Jane Campion's lush study of repression, "The Piano," contains an enduring image: high cliffs tower over a deserted beach, waves crashing and rolling upon the cold sand. Deposited in the tide is a black piano, a misplaced presence seemingly dropped from heaven. It is a solitary signifier of humanity
Viewed from one angle, Alain Resnais functioned as a condensation of film production -- writing, directing, shooting, and editing his own films. But looked at from another angle, Resnais embodies a kind of schizophrenia, a multiplication of roles dispersing his voice and being through time and space.
The film touted by critics as the most powerful propaganda piece ever was created for the Nazis -- it was also made by a woman. The bold and beautiful Leni Riefenstahl got her start as a ballet dancer in pre-war Berlin. When she saw an early Arnold Fanck film on mountaineering, she was literally s
When Chow Yun-Fat steps into view, your eyes are immediately drawn to him. He commands the screen with an undeniable charisma and an imitable sense of the cool. For his cool is not detached, it's not ironic or cold or urban in any familiar way. No, Chow Yun-Fat's cool is distinctly warm: you trust hi