It appears that early ‘adult’ cinema included a genre that can only be referred to as ‘Undressing Porn’. But porn isn’t an accurate word in this case because the examples of this genre that I’m finding don’t really go much beyond the outer layer of undergarments. Perhaps it was a
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vb2U9wMtzcM Here’s a frustrating but fascinating reel highlighting a number of suggestive and alternative interactions between people from what one-hundred years later came to be known as the LGBTQ community. Aside from referencing some footage from pioneering German sexologistt Magnus Hirshfields scandalous 1927 ‘Laws Of Love’-an early ‘informational’ film on
From the moment the camera was invented, the desire to photograph erotica of any and all sorts came into being. Pornography in cinema goes back to the turn of the century and while much of the film is lost (but documented orally, so to speak) certain specimens survive that cannot
My interest this past week in period movie sword fights–we didn’t venture any further than 1940– was triggered (yes, I said triggered) by TCM’s showing of “Captain Blood” last weekend. So it’s only befitting that we end with he sword fight that kicked off this madness to begin with. Once
Here’s the wonderful climactic sword fight from the 1938 ‘Adventures oF Robin Hood’ starring Errol Flynn. This is something special as it really is two fights in one–a mass sword fight that breaks off into a private dual between Flynn and (who else?) Basil Rathbone. Hijinks ensue, of course, but
Yesterday I posted the sword fight from the 1920 version of ‘The Mark Of Zorro’ starring Douglas Fairbanks. Today I’ve jumped up twenty years to show you the same fight as staged by director Rouben Mamoulian in his 1940 remake. In this version, Tyrone Power faces down Basil Rathbone, who
Continuing this little survey of sword fights in movies that we began yesterday, I thought it might put things in context to look at what is generally considered the first great sword fight in movie history–Douglas Fairbanks Jr. in ‘The Mark Of Zorro’ (1920). There probably were sword fights in
This weekend TCM aired ‘Captain Blood’, Michael Curitz’s terrifically entertaining 1935 Errol Flynn star vehicle–it was Flynn’s first major role and shot him to stardom–which kicked off a wave of ‘swashbucklers’ that lasted well through the 1950s. The sword fight between Flynn and Basil Rathbone is effective but relatively modest,
As this week drifts on, we’re gradually getting away from my initial theme which was period football games captured on film. (This may well be a relief to some of you). Today we fall off the map completely with a terrific production number from the 1947 MGM remake of ‘Good
One of the biggest hits of the 1927 Broadway season was ‘Good News’, a musical that was the quintessential 20s rah-rah football celebration. As an artifact, the 1930 film adaptation is priceless due largely to the poor quality of the filmmaking. As you’ll see above in the show’s most famous