Films
Eric San Juan
October 25, 2010
This creepy, dreamlike film from 1920 is based on the old Jewish folklore of the Golem, an artificial creature made of inanimate matter and brought to life. (Shades of Frankenstein’s monster there.) In this moody German production, the creature comes to life and, naturally, wreaks havoc. This variation on the tale — the full title is The Golem: How He Came into the World — is one of the great examples of German impressionist cinema. Both the story as well as the approach to visual storytelling in this film proved highly influential, guiding the work of legends like Alfred Hitchcock. Since the film is in the public domain, you can check it out yourself right here: * The film is available to download (legally) right…
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Eric San Juan
October 24, 2010
Halloween is coming, so this week I thought I’d share some great bits of old film that fit into the Halloween theme. These are amazing pieces of our cultural history, many sadly forgotten. We’ll start with a 1910’s Frankenstein. Produced by Edison studios (though Edison himself had nothing to do with it), this adaptation of Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein was long thought lost. For decades, only a few stills existed. In the 1970s, it was discovered in a private collection, where it had sat since the 1950s, the owner unaware of just how rare the film was. Though it had been released to DVD earlier, the print was only fully restored and released back in March 2010. The film is in the public domain. Here it…
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Eric San Juan
April 29, 2010
Hey, remember a little something called the Year of Hitchcock Podcast? Well, it’s back. Technical difficulties and life issues forced a break, but it’s back and ready to roll. We’ll be airing roughly every other week for the time being — if there are blips in the schedule, there are blips in the schedule — and will at the very least clear out the shows we already have recorded (14 in all). From there? We’ll see. So for now go subscribe, fire it up on iTunes, tell some friends, spread the word, yada yada yada. Or don’t. I don’t care either way. No skin off mine.
Eric San Juan
November 16, 2009
After watching Pixar’s Up last evening, I’m beginning to wonder if Pixar is capable of making a bad film. Theirs is a track record nearly perfect beyond expectation; even their “worst” pictures are quality entertainment by any measure. You all know Pixar. They’re the folks who brought us Toy Story, Finding Nemo, The Incredibles, and other delights. From the very start their films were charming and entertaining. Only a soulless creature does not enjoy Toy Story. The thrills of The Incredibles are matched only by the warmth of the Parr family dynamic. Monsters, Inc. showed those other animation studios that crazy fun need not be stupid fun. But even beyond the whimsical adventure, we’re starting to see that Pixar are masters of cinema in a…
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Eric San Juan
November 13, 2009
I’ll never claim to not be shameless when I need to be. So I will now be shameless. Behold! My book, co-authored with Jim McDevitt, was released in April. If you have yet to get a copy, do take a look. If you have yet to tell a friend about it, please do so. If you have a film lover in your family or circle of friends, please consider it as a Christmas present. You can get it through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and other fine retailers. Your support is appreciated. While you’re at it, please look at our podcast of the same name. If you have not subscribed (it’s free), please do so. If you have not told your friends about it, please do…
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