Have you ever had a life altering experience which created a crisis of faith? I have, and these experiences are what might draw you closer to God, or completely tear you away. This is the theme of Ingmar Bergman’s Oscar winning drama, “Virgin Spring,” (1959). The tragic, but touching story is based on a 13th century Swedish Ballad. It’s a story of revenge and redemption during the medieval times, a time when the world was torn...

“A criminal is only as brave as his gun, you take his gun away and he’s a coward just like anybody else.” Arthur Ferguson Jones – Played by Eddie G. Robinson in classic movie “The Whole Town’s Talking.” I could go on forever about this wonderful comedy starring Jean Arthur and Eddie G. Robinson, but Bacall does not pay me enough. Eddie G. plays dual roles in this 1935 comedy Pic. Eddie G. stars as a sheepish...

“Cause For Alarm!” (1951) with Loretta Young and Barry Sullivan is a thriller and if you’ve never seen it, you should. Loretta plays doting housewife, Ellen Jones. Ellen married George Jones during WWII. When he returns from the war he is diagnosed with a heart condition and is relegated to the bed. He becomes temperamental and morose. He soon becomes delusional and accuses his wife of having an affair with his best friend, Dr Ranney...

Many may just remember him from the show, “Fantasy Island,” but Ricardo Montalban was a classic movie star before that. It was sad to hear that he passed yesterday at the age of 88. Montalban paved the way for many future Latino actors in Hollywood such as, Edward James Olmos, who said, “He was a stellar artist and a consummate person and performer with a tremendous understanding of culture … and the ability to express it...

Germany in the 20’s and 30’s was a good time for the arts. The German Expressionistic film movement was in full swing with pictures like “The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari,” “Nosferatu,” and the eerie “M,” were the talk of the town. Little did the people of Germany know that a real life drama was unfolding in their midst. How the rise of Hitler gave new life to Hollywood is the topic of PBS’ “Cinema Exiles: From Hitler to...

The story of classic movie start Frances Farmer is one you rarely hear about, but it is one that is sad and interesting. Her story is well documented in her book, “Will there ever be morning?” The movie “Frances,” where Jessica Lange played Frances, sparked an interest and I decided to read the book. Because frankly I just couldn’t believe that something like that had happened to a beautiful, glamorous, Hollywood star. Farmer’s...