Author Archives: chipkaufmann

If you’re a regular reader of RAPID RIVER MAGAZINE’S movie section, then you know that when I write an article, it’s usually a profile of some movie person or to provide a historical overview on something film related. This time around, it;s a little something different. I still plan to talk about a topic that’sContinue reading “HELPING MOVIES FIND THEIR AUDIENCE (2014)”

May 6, 2015 marks the 100th anniversary of the birth of filmmaker and larger-than-life personality Orson Welles. While there have been and will continue to be a number of tributes throughout the year, including a recent retrospective at NYC’s Film Forum, it is interesting to note what has happened to Welles’ reputation as filmmaker andContinue reading “WHATEVER HAPPENED TO ORSON WELLES? (2015)”

I first encountered Christopher Lee in 1962 when I was 10 years old. I didn’t know who he was, having not yet seen any of the classic Hammer horror pictures. I had gone to see Boris Karloff in a movie called Corridors of Blood which was set in 19th century England. Karloff’s NBC mystery/horror series Thriller was in fullContinue reading “MY DEBT TO SIR CHRISTOPHER LEE (2015)”

Mention the name Mary Pickford to anyone and if they have heard of her at all, the image of “the girl with the golden curls” is what immediately comes to mind. There are countless variations on this image much like Charlie Chaplin’s tramp character. Chaplin is everywhere but Pickford is forgotten which is unfortunate becauseContinue reading “MARY PICKFORD: America’s Sweetheart And So Much More (2015)”

I have frequently written articles in this publication dealing with England’s Hammer Films. Now it is time to pay tribute to Hammer’s chief competitor in the 1960s and 1970s, Amicus Productions. The primary impetus behind this tribute is the release on Blu-Ray later this month of the company’s flagship production, Dr Terror’s House of Horrors in honorContinue reading “AMICUS PRODUCTIONS: Horror Movies With Wit & Style (2015)”

This year marks the 400th anniversary of the death of William Shakespeare. It officially occurs on April 23rd (which also would have been Will’s 452nd birthday) and there will be worldwide observances. In accordance with that, this seems the ideal time to talk about some of the cinematic interpretations of Shakespeare. The oldest Shakespeare filmContinue reading “SHAKESPEARE ON FILM (2016)”

The Golden Age of American Horror movies starts out with Universal’s Dracula and Frankenstein in 1931 and ends in 1936 with the release of Dracula’s Daughter. While other Hollywood studios made horror films in the 1930s (like Paramount’s Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde, Warner Brothers’ Doctor X, and MGM’s Freaks), none was more closely associated with the genre than Universal. Other classic Universal films include The Mummy (1932), TheContinue reading “UNIVERSAL PICTURES SILENTS: The Dawn Of The American Horror Film (2016)”

The Hendersonville Film Society recently screened the restored 1952 version of Daphne Du Maurier’s My Cousin Rachel. As it coincided with the release of the 2017 version, it gave me the ideal opportunity to make a comparison of the two and expand on what my colleague Michelle Keenan said in her review. I saw the two versionsContinue reading “A TALE OF TWO RACHELS: Comparing The 1952 And 2017 Versions Of MY COUSIN RACHEL (2017)”

While CURUCU is far from being a good movie, it is not as bad as its reputation would suggest. Imdb is full of negative reviews especially those before 2010 but they start to improve after that. It all depends on what you are looking for. Marketed as a horror film by Universal and double billedContinue reading “CURUCU, BEAST OF THE AMAZON (1956): Not As Bad As Its Reputation”

For one reason or another I never managed to see THE MOLE PEOPLE until recently. It’s just about the only sci-fi film from the 1950s that I didn’t see on TV during my childhood. Now that I’ve finally caught up with it, I’m glad I did. It was a lot better than many reviews IContinue reading “THE MOLE PEOPLE: Solid But Forgotten B Movie From Sci-Fi’s Golden Age”