The Tomb Of Ligeia(1964)

The history of Gothic Horror and Gothic Romance stretches all the way back to 1764, the year in which Horace Walpole's novel The Castle Of Otranto was published. This novel is generally considered to be the first Gothic novel ever written. Many authors including Ann Radcliffe, Edgar Allen Poe, Matthew Lewis, Daphne Du Maurier, Mary Shelley, Clara…

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Dark Passage(1947)

Dark Passage is one of the most underrated and interesting of all the 1940’s Noir films. Quite why this one isn’t discussed more often is beyond me. It’s a very different looking Film Noir than most and also offers us a glimpse of a far more vulnerable Humphrey Bogart. The Humphrey Bogart we see in this…

Announcing The Discovering Classic Cinema Blogathon

I'm delighted to announce my first Blogathon here on my new blog. Those of you who knew me when I was blogging a few years ago will remember how much I loved these. I'd love you all to join me for this one. For this Blogathon the focus is upon how we all came to…

The End Of The Affair(1955)

One of Deborah Kerr's very best performances can be found in this British film adapted from the novel of the same name by Graham Greene, which was published in 1951. The novel is partly based on Greene’s own love affair with Catherine Walston and is dedicated to her.  The film is directed by one of my…

Sherlock Holmes And Beyond: A Profile Of Basil Rathbone

Basil Rathbone was one of the finest actors working during the classic film era. During the 1930’s and 1940’s he gained worldwide fame and appreciation, not only for his superb portrayal of Sherlock Holmes, but also for all of those memorable screen villains that he played so often. There are not enough words for me to…

Stray Dog(1949)

"He felt he would suffocate on the bus. A baby was crying. The cheap perfume of the woman next to him was nauseating." This voiceover is heard almost three minutes into the film as we see Toshiro Mifune's young detective Murakami squashed together with fellow passengers(standing room only) on an overcrowded bus hurtling through the…

Remembering Angela Lansbury

Angela Lansbury(1925-2022) Hearing the sad news of the death of Dame Angela Lansbury on the 11th of October broke my heart. Yes she was 96 years old and death at that age is to be expected, but she was one of those people who had always been there and seemed like she always would be.…

The Narrow Margin(1952)

The Narrow Margin is a film that I never tire of watching. It’s a very brisk film and one which manages to pack quite a punch in just 71 minutes. This is a film in which no scene or dialogue exchange feels like a waste of time. I also consider The Narrow Margin to be a…

Walking Down The Dark Alleys Of Film Noir

Happy Noirvember. Yes it’s that time of year again, time to once again celebrate all things Film Noir. Put on your trench coats and hats, pour yourself a glass of bourbon and sit back and revel in a cinematic world of shadows, thrills, double-crosses, sexual tension, Femme and Homme Fatales and plenty of darkness and…