Archive: July 2015

  • Inspired by Film Noir at TCM Classic Film Festival

    Though there were only three films noir programmed at the 2015 TCM Classic Film Festival: Too Late For Tears (1949), Reign of Terror (1949) and Nightmare Alley (1947), they were among the most popular choices of festivalgoers. The first two played to full capacity houses, with many in line turned away. These played a second time, once again to packed houses, as TBA (To Be Announced) selections on the final day of the festival. Hopefully TCM will note this audience p...

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  • WARNER ARCHIVE: Lawman Leads New Releases

    Five new-to-DVD releases have been announced by Warner as part of their Archive Collection, including the arrival of the first season of the Western drama Lawman. They are: Callaway Went Thataway (1951) - Fred MacMurray, Dorothy McGuire, Howard Keel Count Your Blessings (1959) - Deborah Kerr, Rossano Brazzi, Maurice Chevalier The High Cost of Loving (1958) - Jose Ferrer, Gena Rowlands, Joan...

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  • Strange Science Serials, Part II: Bring on the Bad Guys

    An interesting thing about science-fiction serials of the 1930s is that, with the world poised on the brink of war yet again and scrupulously evil dictators presiding over much of the globe's territory, scenario writers and chapterplay directors really had to work hard to invent fictional villains who measured up to their real-life counterparts. The mid-1930s through the early 1940s gave matinee-goers some of the greatest evil-doers in the history of movies, thwarted week by week by square-ja...

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  • Dark Cinema - Una Merkel: Saucy Sidekick

    In her 1930s features, Una Merkel portrayed a variety of standout roles, including the shrill and frequently sobbing Sibyl in Private Lives (1931), the wronged girlfriend of David Manners in Man Wanted (1931), Jean Harlow's scheming secretary in Bombshell (1932), and a wisecracking chorus girl in 42nd Street (1933).She also portrayed some of the best pals a pre-Code gal could ask for -- characters who were not only loyal, dependable, and wise, b...

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  • Jeanne Eagels: A Life on Film

    Even the most learned scholars of classic film consider Jeanne Eagels a mystery. Although she was one of America's leading actresses during the early twentieth century, her first love was the stage, and only a handful of film performances survive today. After her untimely death, a controversial biography was published, and later adapted into an equally contentious movie.And there the trail ended -- until now. For too long, Jeanne Eagels has languished in the shadows of rumor and m...

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  • Restored Beat the Devil Coming to Blu-Ray

    After wallowing in public domain DVD prints for years, John Huston's Beat the Devil (1953) is finally getting an HD release from The Film Detective.  Starring a cadre of A-list actors including Humphrey Bogart, Jennifer Jones, Gina Lollobrigida and Peter Lorre, Beat the Devil has attained cult status as one of hardboiled director John Huston's first (and only foray) into black comedy.  The Film Detective will also release

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  • COLUMBIA CLASSICS: Trio of Whistler Titles Premiere

    Sony's Columbia Classics line debuts three more of the film noir mysteries in the Whistler series: The Secret of the Whistler (1947), The Thirteen Hour (1947), and The Return of the Whistler (1948) on DVD for the first time. Based on the popular radio program, actor Richard Dix starred in eight different Whistler films. The first film and its second sequel were put out by Sony last month and another two were release...

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  • Fasten Your Seat Belts: Cars and the Movies

    Mobile. Motion. MOVE. From the start, films showed people moving at maximum speed, leading to the golden age of the railroad picture (teens and '20s), the aviation picture (late '20s through mid-50's), and the motorcycle picture ('60s and early '70s.) But cars have never gone out of style in the movies. No matter what Hollywood decade you explore, you'll find car races, car chases, car crashes, souped-up luxury cars, and comic junkers.Mack Sennett's Keystone Kops shorts (1912-1917...

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  • WARNER BLU: Special Effects Collection Arrives in October

    Just in time for Halloween, Warner has announced October 6th as the street date for their four-disc Special Effects Collection on Blu-Ray. The series will include The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms (1953), Mighty Joe Young (1949), The Son of Kong (1933), and Them! (1954) all on Blu for the first time. Alongside the box set, each film will be released individually. Warner has n...

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  • WARNER ARCHIVE: Two Comedies in Latest Wave

    Two new-to-DVD releases have been announced by Warner as part of their Archive Collection. They are: Come Fly With Me (1963) - Dolores Hart, Hugh O'Brian, Karlheinz Bohm, Pamela Tiffin A Global Affair (1964) - Bob Hope, Michèle Mercier Both will be available at ClassicFlix on July 7th. These titles add to the total of over 1,500 Warner Archive titles exclusively available for re...

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