Old Movies Archives

The best Christmas films of the silent era

by Sarah Cook | Dec 19, 2023 | Feature

Christmas movies didn't start with It's A Wonderful Life - here's a smattering of silent seasonal treats you can roast a chestnut to....

Early animation didn't start with the Victorians - it's even older

by Sarah Cook | Nov 29, 2023 | Feature

As 100 years of Disney animation comes to a close, we're looking back at the origins of the medium - and they're older than you might expect......

Exploring Powell and Pressburger's I Know Where I'm Going!

by Sarah Cook | Oct 24, 2023 | Feature

As the BFI's Cinema Unbound season continues to shed light on the films of Powell and Pressburger, we take a closer look at I Know Where I'm Going!...

Jennifer Jones in Gone To Earth, directed by Powell and Pressburger.

Exploring the lesser known films of Powell and Pressburger

by Sarah Cook | Oct 17, 2023 | Feature

Ahead of a BFI season dedicated to their work, we explore some of the lesser known films of directors Powell and Pressburger....

Celebrating The House Of The Devil - the world's first horror film

by Sarah Cook | Sep 26, 2023 | Feature

In this week's old movies column, we take a look at George Méliès' The House Of The Devil - the first ever horror film. ...

The Victorian short films that were a little bit racy

by Sarah Cook | Sep 12, 2023 | Feature

The Victorians may have a reputation for being prudish, but some of their short films prove otherwise - here's a look at some saucy old shorts....

The films that inspired murder mystery novel Diary Of Murders

by Sarah Cook | Aug 22, 2023 | Feature

From the 1890s to the 2000s, Sarah Cook explores the films that inspired her new book, Diary Of Murders. T...

Miriam Hopkins as Ivy Pearson with Fredric March's Mr Hyde in Dr Jekyll And Mr Hyde.

Celebrating the work of classical Hollywood actor Miriam Hopkins

by Sarah Cook | Aug 15, 2023 | Feature

In this week's old movies column, we take a look at the memorable on-screen roles of actor Miriam Hopkins....

Old movies: Sergei Eisenstein's Strike

by Sarah Cook | Aug 08, 2023 | Feature

As the writers and actors of Hollywood are on strike, we take a look at Sergei Eisenstein's Strike, a movie that's pro-worker and anti-capitalist. I...

Margot Robbie as Barbie in Greta Gerwig's Barbie.

The classic films that inspired Greta Gerwig's Barbie

by Sarah Cook | Jul 25, 2023 | Feature

Greta Gerwig's Barbie is taking the world by storm, so let's take a look at the classical films that inspired the summer blockbuster. T...

A celebration of classic folk horror

by Sarah Cook | Jun 27, 2023 | Feature

If the 50th anniversary of The Wicker Man has opened your eyes to folk horror, then there's a lot more out there waiting for you....

Carol Lombard and Lionel Barrymore in Twentieth Century, directed by Howard Hawks.

Celebrating Howard Hawks' Twentieth Century

by Sarah Cook | Jun 13, 2023 | Feature

Howard Hawks was an astoundingly talented director who worked across various genres - we celebrate one of his early films, Twentieth Century....

Old Movies: 1972's pitch black comedy, The Ruling Class

by Sarah Cook | May 09, 2023 | Feature

Peter Medak's 1972 black comedy The Ruling Class isn't the most subtle film, but it's an excellent one - with Peter O'Toole on fine form....

Old movies: celebrating the work of King Vidor

by Sarah Cook | May 02, 2023 | Feature

A massively important name in early Hollywood, we take a look at some of the finest films of director King Vidor....

Old movies: how Dwight Frye gave us cinema's finest Renfield

by Sarah Cook | Apr 18, 2023 | Feature

The new Renfield field isn't short of fun, but the definitive screen portrayal of the title character dates all the way back to 1930s cinema......

The moon with a rocket in its eyes in A Trip To The Moon (1902).

Old movies, and the history of early fantasy films

by Sarah Cook | Mar 28, 2023 | Feature

In this week's old movies column, we take a look at some of the earliest fantasy films ever made - and you can find some of them online for free....

Louise Fletcher as Nurse Ratched in One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest.

Old movies: the best nurses in film

by Sarah Cook | Mar 21, 2023 | Feature

In this week's old movies column, we take a look at some of the most memorable portrayals of nurses in classical film......

Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert in It Happened One Night

Old movies: celebrating It Happened One Night

by Sarah Cook | Mar 14, 2023 | Feature

This year's Academy Awards may be over, but in our old movies column we look at a classic film that won big - It Happened One Night. ...

Old movies: Polish cinema on the big screen

by Sarah Cook | Mar 07, 2023 | Feature

Polish cinema and filmmakers are coming under the spotlight at the KINOTEKA film festival over the next few weeks: and here are some highlights....

The Phantom Rides films of the 1800s and early 1900s

by Sarah Cook | Feb 28, 2023 | Feature

We're digging back into the world of old movies, as we celebrate the short films of 125 years ago, that offered a glimpse into a whole different era....