Jul 01 2021
Dancer and actor Leslie Caron was born on July 1, 1931, in the commune of Boulogne-sur-Seine in the western suburbs of Paris, France. She brought some of the most endearing characters in the history of film to life, including Lise Bouvier in An American in Paris, Lili Daurier in Lili, Ella in The Glass Slipper, …
Jun 20 2021
In this caper, Regina Lampert (Audrey Hepburn) and Peter Joshua (Cary Grant) become intertwined in mystery and romance after meeting each other on a ski holiday in the French Alps. After returning to Paris, Lampert learns that her husband has been murdered, and that he was involved in a theft. Now Regina is being pursued by …
Jun 06 2021
Recommended for its entertainment value as well as its cultural significance, The African Queen is delightful. When puritanical missionary Rose Sayer (played by Katharine Hepburn) and gin-loving, freewheeling riverboat captain Charlie Allnut (Humphrey Bogart) take a wild river ride together, they find a surprising connection to each other. Their journey isn’t easy, though; the film …
May 24 2021
I’m starting a ‘Selected Classics’ line of posts as a part of my own foray into the world of classic movies that I hadn’t seen until recently, but were really worth the watch. The first is this dear film starring Jennifer Jones, The Song of Bernadette. This is a beautiful movie. It is based on …
May 02 2021
Why I Love Tale of Tales I recently featured Yuri Norstein’s animation Tale of Tales for Soviet Film Wednesday, and this week I would like to take some time to delve into my thoughts on this epic film, which has been voted the “Greatest Animation Film of All Time” by an international jury. It is …
Feb 17 2021
February 20th is National Love Your Pets Day, so be sure to lavish some extra attention on your fur babies today and show them how much you appreciate the love they bring. For this special Soviet Film Wednesday, here’s a heartwarming tale about a cat left on the side of the road. The cat wanders …
Feb 05 2020
This month the Criterion film channel is featuring Soviet director, writer, and actress Larisa Shepitko. You can now watch two of her most acclaimed films, Wings and The Ascent, as well as the full introduction to the director on Criterion. The 1966 film Wings (Krylya) concentrates on a highly decorated female fighter pilot in World War …
Aug 28 2019
The independent film streaming service Fandor has put together a mesmerizing compilation of audio moments from Andrei Tarkovsky films, showing how the director emphasizes particular sounds as one of his many creative film-making techniques. The films shown in this two minute collage are The Steamroller and the Violin (1961), Ivan’s Childhood (1962), Andrei Rublev (1966), …
