The Current
A magazine of film culture past and present, with new articles, interviews, and videos published every day
Recent Articles
David and Nathan Zellner’s Top 10
Austin-based duo David and Nathan Zellner, whose new film Damsel is now in theaters, share a list of favorites that run the gamut from genre provocation to lyrical humanism.
Female Trouble: Spare Me Your Morals
John Waters’ favorite among his early works is both an assault on political correctness and a no-holds-barred expression of gay militancy.
Barbara Loden’s Wanda Returns to Theaters
Watch the new trailer for this rarely seen but deeply influential landmark of independent cinema.
Going Against the Grain of Continuity Editing
In a new episode of Observations on Film Art, scholar Jeff Smith examines how The Devil and Daniel Webster plays with the conventions of traditional Hollywood editing.
The Devil Is in the Details
During a period when studios gave him carte blanche, Josef von Sternberg created a sublime cinematic language that shrugged off one orthodoxy after another.
The Hope That Fueled Bowling for Columbine
How much can a film turn the tide on American violence? Michael Moore and archivist Carl Deal reflect on the moral urgency that gave rise to one of the most talked-about documentaries of all time.
El Sur: A Complete Incomplete Film
At a time when Spain was trying to leave its past behind, master filmmaker Víctor Erice transported viewers back to the post–Civil War era, examining its traumas through the eyes of a child.
The Dark Side of Peter Lorre in Madison
As part of a series celebrating the work of actor Peter Lorre, the University of Wisconsin–Madison is presenting a screening of Fritz Lang‘s masterpiece M.
A Born Editor: Remembering Françoise Bonnot (1939–2018)
The great French editor talks about growing up in the cutting room and how she became one of Costa-Gavras’s most trusted collaborators.
Bowling for Columbine: By Any Means Necessary
A galvanizing mix of polemic and entertainment, Michael Moore’s look at the American gun obsession is as chillingly relevant today as when it was released.
Mistress of Ceremonies
Marlene Dietrich’s sexually authoritative, coolly insolent persona was the product of meticulous screen craft.
Video
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Spotlight
Celluloid Nightmares
From lab fires to lost reels, bad things happen to good movies. Every restoration has a story behind it, and these are five of the best.
