Even with the wave of retrospective criticism and celebration of his work, Nicholas Ray remains one of the unsung auteurs of classic Hollywood. This period, defined by intense studio control and an ...

Nicholas Ray was better at beginnings than endings. His very first film, They Live by Night (1948), opens—after a brief prologue which looks tacked on by the studio—with a startling aerial shot, taken ...

Thomas Butt is a senior writer. An avid film connoisseur, Thomas actively logs his film consumption on Letterboxd and vows to connect with many more cinephiles through the platform. He is immensely ...