By Simonetta Menossi. The International Sergio Amidei Award for Best Film Script is a yearly event that takes place in Gorizia, Italy. The Award is entitled in the memory of Sergio Amidei (1904-1981), one of the most famous screenwriters of Italian Neorealism. He worked with director Roberto Rossellini for whom […]
Once There Were Bawdy Tales: Nosrat Karimi’s Matrimonial Comedies
By Ramin S. Khanjani. Of all directors associated with the pre-1979 “Iranian New Wave,” Nosratallah Karimi probably presents one odd case for study. With the inconsistent critical reception of the films he has to his credit as an actor and director,[1] Karimi is classified as belonging to a borderline sub-group […]
A Film of its Time: Spies, Fritz Lang’s Enduring Espionage Thriller
August 18, 2016
By Jeremy Carr. Fritz Lang’s Spies gets underway with a burst of kinetic energy, its first 15 minutes or so a case study in the advancement, endurance, and perhaps surprising vibrancy of late silent cinema. Released in 1928, this crime-thriller has a rapid-fire opening that drops the viewer headlong into […]
Unearthing That Cold Day in the Park
August 3, 2016
By Chris Neilan. Here’s something to brighten the day of any self-respecting cinephile: the unearthing of a forgotten film by a bona fide American master. And not just any master, but Robert Altman. Few American directors are better loved than Altman, the own-tune-following iconoclast who defied structuring paradigms, paid attention to his […]
Art Film Fest 2016: Footprints of Lynch
By Robert Buckeye. Film festivals not only screen films we should see but also give us a reading of the field. At Art Film Fest this year, its first in Kosice after 23 years in Trencianske Teplice, the footprint of David Lynch was inescapable. In films from Canada, the Czech […]
Playing with Horror and Drama in Journey to the Shore
July 23, 2016
By Chris Neilan. Directors who blend genre elements with an arthouse sensibility are rarely short of fans or plaudits. Take new darling of the American independent scene Jeremy Saulnier, whose career-making sophomore feature Blue Ruin (2013) applied a realist monkey-wrench to the nuts and bolts of the revenge thriller. Or […]
The Beautifully ‘Dressed’ Wicked Lady
July 20, 2016
By Cleaver Patterson. One has to question why some filmmakers see fit to remake films which were considered classics the first time round – is there so little original material and imagination out there that they have to revert to old material for inspiration? Take for instance 1945’s exquisite British […]
Recap of the 21st Annual San Francisco Silent Film Festival
By Michael T. O’Toole. For those who enjoy a good silent film, you’ll seldom find a more a captivating outlet than the stylish San Francisco Silent Film Festival (held this year between June 2-5). It’s an overwhelming aesthetic treat: the fine period wardrobe of the attendees; the savvy, academic discussions; […]
F.W. Murnau’s Faust: A Dazzling Achievement in German Silent Cinema
July 1, 2016
By Jeremy Carr. There is the sense while watching the 1926 silent German masterwork Faust that director F.W. Murnau and company are showing off a bit. With a wealth of money at their disposal and a hefty allotment of time (an essentially unlimited budget, finally reaching a reported two million […]
English Gothic: Classic Horror Cinema 1897-2015 by Jonathan Rigby
June 27, 2016
A Book Review by Cleaver Patterson. In the Author’s Note introducing English Gothic – Classic Horror Cinema 1897-2015 – the newly updated edition of his comprehensive text on the British film industry’s contribution to horror cinema first published in 2000 – author Jonathan Rigby discusses the effect the popularity of […]