Who knew that Josef von Sternberg had a heart? His critical reputation—elevated to legendary status thanks to his 1930s collaborations with Marlene Dietrich—was founded on a sensual visual sensibility that, when given free rein, veered into decadent fetishism. When people discuss von Sternberg’s … [Read more...] about The Docks of New York
DJ Spooky Mixes It Up for Body and Soul
This interview was published in conjunction with the screening of Body and Soul at SFSFF 2017 As DJ Spooky (That Subliminal Kid), Paul D. Miller has been a trailblazer in the realms of hip hop and trip hop and a master of the remix. He’s also a philosopher, teacher, historian, science fiction … [Read more...] about DJ Spooky Mixes It Up for Body and Soul
The Divine Decadence of Lya de Putti
This feature was published in conjunction with the screening of Varieté at SFSFF 2016 Photos of actress Lya de Putti from the 1920s show a smoldering beauty with heavy-lidded eyes, bee-stung Clara Bow lips, and a severe black Louise Brooks bob. She rarely smiles. In one full-length portrait, … [Read more...] about The Divine Decadence of Lya de Putti
The Dinosaur Wars: Willis O’Brien, Herbert M. Dawley, and the Articulated Effigy
This feature was published in conjunction with the screening of The Lost World at SFSFF 2017 In the annals of film history, Willis O’Brien is considered a visionary in the field of stop-motion animation, most famous for his state-of-the-art monsters in 1933’s King Kong. His experimentation with … [Read more...] about The Dinosaur Wars: Willis O’Brien, Herbert M. Dawley, and the Articulated Effigy
Different from the Others
Divisions always appear sharper in an election year, and this has been one for the history books. Among other stress points, the politicized atmosphere underlined how gay rights have found increasing popular (as well as legal) progressive embrace on the one hand, and ever-more-vehement conservative … [Read more...] about Different from the Others
Diary of a Lost Girl
“At the Eden Hotel, where I lived in Berlin,” recalled Louise Brooks in her memoir Lulu in Hollywood, “the café bar was lined with the higher-priced trollops. The economy girls walked the street outside. On the corner stood the girls in boots, advertising flagellation. Actors’ agents pimped for the … [Read more...] about Diary of a Lost Girl
Destiny
It’s estimated there were 525,000 war widows in Germany the year before Fritz Lang made Destiny (Der müde Tod) in 1921. In each of those households there was an empty place at the dinner table, just as there were hundreds of thousands of empty places in the homes of parents, siblings, and lovers. … [Read more...] about Destiny
Demonic Visions: When Silents Go to the Devil
This feature was published in conjunction with the screening of L'Inferno at SFSFF 2019 From rollicking adventures to cinematic sermons, silent film portrayals of Hell and Satan sizzle with innovation, dark spectacle, and insight into the shadowy side of human nature. MERRY FROLICS OF … [Read more...] about Demonic Visions: When Silents Go to the Devil