In Memoriam

The Hunger, 1982, with Ann Magnuson and David Bowie. I can't pin down just when the rather obnoxious mythical litmus test about politicians in a race, that is, "which candidate…

Woody Allen and the empty string quartet in Bananas, 1971; one of Hamlisch's most raucous, inspired, out-there scores.  In terms of versatility, melodic sense, erudition, and humor, no one could…

'Power and freedom.' Coupled together, these two words are repeated three times in Vertigo. First, at the twelfth minute by Gavin Elster ('freedom' underlined by a move to close-up) who,…

In Osaka Elegy (Naniwa ereji), Kenji Mizoguchi, 1936 In Throne of Blood (Kumonoso-jo), Akira Kurosawa, 1957. Her excellent New York TImes obituary is by the very able Dennis Lim. 

With John Garfield in Gentleman's Agreement, Elia Kazan, 1947. The image says a lot, I hope; all I've got to add is that 95 is not a bad age to…

In the film that, at the age of thirteen, I used to exclusively refer to as "Emperor Of My North Pole." Whaddya want, I was thirteen. Seeing the actual film,…