Classic Cinema Zone

The so-called ‘Hitchcock 9′ – a series of little-seen silent films made in the early part of Alfred Hitchcock ‘s brilliant career – will make their debut today at the San Francisco Silent Film Festival. … Read Full Post

A sensation both as an actress and as a singer, Doris Day typified the All-American girl next door whose shining virginal persona onscreen belied a private life plagued by abuse and multiple marriages. As an actress, Day delivered exuberant performances in a string of musicals and comedies, ultimately becoming the top box office star in the early 1960s thanks to a trio of collaborations with Rock Hudson. Though she tried subverting her virginal image with the occasional thriller, where she displayed considerable chops as a dramatic actress, Day found her greatest success with fluffy romantic comedies that eventually fell out of favor during the sexual revolution of the mid-1960s. Still, Day was fondly remembered by legions of classic movies decades after she retired and today remains one of the era’s most popular performers. Here is a list of eight fantastic movies starring Doris Day.

This Father’s Day, Turner Classic Movies offers up a variety of great films that will surely please fathers of all ages. The day starts bright and early with Bonjour Tristesse (1957), a romantic melodrama directed by Otto Preminger and starring Jean Seberg as a freethinking teenager who tries to sabotage the engagement between her playboy father (David Niven) and his future bride (Deborah Kerr). … Read Full Post

This Father’s Day, Turner Classic Movies offers up a variety of great films that will surely please fathers of all ages. The day starts bright and early with Bonjour Tristesse (1957), a romantic melodrama directed by Otto Preminger and starring Jean Seberg as a freethinking teenager who tries to sabotage the engagement between her playboy father (David Niven) and his future bride (Deborah Kerr). … Read Full Post

A dynamic screen presence who was shot to stardom literally overnight, Lauren Bacall was best remembered for her work and her marriage to the classic era’s biggest star, Humphrey Bogart. Bacall was catapulted to leading status in only her first film, ‘To Have and Have Not’, and never looked back. Though her film career faltered in the 1960s, giving way to new life on stage and the small screen, Bacall remained one of the era’s most recognized actresses. Her are seven great films starring Lauren Bacall.

From its earliest days, Hollywood has long had a fascination with adapting the plays of William Shakespeare. But it wasn’t until the advent of sound, which brought his gift for language to life, that the Bard was adapted properly. While there have been many thinly guised adaptations of Shakespeare’s work, this list focuses on literal adaptations. Here are eight outstanding film interpretations of William Shakespeare.

An early film by Alfred Hitchcock previously believed to have been lost will soon be available to the public on DVD. Resurrected by the National Film Preservation Foundation, the first three reels of Hithcock’s earliest surviving feature, The White Shadow (1924), was discovered in New Zealand in 2011 after being mislabeled in the country’s archives. The film was streamed online after the Foundation’s initial preservation. … Read Full Post

Former competitive swimmer and star of numerous so-called “aquamusicals” Esther Williams died today in her Beverly Hills, CA home. She was 91. Williams rose to prominence as a medal-winning swimmer in Los Angeles who planned to compete in the 1940 Summer Olympics, only to see her dreams of gold medal glory dashed by the outbreak World War II. … Read Full Post

The quintessential 1950s brooding teen full of angst and rebellion, James Dean was a promising young star whose tragic death before his career started propelled him into iconic status. Dean was the star of three features films in his short career, but only lived long enough to see one of them released. He received two posthumous Oscar nominations and lived on for generations as a Hollywood legend.

At the end of every year, Hollywood buzzes with predictions for who will win Oscars or crows about which movie made the most money. But Hollywood also takes a more somber tone and looks back at the lives and careers of the stars we lost. Though we lost many more this year than can this list conveys, here are seven of the most notable celebrity deaths of 2011.