Posts by: David English

David English

October 28, 2019April 29, 2020

A Rousing Good Time

Classic Films

Captain Blood (1935) is the first of three exceptional swashbuckling films from an unlikely trio: director Michael Curtiz, composer Erich Wolfgang Korngold, and actor Errol Flynn. While the other two ... Read more

October 13, 2019April 29, 2020

One of Us

Classic Films

One of the more unusual Hollywood studio films from the 1930s is Tod Browning’s Freaks (1932). It’s often dismissed as an exploitation film or a cheap attempt at sensationalism. In ... Read more

September 27, 2019April 29, 2020

A Film of Episodes

Classic Films

The 39 Steps (1935) is one of Hitchcock’s most accomplished early films. It’s also the movie that caught the eye of Hollywood, and the rest — as they say — ... Read more

August 26, 2019April 29, 2020

An Eye for Detail

Classic Films

Ask any film archivist what would be a great find, and you’ll probably hear the words, “the complete Greed.” Greed (1924) was voted one of the twelve best films of ... Read more

July 5, 2019April 29, 2020

Watch the Skies

Classic Films

Just who was responsible for The Thing from Another World (1951)? If you look at the credits, you can see it was directed by Christian Nyby. But if you ask ... Read more

June 1, 2019April 29, 2020

Better Than Kane?

Classic Films

Is Ambersons better than Kane? If you’re talking about the first part of the film, then the answer is yes. The problem with The Magnificent Ambersons (1942), which Orson Welles ... Read more

May 8, 2019April 29, 2020

Living on the Edge

Classic Films

Only Angels Have Wings (1939) is one of Howard Hawks’ best and most personal films. Hawks was a master of taking on the conventions of a genre and adding deeper ... Read more

April 23, 2019April 29, 2020

No Fighting

Classic Films

It’s hard to write about Stanley Kubrick’s Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964) without resorting to superlatives. It’s the best comedy of ... Read more

April 2, 2019April 29, 2020

Inspired Lunacy

Classic Films

I had a difficult time compiling my Top 20 Screwball Comedies list. The biggest challenge was where to put Bringing Up Baby (1938). In the end, I gave it the ... Read more

March 13, 2019April 21, 2020

Bloom: 10 Worlds

Tech Notes

This is a demo of the second world from the Bloom: 10 Worlds music app. It’s a universal app that’s available for both the iPhone and iPad. In the demo, ... Read more

March 10, 2019April 29, 2020

Best Movie Musical

Classic Films

Is there anyone into classic films who doesn’t like Singin’ in the Rain (1952)? Given that 19-year-old Debbie Reynolds had never danced before, and the script had to be written ... Read more

February 5, 2019April 29, 2020

Silly Little Irish Story

Classic Films

One of John Ford’s most popular films — The Quiet Man (1952) — almost didn’t happen. According to Jordan R. Young’s book John Ford’s The Quiet Man, Ford first tried ... Read more

January 21, 2019April 29, 2020

Best Film Ever Made?

Classic Films

If you’re going to write about classic films, you have to stick your neck out — and take the chance others will stick their tongues out in response. OK, here ... Read more

December 29, 2018April 29, 2020

Same Only Different

Classic Films

The Awful Truth (1937) is one of the least appreciated of the top screwball comedies, in part because director Leo McCarey isn’t as well known as directors Frank Capra, George ... Read more

October 4, 2018April 29, 2020

The Forgotten Man

Classic Films

While the screwball comedy is a byproduct of the Great Depression, not every screwball comedy reflects the era head-on. My Man Godfrey (1936) is both a spoof of — and ... Read more