I’ve already told you about watching Casablanca at a big multiplex. Now I can talk about the movie itself. To my mind, Casablanca is Hollywood’s accidental masterpiece. The handful of equally beloved films from the studio era–Citizen Kane, Stagecoach, The Wizard of Oz, It’s a Wonderful Life–were unique from their inceptions. They were either independent [...]
Filed under: Great Films | Tagged: Casablanca | Leave a Comment »
Like a lot of long epics, Marcel Carné’s Children of Paradise has an intermission. But there’s something odd about it. When the intermission is over, Part II begins with a full repeat of Part I’s opening credits, which is then followed by a brief summary of Part I’s action. Both seem pointless. Carné wanted to [...]
Filed under: Great Films, Restorations | Tagged: french Cinema, french film | Leave a Comment »
Something struck me as I watched Children of Paradise Saturday at the Castro. The main characters are, at heart, all extraordinarily selfish. Even when expressing deep and undying love, they’re thinking only of their own needs and desires. They want to own the object of their adoration, but they don’t see that object as a [...]
Filed under: Film Preservation, First-person Report, Great Films | Tagged: french Cinema, french film | Leave a Comment »
After yesterday’s digital projection morning, I went home, relaxed for a few hours, then went with my wife to the Castro to see Lawrence of Arabia in 70mm. This wasn’t a new experience, but an old, beloved one. Hollywood made a lot of long epic movies in the 50s and 60s. Many of them were [...]
Filed under: Great Films, Technical | 4 Comments »
