Tag: film

Classic Film, Crime Drama

A Gangster Morality: ANGELS with DIRTY FACES (1938)

Warner Brothers’ house style during the 1930s embraced gangster films, along with the occasional big production musicals. During the Pre-Code years of the early 1930s, those gangster films were gritty and violent and made James Cagney (THE PUBLIC ENEMY, 1931) and Edward G Robinson (LITTLE CEASAR, 1931) big stars. But once the production code became enforced during the second half of the 1930s, the studio … Continue reading A Gangster Morality: ANGELS with DIRTY FACES (1938)

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Adventure, Classic Film

The ADVENTURES of ROBIN HOOD: A Technicolor Dream in Tights

We venture forth in our Michael Curtiz adventure with our next film, THE ADVENTURES of ROBIN HOOD (1938). To pivot from 2-strip color Pre-Code horror with cannibalistic themes to the Technicolor swashbuckling men in tights of Robin Hood is a perfect example of the Curtiz versatility. As a reminder, the Pre-Code era (late 1929 – summer of 1934) has ended, and as such Joseph Breen … Continue reading The ADVENTURES of ROBIN HOOD: A Technicolor Dream in Tights

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Classic Film, Biography

“ONLY CURTIZ SPOKEN HERE”

A Film Study of MICHAEL CURTIZ One of Hollywood’s greatest directors of its pinnacle ‘golden era’ is a name you’ve possibly never heard of. Michael Curtiz directed an impressively prolific filmography, from silents to the early sixties, including popular classics that endure to this day. And yet, his is not a household name. Directors like Alfred Hitchcock, John Ford, and Steven Spielberg are well-known names- … Continue reading “ONLY CURTIZ SPOKEN HERE”

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Classic Film, classic film review, Horror Classics

WHAT EVER HAPPENED to BABY JANE?

We have arrived at the final film in this Bette Davis film study series. The opportunity for WHATEVER HAPPENED TO BABY JANE came nearly twelve years after our last film, ALL ABOUT EVE. She continued working in those dozen years, but the golden era of Oscar nominated romantic lead roles was rapidly fading away. Now fifty-six years old, Davis was entering the last chapter in … Continue reading WHAT EVER HAPPENED to BABY JANE?

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Classic Film, classic film review, Melodrama

The Background Story: Bette Davis in NOW VOYAGER

In today’s stop along our grand Bette Davis adventure, we are studying NOW VOYAGER (1941). It is undoubtedly a dramatic tale of romance, but also rooted in a theme of psychiatry and mental health. As a bonus, we are treated to a character makeover. This is a coming out tale. Who doesn’t love a dazzling ‘before and after’ reveal? NOW VOYAGER is based upon a … Continue reading The Background Story: Bette Davis in NOW VOYAGER

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Classic Film, classic film review, Film Noir

Bette Davis Delivers in THE LETTER

In our last film, DARK VICTORY (1939), we explored a medical mystery surrounding a privileged socialite. Today we are discussing THE LETTER (1940), another mystery, yet this time of murder and less mystery; and Bette Davis is not just another socialite of privilege, but very much of white colonial privilege. Today we’ll address whether she is portraying a true vixen or perhaps a deeply complicated … Continue reading Bette Davis Delivers in THE LETTER

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Classic Film, classic film review, PreCode

Tallulah Bankhead Exposes THE CHEAT (1931)

One of the captivating traits found in a Pre-Code film is a dark tone, that often reflects a discernible note of danger. I suppose it’s a flair for the dramatics that draws many to the dark side of Pre-Code cinema. There are many such themes of sins and malice found in George Abbott’s The Cheat (1931) . The alluring Tallulah Bankhead is Elsa Carlyle, an extravagant spender who lives beyond … Continue reading Tallulah Bankhead Exposes THE CHEAT (1931)

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Classic Film, classic film review

Bette Davis earned a DARK VICTORY

In our Bette Davis journey, we have arrived at the year 1939, which history has claimed was the greatest in cinematic history. I tend to agree. It was also a pinnacle time in Bette’s career. As we discussed last week, she won the Oscar for her performance in JEZEBEL (1938) at the 1939 Academy Awards. Many films competed in 1939’s crowded array of offerings, in … Continue reading Bette Davis earned a DARK VICTORY

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Classic Film, classic film review

Exploring JEZEBEL (1938)

For this installment of our Bette Davis study, we’ll explore another significant role for Davis as “Julie Marsden” in William Wyler’s JEZEBEL (1938). As we have addressed in our introduction, the often contradictory and complicated, undoubtedly attention-grabbing, and fiery, yet with a heart-of-gold persona of Bette Davis, “Julie” will pull us in to a similar path of discovery. JEZEBEL was nominated for the Academy Award … Continue reading Exploring JEZEBEL (1938)

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Classic Film, PreCode

Bette Davis Defies Gender Conventions in EX-LADY (1933)

As we begin our filmography of Bette Davis films, we’ll start with a Pre-Code from 1933, Robert Florey’s EX-LADY. For those of you who have not taken my Pre-Code course or those who simply need a reminder, let’s start with a little refresher of what exactly a “Pre-Code” is.  Pre-Code cinema (1929 – 1934) refers to a very specific timeline in film history when the … Continue reading Bette Davis Defies Gender Conventions in EX-LADY (1933)

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