It can be a difficult thing to continue making movies, with the same character. That is the challenge of making Dracula Has Risen From the Grave. The prince of darkness, was given screen immortality, with Bela Lugosi’s portrayal in 1931. The actor was typecast, and died in near obscurity in 1956. The role of the […]

What do Yankee Doodle Dandy and White Christmas have in Common? They are both movies that are viewed on their respective holidays, of Independence Day and Christmas. They also contain songs from two of the greatest composers of the twentieth century. They were George M. Cohan and Irving Berlin. The chief difference in the two

Alien is the movie Alfred Hitchcock could have directed. That would be if he worked for Hammer Studios. It has suspense and horror. The trait of horror was in the films by the master of suspense. Movies like Psycho and The Birds, are first and foremost horror films. Alien goes to the sub genre of

There cannot be a discussion about silent films, without mentioning Lon Chaney. He was able to do things that were incredible. He could contort his body into unnatural positions. He sketched his characters and applied his own makeup. He endured physical pain for some roles, like Phantom of the Opera and The Hunchback of NotreDame.

There were countless military movies made during World War II. Many Hollywood stars entered the military. Errol Flynn  wasn’t able to join the armed services. He had a number of physical ailments that prevented this. He did the next best thing. He starred in a few war films. One of those movies was Objective Burma.

Betty Davis at the time of this movie, was an a two time academy award winning actress. She could have rested on her laurels and continued to due dramatic roles. She would still have been considered a fine actress. Davis was not content with her status, and decided to branch out. This led to a

The Naked and the Dead is a film about leadership in war. It asks the question, should leaders do anything for victory, or consider their men? The movie is based on the Norman Mailer novel, and adapted to the screen by the brothers Denis  and Terry Sanders. Mailer, didn’t like the movie version of his

The war film wasn’t a staple of Hollywood until the Second World War. Its beginnings are rooted in The Big Parade. This movie takes place in World War One. The Great War wasn’t far from memory at the time of its release. It shows the excitement of soldiers to be going to war, and the

There are some movies that should not be remade. King Kong falls into this category. The original is a combination of horror and a tragic love story. It is well made, with extraordinary special effects for its time. This one features  two future academy award winners in Jeff Bridges and Jessica Lange. They would have

You can expect many things from Lon Chaney. The one thing is a masterful performance. His characters almost always have pathos. This is a characteristic, attributed to Charlie Chaplin. Lon Chaney was a master of it. He also knew how to use makeup. He did his own for his characters. It was before makeup was