Author Archives: chipkaufmann

Along with DR JEKYLL & MR HYDE, this 1926 action/adventure flick remains one of the best John Barrymore silent vehicles currently available to us. Here “The Great Profile” invades Douglas Fairbanks territory and more than holds his own. There is so much to like about this film that it’s hard to know where to begin.Continue reading “THE BELOVED ROGUE Features John Barrymore In His Prime”

Cecil B. DeMille was one of the most successful filmmakers of all time. He was also one of the most critically reviled. Almost 50 years after his death (he died in 1959), his name is still well known to the public. What a tribute to the staying power of his many films. His career spannedContinue reading “THE CHEAT & MANSLAUGHTER Are The Best And Worst Of Early DeMille”

This DVD double feature of Clara Bow at the beginning and during the thick of her career gives us a fascinating glimpse of one of the most popular silent stars. DOWN TO THE SEA IN SHIPS (1922) was shot when Clara was only 16 by D.W. Griffith protege’ Elmer Clifton. Her part is only aContinue reading “PARISIAN LIFE & DOWN TO THE SEA IN SHIPS Make A “Bow”dacious Double Feature”

TEMPEST was the penultimate silent movie made by John Barrymore (ETERNAL LOVE directed by Ernst Lubitsch would be the last). The setting is not Shakespeare but takes place around the time of the Russian Revolution. The direction is credited to Sam Taylor who was best known for his comedies but a lot of it wasContinue reading “TEMPEST (1928): This Kino Version Is Good But The 2003 Image Release Is Better”

In 1925 when TUMBLEWEEDS was released, William S. Hart was 60 years old and been had supplanted at the box office by a host of cowboy stars like Tom Mix who were much flashier and far less realistic. Hart wanted to go out on top and that is just what he did. TUMBLEWEEDS is setContinue reading “TUMBLEWEEDS Is William S. Hart’s Lasting Legacy”

I have looked forward to having John Barrymore’s SHERLOCK HOLMES on DVD for quite some time. I had seen the movie before but only in a wretched public domain VHS which was so dark that most of the film was hard to make out. The first half is made up of original material that setsContinue reading “SHERLOCK HOLMES (1922): It’s Great To Have But I Wish The Movie Were Better”

Ernst Lubitsch is remembered today as “the man with the golden touch”. His droll and witty comedies of the sexes from the 30’s and 40’s such as TROUBLE IN PARADISE and TO BE OR NOT TO BE certainly deserve their place in movie history. So do his silent films which thanks to present day technologyContinue reading “ETERNAL LOVE: Last Lubitsch Silent Loses A Little”

While the MGM/20th Century Fox Midnite Movies series has a number of great offerings from the 1950s through the 1980s, this double feature is, in my opinion, the best of the lot. The reason is that both movies are sci-fi classics from the late 1950s (’57 and ’58 to be specific) and they are presentedContinue reading “MIDNITE MOVIES: Their Best Double Feature”

I have waited for years to see these titles on DVD and at last they are finally here. Anyone who grew up watching late night horror shows on local TV probably saw these films at one time or another especially THE RETURN OF DRACULA. Both were made by Gramercy Productions a division of Levy-Gardner-Laven, anContinue reading “RETURN OF DRACULA / THE VAMPIRE: Classic 1957 Double Bill On DVD Or Separately on Blu-Ray”

I had read about WITCHCRAFT (1964) for years in anthologies about British horror films but I had never seen it until I purchased this set a few years back. While undeniably low budget, it was definitely a quality example of the less is more school of filmmaking. It also happens to be the last inContinue reading “WITCHCRAFT / DEVILS OF DARKNESS: Very Uneven Double Feature”