Henry V. 1944. Great Britain. Directed by Laurence Olivier

These notes accompany the screenings of Laurence Olivier’s Henry V on August 10, 11, and 12 in Theater 3.

I can’t recall an image of an auteur in action that is as stirringly visceral, dynamic, and, frankly, sexy, as Laurence Olivier’s Prince Hal in tights, rousing his army at Agincourt. (Mom, I don’t want to be cowboy or a policeman. I want to grow up to be an auteur!) Read more

The Southerner. 1945. USA. Directed by Jean Renoir

Jean Renoir (1894–1979) made six films during his American exile—all of them worthy projects—but the consensus is that The Southerner is the best. Read more

Meet Me in St. Louis. 1944. USA. Directed by Vincente Minnelli

These notes accompany the screenings of Vincente Minnelli’s Meet Me in St. Louis on July 27, 28, and 29 in Theater 2.

Over the years, I have had three close friends who were so devoted to Vincente Minnelli (1903–1986) that they wrote extensively about the Meet Me in St. Louis director. Read more

Laura. 1944. USA. Directed by Otto Preminger

Last week I mildly berated Andrew Sarris for pretty much ignoring Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger in his auteurist bible, The American Cinema. This week, with Laura by Otto Preminger (1905–1986), we have an example of just how influential Sarris was and is. Read more

The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp. 1943. Great Britain. Directed by Michael Powell, Emeric Pressburger

These notes accompany the screenings of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger’s The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp on July 13, 14, and 15 in Theater 2.

The idiosyncratic and overlapping careers of Michael Powell (1905–1990) and Emeric Pressburger (1902–1988) are arguably the strongest challenge to the auteur theory, which holds that a single artist, the director, is the primary creative force behind a film. Read more

Day of Wrath. 1943. Denmark. Directed by Carl Theodor Dreyer

These notes accompany the screenings of Carl Th. Dreyer’s Day of Wrath on July 6, 7, and 8 in Theater 3.

Despite being one of the greatest film directors, Carl Th. Dreyer (1889–1968) will probably always be considered an acquired taste. His best films are much too austere and demanding for even many serious moviegoers. Read more

Ninotchka. 1939. USA. Directed bu Ernst Lubitsch

Oops! I almost left out Ninotchka. Somehow, this 1939 masterpiece slipped through the cracks. I apologize for whatever inconvenience this violation of my self-imposed chronology may cause, although I don’t think the Prime Directive has been threatened. Read more

Air Force. 1943. USA. Directed by Howard Hawks

These notes accompany the screenings of Howard Hawks’s Air Force on June 22, 23, and 24 in Theater 3.

Howard Hawks’s Air Force and John Ford’s They Were Expendable are the cream of a very abundant crop of Hollywood World War II films. Read more

Native Land. 1942. USA. Directed by Leo Hurwitz, Paul Strand

These notes accompany the screenings of Leo Hurwitz and Paul Strand’s Native Land on June 15, 16, and 17 in Theater 2.

For a number of reasons, I had some hesitation about including Native Land in our series. First of all, with two directors, it tends to undermine the argument that film art is a medium with a single primary creator. Read more