Category Archives: History

Untrue Confessions: “Witchfinder General” (1968)

           “Witchfinder General”  (1968)     Whenever the subject arises as to the hows and whys relating the attraction and obedient acclimation to the rise of unhealthy societal extremes such as Nazism, it might be useful … Continue reading

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When Your Fingers Did the Walking: Classic Film Images Photo Quiz, March 2022 Edition, Vol. 411

When Your Fingers Did the Walking: Classic Film Images Photo Quiz, March 2022 Edition, Vol. 411      In a world in desperate need of all of the humor one can muster, it never fails to entertain to seek out a … Continue reading

Posted in Cold War, comedy, crime, Drive-In Movies, History, Movies, Musicals, Mystery, photography, Romance, women, writing | 3 Comments

Whiskers: Classic Film Images Photo Quiz, Jan. 2022 Edition, Vol. 9

Whiskers: Classic Film Images Photo Quiz, Jan. 2022 Edition, Vol. 9 Celebrating a new year with style and grace (and not a little bit of sartorial elegance), we proudly announce a new year and, thus, a new age of CSR; one … Continue reading

Posted in animation, biography, books, Boston, comedy, History, Movies, photography, writing | 2 Comments

Have I Got A Girl For You: Classic Film Images Photo Quiz, Dec. 2021 Edition, Vol. 35mm

Have I  Got A Girl For You: Classic Film Images Photo Quiz, Dec. 2021 Edition, Vol. 35mm    ‘Tis the season for gift giving and avaricious wishful thinking and while the members of the militant pseudo-feminist movement (“Declare your independence, then … Continue reading

Posted in art house cinema, black cinema, books, History, horror, Movies, Mystery, Romance, women | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

They Had Lenses Then: Classic Film Images Photo Quiz, Sept. 2021 Edition, Vol. 35mm

They Had Lenses Then: Classic Film Images Photo Quiz, Sept. 2021 Edition, Vol. 35mm Eschewing the usual mockery of political and social buffoons in the course of shamelessly circuitous introduction, current events demand that a passing dismissal of the criminally … Continue reading

Posted in Audie Murphy, biography, books, Boston, Drive-In Movies, History, Mimsy Farmer, Musicals, politics, Romance, women, writing | 2 Comments

Thundering Cliff Notes: “Tombstone” (1993)

         “Tombstone”  (1993)      In George Stevens’ film “Shane”, when excitable homesteader Frank Torrey (Elisha Cook Jr.) is gunned down by the enigmatic hired killer Jack Wilson (Jack Palance), the director deliberately amplified the volume of … Continue reading

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Pacific Overtures: “PT 109” (1963)

               “PT 109”  (1963)      Much can be determined from the character of a person by the substance of an autobiographical tome. In the case of “PT 109”, so much influence was exerted … Continue reading

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‘Tis the Season of Excess: Classic Film Images Photo Quiz, Dec. 2020 Edition, Vol. 3,000,000,000

‘Tis the Season of Excess: Classic Film Images Photo Quiz, Dec. 2020 Edition, Vol. 3,000,000,000 If anything might be guaranteed to emanate on a continuous basis from the deeply humanist and selfless communal mindset that is at the core of … Continue reading

Posted in art house cinema, biography, books, History, Italian cinema, Movies, photography, Romance, Santa Claus, silent movies, westerns, women, writing | 3 Comments

Family Ties: Classic Film Images Photo Quiz, Nov. 2020 Edition, Vol. 2.4

Family Ties: Classic Film Images Photo Quiz, Nov. 2020 Edition, Vol. 2.4     Recently it was reported that America’s most prominent Chicken Little,  Dr, Anthony Fauci was informed by his family that due to the conditions of the pandemic, they … Continue reading

Posted in biography, black cinema, books, children, comedy, Drive-In Movies, History, Movies, Musicals, women | 4 Comments

If You Have the Time to Read This, You’re Not Earning Your Pay: Classic Film Images Photo Quiz, Sept. 2020 Special Labor Day Edition, Vol. 40/5

If You Have Time to Read This, You’re Not Earning Your Pay: Classic Film Images Photo Quiz, Sept. 202 Special Labor Day Edition, Vol. 40/5     In celebration of the American holiday acknowledging the working class, all of the effort … Continue reading

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It Came From the File Cabinet: Classic Film Images Photo Quiz, Late Aug./Early Sept. 2020 Edition, Vol. 47

It Came From the File Cabinet: Classic Film Images Photo Quiz, Late Aug./Early Sept. 2020 Edition, Vol. 47      It is with great sorrow that we at Chandler Swain Reviews regret to inform you that our traditional method of … Continue reading

Posted in art house cinema, biography, Blaxploitation, books, British films, comedy, Drive-In Movies, History, horror, Movies, women, writing | 3 Comments

This is No Way to Share Popcorn

Posted in blogs, Boston, British films, cinema, Culture, Film, History, movie reviews, Movies, Romance, women, writing | 1 Comment

Attention Puny Earthlings! A Special Announcement Follows…

A BRAINTEASER TO SEE WHO’S STILL WITH US…     …cognitively speaking of course. (Unfortunately this omits a particularly sad individual who is currently running/sitting/hibernating/drooling for office for the DMC, but seems quite content to spend his autumn hours neatly snuggled … Continue reading

Posted in blogs, Boston, History, humor, Movies, Mystery, Puzzles, trivia | 2 Comments

Fear is the Key: “Machine Gun Kelly” (1958)

    “Machine Gun Kelly” (1958)    Roger Corman directs this oddly unaffecting gangster film which while predictably short on accurate historic detail, curiously substitutes enough unconvincing. psychodrama to sabotage a dozen B-pictures.      In chronicling the exaggerated myths … Continue reading

Posted in biography, Charles Bronson, crime, History, Movies, Roger Corman, women, writing | Tagged | 1 Comment

Is That Snow Falling From The Sky Or Are You Just Glad to See Me?: Classic Film Images Photo Quiz, Dec. 2019 Edition,Vol. 6 – 12″

Is That Show Falling From The Sky Or Are You Just Glad To See Me?: Classic Film Images Photo Quiz, Dec. 2019 Edition, Vol. 6 – 12″ Not a subscriber to climate change (we here at CSR much prefer the … Continue reading

Posted in black cinema, books, British films, Cold War, crime, Drive-In Movies, History, humor, Movies, Mystery, photography, politics, Romance | 2 Comments

Going to the Chapel: Classic Film Images Photo Quiz, Nov. 2019 Edition, Vol. XXXI

Going to the Chapel:  Classic Film Images Photo Quiz, Nov. 2019 Edition, Vol. XXXI     This month’s offering comes with the dual purpose of pointing out the intellectual deficiencies of our readers (glad to do it) and to seek … Continue reading

Posted in Alfred Hitchcock, animation, art house cinema, books, British films, History, humor, Movies, politics, religion, writing | 4 Comments

25 Pictures in Search of a Theme: Classic Film Images Photo Quiz, Sept. 2019 Edition, Vol. 133524.48

25 Pictures in Search of a  Theme: Classic Film Images Photo Quiz, Sept. 2019 Edition, Vol. 133524.48s     Since the inception of Chandler Swain Reviews, we have engaged in the constant struggle between the search for Art and depth … Continue reading

Posted in biography, books, Boston, Cecil B. DeMille, comedy, History, horror, Movies, Mystery, photography, Romance, women, writing | 1 Comment

Conduct Unbecoming: “The Night of the Generals” (1967)

       “The Night of the Generals”   (1967)     The makers of any film based on Hans Hellmut Kirst’s 1962 novel The Night of the Generals face a formidable task in that the author indulges in an sizeable amount of strategically inserted … Continue reading

Posted in books, crime, History, movie reviews, Movies, Mystery, Peter O'Toole, World War II, writing | Tagged | 1 Comment

Firearms For Fun and Profit: Classic Film Images Photo Quiz, Aug. 2019 Edition, Vol. .38 Caliber

Firearms for Fun and Profit:  Classic Film Images Photo Quiz, Aug. 2019 Edition, Vol. .38 Caliber     Let us consider, for a moment,  the strained logic inherent in the Constitutional inalienable right to be contrary, hypocritical and downright stupid … Continue reading

Posted in biography, books, Drive-In Movies, film noir, grindhouse, History, Movies, Musicals, Mystery, photography, westerns, women | 1 Comment

Reserved Seating: Classic Film Images Photo Quiz, July 2019 Edition, Vol. A7

Reserved Seating:  Classic Film Images Photo Quiz, July 2019 Edition, Vol. A7     Movies are a funny business (Unless the studios are attempting a comedy, in which case Hollywood can be the most depressing place on Earth.) and the … Continue reading

Posted in books, Boston, comedy, Drive-In Movies, History, Movies, Mystery, photography, politics, silent movies, Television, theater, women, writing | 3 Comments

Variety is the Spice of Life: Classic Film Images Photo Quiz, June 2019 Edition, Vol. 57

Variety is the Spice of Life: Classic Film Images Photo Quiz, June 2019 Edition, Vol. 57     In keeping with the CSR tradition of taking an entire month to upgrade, update and perform a much needed Spring Cleaning on the … Continue reading

Posted in biography, books, comedy, History, horror, movie reviews, Movies, photography, Romance, sex, theater, women, writing | 8 Comments

Stars Behind Bars: Classic Film Images Photo Quiz, May 2019 Edition, Vol. 10 – 20

Stars Behind Bars: Classic Film Images Photo Quiz, May 2019 Edition, Vol. 10 – 20 With the recent collegiate scandal involving several prominent Hollywood actresses doing their thespian best to convince a disgusted populace that their attempts to inflict their … Continue reading

Posted in biography, books, British films, comedy, crime, Drive-In Movies, education, History, Movies, Mystery, westerns, women, writing | 4 Comments

-30-: Classic Film Images Photo Quiz, April 2019 Edition, Vol. 1984

-30-: Classic Film Images Photo Quiz, April 2019 Edition, Vol. 1984     Now that the two year Mueller investigation has reached the obvious conclusion that indeed there has been blatant seditious collusion between Russian interests to undermine and interfere with … Continue reading

Posted in biography, books, Boston, comedy, crime, History, Movies, politics, Television, westerns, women, writing | Tagged , | 9 Comments

Chandler’s Trailers: “The Holcroft Covenant” (1985)

The resurgence of the Third Reich seems to be popular sport for thriller novelists seeking an easily identifiable scapegoat for global chicanery, and nowhere has this premise been given a more haphazard treatment than in John Frankenheimer’s film of the … Continue reading

Posted in books, espionage, History, John Frankenheimer, Michael Caine, Movies, Mystery, Reviews, World War II, writing | 2 Comments

67 Years and No Relief in Sight: Classic Film Images Photo Quiz, March 2019 Edition, Vol. 1952

  67 Years and No Relief in Sight: Classic Film Photo Quiz, Mar. 2019 Edition, Vol. 1952     Some men are born to greatness. Some have greatness thrust upon them, And some just won’t go away. Which brings us … Continue reading

Posted in biography, black cinema, books, British films, comedy, crime, History, Movies, Musicals, Mystery, Romance, women, writing | 7 Comments

Lure of the Siren: “Carmen” (1915)

          “Carmen”  (1915)      If a proper movie translation of Prosper Mérimée’s novella “Carmen” is to be realized, the film must positively reek of earthiness; it must relay a passion so irresistible in its attraction … Continue reading

Posted in books, Cecil B. DeMille, History, Movies, Reviews, Romance, silent movies, women, writing | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Twenty Five on the Black Hand Side: Classic Film Images Photo Quiz, Feb. 2019 Edition, Vol. 46

Twenty Five on the Black Hand Side:  Classic Film Images Photo Quiz, Feb. 2019 Edition, Vol. 46     Being that February has been designated Black History Month by every U.S. President since 1976 (while Congress has been completely inactive … Continue reading

Posted in biography, black cinema, Blaxploitation, books, comedy, Drive-In Movies, History, Jim Brown, Movies, Musicals, women, writing | 2 Comments

Concession Stand Bites: “Murder Inc.” (1960)

“Murder Inc.” (1960) Starring Stuart Whitman, May Britt, Peter Falk, Henry Morgan, David J. Stewart, Simon Oakland, Morey Amsterdam, Joseph Bernard, Vincent Gardenia. Written by Irve Tunick & Mel Barr, based on the book by Burton Turkus and Sid Feder. … Continue reading

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Concession Stand Bites: “Judgment at Nuremberg” (1961)

“Judgment at Nuremberg” (1961) Starring Spencer Tracy. Burt Lancaster, Richard Widmark, Marlene Dietrich, Maximilian Schell, Judy Garland, Montgomery Clift. Written by Abby Mann. Directed by Stanley Kramer. Lengthy, literate courtroom drama, still the most intelligent film to come from Hollywood … Continue reading

Posted in Burt Lancaster, crime, History, Judy Garland, Movies, politics, Richard Widmark, Spencer Tracy, Stanley Kramer, World War II, writing | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Concession Stand Bites: “36 Hours” (1965)

“36 Hours” (1965) Starring James Garner, Eva Marie Saint, Rod Taylor, Werner Peters, John Banner, Alan Napier. Written by George Seaton, based on the story “Beware of the Dogs” by Roald Dahl and a story by Carl K. Hittleman & … Continue reading

Posted in books, espionage, History, James Garner, Movies, psychiatry, Rod Taylor, Romance, short stories, World War II, writing | Tagged , | 2 Comments

Solo: Classic Film Images Photo Quiz, Jan. 2019 Edition, Vol. 1

Solo:  Classic Film Images Photo Quiz, Jan. 2019 Edition, Vol. 1     The act of being alone comes in many forms in the cinema, from a voluntary solitude to an imposed seclusion, with the reaction to such isolation ranging … Continue reading

Posted in biography, books, British films, Bruce Dern, comedy, History, movie remakes, Movies, science fiction, silent movies, Steve McQueen, women | 4 Comments

Big Bang: “Krakatoa East of Java” (1969)

      “Krakatoa East of Java”  (1969)     Seldom have adventure films sunk from their own surfeit of narrative ballast as dramatically as Bernard L. Kowalski’s “Krakatoa East of Java”, a film that juggles so many storylines- ensuring … Continue reading

Posted in disaster films, History, movie reviews, Movies, Romance, women, writing | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

Floating: “Zeppelin” (1971)

           “Zeppelin”  (1971)     The staggering cost in human lives resulting from global conflicts is reemphasized in Etienne Perier’s World War I adventure “Zeppelin”, one of those myriad cinema fantasies in which the fate of … Continue reading

Posted in espionage, History, London, Michael York, Movies, Romance, war movies, women, writing | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

Ups and Downs: “The Man Who Skied Down Everest” (1975)

     “The Man Who Skied Down Everest”  (1975)     When George Mallory famously responded to the question as to why he wanted to climb Mount Everest with the seemingly flippant remark- “Because it’s there” -his brief answer would … Continue reading

Posted in art house cinema, biography, Documentaries, History, movie reviews, Movies, Reviews | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Ho Ho Ho: Classic Film Images Photo Quiz, Dec 2018 Edition, Vol. $50hr

Ho Ho Ho: Classic Film Images Photo Quiz, Dec. 2018 Edition, Vol. $50hr     If not the oldest profession, it certainly would counted high on the list of most depicted professions on the silver screen. We are, of course, … Continue reading

Posted in books, cinema, Eartha Kitt, History, Italian cinema, Movies, Musicals, sex, Sophia Loren, theater, westerns, women | 11 Comments

Whose West Is It Anyway?: “Tomahawk” (1951)

          “Tomahawk”  (1951)     George Sherman’s “Tomahawk” is one of those colorful  1950’s western films of surprising quantity that are (in theory) sympathetic to the American Indian (in this case the Sioux) as victims of duplicitous … Continue reading

Posted in Drive-In Movies, History, Movies, racism, Romance, westerns, women, writing | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

All Spaced Out: Classic Film Photo Quiz, Nov. 2018 Edition, Vol.109876543210

    All Spaced Out:  Classic Film Photo Quiz, Nov. 2018 Edition, Vol. 109876543210     With the idea of a Space Force looming within striking distance in the political ether (does this mean we can arm with ray guns … Continue reading

Posted in books, History, Movies, politics, science, science fiction, women, writing | Tagged , , , | 14 Comments

Soulless: “Ilsa, She Wolf of the SS” (1975)

         “Ilsa, She Wolf of the SS”  (1975)     If history doesn’t present us with enough examples of inhuman atrocity, leave it to the movie industry to feel compelled to invent a peculiar hybrid combining the … Continue reading

Posted in Drive-In Movies, grindhouse, History, horror, movie reviews, Movies, Reviews, sex, writing | Tagged , | 2 Comments

Rainy Day Monday: Classic Film Photo Images Quiz, Oct. 2018 Edition, Vol. 23

Rainy Day Monday: Classic Film Photo Images Quiz, Oct. 2018 Edition, Vol. 23     Welcome again guys and chicklets to yet another in the long suffering series known as The Classic Film Images Photo Quiz, brought to you, as … Continue reading

Posted in books, comedy, erotica, History, horror, movie reviews, Movies, Mystery, photography, Romance, women, writing | 8 Comments

Sweet Sixteen Party, or: Men Bad- A Demented World of Women in Peril: Classic Film Images Photo Quiz, Special Congressional Misandry Edition, Vol.37-24-36

Sweet Sixteen Party, or: Men Bad- A Demented World of Women in Peril:  Classic Film Images Photo Quiz, Special Congressional Misandry Edition, Vol. 37-24-36     Caught in a fashionable wave of gender activism, in which the very use of … Continue reading

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Burning Bridges: “The Cassandra Crossing” (1977)

      “The Cassandra Crossing”  (1977) Spoiler notice:  The following review contains revealing details of the film’s narrative.      Defining what was labelled as a “disaster movie” in the 1970’s is an imprecise science as those films to … Continue reading

Posted in Burt Lancaster, disaster films, History, movie reviews, Movies, Romance, Sophia Loren, writing | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

The Return of the Classic Film Clip Quiz

  The Return of the Classic Film Clip Quiz     Let us reintroduce this minor little visual quiz where we ask the musical question: Name the film clips shown. (Well, it’s not really a question, but it’s our discretion … Continue reading

Posted in biography, books, comedy, dance, erotica, History, horror, Movies, Musicals, Mystery, Romance, silent films, westerns | 8 Comments

Labor Pains: Classic Film Images Photo Quiz, Sept. 2018 Edition, Vol. 925/Remedial Reprint

_______________________________________________________________ Labor Pains:  Classic Film Images Photo Quiz, Sept. 2018 Edition, Vol. 925/Remedial Reprint     The American cinema celebrates many things-  vacuous comic book heroics, scatological crudity, infantilism, serial sadism, non-NRA gun violence  -but the labors of the American working … Continue reading

Posted in books, Boston, comedy, History, Movies, Musicals, New York City, politics, Reviews, silent movies, theater, women, writing | 7 Comments

Labor Pains: Classic Film Images Photo Quiz, Sept. 2018 Edition, Vol. 925

Labor Pains:  Classic Film Images Photo Quiz, Sept. 2018 Edition, Vol. 925     The American cinema celebrates many things-  vacuous comic book heroics, scatological crudity, infantilism, serial sadism, non-NRA gun violence  -but the labors of the American working man and … Continue reading

Posted in books, Boston, comedy, History, Movies, Musicals, photography, politics, Puzzles, Romance, theater, women, writing | 13 Comments

Without a Clue: Classic Film Images Photo Quiz, Aug. 2018 Edition, Vol. 52

Without a Clue:  Classic Film Images Photo Quiz,  Aug. 2018 Edition, Vol. 52     With the summer winding down, it seemed appropriate to publish a photo quiz that was (in our estimation, since we know the answers), a breeze, … Continue reading

Posted in books, Boston, History, movie reviews, Movies, photography, Reviews, silent films, theater, women, writing | 2 Comments

Mop Tops: “The Beatles: Eight Days a Week- The Touring Years” (2016)

    “The Beatles: Eight Days a Week- The  Touring Years”  (2016)      Just when you think that the documentary coverage of The Beatles had reached the saturation point, along comes Ron Howard’s “The Beatles: Eight Days a Week- … Continue reading

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Who Needs That Ther’ Book Lernin’?: Classic Film Images Photo Quiz, July 2018 Edition, Vol. 451

  Who Needs That Ther’ Book Lernin’?:  Classic Film Images Photo Quiz, July 2018 Edition, Vol. 451     Despite such contemporary wizards as Mark Zuckerberg asserting the notion that modern life requires little more wisdom than can be drawn … Continue reading

Posted in book reviews, books, Boston, children's books, History, Movies, Musicals, Mystery, short stories, women, writing | Tagged , | 3 Comments

And a Little Child Shall Lead Them: Classic Film Images Photo Quiz, May 2018 Edition, Vol. K – 6

And a Little Child Shall Lead Them: Classic Film Images Photo Quiz, May 2018 Edition, Vol. K – 6      Why does it seem that the very idea of “good”children has been abandoned? The bawling spoiled moppets who pollute every … Continue reading

Posted in book reviews, books, British films, children, French cinema, History, humor, Italian cinema, Movies, parenting, Romance, westerns, writing | 7 Comments

Habit Forming: Classic Film Images Photo Quiz, April 2018 Edition, Vol. 3:10

Posted in biography, books, History, humor, Movies, Musicals, religion, war movies, westerns, women, writing | Tagged | 10 Comments

Stolen Kisses: The Birth of Adult Cinema

      The Birth of Adult Cinema:  “The Kiss” / “Après le bal”       (1896/1897) “I shall not today attempt further to define the kinds of material I understand to be embraced within that shorthand description [“hard-core pornography”] as I … Continue reading

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