The cream of German Expressionist filmmaking of the 1920s is increasingly accessible to modern audiences. The curated restoration of F.W. Murnau’s expressionist masterpiece is a beauty — we finally can experience the film in its full original form.
The Last Laugh
Blu-ray
Kino Lorber Kino Classics
1924 / B&W / 1:37 flat full frame / 90 min. / Der letze mann / Street Date November 14, 2017 / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95 Starring: Emil Jannings, Georg John.
Cinematography: Karl Freund
Film Editor: Elfi Böttrich
Production Design: Edgar G. Ulmer
Original Music: Giuseppe Becce
Written by Carl Mayer
Produced by Erich Pommer
Directed by F. W. Murnau
Back in the early 1970s film school professors had limited resources. They lectured, assigned readings from a short list of authoritative film scholars and screened 16mm prints of renowned world classics. The only problem is that it was often difficult to correlate the classics described in the texts with the ragged film prints available.
The Last Laugh
Blu-ray
Kino Lorber Kino Classics
1924 / B&W / 1:37 flat full frame / 90 min. / Der letze mann / Street Date November 14, 2017 / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95 Starring: Emil Jannings, Georg John.
Cinematography: Karl Freund
Film Editor: Elfi Böttrich
Production Design: Edgar G. Ulmer
Original Music: Giuseppe Becce
Written by Carl Mayer
Produced by Erich Pommer
Directed by F. W. Murnau
Back in the early 1970s film school professors had limited resources. They lectured, assigned readings from a short list of authoritative film scholars and screened 16mm prints of renowned world classics. The only problem is that it was often difficult to correlate the classics described in the texts with the ragged film prints available.
- 11/14/2017
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
On 22 August, Eureka! Entertainment is releasing Early Murnau: Five Films, 1921-1925 on its Masters of Cinema label in the UK. As its name might suggest, the deluxe three-disc Blu-ray set includes five masterpieces from German director F.W. Murnau - Schloß Vogelöd, Phantom, Die Finanzen des Großherzogs (The Grand Duke’s Finances), Der Letzte Mann (The Last Laugh) and Tartuffe - all arriving on Blu-ray in new high definition transfers for the very first time. As if that wasn’t reason enough to pick up this set, the supplements have now been revealed to further whet your appetite: New high-definition presentations of all five films, created by the Friedrich-Wilhelm-Murnau-Stiftung Uncompressed Pcm audio on all five scores Original German-language intertitles with newly translated optional English-language subtitles on...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
- 6/18/2016
- Screen Anarchy
On 22 August, Eureka! Entertainment is releasing Early Murnau: Five Films, 1921-1925 on its Masters of Cinema label in the UK. As its name might suggest, the deluxe three-disc Blu-ray set includes five masterpieces from German director F.W. Murnau - Schloß Vogelöd, Phantom, Die Finanzen des Großherzogs (The Grand Duke’s Finances), Der Letzte Mann (The Last Laugh) and Tartuffe - all arriving on Blu-ray in new high definition transfers for the very first time. As if that wasn’t reason enough to pick up this set, the supplements have now been revealed to further whet your appetite: New high-definition presentations of all five films, created by the Friedrich-Wilhelm-Murnau-Stiftung Uncompressed Pcm audio on all five scores Original German-language intertitles with newly translated optional English-language subtitles on...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
- 6/18/2016
- Screen Anarchy
The latest release of Lon Chaney's most famous silent classic is a Blu-ray, which allows us to marvel at at the actor's artistry in a beautifully tinted HD image. Erik the Phantom is one of the two or three greatest fantasy makeup performances of all time. The release has three separate encodings, of different versions running at different film speeds. A 1929 recut has the best image, while the original 1925 version is uncut. The Phantom of the Opera Blu-ray Kino Classics / Blackhawk 1925/29 / B&W with tints and Technicolor sequences / 1:37 flat Silent Aperture / 78, 92 and 114 min. / Street Date October 13, 2015 / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95 Starring Lon Chaney, Mary Philbin, Norman Kerry, Arthur Edmund Carewe, Gibson Gowland, John St. Polis, Snitz Edwards. Cinematography Milton Bridenbecker, Virgil Miller, Charles Van Enger Consulting Artist Ben Carré Film Editors Maurice Pivar, Gilmore Walker Original Music Makeup Lon Chaney Written by Elliott J. Clawson from the novel...
- 9/29/2015
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari
Directed by Robert Wiene
Written by Carl Mayer and Hans Janowitz
Germany, 1920
In the period of Germany’s Weimar Republic, a unique and volatile pre- and post-war era within a window of less than 20 years, the German people were experiencing a torrent of new ideological, social, and political shifts. What was once traditional and normal was giving way to the modern and unusual. What was typically viewed as quintessentially German was now being inundated by outside influences, by strange and foreign people and their imported cultural baggage. Whether or not these elements were as directly and obviously portrayed in movies as some like Siegfreid Kracauer and Lotte Eisner would argue (quite convincingly in many ways), there can be little doubt that film was influenced to one degree or another by this state of the German populous. The times were surely changing, and in no film...
Directed by Robert Wiene
Written by Carl Mayer and Hans Janowitz
Germany, 1920
In the period of Germany’s Weimar Republic, a unique and volatile pre- and post-war era within a window of less than 20 years, the German people were experiencing a torrent of new ideological, social, and political shifts. What was once traditional and normal was giving way to the modern and unusual. What was typically viewed as quintessentially German was now being inundated by outside influences, by strange and foreign people and their imported cultural baggage. Whether or not these elements were as directly and obviously portrayed in movies as some like Siegfreid Kracauer and Lotte Eisner would argue (quite convincingly in many ways), there can be little doubt that film was influenced to one degree or another by this state of the German populous. The times were surely changing, and in no film...
- 11/22/2014
- by Jeremy Carr
- SoundOnSight
Looking for what's new on Netflix streaming for October 2014? You've come to the right place.
We've rounded up the best TV shows and movies arriving soon. So take some time to peruse this list, and maybe block off a weekend or two so you can binge-watch Season 5 of "The Vampire Diaries" or something.
Here's a much larger rundown of what subscribers can expect in September, courtesy of Netflix. All title dates are subject to change.
Available October 1
"Annie" (1982)
Based on the Depression-era comic strip "Little Orphan Annie," this adaptation of the smash Broadway musical follows America's favorite urchin (Aileen Quinn) as she captures Daddy Warbucks' (Albert Finney) heart with her unquenchable optimism. In the meantime, Annie must try to dodge the treacherous head of the orphanage (Carol Burnett). Directed by John Huston, Annie features the hit song "Tomorrow."
"Annie: A Royal Adventure" (1995)
Annie, the charming orphan with a head full of red curls,...
We've rounded up the best TV shows and movies arriving soon. So take some time to peruse this list, and maybe block off a weekend or two so you can binge-watch Season 5 of "The Vampire Diaries" or something.
Here's a much larger rundown of what subscribers can expect in September, courtesy of Netflix. All title dates are subject to change.
Available October 1
"Annie" (1982)
Based on the Depression-era comic strip "Little Orphan Annie," this adaptation of the smash Broadway musical follows America's favorite urchin (Aileen Quinn) as she captures Daddy Warbucks' (Albert Finney) heart with her unquenchable optimism. In the meantime, Annie must try to dodge the treacherous head of the orphanage (Carol Burnett). Directed by John Huston, Annie features the hit song "Tomorrow."
"Annie: A Royal Adventure" (1995)
Annie, the charming orphan with a head full of red curls,...
- 9/25/2014
- by Tim Hayne
- Moviefone
Looking up at the stars in the night sky might lead a horror fan to think of movies like Alien, Lifeforce, or even Night of the Creeps, but the UK studio Dorothy is placing fright films like Nosferatu, The Exorcist, and The Texas Chain Saw Massacre into their own artificial starry space with the release of a sky map filled with constellations formed by the titles and stars of 135 classic horror films.
Available from the UK for £25 as the regular edition or for £125 in the limited edition glow-in-the-dark version (limited to only 170 copies), the Horror Star Chart is composed of 135 horror films (and a few TV shows) that are either preserved in the Us National Film Registry or are personal favorites of the creators at Dorothy. The names of the horror movies and their stars have been arranged in an identical fashion to what the night sky looked like over...
Available from the UK for £25 as the regular edition or for £125 in the limited edition glow-in-the-dark version (limited to only 170 copies), the Horror Star Chart is composed of 135 horror films (and a few TV shows) that are either preserved in the Us National Film Registry or are personal favorites of the creators at Dorothy. The names of the horror movies and their stars have been arranged in an identical fashion to what the night sky looked like over...
- 7/12/2014
- by Derek Anderson
- DailyDead
Here at Dread Central we're big fans of horror-inspired artwork, which talented fans have for the last few years been doing an absolutely bang-up job at delivering. Today a highly unique piece of art has come to our attention, which we guarantee you is like nothing you've ever hung up on your bedroom wall in the past!
This week The Dorothy Collective has released what they're referring to as a "Horror Star Chart," mapping 135 classic and influential horror films and honoring the men and women who brought them to life. I'll allow the website to explain...
A two-color litho print, the Horror Star Chart is based on the night sky over Berlin Zoological Gardens on 4th March, 1922 during the premier of F.W. Murnau’s silent vampire film Nosferatu, which is recognised as a masterpiece of cinema, inspiring film makers and directors for generations to come (including Hitchcock).
The star chart...
This week The Dorothy Collective has released what they're referring to as a "Horror Star Chart," mapping 135 classic and influential horror films and honoring the men and women who brought them to life. I'll allow the website to explain...
A two-color litho print, the Horror Star Chart is based on the night sky over Berlin Zoological Gardens on 4th March, 1922 during the premier of F.W. Murnau’s silent vampire film Nosferatu, which is recognised as a masterpiece of cinema, inspiring film makers and directors for generations to come (including Hitchcock).
The star chart...
- 7/7/2014
- by John Squires
- DreadCentral.com
Sunrise
Scenario by Carl Mayer, from an original theme by Hermann Sudermann
Directed by F.W. Murnau
USA, 1927
William Fox had seen Faust, Nosferatu, and The Last Laugh, and on the basis of these German masterworks, he brought their creator, F.W. Murnau, to Hollywood. What he got was a truly distinct cinematic vision, which was what he had in mind: something to set a few Fox features apart from the other studios’ output. What he probably didn’t expect was just how much of that “artsy” European touch he was going to get with Murnau on contract. Were American audiences going to go for this type of movie, with its symbolism, melodious structure, and overtly self-conscious style? At any rate, Murnau’s first picture at Fox was one to remember. Sunrise, from 1927, is one of the greatest of all films. It is a touching, beautiful, and artistically accomplished movie, one of the best ever made,...
Scenario by Carl Mayer, from an original theme by Hermann Sudermann
Directed by F.W. Murnau
USA, 1927
William Fox had seen Faust, Nosferatu, and The Last Laugh, and on the basis of these German masterworks, he brought their creator, F.W. Murnau, to Hollywood. What he got was a truly distinct cinematic vision, which was what he had in mind: something to set a few Fox features apart from the other studios’ output. What he probably didn’t expect was just how much of that “artsy” European touch he was going to get with Murnau on contract. Were American audiences going to go for this type of movie, with its symbolism, melodious structure, and overtly self-conscious style? At any rate, Murnau’s first picture at Fox was one to remember. Sunrise, from 1927, is one of the greatest of all films. It is a touching, beautiful, and artistically accomplished movie, one of the best ever made,...
- 1/17/2014
- by Jeremy Carr
- SoundOnSight
The hit sound film The Jazz Singer (1927), starring Al Jolson and directed by Alan Crosland, fueled the mainstream appetite for newfangled "talkies"... and brought on the death throes of the ol' fashioned silent film. Over the next few years, silent motion picture production around the world slowed, withered, and died. Before this era came to a close, however, the horror genre took root, clawed its way into mainstream popularity, and spawned a wealth of atmospheric and unsettling thrillers. These films built the foundation upon which a century of horror movies would be constructed. The art of film was still in its infancy, and this silent era of experimentation gave rise to some of the most striking and fascinating horror movies ever made. While Germany would soon rise to dominate horror of the silent era, Italy helped get the ball rolling with their first feature length film, Dante's Inferno (1911), directed by Giuseppe de Liguoro.
- 7/4/2013
- by Eric Stanze
- FEARnet
Hitting its 8th year, the annual South African HorrorFest film festival is coming up quickly (it runs 24 Oct-2 Nov), and the full lineup and event schedule have been announced. It's one of the biggest we've ever seen!
From the Press Release:
Creeping its way towards lighting up Halloween season, the ever-expanding South African Horrorfest celebrates its 8th anniversary in Cape Town. But this expansion has reached Gauteng, with the HorrorFest hitting Johannesburg for the first time (26-31 Oct) at The Bioscope (286 Fox Street) with a selection of killer flicks that featured across the HorrorFest history (from vampires and zombies to monsters and madmen, a documentary, and short films).
This all-encompassing event embraces all aspects of horror/chiller entertainment, its serious and lighter sides. This year the theme is Frankenstein!
M O V I E S
A great range of movies from around the world are lined up. 27 slots include brand...
From the Press Release:
Creeping its way towards lighting up Halloween season, the ever-expanding South African Horrorfest celebrates its 8th anniversary in Cape Town. But this expansion has reached Gauteng, with the HorrorFest hitting Johannesburg for the first time (26-31 Oct) at The Bioscope (286 Fox Street) with a selection of killer flicks that featured across the HorrorFest history (from vampires and zombies to monsters and madmen, a documentary, and short films).
This all-encompassing event embraces all aspects of horror/chiller entertainment, its serious and lighter sides. This year the theme is Frankenstein!
M O V I E S
A great range of movies from around the world are lined up. 27 slots include brand...
- 10/13/2012
- by Uncle Creepy
- DreadCentral.com
This week’s Must Read is an excellent profile of one of Bad Lit’s favorite fimmakers Usama Alshaibi, written by Ed M. Koziarski for the Chicago Reader. The article really captures Alshaibi’s growth as a film artist and his unique background that eventually led him to make the still-in-production documentary American Arab. Plus, a radio interview with Alshaibi for Wjjg. Second Must Read is Electric Sheep’s long, engaging interview with Peter Whitehead, who returns to film with Terrorism Considered as One of the Fine Arts. Plus, the Sheep analyzes the new non-political U.S. war film genre. At long last, the great experimental media journal Incite! returns with its always insightful “back & forth” interview series. This time Penny Lane has tea and a very long and insightful chat with political animator Jacqueline Goss. Well, this is still relevant today and in the U.S.: Landscape Suicide...
- 8/8/2010
- by Mike Everleth
- Underground Film Journal
Few filmmakers — past or present, alive or dead — can boast a filmography as vast and as varied as that of Werner Herzog. Acclaimed as a filmmaker, famed as an eccentric personality and veted as one of cinema’s true artists, Herzog is truly a singular voice in film.
This past Saturday, the Egyptian Theatre was the fortunate host to guest Werner Herzog, as he presented a double feature of two of his more popular films, 1979’s Nosferatu, The Vampyre (known as Nosferatu, Phantom Der Nacht, or Nosferatu, Phantom of the Night in its native Germany) along with 1987’s Cobra Verde.
Readers of FM likely need no introduction to either Nosferatu or its titular character. Herzog’s film is of course a remake of the 1922 silent classic directed by F.W. Murnau and starring Max Schreck as cinema’s first classic vampire. An unauthorized adaptation of Bram Stoker’s immortal Dracula (published...
This past Saturday, the Egyptian Theatre was the fortunate host to guest Werner Herzog, as he presented a double feature of two of his more popular films, 1979’s Nosferatu, The Vampyre (known as Nosferatu, Phantom Der Nacht, or Nosferatu, Phantom of the Night in its native Germany) along with 1987’s Cobra Verde.
Readers of FM likely need no introduction to either Nosferatu or its titular character. Herzog’s film is of course a remake of the 1922 silent classic directed by F.W. Murnau and starring Max Schreck as cinema’s first classic vampire. An unauthorized adaptation of Bram Stoker’s immortal Dracula (published...
- 3/22/2010
- by Jesse
- FamousMonsters of Filmland
By George D. Allen
Recently, I wrote an article for the Movies Unlimited home blog, MovieFanFare, offering my quickly selected picks for 10 “desert island” movies, those films which, were I forced to choose, I felt (in those moments writing the article, anyway) I would be carting along with me to enjoy during my eternal vacation/banishment on said remote locale.
Now, monsterfans, wipe those memories of Stephen King’s gruesome short story “Survivor Type” from your mind and assume all of your other creature comforts are as normal as they could possibly be (so that you don’t have to worry about minor concerns like hacking off your own body parts for food!), and pick those 10 masterworks of the horror genre you’re going to be forced to live with for the rest of your days. I completed my own “Rorschach test” in this regard below. It was tough. I...
Recently, I wrote an article for the Movies Unlimited home blog, MovieFanFare, offering my quickly selected picks for 10 “desert island” movies, those films which, were I forced to choose, I felt (in those moments writing the article, anyway) I would be carting along with me to enjoy during my eternal vacation/banishment on said remote locale.
Now, monsterfans, wipe those memories of Stephen King’s gruesome short story “Survivor Type” from your mind and assume all of your other creature comforts are as normal as they could possibly be (so that you don’t have to worry about minor concerns like hacking off your own body parts for food!), and pick those 10 masterworks of the horror genre you’re going to be forced to live with for the rest of your days. I completed my own “Rorschach test” in this regard below. It was tough. I...
- 3/1/2010
- by Movies Unlimited
- FamousMonsters of Filmland
Marking the fourth in an ongoing series of film festivals exploring Hollywood’s portrayal of different racial groups, Turner Classic Movies (TCM) will turn its spotlight on the cinematic depiction of Latinos. Throughout the month of May, TCM’s “Race and Hollywood: Latino Images In Film” will showcase 40 films, past and present, that show the progression of how Latino characters and culture are depicted in cinema. Joining TCM’s Robert Osborne in hosting the festival will be UCLA professor Chon Noriega, author of Shot in America: Television, the State, and the Rise of Chicano Cinema.
“As has been shown in our past ‘Race and Hollywood’ editions, the way in which Hollywood depicts different cultural groups can have a tremendous impact on how those groups are viewed in society as a whole,” said Charles Tabesh, senior vice president of programming for TCM. “We’re proud that TCM has the library and...
“As has been shown in our past ‘Race and Hollywood’ editions, the way in which Hollywood depicts different cultural groups can have a tremendous impact on how those groups are viewed in society as a whole,” said Charles Tabesh, senior vice president of programming for TCM. “We’re proud that TCM has the library and...
- 4/15/2009
- by Michael Guillen
- Screen Anarchy
Jeff Favreproduction: A Beautiful View, Son of Semele Theatre; Robots vs. Fake Robots, Powerhouse Theatre; Shipwrecked! An Entertainment, Geffen Playhouse.Playwriting: David Largman Murray, Robots vs. Fake Robots.Direction: Don Boughton, A Beautiful View; John Doyle, Sweeney Todd, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street, Center Theatre Group, Ahmanson Theatre; Tiger Reel, Cartoon, Art/Works Theatre; Elise Robertson, The Women, Circus Theatricals.Music Direction: Sarah Travis, Sweeney Todd, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street. Scenic Design: Simon Higlett, The School of Night, Center Theatre Group, Mark Taper Forum; Christine Jones, Spring Awakening, Center Theatre Group, Ahmanson Theatre; Anthony Ward, My Fair Lady, Center Theatre Group, Ahmanson Theatre.Lighting Design: Russell H. Champa, The School of Night; Richard Jones, Sweeney Todd, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street.Costume Design: Anthony Ward, My Fair Lady.Sound Design: Dan Moses Schreier, Sweeney Todd, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street.Perfomance In A (Primarily) Straight Play:Gregory Itzin,...
- 3/11/2009
- backstage.com
By Matt Singer
We're getting into the Halloween spirit at IFC.com this week by taking a look back at some famous movie makeup jobs (that are, at minimum, 25 years old) that have maintained their power to scare the bejeezus out of viewers. These kids today with their computer generated imagery and their Blu-rays and their "Saw V"s! Back in our day, we didn't have computers to do our imagination's dirty work for us. Visionary artists had only prosthetics, wire, plaster, rubber and a whole lot of Karo syrup to bring their creations to life! Back in our day, these were the movies you rented on Halloween! At the video store! As far as we're concerned, they still should be. And don't you dare teepee our Web site or we're calling the cops. [Part one of our list can be found here.]
5. Videodrome (1983)
Directed by David Cronenberg
Special Makeup Effects by Rick Baker
To the best of my knowledge,...
We're getting into the Halloween spirit at IFC.com this week by taking a look back at some famous movie makeup jobs (that are, at minimum, 25 years old) that have maintained their power to scare the bejeezus out of viewers. These kids today with their computer generated imagery and their Blu-rays and their "Saw V"s! Back in our day, we didn't have computers to do our imagination's dirty work for us. Visionary artists had only prosthetics, wire, plaster, rubber and a whole lot of Karo syrup to bring their creations to life! Back in our day, these were the movies you rented on Halloween! At the video store! As far as we're concerned, they still should be. And don't you dare teepee our Web site or we're calling the cops. [Part one of our list can be found here.]
5. Videodrome (1983)
Directed by David Cronenberg
Special Makeup Effects by Rick Baker
To the best of my knowledge,...
- 10/30/2008
- by Matt Singer
- ifc.com
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