"I hated this in high school, because I was young and couldn’t see myself or my world in the story of Hester Prynne. But then I reread it a few years ago, and realized that it contained a blueprint for the Sexual Revolution, the eternal clash between unruly desire and oppressive social convention. It’s all right here."

"Originally issued as Reign of Terror, Anthony Mann’s Classics-Illustrated-meets-film-noir treatment of the French revolution is one of the most striking low budget period pieces to come from Hollywood, abetted by graphic b/w imagery from the great d.p. John Alton and striking production design from the always reliable William Cameron Menzies. Plus it’s witty moves like lightning."

"I went to a school like the one depicted in this film for a year of my life and that was enough—any longer and I too might have resorted to revolution! Even though this film is so specifically about boys in a British public school, it hits so many themes that are relatable to anyone: adolescence, lust, rage, and rebellion. Plus, the dream sequence in the café is so fun!"

"It’s a beautiful, beautiful movie. A philosophical introspection on the nature of revolution and change and deciding to be on one side or the other. And it’s about how the outside world makes you decide how to step on one side or the other. It’s possibly one of the most eye-opening films i can ever recommend to anyone because it gives you a glimpse on an internal struggle."

"Though by no means one of my favorite films, this Criterion edition provides a jaw-dropping special feature. I couldn’t believe that I was suddenly in the recording booth where Miles Davis had improvised his phenomenal and groundbreaking score. There was something surreal about suddenly stumbling onto this moment of history by pushing a button on my remote control. Like time traveling to the birth of an artistic revolution."

"Arendt looks at what happens when societies undergo insurrections and breakdowns of centralized authority. The result is not breakdown but the immediate formation of new structures that are community based, participatory, and directly democratic. She sees in this secret history the potential for a new form of revolution, which would support the people in establishing true democracy, rather than leading to new forms of hierarchical and authoritarian control."