HeyJaredThe Classic Film Experience
A discussion about what has made cinema great through exploring the history of key elements - picture palaces, movie posters and the production houses
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The catalysts for American film censorship (opens the original)
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There were a number of scandals that drove societal outrage with the American film industry, which in turn led to a censorship regime that became known as the Hays Code. It changed subsequent films and filmmaking in a number of ways, in some ways for the better and in others for the worse.The first of those scandals was the death of Virginia Rappe and subsequent trial of Roscoe ‘Fatty’ Arbuckle. I’ve written about this previously and have reprinted that post below to kick off this short series o
Three select films from Milestone, von Stroheim and Browning (opens the original)
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When considering the three directors I’ve featured over the past month, they are usually associated with far better known films than the ones I’ll be showcasing here. For Lewis Milestone his best known films include: All Quiet on the Western Front, The Front Page, Rain, Of Mice and Men, and The Strange Love of Martha Ivers. All great films and all worth checking out.But I’ve chosen one of Milestone’s more obscure films… Two Arabian Knights. While Milestone was skilled across a number of genres,
Despite his transparency Tod Browning was still misjudged (opens the original)
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In many ways Tod Browning was a known entity… his films being clearly influenced by his experiences as a carnival sideshow and circus entertainer. He had a long track record of making quite disturbing films with some referring to him as “the Edgar Allan Poe of cinema.” It came as no surprise to many that Dracula was a great commercial success that turned Bela Lugosi into a major star. But for some reason many were both surprised and revolted by his film Freaks, a film that was subsequently butch
Erich von Stroheim... masterful madman. (opens the original)
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The mid 1920’s was a time seemingly made for madmen to flourish in the American film industry. The roaring twenties were in full swing and people from all walks of life were piling money into the stock-market believing the good times would last forever. Studio bosses with vertically integrated businesses that controlled the means of film production, distribution and exhibition were making money hand over fist. And for film directors with a track record for making pictures that unleashed these ri
Lewis Milestone was more than anything... Under-appreciated (opens the original)
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There have been few more remarkable directors than Lewis Milestone, for the way he made his way in the film industry, for the innovations he brought and for the brilliant films he made. His reputation is perhaps not as strong as it should be because he was predominantly a studio employee who for most of his career was reluctant to say no to whatever project he was offered.Born into a wealthy Jewish family in what was Russia but is located in modern day Moldova, Leib Milstein showed an early inte
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