Scorsese’s Cape Fear: A Max Cady for the 1990s

Scorsese’s Cape Fear: A Max Cady for the 1990s

In the 34 years between the publication of John D. MacDonald’s novel The Executioners and Martin Scorsese’s 1991 adaptation Cape Fear (borrowing the title from the original J. Lee Thompson adaptation), much had changed about the world. While the villainous Max Cady...
12 Years a Slave: Adapting Freedom

12 Years a Slave: Adapting Freedom

12 Years a Slave is based on the 1853 memoir of Solomon Northup, a free black man from Saratoga, New York who was kidnapped and then spent twelve years in the South as a slave in Bayou Bouef, Louisiana.  Northup’s memoir is framed entirely from his own...
Scarlet Street: The Ghosts of the Past

Scarlet Street: The Ghosts of the Past

Scarlet Street is  filled with deception and heartbreak. Set in 1934 during the during the Great Depression, Scarlet Street takes place during a time of great financial troubles and uncertainty. This film’s plot revolves around money, everyone always wanting more but...
The Naked City: Eight Million Stories

The Naked City: Eight Million Stories

Based on a book of photographs by the photographer Weegee along with a story written by Malvin Wald and Albert Maltz, 1948’s The Naked City brings New York City to life. This film was one of the first police dramas shot solely on the streets of New York. With...