Classic Movie Man Posted by Stephen Reginald on June 17, 2024

Book Review: Forbidden Cocktails: Libations Inspired By The World Of Pre-Code Hollywood Title: Forbidden Cocktails: Libations Inspired By The World Of Pre-Code Hollywood By: Andre Darlington Publisher: Running Press – Turner Classic Movies ISBN: 978-0-7624-8520-8 (hardcover) ISBN: 978   read more

Shadows and Satin Posted by shadowsandsatin on March 7, 2024

If you know me, you know that I enjoy a tasty cocktail from time to time. I even like the word “cocktail” – it invokes Art Deco rooms peopled by beautiful people clad in impeccable clothes exchanging exquisitely memorable bon mots. Toss a pre-Code movie into this mix, and I’m...   read more

Classic Movie Man Posted by Stephen Reginald on February 14, 2024

“Forbidden Street,” the hit that never was Forbidden Street (1949) was a melodrama directed by Jean Negulesco and starring Dana Andrews and Maureen O’Hara. The other cast members include Sybil Thorndike, Fay Compton, and A. E. Matthews. The movie, set in Victorian London, was   read more

The Hitless Wonder Movie Blog Posted by Dan Day, Jr. on April 20, 2019

Probably no other entity has done more to showcase "Pre-Code" cinema than Turner Classic Movies. The cable television network constantly shows Pre-Code films day after day, and many home video collections containing titles from that era have been released with TCM's support. The network's connection   read more

Durnmoose Movie Musings Posted by Michael on April 29, 2018

Since Sunday tends to be a day of quiet and reflection for many people, it seems an appropriate day to celebrate silent movies. But in keeping with the “day of rest” theme, I’m just going to post this without any commentary and just sit back and let you enjoy.   read more

True Classics Posted by on September 26, 2016

The Wonders in the Dark sci-fi countdown rolls on, and here’s another contribution from yours truly: at #25, it’s the 1956 deep-space classic Forbidden Planet: MGM, the studio that produced Forbidden Planet, threw a couple million dollars into the production of the film, and it shows in   read more

Classic Film Freak Posted by Orson De Welles on June 23, 2016

Share This! Her Greatest Dramatic Role ! Frank Capra is one of Hollywood’s all-time great directors, but even he has a few lesser known gems in his filmography.  Among them is 1932’s Forbidden, a torrid potboiler starring Barbara Stanwyck and Adolphe Menjou.  Perhaps even Capra himself thought the f   read more

Classic Movies Posted by KC on May 27, 2016

To commemorate the tenth and final volume of Warner Archive's delightful Forbidden Hollywood pre-code series, I am giving away one five-film set to a lucky reader! The collection includes: Guilty Hands (1931), with Lionel Barrymore, Kay Francis and Madge Evans The Mouthpiece (1932), starring Warr   read more

Classic Movies Posted by KC on May 26, 2016

I'll admit to being disappointed when I learned that volume 10 of Warner Archive's Forbidden Hollywood series would be the last. From the first installment, these sets of pre-code movies have always been a must-have for me. I've made so many great discoveries through the series over the years, and...   read more

Classic Movies Posted by KC on November 13, 2015

It's hard to believe that Warner Archive has just released volume 9 of Forbidden Hollywood, and encouraging that the series still offers high quality films. This time around, the collection has a more sober, socially conscious tone, though since this is the pre-code era, everyone still manages to sq   read more

Journeys in Classic Film Posted by on March 2, 2015

Warner Bros. has a lot of pre-Code cinema, so much that they’re up to volume 8 of their popular Forbidden Hollywood series. I was fortunate to receive the latest volume and the four movies contained within. In the interest of time, I’ll be doing up mini-reviews of each movie in...   read more

Durnmoose Movie Musings Posted by Michael on January 22, 2015

What do I need to say here? Charlton Heston, Vincent Price, Tab Hunter, Diana Lynn, and Victor Jory, all starring in a screenplay adapted by Rod Serling and directed by John Frankenheimer. What could possibly bring all of this talent together? It’s “Forbidden Area”, the premiere ep   read more

Classic Movies Posted by KC on December 8, 2014

I'm always thrilled when a new edition of Forbidden Hollywood is released. The sets of pre-code treasures never disappoint. There's always at least a couple of titles that thrill me, and the films are all alive with that exciting honesty about life that died away when the production code was...   read more

Once Upon a Screen Posted by Aurora on November 30, 2013

As you know, 2013 marks the 90th anniversary of Warner Bros. (WB), the “working class studio” that gave us the gritty presence of Cagney, the force of Davis and the inimitable style of Bogie.  Although I’ve already dedicated a post to the studio’s history in The Culture at Wa   read more

Out of the Past - A Classic Film Blog Posted by Raquel Stecher on August 7, 2013

The seventh set in the popular Forbidden Hollywood Collection is a true gem. All four films, on 4 MOD-DVD discs, are rife with all the sins that make Pre-Codes so enjoyable to watch. I started to do something recently that I have been wanting to do for a very long...   read more

Shadows and Satin Posted by shadowsandsatin on July 20, 2013

If you’re at all familiar with my posts on this site, you probably know that I usually end them by recommending that you see the movie on which I’m writing, adding that you “only owe it to yourself.” Well, this time, I’m starting my post that way. Have you seen...   read more

Classic Horror Campaign Posted by Richard on January 28, 2013

CULTure Babylon pops up at King’s Lynn Arts Centre on February 28, with its unique combination of cult film and fascinating speakers.  Zombies… they seem to be everywhere at the moment: in movies, major TV series and in ’flash mobs’.  The origin of zombies, however, lies in Voodoo. Vo   read more

Backlots Posted by Lara on January 15, 2013

Barbara Stanwyck has an affair with married politician Adolphe Menjou, and subsequently has his baby, in “Forbidden” (1932). From her first forays into sound film, Barbara Stanwyck was known for her portrayals of strong, gutsy, and independent women. In Illicit, she sleeps with her boyf   read more

The Motion Pictures Posted by Lindsey on September 18, 2012

(Image via Doctor Macro) The favorite film: Forbidden, a 1932 Columbia Pictures romantic drama directed by Frank Capra The synopsis: Lulu is a dowdy librarian who decides to do something for herself and take a vacation from her dull, plain life. She takes a cruise to Cuba, where she meets...   read more

Cinematically Insane Posted by Will McKinley on September 11, 2012

“For me, the real ‘Classic Era’ in Hollywood was the mid-1930s until about 1959,” host Robert Osborne said at the third annual TCM Classic Film Festival in April. Coincidentally, those years also bookend the period during which the Motion Picture Production Code – and by extension, the Catholic Chur   read more