Tag Archives: Billy Wilder

A Modern Deluge of Jewish Movie Stars

Back in the day, the glorious days of Hollywood, especially the 1930s and 1940s, Jewish characters were kept at a minimum and stereotyped as immigrants. Hollywood was the greatest Protestant plastic art form – ironically – built and created by Jews … Continue reading

Posted in Essays, Film | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 13 Comments

New Column: Shades Of Grey

Barbara Stanwyck and Fred MacMurray in Billy Wilder’s Double Indemnity (1944). You could call me a film noir junkie, but you’d be wrong.  Sure, I’ve seen a few, and read a bit about what makes them work, but the simple … Continue reading

Posted in Film, film studies, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Five Film Favorites: Courtroom Trials

Although most legal problems are solved in routine ways that wouldn’t serve as fodder for an interesting movie plot, well-made suspenseful dramas set in the courtroom make for some of the best feature films. The credits usually play out over … Continue reading

Posted in Film, Lists | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Five Film Favorites: Movies About Making Movies

Like many other film buffs I enjoy making lists of movies. In my cinema managing days (Biograph Theatre 1972-83) we used to kill a lot of time between shows putting together such lists and comparing them. We learned then to … Continue reading

Posted in Film, Lists | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment