Yearly Archives: 2014

The Rains Came

Posted on December 8, 2014 by John Grant

Returning to the great movie year of 1939, I sat down and watched “The Rains Came,” the Twentieth Century Fox film directed by Clarence Brown and starring Myrna Loy, Tyrone Power and George Brent. It’s a melodramatic disaster film with … Continue reading →

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Lord Love a Duck

Posted on December 1, 2014 by John Grant

I found quite a surprise last week while watching The Works network on TV. They presented a 1966 film directed by George Axelrod called “Lord Love a Duck.” The movie stars Tuesday Weld and Roddy McDowall as a couple of … Continue reading →

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The Battle of Algiers

Posted on November 24, 2014 by John Grant

Among all war films, the 1966 Italian-Algerian production called “The Battle of Algiers” seems to invoke the tensest evocation of the current state of warfare in the world. It’s war taken to a divided city where cultures compete and freedoms … Continue reading →

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Pyaasa

Posted on November 18, 2014 by John Grant

I had the good fortune to see the 1957 Indian film “Pyaasa” the other night. The film tells the story of a poet named Vijay (Guru Dutt) who finds it extremely difficult to get his poems published. A failed college … Continue reading →

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Captain Phillips

Posted on November 10, 2014 by John Grant

Tom Hanks doesn’t seem like the kind of actor who could fly into a convincing rage, but if there was ever a movie to do it in, “Captain Phillips” would be it. However, he does not fly into a rage … Continue reading →

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The Love Parade

Posted on November 1, 2014 by John Grant

Ernst Lubitsch’s 1929 film “The Love Parade,” features romantic comedy at its finest, with playful adult situations and a score full of catchy numbers. The deftly acted and directed film features Maurice Chevalier as Count Alfred Renard, a confirmed ladies … Continue reading →

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Sherlock Holmes Silent Film Discovered

Posted on October 21, 2014 by John Grant

A note from the San Francisco Silent Film Festival (SFSFF) tells of the wonderful discovery of “Sherlock Holmes,” a film shot at Essanay Studios and released in 1916. The film, directed by Arthur Berthelet, stars William Gillette as the master … Continue reading →

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Bay of Angels

Posted on October 14, 2014 by John Grant

A couple of interesting things occur in Jacques Demy’s 1963 film “Bay of Angels,” or “La baie des anges (French title).” A man (Claude Mann) gets hooked into a gambling binge by a colleague at work and goes to a … Continue reading →

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Seventh Heaven

Posted on October 6, 2014 by John Grant

Many years ago, I remember seeing “Seventh Heaven” on TV, a 1937 James Stewart movie about a sewer worker in Paris who helps out a down-on-her-luck French waif played by Simone Simon. I found the film quite watchable, especially because … Continue reading →

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Silent Rewind

Posted on September 20, 2014 by John Grant

The San Francisco Silent Film Festival (SFSFF) Silent Autumn presentation flowed wonderfully tonight at the Castro Theater, with a glorious and well-enjoyed program of features and shorts. It started with 3 Laurel and Hardy silent shorts, including the hilarious “Big … Continue reading →

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