Classic and Horror films unite
The year that Mannequin had its nationwide release, Joan Crawford was featured on the list of actresses termed as "Box Office Poison". It was a list that featured Katherine Hepburn, Kay Francis, Norma Shearer and John Barrymore, to name but a few. It was a list that is now largely seen as being inaccurate, or… Continue reading The Working Man: Spencer Tracy in “Mannequin” (1937)
The story of Anastasia, the supposed last living member of the Russian royal family, is famous the world over. The hope that one last symbol of pre-Communist Russia exists/existed, is one that has lived on in the collective imagination for a long time. Twentieth Century Fox made the film twice, once in 1956 and again… Continue reading The Last Romanov: Anastasia (1956)
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
Deborah Kerr and Cary Grant made four films together, the most famous of which is An Affair to Remember, but four years before they declared their love for one another on an ocean liner and immortalised the Empire State Building; they starred in a comedy called Dream Wife. The film is about an ordinary American couple (amusing seeing… Continue reading Nightmare Wife: Deborah Kerr in “Dream Wife” (1953)
The Princess Bride is a film like few others. It combines fantasy, humour, romance and drama seamlessly. William Goldman’s script sings from start to finish, and Rob Reiner’s direction realises this wonderful yarn with golden clarity. It tells the story of two lovers, Westley and Buttercup (played by Cary Elwes and Robin Wright), who face… Continue reading The Princess Bride: As We Wish It
There are spoilers ahead, so put away the wax cylinders if you don't want to hear all of the secrets. Ghosts can be of the mind and they can be of the world. Crimson Peak shows this in incredible detail through its setting and character. This is a ghost story that is all about how ghosts are not… Continue reading My Heart is A Haunted House: Crimson Peak (2015)
Jane Austen is one of the most famous British authors to ever live. Her books, which centre on young women living during the Georgian era, are filled with wit, love, realism and the question of whether marriage can ever be conceived through love in a society obsessed with social position and money. Her novel, published… Continue reading The Importance of First Impressions: Pride and Prejudice (2005)
When I first watched Dead Reckoning (1947), I hadn't the faintest idea what it was about or who was in it. When I saw Bogie's name appear on the screen I thought "Well now we're in for a treat". I had no idea who Lizabeth Scott was either. I'm glad that I know now. As… Continue reading Either it’s real or it isn’t: Dead Reckoning (1947)
I so wanted to adore Frenchman's Creek, especially after the languid, idyll that is du Maurier's novel. But despite Joan Fontaine looking like a queen and giving an utterly wonderful performance, I am sad to report that I did not adore it. This is a story of a woman's desire versus her duty. A not… Continue reading Too much Romance: Frenchman’s Creek (1940)
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)
