USA

From Amos Vogel’s Film as a Subversive Art:
The explosions at Hiroshima and Nagasaki and their aftereffects are among the most widely photographed and most thoroughly suppressed events in history. While hundreds of thousands of feet were shot by scientific, military, and medical personnel, most of this material remains secreted in official archives. Significantly, this first official record (released only on a restricted basis) is confined to structural damage, and completely omits visual evidence of human casualties. The initially routine interview with a survivor (a Jesuit priest, also described in John Hersey’s book) becomes a horrifying reliving of the event when he recounts the actual bombing.Read More »

Plot Synopsis by Hal Erickson
Julie is most enjoyable if one doesn’t take it too seriously. Doris Day plays Julie Benton, whose off-the-coop musician husband Lyle Benton (Louis Jourdan) confesses that he in fact killed Julie’s first husband. She immediately recognizes that he is so possessive of her that he would sooner rub her out than lose her altogether, and leaves Lyle, seeking protection under the wing of a country club acquaintance, Cliff Henderson (Barry Sullivan).Read More »

Leaving small town life in her dust, Adele (Vanessa Ray) moves wide eyed to New York City, and her best friend Sara (Megan Guinan) stuck in their hometown. Separate for the first time in their lives, the film charts new relationships with boys, girls and eccentric old ladies (Adam Driver, Isabelle McNally, and Lynn Cohen). Beautiful music sequences capture fleeting emotions as their lives move in unexpected directions. “Not Waving But Drowning” is paired with “The Most Girl Part of You” a dark, but sweet short film. This piece stars newcomers Lili Reinhart and Ryan Munzert and is also directed by Devyn Waitt. “The Most Girl Part of You” is based on a short story of the same name by acclaimed author Amy HempelRead More »

In this chronicle of a vaudeville family, Myrtle McKinley (class of 1900) goes to San Francisco to attend business school, but ends up in a chorus line. Soon, star Frank Burt notices her talent, hires her for a “two-act”, then marries her. Incidents of the marriage and the growing pains of eldest daughter Miriam are followed, interspersed with nostalgic musical numbers.Read More »

“[On BLESS THEIR LITTLE HEARTS] Some people have said, “But, oh, it’s not a black film. It’s a film about the working class.” Good — the working class is a universal class. It’s a bigger social identity than the particulars. That’s the kind of politics we hope that people can realize.”
Billy WoodberryRead More »

A family saga in which three sons of a Bavarian widow go to war for Germany and the fourth goes to America, Germany’s eventual opponent. One of John Ford’s most important silent films, made very much under the influence of his Fox studio mate, F.W. Murnau.Read More »

Anthropology professor, Dr. Prell, has invited his class to a remote cabin in the mountains to research the mythical Abominable Snowman. Soon after they arrive, strange events begin to befall the students, including sightings of a huge, white, furry creature. When several members of the group go missing, only to be discovered dead; their bodies horribly mangled, fears mount that the legendary monster is very real and out for blood…but is everything as simple as it appears?Read More »

From the DVD back cover:
‘All My Babies’ (1952) was selected in 2002 by the Librarian of Congress as a “culturally, historically, and artistically significant work” for permanent preservation in the National Film Registry.

This beautiful film is the story of “Miss Mary” Coley, an African-American midwife more than half a century ago in rural Georgia. Conceived as a demonstration film for illiterate “granny” midwives, its production sponsored by the Georgia Department of Public Health, ‘All My Babies’ quickly transcended its initial purpose. It was used around the world by UNESCO and has become an enduring classic of non-fiction film.Read More »

Charlton Heston stars as Harry Steele, an American treasure hunter moonlighting as a tour guide in the jungles of Peru. He is on a quest to discover the Sunburst, an ancient Incan treasure that has the power to build and destroy civilizations.

Shot on location at Machu Picchu in Peru, the film is often credited as the inspiration for Raiders of the Lost Ark.Read More »