film history

Masculine Movie Icon Alan Ladd As the Wounded Outlaw Hero

Masculine Movie Icon Alan Ladd As the Wounded Outlaw Hero

Red Mountain and Botany Bay showcase masculine movie icon Alan Ladd in his glory, playing wounded heroes on the wrong side of the law.

Johnny Cash in Psycho-Heist Thriller ‘Door-to-Door Maniac’

Johnny Cash in Psycho-Heist Thriller ‘Door-to-Door Maniac’

What a difference a script makes. Johnny Cash and Cay Forrester goose up the histrionics of Door-to-Door Maniac.

Murder and Apocalypse in Pop Art 1960s Mash-up ‘Fata Morgana’

Murder and Apocalypse in Pop Art 1960s Mash-up ‘Fata Morgana’

The Barcelona School made avant-garde films nobody could understand, such as the pop art 1960s mash-up, Fata Morgana. But it sure looks good.

Arch Oboler’s ‘Bwana Devil’ Mauls the First 3D Movie Audience

Arch Oboler’s ‘Bwana Devil’ Mauls the First 3D Movie Audience

Arch Oboler’s Bwana Devil kicked off the 1950s 3D movies craze with a man-eating lion story, and 70s years later it’s trying to get its claws into audiences.

Silent Film Restorations ‘The Craving’ and ‘Annie Laurie’ Radiate the Medium

Silent Film Restorations ‘The Craving’ and ‘Annie Laurie’ Radiate the Medium

Francis Ford was an important silent film actor and director, and not just for being John Ford’s brother. Star Lillian Gish had the clout to get what she wanted.

‘Six in Paris’ Cuts the City into New Wave Slices of Sex and Death

‘Six in Paris’ Cuts the City into New Wave Slices of Sex and Death

Filming with a handheld 16mm color camera, six filmmakers offer a cohesive snapshot of 1966 Paris and their obsessions with sex and death.

Retro Monsters and Sexual Politics Dominate These Three Sci-Fi Movies

Retro Monsters and Sexual Politics Dominate These Three Sci-Fi Movies

Sci-fi movies Unknown Terror, The Colossus of New York and Destination Inner Space inject monsters into personal melodrama for masculine redemption.

Two Southern-Fried Slices of Sordid ’60s Hicksploitation Films

Two Southern-Fried Slices of Sordid ’60s Hicksploitation Films

Angry old men, sexy strumpets, moonshiners, corrupt sheriffs, and dumb farmhands populate them thar hills in these two low-budget ’60s hicksploitation films.

‘Time of the Heathen’ Mixes Atomic Angst with Racial Woes

‘Time of the Heathen’ Mixes Atomic Angst with Racial Woes

Time of the Heathen is a nightmarish, hyper-edited, avant-garde freak-out as atomic angst and racial woes wend their way toward Shakespearean tragedy.

Philosophies and Ironies in Éric Rohmer’s ‘Tales of the Four Seasons’

Philosophies and Ironies in Éric Rohmer’s ‘Tales of the Four Seasons’

In Éric Rohmer’s ‘Tales of the Four Seasons’, everything exists on an elevated Expressionist plane; every detail dovetails into its hermetic philosophies and ironies.

Silent Film Jewels About Mothers, Horses and Gorillas

Silent Film Jewels About Mothers, Horses and Gorillas

A female Tarzan and her gorilla, a horse that revenges his murdered master, mothers, and comical aviators make the scene in these silent film jewels.

Backstreet Abortion Onscreen: Stories of Solitary Struggle and Solidarity

Backstreet Abortion Onscreen: Stories of Solitary Struggle and Solidarity

Nymphomaniac II, Happening, and Portrait of a Lady on Fire depict backstreet abortion as either a solitary or collaborative experience among women.