December 5 is the birthday of Soviet Constructivist graphic artist and photographer ALEKSANDR RODCHENKO (1891-1956). He was one of the most versatile constructivist and productivist artists to emerge after the Russian Revolution. He worked as a painter and graphic designer before turning to photomontage and photography. His photography was socially engaged, formally innovative, and opposed to a painterly aesthetic. Concerned with the need for analytical-documentary photo series, he often shot his subjects from odd angles—usually high above or down below—to shock the viewer and to postpone recognition. He wrote: 'One has to take several different shots of a subject, from different points of view and in different situations, as if one examined it in the round rather than looked through the same key-hole again and again. To see samples of his work, CLICK HERE.

December 5 is the birthday of American animator, film producer and entrepreneur WALT DISNEY (1901-1966). To celebrate Walt's birthday, enjoy PUSS IN BOOTS, made in Disney's Kansas City Laff-o-Gram studio in 1922.

December 5 is the birthday of Austrian-American film director FRITZ LANG (1890-1976) The great Expressionist filmmaker worked in Germany until Hitler came to power, when Lang emigrated to the United States. He directed outstanding films in both Germany and America, like "M," "Dr. Mabuse the Gambler" and "The Big Heat." But Lang's magnum opus is his visionary, dystopian science fiction film METROPOLIS (1927).

December 5 is the birthday of Pre-Raphaelite poet CHRISTINA ROSSETTI (1830-1894). She was an English writer of romantic, devotional and children's poems, including 'Goblin Market' and 'Remember.' She also wrote the words of two Christmas carols well known in Britain: 'In the Bleak Midwinter,' later set by Gustav Holst, Katherine Kennicott Davis, and Harold Darke, and 'Love Came Down at Christmas,' also set by Darke and other composers. She was a sister of the artist and poet Dante Gabriel Rossetti and features in several of his paintings.

December 5 is the birthday of Austrian-American director OTTO PREMINGER (1905-1986). He directed more than 35 feature films in a five-decade career after leaving the theatre. He first gained attention for film noir mysteries such as Laura (1944) and Fallen Angel (1945), while in the 1950s and 1960s, he directed a number of high-profile adaptations of popular novels and stage works. Several of these later films pushed the boundaries of censorship by dealing with topics which were then taboo in Hollywood, such as drug addiction (The Man with the Golden Arm, 1955), rape (Anatomy of a Murder, 1959) and homosexuality (Advise & Consent, 1962). He was twice nominated for the Academy Award for Best Director." (Wikipedia)

He also portrayed Mr. Freeze in the 60s era Batman TV series.

THIS DAY IN HISTORY: On December 5, 1926, Sergei Eisenstein's masterpiece "Battleship Potemkin" had its debut. This is the famous Odessa Steps sequence which has been quoted in Leni Riefenstahl's "Triumph of the Will," Brian de Palma's "The Untouchables," Terry Gilliam's "Brazil," Woody Allen's "Love and Death," George Lucas's "Star Wars" and probably many other films.

THIS DAY IN HISTORY: On December 5, 1952 the Great Smog of London occurred. A cold fog descended on London, which, combined with air pollution, killed at least 12,000 in the weeks and months that followed.

Krampus is the cloven-hoofed demon with the Gene Simmonsesque tongue who accompanies St. Nicholas as he distributes treats to good boys and girls the evening before ST. NICHOLAS DAY, December 6. Good children get treats, bad children get coal and a whipping meted out by Krampus. At the link below there are some great photos of Krampusnacht celebrations in Eastern Europe.