Author Archives: chipkaufmann

BIRD OF PARADISE is one of those films that remained unseen for years thanks to its pre-code nudity and the fact that a lame 1951 remake made sure that it sat on the shelf. A few years ago VCI Home Entertainment in conjunction with the Roan Group issued a restored version on VHS. This isContinue reading “BIRD OF PARADISE (1932): Exotic and Erotic”

Mention the name Republic Pictures to any movie buff and Westerns immediately come to mind. Gene Autrey, Roy Rogers, and even John Wayne had some of their earliest roles there. After WW II they sprang for bigger budgets and non-Westerns like THE QUIET MAN (w/John Wayne) and even Orson Welles’ 1948 version of MACBETH. TheyContinue reading “THE UNEARTHLY (1957): A Pleasant Low Budget Surprise From Republic Pictures”

Republic Pictures was at the top of the heap down on Poverty Row. They were the “A” studio of “B” pictures who specialized in Westerns (John Wayne & Gene Autry got their start there) and Serials (THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN MARVEL, THE LONE RANGER). The company was founded in 1935 and produced and released filmsContinue reading “THE RED PONY: Finally A Gorgeous Print Of This 1949 Classic”

Frank Borzage was classic Hollywood’s most romantic filmmaker. Between 1927 and 1929 he made several highly successful movies with Janet Gaynor and Charles Farrell. The best known of these was 7TH HEAVEN. The central theme of these films were poor couples redeemed by the power of love. However by the mid-1930s his redemptive romanticism wasContinue reading “MOONRISE (1948): Frank Borzage’s Answer To Film Noir”

That’s quite a combination but thanks to director Fritz Lang, it works. HOUSE BY THE RIVER was unseen for many years for 2 reasons 1) Republic Pictures studio head Herbert J. Yates refused to sell the Republic film library to TV in the 1950s believing that TV was a fad that wouldn’t last (wrong!!) andContinue reading “HOUSE BY THE RIVER: A Victorian, Southern, Gothic Melodrama”

There are currently (as of 6/11/21) over 350 reviews for THE MONOLITH MONSTERS. The majority of them are positive, as mine will be. It is one of those rare 1950s sci-fi offerings that is intelligent without being too serious and enjoyable without being campy. It boasts a unique premise in that the title “monsters” (whoContinue reading “MONOLITH MONSTERS Is Rock Solid All The Way”

Of the numerous black & white 1950s & 60s horror/sci-fi films that I watched as a kid back in the 1950s & 60s, there were three that stood out in their ability to give me nightmares. One was Hammer’s X THE UNKNOWN. the second was Gramercy’s THE VAMPIRE and the third was this one. IContinue reading “THE BLACK SCORPION Still Delivers A Shiver Down The Spine”

For those of you not familiar with Louis Feuillade, he was the artistic director of France’s Gaumont Studios from 1907-1918 during which time he directed or supervised over 800 films. He is best remembered today for his groundbreaking crime serials FANTOMAS, JUDEX, and LES VAMPIRES which still have the power to amaze and entertain almostContinue reading “FANTOMAS Is The GREAT Grandaddy Of All Crime Thrillers”

While KILL BABY KILL (Original Italian Title – OPERAZIONE PAURA “How Fear Operates”) is not Mario Bava’s best movie, it has always been my personal favorite of his. Like so many of Bava’s movies, I first saw it in a drive-in theatre in the 1970s. At that time it was called CURSE OF THE LIVINGContinue reading “KILL BABY KILL (1966): My Favorite Mario Bava Movie”

It is becoming increasingly apparent that the older I get, the more I’m revisiting the classic monster movies of my youth but now with an adult’s perspective. It is also apparent that the vast majority of these movies that made an impact on me were photographed in black & white. No one was better atContinue reading “CALTIKI (1959): Italian Gothic Horror Sci-Fi, What A Combo!”