Monthly Archives: August 2011
The Last Laugh
Der letzte mann – The Last Laugh (1924) dir. F. W. Murnau The Last Laugh is a true silent film. It has only one title card, and it is put in as a joke. Emil Jannings (who later won the … Continue reading
Freaks
Freaks (1932) dir. Tod Browning Freaks is about a group of people treated like second-class citizens. The sideshow performers have physical deformities which are exploited by the “normal” people. Freaks has many similarities with standard Hollywood sympathy “isn’t biogtry awful!” … Continue reading
Zemlya – Soviet Propaganda
Zemlya – Earth (1930) dir. Aleksandr Dovzhenko Zemlya ought to be remembered along the lines of Triumph of the Will; remarkable for its technical achievements, but morally reprehensible for its complicity in genocide. The story of Soviet oppression of Ukraine … Continue reading
Umberto D.
Umberto D. (1952) dir. Vittorio De Sica De Sica, most famous for Ladri di biciclette, made Umbero D. at the end of the Italian neorealist movement. Upon release, Umberto D. was criticized by Italians for sappiness; giving the old man … Continue reading
