Author Archives: chipkaufmann

It had been 14 years since audiences had seen Lon Chaney’s PHANTOM OF THE OPERA in its 1929 re-issue. Universal had been wanting to film a remake since 1935 but studio politics, unavailability of certain performers, and the outbreak of World War II intervened. It finally went before the cameras in the Spring of 1943Continue reading “THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA (1943): The Emphasis Here Is On The Romance Not The Horror”

I was a classical music announcer for the local public radio station in Asheville NC for almost 40 years and it always comes as a surprise to people when I tell them that I don’t like opera. My standard reply is “I love the music, the costumes, and the staging, I just wish they wouldn’tContinue reading “THE CLIMAX (1944): This Sequel to the 1943 PHANTOM OF THE OPERA Is Rather Dull But Boris Karloff Shines”

At long last one of my favorite films has finally made it to DVD and I can throw my TV copy VHS away. O Henry has always been a favorite writer of mine and it just so happens that he is buried near me in Asheville, North Carolina. If you visit his grave you willContinue reading “O. HENRY’S FULL HOUSE : A Full House Indeed”

This DVD is not the director’s cut that won the top prize at the 1972 Berlin Film Festival. That version ran 140 minutes while this one clocks in at 112 minutes. That’s almost 30 minutes of missing footage which no doubt explains the choppy quality of the editing and the incoherent nature of some ofContinue reading “THE CANTERBURY TALES: NC-17 Version Is Not For The Prudish”

DIFFERENT FROM THE OTHERS (1919) was one of a series of films produced in Germany immediately after World War I that dealt with various aspects of sexuality. It was the only one to deal specifically with homosexuality and is groundbreaking in that sense. The film was heavily censored shortly after its release and today survivesContinue reading “GAY THEMED FILMS FROM THE GERMAN SILENT ERA: A Trio Of Films Which Are DIFFERENT FROM THE OTHERS”

If you’re looking for something really lurid as the title suggests than you are going to be very disappointed. And it’s a silent film to boot. On the other hand don’t shy away from this film because of the title which is a literal translation from the German. A better title would be “Sex Imprisoned”Continue reading “SEX IN CHAINS (1928): Don’t Be Misled By The Title”

Being one of only two movies (as opposed to stage productions) based on the works of Christopher Marlowe (the other is the Richard Burton 1967 DOCTOR FAUSTUS), Derek Jarman’s 1991 film of EDWARD II would be important for that reason alone. However there is more to the film than that. It’s not only what meetsContinue reading “EDWARD II (1991): The Text Not The Subtext Is The Key”

Those expecting a standard biography of the renowned Italian painter need to look elsewhere for this is anything but a standard biography. Those familiar with British filmmaker Derek Jarman’s other movies will not be surprised by what they find here but others certainly will (as various reviews attest). The painter Caravaggio becomes a metamphor forContinue reading “CARAVAGGIO (1986)”

THE MILL & THE CROSS is about the 16th century Flemish painter Pieter Bruegel the Elder and one of his more celebrated paintings THE WAY TO CALVARY. If you’re not interested in Art and especially the work of Renaissance painters, then you’ll wnat to give this movie a wide berth. If you are interested thenContinue reading “THE MILL & THE CROSS: A Remarkable Cinematic Achievement”

…and I’m not just referring to the ship. When this movie came out in 1980 (based on Clive Cussler’s bestselling book), the discovery of the real Titanic was still 5 years away. No way the filmmakers could know that and considering the condition of the real Titanic when it was discovered, this (in classic HollywoodContinue reading “RAISE THE TITANIC (1980) Has Become A Victim Of History…”