Present Joys
“We thank the Lord of heaven and earth
who hath preserved us from our birth
for present joys, for blessings past,
and for the hope of heaven at last.”

oldhollywood:

Poster Art: Georgii & Vladimir Stenberg/Soviet Russia edition (click on individual posters for hi-res/film info).

“Our primary device is [photo]montage…[but] we do not neglect Construction. Ours are eye-catching posters which, one might say, are designed to shock. We deal with the material in a free manner… disregarding actual proportions…turning figures upside-down; in short, we employ everything that can make a busy passerby stop in their tracks.”

-Vladimir Stenberg (1928)

(via)

Utterly gorgeous. I especially like the bottom middle poster.

Originally reposted from
oldhollywood
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Watched Frank Capra’s 1948 film State of the Union earlier this week. It starred Spencer Tracy as an idealistic, down-to-earth businessman who got mixed up in corrupt political system during a run for the presidential nomination. Adolphe Menjou (Tracy’s crooked campaign advisor) was as suave and double-breastedy as you’d imagine. Katharine Hepburn (Tracy’s estranged wife) was surprisingly sympathetic and sweet. Spencer Tracy did a great job with his role, too. In general, the characters were well-developed and enjoyable to see interacting.

The problem with this movie, as with Capra’s other films, is that it was mushy and sentimental. While I appreciated the film’s portrayal of the corrupt political system, its conclusion was unsatisfying and impractical. Perhaps it’s just my anarchocapitalism showing…

Though it’s long, it’s worth watching. If you don’t know what a Sazerac is, you’ll want to look it up.

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I watched this 1956 film Foreign Intrigue tonight, starring Robert Mitchum and a bunch of people I didn’t recognize. The soundtrack was awful—very 1950s. Robert Mitchum pretty much only wore one suit during the whole film and there was not a lot to get excited about in the way of sartorialism. Besides that, it was a cute little film, with nice visual texture—despite being in 1950s color! Geneviève Page, who played the glamorous antagonist, was especially good.

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