This post is part of The World War II Blogathon, hosted by Cinema Essentials and Maddy Loves Her Classic Films. See the other posts here. In A Canterbury Tale, Alison Smith (Sheila Sim), a Land Girl doing her bit in wartime Kent, goes for a walk on the Old Road pilgrims once travelled to Canterbury. […]
La Grande Fête: ‘The Young Girls of Rochefort’ (1967)
This post is part of the Vive la France! Blogathon, hosted by Lady Eve’s Reel Life and Silver Screen Modes. See the other posts here. Jacques Demy’s Les Demoiselles de Rochefort or The Young Girls of Rochefort is the essence of euphoria. A carnival of colour and sound, it looks at the world through a […]
Fancy Free: ‘Top Hat’ (1935)
This post is part of the TCM Summer Under the Stars Blogathon, hosted by Journeys in Classic Film and Musings of a Classic Film Addict. See the other posts here. Top Hat opens on two pairs of dancing feet. The man wears a tailcoat; the woman an evening gown. As they twirl across the screen, […]
Far Out: ‘The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension’ (1984)
This post is part of the Jeff Goldblum Blogathon, hosted by Realweemidget Reviews and Emma K Wall Explains It All. See the other posts here. Faced with an indecipherable plot, I am occasionally tempted to cry, “It’s not rocket science!” In The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension, it really is—and brain surgery […]
Crooked House: ‘Gaslight’ (1940)
This post is part of the 6th Annual Rule Britannia Blogathon, hosted by A Shroud of Thoughts. See the other posts here. In Gaslight, objects have a peculiar habit of going missing. A picture, a pocket-watch, a brooch—all seem to disappear into the bowels of the house and reappear where they ought not to be. […]
Coming Attractions: Blogathons
I’ll be taking part in a few blogathons next month and in September. First up is the Rule Britannia Blogathon, hosted by A Shroud of Thoughts. I’ll be writing about the British version of Gaslight, a more faithful adaptation of the original play and one MGM notoriously tried to bury. Next, I’ll be heading way, […]
I’ve Received a Blogger Recognition Award
Last week I got a lovely surprise: Sally over at 18 Cinema Lane had nominated me for a Blogger Recognition Award. Thank you, Sally! I really appreciate it. Sally writes about movies and movie news and will soon be hosting her first blogathon, Siskel and Ebert at the Blogathon; I’ve signed up for it and […]
Cat’s-paw: ‘My Cousin Rachel’ (1952)
This post is part of The Calls of Cornwall: The Daphne du Maurier blogathon, hosted by Pale Writer. See the other posts here. Poor Philip Ashley. He falls in love, suddenly and irrevocably, with a woman beyond compare. He makes no secret of his devotion, defends his lady’s honour, worships her beauty and grace, and […]
Monster from the Id: Cody Jarrett in ‘White Heat’ (1949)
This post is a (very late) entry in the Great Villain Blogathon, hosted by Shadows and Satin, Speakeasy and Silver Screenings. See the other posts here. I’ve decided to try something a little different for this post: not a review but a look at a single performance. (Spoilers ahead.) Some villains have chainsaws, others vats […]
The Measure of Love: ‘Pandora and the Flying Dutchman’ (1951)
This post is part of The James Mason Blogathon, hosted by Maddy Loves Her Classic Films. See the other posts here. Pandora and the Flying Dutchman is set in Spain in the 1930s. Much of it takes place by the sea. Its lead characters are the embodiment of a Dutch maritime legend and a woman […]