Archive 546

July 19, 2023

Max Schreck on a brick wall, Nosferatu in Eureka Springs, Arkansas - and another image of the brick wall.

Quick Review: Mandalay – 1934

This pre-code drama about being a "hostess" or "cafe girl" in Rangoon and the dream of escaping to the cool, green hills of Mandalay up the river.

Two reviews of the film:

Kay Francis in Mandalay - 1934

Longer review of Mandalay – 1934

The Crisis at TCM

Article about what it means that TCM's role in film culture (and American culture) has come under threat? - Next Avenue.org

Director William Friedkin has died

"American director behind two of the great film cult classics of the 1970s: The French Connection and The Exorcist" – UK The Guardian -"Like Robert Altman and Sidney Lumet, Friedkin had come to cinema through TV and documentary, but made a vital contribution to the American new wave. His double-whammy in the first half of the 1970s, The French Connection (1971) and The Exorcist (1973), met with critical acclaim and a level of box-office success that elevated them into pop-culture phenomena... His finest hour was arguably the 1985 cop-and-counterfeiters thriller To Live and Die in LA..."

"...a Craftsman of Cold Fury Who Left His Mark (and the Devil’s) on the Culture" – MSN Variety

"Linda Blair wrote that William Friedkin 'changed my life forever' when he cast her as Regan MacNeil" – People Magazine

"Friedkin won the Oscar for best director for French Connection in 1972" – MSN CNN

"Francis Ford Coppola Remembers William Friedkin: "Billy’s Work Represents True Milestones In Cinema"" – MSN Deadline Hollywood

Review: Roman Holiday - 1953

An overprotected royal princess, portrayed by Audrey Hepburn, sneaks away from her handlers for an unaccompanied stroll around Rome. Unfortunately, they had administered a strong sedative to her before she left, leading her to later fall asleep on a ledge above a sidewalk in a dimly lit street. Along comes an expatriate American reporter, played by Gregory Peck, who decides he cannot simply leave the young woman sleeping unattended on the sidewalk.

More Roman Holiday 1953

Review: The Last Thing He Told Me - 2023

A seven episode TV miniseries about family mysteries and the bonds of loyalty, affection, and vindictive hatred.

More The Last Thing He Told Me - 2023

Olive Films is no more

Olive Films extends our sincere gratitude to all of our customers and fans over the years. We are no longer adding titles or selling any of our products, but we are proud of the many films and TV shows we released, covering nearly every genre and taste from as far back as 1915. We hope these releases continue to be a treasured part of your collection for many years to come.

Olive Films was the source for a number of titles that could not be found anywhere else, such as a Bluray HD of William Powell's Mr Peabody's Mermaid, they also had excellent disks of Orson Welles MacBeth, the Groucho Marx/Carmen Miranda Copacabana, and a lot of others – Link to search Olive Film titles still available through Amazon.

The Madonna's Secret - 1946

Models are turning up dead while working for a certain artist with a troubled past, and the sister of one of the slain women is determined to bring the killer to justice.

More about The Madonna's Secret, 1946

Gorilla At Large - 1953

Gorilla At Large, 1953 - Raymond Burr and Anne Bancroft

An already troubled carnival sees their problems multiply as backstage rivalries and mysteries are brought out into the open, meanwhile, there's a problem about the star gorilla... more about Gorilla at Large, 1953

"How profit-driven turmoil at Turner Classic Movies placed a vast cultural heritage at risk" – Los Angeles Times

Ten years ago, I felt that we were in kind of a golden age of appreciation of film classics and appreciation. ... Now it seems to be falling apart."

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