Telling Pictures

Yes, you'll do right hiding your face in your hands. You couldn't Laird Cregar your way out of this sad remake of I Wake Up Screaming.

You may think it a shame that the best mise-en-scène in the picture has you out of the spotlight and your face obscured. However that's just the type of capture I like best. This viewer prefers to focus on architecture, lighting, composition and the way they all come together to tell the story. Sometimes they create a far more rewarding visual treat than the other elements of the film.

This is an peek at the way I view films—looking past the plot and the stars to what intrigues me about cinema.

From Vicki (1953); directed by Harry Horner; cinematography by Milton Krasner.