The newest series of Dr. Who has been consistently praised, not only because, for the first time, the doctor is a woman, but for chapters like “Rosa” (Chapter 3), in…
Reflections on a happy ending: 1. A question of perspective (Brief Encounter, 1945, dir. David Lean)
(THIS BLOG POST CONTAINS SPOILERS!*) I have always loved a happy ending and I believe all stories should have one. However, what is a happy ending? This will be the…
“What for?”: when languages were an unpopular option
Around fifteen years ago, I met a girl whose friends deemed her crazy because she decided to study Arab (“What for?”). She ended having the last laugh when an oil…
Histories of cinema: Japanese acrobats, Fred dancing upside down and Joseph flying across the room. The camera never lies?
What do a silent film comedy short, a 1950s Hollywood musical and a contemporary science-fiction film have in common? Answer: the three of them falsified the camera’s perspective to get…
Mary Bennet’s Hollywood ending: a feminist ending?
On the 8th March, International Women’s Day, I wish to pay homage to one of my favourite heroines of literature: Mary Bennet from Pride and Prejudice. I discovered Jane Austen…
Histories of cinema: When Georges Mélies discovered special effects
I had a very fussy friend who enjoyed correcting my English. I am conscious that English is not my first language and I occasionally make mistakes, but I hate a…
Training in equality and diversity: the pilot and the nurse
As a requirement for my job, I recently had to complete my Diversity and Equality Awareness training online. If you have not done your training yet, please stop reading right…
Histories of cinema: When censorship backfires. Watching Gilda in dictatorship Spain
A colleague, who recently included the film Gilda (1946) in one of her lectures, asked me if I had watched it. Not only had I watched Gilda, but the film…
Histories of cinema: Spoilers alert! The first audiences of Psycho (1960)
If you have never seen Psycho and do not know about the twists, stop reading now. Although, after four sequels, a remake, a TV series and endless referencing, I doubt…
Histories of cinema: Yakima Canutt, the chariot race and the blind spot
There is barely any film production which does not need stunt players at some point. They are not only used for health and safety, but for reasons of continuity. A…