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oldenglishpoetry · 3 years

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HITCHCOCKPALOOZA #4 #alfredhitchcock #hitchcock #hitchcockfilms #films #hitchcockpalooza #thriller #movies #drama #romantic #silentfilms #talkiefilms #earlycinema #classiccinema #blackandwhitefilms #robertburks #cinematography #greatmoviedirectors #filmdirectors #downhill #thelodger #astoryofthelondonfog #ivornovello #greatfilms . The Lodger: A Story of the London Fog (1927): I watched this film last year, but it hasn’t diminished in my mind at all. Hitchcock clearly loved it, as he referenced it many times in interviews. It’s got the classic look of a silent film--all the actors purse their lips in that doll-like manner--and the makeup, the furrowed brows. The only detraction there is that I did get the two young male lead roles mixed up. They are very similar in appearance. Is this a narrative trick or just gross incompetence on my perceptive powers? This is sometimes a slow film, but the slow progression towards tragedy keeps you hooked. You think you know what will happen. Ivor Novello is magnetic as the title character. Believing him to be the Jack-the-Ripper from the newspapers, his hosts await the inevitable revelation. Daisy in the meantime, played by June Tripp, falls for him. If you only watch one silent Hitchcock, this is the one you should see. It’s somber but engaging and poetic. . REVIEWS CONTINUE IN COMMENTS 👇 (at Franklin, Tennessee) https://www.instagram.com/p/CJysCgdBGur/?igshid=dzegw8cltlds

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oldenglishpoetry · 3 years

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HITCHCOCKPALOOZA #3 #alfredhitchcock #hitchcock #hitchcockfilms #films #hitchcockpalooza #thriller #movies #drama #romantic #silentfilms #talkiefilms #earlycinema #classiccinema #blackandwhitefilms #robertburks #cinematography #greatmoviedirectors #filmdirectors #secretagent #rope #thefarmerswife #torncurtain #julieandrews #paulnewman #johngielgud #peterlorre #jimmystewart #farleygranger . Secret Agent (1936): This one features a young, very Sherlockian-looking John Gielgud. Peter Lorre plays another secret agent who gets very irritated by Gielgud’s too-goody-Britishism. Most interesting scene: a metal button spinning along the rim of a bowl. The dialogue in this film is quite good, as it is in nearly all the early Hitchcock talkies. Realistic and witty, even the ‘nice’ characters can be punchy. A german grandmother, speaking perfect English herself, asks the American in her group to speak a little German. “Why, your pronunciation is just terrible,” she says sweetly. There are love scenes, but not the horrible melodramatic kind. Hitchcock’s lovers, when they are not sparring, are enjoying each other’s banter in a more congenial manner— as Lorre’s character puts it, “the morning husband and wife exercises.” The rest of the film is not uninteresting when the scenes are about the characters, but the WWI-related plot is quite workaday, and the only point of interest are the war events that glide into that most famous biopic made almost 30 years later, Lawrence of Arabia. This Hitchcock is not one of the great ones, but it has its moments. . REVIEWS CONTINUE IN COMMENTS 👇 (at Franklin, Tennessee) https://www.instagram.com/p/CJtomzWhMzr/?igshid=1wczusrv8tp7j

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oldenglishpoetry · 3 years

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#alfredhitchcock #hitchcock #hitchcockfilms #films #hitchcockpalooza #thriller #movies #drama #romantic #silentfilms #talkiefilms #earlycinema #junoandthepaycock #saboteur #vertigo #richandstrange # foreigncorrespondent #herbertmarshall #joelmccrea #eastofshanghai #jimmystewart #jamesstewart #kimnovak #classiccinema #blackandwhitefilms #robertburks #cinematography #greatmoviedirectors #filmdirectors . Reviews are below and continue in the comments... . Juno and the Paycock (1930): This is an Irish film, and even in 1930 it does what a lot of Irish films do as a family-and-friends drama. It’s based on a play, after all. It’s hard to tell if the acting and the script are exactly good or bad because the characters are so firmly stock. This is not a major film. There are traces of Trouble With Harry, believe it or not, with the proximity of violence to daily life (this is sometimes a gangster/revolutionaries film), trying to put a fun face to death. But Juno’s final scene of genuine emotion, a moment of crisis of faith, elevates it to a stratosphere far above that other, godawful, film. This alone makes it one of Hitchcock’s most powerful, if abrupt, endings. . Saboteur (1942): It hadn’t been that long since Sabotage— six years, but this one shares the same chase-’em-to-the-end breathlessness, updating the previous film with a 39 Steps-esque battle-ax romance, and a finale set atop a national landmark. Secret societies, a circus car, and heartless villains—it’s classic stuff. It may not be his most original plot, but the settings are, the acting is fine, and sometimes the remix is just as good. One of Hitch’s most underrated. . REVIEWS CONTINUE IN THE COMMENTS 👇 (at Franklin, Tennessee) https://www.instagram.com/p/CJnNftUBgYw/?igshid=5bou809hq018

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oldenglishpoetry · 3 years

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Been a while since I've done a regular post of any kind, but believe it or not I've had time to waych a lot of Hitchcock films--over half of his total output. There's a dozen more I want to see, but consider this post a preview for HITCHCOCKPALOOZA here on my account. Let's say, oh, a week after Christmas. . #alfredhitchcock #hitchcock (at Nashville, Tennessee) https://www.instagram.com/p/CIygFhahWF6/?igshid=p342g4m9y9w6

#alfredhitchcock #hitchcock

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oldenglishpoetry · 4 years

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If you enjoy my occasional zips through film review, please check out my newest review on the Fritz Lang horror/thriller Das Testament des Dr. Mabuse. It can be found in the link above in my bio or at www.IlluminationsFantastic.com . #film #filmreview #filmreviews #filmreviewer #movie #movies #moviereview #moviereviews #classicfilm #classicmovies #silentfilm #fritzlang #doctormabuse #drmabuse #dastestamentdesdrmabuse #thetestamentofdrmabuse #fritzlangmovies #fritzlangmetropolis #onlinemagazine #literarymag #literarymagazine #criterioncollection #literarymagazines #literaryjournal #literaryjournals #filmcriticism #horror #thriller #thrillermovie. (at Nashville, Tennessee) https://www.instagram.com/p/CGFz6QBpvyA/?igshid=tzs6hi1eofri

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oldenglishpoetry · 4 years

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My newest story at @illuminationsfantastic . Very grateful for your readership and and comments. . www.illuminationsfantastic.com to read. . #scifi #scifiart #shortstory #authorsofinstagram (at Nashville, Tennessee) https://www.instagram.com/p/CFFhgkFpZRf/?igshid=umiviqbcgivf

#scifi #scifiart #shortstory #authorsofinstagram

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oldenglishpoetry · 4 years

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Issue No5? How did this happen? Almost a year ago this magazine was just an inkling in the monds of myself and @theivorystage . By December we had drawn up plans, but plans can go wayward. By January I was researching and learning about running a website. Suddenly, everything was very real, with colleagues willing to contribute--and just as importantly, willing to mill through the editing and revision process. There's more ahead, goodness knows, but the first five seems an occasion to celebrate. . Visit the website linked in the bio, and enjoy the stories, poems, and essays by Crystal Hurd, Stephanie Stahlman, Terry K. Jones, Sam Stephens, Nathan Gilmore, and Philip J. Palacios. . www.IlluminationsFantastic.com . Artwork by Christian J. Moore. Check out the rest of her amazing work linked on the website on the "Authors" page. . #Robots #ScienceFiction #SciFi #ShortStories #Fiction #NewFiction2020 #authorsofinstagram #insta #scifi #futuristic #scifiart #announcement #newmagazine #magazine #literarymag #literarymagazine #literaryjournal #onlinemagazine #writing #authors #editing #nonfiction #essays #karelcapek #rur #rossumsuniversalrobots #fritzlang #metropolis #robotsentience #robot . (at Nashville, Tennessee) https://www.instagram.com/p/CEw62eSpAOB/?igshid=dkjkclopxndo

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oldenglishpoetry · 4 years

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3 Movies. . The Sweet Smell of Success (1957). Burt Lancaster again, and again weirdly protective of his sister--and Tony Curtis of Tony from West Side Story fame. It's not a lovable movie, but it was quite good. It's similar to Citizen Kane in that it's about a powerful newspaper man, a columnist, who throws his weight around and wants to get rid of the guy his sister is dating. If the movie had anyone other than the guy who plays this Steve Dallas character, I probably would have tired of the movie mid-way, brilliant dialogue or not. His no-nonsense goodness cuts through the gibberish of Lancaster and Curtis's utterly vile characters. The movie ends with comeuppance for them, and freedom for the couple. It feels like an odd movie until you read about the real life story's it's based on, which the movie imitates closely. One of the weird early signals the movie gives you is that Tony Curtis's character did something "really dirty" for Lancaster's Hunsecker before the movie starts. That and comments from various side characters who comment on his eyelashes and movie star looks. Subtle back then? Or was the film revenge-rumoring against Walter Winchell, the real life Hunsecker? I guess weed was the Worst Drug in this era, because that's what they plant on Steve to get him arrested/beat up. One of Ebert's Great Movies. . The Barefoot Contessa (1954) is Bogart and Ava Gardner vehicle. It is also an odd movie. It swerves around the Witty Dialogue route, although it's good--but this is not a banter movie, purely. It's about a Spanish dancer who gets swept up by Hollywood and made an international success. The movie is very focused on how other characters perceive and treat Maria, so much so that when we "meet" her character at the beginning two scenes, we don't see her at all, only people reacting to her. It's a femme fatale where the fatale is not her doing, but those around her whom she trusts. She meets this Italian Count, and the movie gets quite odd here. It seems to me that the story wants to be Daphne du Maurier, with secrets everywhere. Anyways, she marries the count. Fairy tale wedding (Continues in comments)... (at Nashville, Tennessee) https://www.instagram.com/p/CBoF-c-p2lF/?igshid=iipxqku90zr7

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oldenglishpoetry · 4 years

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Was also able to pick up a copy of @jordanmposs 's novel No Snakes In Iceland recently. Have some other reading to dutifully get to first, but this is on the list! The premise is great. #novels #literature #bookstagram #bookstagrammer (at Franklin, Tennessee) https://www.instagram.com/p/CBbGj4LpnYN/?igshid=tou7cfkbxnfs

#novels #literature #bookstagram #bookstagrammer

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oldenglishpoetry · 4 years

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Found this gem at a Goodwill the other week. #geraldofwales #johnjomeara #topographyofireland #medieval #literature (at Franklin, Tennessee) https://www.instagram.com/p/CBbGOLipfgm/?igshid=c59j0ddl7akf

#geraldofwales #johnjomeara #topographyofireland #medieval #literature

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oldenglishpoetry · 4 years

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Picked this up the other day when one of our local used bookstores opened back up. Excellent copy. Going through it I was surprised how much I'd read of his poetry, years back during my Dr Johnson kick. Not. A Great Poet, but he does have his sound and he can be surprisingly songful. #drjohnson #drsamueljohnson #poetry (at Franklin, Tennessee) https://www.instagram.com/p/CAImn46JGwV/?igshid=a29g87sn11yw

#drjohnson #drsamueljohnson #poetry

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oldenglishpoetry · 4 years

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Two by John Huston. The African Queen is a rewatch. What's remarkable is how full of life the movie is at the beginning, with the missionary work and the dreadful heat that is so communicated throughout. The boat journey is delightful. Huston really could get so much out of just two characters (great actors, of course) who talk and make plans. One of Huston's very best, and justly counted among the great films. . The Unforgiven, from 1960, unfortunately is the opposite. It starts out okay, but we are soon enmeshed in a windswept soap opera of unbelievably oversaturated emotions and overwrought motives. It concerns two families about to intermarry - but Lancaster, the oldest brother, is reluctant to let Hepburn (his sister) marry. He drinks moonshine every time he makes a hard decision. There's a mysterious horseman about who knows a family secret. Shenanigans happen, the horseman is hanged, uttering the terrible secret. It's a dramatic moment, but next we see Lancaster and his family trying to drown out the Indian flutes playing across the fields by playing their piano outside. It's one of the silliest scenes I've ever seen in a "serious" film. I could not help but laugh at this MST3K- worthy movie. I rejoiced to find out that Huston hated it. . #johnhuston #theafricanqueen #theunforgiven #humphreybogart #katharinehepburn #audreyhepburn #burtlancaster #films #movies #filmreview #filmreviews #moviereview #movieclassics (at Nashville, Tennessee) https://www.instagram.com/p/CAHcZcCpI5L/?igshid=ad702pjv6knn

#johnhuston #theafricanqueen #theunforgiven #humphreybogart #katharinehepburn #audreyhepburn #burtlancaster #films #movies #filmreview #filmreviews #moviereview #movieclassics

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oldenglishpoetry · 4 years

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Cover Art for "Soul Focus" a horror story by Philip J. Palacios. May 2 release for Issue 2 of @illuminationsfantastic (at Nashville, Tennessee) https://www.instagram.com/p/B_NSyQ2p0Bs/?igshid=1kng2out8zvny

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oldenglishpoetry · 4 years

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A Soldier's Prayer. (at Franklin, Tennessee) https://www.instagram.com/p/B_J-7U7pkPl/?igshid=kejpkrnc66ad

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oldenglishpoetry · 4 years

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With 7 out of 8 of the premiere articles in the baking oven, it's high time I revealed this project. This is local writers (colleagues) coming together, putting our best foot forward in a variety of styles and genres. The first issue is April next year, with one issue planned for each month through December. The format will be a website with special layout (that's the plan) as well as digital magazines for download. After that, we'll see how things stand. Really honored to be editing the works of fellow writers, and can't wait to launch! You can follow us on IG @illuminationsfantastic #nashvillewriters #literarymagazine #writersofinstagram #essays #sciencefiction #fantasy #cosmichorror #poetry #writing (at Nashville, Tennessee) https://www.instagram.com/p/B6B3cxgpNy-/?igshid=1axrhgajgeokx

#nashvillewriters #literarymagazine #writersofinstagram #essays #sciencefiction #fantasy #cosmichorror #poetry #writing

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oldenglishpoetry · 4 years

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The Passion of Joan of Arc (1928) & The Maltese Falcon (1943) . My re-watch of John Huston’s The Maltest Falcon (1941) was my fourth viewing, and each time I see the movie I have a different reaction. In 2002 I liked it, but it was all flash and style and made me feel smart. In 2010 all that had washed away and the pool was too shallow to drink from. In 2014 the film had improved significantly, and I delighted in its breathless filmmaking. Some of that stayed with me on this most recent outing, as I was struck by just how personal a film it must have been for director John Huston and his career, since he also wrote the script. This time it was fun to imagine Huston working behind the camera, like a Christopher Nolan, hard at work putting all the pieces together. Bogart skips around with a devlish smile on his face, playing the fiendish characters against each other in the journey to discover who killed his partner (the henchman play by Elisha Cook Jr was a surprisingly well written part for a “small” role). It’s fun, stylish, a classic for a reason, but nowhere close to the depths of greater classics like Casablanca and Treasure of the Sierra Madre. . The Passion of Joan of Arc (1928) is one of the very greatest films ever made, coming from someone who thinks Citizen Kane is way up there. But Joan is much, much greater than Kane, delivering heightened spiritual emotions frame-to-frame. I defer further discussion of it to the essay inside the Criterion Collection DVD’s booklet. What’s to be said is better said there than here. The film’s recent-ish soundtrack (1995) is a modern oratorio called “Voices of Light” by Richard Einhorn. Its libretto is compiled expertly from a who’s-who of Medieval women mystics. The music is inspired, an absolute masterpiece which transforms and uplifts its subject even higher, and it works on its own as a Great Musical Work. This was my second viewing of the film. . #films #movies #themaltesefalcon #thepassionofjoanofarc #johnhuston #carltheodordreyer #reneefalconetti #humphreybogart #moviereview (at Nashville) https://www.instagram.com/p/B5oWfHmpf3b/?igshid=3budqppwsfpo

#films #movies #themaltesefalcon #thepassionofjoanofarc #johnhuston #carltheodordreyer #reneefalconetti #humphreybogart #moviereview

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oldenglishpoetry · 4 years

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Happy Thanksgiving! #thanksgiving #starwars (at Nashville) https://www.instagram.com/p/B5auf7dp56L/?igshid=1x5lahkv6wekd

#thanksgiving #starwars

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