Articles
The Man Who Laughs: A Forgotten Masterpiece
Few movie-goers regard any film not made in their lifetime as valuable. Within that minority, even fewer are motivated to embrace early cinema and keep it alive. For this reason, films like Paul Leni’s The Man Who Laughs, have more or less quietly faded into obscurity.
Conrad Veidt: Cinema’s Dark Prince, 1893-1943
Conrad Veidt was born January 22, 1893 in a working-class neighborhood in Berlin, Germany. His father, Philipp, was a former military man turned civil servant.
They Only Wanted to Rule the World:
A Celebration of Cinematic Villainy, Part I
It is said that our enemies define us. Nowhere is that more true than in the cinema, where an elegantly crafted adversary can easily overshadow the heartiest protagonist.
Dr. Acula’s Diary
I’ve just done my 93d imagi-movie cameo, this time opposite John (Tarantuala) Agar, the movie star to whom, like Edgar Allan Poe, I inadvertently gave a Premature Burial.
Masterworks DVD set is imperfect, yet essential, viewing
In 1920s Germany, in the brief fertile years between World War I and Hitler’s reign, movies made the leap from entertainment to art.