Here, Argento’s skillful, almost instinctive application of dream logic to the cinematic spectacle is belied by a lacklustre and pedestrian approach. This thematic sequel to his excellent Suspiria (1977) is so similar to its predecessor that it pales by comparison. This film fails where the … Read More →
Tag Archives: abstract
Lemora: A Child’s Tale of the Supernatural (1973; dir. Richard Blackburn)
This film bears comparison with the similar Let’s Scare Jessica to Death (1971; dir. John D. Hancock), but has stylistic parallels with a number of European films in the horror genre at the time, notably Les lèvres rouges (1971; dir. Harry Kümel) and Operazione paura (1966; … Read More →
The Sender (1982; dir. Roger Christian)
Somewhere inside this antiseptic and neutered thriller, there’s a full-blooded horror film lurking in the shadows, but helmer Christian, responsible for production design on films like Mahler (1974; dir. Ken Russell) or Alien (1979; dir. Ridley Scott), is more interested in staging flashy and obvious nightmare … Read More →
All This Time (2009; dir. Kris N.)
This unassuming, zero-budgeted feature, made without recourse to emotive editing techniques or complicated special effects sequences, and totally without egotistical pretense, is possibly one of the finest films made in the past ten years – it certainly ranks alongside La commune (Paris, 1871) (200o; dir. … Read More →
Providence (1977; dir. Alain Resnais)
Released just before commercial cinema began its descent into adolescent sensationalism, Resnais’ masterpiece of meaning, time and truth garnered numerous awards and recognition throughout Europe, but is summarily ignored by modern film theorists and practitioners. By presenting the narrative process as egotistical and damaging, Resnais … Read More →
La dama rossa uccide sette volte (1972; dir. Emilio Miraglia)
A confused and roughly edited murder mystery, this Italian giallo seems to be a victim of its own devices, unnecessarily cluttering its narrative with badly explained character detail. But unlike Suspiria (1976; dir. Dario Argento) or Reazione a catena (1971; dir. Mario Bava), this confusion … Read More →
Art as Cinema: a metaphor
A metaphor for modern cinema can be formed from analogues in the world of painting. It divides films into three unconnected groups. A very small, select number of films can be paralleled by the work of the great masters, in that they are governed by … Read More →
Lisa e il diavolo (1974; dir. Mario Bava)
Cinema is necrophilia. The act of desiring now aged or decayed faces, trapped by the illusion of action that seems to exist in the present tense, but were in fact created and forgotten years ago. The sepulchral nature Bava’s masterpiece encapsulates the sentiment precisely: the … Read More →
A Prize of Arms (1962; dir. Cliff Owen)
This tense, nervous film succeeds in creating a threatening, silent world where its main protagonists are watched, suspected and hindered in their attempts to steal a lucrative payroll from within the confines of an army base. Lead and held together by the indomitable yet fragile … Read More →
Gli orrori del castello di Norimberga (1972; dir. Mario Bava)
This is one of Bava’s less personal works but it still manages to convey his understanding of the cinematic spectacle, which informs a number of effective if visceral sequences. The atmosphere of horror and mistrust that Bava weaves around the throwaway, forgettable surface narrative, drives … Read More →
Doctor Who: The Curse of Fenric (1989; dir. Nicholas Mallet)
Supposedly Doctor Who is the UK’s longest running science fiction programme, but in reality its forty-odd-year run can be split into two separate and nearly contradictory versions: the original 1963-89 series and the re-envisaged, watered-down version that has been a flagship show for the BBC … Read More →
Utazás az alföldön (1995; dir. Béla Tarr)
Hungarian Béla Tarr is one of a handful of filmmakers who, in the past twenty years, have consistently challenged the antiquated practices and misguided theories of readily accepted film-making ideas. His films only came to prominence in the West during the late 1990s, and he … Read More →