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The operetta The Firefly (1912) was a breakthrough in Rudolf Friml's American career. It was an extraordinary success, with 120 performances of the first production on Broadway. In the 1930s, Friml's name is often associated with Jeanette MacDonald's operetta films produced by MGM. However, times have changed, and L. B. Mayer decided that MacDonald's subsequent films could no longer be all relaxing and beautiful, and had the original plot about an Italian singer on the streets of New York adapted to take into account the ongoing Spanish Civil War. That's how MacDonald became a spy from Francisco Goya's time. Garbo could have been her role model as much as The Mysterious Lady or Mata Hari. The Spanish motifs correspond to Hollywood's idea of the Hispanic world, as in Dietrich's film The Devil Is a Woman. MacDonald's acting partners were Allan Jones and Warren William, representing ideal opposites.

I first came across the poster for this film 20 years ago in the then-permanent exhibition in the Trade Fair Palace dedicated to First Republic cinema. And indeed it was enough to live through the many vicissitudes of two decades of life and watch this rarity slowly become an affordable commodity. We can all understand the shyness of the dramaturgists to classify Osudná chvíle as a memorial film, but the fact that the film has not been available for many years even in universities (its knowledge would be useful for many disciplines, not only film) is alarming. In this way, Osudná chvíle was preceded by many years by Her Sin, also dealing with the subject of syphilis. Anyway, I am happy that the ice has been broken and everyone can process their own viewing experience of this extraordinary cultural film, whose cinematic qualities are considerable. The cinematography and materials about Prague are great, the acting is average but not uninteresting, the message is obvious and the infamous didactic passage is very necessary and bluntly useful even today.

At the time, I was quite excited for the new Red Sonja they were promising with Rose McGowan in the lead role. But obviously it's better that this version of Conan didn't make any headway. Momoa and Perlman did their best, but the result is so... awkward.

A lavish experience. When Knighthood Was in Flower was a huge hit for Cosmopolitan at the time when its films were distributed by Paramount. Starring, of course, Marion Davies as Henry VIII's lovely sister, Mary Tudor. Davies used all the options of an adventure story and played all the interesting positions - the spoiled princess, the angry noblewoman, the queen in love, the pain-ravaged mistress, and finally the brawler from the pub. All this was under the excellent direction of Robert G. Vignola, who was able to splurge on Hearst's money and stage the entire story with expensive sets and great costumes. It was based on Charles Major's 1898 novel of the same name, whose enormous popularity was anchored by Paul Kester's Broadway dramatization three years later. The restored copy now offers several hand-colored scenes that enhance the experience in an unusual way.

An excellent first series with an interesting plot, great twists and turns, and above all solidly written character development in unusual situations. The reunited Kent duo from previous DC/CW series were joined by other sidekicks and everything was set to return to Smallville, just the way fans like it. The world can be saved even from a small town.

Of the planned crossovers that were put on hold by Covid this season, only Arrow's David Ramsey (John Diggle) remained as a guest host. Which is a shame, but still better than canceling the entire post-Arrowverse.

A wonderful film dedicated to the almost tangible magic of the Superman mythos. The story of Clark's departure to Metropolis, his joining the Daily Planet, and his relationship with Lois is beautifully depicted. Nicely step by step.

A relaxed show that's one of the best of the current DC on the CW. It's a nice change to see the Kent family in its complete form. Tyler Hoechlin and Elizabeth Tulloch worked together on Supergirl, Batwoman, Flash, Legends of Tomorrow, and Arrow, and the results were quickly evident.

The second series devoted to The Munsters with the Today acronym. The monstrous family returns after 22 years and all the good stuff remains, but the new stories are told in color. The realities of the 60s alternate with the trends of the 80s, confirming that the need for the romance of Universal's classic monsters is still relevant. Of the new cast, Lee Meriwether as Lily (Catwoman from Batman 66) is probably the most interesting. The original series ran for a total of 70 episodes, and this new one for a total of 73.

Beetlejuice is a beautiful classic ghost story that remains popular thanks to Burton's other great films (and animated series). The old-school special effects are magical, the cast is wonderful: Alec Baldwin and Geena Davis as the dead husbands, Michael Keaton in a perfect mask, Winona Ryder as the ideal goth teenager, and Jeffrey Jones and Catherine O'Hara as caricatures of modern businessmen. And last but certainly not least the legendary Sylvia Sidney, who shone in the 1930s... A joy to behold. In its time, there was genre competition in the form of the similarly successful High Spirits, but there is no need to choose between them. Both ghost stories are evergreens.