The Decades of Double Features
For years, the double feature was a dependable part of the movie-goer’s life. Where did it come from, and where did it go?
Seeking Clues in Cabinet Cards
The poignant images, at once banal and intimate, in the Lynch Family Photographs Collection contain mysteries perhaps only the public can solve.
Remembering Mavis Gallant
Shaped by her Canadian origins and early work as a journalist, expatriate Gallant used the short story to examine the sociopolitics of post-war Europe.
The Post-Millennial Poe, or, Edgar Allan Holmes?
In life, Edgar Allan Poe was best known as a literary critic. Today, he’s best remembered for his disquieting tales...but that may be changing.
Real Fake/Fake Real: Pro-Wrestling’s Kayfabe Conundrum
An anthropologist takes on pro-wrestling at the intersection of gig-economy precariousness and post-truth politics.
“Let it Go” and “Defying Gravity”: Queer Anthems in Lockstep
The leading songs from Wicked and Frozen emphasize the importance of self-determination and being true to oneself.
Why Are Video Games So Fond of Opera?
Video games have a long history of using musical excerpts from opera and classical music, but some creators take the in-game operatic sequence even further.
Henry Cowell’s One True Desire
To “live in the whole world of music” was all the influential, experimental composer wanted—and did, even while imprisoned at San Quentin.
From The Host to Parasite: Hollywood’s Hidden Hand
Bong Joon-ho’s films interrogate the ways modern Korean culture has been shaped by the post-war relationship between the United States and South Korea.
Surrealism in Cinema, 100 Years On
A century after the publication of the first Surrealist manifesto, the role played by film in the movement is still unfolding.