Dr Deborah Allison
@deborahuk.bsky.social
Cinema programmer and film writer. Latest books: ‘Film Title Sequences: A Critical Anthology’ (2021) | ‘The Films of Aleksandr Rou: Father of Soviet Fairy-Tale Cinema’ (2025)
Pinned
My latest book has arrived: ‘The Films of Aleksandr Rou: Father of Soviet Fairy-Tale Cinema’. Thanks to the hard work and patience of the wonderful team at Intellect Books, I think it’s looking lovely. #AleksandrRou
Reposted by Dr Deborah Allison
Lindsey Vickers, the lovely chap who made THE APPOINTMENT, has died. I've written a tribute to him here:
www.bfi.org.uk/features/lin...
www.bfi.org.uk/features/lin...
Lindsey Vickers obituary: onetime feature director behind rediscovered British horror The Appointment
The British director, who has died at 85, only got one shot at a feature film and it never had a cinema release, but The Appointment was rediscovered 40 years later and won fans in Martin Scorsese, Gu...
www.bfi.org.uk
November 7, 2025 at 2:55 PM
Lindsey Vickers, the lovely chap who made THE APPOINTMENT, has died. I've written a tribute to him here:
www.bfi.org.uk/features/lin...
www.bfi.org.uk/features/lin...
Bela Lugosi and Boris Karloff drink tea on the set of THE BLACK CAT (1934).
November 5, 2025 at 5:44 PM
Bela Lugosi and Boris Karloff drink tea on the set of THE BLACK CAT (1934).
Reposted by Dr Deborah Allison
RIP Adam Greenberg
He was the superb cinematographer who shot Near Dark (watch it!), Terminator 2: Judgment Day and, of course, The Terminator, which means he’s responsible for one of my favourite shots in cinema that also coined a new genre for its film:
He was the superb cinematographer who shot Near Dark (watch it!), Terminator 2: Judgment Day and, of course, The Terminator, which means he’s responsible for one of my favourite shots in cinema that also coined a new genre for its film:
November 2, 2025 at 9:08 PM
RIP Adam Greenberg
He was the superb cinematographer who shot Near Dark (watch it!), Terminator 2: Judgment Day and, of course, The Terminator, which means he’s responsible for one of my favourite shots in cinema that also coined a new genre for its film:
He was the superb cinematographer who shot Near Dark (watch it!), Terminator 2: Judgment Day and, of course, The Terminator, which means he’s responsible for one of my favourite shots in cinema that also coined a new genre for its film:
Celebrate Day of the Dead with the mesmerising MACARIO (dir. Roberto Gavaldón, Mexico, 1960). Here’s a short piece I wrote about it for @sensesofcinema.bsky.social: www.sensesofcinema.com/2025/cteq/fr...
November 2, 2025 at 5:12 PM
Celebrate Day of the Dead with the mesmerising MACARIO (dir. Roberto Gavaldón, Mexico, 1960). Here’s a short piece I wrote about it for @sensesofcinema.bsky.social: www.sensesofcinema.com/2025/cteq/fr...
Reposted by Dr Deborah Allison
Your crumpled correspondent proudly plugging SHORT SHARP SHOCKS VOLUME 4 - out very soon on BFI
double disc Blu-ray. A plethora of peppery peculiarities are contained herein! Don't miss it.
double disc Blu-ray. A plethora of peppery peculiarities are contained herein! Don't miss it.
October 3, 2025 at 3:25 PM
Your crumpled correspondent proudly plugging SHORT SHARP SHOCKS VOLUME 4 - out very soon on BFI
double disc Blu-ray. A plethora of peppery peculiarities are contained herein! Don't miss it.
double disc Blu-ray. A plethora of peppery peculiarities are contained herein! Don't miss it.
Reposted by Dr Deborah Allison
Having never had the opportunity to see this brilliant film at the Pictures, I'm looking forward to what will be the LONDON CINEMA PREMIERE of THE APPOINTMENT this Sunday...
Not long now until this rare chance to see two fantastic BFI Flipside releases up on the big screen at Picturehouse Cinemas around the UK: THE APPOINTMENT (5-8 Oct) and FULL CIRCLE: THE HAUNTING OF JULIA (13-16 Oct). I can’t wait!
October 2, 2025 at 4:13 PM
Having never had the opportunity to see this brilliant film at the Pictures, I'm looking forward to what will be the LONDON CINEMA PREMIERE of THE APPOINTMENT this Sunday...
Not long now until this rare chance to see two fantastic BFI Flipside releases up on the big screen at Picturehouse Cinemas around the UK: THE APPOINTMENT (5-8 Oct) and FULL CIRCLE: THE HAUNTING OF JULIA (13-16 Oct). I can’t wait!
September 30, 2025 at 1:54 PM
Not long now until this rare chance to see two fantastic BFI Flipside releases up on the big screen at Picturehouse Cinemas around the UK: THE APPOINTMENT (5-8 Oct) and FULL CIRCLE: THE HAUNTING OF JULIA (13-16 Oct). I can’t wait!
BOOK REVIEW: The films of Aleksandr Rou: Father of Soviet fairy-tale cinema: Studies in Russian and Soviet Cinema: Vol 0, No 0 - Get Access www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
The films of Aleksandr Rou: Father of Soviet fairy-tale cinema
Published in Studies in Russian and Soviet Cinema (Ahead of Print, 2025)
www.tandfonline.com
September 26, 2025 at 4:10 PM
BOOK REVIEW: The films of Aleksandr Rou: Father of Soviet fairy-tale cinema: Studies in Russian and Soviet Cinema: Vol 0, No 0 - Get Access www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
Reposted by Dr Deborah Allison
September 17, 2025 at 11:00 AM
Reposted by Dr Deborah Allison
Read Deborah Allison’s annotation on Macario (1960) in @sensesofcinema.bsky.social
www.sensesofcinema.com/2025/cteq/fr...
www.sensesofcinema.com/2025/cteq/fr...
From Märchenland to Mexico: Macario’s International Fairy-Tale Journey – Senses of Cinema
www.sensesofcinema.com
September 15, 2025 at 3:06 AM
Read Deborah Allison’s annotation on Macario (1960) in @sensesofcinema.bsky.social
www.sensesofcinema.com/2025/cteq/fr...
www.sensesofcinema.com/2025/cteq/fr...
I wrote about one of my favourite films for @sensesofcinema.bsky.social. ‘From Märchenland to Mexico: MACARIO’s International Fairy-Tale Journey’. www.sensesofcinema.com/2025/cteq/fr...
August 30, 2025 at 7:34 AM
I wrote about one of my favourite films for @sensesofcinema.bsky.social. ‘From Märchenland to Mexico: MACARIO’s International Fairy-Tale Journey’. www.sensesofcinema.com/2025/cteq/fr...
Reposted by Dr Deborah Allison
Britain's greatest comic actor? Probably, for a decade or so: theartsdesk.com/film/blu-ray... @studiocanal.com @vicpratt.bsky.social #petersellers #britishcinema #bfi
August 5, 2025 at 5:37 AM
Britain's greatest comic actor? Probably, for a decade or so: theartsdesk.com/film/blu-ray... @studiocanal.com @vicpratt.bsky.social #petersellers #britishcinema #bfi
I wrote about weird and creepy title sequences in #RogerCorman movies for ‘Fantastic Fifties’ no. 25, which is out now from Hemlock Books and looks like a great issue. You can read more about the history and design of opening credits in my book ‘Film Title Sequences: A Critical Anthology’.
August 4, 2025 at 5:32 PM
I wrote about weird and creepy title sequences in #RogerCorman movies for ‘Fantastic Fifties’ no. 25, which is out now from Hemlock Books and looks like a great issue. You can read more about the history and design of opening credits in my book ‘Film Title Sequences: A Critical Anthology’.
Reposted by Dr Deborah Allison
Any reference to “damsel tied to the tracks like a silent movie” gets this still
July 31, 2025 at 6:12 PM
Any reference to “damsel tied to the tracks like a silent movie” gets this still
If anyone's interested in reading my article about the 'Boys' Cinema Weekly' but doesn't have the institutional library access to make it past the paywall then please feel free to DM me.
July 28, 2025 at 7:22 PM
If anyone's interested in reading my article about the 'Boys' Cinema Weekly' but doesn't have the institutional library access to make it past the paywall then please feel free to DM me.
Did some writing. My latest article, ‘“The Delight of Real Boys”: Male Role Models in the Silent-Era “Boys’ Cinema Weekly” Fan Paper’, is out now in Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television. www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1... @iamhist.bsky.social
July 26, 2025 at 1:59 PM
Did some writing. My latest article, ‘“The Delight of Real Boys”: Male Role Models in the Silent-Era “Boys’ Cinema Weekly” Fan Paper’, is out now in Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television. www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1... @iamhist.bsky.social
Reposted by Dr Deborah Allison
#ECLIPSE - #SimonPerry’s slippery 1977 psychological thriller starring #TomConti and #GayHamilton returns - @realjohncarvill.bsky.social is glad to see it back from the vaults after almost 50 years - now on #BFI #Flipside Blu-ray www.theartsdesk.com/film/blu-ray...
June 1, 2025 at 9:39 PM
#ECLIPSE - #SimonPerry’s slippery 1977 psychological thriller starring #TomConti and #GayHamilton returns - @realjohncarvill.bsky.social is glad to see it back from the vaults after almost 50 years - now on #BFI #Flipside Blu-ray www.theartsdesk.com/film/blu-ray...
Was METROPOLIS (1927) the purveyor of the cinema’s first robot? No! This week’s viewing: the 1919 American serial, THE MASTER MYSTERY, starring Houdini being outperformed by ‘Q’, the evil automaton.
May 22, 2025 at 8:31 PM
Was METROPOLIS (1927) the purveyor of the cinema’s first robot? No! This week’s viewing: the 1919 American serial, THE MASTER MYSTERY, starring Houdini being outperformed by ‘Q’, the evil automaton.
Reposted by Dr Deborah Allison
After the BFI Flipside Blu-ray launch screening of ECLIPSE, writer-director Simon Perry and key cast Tom Conti, Gay Hamilton and Gavin Wallace all joined me for a discussion. Edited highlights here...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q_KA...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q_KA...
Tom Conti, Gay Hamilton and director Simon Perry on Eclipse | BFI Q&A
YouTube video by BFI
www.youtube.com
May 7, 2025 at 4:40 PM
After the BFI Flipside Blu-ray launch screening of ECLIPSE, writer-director Simon Perry and key cast Tom Conti, Gay Hamilton and Gavin Wallace all joined me for a discussion. Edited highlights here...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q_KA...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q_KA...
Aleksandr Rou’s lyrical MAY NIGHT (USSR, 1952), adapted from Gogol’s enchanting short story, ‘May Night, or the Drowned Maiden’ (1831), inspired by Ukrainian folklore and filmed in northern Ukraine. #AleksandrRou #FolkloreThursday
May 1, 2025 at 7:53 AM
Aleksandr Rou’s lyrical MAY NIGHT (USSR, 1952), adapted from Gogol’s enchanting short story, ‘May Night, or the Drowned Maiden’ (1831), inspired by Ukrainian folklore and filmed in northern Ukraine. #AleksandrRou #FolkloreThursday
I’m still pleasurably ruminating on ECLIPSE (1977), the latest BFI Flipside rediscovery, seen at BFI last night and followed by a very engaging cast and director Q&A hosted by @vicpratt.bsky.social. A strange, intriguing and unnerving Scottish chamber piece, restored and out on Blu-ray now.
April 17, 2025 at 8:12 PM
I’m still pleasurably ruminating on ECLIPSE (1977), the latest BFI Flipside rediscovery, seen at BFI last night and followed by a very engaging cast and director Q&A hosted by @vicpratt.bsky.social. A strange, intriguing and unnerving Scottish chamber piece, restored and out on Blu-ray now.
Reposted by Dr Deborah Allison
Simon Perry's strange, splendid ECLIPSE (1977) -
BFI Flipside Blu-ray 51: compelling performances by Tom Conti and Gay Hamilton! Sterling support from Gavin Wallace (age 9 1/2)! Eerie electronica! Rugged 'Coastal Gothic'! I've written about it here...
www.bfi.org.uk/features/ecl...
BFI Flipside Blu-ray 51: compelling performances by Tom Conti and Gay Hamilton! Sterling support from Gavin Wallace (age 9 1/2)! Eerie electronica! Rugged 'Coastal Gothic'! I've written about it here...
www.bfi.org.uk/features/ecl...
Eclipse: how a little-seen 1970s psychological thriller emerged from obscurity
Set in a lonely house on a Scottish clifftop, the windswept Tom Conti thriller Eclipse has returned from 50 years of obscurity. It now looks like a forerunner of Mark Jenkin’s Enys Men.
www.bfi.org.uk
April 9, 2025 at 10:51 AM
Simon Perry's strange, splendid ECLIPSE (1977) -
BFI Flipside Blu-ray 51: compelling performances by Tom Conti and Gay Hamilton! Sterling support from Gavin Wallace (age 9 1/2)! Eerie electronica! Rugged 'Coastal Gothic'! I've written about it here...
www.bfi.org.uk/features/ecl...
BFI Flipside Blu-ray 51: compelling performances by Tom Conti and Gay Hamilton! Sterling support from Gavin Wallace (age 9 1/2)! Eerie electronica! Rugged 'Coastal Gothic'! I've written about it here...
www.bfi.org.uk/features/ecl...
A fascinating look behind the scenes of BFI Home Entertainment as Vic Pratt explains what a Blu-ray producer does. youtube.com/watch?v=BowM... @vicpratt.bsky.social
March 22, 2025 at 9:41 AM
A fascinating look behind the scenes of BFI Home Entertainment as Vic Pratt explains what a Blu-ray producer does. youtube.com/watch?v=BowM... @vicpratt.bsky.social
Vic Pratt pays homage to villainous mad geniuses, introducing the entertainingly silly 'The Crimson Circle' at BFI Southbank earlier tonight. @vicpratt.bsky.social
March 11, 2025 at 11:19 PM
Vic Pratt pays homage to villainous mad geniuses, introducing the entertainingly silly 'The Crimson Circle' at BFI Southbank earlier tonight. @vicpratt.bsky.social
#BOTD Aleksandr Rou (1906-1973), father of Soviet fairy-tale cinema, and director of many wonderful films including Vasilisa the Beautiful (1939), The Magic Weaver (1960), The Kingdom of Crooked Mirrors (1963) and Jack Frost (1964). New book out now from Intellect Books. #AleksandrRou #АлександрРоу
March 8, 2025 at 9:46 AM
#BOTD Aleksandr Rou (1906-1973), father of Soviet fairy-tale cinema, and director of many wonderful films including Vasilisa the Beautiful (1939), The Magic Weaver (1960), The Kingdom of Crooked Mirrors (1963) and Jack Frost (1964). New book out now from Intellect Books. #AleksandrRou #АлександрРоу