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In Review: The Phantom Of The Opera (1925) on DVD

by Martyn Conterio 5 December 2013

The Phantom of the Opera, Gaston Leroux’s gothic novel, has captivated everybody from Dario Argento to Andrew Lloyd Webber. The most famous adaptation of them all, however, is Rupert Julian’s 1925 silent classic, which starred the inimitable Lon Chaney, then at the peak of his powers and popularity, and whose ghoulish makeup is still mightily […]

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In Review: Gaslight (1940) on Blu-ray

by Maryann O'Connor 18 November 2013

The BFI have released Thorold Dickinson’s Gaslight (1940) as part of their season, Gothic: The Dark Heart of Film. Gaslight begins with a murder and the ransacking of an elderly lady’s house in Victorian Pimlico Square

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LFF 2013 Review: The Epic of Everest (1924)

by Mairéad Roche 14 October 2013

By 1924 both the North and South Poles had been reached with expeditions that dared to wager the ambitions of man against the elements. Everest was considered the ‘third Pole’ and former army officer and cinematographer-director, Captain John Noel, suggested that the highest point on Earth should be conquered.

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BFI London Film Festival 2013: Review Roundup #1

by Martyn Conterio 10 October 2013

The 57th BFI London Film Festival kicked off on 9th October with the premiere of Paul Greengrass’ Captain Phillips . We’ll be reviewing plenty of movies over the next eleven days. Here’s the first of our Review Roundups…

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The New Empress LFF 2013 Preview Guide

by Martyn Conterio 1 October 2013

The 57th BFI London Film Festival kicks off on 9th October at venues around the city. The opening night film is Captain Phillips starring Tom Hanks. The American superstar actor will also be present at LFF 2013 with Saving Mr. Banks and JFK assassination drama, Parkland, which he co-produced.

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In Interview: Sam Dunn, Head of Video Publishing at BFI Flipside

by Martyn Conterio 23 September 2013

With the release of Saxon Logan’s Sleepwalker on Monday 23rd September, courtesy of the BFI’s Flipside distribution arm, New Empress interviewed Sam Dunn, Head of Video Publishing, to discuss the label and the release of the forgotten 1980s British horror-satire.

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In Review: Sleepwalker (1984) on DVD

by Martyn Conterio 18 September 2013

Saxon Logan’s 1984 featurette, Sleepwalker, has been reissued and given a HD makeover by the BFI’s Flipside label. A peculiar mix of satire and horror film it is notable, too, for a screen appearance by director Bill Douglas (The Bill Douglas Trilogy, Comrades).

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In Review: A London Trilogy: The Films of Saint Etienne on DVD

by Sam Inglis 25 July 2013

This thematic trilogy are all collaborations between the dance pop band Saint Etienne and filmmakers Paul Kelly and (on Finisterre) Kieran Evans.

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In Review: The Enigma Of Kaspar Hauser

by Anton Bitel 1 July 2013

“In 1828,” reads the text that opens The Enigma Of Kaspar Hauser (or, to translate its original German title, Every Man For Himself And God Against All), “a ragged boy was found abandoned in the town of N.”

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In Review: Cría cuervos (1976) on DVD

by Amanda Keats 12 June 2013

As a child, Ana Torrent had one of the most captivating faces ever seen on screen, with enormous eyes that seemed to see everything, even at such a young age. After starring in The Spirit of the Beehive (1973), it was no surprise then that she was brought on to play middle child Ana in […]

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New Empress Writer to Present at British Silent Film Symposium

by Helen Cox 3 April 2013

In place of the British Silent Film Festival this year a series of one-off events has been organised in London and Aldeburgh. The first is the British Silent Film Symposium on the 19th of April in which 14 research papers will be presented on all aspects of filmmaking and filmgoing between 1895 and 1930. Alongside […]

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