This weekend’s 95th Academy Awards celebrates the best of 2022 films from big-budget blockbusters to small independent films. Even if the Academy in recent years has spent less time celebrating the classic films it rewarded in years past to cut down on the ceremony’s running time, …
Continue ReadingTen Great African American Classic Films
Anyone with experience watching classic films has undoubtedly been taken out of an otherwise engaging, entertaining viewing experience when a film swerves into a heavy dose of racism against African Americans. Even well-made and still remembered Hollywood films like The Lost World (1925), Swing Time …
Continue ReadingErnest Torrence: Silent Hollywood’s Greatest Character Actor
In his nearly fifty film roles, Ernest Torrence perfectly exemplifies the unique skill set required to succeed as a character actor. A towering 6’4″ with a rugged, grizzled face, Torrence backed up his unique physicality with a rare mixture of humor and villainy. While he …
Continue ReadingSparrows (1926)—The Girl with the Golden Curls’ Curtain Call
Mary Pickford skyrocketed to international stardom in the 1910s playing plucky children in films such as Tess of the Storm Country and Fanchon the Cricket. Her popular juvenile image contrasted heavily with her position as one of the most powerful actors and producers in …
Continue ReadingMonsieur Verdoux: A Comedy of Murders (1947)
Charlie Chaplin’s greatest talent was his ability to mix heartfelt emotion into his comedies. From his touching father-son relationship with Jackie Cooper in The Kid to the utterly honest climactic romantic scene in City Lights, Chaplin manages to give you the warm fuzzies just …
Continue ReadingThe Miracle Man (1932): Remaking a Silent Classic
The canon of the greatest films constantly changes as each generation reevaluates yesteryear’s classics and rediscovers previously overlooked films. Oftentimes, films held in the highest esteem by contemporary audiences and critics do not become beloved by later generations. Evolving morals, changing tastes, and decades of …
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