Friday Film Review – Gilda
At the peak of the Film Noir era of the 1940s and 50s came Charles Vidor’s 1946 masterpiece Gilda. A triumph of spectacle, tension and unrestrained misogyny that paradoxically seems to be at once very much of its time, and timeless in its appeal. It follows Johnny Farrell (Glenn Ford), a lucky rogue who saunters into … Read more
Renoir Americana; Discussing Swamp Water
When Germany invaded France in May 1940 Jean Renoir, fleeing the Vichy regime, turned his attentions to the American film industry and Hollywood. Under the employ of 20th Century Fox, Renoir completed Swamp Water (a film which went by the more poetic title of The Man Who Came Back in some circles) in 1941. It … Read more
Culture Générale; Melville’s Le Silence De La Mer
Jean-Pierre Melville, 1949. FRANCE. Jean-Pierre Melville’s debut film, an adaptation of Vercol’s resistance novella, Le Silence De La Mer marked a bold entrance into filmmaking for the director. While not as ambitious in scope as his later works, the film contains the existential outlook that would define his body of work, and gives an insight … Read more
The shape of things to come
Due to my increasing workload I have decided to take a drastic step for the immediate future of Hope Lies at 24 Frames Per Second. Put simply, I don’t really have the time to keep the site running in the same manner as it has in the past. So, from today onwards I will be … Read more
Key Largo (1948)
John Huston is a filmmaker that constantly amazes me, with every piece of his work that I see bringing something new to the table. It’s worth noting that the film of his that I watched most recently prior to Key Largo was 1979′s Wise Blood, a film, or indeed a difference in film that displays … Read more
The Bicycle Thieves (1948)
Perhaps the most notable film of the neo-realist movement, Vittorio De Sica’s The Bicycle Thieves is as emotionally involving as its story is simple. Enormously successful upon its release, being that it achieved huge commercial and critical success outside of its native Italy, the film has remained a perenial favourite of viewers and scholars alike … Read more
casablanca (1942)
as an entity casablanca is much bigger than a film. it is a major part of hollywood history, and as such is incredibly hard to judge on its own merits. despite the relevence of such points, i have attempted to look at michael curtiz’s film in an objective manner, although i am not sure of … Read more
western union (1941)
more acute readers may be aware of a bit of a trend at the moment, alas it is purely coincidental. fritz lang’s penultimate foray into the world of the western was sold to me on the premise alone, in which former gunslinger vance shaw decides to turn himself straight by taking on the task of … Read more
citizen kane (1941)
where does one begin with orson welles’ debut/magnum opus? often voted “the greatest film of all time” by publications as far and varied as sight and sound magazine, the american film institute and cahiers du cinema, citizen kane is not only an outstandingly produced piece of cinema, but its incredibly likeable and accessible too. having … Read more
rome, open city (1946)
my first foray into ”proper” neo-realism (outside of education at least) comes in the shape of roberto rossellini’s “rome, open city”. the film is a true example of guerilla cinema, with rosselini shooting on location in the genuine aftermath of nazi occupied rome using scraps of found camera film. the film predates such fare as … Read more
