• A green field with a hedge in the left background. The field is covered with thin, eerie mist.

The Politics of ‘Acting’: Why Cast Comedians?

By Neil Archer What makes a performance ‘truthful’? In one of my previous professional lives, as an actor, this question was one that concerned me on an everyday and practical level. But it’s one I’m still dealing with in my…

Marvel’s Scarlet Witch: From Page to Screen

by Miriam Kent Wanda Maximoff, known as the Scarlet Witch, is one of Marvel’s most enduring characters. Her history has spanned multiple decades and media formats. Disney+’s WandaVision recently receiving praise for its characterisation, aesthetics and settings. WandaVision inserted Scarlet…

Mercedes 300SL Gullwing (1955) photo by Kevin Decherf via Wikimedia Commons

Stars in Cars: A Look at Italian Vehicular Stardom

by Alberto Zambenedetti Sophia Loren relaxing by the side of the road, next to her broken-down Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwing. Vittorio Gassman speeding through a deserted Rome in a beat-up Lancia Aurelia B24 convertible. Rossano Brazzi taking down the top…

The Waxworks cast and crew relax with friends and colleagues on the film's carousel set. Paul Leni is seated fourth from left, facing the camera. From L-R: Wilhelm (William) Dieterle, Ali Hubert, E. A. Dupont, Leni, Fritz Maurischat, John Gottowt, Lore Sello, Leo Birinski. (Image: Wikimedia Commons)

The Life and Career of Paul Leni

by Erica Tortolani and Martin Norden Silent-era film director Paul Leni was at the forefront of German filmmakers whose stylistically daring and narratively innovative productions garnered international acclaim and who found themselves heavily recruited by Hollywood studios during the 1920s.…

Screenshot from Brandon Cronenberg’s Possessor (2020)

10 Beats of The Pulse in Cinema

By Sharon Jane Mee and Bill Hunt [Content Note: This post contains shots from films depicting blood and gore] One of the things that became apparent to me as I was writing my book, The Pulse in Cinema: The Aesthetics…