What Drove Buster Keaton to Try a Civil War Comedy?
“Someone should have told Buster that it is difficult to derive laughter from the sight of men being killed in battle.”
Diorama, qu’est-ce que c’est?
Before his daguerreotype, the French inventor Louis Daguerre unveiled a new kind of “virtual reality” on a British stage.
Media Literacy & Fake News: A Syllabus
Ten lessons from the past and steps we can take now to educate ourselves and our students about how to be a thoughtful consumer of information.
All You Need Is Live
The very first international TV simulcast was 1967's Our World, which featured performers from around the globe—including the Beatles.
Recalling City Sounds During a Quarantine
The New York Public Library presented the city with the gift of its own "missing sounds" during the coronavirus crisis.
The Exploding Women of Early 20th Century “Trick Films”
In “trick films,” women were shown literally exploding over kitchen accidents—the early 1900s way of mining humor out of human tragedies.
The Therapeutic Value of Horror Video Games
In stressful situations, seeking out even more stress can be cathartic.
Filmmaker Marlon Riggs: “Notice Is Served”
The award-winning Black gay filmmaker, author, and activist Marlon Riggs left a legacy of protest against racism and homophobia.
How Fritz Lang’s Flight from Nazi Germany Shaped Hollywood
German expressionism--imported to Hollywood by Jewish exiles--brought a lasting tradition of shadows, duality, and mirroring to mainstream American cinema.
The First Movie Kiss
The public fascination was so intense that fans soon started demanding live reenactments.