love photos/love film.

Something I learned this week: William Mortensen was a Hollywood photographer in the first half of the 20th century. While he made a living as a set decorator, costumer and studio portraitist, his own photos depicted a world of the dark, the grotesque and the occult. Long before the age of digital magic and filters, he found ways to manipulate his work, so it crossed the boundaries of photography and illustration. This was considered a no-no by the reigning Modernist movement, and its leading figure Ansel Adams referred to Mortensen as "the Anti-Christ."

Feral House, the Seattle-based publisher that loves everything dark, grotesque and occult-related has released two books about Mortensen, Command to Look and American Grotesque.

Photos by William Mortensen via HuffPost

In conjunction with the books' release, our own beloved Cinefamily is hosting a special event tomorrow (Thursday, March 12th)--The Devil's Photographer: William Mortensen and Hollywood. The night includes a 35mm screening of West of Zanzibar directed by Tod Browning (Freaks), who collaborated with Mortensen on the film. Lon Chaney stars as a paralyzed magician who seek revenge on the man who ran away with his wife deep in the jungles of East Africa.

A live score will be provided by Cinefamily accompanist Cliff Retallick, and Mortensen biographer Larry Lytle will be on hand to sign books. Previously unseen works by the artist will be displayed on the back patio.

Note to Hollywood: the "Magician/Jungle/Revenge" genre needs to happen.