Machiko Kyo. Japanese star Machiko Kyo was seen in several of the most widely admired cinema classics of the 1950s, including Akira Kurosawa’s Rashomon, Kenji Mizoguchi’s Ugetsu, and Teinosuke Kinugasa’s Gate of Hell. In addition to Daniel Mann’s international blockbuster The Teahouse of the August…
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Bibi Andersson in The Seventh Seal. Remembering international arthouse cinema icon Bibi Andersson: Frequent Ingmar Bergman actress & four-time ‘Swedish Oscar’ winner International arthouse cinema icon Bibi Andersson, a blonde beauty best known for her 14 collaborations with filmmaker Ingmar Bergman – 11 big-screen features…
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Jimmy Edwards. Best known for his radio and television work – Take It from Here in the former medium; Whack-O! in the latter – British comedian Jimmy Edwards was seen, mostly in small parts, in about a dozen features from the late 1940s to the…
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The Doll with Ossi Oswalda and Hermann Thimig. Early Ernst Lubitsch satirical fantasy starring “the German Mary Pickford” has similar premise to that of the 1925 Buster Keaton comedy Seven Chances. ‘The Doll’: San Francisco Silent Film Festival presented fast-paced Ernst Lubitsch comedy starring the…
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In the Fade with Diane Kruger: Fatih Akin’s Avenging Woman drama may give its German-speaking star the chance to become next awards season’s Isabelle Huppert. Diane Kruger: 2017–2018 awards season’s Isabelle Huppert? (See previous post: “Cannes Film Festival Winners vs. Oscar Nominations.”) The Cannes Film…
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Cannes Film Festival winners: The Square with Claes Bang. “Gobsmackingly weird” Cannes Film Festival favorite may have a tough time landing a Best Foreign Language Film Academy Award nomination. As an aside, Ruben Östlund’s comedy-drama is totally unrelated to Jehane Noujaim’s 2013 Oscar-nominated political documentary…
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Danielle Darrieux in ‘La Ronde.’ Film icon Danielle Darrieux turns 100: Longest ‘star career’ in movie history? Screen legend Danielle Darrieux is turning 100 today, May 1. In all likelihood, the Bordeaux-born (1917) Darrieux has enjoyed the longest “movie star” career ever: eight decades, from…
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Yvonne Monlaur: Cult horror movie actress & Bond Girl contender was featured in the 1960 British classics Circus of Horrors & The Brides of Dracula. Actress Yvonne Monlaur dead at 77: Best remembered for cult horror classics ‘Circus of Horrors’ & ‘The Brides of Dracula’…
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The Great Wall movie with Matt Damon: Awkward-accented British mercenary fights the Taotie in costly Chinese-American collaboration. ‘The Great Wall’ movie: Zhang Yimou-Matt Damon collaboration evidence that – for better or for worse – countries can work together In this divisive age, when countries are…
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Women’s suffrage movie Mothers of Men: Dorothy Davenport becomes a judge and later State Governor in socially conscious thriller about U.S. women’s voting rights. Are females too emotional to be objective? Women’s suffrage movie ‘Mothers of Men’: Will women’s right to vote lead to the…
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Die Nibelungen: Siegfried: Paul Richter as the tragic dragon-slaying hero of medieval Germanic mythology – with a bit from Homer’s Iliad thrown in. ‘Die Nibelungen’: Enthralling silent classic despite complex plot and countless characters Based on the medieval epic poem Nibelungenlied, itself inspired by the…
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Alan Rickman: Professor Snape in ‘Harry Potter’ movies. Alan Rickman dead at 69: Professor Snape in ‘Harry Potter’ movies, ‘Die Hard’ actor took home Bafta, Golden Globe Alan Rickman, best known for his role as Professor Snape in the Harry Potter movies, died of cancer…
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Alfred Hitchcock, Cary Grant, and Ingrid Bergman: The ‘Notorious’ British (Hitchcock, Grant) and Swedish (Bergman) talent. British actors and directors in Hollywood; Hollywood actors and directors in Britain: Anthony Slide’s ‘A Special Relationship.’ ‘A Special Relationship’ Q&A: Britain in Hollywood and Hollywood in Britain First…
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Michel Galabru and Louis de Funès in the comedy ‘Le gendarme et les gendarmettes’: No ‘affection’ for his movies. ‘La Cage aux Folles’ actor Michel Galabru dead at 93: Embodiment of ‘traditional family values’ in international box office hit Michel Galabru, best known internationally for…
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The Grandfather: Fernando Fernán Gómez as the irascible titular abuelo who discovers it’s never too late to learn about tolerance and compassion. ‘The Grandfather’ movie review: Gorgeous, surprisingly effective message of tolerance with strong central performance The Grandfather / El abuelo is a film with…
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Sight and Sound: Directed by Marcel L’Herbier, L’Inhumaine features Jaque Catelain and Georgette Leblanc in a great-looking (Fernand Léger sets) mix of science-fiction and sex melodrama. Marcel L’Herbier silent ‘L’Inhumaine’: Sight and sound integration For me, the real jewel in the crown of the San Francisco Silent Film…