The first of the three maxims inscribed on the Temple of Apollo at Delphi was “Know Thyself”. Such simple advice, yet so difficult to follow. Larry Darrell (Tyrone Power) is one of life’s great seekers; The Razor’s Edge is the story of what he found. We first meet Larry at a country club party just […]
Powell Before Pressburger: ‘Rynox’ (1931), ‘Hotel Splendide’ (1932), ‘Red Ensign’ (1934) and ‘The Phantom Light’ (1935)
One of the manifold joys of Cinema Unbound, the landmark Powell and Pressburger series that ran this summer at the Museum of Modern Art, was the opportunity to see some of Michael Powell’s earliest work as a director. Between 1931 and 1936, Powell directed nearly two dozen films, the majority of them ‘quota quickies’: cheaply […]
Ties that Bind: Seven Friendships on Film
I recently saw the new production of Stephen Sondheim’s Merrily We Roll Along, now in its last weeks at the Hudson Theatre, and it’s been rattling around in my brain ever since. (Jonathan Groff, Lindsay Mendez and Daniel Radcliffe are outstanding. If you can make it, don’t miss it.) A musical […]
Angel in the House: ‘The Sign of the Ram’ (1948)
As far as 1940s Hollywood was concerned, Cornwall was a death trap. Stray across its borders and you risked being menaced by ghosts (The Uninvited, 1944), terrorised by homicidal housekeepers (Rebecca, 1940) or trapped in a funhouse version of reality, doubting your own sanity (My Name is Julia Ross, 1945). In the opening minutes of […]
After the End: ‘Panic in Year Zero!’ (1962)
In January, the Doomsday Clock remained set at 90 seconds to midnight, the closest it has ever come to tolling the hour of the apocalypse. From climate change to global conflict, unregulated AI and predictions of the next pandemic, the world is teetering on the brink. A film like Panic in Year Zero!, which imagines […]
The Good Life: ‘The Barefoot Contessa’ (1954)
The Barefoot Contessa seems to exist for three reasons: to expose the vapidity of Hollywood; to give a good cast some great dialogue; and to serve as a testament to the beauty of Ava Gardner. It succeeds in all of these endeavours, but moves at such a glacial pace, you begin to wonder if the whole business is worth the time.
We’re Jungle Creatures: ‘The Lion in Winter’ (1968)
Christmas, season of peace and good will to all men, when families congregate by the hearth to eat, drink and rejoice in the warmth of each other’s company. Unless you’re a Plantagenet, in which case you’d best keep your wits sharp and a blade handy. It’s December 1183 and Henry II (Peter O’Toole), King of […]
Screen Escapes: A Year of Pandemic Viewing
It’s been one year since the coronavirus pandemic began: a year of lockdowns, social distancing, mounting anxiety and masks. I’ve watched a lot of films since last March (I don’t think I’m alone in that), but looking back I realize many of them weren’t new to me. As reality edged uncomfortably close to fiction, I […]
Free Bird: ‘Christopher Strong’ (1933)
The curiously-titled Christopher Strong is really all about Lady Cynthia Darrington, an aviator and aristocrat with a hankering for danger, a cavalier disregard for convention and quirky fashion sense. Katharine Hepburn plays Cynthia. Of course I had to see it. The film opens in London at a scavenger hunt for the well-heeled. Female contestants are […]
Pilgrims’ Progress: ‘A Canterbury Tale’ (1944)
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. […]
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