• Robert Frank – Pull My Daisy (1959)

    1951-1960ArthouseExperimentalRobert FrankUSA

    Quote:
    From Wikipedia: Pull My Daisy (1959) is a short film that typifies the Beat Generation. Directed by Robert Frank and Alfred Leslie, Daisy was adapted by Jack Kerouac from the third act of a never-completed stage play entitled Beat Generation. Kerouac also provided improvised narration. It starred Allen Ginsberg, Gregory Corso, Larry Rivers, Peter Orlovsky, David Amram, Richard Bellamy, Alice Neel, Sally Gross, Delphine Seyrig and Pablo Frank, Robert Frank’s then-young son.Read More »

  • Alf Sjöberg – Barabbas (1953)

    Drama1951-1960Alf SjöbergSweden

    The story about the thief who didn’t get crucified because Jesus was chosen to take his place.

    This is the final cut, shown on Swedish TV for the very first time this Easter.Read More »

  • Zhao Liang – Petition (2009)

    2001-2010ChinaDocumentaryZhao Liang

    Synopsis
    Petition Village is located behind Beijing’s South Railway Station. The inhabitants of this shantytown have come from all over China and they all share a single objective: reparation from the Chinese state. Qi’s husband, for example, died after a routine medical checkup and was immediately cremated. Qi wants to get to the bottom of the matter, but the local authorities in her village refuse to respond. And that is why she and her daughter have been camping for the last 10 years in Petition Village.Read More »

  • Keisuke Kinoshita – Karumen kokyo ni kaeru AKA Carmen Comes Home [+extras] (1951)

    1951-1960ComedyDramaJapanKeisuke Kinoshita

    Quote:
    A light-heartedly humorous take on post-war female emancipation, Carmen Comes Home is a fairly typical offering from Shochiku, a studio renowned at the time for its conservative output specialising predominantly in comedies and domestic dramas based firmly within the framework of the traditional Japanese family structure. Produced at a time when the company’s fortunes were still riding high, to celebrate their 30th anniversary studio head Shiro Kido (himself the subject of a retrospective at the Nederlands Filmmuseum in 1994) allowed director Keisuke Kinoshita to direct this light and breezy comedy drama in Fujicolor, and thus Japan’s first ever colour motion picture came to be made.Read More »

  • Samba Gadjigo & Jason Silverman – Sembene! (2015)

    2011-2020African CinemaDocumentaryJason SilvermanSamba GadjigoSenegal

    Quote:
    In 1952, Ousmane Sembene, a dockworker and fifth-grade dropout from Senegal, began dreaming an impossible dream: to become the storyteller for a new Africa. SEMBENE! tells the unbelievable true story of the father of African cinema, the self- taught novelist and filmmaker who fought, against enormous odds, a 50-year battle to return African stories to Africans. SEMBENE! is told through the experiences of the man who knew him best, colleague and biographer Samba Gadjigo, using rare archival footage and more than 100 hours of exclusive materials. A true-life epic, SEMBENE! follows an ordinary man who transforms himself into a fearless spokesperson for the marginalized, becoming a hero to millions. After a startling fall from grace, can Sembene reinvent himself once more?Read More »

  • Alf Sjöberg – Karin Månsdotter (1954)

    1951-1960Alf SjöbergDramaSweden

    After failing to arrange a marriage with Elizabeth Tudor of England, king Erik XIV of Sweden needs a wife and children to secure his throne, fast. He falls in love with Karin Månsdotter, a very beautiful young girl, but of lowborn stock. The King’s secretary sees a chance to secure the good opinion of the populace, to act as a counterweight to the rich noblemen who always seek more influence. A marriage is made, but the king is not fully at his wits at a time when it is most needed…Read More »

  • Fred F. Sears – Escape from San Quentin (1957)

    1951-1960CrimeDramaFred F. SearsUSA

    Plot:
    Singing star Johnny Desmond (Calypso Heat Wave, China Doll) goes dramatic in this Sam Katzman production. Desmond plays convict Mike Gilbert, who goes on the lam with fellow prisoners Gruber (Richard Devon, The Undead) and Graham (Roy Engel, Rogue River) when he finds out his wife is divorcing him and feels he has nothing to lose. While hiding from the law, Gilbert falls in love with Robbie (Merry Anders, Tickle Me, The Quick Gun), his ex-wife’s sister. Through Robbie’s influence, Gilbert decides to go straight, but his cohorts aren’t quite so willing to reform. Like most Sam Katzman productions of the era, this was loosely based on a true story. Directed by Fred F. Sears and featuring an original score by Laurindo Almeida. Newly remastered. From Warner Brothers Website!Read More »

  • Ewald André Dupont & Lewis Seiler – Hell’s Kitchen (1939)

    1931-1940ClassicsDramaEwald André DupontLewis SeilerUSA

    Plot:
    Hell’s Kitchen gives the reform school potboiler The Mayor of Hell the full Dead End treatment and brings a tyro Ronald Reagan along for the ride.Read More »

  • Edward F. Cline – Go Chase Yourself (1938)

    1931-1940ComedyCrimeEdward F. ClineUSA

    Plot:
    THE LUCILLE BALL RKO COMEDY COLLECTION VOL. 1
    Long before she was crowned the queen of TV, Lucille Ball reigned as the “Queen of the Bs” for RKO Pictures, appearing in over 43 films in under a decade. Although she had yet to find her niche, Lucy’s prodigious talents, grace and charm as a performer found her much in demand across a wide variety of movies. This collection brings together three rarely seen cinematic treasures from Lucy’s RKO days, giving modern audiences a chance to witness a star on the rise. 3 Films on 2 DVDs.Read More »

Back to top button