. And she did it twice, almost twenty years apart, in A Stolen Life and Dead Ringer, in which she played identical twin sisters. And while both of these… Continue reading Walking through the looking glass: Bette Davis in ‘A Stolen Life’ and ‘Dead Ringer’
This post does discuss some sensitive subjects that may be potentially triggering. So please read on at your own risk of maybe unleashing an evil alter ego. Ya just never know. Robert Louis Stevenson's 1886 novel has become one of the most famous novels of the English literary canon. It has been adapted numerous times… Continue reading The Doctor and the Demon: Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde (1920)
Sharpe, which ran from 1993 to 1997 with fourteen episodes and then had two specials in 2006 and 2008, is one of my absolute favourite British television series. It's right up there with Agatha Christie's Poirot and Morse for me as an example of a series that is not only quintessentially British, but quintessential quality. This is largely to do… Continue reading Viva la Sharpe: Sharpe’s Revenge
Laird Cregar has been on the periphery for me for a good while, but for some reason, I just never actively sought out his films. This was despite my admiration for his portrayal of the sleazy, cowardly, mint popping secondary villain in This Gun For Hire, which was his second film with my absolute favourite actor, Alan… Continue reading The Loveliness of Laird: Discovering the Films of Laird Cregar
I am pleased to say that I will be participating in The Rosalind Russell Blogathon hosted by In The Good Old Days of Classic Hollywood, so please watch this space!
I will be taking part in The Second Annual Broadway Bound Blogathon hosted by Taking Up Room, so please watch this space!
Daphne du Maurier is considered one of the greatest writers in history. Her influence as an author is so widespread that people are aware of elements of her work without actually always being familiar with it. She was characterised as a romance novelist in her lifetime, a title she disliked intensely, and with good reason.… Continue reading Announcing The Calls of Cornwall: The Daphne du Maurier Blogathon
Pale Writer 