I first watched All Quiet on the Western Front as a college freshman while falling head-first into the classic film rabbit hole. After watching a couple of creaky talkies like The Broadway Melody, I was completely floored by Lewis Milestone’s expertly directed adaptation and …
Continue ReadingBut Have You Read the Book? — Book Review
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 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 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 …
Continue ReadingEmpire of Dreams: The Epic Life of Cecil B. DeMille—Book Review
Over eighty years after his death, Cecil B. DeMille remains one of the most recognizable classic Hollywood figures. In large part due to The Ten Commandments airing on ABC Easter weekend every year for the past half a century, Cecil B. DeMille stands as a …
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