Author Archives: chipkaufmann

Movies portraying Jews in a positive light were a rarity in Hollywood despite the fact that all but one of the major studios were headed up by men who were Jewish in origin. The studio that wasn’t, 20th Century Pictures (soon to become 20th Century-Fox), wound up making THE HOUSE OF ROTHSCHILD. Darryl F. ZanuckContinue reading “THE HOUSE OF ROTHSCHILD (1934): A Remarkable Achievement That Is Still Worthwhile”

Oh to be 11 years old again, sitting in the Carolina Theater in Greenville SC in 1963 and looking up at the big screen, mesmerized by the meteor light show that opens THE DAY OF THE TRIFFIDS! The film was shot in Cinemascope so it literally filled that big screen making it an overwhelming experience…andContinue reading “THE DAY OF THE TRIFFIDS (U.K. Version) Is The Best So Far”

Just a little over a year after the release of ORSON WELLES GREAT MYSTERIES – VOL-1 comes VOLUME 2 and I found it to be consistently more satisfying than its predecessor. As the series was not released in its original broadcast order, it contains only 2 well known authors (W. Somerset Maugham, Dorothy L. Sayers)Continue reading “ORSON WELLES GREAT MYSTERIES – VOLUME 2 Is More Satisfying Than VOLUME 1”

As a fan of mysteries and supernatural stories, I was looking forward to seeing this series which I was completely unfamiliar with. One review states that it was meant to be shown on American TV hence the use of several American stars. However the classic British look of filmed exteriors and videotaped interiors would notContinue reading “ORSON WELLES GREAT MYSTERIES – VOL. 1: They Aren’t Great But They Are Definitely Worth Seeing”

I first really discovered Val Lewton when I was in college. I had already seen some of his films on TV in my childhood. I remembered I WALKED WITH A ZOMBIE (which makes today’s flesh eating zombies very hard to take) and THE BODY SNATCHER because it had Boris Karloff whose 1960s THRILLER program IContinue reading “VAL LEWTON: 2 Books & 2 Docs”

It would come as no surprise to Val Lewton that even after 70 years his movies are still being marketed as horror films. That was how they first came into being. He surely would be surprised and thrilled that they are so highly regarded today for at the end of his short life (he diedContinue reading “THE VAL LEWTON COLLECTION Is Horror In Name Only”

Tim Burton’s adaptation of SWEENEY TODD presented me with a most curious paradox. As an adaptation of the Sweeney Todd story it would compare more than favorably with the other modern versions that featured Ray Winstone, Ben Kingsley, and Freddie Jones while easily surpassing the famous Tod Slaughter version which, aside from him, really isn’tContinue reading “SWEENEY TODD (2007): Tim Burton’s Film Is A Most Curious Paradox”

Now I can finally throw away my battered old VHS copy (yes, it’s that old) and enjoy this crisp new transfer of one of my favorite guilty pleasures. Despite credits to the contrary, everyone knows that SHADOW OF THE CAT is a Hammer film in all but name (the wardrobe mistress is Molly Arbuthnot soContinue reading “SHADOW OF THE CAT: Feline Frolics Or The Hammer Film That Wasn’t”

For many years CAT GIRL was nothing more than a title I had read about in David Pirie’s A HERITAGE OF HORROR along with the one usual final photograph of Barbara Shelley. Finally at the turn of this century I obtained a used VHS copy of the film and so finally got to see it.Continue reading “CAT GIRL (1957): British Version Of CAT PEOPLE Has Much To Recommend It”

It was made 13 years later (1986) and was marketed on video in the U.S. as a slasher film which it absolutely is not. I’m not even sure if THE FANTASIST was released in the U.S. theatrically and it is just now making its DVD debut there. Yes there is a serial killer and aContinue reading “THE FANTASIST (1986): Robin Hardy’s Barely Seen Follow Up To THE WICKER MAN”