Tyrannical and brilliant, director Michael Curtiz created film legends out of mere stars, and turned movies into myth. Here are some of his greatest films.
When movie enthusiasts think of legendary director Michael Curtiz, the first thing that pops into their mind is Casablanca (1942), consistently named to, and occasionally topping, lists of the greatest films of all time. Although if we’re being honest, most people think of it as a Humphrey Bogart movie. The same could be said of Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942) and The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938). These are known for their stars, James Cagney, and Errol Flynn, the latter of whom Curtiz put on the map with Captain Blood (1935). In the director’s hands, actors and characters merged into a mythology which exceeded mere signature roles, becoming universal symbols.
Curtiz worked in the motion picture business from its infancy, but began in the theater, graduating Budapest’s...
When movie enthusiasts think of legendary director Michael Curtiz, the first thing that pops into their mind is Casablanca (1942), consistently named to, and occasionally topping, lists of the greatest films of all time. Although if we’re being honest, most people think of it as a Humphrey Bogart movie. The same could be said of Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942) and The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938). These are known for their stars, James Cagney, and Errol Flynn, the latter of whom Curtiz put on the map with Captain Blood (1935). In the director’s hands, actors and characters merged into a mythology which exceeded mere signature roles, becoming universal symbols.
Curtiz worked in the motion picture business from its infancy, but began in the theater, graduating Budapest’s...
- 9/27/2023
- by David Crow
- Den of Geek
To mark the release of Saraband for Dead Lovers on 13th March, we’ve been given Blu-ray copies to give away to 2 winners.
In 1682, the sixteen-year-old Sophie Dorothea (Joan Greenwood) is unhappily married by arrangement to Prince George Louis of Hanover (Peter Bull), an aristocrat destined to inherit the British crown. Despairing of ever experiencing true love, the desolate new Queen finds no solace in her life at court until she falls for a dashing Swedish mercenary, Count Konigsmark (Stewart Granger).
Having hatched a plot to flee England together, the couple’s scheme is discovered by the jealous Countess Platen (Flora Robson), Konigsmark’s previous lover, spelling disaster for the young lovers.
Please note: This competition is open to UK residents only
a Rafflecopter giveaway
The Small Print
Open to UK residents only The competition will close 16th March 2023 at 23.59 GMT The winner will be picked at random from entries...
In 1682, the sixteen-year-old Sophie Dorothea (Joan Greenwood) is unhappily married by arrangement to Prince George Louis of Hanover (Peter Bull), an aristocrat destined to inherit the British crown. Despairing of ever experiencing true love, the desolate new Queen finds no solace in her life at court until she falls for a dashing Swedish mercenary, Count Konigsmark (Stewart Granger).
Having hatched a plot to flee England together, the couple’s scheme is discovered by the jealous Countess Platen (Flora Robson), Konigsmark’s previous lover, spelling disaster for the young lovers.
Please note: This competition is open to UK residents only
a Rafflecopter giveaway
The Small Print
Open to UK residents only The competition will close 16th March 2023 at 23.59 GMT The winner will be picked at random from entries...
- 3/6/2023
- by Competitions
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
A post-James Bond Daniel Craig and Oscar-nominee Ruth Negga currently are shaking things up on Broadway in the latest revival of “Macbeth,” Shakespeare’s tragedy of mayhem, power, murder and madness. The “Scottish play” has a reputation for being cursed because the Bard used real witches’ spells.
It certainly has fallen afoul of the Tony Awards over the years. Negga was nominated but Craig was snubbed. Of the 11 previous stagings of “Macbeth” since the start of the Tony Awards, only the 2008 revival merited nominations for both stars (Patrick Stewart and Kate Fleetwood). Glenda Jackson reaped a bid in 1988 while Christopher Plummer was left in the wings.
The first recorded production of the play in New York was way back in 1768 at the John Street Theatre, which had been built the year before. Though the closing date is unknown, the theater was demolished in 1897. Lewis Hallam, who is the only known cast member,...
It certainly has fallen afoul of the Tony Awards over the years. Negga was nominated but Craig was snubbed. Of the 11 previous stagings of “Macbeth” since the start of the Tony Awards, only the 2008 revival merited nominations for both stars (Patrick Stewart and Kate Fleetwood). Glenda Jackson reaped a bid in 1988 while Christopher Plummer was left in the wings.
The first recorded production of the play in New York was way back in 1768 at the John Street Theatre, which had been built the year before. Though the closing date is unknown, the theater was demolished in 1897. Lewis Hallam, who is the only known cast member,...
- 5/10/2022
- by Susan King
- Gold Derby
“I tend to the bodily needs of these people, not the spiritual ones. Now, come along back to bed.”
Sharon Tate in Eye Of The Devil (1966) will be available on Blu-ray October 26th from Warner Archive
A forbidding French chateau and its surrounding vineyards are the setting for Gothic thrills in this haunting excursion into the occult. Deborah Kerr and David Niven, costarring for the first time since Separate Tables, lead an exceptional cast in a chiller reminiscent of the later The Wicker Man (1973), in which an innocent outsider to an enclosed world peels back layers of mystery to reveal a shocking truth. Vineyard owner Marquis Philippe de Montfaucon (David Niven) is called back to his castle Bellenac because of another dry season. He asks his wife and children to remain in Paris, but they still come after him. His wife Catherine de Montfaucon (Deborah Kerr) soon discovers that her...
Sharon Tate in Eye Of The Devil (1966) will be available on Blu-ray October 26th from Warner Archive
A forbidding French chateau and its surrounding vineyards are the setting for Gothic thrills in this haunting excursion into the occult. Deborah Kerr and David Niven, costarring for the first time since Separate Tables, lead an exceptional cast in a chiller reminiscent of the later The Wicker Man (1973), in which an innocent outsider to an enclosed world peels back layers of mystery to reveal a shocking truth. Vineyard owner Marquis Philippe de Montfaucon (David Niven) is called back to his castle Bellenac because of another dry season. He asks his wife and children to remain in Paris, but they still come after him. His wife Catherine de Montfaucon (Deborah Kerr) soon discovers that her...
- 9/29/2021
- by Tom Stockman
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Welcome back to the Supporting Actress Smackdown. Each month we pick an Oscar vintage to explore through the lens of actressing at the edges. This episode goes back to the 19th Academy Awards honoring 1946. It isn't a particularly beloved Oscar vintage though the Best Picture winner, The Best Years of Our Lives, is sublime. Apart from the winner and the Christmas film It's a Wonderful Life, the Academy all but ignored the most enduring pictures of that post-war year. But we're here to discuss Best Supporting Actress and these five women were having a moment...
The Nominees For the 1946 Oscars the Academy invited back two previous winners (Gale Sondergaard & Ethel Barrymore), tossed a bouquet in the form of 'career' nomination to a legend (Lillian Gish), honored a character actress for stretching (Flora Robson) without realizing how poorly that kind of stretch would age, and invited a new starlet (Anne Baxter) into the club.
The Nominees For the 1946 Oscars the Academy invited back two previous winners (Gale Sondergaard & Ethel Barrymore), tossed a bouquet in the form of 'career' nomination to a legend (Lillian Gish), honored a character actress for stretching (Flora Robson) without realizing how poorly that kind of stretch would age, and invited a new starlet (Anne Baxter) into the club.
- 6/26/2021
- by NATHANIEL R
- FilmExperience
Take a look at more footage from the FX/BBC drama TV miniseries,"Black Narcissus" (referencing the Caron perfume 'Narcisse noir'), based on the 1939 novel of the same name by Rumer Godden, starring the late Diana Rigg as 'Mother Dorothea', Gemma Arterton as 'Sister Clodagh' and Alessandro Nivola as 'Mr. Dean':
"... a nun is sent to establish a branch of her order with her fellow sisters in the Himalayas, but struggles to temper her attractions to a 'World War I' veteran..."
Cast also includes Aisling Franciosi as 'Sister Ruth', Jim Broadbent as 'Father Roberts', Gina McKee as 'Sister Adela', Rosie Cavaliero as 'Sister Briony', Patsy Ferran as 'Sister Blanche', Karen Bryson as 'Sister Philippa', Charlie Maher as 'Con', Dipika Kunwar as 'Kanchi' and Gianni Gonsalves as 'Princess Srimati'.
"Black Narcissus" was previously adapted in 1947, written, produced and directed by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger...
...starring Deborah Kerr, Kathleen Byron, Sabu,...
"... a nun is sent to establish a branch of her order with her fellow sisters in the Himalayas, but struggles to temper her attractions to a 'World War I' veteran..."
Cast also includes Aisling Franciosi as 'Sister Ruth', Jim Broadbent as 'Father Roberts', Gina McKee as 'Sister Adela', Rosie Cavaliero as 'Sister Briony', Patsy Ferran as 'Sister Blanche', Karen Bryson as 'Sister Philippa', Charlie Maher as 'Con', Dipika Kunwar as 'Kanchi' and Gianni Gonsalves as 'Princess Srimati'.
"Black Narcissus" was previously adapted in 1947, written, produced and directed by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger...
...starring Deborah Kerr, Kathleen Byron, Sabu,...
- 12/8/2020
- by Unknown
- SneakPeek
Take a look at more new footage from the upcoming BBC drama TV miniseries,"Black Narcissus" (referencing the Caron perfume 'Narcisse noir'), based on the 1939 novel of the same name by Rumer Godden, starring the late Diana Rigg as 'Mother Dorothea', Gemma Arterton as 'Sister Clodagh' and Alessandro Nivola as 'Mr. Dean', premiering November 23, 2020 on FX:
"... a nun is sent to establish a branch of her order with her fellow sisters in the Himalayas, but struggles to temper her attractions to a 'World War I' veteran..."
Cast also includes Aisling Franciosi as 'Sister Ruth', Jim Broadbent as 'Father Roberts', Gina McKee as 'Sister Adela', Rosie Cavaliero as 'Sister Briony', Patsy Ferran as 'Sister Blanche', Karen Bryson as 'Sister Philippa', Charlie Maher as 'Con', Dipika Kunwar as 'Kanchi' and Gianni Gonsalves as 'Princess Srimati'.
"Black Narcissus" was previously adapted in 1947, written, produced and directed by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger.
"... a nun is sent to establish a branch of her order with her fellow sisters in the Himalayas, but struggles to temper her attractions to a 'World War I' veteran..."
Cast also includes Aisling Franciosi as 'Sister Ruth', Jim Broadbent as 'Father Roberts', Gina McKee as 'Sister Adela', Rosie Cavaliero as 'Sister Briony', Patsy Ferran as 'Sister Blanche', Karen Bryson as 'Sister Philippa', Charlie Maher as 'Con', Dipika Kunwar as 'Kanchi' and Gianni Gonsalves as 'Princess Srimati'.
"Black Narcissus" was previously adapted in 1947, written, produced and directed by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger.
- 10/28/2020
- by Unknown
- SneakPeek
"Black Narcissus", referencing the Caron perfume 'Narcisse noir', is the new BBC drama miniseries, based on the 1939 novel of the same name by Rumer Godden, starring the late Diana Rigg as 'Mother Dorothea', Gemma Arterton as "Sister Clodagh and Alessandro Nivola as 'Mr. Dean', premiering November 23, 2020 on FX:
"... a nun is sent to establish a branch of her order with her fellow sisters in the Himalayas, but struggles to temper her attractions to a 'World War I' veteran..."
Cast also includes Aisling Franciosi as 'Sister Ruth', Jim Broadbent as 'Father Roberts', Gina McKee as 'Sister Adela', Rosie Cavaliero as 'Sister Briony', Patsy Ferran as 'Sister Blanche', Karen Bryson as 'Sister Philippa', Charlie Maher as 'Con', Dipika Kunwar as 'Kanchi' and Gianni Gonsalves as 'Princess Srimati'.
"Black Narcissus" was previously adapted in 1947, written, produced and directed by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger...
...starring Deborah Kerr, Kathleen Byron, Sabu, David Farrar,...
"... a nun is sent to establish a branch of her order with her fellow sisters in the Himalayas, but struggles to temper her attractions to a 'World War I' veteran..."
Cast also includes Aisling Franciosi as 'Sister Ruth', Jim Broadbent as 'Father Roberts', Gina McKee as 'Sister Adela', Rosie Cavaliero as 'Sister Briony', Patsy Ferran as 'Sister Blanche', Karen Bryson as 'Sister Philippa', Charlie Maher as 'Con', Dipika Kunwar as 'Kanchi' and Gianni Gonsalves as 'Princess Srimati'.
"Black Narcissus" was previously adapted in 1947, written, produced and directed by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger...
...starring Deborah Kerr, Kathleen Byron, Sabu, David Farrar,...
- 10/21/2020
- by Unknown
- SneakPeek
As Disney quietly disappears huge swathes of film history into its vaults, I'm going to spend 2020 celebrating Twentieth Century Fox and the Fox Film Corporation's films, what one might call their output if only someone were putting it out.***"One of the truly outstanding incompetents" may have been Orson Welles's hilarious verdict on Franco-Irish director and madman John Guillermin, and looking at something like King Kong (1976) or God help us King Kong Lives (1986) one can't help but sense some justice in this, but in his earlier career, the energetic Guillermin showed some promise. His films throughout the fifties were solid and stolid in the way of too much British cinema of the time, but Rapture (1965) is a crazily stylish tour-de-force of excessive, out-of-control camera lurches and assaults which even Welles might have admired.The previous year Guillermin had made Guns at Batasi, a 99% British feature, but produced by...
- 10/14/2020
- MUBI
Grand action entertainment bursts forth on the high seas, showing us how much production value Golden Hollywood could lavish on an exciting, artful swashbuckler. Errol Flynn is at his glorious best, backed by greats like Flora Robson, Henry Daniell and Claude Rains in fine form. The special effects and full-sized ship sets impress in ways that computer generated images never will. And the rousing music of Erich Wolfgang Korngold seals the deal — the term ‘Timeless Classic’ was invented for marvels like this.
The Sea Hawk
Blu-ray
Warner Archive Collection
1940 / B&W / 1:37 flat Academy / 127 min. / Street Date December 18, 2018 / available through the WBshop / 21.99
Starring: Errol Flynn, Brenda Marshall, Claude Rains, Donald Crisp, Flora Robson, Alan Hale, Henry Daniell, Una O’Connor, James Stephenson, Gilbert Roland, William Lundigan, Julien Mitchell, Montagu Love, J.M. Kerrigan, David Bruce, Fritz Leiber, Francis McDonald, Pedro de Cordoba, Ian Keith, Jack La Rue, Halliwell Hobbes, Victor Varconi,...
The Sea Hawk
Blu-ray
Warner Archive Collection
1940 / B&W / 1:37 flat Academy / 127 min. / Street Date December 18, 2018 / available through the WBshop / 21.99
Starring: Errol Flynn, Brenda Marshall, Claude Rains, Donald Crisp, Flora Robson, Alan Hale, Henry Daniell, Una O’Connor, James Stephenson, Gilbert Roland, William Lundigan, Julien Mitchell, Montagu Love, J.M. Kerrigan, David Bruce, Fritz Leiber, Francis McDonald, Pedro de Cordoba, Ian Keith, Jack La Rue, Halliwell Hobbes, Victor Varconi,...
- 12/22/2018
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Chicago – In 2017, a Greek film production team – producer/writer George Avraam and director Constantinos Patsalides – came to Chicago with their documentary “Beloved Days,” which was part of the European Union Film Festival. The team returns to the international festival circuit with the World Premiere of their new short film, “30,” at the Greek International Short Film Festival (National Division), September 16th-22nd, 2018. For more information, click here.
“30” is a based-on-truth story about a GreekCypriot mother who exiles herself indoors for 30 years after a tragic event involving her solider son occurs during the 1974 Turkish invasion on the island of Cyprus. The theme is connected to “Beloved Days,” the documentary about the making of the movie “Beloved,” which brought star Raquel Welch and her production team to Cyprus four years before the war. Click here for the HollywoodChicago.com interview of George Avraam for “Beloved Days.”
Scene from ’30,’ Directed by Constantinos Patsalides
Photo...
“30” is a based-on-truth story about a GreekCypriot mother who exiles herself indoors for 30 years after a tragic event involving her solider son occurs during the 1974 Turkish invasion on the island of Cyprus. The theme is connected to “Beloved Days,” the documentary about the making of the movie “Beloved,” which brought star Raquel Welch and her production team to Cyprus four years before the war. Click here for the HollywoodChicago.com interview of George Avraam for “Beloved Days.”
Scene from ’30,’ Directed by Constantinos Patsalides
Photo...
- 9/17/2018
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
'Making Love': Groundbreaking romantic gay drama returns to the big screen As part of its Anniversary Classics series, Laemmle Theaters will be presenting Arthur Hiller's groundbreaking 1982 romantic drama Making Love, the first U.S. movie distributed by a major studio that focused on a romantic gay relationship. Michael Ontkean, Harry Hamlin, and Kate Jackson star. The 35th Anniversary Screening of Making Love will be held on Saturday, June 24 – it's Gay Pride month, after all – at 7:30 p.m. at the Ahrya Fine Arts Theatre on Wilshire Blvd. in Beverly Hills. The movie will be followed by a Q&A session with Harry Hamlin, screenwriter Barry Sandler, and author A. Scott Berg, who wrote the “story” on which the film is based. 'Making Love' & What lies beneath In this 20th Century Fox release – Sherry Lansing was the studio head at the time – Michael Ontkean plays a...
- 6/24/2017
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
By Todd Garbarini
Jack Cardiff’s 1965 film Young Cassidy, which stars Rod Taylor, Julie Christie, Maggie Smith and Michael Redgrave, will be screened at the Royale Laemmle Theater in Los Angeles. Based upon Sean O’Casey’s autobiography Mirror in My House (he also contributed to the screenplay), the 110-minute film will be screened on Wednesday, January 6th, 2015 at 7:00 pm.
Film editor extraordinaire Anne V. Coates is also scheduled to be on hand following the screening to discuss her work on the film as well as her career.
From the press release:
This vivid film about the early life of celebrated Irish playwright Sean O’Casey was filmed on location in and around Dublin and showcases an extraordinary cast. Rod Taylor plays the title role, and the supporting cast includes Oscar winners Maggie Smith and Julie Christie early in their careers, along with British theater and film veterans Michael Redgrave,...
Jack Cardiff’s 1965 film Young Cassidy, which stars Rod Taylor, Julie Christie, Maggie Smith and Michael Redgrave, will be screened at the Royale Laemmle Theater in Los Angeles. Based upon Sean O’Casey’s autobiography Mirror in My House (he also contributed to the screenplay), the 110-minute film will be screened on Wednesday, January 6th, 2015 at 7:00 pm.
Film editor extraordinaire Anne V. Coates is also scheduled to be on hand following the screening to discuss her work on the film as well as her career.
From the press release:
This vivid film about the early life of celebrated Irish playwright Sean O’Casey was filmed on location in and around Dublin and showcases an extraordinary cast. Rod Taylor plays the title role, and the supporting cast includes Oscar winners Maggie Smith and Julie Christie early in their careers, along with British theater and film veterans Michael Redgrave,...
- 12/29/2015
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
Ingrid Bergman ca. early 1940s. Ingrid Bergman movies on TCM: From the artificial 'Gaslight' to the magisterial 'Autumn Sonata' Two days ago, Turner Classic Movies' “Summer Under the Stars” series highlighted the film career of Greta Garbo. Today, Aug. 28, '15, TCM is focusing on another Swedish actress, three-time Academy Award winner Ingrid Bergman, who would have turned 100 years old tomorrow. TCM has likely aired most of Bergman's Hollywood films, and at least some of her early Swedish work. As a result, today's only premiere is Fielder Cook's little-seen and little-remembered From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler (1973), about two bored kids (Sally Prager, Johnny Doran) who run away from home and end up at New York City's Metropolitan Museum. Obviously, this is no A Night at the Museum – and that's a major plus. Bergman plays an elderly art lover who takes an interest in them; her...
- 8/28/2015
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Vivien Leigh ca. late 1940s. Vivien Leigh movies: now controversial 'Gone with the Wind,' little-seen '21 Days Together' on TCM Vivien Leigh is Turner Classic Movies' star today, Aug. 18, '15, as TCM's “Summer Under the Stars” series continues. Mostly a stage actress, Leigh was seen in only 19 films – in about 15 of which as a leading lady or star – in a movie career spanning three decades. Good for the relatively few who saw her on stage; bad for all those who have access to only a few performances of one of the most remarkable acting talents of the 20th century. This evening, TCM is showing three Vivien Leigh movies: Gone with the Wind (1939), 21 Days Together (1940), and A Streetcar Named Desire (1951). Leigh won Best Actress Academy Awards for the first and the third title. The little-remembered film in-between is a TCM premiere. 'Gone with the Wind' Seemingly all...
- 8/19/2015
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
'Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl': Johnny Depp as Capt. Jack Sparrow. 'Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl' review: Mostly an enjoyable romp (Oscar Movie Series) Pirate movies were a Hollywood staple for about three decades, from the mid-'20s (The Sea Hawk, The Black Pirate) to the mid-to-late '50s (Moonfleet, The Buccaneer), when the genre, by then mostly relegated to B films, began to die down. Sporadic resurrections in the '80s and '90s turned out to be critical and commercial bombs (Pirates, Cutthroat Island), something that didn't bode well for the Walt Disney Company's $140 million-budgeted film "adaptation" of one of their theme-park rides. But Neptune's mood has apparently improved with the arrival of the new century. He smiled – grinned would be a more appropriate word – on the Gore Verbinski-directed Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl,...
- 6/29/2015
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Ron Moody as Fagin in 'Oliver!' based on Charles Dickens' 'Oliver Twist.' Ron Moody as Fagin in Dickens musical 'Oliver!': Box office and critical hit (See previous post: "Ron Moody: 'Oliver!' Actor, Academy Award Nominee Dead at 91.") Although British made, Oliver! turned out to be an elephantine release along the lines of – exclamation point or no – Gypsy, Star!, Hello Dolly!, and other Hollywood mega-musicals from the mid'-50s to the early '70s.[1] But however bloated and conventional the final result, and a cast whose best-known name was that of director Carol Reed's nephew, Oliver Reed, Oliver! found countless fans.[2] The mostly British production became a huge financial and critical success in the U.S. at a time when star-studded mega-musicals had become perilous – at times downright disastrous – ventures.[3] Upon the American release of Oliver! in Dec. 1968, frequently acerbic The...
- 6/19/2015
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
The Sea Hawk
Written by Howard Koch and Seton I. Miller
Directed by Michael Curtiz
U.S.A., 1940
Under the Warner Brothers banner, Errol Flynn leaps, bounds and rouses hearts to the tune of Erich Wolfgang Korngold’s winning score and the direction of taskmaster Michael Curtiz. Following on the coattails of Captain Blood (1935) and The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938), it’s easy to dismiss The Sea Hawk (1940) as just a studio swashbuckler, another outing of a tried and true formula that Bosley Crowther called, “an overdressed ‘spectacle’ film which derives much more from the sword than the pen.” Admittedly, this loose adaptation owes more to the seafaring adventures of Sir Francis Drake than the original Rafael Sabatini novel of the same name, but it owes even more to the politics surrounding its production. On closer examination, the film stands as a testament not only to Flynn in his booming...
Written by Howard Koch and Seton I. Miller
Directed by Michael Curtiz
U.S.A., 1940
Under the Warner Brothers banner, Errol Flynn leaps, bounds and rouses hearts to the tune of Erich Wolfgang Korngold’s winning score and the direction of taskmaster Michael Curtiz. Following on the coattails of Captain Blood (1935) and The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938), it’s easy to dismiss The Sea Hawk (1940) as just a studio swashbuckler, another outing of a tried and true formula that Bosley Crowther called, “an overdressed ‘spectacle’ film which derives much more from the sword than the pen.” Admittedly, this loose adaptation owes more to the seafaring adventures of Sir Francis Drake than the original Rafael Sabatini novel of the same name, but it owes even more to the politics surrounding its production. On closer examination, the film stands as a testament not only to Flynn in his booming...
- 4/17/2015
- by Diana Drumm
- SoundOnSight
Teresa Wright-Samuel Goldwyn association comes to a nasty end (See preceding post: "Teresa Wright in 'Shadow of a Doubt': Alfred Hitchcock Heroine in His Favorite Film.") Whether or not because she was aware that Enchantment wasn't going to be the hit she needed – or perhaps some other disagreement with Samuel Goldwyn or personal issue with husband Niven Busch – Teresa Wright, claiming illness, refused to go to New York City to promote the film. (Top image: Teresa Wright in a publicity shot for The Men.) Goldwyn had previously announced that Wright, whose contract still had another four and half years to run, was to star in a film version of J.D. Salinger's 1948 short story "Uncle Wiggily in Connecticut." Instead, he unceremoniously – and quite publicly – fired her.[1] The Goldwyn organization issued a statement, explaining that besides refusing the assignment to travel to New York to help generate pre-opening publicity for Enchantment,...
- 3/11/2015
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Although Hammer Films will always be associated with British horror, the studio did have stiff competition. Amicus specialised in the successful horror anthologies and Us counterparts American International Pictures established a permanent UK base in the mid sixties. Other smaller independents took their own bite from the cherry tree of horror with some success, the best known being Tigon Films.
Tigon has received some belated recognition in recent years. Andy Boot’s book on British horror Fragments of Fear devotes a chapter to the company while John Hamilton’s excellent book Beast in the Cellar covers the varied career of Tigon’s charismatic founder Tony Tenser.
Like Hammer’s Sir James Carreras, Tenser was one of the British Film Industry’s great entrepreneurs. Born in London to poor Lithuanian immigrants and a movie fan since childhood, he was an ambitious man with a natural talent for showmanship. Combining shrewd business...
Tigon has received some belated recognition in recent years. Andy Boot’s book on British horror Fragments of Fear devotes a chapter to the company while John Hamilton’s excellent book Beast in the Cellar covers the varied career of Tigon’s charismatic founder Tony Tenser.
Like Hammer’s Sir James Carreras, Tenser was one of the British Film Industry’s great entrepreneurs. Born in London to poor Lithuanian immigrants and a movie fan since childhood, he was an ambitious man with a natural talent for showmanship. Combining shrewd business...
- 2/18/2014
- Shadowlocked
It is one of Beckett's most famous – and most startling – images. But what inspired the half-buried woman in Happy Days? His friend and biographer James Knowlson tracks down the first Winnies
Samuel Beckett was a passionate lover of art and a friend of many painters and sculptors. He loved Dutch and Flemish painting in particular – and art almost certainly inspired some of his most memorable theatrical images. Even his earliest plays, such as Waiting for Godot or Endgame, recall the old masters: the character Lucky in Godot may well remind you of a Brueghel grotesque; Estragon and Vladimir's physical antics echo scenes in Adriaen Brouwer's paintings ("Dear, dear Brouwer", Beckett called him); Hamm in Endgame appears to share genes with some portraits by Rembrandt, staring out at the viewer – Jacob Trip in his armchair, perhaps.
As for Beckett's late miniature works – recently revived by the Royal Court with a tour...
Samuel Beckett was a passionate lover of art and a friend of many painters and sculptors. He loved Dutch and Flemish painting in particular – and art almost certainly inspired some of his most memorable theatrical images. Even his earliest plays, such as Waiting for Godot or Endgame, recall the old masters: the character Lucky in Godot may well remind you of a Brueghel grotesque; Estragon and Vladimir's physical antics echo scenes in Adriaen Brouwer's paintings ("Dear, dear Brouwer", Beckett called him); Hamm in Endgame appears to share genes with some portraits by Rembrandt, staring out at the viewer – Jacob Trip in his armchair, perhaps.
As for Beckett's late miniature works – recently revived by the Royal Court with a tour...
- 1/22/2014
- The Guardian - Film News
Laurence Olivier and Vivien Leigh look gorgeous but it's Flora Robson as Queen Elizabeth who steals the show
Fire Over England (1937)
Director: William K Howard
Entertainment grade: B+
History grade: C
In 1588, the Spanish Armada sailed against Elizabeth I's England.
International relations
Philip II's Spain is beleaguered by English pirates. The Spanish ambassador turns up at the court of Queen Elizabeth (Flora Robson) to protest. Elizabeth insists she has nothing to do with piracy, and considers herself Philip's loving sister (as history buffs will know, he was married to her half-sister, Mary I). "His portrait still hangs in a place of honour," she assures the ambassador. "My king does not ask your grace to hang his portrait, but to hang his enemies," the ambassador zings back.
Piracy
Meanwhile, fictional English pirate's son Michael Ingolby (Laurence Olivier) is aboard a ship when it is taken by the Inquisition. He jumps...
Fire Over England (1937)
Director: William K Howard
Entertainment grade: B+
History grade: C
In 1588, the Spanish Armada sailed against Elizabeth I's England.
International relations
Philip II's Spain is beleaguered by English pirates. The Spanish ambassador turns up at the court of Queen Elizabeth (Flora Robson) to protest. Elizabeth insists she has nothing to do with piracy, and considers herself Philip's loving sister (as history buffs will know, he was married to her half-sister, Mary I). "His portrait still hangs in a place of honour," she assures the ambassador. "My king does not ask your grace to hang his portrait, but to hang his enemies," the ambassador zings back.
Piracy
Meanwhile, fictional English pirate's son Michael Ingolby (Laurence Olivier) is aboard a ship when it is taken by the Inquisition. He jumps...
- 6/27/2013
- by Alex von Tunzelmann
- The Guardian - Film News
Son of a bitch! George Brent and other Warner Bros. stars forget their lines (photo: George Brent ca. 1940) The Warner Bros. outtakes from the studio’s 1939 and 1940 productions (see below) feature a whole array of movie stars and supporting players not getting things quite right while the cameras were rolling. Perhaps the biggest "star" — i.e., the one featured the most — in the montage is George Brent, who curses right and left after not getting his lines right in several scenes. But not to worry; "son of a bitch" is the strongest exclamation we get to hear. (I’m assuming stronger fare is to be found in the outtakes’ outtakes.) Besides George Brent, the Warner Bros. bloopers montage has Paul Muni joking around while forgetting his lines during the making of We Are Not Alone; Miriam Hopkins having her dramatic moment in The Old Maid ruined by a young maid...
- 5/24/2013
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Raquel Welch wigs vs. Ray Harryhausen monsters: One Million Years B.C. [See previous post: "Ray Harryhausen: Special Effects Titan Dies."] Without Charles H. Schneer as producer, Ray Harryhausen created the visual effects for the 1966 camp classic One Million Years B.C. — though, admittedly, his work in that movie played second fiddle to Raquel Welch’s physical effects as a blonde-bewigged (?) cavewoman parading around Earth’s pre-history in a cleavage-enhancing fur bikini. Whereas in producer Hal Roach’s 1940 effort One Million B.C., lizards made up as dinosaurs made life difficult for Victor Mature and Carole Landis, in the creationist-style pre-history of the 1966 (sort-of) remake, Raquel Welch and fellow caveman John Richardson had to square off against Harryhausen’s stop-motion models of giant reptiles. (Photo: Raquel Welch One Million Years B.C.) [Please scroll down to check out TCM's beautiful Ray Harryhausen tribute.] Starring James Franciscus and featuring Earth vs. the Flying Saucers‘ Richard Carlson, The Valley of Gwangi (1969) was Harryhausen’s next-to-last mid-level effort. Both The Golden Voyage of Sinbad (1974), with John Phillip Law,...
- 5/8/2013
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Errol Flynn plays Elizabeth I's favourite pirate Sir Francis Drake (aka Geoffrey) in a movie that veers off course into Nazi waters
Director: Michael Curtiz
Entertainment grade: C+
History grade: C
Francis Drake was Elizabeth I's favourite pirate. He was acclaimed as a hero in England and knighted, but the Spanish – the main victims of his exploits – considered him a villain.
Societies
King Philip II of Spain is planning world domination. "The riches of the New World are limitless, and the New World is ours," he gloats. "Only northern Europe holds out against us." Around his neck is a gold medallion of a dead sheep, hoisted by its midriff. This is the chain of the Order of the Golden Fleece, the most prestigious private club of the early modern age. Its membership was limited to 50 kings, princes, archdukes and other rulers. Philip II of Spain was its sovereign...
Director: Michael Curtiz
Entertainment grade: C+
History grade: C
Francis Drake was Elizabeth I's favourite pirate. He was acclaimed as a hero in England and knighted, but the Spanish – the main victims of his exploits – considered him a villain.
Societies
King Philip II of Spain is planning world domination. "The riches of the New World are limitless, and the New World is ours," he gloats. "Only northern Europe holds out against us." Around his neck is a gold medallion of a dead sheep, hoisted by its midriff. This is the chain of the Order of the Golden Fleece, the most prestigious private club of the early modern age. Its membership was limited to 50 kings, princes, archdukes and other rulers. Philip II of Spain was its sovereign...
- 6/1/2012
- by Alex von Tunzelmann
- The Guardian - Film News
More long hidden horrors are now available as part of Warner's made-to-order Archive Collection. Oh, the classic terrors that await you, dearest reader! Dig it!
Head on over to the Warner Archives and order yours today!
The Awakening
Director: Mike Newell
Cast: Charlton Heston, Susannah York, Jill Townsend, Stephanie Zimbalist
Synopsis
Mention Bram Stoker’s name, and literature and movie buffs will conjure up Count Dracula. But there was more blood in Stoker’s pen. He also wrote The Jewel of the Seven Stars, later filmed with chilling effect as The Awakening, grippingly directed by Mike Newell (Dance with a Stranger, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire) and sensuously shot on Egyptian locations by veteran cinematographer Jack Cardiff. Charlton Heston stars as an Egyptologist with a passion that will trigger several mysterious deaths. He’s obsessed with a sorceress whose return has been prophesied – and whose tomb he opened...
Head on over to the Warner Archives and order yours today!
The Awakening
Director: Mike Newell
Cast: Charlton Heston, Susannah York, Jill Townsend, Stephanie Zimbalist
Synopsis
Mention Bram Stoker’s name, and literature and movie buffs will conjure up Count Dracula. But there was more blood in Stoker’s pen. He also wrote The Jewel of the Seven Stars, later filmed with chilling effect as The Awakening, grippingly directed by Mike Newell (Dance with a Stranger, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire) and sensuously shot on Egyptian locations by veteran cinematographer Jack Cardiff. Charlton Heston stars as an Egyptologist with a passion that will trigger several mysterious deaths. He’s obsessed with a sorceress whose return has been prophesied – and whose tomb he opened...
- 5/15/2012
- by Uncle Creepy
- DreadCentral.com
The Fountainhead with Patricia Neal and Gary Cooper Photo: Courtesy of TCM
Liza Minnelli, Kim Novak, Robert Wagner, Tippi Hedren and Debbie Reynolds in person. Black Narcissus, Vertigo, Cabaret, and The Fountainhead projected on gigantic screens at Grauman's Chinese and Egyptian Theatres. Could any classic film fan wish for more? You could. And, at this year's annual TCM Classic Film Festival, which takes place from April 12th through the 15th, you'd get more: Kirk Douglas, Stanley Donen, Angie Dickenson, Norman Lloyd, Rhonda Fleming, and Norman Jewison appearing at special events and screenings of Two for the Road, Chinatown, Casablanca, The Longest Day, and The Thomas Crown Affair. But before going on about this year's festival, a look back is essential.
Chinatown's Faye Dunaway and Jack NicholsonPhoto: Courtesy of TCM
TCM 2010 & 2011
TCM's 2010 festival featured an opening night restoration of George Cukor's A Star Is Born (1954) starring Judy Garland and...
Liza Minnelli, Kim Novak, Robert Wagner, Tippi Hedren and Debbie Reynolds in person. Black Narcissus, Vertigo, Cabaret, and The Fountainhead projected on gigantic screens at Grauman's Chinese and Egyptian Theatres. Could any classic film fan wish for more? You could. And, at this year's annual TCM Classic Film Festival, which takes place from April 12th through the 15th, you'd get more: Kirk Douglas, Stanley Donen, Angie Dickenson, Norman Lloyd, Rhonda Fleming, and Norman Jewison appearing at special events and screenings of Two for the Road, Chinatown, Casablanca, The Longest Day, and The Thomas Crown Affair. But before going on about this year's festival, a look back is essential.
Chinatown's Faye Dunaway and Jack NicholsonPhoto: Courtesy of TCM
TCM 2010 & 2011
TCM's 2010 festival featured an opening night restoration of George Cukor's A Star Is Born (1954) starring Judy Garland and...
- 4/12/2012
- by Penelope Andrew
- Aol TV.
The 2012 TCM Classic Film Festival has unveiled another spectacular lineup of special guests and events for this year’s four-day gathering in Hollywood. Among the newly announced participants for this year’s festival are five-time Emmy® winner Dick Van Dyke, Oscar® winner Shirley Jones, two-time Golden Globe® winner Angie Dickinson, six-time Golden Globe nominee Robert Wagner, seven-time Oscar nominee Norman Jewison, longtime producer A.C. Lyles and three-time Oscar-winning editor Thelma Schoonmaker. In addition, the festival will feature a special three-film tribute to director/choreographer Stanley Donen, who will be on-hand for the celebration.
As part of its overall Style and the Movies theme, the festival has added several films featuring the work of pioneering costume designer Travis Banton. Oscar-nominated costume designer Deborah Nadoolman Landis will introduce the six-movie slate, with actress and former Essentials co-host Rose McGowan joining her for one of the screenings.
Other festival additions include a screening...
As part of its overall Style and the Movies theme, the festival has added several films featuring the work of pioneering costume designer Travis Banton. Oscar-nominated costume designer Deborah Nadoolman Landis will introduce the six-movie slate, with actress and former Essentials co-host Rose McGowan joining her for one of the screenings.
Other festival additions include a screening...
- 3/9/2012
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Originally published in the Observer on 18 December 1938
I am writing this letter now, so that the readers of the Observer can light their fires with it on Monday morning, and you will have six days after it has gone up the chimney to study my wants and decide what you are going to do about them. I know you will be very busy this Christmas, but in case you have time to think about the cinema, here are one or two suggestions for useful gifts.
Give back a film industry to England, just a little one. We have been very stupid, shortsighted and wasteful here, but most of us are sorry now. There are thousands of people out of work in the studios this Christmas, many of them with little prospect of getting back again. Be kind to them, please.
Whisper in the ear of politicians and City men, and...
I am writing this letter now, so that the readers of the Observer can light their fires with it on Monday morning, and you will have six days after it has gone up the chimney to study my wants and decide what you are going to do about them. I know you will be very busy this Christmas, but in case you have time to think about the cinema, here are one or two suggestions for useful gifts.
Give back a film industry to England, just a little one. We have been very stupid, shortsighted and wasteful here, but most of us are sorry now. There are thousands of people out of work in the studios this Christmas, many of them with little prospect of getting back again. Be kind to them, please.
Whisper in the ear of politicians and City men, and...
- 12/18/2011
- The Guardian - Film News
The Yorkshire landscape steals the show in Andrea Arnold's stark, uneasy adaptation of Emily Brontë's tragic romance
In the version of Cole Porter's "Let's Do It" that he used in his Las Vegas nightclub act in the 1950s, Noël Coward included a celebrated couplet that threw doubts on the much vaunted sexual prowess of America's most macho author while extolling the adventurousness of a 19th-century English country vicar's three daughters. "The Brontës felt that they must do it, Ernest Hemingway could just do it," he sang, and indeed the range of social, psychological and sexual experience Emily, Charlotte and Anne explored in their novels is remarkable. So much so that only one of the several film versions of Emily's Wuthering Heights made over the past 90 years has attempted to encompass the book's 30-odd years of pain, misery and ecstasy and its three generations of man handing on...
In the version of Cole Porter's "Let's Do It" that he used in his Las Vegas nightclub act in the 1950s, Noël Coward included a celebrated couplet that threw doubts on the much vaunted sexual prowess of America's most macho author while extolling the adventurousness of a 19th-century English country vicar's three daughters. "The Brontës felt that they must do it, Ernest Hemingway could just do it," he sang, and indeed the range of social, psychological and sexual experience Emily, Charlotte and Anne explored in their novels is remarkable. So much so that only one of the several film versions of Emily's Wuthering Heights made over the past 90 years has attempted to encompass the book's 30-odd years of pain, misery and ecstasy and its three generations of man handing on...
- 11/13/2011
- by Philip French
- The Guardian - Film News
Deborah Kerr, pony, Michael Powell on the Black Narcissus set The Criterion Collection has posted a series of images providing a glimpse behind the scenes of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger's 1947 classic Black Narcissus. Set in the Himalayas, this adaptation of Rumer Godden's novel was filmed entirely in Britain, chiefly at Pinewood Studios. Make sure to check it out here. In the beautifully nuanced Black Narcissus, Deborah Kerr stars as an Anglican nun sent to a convent in the Himalayas. The location's rarefied air and the presence of David Farrar brings to the surface the nun's latent ambivalence toward her vows. Tragedy ensues when another nun, played by Kathleen Byron, falls madly in lust/love with Farrar's character. Also in the Black Narcissus cast: Flora Robson, Sabu, Jean Simmons (in heavy makeup as a local girl), and Esmond Knight. For her efforts in both Black Narcissus and I See a Dark Stranger,...
- 7/11/2011
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
One of Britain's most distinguished actors, known for her roles on stage and screen
Margaret Tyzack, who has died aged 79, was one of Britain's greatest and most popular actors, working on stage, television and film for more than half a century. Sometimes described as being in the mould of Edith Evans and Flora Robson, she will be remembered particularly for performances in the golden age of BBC TV drama – Winifred in The Forsyte Saga (1967), Antonia in I, Claudius (1976) – as well as for stage performances such as Martha in the National Theatre's revival of Edward Albee's Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf (1981), for which she won an Olivier award for best actress, and Lottie with Maggie Smith in Lettice and Lovage (1987 and 1990), which earned her both Tony and Variety Club stage actress of the year awards. In 2008, well into her 70s, she scored perhaps one of her finest triumphs on stage as the wily,...
Margaret Tyzack, who has died aged 79, was one of Britain's greatest and most popular actors, working on stage, television and film for more than half a century. Sometimes described as being in the mould of Edith Evans and Flora Robson, she will be remembered particularly for performances in the golden age of BBC TV drama – Winifred in The Forsyte Saga (1967), Antonia in I, Claudius (1976) – as well as for stage performances such as Martha in the National Theatre's revival of Edward Albee's Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf (1981), for which she won an Olivier award for best actress, and Lottie with Maggie Smith in Lettice and Lovage (1987 and 1990), which earned her both Tony and Variety Club stage actress of the year awards. In 2008, well into her 70s, she scored perhaps one of her finest triumphs on stage as the wily,...
- 6/28/2011
- by Carole Woddis
- The Guardian - Film News
So you probably saw the headline and thought to yourself, “Oh Dave came up with a cute tie-in to all the pomp and ceremony that went on over in London last week, how clever of him to find an Eclipse title that connects so well with the marriage of Prince William and his girlfriend Catherine Middleton.” Yeah, I’m sure that’s what you were thinking and I can’t fault you for drawing such an obvious conclusion, even though it’s wrong. I actually chose this film for my next installment in this series simply because May 2 happens to be the birthday of Catherine the Great, the most powerful woman on earth during her lifetime and one of the most influential of all monarchs in Russia’s long and turbulent history.
Despite the fact that The Rise of Catherine the Great depicts a young woman’s entry into the...
Despite the fact that The Rise of Catherine the Great depicts a young woman’s entry into the...
- 5/4/2011
- by David Blakeslee
- CriterionCast
"Best Pictures From the Outside In" is back. But, oh fiddle, because the series is so infrequent we have to keep explaining it. It's a joint production between Mike at Goatdog's Blog, Nick at Nick's Flick Picks and Nathaniel at The Film Experience. We began in 2008 pairing the most recent winner No Country For Old Men with the first winner Wings and we've been working our way inward ever since from both ends of the Oscar chronology. Get it? Got it? Good. We've now reached 1946 vs. 1989.
These men have been through enough Daisy. Let Hoke take the wheel!
Nathaniel: Just when you get used to things a certain way...
Nothing is more certain in life than change so it's something of a human mystery as to why we're always so surprised or discomforted by it. In the Oscar winners The Best Years of Our Lives (1946) and Driving Miss Daisy (1989), we...
These men have been through enough Daisy. Let Hoke take the wheel!
Nathaniel: Just when you get used to things a certain way...
Nothing is more certain in life than change so it's something of a human mystery as to why we're always so surprised or discomforted by it. In the Oscar winners The Best Years of Our Lives (1946) and Driving Miss Daisy (1989), we...
- 10/10/2010
- by NATHANIEL R
- FilmExperience
Woody Strode in John Ford‘s Sergeant Rutledge I’m not at all familiar with Woody Strode‘s film career. I believe that most people aren’t either. And that is an excellent reason to check out Turner Classic Movies‘ Woody Strode Day this Thursday, August 5, as part of TCM’s "Summer Under the Stars" series. I’ve seen only two of TCM’s twelve movies featuring Strode: John Ford‘s swan song, the much-panned 7 Women (1966), and Sergio Leone‘s Once Upon a Time in the West (1968). I actually enjoyed 7 Women, which features a great cast including Anne Bancroft (replacing ailing Patricia Neal), Margaret Leighton, Betty Field, Mildred Dunnock, Anna Lee and Flora Robson. The widely revered Once Upon a Time in the West has never been one of my favorite Westerns, but it does have my all-time favorite movie theme music, courtesy of the masterful Ennio Morricone. And I...
- 8/5/2010
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
DVD Playhouse—July 2010
By
Allen Gardner
Two From Powell/Pressburger Criterion releases gorgeous new transfers of two of the greatest films to come out of post-war Britain, from that period’s greatest filmmaking team: Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger. Black Narcissus was originally released in 1947 and caused a sensation with its explosive story about a nun (Deborah Kerr), cloistered in a remote convent in the Himalayas, who must battle elements both external (the punishing weather) and internal (temptations of the flesh over duty to the spirit). Also features stellar turns by England’s greatest actresses at the time: Flora Robson, Kathleen Byron and a young Jean Simmons. One of the most dazzling films ever made, bolstered by Oscar-winning cinematography from Jack Cardiff. Bonuses: New transfer, supervised by Cardiff, editor Thelma Schoonmaker Powell; Introduction by filmmaker Bernard Tavernier; Commentary by Powell and Martin Scorsese; Featurettes; Documentaries and interviews; Trailer. The Red Shoes,...
By
Allen Gardner
Two From Powell/Pressburger Criterion releases gorgeous new transfers of two of the greatest films to come out of post-war Britain, from that period’s greatest filmmaking team: Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger. Black Narcissus was originally released in 1947 and caused a sensation with its explosive story about a nun (Deborah Kerr), cloistered in a remote convent in the Himalayas, who must battle elements both external (the punishing weather) and internal (temptations of the flesh over duty to the spirit). Also features stellar turns by England’s greatest actresses at the time: Flora Robson, Kathleen Byron and a young Jean Simmons. One of the most dazzling films ever made, bolstered by Oscar-winning cinematography from Jack Cardiff. Bonuses: New transfer, supervised by Cardiff, editor Thelma Schoonmaker Powell; Introduction by filmmaker Bernard Tavernier; Commentary by Powell and Martin Scorsese; Featurettes; Documentaries and interviews; Trailer. The Red Shoes,...
- 7/27/2010
- by The Hollywood Interview.com
- The Hollywood Interview
Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger made many films, but the two works that have come to define them are Black Narcissus (1947) and The Red Shoes (1948). These films are very different yet they share a lush, perfectionist aesthetic that elevates their dramatic stories to unmatched sensory heights.
In Black Narcissus, a group of English nuns -- including Deborah Kerr, Flora Robson, and a beautifully spooky Kathleen Byron -- move to the Himalayas to start a convent. The exotically and erotically decorated building they occupy was once home to a harem. The lingering spirt of fleshy desire invades the minds of the nuns, clouding their thoughts and causing them to do unpious things like: plant flowers instead of food; dream of past romances; and most importantly, lust after a fancy land owner who rides a miniature pony. The end result, at least for one nun, is madness.
Depictions of tempted nuns have a long,...
In Black Narcissus, a group of English nuns -- including Deborah Kerr, Flora Robson, and a beautifully spooky Kathleen Byron -- move to the Himalayas to start a convent. The exotically and erotically decorated building they occupy was once home to a harem. The lingering spirt of fleshy desire invades the minds of the nuns, clouding their thoughts and causing them to do unpious things like: plant flowers instead of food; dream of past romances; and most importantly, lust after a fancy land owner who rides a miniature pony. The end result, at least for one nun, is madness.
Depictions of tempted nuns have a long,...
- 7/26/2010
- Screen Anarchy
Following last weekend’s general release of Christopher Nolan’s Inception, those of us who’ve seen it (and perhaps many who haven’t yet) are contemplating cinema’s ability to capture and partially emulate the dream state, as well as that film’s commentary on the structures of consciousness and our inherently subjective experience of reality. This week’s new Criterion releases may not be the first films that come to mind when we think of works that influenced or remind us of Inception, but they both have plenty to say about disoriented psyches functioning as best they can under mind-bending pressure, using vivid color and evocative compositional schemes to masterful effect in the process.
Yes, I’m talking about Powell & Pressburger’s signature works from the late 1940s, The Red Shoes (read James’ review of the Blu-ray) and Black Narcissus. Both films have been available on Criterion Laserdisc...
Yes, I’m talking about Powell & Pressburger’s signature works from the late 1940s, The Red Shoes (read James’ review of the Blu-ray) and Black Narcissus. Both films have been available on Criterion Laserdisc...
- 7/20/2010
- by David Blakeslee
- CriterionCast
I shall have many young kings with round, strong arms.
And when I am tired of them, I shall whip them to death.
Last week, controversy developed over reports that Angelina Jolie has been cast to take the lead role in a biopic about Cleopatra, the historical Queen of Egypt whose reputation over the centuries has developed to nearly legendary proportions. While I think Ms. Jolie has the perfect blend of beauty, attitude and screen presence to pull off a job that’s served as a platform for silver screen goddesses of decades past, critics take issue with the fact that a Caucasian woman is once again being awarded the opportunity to play one of history’s most noteworthy African female characters. Despite the legitimate argument that Cleopatra’s lineage included European ancestors, I understand the sensitivity of their concern. Similar objections have been voiced about the upcoming The Last Airbender,...
And when I am tired of them, I shall whip them to death.
Last week, controversy developed over reports that Angelina Jolie has been cast to take the lead role in a biopic about Cleopatra, the historical Queen of Egypt whose reputation over the centuries has developed to nearly legendary proportions. While I think Ms. Jolie has the perfect blend of beauty, attitude and screen presence to pull off a job that’s served as a platform for silver screen goddesses of decades past, critics take issue with the fact that a Caucasian woman is once again being awarded the opportunity to play one of history’s most noteworthy African female characters. Despite the legitimate argument that Cleopatra’s lineage included European ancestors, I understand the sensitivity of their concern. Similar objections have been voiced about the upcoming The Last Airbender,...
- 6/22/2010
- by David Blakeslee
- CriterionCast
Are you bored of the same old TV shows? Tired of the mainstream? Then check out this round-up of alternative movies and series showing on UK television tonight…
8.00pm Warehouse 13 (Virgin 1)
This family friendly scifi drama captures the spirit of The X-Files and Friday the 13th the series. After saving the life of an international diplomat in Washington D.C., a pair of U.S Secret Service agents are whisked away to a covert location in South Dakota that houses supernatural objects that the U.S. Government has collected over the centuries. Their new assignment: retrieve some of the missing objects and investigate reports of new ones. Season One, episode 8.
9.00pm Freddy’s Nightmares (Horror Channel +1)
Haunting series featuring surreal nightmares and your favourite not-so-friendly dream demon. A pregnant teenager ends up in a hotel run by sadistic freaks after she leaves Springwood with her boyfriend. Season One, episode...
8.00pm Warehouse 13 (Virgin 1)
This family friendly scifi drama captures the spirit of The X-Files and Friday the 13th the series. After saving the life of an international diplomat in Washington D.C., a pair of U.S Secret Service agents are whisked away to a covert location in South Dakota that houses supernatural objects that the U.S. Government has collected over the centuries. Their new assignment: retrieve some of the missing objects and investigate reports of new ones. Season One, episode 8.
9.00pm Freddy’s Nightmares (Horror Channel +1)
Haunting series featuring surreal nightmares and your favourite not-so-friendly dream demon. A pregnant teenager ends up in a hotel run by sadistic freaks after she leaves Springwood with her boyfriend. Season One, episode...
- 6/4/2010
- by Phil
- Nerdly
Well all you lucky tax-payers, you have all new Criterion Collection releases to spend that hard earned tax return on. It feels like only yesterday we were posting the June 2010 new releases from Criterion, and here we are with July’s!
First up, we’re getting two Powell and Pressburger films that have been long rumored: The Red Shoes and Black Narcissus. The Red Shoes restored print that has been making it’s way around the country has been of much talk on our podcast over the last several months, and has even found it’s way onto Netflix’s Watch Instantly feature. Soon to be available on DVD and Blu-ray, these are two titles that are clearly worth a revisiting. The restored print of The Red Shoes screened last December in Austin at Butt-Numb-a-Thon, and our own James McCormick joined us on this early bonus episode, to discuss his thoughts on the screening.
First up, we’re getting two Powell and Pressburger films that have been long rumored: The Red Shoes and Black Narcissus. The Red Shoes restored print that has been making it’s way around the country has been of much talk on our podcast over the last several months, and has even found it’s way onto Netflix’s Watch Instantly feature. Soon to be available on DVD and Blu-ray, these are two titles that are clearly worth a revisiting. The restored print of The Red Shoes screened last December in Austin at Butt-Numb-a-Thon, and our own James McCormick joined us on this early bonus episode, to discuss his thoughts on the screening.
- 4/15/2010
- by Ryan Gallagher
- CriterionCast
Chicago – The Winter Olympics coverage on NBC made it impossible for viewers to ignore the fact that there is indeed a “Clash of the Titans” remake coming out in April. This may seem redundant, since the vast majority of modern fantasy has in some way ripped off Greek mythology. Both “Harry Potter” and “Percy Jackson” include a variation on Medusa, the reptilian villain with snake hair and a stoney stare.
Medusa has been giving young moviegoers nightmares for decades, thanks to Ray Harryhausen, whose distinctive stop-motion effects have enhanced cinema since the early 40s. Their herky-jerky movement has a life and immediacy that simply can’t be mimicked by today’s all-too-fluid CGI. 1981’s “Titans” marked the last time Harryhausen served as “special visual effects creator.” It’s a tribute to his mastery that the film still has a timeless grandeur, despite the fact that its effects now seem to...
Medusa has been giving young moviegoers nightmares for decades, thanks to Ray Harryhausen, whose distinctive stop-motion effects have enhanced cinema since the early 40s. Their herky-jerky movement has a life and immediacy that simply can’t be mimicked by today’s all-too-fluid CGI. 1981’s “Titans” marked the last time Harryhausen served as “special visual effects creator.” It’s a tribute to his mastery that the film still has a timeless grandeur, despite the fact that its effects now seem to...
- 3/9/2010
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Jose here with some guys in skirts and feuding gods.
Images have began to circle the web announcing the remake of Clash of the Titans (is it just me or does it feel like it was announced about a month ago? Movie production sure is fast nowadays...). The movie based on the 1981 classic is being directed by Louis Leterrier and stars Sam Worthington (who's yet to prove his worth with James Cameron's upcoming Avatar) as the mythical demigod Perseus.
The original was a favorite of mine as a kid. I used to be enchanted by Ray Harryhausen's stop motion effects (I covered my eyes whenever Medusa appeared and was terrified by the Stygian Witches) and the plot got me interested in Greek myths.
Once I became film conscious however, the movie proved to be worthy because of several other things. That cast for starters! With Sir Laurence Olivier,...
Images have began to circle the web announcing the remake of Clash of the Titans (is it just me or does it feel like it was announced about a month ago? Movie production sure is fast nowadays...). The movie based on the 1981 classic is being directed by Louis Leterrier and stars Sam Worthington (who's yet to prove his worth with James Cameron's upcoming Avatar) as the mythical demigod Perseus.
The original was a favorite of mine as a kid. I used to be enchanted by Ray Harryhausen's stop motion effects (I covered my eyes whenever Medusa appeared and was terrified by the Stygian Witches) and the plot got me interested in Greek myths.
Once I became film conscious however, the movie proved to be worthy because of several other things. That cast for starters! With Sir Laurence Olivier,...
- 10/3/2009
- by Jose
- FilmExperience
Ken Annakin, best remembered for directing the big-budget 1965 adventure comedy Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines, died of natural causes on Wednesday, April 22, at his home in Beverly Hills. He had suffered a stroke and a heart attack in February, and had been in poor health since. Like fellow British filmmaker Jack Cardiff, who also died on April 22, Annakin was 94. Born Kenneth Cooper Annakin in Beverley, Yorkshire, in England, on Aug. 10, 1914, Annakin began his film career working as a cameraman on training films for the Royal Air Force in World War II. His first feature as a director was the 1947 family vacation comedy Holiday Camp, starring numerous stalwarts of the British film industry, among them Flora Robson, Dennis Price, Esmond Knight, Hazel Court, and Jack Warner and Kathleen Harrison as the vacationing Huggetts. The following year saw the release of one of Annakin’s biggest British [...]...
- 4/24/2009
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
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