Gary F. Taylor

One of the Silent Era's Most Influential Films, July 18 2004

Although this 1920 German silent does not really rank alongside the truly great silent films, it remains a fascinating oddity. Based on European Jewish folklore, it tells the story a Jewish community in Prague which is threatened with explusion from the city. In an effort to protect his people, Rabbi Loew creates a man-like creature made of clay and uses it to impress the Emperor. Unfortunately, the magic backfires, and when the Golem falls into the hands of the Rabbi's perfidious assistant disaster results.

Much of the film's charm is in its visual style. The sets by Hans Poelzig are a strange but cohesive mixture of mediaeval, nouveau, and surrealism, and the cinematography by… Read more

Significantly Dated In Style But A Landmark Nonetheless, July 16 2004

Directed by John S. Robertson and starring matinee idol John Barrymore in the dual title role, 1920's DR. JECKYLL & MR. HYDE is sometimes described as the "first American horror film." That description is more than a little problematic, but whether it was or it wasn't, DR. JECKYLL AND MR. HYDE certainly put the horror genre on the Hollywood map.

Whether or not you happen to like this particular version of the famous Robert Louis Stevenson tale will depend a great deal upon your tolerance for the change in acting styles that has occurred between the silent and the modern era. Some silent stars--Lillian Gish, Ramon Novarro, and Louise Brooks leap to mind--were remarkably… Read more

Loosely Constructed But Generally Enjoyable, July 16 2004

Cynthia Rigg's debut DEADLY NIGHTSHADE read rather like it had been written by committee--and a particularly uninspired one at that. Her second novel, THE CRANEFLY ORCHID MURDERS, is quite a bit better. Not only is the plot solid, the solution to the mystery is considerably more well concealed, the characters feel less forced and are more consistent, and the whole thing hangs together in a fairly decent sort of way.

CRANEFLY finds Victoria Trumbull, an elderly poet and resident of Martha's Vineyard, caught up in a land deal gone sour--and after she discovers a decaying corpse on the property in question it transpires that there are quite a few people who have interests in the land. The… Read more