Author Archives: chipkaufmann

To begin, BLACK MAGIC is not a good movie. It is however wildly entertaining with a rare opportunity to see Orson Welles at his thinnest (which makes you realize how tall he really was) and doing his best to emulate Tyrone Power when he was in full swashbuckling mode. The film was shot in ItalyContinue reading “BLACK MAGIC (1949): Orson Welles Is Completely Over The Top & Completely Spellbinding”

I was in junior high when I first read Stephen Vincent Benet’s THE DEVIL & DANIEL WEBSTER. It is one of a handful of stories that I have never forgotten. The trial scene between Daniel Webster and Mr Scratch (a New England term for the Devil) and the jury of long dead souls fired myContinue reading “ALL THAT MONEY CAN BUY (1941): My Belated Review Of An Old Favorite”

Unless you have a taste for old school, heavy-handed, unashamedly red blooded Victorian melodrama, then I would steer clear of this or any other Tod Slaughter movie that you might run across. However if you enjoy English history and would like to see what the Victorians considered a good time, then you owe it toContinue reading “MURDER IN THE RED BARN / FACE AT THE WINDOW: Two Of Tod Slaughter’s Finest Melodramas”

Arthur Shields (1896-1970) was the younger brother of Oscar winning character actor Barry Fitzgerald (GOING MY WAY, AND THEN THERE WERE NONE). He rarely got the big picture opportunities or the on-screen time that his brother did even though he wound up appearing in many more movies. One time where he did get to carryContinue reading “DAUGHTER OF DR JEKYLL Is Really The Arthur Shields Show”

When it comes to horror movies of the 1940s, Universal, RKO’s Val Lewton series and the Grade Z Monogram/PRC films usually get all the attention. Lost in the shuffle were a trio of B movies made by Columbia in the middle of the decade. One of them, THE RETURN OF THE VAMPIRE, is easily theContinue reading “CRY OF THE WEREWOLF: Solid 1940s B Horror Movie With An Above Average Cast”

Following the surprising success of Universal’s 1941 THE WOLF MAN with Lon Chaney Jr, a number of other Hollywood studios jumped on the supernatural bandwagon and a number of interesting, well made B movies were the result. The Val Lewton series at RKO starting with CAT PEOPLE remain the best known and the most acclaimedContinue reading “THE UNDYING MONSTER: Neat Little 1942 Mystery Thriller With Supernatural Overtones”

One of the participants in my silent film course at the local college told me about this set which is the first time I had heard of it. I knew that Jean Renoir had begun his career in the silent era but I didn’t know if any of those films still existed. They do andContinue reading “JEAN RENOIR – COLLECTOR’S EDITION: Fascinating 3 Disc Set Including Rare Renoir Silents”

If you have never experienced the 1920’s German genre of the mountain film, there is no better introduction than this. In fact it may be the only one you need unless you truly love the genre as most of the films are carbon copies of each other. What gives this film added interest is theContinue reading “THE HOLY MOUNTAIN (1926): Leni Riefenstahl’s Beginning And The Template for the German Mountain Movie Genre”

I have been awaiting this set ever since Image Entertainment announced it’s release in order to make a comparison with the earlier one from Kino. Although the two volume ARBUCKLE & KEATON set is very fine , this set features a new comedy not included in the other one (HIS WEDDING NIGHT) plus mostly originalContinue reading “THE BEST ARBUCKLE & KEATON COLLECTION: Truth in Advertising”

It has been over one hundred years since Georges Melies first began making movies. He was a true pioneer in every sense of the word. He invented his own camera and projector and built his own studio so that he could have complete control over what he was doing. His use of nudity in 1897Continue reading “LANDMARKS – VOL. 2: The First Decent Georges Melies Compilation”