"I know I've been lucky... what I resent about it is it is all built on a pretty face" - Tyrone Power Tyrone Power was born on May 5, 1914 into an acting dynasty. Both his parents were actors and his father and great grandfather, both also named Tyrone Power, were established on the stage … Continue reading Tyrone Power: More Than A Pretty Face, From Blood and Sand to Nightmare Alley
I finally watched Poor Things in the new year. I heard predominately positive feedback of the film, with a surprising amount of people describing it as feminist. I can see why some might think this, but after watching it myself it left a bad taste in my mouth that never quite went away. The story … Continue reading Review: Poor Things
I recently attended a screening of the new 4k restoration of Black God, White Devil (1964), directed by Glauber Rocha, a seminal film of Brazil’s Cinema Novo movement. As the credits rolled, I sat dumbfounded in my own ignorance of not only this particular cinematic movement, but Brazilian film history and culture. Since watching the … Continue reading Black God, White Devil (1964) and the Cinema Novo Movement
Jean Brooks as Jacqueline in The Seventh Victim (photo via RKO) The Seventh Victim follows Mary (played by Kim Hunter) as she leaves boarding school to search for her missing sister and guardian Jacqueline (played by Jean Brooks). As she searches, she descends into a dark world of murder and devil worship until she finds … Continue reading The Seventh Victim (1943) and the Lesbian Monster
Mary Pickford in Fanchon the Cricket (1915) Fanchon the Cricket (1915) was directed by James Kirkwood, co-written by Frances Marion, and stars Mary Pickford as Fanchon, one of her many famous "waif" characters. The story is based on the "adult fairy tale" novel of the same name by George Sand, a constroversial yet popular French … Continue reading REVIEW: Fanchon the Cricket (1915)
Dear readers (all three of you), today's post is a little different. Last night I heard that director Joan Micklin Silver passed away and decided to write up something to honor her work. Silver died on December 31, 2020 at the age of 85. She directed seven theatrical release feature films and about nine more … Continue reading The Films of Joan Micklin Silver (1935-2020)
Almost every year TCM programs That's Entertainment! I, II and III around midnight on New Year's Eve. I didn't think much of it before. This year, however, unable to celebrate with friends aside from some lovely dogs, I marathoned all three into the wee small hours of January 1st and left the third one on … Continue reading That’s Entertainment!
Today is Dorothy Arzner's birthday (b. 1897 - d. 1979). It's been 124 years since she was born in San Francisco, CA. I had a whole other post queued up for my third day of blogging, but left it in the drafts for now. Instead, I want to discuss one of the most interesting filmmakers … Continue reading Dorothy Arzner: A Celebration
Every year at least one line of gossip or another circulates the internet and shakes the classic Hollywood community, inciting outrage in some die hard fans. For example, I remember a particular set of tweets going around a while back about Joan Crawford and Marilyn Monroe, suggesting (a little too explicitly) that they may have … Continue reading A Case for Speculation in Classic Hollywood
Welcome to the Celluloid Menace! My name is Janet and I hope to use this space to share my film writing, particularly related to classic film. I have been a life long film fan, from the time my mother sat me down to watch the Shirley Temple VHS set as a toddler to this day … Continue reading A Short Introduction
Celluloid Menace 