Monthly Archives: May 2013

The Last Command

Posted on May 31, 2013 by John Grant

Josef von Sternberg, who directed “The Blue Angel” in 1930, is responsible for a number of excellent silent films, including “The Last Command (1928).”  The Last Command stars Emil Jannings as a Russian emigre in 1920s Hollywood.  As a general … Continue reading →

Posted in Movie Reviews, Silent Film | Leave a comment

Ballad of a Soldier

Posted on May 28, 2013 by John Grant

Grigorly Chukhray’s “Ballad of a Soldier,” a 1959 Soviet film, manages to perfectly blend an effective love story, a road picture, and an antiwar message into a poetic and moving visual and emotional experience.  The Russian language movie stars Vladimir … Continue reading →

Posted in Movie Reviews, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

San Francisco Silent Film Festival

Posted on May 25, 2013 by John Grant

The San Francisco Silent Film Festival announces their program for the 2013 festival, showing at the Castro Theater in San Francisco, CA.  The program includes the comedy classics “The Patsy” and “Safety Last,” and also features the innovative dramas “The … Continue reading →

Posted in Announcements, Silent Film, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Rose of Washington Square

Posted on May 22, 2013 by John Grant

With a cast of Alice Faye, Tyrone Power and Al Jolson, I expected “Rose of Washington Square,” released in 1939, to offer superior entertainment.  Although it succeeds on various levels, including its numerous musical numbers, it fails to elevate itself … Continue reading →

Posted in 1939, Movie Reviews | Leave a comment

Spellbound

Posted on May 19, 2013 by John Grant

Alfred Hitchcock’s “Spellbound,” which came out in 1945, explores the psychological effects of guilt amidst a murder mystery.  Dr. Constance Peterson (Ingrid Bergman), an up and coming psychologist, wants to make a name for herself by curing patients at a rural mental … Continue reading →

Posted in Movie Reviews, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

The Prisoner of Zenda (1922)

Posted on May 16, 2013 by John Grant

The 1922 silent version of “The Prisoner of Zenda,” made by Metro Pictures Corporation, stars Lewis Stone in a dual role as Rudolf Rassendyll and King Rudolf.  Evil plans in the kingdom of Ruritania by Black Michael (Ramon Navarro) results … Continue reading →

Posted in Movie Reviews, Silent Film | Leave a comment

Jack Reacher

Posted on May 13, 2013 by John Grant

I looked forward to seeing “Jack Reacher, a film released in 2012, because the producers filmed it in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.  Since Pittsburgh is my home town, I hoped to see a good combination of exterior shots that utilizes the topography … Continue reading →

Posted in Movie Reviews, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

The Letter

Posted on May 10, 2013 by John Grant

“The Letter,” a 1940 Warner Brothers film, stars Bette Davis as a woman (Leslie Crosbie) who shoots a man several times in the opening nighttime scene.  Leslie takes aim as the man stumbles down the porch steps of a bungalow, … Continue reading →

Posted in Movie Reviews, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Roberta

Posted on May 7, 2013 by John Grant

The 1935 film “Robert” stars Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, Irene Dunne and Randolph Scott and takes place in a fashion house and a nightclub in Paris.  Astaire, as Huck Haines, arrives in Paris with his band, Huck Haines and the … Continue reading →

Posted in Movie Reviews, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

The Loves of Carmen

Posted on May 4, 2013 by John Grant

Glenn Ford becomes seriously unhinged over Rita Hayworth in “The Loves of Carmen,” a 1948 retelling of the Georges Bizet opera without the music.  Ford plays Don José, a nobleman, and a corporal in the army.  His assignment in Seville … Continue reading →

Posted in Movie Reviews, Uncategorized | Leave a comment