“Life is infinitely stranger than anything which the mind of man could invent.”  — from A Case of Identity Recently I came across a headline—the US Supreme Court rules against the estate of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle: no longer able to control the author’s most famous character, Sherlock Holmes is finally free! As well … Read more
Vivian Maier died in penniless obscurity five years ago; today she is fast becoming a phenomenon. On both sides of the Atlantic an award-winning film about her life and work has been released to critical acclaim. Entitled Finding Vivian Maier, it is as much a tale of detection as the story of an artist. As … Read more
On its 50th anniversary, A Hard Days Night has been released in a newly restored digital version to universal critical acclaim. A precious cinematic artifact of social history, even a catalyst of cultural change, the first Beatles movie is now looked upon as more than just a piece of filmmaking, with its four heroes praised … Read more
On Friday, July 12, 1929, the following report appeared in The Times of London: “Our Paris Correspondent telegraphs that the death has occurred at Thuilieres, in the Vosges, of Mlle. Eve Lavalliere, formerly an actress of distinction. She had been living in retirement for the last 12 years, having suddenly come to the decision, in … Read more
This month in London saw the re-release of A Farewell to Arms. The digitally restored classic is part of a series of movie releases marking the anniversary of the Great War. Its source is Ernest Hemingway’s eponymous novel, published just three years prior to the film’s original 1932 release. The book is loosely based on … Read more
There is just published a new biography: Charlie Chaplin by Peter Ackroyd. The publishers are marking the 125th anniversary of the comic’s birth. It is, however, the wrong anniversary. As 100 years ago this year, a 25 year old English music hall artist was asked to come to California to make a screen test. Soon … Read more
In an unmarked grave in those now silent fields of Flanders lies the body of an Irish priest. Like so many caught up in the conflict that came to be known as the Great War, he was buried where he fell, without marker or tombstone; one more casualty amongst the millions. That should have been … Read more
What you are about to read is disturbing. It will unnerve you. It should. Last week Under the Skin was released in the United States. This low budget British movie has little by way of traditional plot, even less dialogue. Some of it was shot with non-professional actors, at times using hidden cameras. Its director, … Read more
London just witnessed the release of a newly restored version of Rome, Open City (Roma città aperta). Roberto Rossellini’s Italian Neo-Realist classic emerged from the smashed debris of what was left of the Eternal City as the German armies retreated and the Allies slowly crept towards it. Watching the movie today it lacks none of … Read more
Each generation gets a cinematic Frankenstein made in its own image. Now, as I, Frankenstein is released, we have ours. On a wet night, I stood in line and bought a ticket, almost 200 years after Mary Shelley had created her work of fiction, one that has re-incarnated in the cinematic age to become a … Read more
Unexpectedly, I came across a reference to NBC re-making Rosemary’s Baby into a four-hour mini-series; press reports suggest that shooting has already begun this month. With this news, a fear began to grip as my thoughts returned to the original. Strange tales grow up around movies. Like many before and since, Rosemary’s Baby has had … Read more
Every one has seen it. At least, it seems so at this time of year. You can’t avoid seeing that 1946 classic appearing on television. Everyone at the office loves it, of course, even those who haven’t seen it. Everyone has their favorite scene, the bits they like to quote. Unexpectedly, some become quite poetic, … Read more