Billy Wilder made his directorial debut with Mauvaise Graine during a brief stay in Paris, sandwiched between his escaping the rise of Nazism in 1933 Berlin and heading to the United States via Mexico. The film is remarkable for its use of on-location exteriors, from the streets of Paris to the port of Marseille, and Wilder's creative use of mounting cameras to cars creates a visceral aesthetic that foreshadowed French New Wave films like Breathless by about 25 years.

Mauvaise…

A direct inspiration for Billy Wilder’s 1959 American sensation, Some Like It Hot, Fanfare d’amour is a cinematic treat of romantic comedy, musical numbers, and a first-rate cast.

Fanfare d’amour follows Jean Rameau (Fernand Gravey) and Pierre Dupont (Julien Carette), two out-of-work musicians in search of stable employment who eventually set their sights on the female-led Tulips orchestra when they learn of two openings in the group. Jean and Pierre disguise themselves as women to audition, ultimately landing the job…

The Last Warning was Paul Leni's final film before his untimely death, and a prime showcase for Universal's 1920s leading lady, Laura La Plante. A visual artist at the peak of his career, Leni’s camera never stops shifting, offering cutaways and trick shots involving nervous could-be culprits, a highly suspicious sleuth, and cast members who suddenly disappear in the darkened theater. The result is a cinematic funhouse that restlessly cross-examines the suspense of the story’s stage play against the “real”…

Shot on location in the Austrian Alps and in Venice, Casanova portrays its dashing central player as living a sumptuous and flirtatious lifestyle, showing blithe disregard for the consequences that may ensue. Casanova’s risky adventures eventually complicate his way of life and he must flee Venice with vengeful husbands and law enforcement in pursuit. While on the run, however, his continued precarious behavior alerts his rivals and forces him into a life-or-death scenario.

The iconic French historical drama, Casanova, directed…

After a terrible boxer loses a bout, his manager takes out an insurance policy on him and tries to cause an accident, which results in an epic pie fight.

This film was inspired by the similarly titled boxing match between Gene Tunney and Jack Dempsey on September 22, 1927, which Tunney won because Dempsey forgot to go to a neutral corner, allowing Tunney enough time to recuperate from what should have been a knockout punch. Happily restored to near-complete form…

Follow six scholars—members of the Astronomers’ Club—as they set off on an expedition to the moon! Traveling in a bullet-shaped rocket fired into space by a giant cannon, these voyagers arrive to meet the moon’s inhabitants: the Selenites. Escaping the Selenties’ king, the scholars fall back to Earth in their rocket and are fished out of the ocean by a sailor. Applause and a triumphant parade for the six heroes concludes the first outer-space adventure in the history of cinema.…