In the midst of putting together my list of six books to read and review for this summer’s classic film reading challenge, lady luck smiled upon me when I won a giveaway on Twitter from the wonderful women behind the Ticklish Business podcast. One …
Continue ReadingFilming the West of Zane Grey — Book Review
For each of the past two classic film reading challenges, I read a Zane Grey Western that had been adapted into multiple classic Hollywood films: Riders of the Purple Sage and Heritage of the Desert. Earlier this year when I saw a book covering …
Continue ReadingNational Film Registry 2023 Ballot
Since 1989 the Library of Congress selects 25 American films deemed culturally, historically or aesthetically significant to add to their official National Film Registry. Not meant to be merely a best-of-list, the National Film Registry signals to studios, copyright holders, archivists, and other moving image …
Continue ReadingHow Motion Pictures Are Made (1918) — Book Review
Homer Croy’s 1918 book How Motion Pictures Are Made has the best case for the earliest attempt at providing a comprehensive history and survey of the film industry to a general audience. Written several years before Hollywood studios solidified a working business model and hierarchal …
Continue ReadingRomeo and Juliet (1916): Two Dueling Screen Adaptations
1916 marked the 300th anniversary of William Shakespeare’s death. Naturally, motion picture studios celebrated the occasion by releasing a flurry of Shakespeare adaptations from The Merchant of Venice to Macbeth.
In the case of Romeo and Juliet, two adaptations were released the very …
Continue ReadingQuentin Tarantino’s Cinema Speculation—Book Review
One of the most critically and commercially successful modern directors, Quentin Tarantino stands as one of the most well-known and animated proponents of the Hollywood films of yesteryear. Building upon his own work on his Video Archives podcast and his heavy involvement in the great …
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