Clara, of Via Margutta 51 fame, recently reviewed Ernst Lubitsch’s 1943 fantasy-romance Heaven Can Wait, and her post on the film prompted me to re-watch that movie for the first time in years. It’s a delightful movie, awash with the magic of the famed “Lubitsch touch” and marked by a fabulous cast, with particularly fine…
Throughout her long and varied career, Bette Davis excelled at playing complicated women. From the slatternly waitress in Of Human Bondage (1934) to the spoiled Southern belle in 1938’s Jezebel to the grand dame of the theater, Margo Channing, in 1950’s All About Eve, Davis’ filmography is stacked with a series of unparalleled performances. Part of the…
Frank Capra’s indelible brand of feel-good morality tales, sprinkled with romance and humor, has led to his films being labeled as “Capra-corn” by some critics. And it’s true that some of his most beloved and well-known movies tend toward the sentimental. But to deride Capra’s work as mere schmaltz is to ignore the sheer talent…
Notorious (1946) Airing 6:15AM EST One of Alfred Hitchcock’s most masterful American films, 1946’s Notorious, starring Hitch favorites Cary Grant and Ingrid Bergman, is sexy, noir-ish romantic suspense at its very best. Not for nothing was Hitchcock one of the greatest directors of all time: in this film, he combines tight camerawork, compelling narrative, excellent…
Anyone who has spent more than a couple of hours in my company is probably aware that my favorite movie of all time is 1942’s Casablanca. I have waxed rhapsodic about this film so many times in the past that when I am asked why I choose this film over all others, I can rattle…
True Classics 