Film Festival: Latin Flavor In You Were Never Lovelier (1942), Rita Hayworth plays a Buenos Aires princess in the style of “Taming of the Shrew.” Margarita Cansino was a dark-haired beauty who first was noticed as her father Eduardo’s ballroom dance partner. In her late teens she made a few movie appearances (Charlie Chan in Egypt). Then…
classic films
Zou Zou Josephine Baker musical: Lisa’s Home Bijou
Film Festival: Divine Divas Zou Zou, made in 1934, is one of the few performances of the woman lovingly known as “La Baker” preserved on film; a showcase for Josephine Baker’s comedic persona and her emotional singing. A child of the streets of St. Louis, she made her way to New York and into show…
If You Believe Christmas fantasy: Lisa’s Home Bijou
Film Festival: Christmas Fantasy If You Believe (1999) takes place in a book publishing house. Susan (Ally Walker) has lost her joy in life and is in danger of losing her job. At age 27 she is married to Peter, a tweed-wearing, pipe smoking class-conscious husband. By age 37, she is divorced and struggling in…
Lisa’s Home Bijou: I’ll Be Seeing You
Film Festival: Christmas classics I’ll Be Seeing You (1944) is a World War II drama brought to the screen by David O. Selznick. It’s a Christmas story and a love story starring Ginger Rogers, Joseph Cotton, and Shirley Temple. Selznick bought the rights to the 1938 Broadway song I’ll be seeing you. The song was…
Elf modern Christmas fantasy: Lisa’s Home Bijou
Film Festival: Contemporary Christmas Elf (2003) follows the journey of a man searching for his birth father. The young man is Buddy (Will Ferrell), who was raised by elves at the North Pole. He finds his father in New York at Christmas in the Empire State Building. Along the way he finds love and helps…