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 … Continue reading Children of Paradise: Mystery of the Second Credits
Category: Restorations
The Challenges of Digital Projection, Part 3: Preservation
In my first two pieces on the conversion to digital projection, I covered what the conversion would do to theaters and how it would likely effect small distributors and classic film presentation. In this final installment, I discuss the scariest part of all: Will studios and archives be able to preserve their motion pictures in … Continue reading The Challenges of Digital Projection, Part 3: Preservation
Thoughts on Hugo
I sometimes wonder whether Singin’ in the Rain really is the greatest movie musical ever made. I think it is, but I may be prejudiced because Singin' is, after all, a movie about film history--something I care very much about. Other critics and historians may have a similar prejudice. And so we come to Hugo, … Continue reading Thoughts on Hugo
The Lost Criterion Commentaries
Back in the days before DVDs, if you loved films and wanted to enjoy them in your own home, the Criterion Collection was king. Their Laserdiscs were the first to have careful, state-of-the-art transfers, the first to letterbox widescreen films, and the first to come in supplement-filled special editions. They also, to my knowledge, invented … Continue reading The Lost Criterion Commentaries
The Battleship Potemkin
My wife and I caught Sergei Eisenstein's Battleship Potemkin last night at the Castro. This was my fourth time viewing of what many consider amongst the greatest films ever made. It was my second time seeing it theatrically, and my first since Kino's new restoration. In fact, it was my first viewing in this century. … Continue reading The Battleship Potemkin
The Newly Restored Metropolis
The latest restoration of Fritz Lang’s silent sci-fi epic Metropolis won’t play the Bay Area until the The San Francisco Silent Film Festival in July. But I’m currently in New York, and I saw it Friday night at the Film Forum. I’m finally willing to call it a true masterpiece. I can no longer say … Continue reading The Newly Restored Metropolis
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