Author Archives: chipkaufmann

A cursory examination of the merits of Japanese cinema would place the highly acclaimed dramas of Akira Kurosawa at or near the top while the Japanese monster movies that followed in the wake of Inoshiro Honda’s original GODZILLA would surely be ranked near or at the bottom even though far more people have seen theContinue reading “ONIBABA: A Remarkable Japanese Horror Film”

…and its sequels, there was THE LOST WORLD. Written as a serialized novel by Sherlock Holmes creator Arthur Conan Doyle in 1912, it was initially made into 2 movies. First was a silent film version made in 1925 and then this one from 1960. It was produced, directed, and co-written by Irwin Allen who wasContinue reading “THE LOST WORLD (1960): Before JURASSIC PARK…”

I first encountered Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s THE LOST WORLD in the 1960 version with Michael Rennie, Jill St. John and Claude Rains. I was 8 years old and had yet to develop my fascination with silent movies. That would come a few years later. I first became aware of this movie’s existence when IContinue reading “THE LOST WORLD (1925): The Definitive Restoration For The Foreseeable Future”

When I was growing up in the 1950s and the early 1960s, I remember reading about this film in TV GUIDE (remember when it was a staple in every home?) and looked forward to seeing it. Unfortunately in those pre-cable/streaming days, it was never shown on a channel that could be picked up on theContinue reading “DANTE’S INFERNO (1935): Spencer Tracy’s Last Fox Film Finally Available”

I had seen stills of this 1911 Italian epic for many years but it wasn’t until 2005 that I had the opportunity to see it. That was shortly after this DVD was released by Snapper UK. A quick look at the other titles available from that label indicate that they primarily released concert footage ofContinue reading “L’INFERNO (1911): Dante Goes To Hell And He Can Take The Soundtrack With Him”

In the mid 1970s Kevin Francis (son of legendary cinematographer and director Freddie Francis) made a foolhardy attempt to keep alive the old school of British horror that he had grown up with (and to which his father had made significant contributions). Unfortunately he was tilting at windmills as his company Tyburn, which had previouslyContinue reading “SHERLOCK HOLMES & THE MASKS OF DEATH (VHS Only): Tyburn’s And Peter Cushing’s Last Hurrah”

Edward L. Cahn has become a forgotten man among low budget filmmakers. Not as gifted as Edgar G. Ulmer nor stunningly incompetent like Ed Wood Jr or as prolific as William Beaudine, Cahn was nevertheless responsible for many of the more memorable moments which occured in 50’s B movies. To the first generation raised onContinue reading “BEAUTY AND THE BEAST (1962 – VHS Only): Low Budget Version Is Well Done But Is Still Underappreciated”

Back in 1988 MGM in conjunction with Turner Entertainment (no Turner Classic Movies back then) released this version of Erich von Stroheim’s masterwork GREED on VHS as part of their Silent Classics series. The print used was prepared by England’s Photoplay Productions the number one restorer of silent films at the time and is basedContinue reading “GREED (VHS Only) : This Is The Version That SHOULD Be On DVD”

I have recently developed an appreciation for low budget British filmmaker Robert Hartford-Davis (1923-1977) after watching a handful of his horror films such as BLACK TORMENT (1965), CORRUPTION (1968), and THE FIEND aka BEWARE THE BRETHREN (1972). The constant thread running through these and such films as BLACK GUNN (1973) are imaginative camerawork, crisp butContinue reading “BLACK GUNN: Robert Hartford-Davis In America”

An Oxford scholar (Patrick Mower), doing research in Greece, is abducted by a group of “swingers” who introduce him to LSD, orgies, and other things. The leader of the group (Imogen Hassall) gets him addicted to sex & drugs and has him completely in her power. Two friends join forces with a British colonel (PatrickContinue reading “INCENSE FOR THE DAMNED / BLOODSUCKERS: A Mess Of A Movie With Peter Cushing On Hand”