Spotlight
One Scene
In this series of articles, some of our favorite writers and filmmakers highlight key moments in cinema that continue to haunt them long after the credits roll.
The Current
A magazine of film culture past and present, with new articles, interviews, and videos published every day
A Great American Interrogator
Errol Morris’s relentless pursuit of truth—and understanding of its fundamental elusiveness—has made him one of the most important American documentary filmmakers.
A Beacon of Movie Love in Tucson
Born in 1972, the Loft Cinema is a vital cultural hub that brings an eclectic array of movies and live events to a diverse local audience.
The Silent Gaze in Satyajit Ray’s Almost-Love Story
In one of his most underrated gems, now playing on the Criterion Channel, the Bengali master explored the futility of words and the power of a look.
Häxan: “Let Her Suffering Begin”
Decades before the witch became a staple of horror cinema, Benjamin Christensen used this gothic figure to explore the oppression of women in different historical periods.
Häxan: The Real Unreal
Integrating fact, fiction, objective reality, hallucination, and different levels of representation, this silent masterpiece invented what decades later would be known as the essay film.
On the Waterfront
Pessimism, melancholy, and corruption come in with the tide in the greatest seaside noirs, including classics by Josef von Sternberg, Ingmar Bergman, and Marcel Carné.
Consuming the Cat: Brenda Lien Calls Out an Internet Fetish
In a short film now featured on the Criterion Channel, the German filmmaker interrogates our insatiable appetite for feline memes and what it says about our consumerist culture.
The Art of Lighting a Comedic Thriller
In the latest episode of Observations on Film Art, Professor Kristin Thompson explores how Ernst Lubitsch’s satirical masterpiece To Be or Not to Be employs a venerable cinematographic technique: three-point lighting.
Without Motive: The Last Scene in High and Low
The director of Audition and First Love dives into the haunting moral ambiguity of Akira Kurosawa’s crime masterpiece.
This Pretty World: The Films of Val Lewton
In their stillness and melancholy, the B-movie masterpieces of one of Hollywood’s most ingenious producers pushed against the official optimism of American culture during World War II.
Charlie the Ringmaster
Charlie Chaplin earned a remarkable level of autonomy at the height of his career, but he also cultivated a team of loyal collaborators who helped him bring his dreams to the screen.
10 Things I Learned: Local Hero
In the process of researching Bill Forsyth’s culture-clash comedy, producer Kate Elmore found out just how many ardent fans it has—including one legend of British cinema and one former U.S. vice president.
