Blackmail (1929)

Alfred Hitchcock's 1929 film, Blackmail, follows Alice (Ondra), as she ditches her police detective boyfriend, Frank (Longden), and goes on a date instead with a local artist, Mr. Crewe (Ritchard). Unfortunately, their date concludes with Mr. Crewe attempting to rape Alice. In the struggle, Alice is able to get her hands on a knife and

Passion de Jeanne d’Arc, La (The Passion of Joan of Arc) (1928)

La Passion de Jeanne d'Arc recounts the historic trial of Joan of Arc, a patron saint of France. This historical drama is based on actual records from the trial. Carl Theodor Dreyer's direction and set design, Renée Jeanne Falconetti's acting, and Rudolph Maté's arti direction all contributed to an unconventional and timeless piece of film

A Recap of Films: 1920-1929 (US)

In the United States, the 1920's saw a major rise in the quality of films as well as in attendance in the box office and acceptance as an art form. Film length also increased on average. The short film barrage from the previous decade was replaced with fewer and more purposeful films, on average. There

Ménilmontant (1926) – Short Film

Ménilmontant tells the story of two young sisters in the Paris neighborhood of Ménilmontant. The film begins with the murder of their parents, orphaning the two young women. The young women grow up and end up falling for the same boy. Jealousy over the boy ends up pushing the sisters apart and on different paths.

An Andalusian Dog (Un Chien Andalou) (1929) – Short Film

Luis Buñuel and Salvador Dalí's Un Chien Andalou has become famous for its unsettling, disjointed, and, at times, disturbing film challenging bourgeoise film of the time. It has become a forerunner for the avant-garde film genre and milestone in pushing the boundaries in the early film era. The opening sequence where a woman gets her