One of the universal truths that we should all come around to believing is that, regardless of how much we try and attribute their films to being the product of style over substance, Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger were masters of their craft. Whether or not we find value in the spectacles of Black Narcissus…

“The world of love wants no monsters in it, so let me help you out of it.” What defines a monster? Is it physical deformity that separates one from the rest of society based on traits that terrify rather than attract? Could it be behaviour that goes against common social and cultural standards and places…

We’re not strangers to discussing film noir around these parts, and one of the more interesting ideas that come about when looking at this genre that has undergone so many different shifts in conventions and style over the decades is that there isn’t one singular formula that makes for a great entry, but rather a…

In comparison to some of his contemporaries, Jacques Becker was a far less prolific director, despite having made just over a dozen films – but each one a cherished part of French film history, a work of immense importance and genre-defining brilliance in the vast majority of cases. Becker is well-regarded amongst those with a…

Contrary to what many people may believe, crafting any work of well-made romance is a challenge. This isn’t applicable to the endless stream of cheap, disposable stories that think that lust and desire are adequate stimuli for a relationship, but rather those rare works that touch on issues much deeper than carnal cravings. Few texts…

I’m not one who is typically known to lament the Golden Age of Hollywood in a way that discredits the current state of the industry, since there is a lot of value in any era of cinema, and those who complain about how the “good old days” of filmmaking are behind us are often quite…

While his career may have been cut short due to his tragic death at a very young age (leaving him with a very small body of work), Jean Vigo produced some of the most important films in the history of French cinema, not only based on what they were and the stories they told, but…

When it comes to the concept of love, has there ever been something so universally acknowledged, but yet singularly impossible to define in clear terms? Everyone from existential philosophers to those in the arts has dedicated a large portion of their time to unpacking the phenomenon that is love, particularly the act of falling for…

Jean Cocteau was an artist whose name immediately brings one of two projects to mind – we immediately associate him with either the gorgeous 1945 version of Beauty and the Beast (the finest version of that story told until Angela Carter reconfigured it many decades later), or his Orphic Trilogy (consisting of Orpheus, The Blood…

Nothing has been more actively explored in the history of literature quite as much as the concept of love. Whether it be on stage or the printed page, or delivered by way of images on screen or sounds that come from musical instruments, the elusive idea of romance has been the primary theme for countless…