Month: February, 2009
Sun 22 Feb 2009
The Fallen Idol
Category: Janus Challenge
5 Comments
Director: Carol Reed
Country: UK
Year: 1948
BACKGROUND
Carol Reed, director of today’s Janus delicacy, was born in 1906 and died in 1976. Interestingly, in light of the subject of today’s film, Reed was the offspring of an illicit affair between the impresario Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree (Oh my sweet lord how I love that name) and his mistress, [...]
Sun 15 Feb 2009
Brief Encounter
Category: Janus Challenge
5 Comments
Director: David Lean
Country: United Kingdom
Year: 1945
“My notion is that cinema was invented for Brief Encounter.”Dan Talbot, founder of New Yorker Films
“There is not a breath of fresh air in it!”Pauline Kael, in her review of Brief Encounter
BACKGROUND
Lots to say about this week’s film, but I want to get this out of the way first… If [...]
Sun 8 Feb 2009
Black Orpheus
Category: Janus Challenge
3 Comments
Director: Marcel Camus
Country: France/Brazil/Italy
Year: 1959
BACKGROUND
First, let’s get this out of the way: No, Marcel Camus did not write The Stranger. That was Albert (no relation, apparently). In fact, if you placed The Stranger at one end of the “depressing/not depressing” spectrum (at the “depressing” end, for those of you who weren’t forced to read it [...]
Sun 1 Feb 2009
Beauty and the Beast
Category: Janus Challenge
5 Comments
Director: Jean Cocteau
Country: France
Year: 1946
BACKGROUND
“To enclose the collected works of Cocteau one would neednot a bookshelf, but a warehouse…”
W.H. Auden
Interesting facts about Jean Cocteau:
Father was a lawyer and amateur painter who committed suicide when Jean was 9
Left home at the age of 15
Published his first book of poetry (Aladdin’s Lamp) when he was 19
Was nicknamed [...]
