Pandora’s Box (1929; G.W. Pabst) GRADE: B+ By Daniel Barnes Some people have argued that the black bob haircut popularly associated with Louise Brooks was first sported onscreen by actress Colleen Moore. This may be true, even if pre-fame photos of Brooks show her with an evolving version […]
It (1927; Clarence G. Badger) GRADE: B By Mike Dub If A Fool There Was marked the beginning of the sex symbol in popular American films in 1915, by 1927 Hollywood’s star system would be every bit as tightly manufactured as the assembly lines that built the films themselves. […]
A Fool There Was (1915; Frank Powell) GRADE: B- By Daniel Barnes As I stated in my festival intro, while Theda Bara may have created a cinematic archetype and inspired an evolution in movie publicity machines with A Fool There Was, her “vamp” character did not break any […]
Burn! (1969; Gillo Pontecorvo) Grade: B+ By Mike Dub Throughout the 1960s, Marlon Brando became increasingly active in social issues. Though his popularity was plummeting, he sought to make art that was relevant to the changing cultural landscape. The Ugly American (1963) is a well-intentioned (though drab) warning against […]
The Chase (1966; Arthur Penn) GRADE: B+ By Daniel Barnes In most if not all of his best roles, the Nebraska-born Marlon Brando was an easy avatar for everything anti-heroic about America. A Streetcar Named Desire and The Wild One boosted him to prominence as a post-WWII, hyper-sensitive […]
One-Eyed Jacks (1961; Marlon Brando) Grade: B By Mike Dub As the 1950s drew to a close, Marlon Brando was about to enter the next decade about as hot as anyone has ever been. In the seven years leading up to his directorial debut (and finale), One-Eyed Jacks, […]
