Tag: Intro to

The Ultimate Genre Guide to Silent Movies

September 29, 2022May 28, 2023Shawn Hall12 Comments

To celebrate the second annual Silent Movie Day, I’ve put together a list of 24 silent movies from 12 different genres that showcase the variety of films produced in the heyday of silent cinema (roughly between 1895 and 1930). Click on a favorite genre …

An early color film from 1916 Concerning 1,00 Dollars

An Introduction to the Wonderful World of Pre-1920 Cinema

September 29, 2021June 29, 2023Shawn Hall3 Comments

Outside of a few big names like George Melies or D.W. Griffith, whenever silent movies are mentioned there is a good chance that people are talking about the 1920s. From Dr. Caligari to Safety Last and Phantom of the Opera to The Passion of Joan …

All Quiet on the Western Front: Three Differing Film Adaptations
5 days ago
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 …
But Have You Read the Book? — Book Review
2 weeks ago
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 …
Filming the West of Zane Grey — Book Review
1 month ago
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 …
National Film Registry 2023 Ballot
2 months ago
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 …
How Motion Pictures Are Made (1918) — Book Review
2 months ago
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 …

Revisiting 'Fail-Safe', 2000
Watched on Wednesday August 30, 2023.
One Mile From Heaven, 1937 - ★★★½
It's a shame this film isn't talked more about given Fredi Washington's and Bill Robinson's wonderful performances. It's really a fascinating look at race in […]
All Quiet on the Western Front, 1979 - ★★★½
For better or worse, this TV film adaptation follows the classic novel closely, using direct quotations from the book as voiceover narration. One advantage of […]
High Tension, 1936 - ★★
Our protagonist fixes cables underwater for a living and all we get in the movie is a subpar romance that never elevates to screwball comedy […]
The Comic, 1969 - ★★★½
So many films about the silent era deal with stars struggling with the transition to sound so it’s refreshing The Comic takes a different path. We […]