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Julia Sirmons

Julia Sirmons writes about film, media and performance. Her work has appeared in Bright Wall/Dark Room, CrimeReads, The Theatre Times and Another Gaze. She has a PhD in Theatre and Performance from Columbia University.

News archive

Looking Back

Flawless: Kay Francis’ Jewel Heist Comedies

Aug 28th, 2023 Julia Sirmons

1930s screen goddess Kay Francis (whose films are now streaming on the Criterion Channel) embodied the Pre-Code era’s spirit of “sheer elegance and pure sex.”

Looking Back

Classic Corner: The Leopard

Jul 14th, 2023 Julia Sirmons

Luchino Visconti’s 1963 epic is deeply rooted in Italian history, but also in its director’s personal and political struggles.

<i>Orlando</i> at 30: Sally Potter’s Winking, Dazzling Allegory of Sexuality

Happy Birthday

Orlando at 30: Sally Potter’s Winking, Dazzling Allegory of Sexuality

Jun 8th, 2023 Julia Sirmons

Potter’s adaptation of Virginia Woolf’s novel has beautiful imagery and a passionate certainty that expands our ideals of the possible.

Happy Birthday

Classic Corner: Valley Girl

Apr 28th, 2023 Julia Sirmons

Martha Coolidge's social satire, released 40 years ago and loosely based on Romeo and Juliet, is one of the rare frothy teen comedies that stands the test of time.

<i>The Producers</i> at 55: A Loony, Twisted, Comic Love Letter to Broadway

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The Producers at 55: A Loony, Twisted, Comic Love Letter to Broadway

Mar 17th, 2023 Julia Sirmons

Mel Brooks’ infamously audacious comedy lands its laughs with giddy pleasure and unexpected depth.

Looking Back

The Bad Romances of Ruth Rendel

Feb 8th, 2023 Julia Sirmons

Claude Chabrol’s ‘La Cérémonie’ and Pedro Almodóvar’s ‘Live Flesh’ maintain the spirit of the British thriller novelist’s work, while adding their directors’ own personal touches.

Happy Birthday

And All That Jazz: Chicago at 20

Jan 3rd, 2023 Julia Sirmons

When Rob Marshall’s adaptation of the 1975 Broadway show was released 20 years ago, it helped pave the way for a new generation of big-budget movie musicals.

What a Wonderful World: <i>Bowling for Columbine</i> at 20

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What a Wonderful World: Bowling for Columbine at 20

Oct 10th, 2022 Julia Sirmons

Michael Moore's Oscar winner was released two decades ago. What can it still tell us about American gun culture?

Why <i>Strictly Ballroom</i> is Essential Baz Luhrmann

Looking Back

Why Strictly Ballroom is Essential Baz Luhrmann

Aug 24th, 2022 Julia Sirmons

His debut feature, which hit Australian theaters 30 years ago, remains the skeleton key for everything that followed.

Classic Corner: <i>The Parallax View</i>

Looking Back

Classic Corner: The Parallax View

Jul 8th, 2022 Julia Sirmons

Alan J. Pakula’s 1974 conspiracy thriller is that rarest of beasts: a film firmly rooted in its moment, yet increasingly relevant with the passage of time.

Looking Back

Classic Corner: The Ruling Class

May 6th, 2022 Julia Sirmons

The British are particularly fixated on their class system – and equally obsessed with satirizing it. Peter Medak’s The Ruling Class, made 50 years ago in a time of social discontent not unlike our own, is a freewheeling but trenchant look at aristocratic privilege, and the cruelty its members...

Classic Corner: <i>Design for Living</i>

Looking Back

Classic Corner: Design for Living

Apr 1st, 2022 Julia Sirmons

Ernst Lubitsch’s comedy about a ménage à trois (now streaming on the Ccriterion Channel) is a Pre-Code treat – a sexy, free-spirited examination of attraction and affection.

Looking Back

The Complicated Legacy of Russ Meyer

Mar 15th, 2022 Julia Sirmons

One of America’s horniest filmmakers was also one of its most subversive – a gleeful bomb-thrower in an era of profound social and political change.

The Tonal Trickery of <i>Death on the Nile</i>

Looking Back

The Tonal Trickery of Death on the Nile

Feb 7th, 2022 Julia Sirmons

With Kenneth Branagh’s new adaptation out this week, we look back at the star-studded 1978 take on Agatha Christie’s classic – and the landmines of adapting her work overall.

Looking Back

The Female Gaze of Doris Wishman

Jan 11th, 2022 Julia Sirmons

With a six-film spotlight on the Criterion Channel, we take a look at the complex kinda-sorta feminism of sexploitation director Doris Wishman.

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