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The definition of "cinematography" has gotten looser in recent years. Film fans love to praise the way a movie looks -- especially lately, when movies often don't look that great! -- but in certain corners of online film spaces, "great cinematography" has started to mean "you can take a screencap and it'll look cool as a desktop wallpaper." The popular X account One Perfect Shot, for example, even spawned a TV series about cinematography, but for most of its existence, it didn't actually post shots; it posted frames. A "shot" is a length of film between cuts, often involving movement and change. "Cinematography," then, is more than just a succession of aesthetically pleasing frames. It involves all of the decisions that go into how an image is actually captured -- lighting, contrast, movement, and more.

The best directors and cinematographers maintain meticulous control over their images. That becomes especially important in horror films; in here,...

Quick LinksLondon After Midnight is an Iconic But Unremarkable Vampire FilmModern Cinema is Perfect to Reignite the Forgotten Vampire Mystery FilmLondon After Midnight's Legacy Can't Be Ignored

When Robert Egger's Nosferatu hit theaters, it did more than bring a classic horror monster back into the mainstream. It also brought back a love of gothic horror that hadn't been seen since the '90s, as well as a love for all things classic and vampire. Aside from that, Universal's Epic Universe has done something similar with its Universal Monsters-centric Dark Universe. With all that in mind, it's clear that the world is in a state where gothic and vampiric horror have reached a new high and there are even more chances to capitalize on the idea.

It's no secret that the original 1922 Nosferatu was an unauthorized remake of Dracula that was nearly lost to time after every copy was almost destroyed.

Slippery Somnambulist.

After closing out February with discussions of Mitchell Lichtenstein’s vagina dentata-centered horror comedy Teeth (listen) and one of the “good” Amityville franchise entries in Amityville 1992: It’s About Time (listen), we’re taking a look at the oldest film we’ve ever covered in Robert Weine‘s classic silent film The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920)!

In the film, Franzis (Friedrich Feher) and his friend Alan (Hans Heinrich von Twardowski) encounter the crazed Dr. Caligari (Werner Krauss), who has just opened up a sideshow featuring his somnambulist Cesare (Conrad Veidt), a hypnotized man who the doctor claims can see into the future. At the performance, Cesare predicts Alan’s death, and by morning his chilling prophecy has come true — making Cesare the prime suspect. Unfortunately for Franzis, Caligari has set his sights on his fiancé Jane (Lil Dagover) next, and it’s only a matter of time...

Roger Ebert was a film critic with the unique power to convey his passion for film to the masses. His enthusiasm was not blind, however, and he held the oft-maligned horror genre to an especially high standard. This list of the ten best films from Ebert's "Greatest Movies" collection illustrates his understanding of what makes a horror film a masterpiece.

Ebert believed that a horror film should "exorcise" something for the viewer — to help the audience process dark and traumatic feelings. Beginning with the German Expressionist revolution and reaching into the gory excesses of the 1970s and '80s, this wide-ranging list of films showcases the genre at its best. The critic's clear-eyed commentary on each picture will show fans why horror cinema will never die.

German Expressionism Helped Legitimize the Horror Genre The Cabinet of Dr. Caligary (1920), dir. Robert Wiene

Roger Ebert agreed with the common assertion that The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari...

Quick Links Germany, the Original Masters of Horror Why the Greatest German Film Was a Curse The Party Comes to an End

Now in theaters, Robert Eggers' vampire film Nosferatu might be the weirdest Christmas release of all time. Behind the high-brow remake and IMAX presentation lies a rich and complicated history that defined the medium of film, and it's not pretty. Nosferatu marked the rise of the knock-off but, curiously, also announced the arrival of a worthy counterbalance to Hollywood's dominance of cinema. Self-destructing as quickly as it blossomed, the German Expressionist movement haunts filmmakers to this day. The glory days and demoralizing demise is a horror story all its own.

Torn between making personal art and paying the bills, German directors produced several stunning movies in just a dozen years. As with most great art, the bigger the obstacle, the better the final product. They specialized in macabre stories of madness,...

Old Hollywood is associated with glamour and romance, and many of the great classics of the era are still worth watching in the 21st century. Also referred to as the Golden Age of Hollywood, Old Hollywood was classified by the studio system, which signed big-name movie stars and directors to multi-movie contracts. There's some debate over when exactly it ended, but New Hollywood emerged at some point during the 1960s.

Since the apogee of Old Hollywood took place from the 1930s to 1950s, it's only natural that some of the era's greatest movies don't hold up so well today. Modern audiences have different tastes, but there are still plenty of classics which are just as enjoyable. Movies like Casablanca, Bringing Up Baby and North By Northwest have stood the test of time, and they are still being watched by people all over the world.

Casablanca (1942) Bogart And Bergman Are Irresistible...

Roger Ebert was an authoritative voice on all things film and never shied away from letting moviegoers know his opinion. Not only was he one of the critics who helped pave the way for such critical aggregators as Rotten Tomatoes, but he was also the main source for critique on films for decades before critical aggregators existed.

As much as Ebert is known for his infamous thumbs-down for bad movies, he is just as well known for shouting out the best of the best. In 2012, Ebert shared his picks for the best films of all time.

Casablanca Is an Iconic Hero Story With a Romantic Layer 1942

Casablanca Critical Reception

Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score

99%

Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score

95%

IMDb Score

8.5/10

Casablanca follows Rick Blaine, the nightclub owner of the famed nightclub Rick's Caf Amricain. While working during the heart of the Second World War, he's reunited with an old flame and her husband.

Subjective trauma becomes subaltern desire in The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, Robert Wiene’s proto-horror silent classic that’s justly, if mostly, celebrated for its Expressionist, practically vertiginous images. By focusing almost exclusively on its pioneering formalism, the more historical and socially neutral readings of the film, aside from the work of scholars Alexander Doty and Harry Benshoff, have lost sight of its thoroughly embedded queer narrative.

Cesare (Conrad Veidt) is a murderous somnambulist under Dr. Caligari’s (Werner Krauss) control. Cesare is first glimpsed, outside Caligari’s tent at the local carnival, as a life-sized drawing that makes a caricature of Veidt’s slender face, to the extent that his cheeks are exaggeratedly shrunken in, perpetuating an effeminate stereotype indicative of physiognomic depiction. Cesare’s actual face is first glimpsed in close up, eyes closed as he furrows his brow and slightly moves his lips. Once his eyes open,...

It’s baffling just how easy it is to take a good movie for granted after watching it so many times that its success appears to have been inevitable. And while seeing your work become a household name seems like an artist’s greatest achievement, it’s a shame that this process can sometimes overshadow the weird and risky choices that made these projects so unique.

A great example of this is Tim Burton’s Batman duology – two wildly popular films that a lot of people forget were actually deeply strange productions which almost certainly couldn’t have been made today. And in honor of Batman’s 85th Anniversary Event, today I’d like to look back on Burton’s only foray into comic-book adaptations and reevaluate these films as I believe the director always intended: as expressionist monster movies.

It’s no secret that the character of Batman has...

Serial killer movies have always been popular, since they speak to common fears, and the common fascination with the dark side of the human soul. Ever since the dawn of cinema, there have been crime movies. In fact, some of the most influential movies from a century ago deal with serial killers, showing the timeless appeal of these ideas. As movies have evolved over the years, there have always been serial killers on screen, just in different guises.

The changing faces of movie murderers over the years have reflected the filmmaking trends and societal attitudes of the time. Starting in the 1920s, serial killer movies were used as a way to explore the dehumanizing destruction of the First World War. Serial killers were later seen in screwball comedies of the 1940s, gritty detective dramas of the 1990s, and superhero movies of the 2020s. Throughout every period of film history, there...

With all due respect to Bozo and Pennywise, pop culture’s most popular clown is probably Joker, Batman’s archvillain who started making the Caped Crusader’s life hell back in 1940. That’s when the so-called Clown Prince of Crime first appeared in comic books, quickly becoming the Caped Crusader’s top nemesis — and, along the way, the most iconic of all superhero baddies. When Tim Burton hatched his Batman in 1989, the Joker was the villain. The most acclaimed and commercially successful of Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy was The Dark Knight, which featured Heath Ledger’s Oscar-winning performance as the Joker. Jared Leto’s Joker in Suicide Squad was universally loathed — as was the film — but even that movie made bank. And, of course, 2019’s Joker brought in more than a billion dollars worldwide, going on to win Joaquin Phoenix an Oscar. We as a society may be racked with a fear of clowns,...

The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari will be released on 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray on October 22 via Kino Lorber. The 1920 silent horror classic has been meticulously restored in 4K by the F. W. Murnau Foundation.

It includes a new orchestral score by Emmy-winning composer Jeff Beal (House of Cards), along with an orchestral score by Studio for Film Music at the University of Music Freiburg and an electronic score by DJ Spooky, both from 2014.

Special Features include:

Audio commentary by composer Jeff Beal Caligari: How Horror Came to the Cinema Restoration Demonstration

In the film, a demented doctor and a carnival sleepwalker perpetrate a series of ghastly murders in a small community.

The quintessential work of German Expressionist cinema is directed by Robert Wiene and written by Hans Janowitz and Carl Mayer. Werner Krauss, Conrad Veidt, Friedrich Feher, Lil Dagover, Hans Heinrich von Twardowski, and Rudolf Lettinger star.

The post...

The Spy in Black.Michael Powell knew where he was going. From the first day he set foot in a movie studio at nineteen and was put to work sweeping the floor, he had no doubts about his life’s purpose. “I just knew I was a director, and couldn’t understand why people didn’t stand in line to offer me a film,” Powell wrote of his presumptuous younger self. By 1938, he was a rising young filmmaker under contract to producer Alexander Korda, with the prospect of directing the great German star Conrad Veidt in a World War I thriller, The Spy in Black (1939), set against the mist-shrouded cliffs and basalt columns of the Orkney Islands. On reading the original script, however, he found it flat and lackluster, full of the “pleasant British dialogue scenes” he despised. Then, at a story conference arranged by Korda, he listened to a...

Batman's best stories explore his first encounters with iconic villains, like Joker in "The Man Who Laughs" by Brubaker and Mahnke. "White Knight" offers a fresh take on the ethical impact of Batman's actions, with Sean Murphy providing visually stunning storytelling. "No Man's Land" provides a dystopian view of Gotham without a functioning state, showcasing Batman's role as a sheriff-like figure dispensing justice.

For more almost eighty years, Batman has stood as one of the most recognizable and successful comic book characters in the medium. Bruce Wayne has an endless library of adventures ranging from psychological horror to murder mysteries, even captivating fans of the darker side of comics. And that ability is reflected in his best comic stories.

Batman's extensive case files have documented his never-ending war on organized crime, his origin story, and his alliances as he defends his city from violence and chaos. From his Golden Age...

The Joker's origin story remains open to interpretation, with various iconic versions like The Killing Joke and Batman '89. The character's legacy thrives on ambiguity, showcasing his chaos and unpredictability as Batman's ultimate foe. While some prefer a defined origin, the Joker's strength lies in his enigmatic nature, allowing for endless creative exploration.

Since his first appearance in the '40s, the Joker has become Batman's most recognizable and feared villain in comics, movies, and cartoons. With such a long legacy, it is unsurprising that many would try to give the 'Clown Prince of Crime' an origin story. Many of these have gone on to success and accolades, but others have been pushed to the wayside or considered outside the canon. Regardless, this ambiguity has served the character well and has allowed many to tackle the chaotic criminal in their own unique style.

The truth is that the Joker does...

Casablanca remains relevant today with a timeless and powerful story that resonates with modern audiences. The characters in the film are complex and multifaceted, displaying realistic struggles and sacrifices. A technically marvelous film, Casablanca captivates viewers with perfect pacing and a compelling narrative that feels modern.

Casablanca is undoubtedly considered one of the best movies of all time. Released in 1942, the film went on to win three Academy Awards, including Best Director, Best Screenplay, and Best Picture. The film stars Humphrey Bogart as Rick Blaine, an expatriate who runs a nightclub in Casablanca, Morocco. Set during World War II, Rick operates his business under the watchful eye of German forces, who now control the country since they took over France. When Ilsa (Ingrid Bergman), a former love Rick initially met in Paris, happens to walk into his club with her husband Victor Laszlo (Paul Henreid), he is ultimately forced to...

The German Expressionist film "The Man Who Laughs" has entered the public domain. Creators are now free to use elements from "The Man Who Laughs" for their own profit. The Joker's inspiration, Gwynplaine, is a misunderstood hero and tragic figure, different from the Joker's villainous nature.

As 2024 dawns, a range of classic pop culture just entered the public domain, including the character who inspired Batman's nemesis the Joker. While fans are currently celebrating 1928's Steamboat Willie entering public domain and making it possible to create new works with at least an early version of Mickey Mouse, another treasure from the same year also made the leap - the German Expressionist film The Man Who Laughs, and its eerie protagonist Gwynplaine.

While The Man Who Laughs is a well-regarded film (based on Victor Hugo's 1869 movie of the same name), the most lasting element of its legacy is inspiring DC Comics' Joker.

At the end of Alan Moore and Brian Bolland’s 1988 one-shot Batman: The Killing Joke, the Joker lays out his worldview in plain terms. After testing his theory that “one bad day” could make even the most decent person into a madman like himself, the Joker tells his nemesis, “It’s all a joke! Everything anybody ever valued or struggled for… it’s all a monstrous, demented gag!”

Even more than the grisly sights of The Killing Joke—in which the Clown Prince of Crime sets out to prove his theory by brutalizing Batgirl Barbara Gordon and tormenting her father Commissioner Gordon—that line has set the course of Joker stories of the past several decades. Fans and creators alike try to push the Joker to edgier extremes, forgetting how Batman answers when his nemesis asks why he isn’t laughing. “Because I’ve heard it before,” he responds. “And...

In movie history, there are a rare few directors whose style has coined an adjective: Felliniesque, Hitchcockian, Chaplinesque. The modern filmmaker most likely to join that class is Yorgos Lanthimos, the Greek auteur famed for “The Lobster” and “The Favourite,” whose newest, wildest project, “Poor Things,” is his most colorful and phantasmagorical to date.

The look of the film – set in a fairy tale 19th century world unlike any you’ve ever seen – is singular, even if the moniker Lanthimosian doesn’t quite roll off the tongue.

“That’s a really hard word to say,” said cinematographer Robbie Ryan with a laugh. The Irish camera maestro earned an Oscar nomination for “The Favourite,” his previous collaboration with Lanthimos.

“Maybe Lanthimosesque is better – or is it even worse? I do totally agree, though: His filmmaking is signature, for sure. It’s inventive in a way that’s undefinable. I can describe...

Tim Burton loves to make things spooky and morbid, but his favorite holiday might well be Christmas. Look at how many of his films take place during the Yuletide season: "Batman Returns," "Edward Scissorhands," etc. He also conceived of "The Nightmare Before Christmas," which is all about Halloween Town's top ghoul, Jack Skellington (Chris Sarandon), getting Christmas fever. While Burton handed off directing duties of the stop-motion picture to Henry Selick, it's easy to see his fingerprints and why he would empathize with Jack.

David A. Bossert's "Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas Visual Companion" was released this year for the film's 30th anniversary. The book features interviews with the film's crew, from Selick to Art Director Kelly Asbury, where they describe forming the film's distinct visual style — since there were multiple holiday-themed dimensions, they couldn't stick to just one aesthetic.

For Halloween Town, though, they took after Burton's...

In 1942, the romantic drama film Casablanca was released. Surprisingly, it would later go down in history as being one of the greatest films ever made. While the American Film Institute ranks it as the second greatest, between Citizen Kane and The Godfather, when it comes specifically to war films, Casablanca tops the list. It's also often regarded as having the best screenplay ever written.

While some of its main themes were romantic ones, the location, time period, and general overarching theme of the film, also placed it squarely within the purview of being categorized as a war movie. Not one battle scene and not one conflict situation. Casablanca managed to perfectly capture a moment in time when the world was constantly on the edge, and everywhere you went could be a war zone. On that front, Casablanca is arguably undisputed as the greatest film of its type.

As we look...

The DC Universe will introduce a new Batman continuity, meaning a new Joker may be featured in upcoming films. Barry Keoghan's portrayal of the Joker in The Batman is heavily inspired by Conrad Veidt's role in The Man Who Laughs, and Gunn has seemingly teased the same for the Dcu's Joker. The Dcu's Joker must be unique and different from previous portrayals, but drawing inspiration from The Man Who Laughs could lead to a successful iteration of the character.

The DC Universe will introduce a new Batman continuity with The Brave and the Bold, but the movie's perfect Joker already exists. There have been several live-action Joker actors over the years, including Jack Nicholson, Heath Ledger, Jared Leto, and Joaquin Phoenix's versions of the Batman villain. While Leto played the character in the Dceu, he will most likely not be returning as the Joker in James Gunn's upcoming DC Universe.

The upcoming Joker movie, "Joker: Folie à Deux," will not be as dark as the 2011 comic storyline, which involved the Joker having his face removed and reattached using pins and straps. The Joker's signature look was inspired by a 1928 film called "The Man Who Laughs," and his mysterious backstory is one of the reasons why audiences are drawn to the character. "Joker: Folie à Deux" will focus on the relationship between Arthur Fleck and Harley Quinn, exploring the codependent nature of two twisted minds coming together. The film will incorporate music and promises to be as divisive as the original Joker movie.

The Joker has always been a divisive character. Everyone loves to see what he’ll do next, but we'd all be terrified if he was really in the room. That is why we keep watching Batman movies. To see the depths this character will go to next. With the second Joker movie,...

Casablanca, released in 1942, is considered one of the greatest films in history and boosted the careers of its cast members. Humphrey Bogart, who played Rick Blaine, saw his popularity grow after Casablanca and starred in several successful films. Ingrid Bergman, Paul Henreid, Claude Rains, Peter Lorre, Sydney Greenstreet, Conrad Veidt, Dooley Wilson, and S.Z. Sakall all had successful careers after Casablanca.

Casablanca is widely considered one of the greatest films in history, and its impact was such that it boosted the careers of most of its cast. Based on the play Everybody Comes to Rick’s, by Murray Burnett and Joan Alison, Casablanca was directed by Michael Curtiz and released in 1942. Casablanca takes viewers back to 1941 and to the city of Casablanca, which at the time, was controlled by the French, to meet American expatriate and nightclub owner Rick Blaine (Humphrey Bogart) and Ilsa Lund (Ingrid Bergman), Rick’s former lover...

The Joker has basically become as iconic as Batman himself in modern culture. These days, we're seeing just as much of The Clown Prince of Crime as we are of the Dark Knight, with "Joker 2" recently wrapping production and a fresh approach to the character from Barry Keoghan, who showed up in a scene from Matt Reeves' "The Batman" and could likely return in "The Batman: Part II."

Since Jack Nicholson's Jack Napier transformed into the iconic Batman villain in Tim Burton's "Batman" back in 1989, there have been several cinematic versions of The Joker, helping propel the character further into the public consciousness and raising his profile as an enduring pop culture figure. Of course, The Joker's history stretches much further back than the late-'80s. The infamous rogue has been a mainstay in the comics for more than 80 years, where he's been the focus of countless...

Filmmaker and DC Studios co-ceo James Gunn showed his appreciation for late actor Conrad Veidt's performance in the classic film The Man Who Laughs, leading fans to wonder if this is a subtle tease for the next incarnation of the Joker.

Released in 1928, The Man Who Laughs starred Veidt as a man who has a permanent grin after one was carved onto his face as a boy. Though he's not a villain, his unique appearance served as a major inspiration for the Joker when Batman's most well-known adversary was first created. With a new post on X (formerly Twitter), Gunn shared some images of The Man Who Laughs along with the story of how Veidt's unforgettable performance directly led to the original design for the popular supervillain. While Gunn may have been looking to share a fun post with his X followers, some are speculating that he's teasing a...

James Gunn honors Conrad Veidt's portrayal of the character in "The Man Who Laughs," a major inspiration for the Joker in the comics. Fans are now speculating that Gunn's social media activity may be teasing the direction of the Joker in the new DC Universe, possibly setting up The Batman Who Laughs. The DC Universe needs a new Joker as much as a new Batman, and establishing the iconic villain is crucial for the success of DC Studios' interconnected franchise.

As James Gunn honors a major inspiration for the Joker, DC fans are speculating that they are getting their first tease of how the DC Universe will tackle the iconic Batman villain. With the Dceu concluding in 2023, the new DC Universe is on its way from Gunn and Peter Safran, as part of DC Studios' fresh initiative to build an interconnected franchise. Several heroes already have solo projects...

In Christopher Nolan's 2008 film "The Dark Knight," actor Heath Ledger plays a nameless anarchist who commits multiple acts of murder and arson for the express purpose of sowing chaos in the world. The Ledger character is nicknamed the Joker, as he likes to wear clown makeup and green hair coloring while committing crimes. In a scary aesthetic decision, Nolan made Ledger's clown makeup look like it had been on the character's face for three or four days, leaving it smeared, cracked, and partially wiped off. Additionally, Ledger's face was emblazoned with a pair of scars that stretched outward across his cheeks from the corners of his mouth. His clown smile was literally carved into his face. Because the character is a liar, the audience never knows how he got the scars or why.

Ledger died of a drug overdose in January of 2008 and was not able to see what...

Our friends at FrightFest have revealed the poster art for this year's edition, happening at Cineworld Leicester Square from Thursday August 24th through Monday August 28th, 2023. Created once again by frequent collaborator Graham Humphreys the poster sticks with this year's theme of Mad Doctors. From top left then counter clockwise you got Cesare (Conrad Veidt) from The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, Peter Cushing as Dr. Frankenstein, Frederic March as Mr. Hyde, Anthony Hopkins as Hannibal Lecter, Charles Laughton as Dr Moreau, Vincent Price as Dr Phibes, and Warner Oland as Dr Fu Manchu. Front and center is Humphreys' own creation, Monster. Graham Humphreys’ stunning poster art for FrightFest 2023 – inspired by the genre’s most celebrated mad doctors! FrightFest is proud to...

[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...

The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari is a 1920 German silent horror film that is widely regarded as a pioneering work of expressionist cinema. Directed by Robert Wiene and written by Hans Janowitz and Carl Mayer, the movie is notable for its innovative visual style, intricate plot, and the enduring influence it has had on the development of the horror genre. This article will delve into the history of the film, its unique visual aesthetic, and its lasting impact on the world of cinema.

The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari I. The Making of a Masterpiece

The film’s origins can be traced back to the experiences of its writers, Janowitz and Mayer, who were both deeply affected by the horrors of World War I. Inspired by their shared distrust of authority and their fascination with the subconscious mind, they crafted a story that aimed to depict the dark side of human nature...

Batman has one of the largest rogues gallery in all comic book history, but one villain stands above all else: The Joker. The Joker is a character that has existed for almost a hundred years at this point, but he wasn't always the Clown Prince of Crime he is today.

With how iconic the Joker is for his relationship with Batman, many people would assume that he has been there since the start, but the villain didn't actually show up for over a year after Batman was created. The Joker of today is scary, vicious, and one of the darker serial killers in comics, but it has not always been that way. Joker's multifaceted nature would be developed a lot over the years: while he started as a ruthless killer he was later turned into a harmless prankster, then back to a much darker villain.

Related: Joker's Plan to Make...

There is a great deal of controversy surrounding the creation of Batman. For many years, sole creative credit for the character was given to artist Bob Kane, who often spoke eloquently about his character. It wasn't until years later that a co-creator, Bill Finger, entered the conversation. Kane and Finger's relationship with Batman and each other is detailed in a Hulu documentary film called "Batman and Bill," and a 2012 book called "Bill the Boy Wonder: The Secret Co-Creator of Batman." It seems that Finger had a lot more to do with how audiences know Batman than Kane ever did, and only ever operated as a ghostwriter for DC Comics. Finger died in poverty in 1974. It wouldn't be until the 1980s that Kane would admit, only passingly, that Finger contributed as much as he did to the character. Eventually, Finger would be given posthumous credit. Kane himself passed in 1998 as a celebrated millionaire.

Boris Karloff: The Man Behind The Monster director Thomas Hamilton on his upcoming series Horror Icons on interviewing Roger Corman: “He not only worked with Vincent Price, he worked with Peter Lorre, Basil Rathbone, Lon Chaney.” Photo: Thomas Hamilton

Vincent Price, Peter Lorre, Basil Rathbone, Conrad Veidt, Maria Ouspenskaya, George Zukor, Paul Wegener, Emil Jannings, Brigitte Helm, Gale Sondergaard, Gloria Holden, Claude Rains, Fay Wray, Duane Jones, Max Schreck, Boris Karloff, Colin Clive, Lon Chaney Sr., Lon Chaney Jr, Fw Murnau’s Faust and Nosferatu, Arthur Lubin’s Phantom of the Opera, Rowland V. Lee’s Son of Frankenstein, George Waggner’s The Wolf Man, James Whale’s The Invisible Man, Lambert Hillyer’s Dracula’s Daughter, Robert Wiene’s The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, Paul Wegener and Henrik Galeen’s The Golem, Hanns Heinz Ewers and Stellan Rye’s The Student Of Prague, and George Romero’s Night Of The Living Dead...

Based on Victor Hugo’s 19th century novel, Paul Leni’s The Man Who Laughs is one of the most influential achievements in film history, if for no other reason than as the inspiration for The Joker. A soulful Conrad Veidt stars as Gwynplaine, a circus clown whose permanent grimace is a mocking reminder of his miserable fate. Mary Philbin plays his beloved Dea, a blind girl with the ability to “see” the real Gwynplaine. Olga Baclanova, villainess of 1932’s Freaks, co-stars, and Jack Pierce, the make-up genius behind Frankenstein’s monster and The Mummy, created Veidt’s nightmare smile.

A high quality print of Leni’s film can be seen here: The Man Who Laughs.

The post The Man Who Laughs appeared first on Trailers From Hell.

Warner Brothers released “Casablanca” in New York on Nov. 26, 1942, which just happened to be Thanksgiving. But the romantic World War II drama starring Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman and Paul Henreid was anything but a turkey. To say the New York Times review was effusive is something of an understatement: “Warners here have a picture which makes the spine tingle and the heart take a leap….And they have so combined sentiment, humor and pathos with taut melodrama and bristling intrigue that the result is a highly entertaining and even inspiring film.”

And critical praise and audiences’ adoration continued when it opened in Los Angeles and nationwide in January 1943. It went on to win three Oscars for Best Picture, director for Michael Curtiz and adapted screenplay for Julius J. and Philip Epstein and Howard Koch. Let’s take a look back on the occasion of the 80th anniversary.

As time has gone by,...

A few decades after the first experiments with the new technology of film, cinema in the 1920s was beginning to come of age. Filmmakers mastered the essentials and embarked on ambitious storytelling projects with increased flair and sophistication, turning movies from novelty to art in just a few short years. The film industry began operating at full capacity in the 1920s, churning out feature-length productions on a scale and frequency that would have been unthinkable a decade earlier.

Filmmakers of the 1920s start to diversify, some becoming experts in the large-scale epics that were the earliest versions of blockbusters, while others honed a unique style as auteurs that would define the period as part of a larger artistic movement. Our first movie stars come from this era, both silent comedians whose death-defying pratfalls rival any stunts performed today as well as romantic matinee idols who had audiences eating out of the palm of their hands.

Riddle me this: what do the Joker and "Casablanca" have in common? If you answered, "Conrad Veidt," then you've survived the first deathtrap, much like the Dynamic Duo coming out of a cliffhanger ending into the next episode of the 1966 "Batman" TV series.

80 years ago, Veidt received fifth billing in "Casablanca" after Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman, Paul Henreid, and Claude Rains. His movie career, however, dates back even further than that to the silent era. In "The Man Who Laughs," the 1928 silent film helmed by German Expressionist director Paul Leni, Veidt shared top billing with Mary Philbin, and the indelible image of his grinning face left a mark on both movie history and comic book history.

The creation of Batman's greatest nemesis, the Joker, is attributed to writer Bill Finger and artists Bob Kane and Jerry Robinson. Over the years, conflicting accounts arose over who really originated the first idea for the character.

Click here to read the full article.

Paramount’s Smile, in theaters Sept. 30, is the latest fright flick to benefit from a sinister grin. But the granddaddy of all scary smile films dates back to 1928, when Universal Pictures released The Man Who Laughs, an adaptation of the 1869 Victor Hugo novel.

The studio had success with another Hugo novel, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, which it had adapted into a Lon Chaney showcase in 1923. Chaney would physically transform once again into a deformed gothic antihero — this time, Gwynplaine, a nobleman’s son who is hideously disfigured when the king orders a permanent smile carved into his face. But the project was sidelined because of a rights issue, and Chaney instead made 1925’s The Phantom of the Opera, based on the 1910 Gaston Leroux novel. That film was a hit, too, so Universal chief Carl Laemmle resurrected Laughs for its next “super-production.”

To direct,...

You have to admire a commitment to a bit, especially if you’re a film like Smile and in the possession of a simple, genius, creepier-than-thou conceit. Let’s cut to the chase: Dr. Rose Cotter (Sosie Bacon) is a therapist working in the psychiatric wing of a hospital. A patient comes in and says that, even since she witnessed her college professor take his own life, she’s been seeing…something only she can see. “It’s not a person,” the young woman says, though whatever “it” is, the...

Caitlin Stasey in Parker Finn’s Smile. Photo: Paramount Make sure the liquor cabinet at home is well stocked, because you might just want a stiff drink after seeing Smile. The feature debut of writer-director Parker Finn, expanded from his SXSW award-nominated short Laura Hasn’t Slept, is designed to...

(Welcome to The Daily Stream, an ongoing series in which the /Film team shares what they've been watching, why it's worth checking out, and where you can stream it.)

The Movie: "The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari"

Where You Can Stream It: Shudder/AMC+

The Pitch: A man recounts the story of how a sleepwalker controlled by a mad doctor carried out murders in his village in this creepy 1920 classic.

German silent films: they've stood the test of time. Written by Hans Janowitz and Carl Mayer and directed by Robert Weine, "The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari" predates "Nosferatu" by two years and is one of the earliest works of German Expressionist cinema. Film critic Roger Ebert, spotlighting it as one of his "Great Movie" picks in 2009, wrote, "A case can be made that 'Caligari' was the first true horror film."

Told mostly in flashback, this 77-minute story unfolds like a demented dream,...

Burbank, Calif., September 13, 2022 – Celebrating the 80th anniversary of its 1942 release, the legendary Warner Bros. film Casablanca will be released on Ultra HD Blu-ray Combo Pack and Digital on November 8, it was announced today by Warner Bros. Home Entertainment. Starring Academy Award winners Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman, critic Leonard Maltin calls Casablanca “the best Hollywood movie of all time.”

The winner of three Academy Awards® including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay, Casablanca was directed by Michael Curtiz from a screenplay by Julius J. Epstein, Philip G. Epstein, and Howard Koch. The screenplay is based on “Everybody Comes to Rick’s”, an unproduced stage play by Murray Burnett and Joan Alison. The film was produced by Hal B. Wallis.

The cast also features Paul Henreid, Claude Rains, Conrad Veidt, Sydney Greenstreet, Peter Lorre, and Dooley Wilson.

Casablanca was voted the screen’s greatest love story and the #3 film of...

This article contains The Batman spoilers.

Matt Reeves’ The Batman does not have a post-credits scene—technically speaking. When the credits roll on the final shot of a sad yet determined Batman riding into Gotham’s twilight, the show is over and you’re free to leave your seat (or hit “stop” if you’re now watching it at home courtesy of HBO Max). Unlike most modern superhero movies, there is no teaser or easter egg after the credits begin.

In theory, this is refreshing. It’s been nearly 10 years since Christopher Nolan allegedly told Zack Snyder not to include a post-credits scene in Man of Steel because “a real movie wouldn’t do that.” And while that was the opinion then, there sure as hell were post-credits scenes in Zack Snyder’s Justice League. It’s become expected as the price of doing business.

Hence why it should be...

This article contains The Batman spoilers. We have a spoiler-free review here.

As far as teases go, it’s not exactly a subtle one. The final scene in The Batman gives us a look at the Riddler, alone in his cell at Arkham Asylum, although not truly alone. In the cell next to his sits a shadowy, scarred figure, one barely glimpsed through the tiny, reinforced window on the door, who is trying to comfort the agitated and defeated villain.

And yes, it’s exactly who you think it is…

The Joker

It’s probably no surprise to anyone that The Batman found a way to introduce the Joker into its version of the Dark Knight’s early career. The Joker is arguably the most commercially viable villain this side of Darth Vader, and arguably the most recognizable comic book and pop culture supervillain of all time. A Batman-free, R-rated...

This article contains spoilers of The Batman. You can read our spoiler-free review here.

While The Batman largely avoids the gimmicks of modern interconnected superhero universes on the big screen, even this noir film can’t help but pack in tons of easter eggs and at least one cameo into its almost three-hour runtime. But don’t expect Superman or Wonder Woman to show up to help Robert Pattinson save the day here. There’s no Dick Grayson or Barbara Gordon, either. Instead, we get a brief introduction to director Matt Reeves‘ version of Batman’s most dastardly villain.

The Batman doesn’t actually have the kind of post-credit scene that has become a staple of other cinematic universes. Unlike the MCU or even the Dceu, The Batman exists in its own bubble, so it doesn’t need an end credits stinger to set up the next movie. That said,...

“What a lucky clown you are! You don’t have to wipe off your laugh.”

The Arkadin Cinema, a local independent theater scheduled to open soon, is hosting an film series that takes place in the back lot at The Heavy Anchor (5226 Gravois Ave in St. Louis). Conrad Veidt in The Man Who Laughs (1928) screens Wednesday March 9th. Showtime is 8:00. The Man Who Laughs is presented by Silents, Please Stl, a local group that aims to promote and preserve the art of silent filmmaking from the early 20th Century through community programming and education. Enter through the front of The Heavy Anchor. Admission is $10 and can be purchased in advance Here. Bring your own chair. First come, first served. Seating is limited. Food and drinks and available there at The Heavy Anchor. This is a 21+ event, so leave the kids home. A Facebook invite for the event can be found Here.

It was 60 years ago this month that American International Pictures (Aip) released The Fall of the House of Usher (also known as just House of Usher), a film based on the classic 1839 short story by Edgar Allan Poe, produced and directed by a low-budget B-movie specialist named Roger Corman.

Corman recruited horror and sci-fi writer Richard Matheson (I Am Legend) to adapt the Poe tale, while also hiring Vincent Price — already established as a horror star in films like The Fly and House on Haunted Hill — for the lead role (just one of four in the film) as the tormented, doomed Roderick Usher.

“This film was a gamble for all of us and yet I was prepared to take a gamble because I believed in the works of Edgar Allan Poe,” Price told film historian David Del Valle (in the liner notes for the Shout Factory Blu-ray set The Vincent...

Farewell to the great Florian Schneider, co-founder of Kraftwerk, the German electronic duo who changed everything about the way music sounds. “Kraftwerk is not a band,” Schneider told Rolling Stone in 1975. “It’s a concept. We call it ‘Die Menschmaschine,’ which means ‘the human machine.’ We are not the band. I am me. Ralf is Ralf. And Kraftwerk is a vehicle for our ideas.” As his longtime collaborator Ralf Hütter once said, Schneider was the “sound fetishist” of the group — the machine in the mensch-machine.

Kraftwerk always reveled in their reputation as cerebral technocrats.

A collection of 55 still photos from the 1919-1920 production of “The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari” are now up for auction, courtesy of Sotheby’s. Robert Wiene’s silent horror film is widely considered the defining work of German Expressionist cinema and went on to inspire the look of such film classics as F. W. Murnau’s “Nosferatu” and Fritz Lang’s “Metropolis.” Bids for the collection can be made through Friday, April 3 at 12pm Et. Sotheby’s estimates the photographs will sell between the $20,000 and $30,000 mark. The starting bid is $13,000.

The catalogue note reads: “This remarkable group of 55 photographs documents many of the psychologically and visually twisted scenes from the 1920 silent film ‘The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari,’ generally recognized as the first true horror film. Robert Wiene directed this tale of an insane, diabolical hypnotist who manipulates a somnambulist to execute a series of murders. Considered the first German Expressionist film,...

“You fools, this man is plotting our doom! We die at dawn! He is Caligari!”

The Cabinet Of Dr. Caligari will screen at Webster University’s Moore Auditorium (470 East Lockwood) Thursday October 25th at 7:30pm. Austin, Texas’ most adventurous band, The Invincible Czars, will provide live music.The band encourages fans and attendees to dress for the Halloween season at these shows. Tickets are $12. A Facebook invite for the event can be found Here

Considered by some to be the first horror film, The Cabinet Of Dr. Caligari is thought by many film buffs to be the most influential of all silent films. With the Grandfather of all Twist-Endings, the film is the most brilliant example of that dark and twisted film movement known as German Expressionism, The Cabinet Of Dr. Caligari is a plunge into the mind of insanity that severs all ties with the rational world. Director...