Going to Extremes, Part One: Pericles (Some Mouldy Tale)
Drama is about extremity. This can centre on one person, or on his/her society or both. Without it drama cannot exist. But what if the world’s greatest dramatist starts testing[…]
Author: D. J. M. Saunders
D. J. M. Saunders is a practising artist who lives and works in Cardiff, Wales. 
Blocked or Taking Stock? A Very Brief, Not Too Bleak Mid-Winter View (Albeit with the Aid of Spectacles)
“I now present Anthony Quinn (1915-2001) – the mighty one himself – in a light few will recognize: not Quinn the rank sentimentalist ham (or Eskimo), but Quinn the deeply[…]
Hope and History: Beyond Violence
By means of horror?
No Gloomy Ones: Double Suicide?
Or transcendent love?
Don’t Swoon: Howl when you’re far from home. Weep at Nature’s wonders.
But, dearest sister, never ever swoon.
God Bless Us Everyone, Including Bankers and Businessmen
They might be learning to be human, too
Gentlemen Prefer Bland Homogeneity: Unless They Have to Pitch in with the Others
Then goodness knows what will happen
Meet the Macbeths: Again and Again and Again
Almost as though we’re addicted or something
Lovers and Killers? Only on This Island
Which is why you and I must escape
The Connectitrons Are Coming! But wait a minute, weren’t they here all along?
It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single species in want of heart, brains, and courage stands in need of the Connectitrons — or, at least, the good version[…]
Between the Idea and the Reality the Shadow Falls
So please mind the gap
Young Ones and Swan Songs: Luis Bunuel in Mexico, Bela Tarr in Edinburgh
“Attempts to create interesting projects of any sort despite our limitations can sometimes touch us more deeply than slick illusions that — literally by design — hide a lot of skill and effort, yet, in so doing, also hide something of the crazy courage it takes just to be human.”
Helping Humanity: We All Get Stressed Out
But have you stopped behaving strangely?
A Funny Valentine to Crime: Where Jim Fits a Bill or Two
And Claude Rains.
That’s My Girl! Well, actually, she’s not. But we love each other anyway.
What do Bellissima (Visconti, 1951) and The Unknown Woman/La Sconsciuta (Zamarion/ Tornatore, 2006) have in common? Apart from being examples of Italian Cinema randomly connected by my recent viewing, the answer is they[…]
Black and White Orpheus: An Audio Visual Species
That still finds musicians easier to rob
Essays · Noir · Writers & Critics
Ossessione: Shabby Little Shocker?
Or Advanced Guide to Cinematic Survival?
Jean Renoir’s Toni: Unreal and True
And staying forever young
Books · Essays · Uncategorized · Writers & Critics
On the Escarpment, Off the Escarpment: It Helps When the Love Is Strong
Especially when the lovers aren’t
Essays · Film Technology & History · Music & Musicals
Art Thou Troubled? Musicals May Calm Thee
But don’t forget DVD opera
Links + BSA
