When it comes to Hollywood in the 1930s, any devotee is likely to have a good working knowledge of the Pre-Code era, the time between the peak of silent cinema and the introduction of the Hays Code, which sought to dictate what could be portrayed on screen, placing particular emphasis on stringent rules that prevented…

There are many lessons to be learned from The Bridges of Madison County – the miraculous nature of chance encounters, and the incredible challenges that come with bidding farewell to someone whose time in your life may be short, but their impact on it absolutely immeasurable. As one of the more unconventional films the oddly…

The promotional material for Pete ‘n’ Tillie, Martin Ritt’s ambitious adaptation of a short story by iconic provocateur Peter de Vries, stated boldly that “the honeymoon is over, time to get married”. There have not been many films that have been quite as sharp in exploring the trials and tribulations of a couple throughout their…

Cinema affords every viewer the opportunity to be both a time-traveller and a world explorer, giving us the chance to see different cultures through the lens of many notable artists from around the world. The process of experiencing something we have never seen before is incredible, especially when the film surrounding it is so strong….

Over the years, I’ve spoken openly about how certain female filmmakers were revolutionary, particularly those that worked in decades when film was even more dominated by men than it is today. Gender politics have been an enormous part of Hollywood culture, and it is an issue that is slowly being resolved, but not nearly fast…

John Mason (James Stewart) is a hard-working lawyer who works for Judge Joseph M. Doolittle (Charles Coburn), a prickly veteran of the legal industry who makes sure to put all his employees to work, and rarely, if ever, rewards them with anything other than the bare minimum. He has high expectations for John, who he…

Jericho (Michel Simon) is quite excited to be receiving visitors. A retired veterinarian and widower, he lives alone in his beautiful countryside mansion, in which he has every luxury (as well as enough of a reputation to be part of the high-society, cavorting with politicians and nobility in the same way ordinary people would with…

Queer cinema has undergone quite a revolutionary leap forward in the last quarter of a century, with many filmmakers being given the platform to make films that don’t relegate the LGBTQIA+ community to the sidelines, but place them front-and-centre as the leads of their own stories. This is a movement that is still very much…

There’s something inherently fascinating about filmmakers from a very distinct period of time continuing to work into the contemporary era, since it creates a duality – the remnants of that period are still very much present in their distinct style, but the evolution of the art form has meant that they have very little choice…

The cultural cache of Emily Brontë’s iconic novel Wuthering Heights should not be underestimated by any means – one of the most beloved novels of the romanticism era, and one that spurred numerous adaptations, imitations and even a classic song that has once again become wildly popular with the younger generation this past summer. One…