JANUARY – JUNE 2026 ROUND-UP
TOTAL FILMS SEEN IN JANUARY – JUNE: 10
(see the film posters at the bottom of the post, arranged in watching order)
NEW-TO-ME: 9 (7 features & 2 shorts)
REWATCHES: 1
Jean Arthur and John Lund in A Foreign Affair (screenshot by me)
In the first 6 months of this year, I didn't watch a lot of classic films (surprise!), but I'm trying to redeem this in the second half. It's just that K-dramas (also Chinese and Japanese dramas) keep getting in the way, and there are only so many hours in the day. Yet, since I quit my job recently and am semi-retired, I expect to spend more time in Hollywood-land from now on.
Let me tell you something about the appeal of K-dramas versus the appeal of Classic Films. As you might know from reading this blog, I spend a lot of time in K-dramaland (see my blog here). My elder sister and younger sister have been avid fans since years, and I was so obsessed with Classic Hollywood that I never took them seriously when they said I would be converted once I started my first K-drama. Well, that was in March 2022, and I have never looked back since.
So what do I love about these dramas? Most Korean shows have only one season, with an average amount of 16 episodes of one hour each. The shows don't go on forever (like American series), but they are long enough for a total immersion in the story. It allows you to become deeply and emotionally involved with the characters. The romances are cute and chaste, and I've never had heart flutters like the ones I experience while watching a K-drama (and Chinese dramas too). It's just on a different level from anything else I've experienced before discovering Asian dramas. And don't get me started on the memorable OSTs!
Jean Arthur, 1930s
But! This is my Classic Film blog so I should also say something on behalf of Classic Hollywood! It has so many other unique things to offer. It holds the allure and charm of a bygone era — a fascinating glimpse into a different time. The cinematic craftsmanship, innovation, and artistry are unparalleled. Silent films! Black-and-white films! Musicals! Wonderful actors! As much as I love the Asian actors, no one can match the magnetic presence of a Barbara Stanwyck, a Bette Davis or a Jean Arthur. And the aesthetics! Because films were made in a certain decade, we get all the aesthetics shaped by that decade: the fashion, hairstyles, sets, glamour, and cars. I also love the unapologetic smoking, how normal it was back in the days. And let's not forget the allure of Film Noir!
Also, the sheer fact of being in a pre-digital age (unlike K-dramas where the presence of Samsung mobile devices is prominent) appeals to me, a time when not everything was ready available. Seeing characters writing letters by hand with a dip pen and putting them in a mail box, going to the library and looking up a book after searching through a drawer with index cards, calling the phone directory for a telephone number, seeing switch board operators connecting lines, et cetera. I'm old enough to have experienced the pre-digital age, so it gives me a nostalgic feeling.
Thus .... I will definitely make an effort to watch more classic films for the rest of the year, even though the first half was quite disappointing. I think my appetite for the classics is slowly returning, also thanks to the great retrospective of Billy Wilder at the Filmoteca in Valencia. Unfortunately, the program came to my attention too late, and the viewing dates of a significant amount of films had already passed: Bluebeard’s 8th Wife (as writer), Ninotchka (as writer), Midnight (as writer), Hold Back the Dawn (as writer), Ball of Fire (as writer), The Major and the Minor, Five Graves to Cairo, Double Indemnity, and Sunset Boulevard. I'm really bummed I missed Hold Back the Dawn.
My sister and I went for viewings of The Lost Weekend and A Foreign Affair in April. I could have gone to The Emperor Waltz and Ace in the Hole but passed it up. In May and June, despite being aware of the program, I didn't go out to see Stalag 17, The Seven Year Itch, Sabrina, Witness of the Prosecution, and The Spirit of St. Louis, due to work or a holiday. I wanted to see Love in the Afternoon but missed it because I hadn't checked the program lately. The Wilder retrospective will last until the end of the year, and there are programmed titles from his later work I want to (re)watch. (Yes, they are showing everything!!!!) First one on the schedule will be Some Like it Hot this coming Saturday. Hope I can make it. There will be a summer break, so I think Some Like it Hot will be the last one before they continue after the break. Also scheduled (date unknown yet) are The Apartment (one of my fave films, not gonna miss that one!!!), Irma La Douce, The Fortune Cookie, One, Two, Three, and Kiss Me, Stupid (all from the 1960s). I have plenty of time to visit the Filmoteca, now I'm not working anymore.
Now let's move on to my list of watched films for the first six months of 2026, January through June, a pitiful number of only 10.
NOTE: Read notes with caution as they might contain spoilers; with ratings going from ½ to ★★★★★ and watched date.
The melodrama CONFESSION (Warner Bros, 1937) is apparently a shot-for-shot remake of Willi Forst's Mazurka (1935), starring Pola Negri, a German expressionist film. Kay Francis (left) plays the Negri part (Negri was one of her favourite actresses) of a woman put on trial for murdering a concert pianist, a sophisticated sleaze and womaniser (played by Basil Rathbone). Francis makes her first appearance after 22 minutes. The film has a long flashback to the past where we see how Rathbone is responsible for ruining Francis' life (rape!). It's very much a Stella Dallas / Madame X sort of story where maternal sacrifice is the theme. I wasn't paying attention fully so I missed the part with armless Ian Hunter coming back from the war. He has a rather thankless role and not much to do. Though the music is overbearing, the cinematography by Sidney Hickox is great, especially that last shot with Francis walking away. Francis has some good scenes (but I was never completely moved somehow) and some great close-ups despite the blonde hair. I love the scene where she hugs her daughter Jane Bryan in her imagination as a ghost image. Incidentally, for the first twenty or so minutes, Bryan has the spotlight and gives a convincing performance as the young girl Rathbone is hitting on. Further solid support by Donald Crisp, Mary Maguire, Dorothy Peterson, Laura Hope Crews, Robert Barrat and Veda Ann Borg. Costume design by Orry-Kelly (unfortunately no glamorous gowns for Francis) and directed by Joe May. ★★★ / 16.01.2026
Wanted to watch something quick before going to sleep and chose the Harold Lloyd short AMONG THOSE PRESENT (Rolin Films, 1921) of 35 minutes. Maybe I was just too tired but I didn't find it very funny or entertaining. I like the scene where Lloyd makes his first appearance (pictured), dressed in the outerwear from a gentleman who entrusted his coat in Lloyd's care. Lloyd is a coat-room checker and impersonates an English nobleman. There's a large segment where he lost his trousers and tries to hide the fact that he walks around in his bright underpants. This was kind of funny. One of Lloyd's frequent leading ladies Mildred Davis is totally wasted here, has not much to do, and doesn't even look pretty. In fact, there are quite some ugly people in this short. Directed by Fred C. Newmeyer. ★★ / 02.02.2026
Being used to watching K-dramas of multiple episodes nowadays, with plenty of time for development of plot and characters, to watch this classic film of 73 minutes, THE GIRL FROM MISSOURI (MGM, 1934), where romance happens in a blink and characters stay flat, was a slight adjustment. But boy! Did I like watching a 1930s film again. And Jean Harlow (left) was surely a class act, in a league of her own. I like her sassy character (a chorus girl wanting to marry rich), and the scene where she says "I'm walking home" and jumps off the boat in the water, fully and elegantly dressed, had me laughing out loud. She has some fine emotional moments too. Franchot Tone (right) is a cardboard box next to Harlow, and his character has practically no backbone, but they have nice chemistry. Lionel Barrymore does his Barrymore act, with an unbecoming moustache, and Patsy Kelly was fun as Harlow's friend, attracted to servants. There's some nice women's fashion, designed by Adrian, and Jack Conway takes the directing credits. And wow ... talk about an awfully rushed ending! ★★★ / 19.03.2026
Had the Billy Wilder classic THE LOST WEEKEND (Paramount, 1945) on my watchlist since forever, because I couldn't remember having watched it in its entirety before. So when I had the opportunity to see it on the big screen in Valencia at the Filmoteca (in an old Rialto building), I didn't hesitate and went to see this classic with my sister. It's part of an extensive Billy Wilder retrospective, and there was a large audience, the majority older people. Ray Milland gives a great and credible performance as the alcoholic, going on a four-day bender, and he manages to convey his desperation well. The delirium scene is the highlight of Milland's ordeal, and it's greatly photographed. The film's conclusion, where Milland experiences a happy ending with his girlfriend Jane Wyman (pictured with Milland, middle and bottom gif — Wyman clearly has not enough screen time; love her!), is tacked on. This film is often classified as a noir, and I can see why. The bleakness, the femme fatale, the beautiful and gritty black-and-white cinematography by John F. Seitz — it's all there. With solid support by Phillip Terry as Milland's brother (pictured with Milland and Wyman, top photo), Howard Da Silva as the barman, Frank Faylen as the hospital ward nurse (with the funniest lines, scripted by Wilder himself, together with Charles Brackett), and Doris Dowling as the femme fatale (one can argue that the real femme fatale is the bottle). Great music score by Miklós Rózsa (with a prominent role for the theremin) and costume design (Wyman's iconic leopard coat!) by Edith Head. ★★★★ / 01.04.2026
I took another trip to the Filmoteca with my sister to watch Billy Wilder's A FOREIGN AFFAIR (Paramount, 1948), part of the retrospective dedicated to the acclaimed director. I had seen this film before, set in post-WWII Berlin, about an army captain (John Lund), torn between an ex-Nazi cabaret singer (Marlene Dietrich) and the congresswoman (Jean Arthur) investigating her, but couldn't remember much of it. I love Jean Arthur (pictured, top photo; with Lund and Dietrich, middle photo; with Lund, bottom gif, made by me)! She's a great comedienne. The filing cabinets scene is the one scene I did remember, and it's a memorable one indeed. The audience at the theater was very responsive, lots of chuckles to be heard, and the viewing room was pretty packed. Though there's a lot of humour, farcical too, there's also a slightly dark undertone due to the scenery, with footage of the actual rubble of post-war Berlin. Lots of negative comments about John Lund in online reviews but I like Lund and I also think he handles comedy very well. Nice black-and-white photography by DP Charles Lang, and great acting support by Millard Mitchell, who gets the film's last camera shot. ★★★½ / 22.04.2026 (rewatch)
Came across the Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy short THE LAUREL-HARDY MURDER CASE (Hal Roach Studios, 1930) on YouTube and thought it might be fun. Laurel's uncle died and Ollie thinks it might be a good idea to go to the reading of the will and claim the inheritance. But the uncle appears to have been murdered and everyone is a suspect. While the detectives investigate, no one can leave the house. A spooky night at the estate follows where our duo (pictured, 2 screenshots by me) is being chased by a bat underneath a white sheet. To be honest, this short (of 30 minutes) left me disappointed as there were few funny moments, and everything felt so stilted. Yet the following dialogue was very funny:
Oliver: "Didn't you say you have an uncle?"
Stan: "Sure I have an uncle!"
Oliver: "Is he living?"
Stan: "No, he fell through a trap door and broke his neck."
Oliver: "Was he building a house?"
Stan: "No, they were hanging him."
I guess I'm not much of a Laurel and Hardy fan, although I enjoyed Big Business, recently watched in December. Directed by James Parrott. ★★ / 25.04.2026
Saw the film A BRIDE FOR HENRY (Monogram Pictures, 1937) recommended on a film blog I follow. Though I didn't get my hopes up too much, I expected this to be not as bad as the IMDB rating suggests (5.7 at the time of writing this). With a runtime of just under an hour, this wasn't a big time investment anyway. The story premise of this screwball comedy sounded rather fun. Anne Nagel (center) plays a socialite whose fiancé missed their wedding again. In order to teach him a lesson, she marries the family lawyer (Warren Hull, right) instead, with the intention of divorcing him as soon as possible. Hull, who's in love with Nagel himself, is only too willing. There's nothing new under the sun here, and it's all predictable, but this breezy and fast-paced rom-com is fun and has some witty lines. The financé, played by Henry Mollison (left), takes quite a lot of screen time away from Hull, but actually I didn't mind and liked his character best. He was funny. In fact, the funniest sequence is the bike scene. Mollison and Nagel steal bikes from a couple of children, to make their escape, but they are not very good at riding a bike. When Mollison has his legs entangled in the bike's frame and Nagel says, "You look so uncomfortable, dear", I was laughing out loud. The romance between Hull and Nagel is enjoyable, but the ending with Nagel standing on the building's ledge, threatening to jump, was a bit stupid. Her character was not always likeable and verging on annoying. But she wears a stunning white dress at the film's end! Somehow 1930s comedies are always elevated by the fashion. Directed by William Nigh. ★★★ / 18.05.2026
Chose the pre-code film THE LETTER (Paramount, 1929) for its short runtime and for Herbert Marshall. (Marshall looks really good here, some 10 years younger than in the remake, but unfortunately his role is small.) I was also curious about this adaptation of W. Somerset Maugham's short story, because I love William Wyler's 1940 version starring Bette Davis. Luckily the print I watched was very clear. Jeanne Eagels plays the plantation owner’s wife, killing her lover (played by Marshall — in the remake he would play Davis' betrayed husband; pictured with Eagels, middle & bottom photo). She goes on trial for the murder and then finds out there's a letter raising suspicions about her relationship with Marshall. Eagels gives a great performance, although I found some of her scenes over the top. Maybe she was hyped up or stimulated by drugs or alcohol. (Shortly after the film, she died of the complications of her addiction, at the age of 39. She received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress posthumously.) Her best scene is her animated courtroom monologue. Though the stiltedness of an early talkie is evident in this film, in that trial scene Eagels's speech and acting is very natural and fluid. I also loved the scene where she fires the gun (pictured, top gif) — it's almost as riveting as the Bette Davis scene. The ending, with Eagels losing it ("All that was on your mind was Rubber! All day long I was alone. All night, I had to listen to you talk of rubber. Rubber! Rubber! Rubber!"), is rather abrupt and very different from the 1940 version (which was imposed by the Hays Code). Best visual scene: Eagels descending a dark staircase. Noteworthy: unlike the 1940 version, they used Asian actors for the Asian roles. Also starring Reginald Owen as Eagels' husband. Directed by Jean de Limur. ★★★ / 27.05.2026
Finally watching a Hollywood classic again, and it had to be this boring dud! I chose THE SCARLET EMPRESS (Paramount, 1934) for the good reviews, director Josef von Sternberg's reputation, and the expectation of some great visuals. So maybe I'm in the minority here but I had to struggle my way through this. The film relates the story of Catherine the Great, the Empress of Russia who comes to power after a coup d'etat against her own husband, Peter III (the dimwitted Grand Duke and heir to the Russian throne), which is historical, but it's loosely based on Catherine's diary while taking substantial historical liberties. The writing for this drab movie is seriously lacking, and both plot and characters come off lackluster and shallow. Grand in scope, with sets and costumes (costume design by Travis Banton) looking opulent and lush, I had expected to like at least this part of the production. But I really disliked the giant, stone statues, they look grotesque and also a bit disturbing. Maybe this would have worked better as a silent film, as there are numerous title cards to tell the story and incessant classical music. To be honest, even Marlene Dietrich (pictured, top and middle gif) couldn't save it for me. In the beginning, she's speaking in a wispy voice and has this look of surprise on her face all the time, which annoyed me. Sam Jaffe as the nitwit Peter does nothing else but grinning and making big eyes, I didn't like John Lodge as Count Alexei (pictured, bottom photo with Dietrich), and Louise Dresser is unconvincing as the Russian Empress. Not one of these characters feel like real human beings. Some nice photography by Bert Glennon, with a handful of gorgeous close-ups of Dietrich, but the film has little else to offer. ★★ / 27.06.2026
After the disappointment of Josef von Sternberg's The Scarlet Empress, recently watched, I was afraid of having a similar experience with another film, so I chose wisely. I felt like seeing a fun and easy watch, and you cannot go wrong with Shirley Temple. Her films are formulaic and predictable, always with a song and dance thrown in, but you can count on Shirley to be cute and lovable, and there's always a romantic couple to befriend Shirley. In REBECCA OF SUNNYBROOK FARM (20th Century-Fox, 1938) she plays an orphan again, whose talents her stepfather (William Demarest) wants to exploit. Due to a misunderstanding, Demarest thinks Shirley has been rejected by talent scout Randolph Scott, and he sends her to live with her aunt (Helen Westley) on Sunnybrook Farm. Scott happens to enjoy a rest on his farm — next door! The rest of the film seems awfully familiar. These Shirley Temple film ingredients get mostly recycled, and if you've seen a couple, there are few surprises. But I couldn't care less and had fun. The script was humorous at times, especially with some wisecracks at the beginning, and there was physical comedy (by the likes of Slim Summerville, Jack Haley, and Demarest) which was genuinely funny. Franklin Pangborn as an emergency musician was also funny. And I enjoyed the scene where Shirley sabotages the radioshow by pretending she has no voice. The film concludes with a dance number of Shirley with Bill 'Bojangles' Robinson, and I loved it! (bottom photo, Shirley and Robinson pictured with Slim Summerville) I really liked all the side characters, by the way. Also with Gloria Stuart (as Scott's love interest — pictured, top photo with Shirley and Scott) and Phyllis Brooks (love her song with Jack Haley!). Directed by Allan Dwan. ★★★ / 30.06.2026
Following is the breakdown in decades of the 10 watched films:
1890s - 0
1900s - 0
1910s - 0
1920s - 2
1930s - 6
1940s - 2
1950s - 0
1960s - 0
That's another round-up! I plan to do monthly round-ups again from now on, regardless of the small amount of films I watch, but that's the plan and no promise. We'll see. See you next time!
