Christopher Saunders

LATEST ARTICLES ( 659 )

• Raifuku Maru: From Tragedy to Myth

  

  Those familiar with maritime lore will certainly recall the Raifuku Maru, one of the more colorful victims of the Bermuda Triangle. Read more

  Posted on 05 April 2017 ENTERTAINMENT, MOVIES

• The Shooting Party (1985)

  

  "My fellow murderers are rather hot-blooded." Alan Bridges' The Shooting Party (1985) belongs to a familiar school of drama, examining the faults and foibles... Read more

  Posted on 04 April 2017 ENTERTAINMENT, MOVIES

• Eagle in a Cage

  

  "Anyone can make use of a friend. The trick is to use one's enemies."Eagle in a Cage (1972) began life as a 1960s television play starring Trevor Howard, only t... Read more

  Posted on 03 April 2017 ENTERTAINMENT, MOVIES

• Sir Henry at Rawlinson End

  

  "I never met a man I didn't mutilate!"You won't easily find a stranger movie than Sir Henry at Rawlinson End (1980). Vivian Henshall's radio... Read more

  Posted on 03 April 2017 ENTERTAINMENT, MOVIES

• The Masque of the Red Death (1964)

  

  "Why should you be afraid to die? Your soul has been dead for a long time." Beneath Roger Corman's B Movie hucksterism lie a genuinely talented filmmaker;... Read more

  Posted on 28 March 2017 ENTERTAINMENT, MOVIES

• The Criminal

  

  Joseph Losey's The Criminal (1960) hybridizes two complementary genres: the heist film and the prison drama. It's an exemplary work, anchored by the memorable... Read more

  Posted on 27 March 2017 ENTERTAINMENT, MOVIES

• Time Without Pity

  

  (1957) marked Joseph Losey's second British film, having fled America due to the blacklist. It's a remarkable race-against-time thriller, anchored by Michael... Read more

  Posted on 24 March 2017 ENTERTAINMENT, MOVIES

• Little Caesar

  

  "Mother of Mercy, is this the end of Rico?"More than any other movie, Little Caesar (1931) codified the gangster movie. Mervyn LeRoy's feature inspired a millio... Read more

  Posted on 23 March 2017 ENTERTAINMENT, MOVIES

• The Romantic Englishwoman

  

  We return to the ever-maddening Joseph Losey, whose oeuvre is brilliant and terrible in equal measure. The Romantic Englishwoman (1975) showcases all of his... Read more

  Posted on 21 March 2017 ENTERTAINMENT, MOVIES

• Klute

  

  "Don't feel bad about losing your virtue... Everybody always does." In her early work, Jane Fonda seemed little more than ditzy showbiz offspring, suited to... Read more

  Posted on 20 March 2017 ENTERTAINMENT, MOVIES

• A Doll's House (1973, Joseph Losey)

  

  Henrik Ibsen's A Doll's House must have seemed timely in 1973, as two film versions appeared almost simultaneously. Patrick Garland's adaptation starring... Read more

  Posted on 20 March 2017 ENTERTAINMENT, MOVIES

• Book Review: The Eastern Front, 1914-1917 (1975, Norman Stone)

  

  Stone, Norman. The Eastern Front, 1914-1917. eBook edition, London: Penguin, 2008. 427 pp. Originally published by London: Penguin, 1975. Read more

  Posted on 18 March 2017 ENTERTAINMENT, MOVIES

• Accident

  

  Like all of Joseph Losey's films, Accident (1967) is bold and unconventional. Fortunately, it lands on the positive side of that erratic filmmaker's ledger. Read more

  Posted on 17 March 2017 ENTERTAINMENT, MOVIES

• The Garden of the Finzi-Continis

  

  "In order to really understand the world, you must die at least once."Over time, Vittorio de Sica drifted from his neorealist roots, gravitating towards broad... Read more

  Posted on 16 March 2017 ENTERTAINMENT, MOVIES

• Mourning Becomes Electra

  

  (1947) was a colossal boondoggle for RKO, netting Oscar nominations for stars Rosalind Russell and Michael Redgrave but nonexistent box office. Read more

  Posted on 15 March 2017 ENTERTAINMENT, MOVIES

• The Rise and Fall of Legs Diamond

  

  "The bullet hasn't been made that can kill me!"Budd Boetticher repurposes his efficient Western formula for the gangster movie with The Rise and Fall of Legs... Read more

  Posted on 14 March 2017 ENTERTAINMENT, MOVIES

• Logan

  

  Hugh Jackman's played Wolverine in assorted X-Men adventures for seventeen years. The role's served Jackman well for money and name recognition, but rarely... Read more

  Posted on 13 March 2017 ENTERTAINMENT, MOVIES

• Book Review: Ring of Steel: Germany and Austria-Hungary in World War I (2014,...

  

  Watson, Alexander. Ring of Steel: Germany and Austria-Hungary in World War I. London: Allen Lane, 2014. 788 pp. For all the recent outpouring of World War I... Read more

  Posted on 11 March 2017 ENTERTAINMENT, MOVIES

• Harper

  

  "The bottom is loaded with nice people, Albert. Only cream and bastards rise." Harper (1966) updates the detective film to the Sixties. Read more

  Posted on 11 March 2017 ENTERTAINMENT, MOVIES

• The Unvanquished

  

  Long before his association with the National Front and other far-right causes, Alain Delon played a sympathetic right-wing terrorist. The Unvanquished (1964)... Read more

  Posted on 08 March 2017 ENTERTAINMENT, MOVIES