Tag Archives: American cinema

Fritz Lang brings Émile Zola to screen (film: Human Desire – Fritz Lang, 1954)

‘Human Desire‘, made in 1954, is one of the few screen adaptations of Émile Zola’s novel ‘La Bête humaine’ and one of about 15 films made by Fritz Lang between 1950 and 1950, in the final, American phase of his … Continue reading →

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Planet Earth survives another disaster (film: Greenland – Ric Roman Waugh, 2020)

The global catastrophe that was the COVID-19 pandemic influenced the path to viewers of hundreds or thousands of cinematographic productions. One of them was ‘Greenland‘, the 2020 film by American director Ric Roman Waugh, known mostly for action thrillers. ‘Greenland‘ … Continue reading →

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in the shadow of Spielberg (film: Armageddon Time – JamesGray, 2022)

Director James Gray has a diverse filmography, in which films from very different genres are represented. I confess that I have not been excited by any of his films so far. Among his previous films, the ones that I found … Continue reading →

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vertigo at the peak (film: Vertigo – Alfred Hitchcock, 1958)

‘Vertigo‘, made in 1958, seems today, at the first viewing or at a re-watch, like a cinema lesson left by Alfred Hitchcock to the directors who would come after him. It is a complex story (inspired by a French novel … Continue reading →

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a remake that does not disapoint (film: M – Joseph Losey, 1951)

The history of remakes is full of failures. In 99% of cases the opinions of critics and viewers consider that remakes do not live up to the original films. When it comes to American productions that take ideas and stories … Continue reading →

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a rollercoaster made of gold (film: Gold – Stephen Gaghan, 2016)

‘Gold‘, the 2016 film by director Steven Gaghan, has as its main character a kind of American anti-hero. The character is derived from the stories of social and economic ascents (‘rags to riches’) that embody the American dream in cinematography. … Continue reading →

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intense, disturbing and confusing (film: The Whale – Darren Aronofsky, 2022)

I was looking forward to watching ‘The Whale‘, the last of 2022’s major Oscar-winning films that I hadn’t seen. Darren Aronofsky is a director who never ceases to amaze me. His feature debut with ‘Pi’ and films like ‘Black Swan’ … Continue reading →

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the fascination of the camera (film: The Fabelmans – Steven Spielberg, 2022)

Hollywood likes to make movies about Hollywood. Several of the great directors (including Spielberg’s friends and collaborators Truffaut and George Lucas) have made autobiographical films inspired by their own childhood and adolescence. In ‘The Fabelmans‘ (2022), Steven Spielberg combines the … Continue reading →

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political and romantic escapism (film: Long Shot – John Irvine, 2019)

Romantic comedy and high politics have already met many times in American films. Americans (and not just Americans) are fascinated by the White House. The Oval Office is probably the most filmed and recreated room in the history of American … Continue reading →

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back to the 40s (film: Farewell, My Lovely – Dick Richards, 1975)

The biography of Dick Richards, the director of ‘Farewell, My Lovely‘ (1975) is an enigma to me. This screen adaptation (the second, the first had been made in 1944) of one of Raymond Chandler‘s novels with private detective Phil Marlowe … Continue reading →

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