Yearly Archives: 2013

Beggars of Life

Posted on October 10, 2013 by John Grant

When a drifter (“The Boy”) knocks on a door of backwoods shack asking for bread, he doesn’t expect to find a murder scene, but that’s what happens in William Wellman’s 1928 silent classic, “Beggars of Life.”  The film screened recently … Continue reading →

Posted in Film Festivals, Movie Reviews, Silent Film | Leave a comment

Pordenone Silent Film Festival

Posted on October 7, 2013 by John Grant

Pordenone, Italy – The eagerly awaited Le Giornate del Cinema Muto (Pordenone Silent Film Festival), Edition 32, begins this week.  Some standout films from the first 2 days include “Lucrezia Borgia,” a 1922 German epic starring Conrad Veidt and directed … Continue reading →

Posted in Announcements | Leave a comment

In Old Chicago

Posted on October 4, 2013 by John Grant

“In Old Chicago,” a film released by Twentieth Century Fox in 1937, contains all the elements of an early blockbuster, including an enormous and very effective rendition of the Great Chicago Fire that’s a marvel of special effects staging.  The … Continue reading →

Posted in Movie Reviews, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Mrs. Soffel

Posted on October 1, 2013 by John Grant

“Mrs. Soffel,” an interesting and unusual film released in 1984, features Diane Keaton the wife of a prison warden who falls in love with a convicted murderer. It’s a romantic drama in the prison movie genre with fine acting and … Continue reading →

Posted in Movie Reviews, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Greed

Posted on September 28, 2013 by Movieking

“Greed,” thought of as a significant silent film, stars Zasu Pitts, Gibson Gowland and Jean Hersholt in a story about what happens when Trina (Pitts) wins the lottery but refuses to spend any of her winnings.  She obsessively pinches pennies, … Continue reading →

Posted in Movie Reviews, Silent Film | Leave a comment

The Harder They Fall

Posted on September 25, 2013 by John Grant

It’s remarkable to see Humphrey Bogart in his last film, “The Harder They Fall,” a boxing movie released in 1956.  Bogart plays a down on his luck sportswriter named Eddie Willis who agrees to become a publicist for a mob-controlled … Continue reading →

Posted in Movie Reviews, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Mafioso

Posted on September 22, 2013 by John Grant

A wonderful Italian film called “Mafioso,” which came out in 1962, tells the story of Antonio Badalamente, a Sicilian living in Milan who decides to return home with his family to his hometown in Sicily.  Antonio, played by Alberto Sordi, … Continue reading →

Posted in Movie Reviews, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Jesse James

Posted on September 19, 2013 by John Grant

When Darryl F. Zanuck decided to cast Tyrone Power as Jesse James in the 1939 Technicolor movie of the same name, he reportedly wanted screenwriter Nunnally Johnson and Director Henry King to produce a happy ending.  History records that Bob … Continue reading →

Posted in 1939, Movie Reviews | Leave a comment

Dance, Fools, Dance

Posted on September 16, 2013 by John Grant

Joan Crawford plays a spoiled rich girl (Bonnie Jordan) forced to take a job as a cub reporter in a 1931 movie called “Dance, Fools, Dance.”  After enjoying the party life on yachts and galavanting around town with abandon, Bonnie’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Movie Reviews, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Adventure

Posted on September 13, 2013 by John Grant

MGM could put some incredible casts together, but I find it especially odd that they teamed Clark Gable, Greer Garson and Joan Blondell in a screwball comedy.  For one thing, Gable’s brand of swagger and bravado would seem to be … Continue reading →

Posted in Movie Reviews, Uncategorized | Leave a comment