In which two stars outshine a thousand. The Thief of Bagdad is another of those films that have sat in my consciousness as a film fan, without much detail or context. Mention its name and I could describe its famous magic carpet scene – often used to advertise the film – and tell you it…
In which we see the first shadow puppets. In the past year, I’ve returned to animation after some time away as my daughters have started to enjoy films more and more. Like most, they’ve started with Disney, Pixar and highlights from other studios like Monsters v Aliens and Kung Fu Panda. When Netflix in the UK acquired…
In which we meet two families, both alike in their lack of dignity. The second of Buster Keaton’s self-directed feature films, Our Hospitality is both a precursor to some of his later triumphs and a simply executed movie that succeeds on its own terms. Like many Keaton films, I caught this one for free in a…
In which a tramp briefly clowns his way to fame and fortune. Released right at the beginning of the sound era, The Circus began filming in 1925 but didn’t reach cinemas until early 1928. The movie was re-released like many of Chaplin’s films with a new score and opening song in the late 1960s. The Circus sits…
In which one woman finds two men more than enough company. Often overlooked in his back catalogue, A Woman of Paris is a lost Charlie Chaplin film in many ways. Unlike every other film that Chaplin took a key role in, here he stays behind the camera for all but a brief uncredited cameo. Without his…
In which one roll of film is all the exposure Buster Keaton needs. Until watching The Camerman I had found Buster Keaton to be a less emotional performer than Charlie Chaplin (the comparison is needless, they both excel, but often made). Here, he changed my mind with a central role that’s more sweetly romantic than those…
In which we follow the rise and rise of a commander with a fondness for headwear. Where to begin with Napoleon when it feels like a film that has no end for much of its almost six-hour runtime. That’s not to say it drags, more than it beats on ceaselessly from the past, going through event…
In which a tennis ball to the eye proves an ace. Despite being a fan of many Alfred Hitchcock films, with Rope from time-to-time being my favourite film, I haven’t seen any of his early silent films. I suspect that’s true of many of us, he has so many classics that watching them all is a…
In which we dream a dream of clouds gone by. I believe Un Chien Andalou was the first film on my exploration of 1920’s movies that I had never heard of, let alone seen. Yet, like many of these early cinematic adventures, I had unknowingly already absorbed one of its most famous and striking images into…
In which we begin the legend of the Phantom and the man of 1,000 faces. Claude Rains, my favourite actor of all time, played the lead in the 1943 version of The Phantom of the Opera. His performance, in many ways similar to his take on The Invisible Man, was until recently the only interpretation of…