Sibling Cinema

Jamaica Inn was Alfred Hitchcock's last British movie before going to Hollywood. It's a rare period piece and the first of three adaptations of a Daphne du Maurier book. Set in the wild moorish landscape of 19th Century Cornwall, Maureen O'Hara plays the young heroine with Charles Laughton chewing the scenery as the colorful magistrate. Details: Produced by Erich Pommer, released in 1939. Written...

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We head to court this week for Hitchcock’s 1947 courtroom drama, The Paradine Case . Gregory Peck leads the cast as a famed London lawyer who defends a notorious widow accused of poisoning her husband. Charles Laughton costars as a lascivious judge, and a very young Louis Jourdan appears as a French heartthrob who was valet for the victim. Details: A David O. Selznick/Vanguard Film. Released in 19...

For our second Chaplin Checkpoint, we dig into Charlie Chaplin's 1940 World War II satire, The Great Dictator. Chaplin has dual roles as a fascist dictator and a humble Jewish barber. Paulette Goddard and Jack Oakie costar.

This week we jump ahead to Under Capricorn , which practically feels modern after having spentabout14 weeks in the 20s and 30s. This 1949 period drama stars Joseph Cotton and Ingrid Bergman as a married couple in 19th Century Australia. An Irishman comes Down Under and begins unravelling the mysteries of their relationship. Details: A Transatlantic Picture, produced by Hitchcock and Sidney Bernste...

We’re nearing the end of Alfred Hitchcock’s early period. This week, we take a look at his third sound film, Murder! . The film involves a murder among a travelling acting troupe. One young actress is convicted, but a juror begins to have second thoughts and takes up his own investigation. Details: Produced by John Maxwell for British International Pictures in 1929. Screenplay by Alfred Hitchcock...

For the fourth consecutive week, we review an early silent film by Alfred Hitchcock. For those out there who are tiring of silent movies, don’t worry there’s only one left after this! The Ring is another love triangle as a sideshow boxer gets a big break, but at the expense of his relationship with his girlfriend. Details: Produced by John Maxwell for British International Pictures in 1929. Screen...

For our third straight silent Hitchcock film, we discuss The Manxman . This 1929 melodrama is the story of two childhood friends from the Isle of Man whose bond is pushed to the limits by their affections for the town barmaid. Details: Produced by John Maxwell for British International Pictures in 1929. Screenplay by Eliot Stannard based on the novel of the same name by Hall Caine. Starring Carl B...

We continue to plug our way through the lesser-known entries in Hitchcock’s filmography. Downhill was new to both of us. It’s the story of an idealistic young and wealthy college student who falls from grace after he takes the blame for the misdeeds of his friend. Details: Gainsborough-Emelka Pictures, 1927. Produced by Michael Balcon. Written by Eliot Stannard, based on the play by Ivor Novello a...

We turn our attention to Alfred Hitchcock’s first feature film, The Pleasure Garden . This movie follows two nightclub dancers whose careers and love lives take starkly different directions. There’s also a very wise dog. Details: Gainsborough-Emelka Pictures, 1925. Produced by Michael Balcon. Written by Eliot Stannard, based on the novel by Oliver Sandys. Starring Virginia Valli, Carmelita Geraght...

The subject of this week’s podcast is Rich and Strange . Emphasis on the strange—though that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Also known as East of Shanghai , this follows a middle-class couple who get to travel the world in luxury, thanks to a sudden inheritance. But it turns out their journey takes them on test of their relationship. Bonnie and Dennis break down this early sound Hitchcock movie. D...

We take a brief pause from our Hitchcock countdown this week with our first Chaplin Checkpoint. Bonnie had never seen a Chaplin movie before. We start with his hit 1921 comedy The Kid. The Tramp takes in an abandoned baby, who grows into an adorable child, played by Jackie Coogan. Counsin Jenny joins us as our special guest co-host!

In this episode we discuss Hitchcock’s early talkie, The Skin Game . Based on a popular play at the time, this 1931 drama deals with the feud between two wealthy families in England. Details: The Skin Game was released in 1931 by British International Pictures. Produced by John Maxwell. Script was written by Alfred Hitchcock and Alma Reville based on John Galsworthy’s play. Starring Edmund Gwenn,...

In this episode we discuss another silent Hitchcock movie, Easy Virtue , a 1927 (maybe 1928?) melodrama about a free-spirited woman who marries into a judgmental family that probes into her past. Details: Easy Virtue was released in 1928 by Gainsborough Pictures. Produced by Michael Balcon. Script was written by Eliot Stannard based on Noel Coward’s play. Starring Isabel Jeans, Franklyn Dyall, Rob...

This week we return to Hitchcock’s silent era with The Farmer’s Wife, a comic romance set in the rural English country side. Details: The Farmer’s Wife was released in 1928 by British International Pictures. Produced by John Maxwell. Screenplay by Alfred Hitchcock, adapted from Eden Phillpotts’ play. Starring James Thomas, Lillian Hall Davis, Gordon Harker, Maud Gill, and Louise Pounds. Cinematogr...

This week we talk about Hitchcock’s shortest movie, Number Seventeen. This 1932 crime movie is set in an abandoned house where a criminal enterprise is up to some shenanigans. Details: Number Seventeen was released in 1932 by British International Pictures. Produced by John Maxwell from a screenplay by Alma Reville (aka Mrs. Hitchcock), Alfred Hitchcock, and Rodney Ackland, based on J. Jefferson F...

We make our first visit to Hitchcock’s silent era with Champagne from 1928. It’s a star vehicle for British silent film star Betty Balfour. She plays an heiress who defies her father with an on-again-off-again romance. There’s also a mysterious gentleman who keeps crossing her path. It’s a riches to rags to riches story of sorts. Hitchcock himself hated it, listen in to hear what we thought of it....

In the mid-1930’s, Alfred Hitchcock picks a rather unusual assignment: Waltzes from Vienna, an adaptation of an operatic musical about Johann Strauss Jr.’s composition of The Blue Danube. Although Hitch took out most of the play’s music, it’s still the closest we’ll ever get to a Hitchcock musical. We watched this obscure film and actually have a pretty fun discussion about this movie we were both...

Our journey through the filmography of Alfred Hitchcock begins with what is arguably his most maligned film, Juno and the Paycock. It’s the adaptation of a famed Irish play about a poor Dublin family whose bonds are tested when they anticipate a large inheritance. We watched it so you don’t have to, and we discuss it all here. The Details: Juno and the Paycock , released 1930 by British Internatio...

An introductory episode in which we discuss what we have in store for our third season of Sibling Cinema. Stay tuned!

WHIPLASH We conclude this series with the tenth anniversary of Whiplash. The breakthrough film for director Damien Chazelle, starring Miles Teller as an ambitious jazz drummer at an elite school, and his attempts to gain the favor of a viciously exacting band leader played be J. K. Simmons.

Season 2, Episode 9: ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND For our penultimate episode in this series, we take a look at Michel Gondry's 2004 romantic sci-fi comedy Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, starring Jim Carey and Kate Winslet. Next week we finish off this series with the ten-year-old jazz band thriller Whiplash..

Season 2, Episode 8: TRUE LIES We continue our ten-part series where we take a deep dive into a film celebrating a milestone anniversary this year. 1994 is an iconic year: Forrest Gump vs Pulp Fiction vs Shawshank Redemption at the Oscars and The Lion King breaking box office records. We're keeping it light though, with James Cameron's spy comedy thriller True Lies, starring Arnold Schwarz...

Season 2, Episode 7: GHOSTBUSTERS We continue our ten-part series where we take a deep dive into a film celebrating a milestone anniversary this year. This week, we dial into Iven Reitman's 1984 smash hit Ghostbusters. You all know it: Bill Murray, Dan Akroyd, Harold Ramis, Rick Moranis, Sigourney Weaver Bernie Hudson, Slimer, the great Ray Parker song, dogs and cats living together. How does...

Season 2, Episode 6: THE CONVERSATION We continue our ten-part series where we take a deep dive into a film celebrating a milestone anniversary this year. This week, we wiretap into the 1974 classic surveillance thriller, The Conversation. It's directed by Francis Ford Coppola and stars Gene Hackman in one of his signature roles. It turns 50 this year. And, hey, Ghostbusters turns 40 this year...