Category Archives: Uncategorized

Imagine that Stephen Spielberg’s carerr as a director is over and way in the past. Then suppose that the one film chosen to represent him is THE COLOR PURPLE. Forgotten are JAWS, E.T., SCHINDLER’S LIST, and the recent MUNICH not to mention the rest of his output. Would that be a fair assessment of Spielberg’sContinue reading “INTOLERANCE & D.W. Griffith In The 21st Century (2006)”

Lillian Gish (1893-1993), who died just short of her 100th birthday, had the longest career of any major star in movie history. She made her first screen appearance at the age of 19 in D. W. Griffith’s one reeler AN UNSEEN ENEMY in 1912 and made her last in 1987 in THE WHALES OF AUGUSTContinue reading “LILLIAN GISH: Film Pioneer & Film Preservationist (2007)”

“Have gun will travel reads the card of a man. A night without armor in a savage land”. Anyone who grew up in the 1950s would instantly recognize that as the theme song of the classic TV Western HAVE GUN WILL TRAVEL that aired from 1957-1963. Its star, Richard Boone (1917-1981), was much more thanContinue reading “RICHARD BOONE: A One-Of-A-Kind Character Actor (2007)”

2007 was a banner year for silent movies on DVD. At least 10 major releases occurred that have brought notable films from the silent era back to life for a 21st century audience. No longer a thing of the past, silent movies are alive and well and are available for a whole new audience toContinue reading “SILENT NIGHTS: Very Old Films In Brand New Releases (2008)”

The ten year period between the end of the 34 year old Hollywood Production Code in 1968 and the emergence of STAR WARS as an unparalleled cultural phenomenon in 1977 was a period of great change for the mainstream Hollywood studios. It was the decade of the auteur, the director who became the focal pointContinue reading “KEN RUSSELL & MICHAEL WINNER: The Filmmaker & The Director (2008)”

The story of Lois Weber is one of the saddest in all of American cinema and one of the least known. One of two prominent women producer-directors to emerge the silent era(the other was the French born Alice Guy-Blache’ who has a similar story), Weber was, in her time, considered to be the equal ofContinue reading “LOIS WEBER: America’s First Woman Director (2008)”

With all the attention that The Artist has received as a silent novelty in today’s cinema, it will probably come as a surprise to many people that there have been several silent films made after sound was introduced in 1928. Up until 1976 they were made right here in America, after that they come from abroad. ThisContinue reading “SOUNDS OF SILENTS: Silent Cinema In The Sound Era (2012)”

It has been 80 years since The Lone Ranger made his debut on radio. 55 years since Clayton Moore & Jay Silverheels last rode off into the sunset, and 32 years since an ill-fated attempt to the resurrect the character, The Legend of the Lone Ranger disappeared right after hitting the local multiplex. Now Disney has releasedContinue reading “THE LONE RANGER: From Radio To Johnny Depp (2013)”

Two years ago in a previous edition of Reel Takes, I wrote an article on England’s legendary Hammer Films to celebrate the company’s rebirth and the upcoming release of The Woman In Black with Daniel Radcliffe. That film opened in February 2012 to mostly positive reviews and went on to gross over $100 million makingContinue reading “HAMMER FILMS REVISITED: 3 Lost 1970s Movies (2013)”

This year marked the 100th anniversary of the debut of a movie icon but, if it weren’t for the intervention of another film comedy pioneer, his first appearance might have been his last. On February 2, 1914 Charlie Chaplin appeared in a Keystone comedy called Making A Living. He hadn’t discovered the Tramp character yet and heContinue reading “MABEL NORMAND: The Film Comedy Pioneer Is Finally Getting Her Due (2014)”